Chapter 154
The third day of the joint exercises ended without a decisive result.
My strategy worked well, giving our Western Army the advantage early on. But then Zackhart-sama suddenly started fighting in earnest, and his individual martial prowess turned the tide against us.
There weren’t many soldiers in each unit. If someone as extraordinary as Zackhart-sama got serious, we were bound to struggle. Actually, going that hard in a training exercise was a little much. What had happened all of a sudden?
While all that was going on, every new recruit on both sides was taken out, so the battle ended there. In the end, it was a draw.
“That old geezer suddenly got fired up!”
“Who was that old geezer? He wasn’t just some guy fawning over his daughter!”
The twins had returned and were still worked up, chattering excitedly.
That old geezer... You mean Zackhart-sama? Do they think of him as an old man who dotes on Lufa?
“Yeah. I’d heard the rumors, but what I saw for myself was the doting old geezer everyone talks about.”
“Yeah. After seeing him in person, I thought he was just an old man.”
The knight orders’ inadequate information-sharing was causing problems even here!
Anyway, today’s exercises ended without incident. The fourth and fifth days also passed without any major problems, and the joint exercises went through everything on the schedule without a hitch. Each knight order came away with something, and they all set off for home.
〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜
“At long last, a solemn air has returned to the royal capital.”
It was one of Lucifal’s close aides who said that with evident bitterness. They were in the First Knight Order’s command room, and it was a sarcastic remark about the joint exercises being over.
“Very well. The knight orders must have wanted this, so let them be. More importantly, are the arrangements for Sharis finished?”
Lucifal glanced at Hinof, his trusted confidant.
Though Sharis had risen through the ranks at a young age to become a unit commander in the First Knight Order, there was a slight flaw in Sharis’s character. Sharis was straightforward, with a strong sense of justice.
Those were qualities Lucifal no longer possessed—and no longer needed.
That was why he had decided to send Sharis to the Ninth Knight Order. He had a use for Sharis in mind. Officially, it was to let a promising young talent learn from the Ninth Knight Order.
Sharis came from a respectable family, so sending Sharis from the First Knight Order would be enough to satisfy the Ninth Knight Order’s pride.
“I see. Good. Given what happened the other day, we need to stay coordinated with the Ninth Knight Order.”
At Lucifal’s words, Hinof’s expression tightened slightly. The incident at the Royal Shrine had been a grievous blunder on Hinof’s part.
Things were supposed to drag on a little longer and leave a bigger impact. If the king and the Tenth Knight Order had been focused on the Royal Shrine, it would have made various things easier for us in the royal capital.
But Dentacrus Bellosa, the next head of the Bellosa family, was far more foolish than Hinof could have imagined. Dentacrus effortlessly surpassed even the expectation that a member of a knight order would be somewhat competent.
It wasn’t as though Hinof had no defense. This time, Lucifal had acted on a whim. It was an excuse, but the investigation period had been short, and the investigation had been limited to the current head of the Bellosa family.
But Hinof merely bowed his head in silence.
Regardless, the incident at the Royal Shrine had been Hinof’s failure. The slight change in his expression just now came from frustration with his own inadequacy.
Lucifal understood that well. So he didn’t press the matter any further and changed the subject.
“Now then, a message has arrived from our master. I thought we should all hear it.”
Everyone present understood that the master in question was not currently in the royal capital.
〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜
After the joint exercises ended, I’d been running around doing all sorts of things behind the scenes, and I was finally starting to relax. Then one day...
“Raiz-sama requests your presence, Roa-dono.”
Since the previous messenger had been injured, the new messenger, who’d started coming by fairly often, came to summon me.
“He’d also like Wickhart-dono, Dick-dono, Ryuzel-dono, and Frein-dono to come, if possible.”
...Is this going to be a hassle?
Anyway, we all headed to Raiz-sama’s room together.
It was a little unusual for Dick to be summoned along. Dick looked a bit tense, too.
When we entered Raiz-sama’s room, there was someone I didn’t recognize inside. Quite young, too.
“You’re here. I’ll make the introductions. This is Rosvel. Roa and the others, you may remember him as the new recruit who charged forward with a long-handled spear during the exercises the other day.”
Oh, right, there was a soldier like that. He’d stuck in my mind as someone who’d done something interesting. I’d meant to check his name, but never got around to it. If he was here, that meant he’d caught Raiz-sama’s eye.
Rosvel greeted us with a new recruit’s salute.
“I’m Rosvel! It’s nice to meet you!”
So energetic—and with such fresh, guileless sincerity.
“Now, I called you all here because I have a small favor to ask.”
I figured as much.
“What is it?”
“I’d like you to test your strength against Rosvel.”
Huh?
“I believe I have what it takes to become a unit commander right away! Please!”
Rosvel bowed with spirited enthusiasm.
...Yeah. It was a hassle after all.