Chapter 34
"Wickhart-sama is being dismissed!?"
"Not dismissed. He resigned."
The soldiers of the Tenth Knight Order gathered in the mess hall listened to Rays-sama's explanation, then voiced their astonishment one after another.
Commander Wickhart has resigned from the Sixth Knight Order. Skudelia-san and the other principal figures behind the reckless surprise attack were all demoted.
As for the new commander, the king will appoint someone from outside the Sixth Knight Order. Their postings after the new commander is chosen have yet to be decided.
"That's harsher than I expected..." someone muttered. I thought so too. As a compromise, I had expected something like a pay cut, a suspension, or an assignment to duties that other knight orders were unwilling to take.
After all, whatever the details, they had won in the end. If the commander of the Sixth Knight Order were dismissed after a victory, people would wonder what had happened.
"As I said, this is not a punishment; he resigned of his own volition. Don't get the wrong idea," Rays-sama cautioned.
Sure, making it look like he had quit of his own accord would reduce the impact, but still...
An awkward atmosphere settled over the mess hall.
"And as for what to do with Wickhart... come in."
Wickhart-sama entered, looking a little embarrassed. He stood before us and faced straight ahead.
"As of today, I will be serving with the Tenth Knight Order! My name is Wickhart! I look forward to working with you!" He bowed deeply.
"Wickhart will be under my direct command." While everyone stood dumbfounded, Rays-sama said,
"Some of you may know who I am, but I intend to start over as a private. Just call me Wickhart, without an honorific. There's no need to speak politely," Wickhart-sama added.
"As you heard, I forbid anyone from speaking politely to Wickhart for the time being. Understood?" Rays-sama declared, and we continued to listen, still dumbfounded.
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After the greeting in the mess hall that had left everyone stunned, Rays-sama ordered me to come to his office. I was more than happy to oblige.
In the office were the usual people and Wickhart-sama... no, Wickhart. Ryuzel was there too.
"There you are. I needed to explain a few things to you and Ryuzel."
"Is it true that Wickhart-sama... I mean, Wickhart resigned?" Ryuzel asked.
"It's true," Rays-sama answered succinctly. Wickhart stood beside him with a broad smile.
Then Rays-sama began to explain what had happened.
Originally, the king had been reluctant to demote Wickhart from commander. It would not look good from an international perspective, and he was reluctant to waste Wickhart's talent, which had earned him the name Azure Bow.
On the other hand, the central figure arguing against leniency for Wickhart was Lucifal, commander of the First Knight Order.
"Allowing himself to be swayed by his subordinates' words and putting everything in danger is utterly unacceptable. He should be dismissed and placed under disciplinary suspension for a while; even if he is reinstated, he should begin again at the rank of captain," he argued.
His argument had merit, but coming from Lucifal, whose betrayal had already been confirmed, it inevitably made me suspect he had an ulterior motive.
The opinions of the leniency and harsh-punishment factions were evenly divided. The harsh faction's proposal had a problem, though: the external perception the king was concerned about.
Whatever the reason, it was hardly a good thing for a knight order's commander, appointed by the king, to be replaced so readily. In this case especially, they had won. Replacing the commander anyway could lead to rumors that they had actually lost or that the king was displeased.
The discussion stalled.
Amid this, Rays-sama said only one thing.
"Why not hear Wickhart's opinion first?" Rays-sama suggested.
"...And Wickhart wanted to resign?" Ryuzel said, looking at Wickhart. It was clearly his way of saying that Wickhart should take it from here.
At Ryuzel's gaze, Wickhart gave a small nod and slowly opened his mouth.
"...I came to realize something. I am not suited to stand above other people. My indecisive judgment put many lives in danger. Regardless of the outcome, if we were going to launch an attack, I should have made that decision from the start, and launching a reckless surprise attack out of personal feelings is the worst thing a commander can do. But I probably won't be able to ignore those feelings. Not in the future, either. I am better suited to serving as an aide."
After listening carefully to Wickhart's words, Ryuzel said, "I see... If that is what Wickhart believes, I have nothing more to say," and stepped back.
"Now, Roa, I have a question for you," Rays-sama suddenly said.
"What is it?"
"Wickhart wanted to resign, and I took him in as a compromise. Why do you think I did that?"
I thought for a moment and said,
"Well... perhaps you made it seem that the king wanted to have the Azure Bow at his side?"
"Precisely. Go on," Rays-sama said.
"If the commander were simply dismissed, people would wonder what had happened. But if we said the king wanted him as a close aide, it would look more like a promotion than a dismissal. It might make it seem as though the king had been a little selfish, but he is a master famed as the Azure Bow. People can easily understand why the king would want him as an aide. So he was transferred to the knight order directly under the king... Wouldn't that satisfy those around us?"
Rays-sama narrowed his eyes in satisfaction at my answer.
"Mostly correct. But you're still missing something. Wickhart."
"Yes." Having been addressed, Wickhart came over to me and knelt before me.
"W-what are you doing?"
"I, Wickhart, offer you this bow, and from this day forward swear my life and loyalty to you as your arrow. Will you grant me leave to do so?"
"What!? What does this mean!?"
I was thrown into confusion, and Ryuzel beside me leaned back in shock. Everyone else remained calm. Had they been told in advance?
"Roa, this is a very sacred ritual for a knight. If you accept, say, 'I'm counting on you.'" Rays-sama explained it to me, but this wasn't a matter of the ritual.
"Um, why me? Isn't this the kind of oath you should be making to Rays-sama?"
"Roa-dono, I wanted to support you. That's why I asked Rays-sama to let me join the Tenth Knight Order. If it would not inconvenience you, I would like your permission."
"Even if you say that... why, in the first place?"
"I asked Rays-sama. I heard this was effectively your first campaign. Yet your decisive judgment, courage that no one would expect from someone on their first campaign, and meticulous strategy that no amateur could have devised... I was deeply impressed. You anticipated the river flooding as well, didn't you?"
"W-well..." More accurately, I had known it would happen.
"I believe you will accomplish great things someday. But forgive my frankness: in terms of individual combat ability, you are below even a new recruit. So I will become your arrow and eliminate any threats that come near you."
As I stood there at a loss, Granz-sama spoke up.
"Roa, if it wouldn't inconvenience you, accept his oath. I once made the same vow to Rays-sama. This is a matter of mutual pride as well."
Wickhart pressed the matter further.
"For Laimar-san's sake as well, I want to do what I can for this country. I spent the entire past two months thinking about it—what can someone as unfit to command as I am do? After speaking with Rays-sama, I realized that I could serve as the aide to the person who saved my life—you."
I thought it was unfair of him to invoke Laimar-san.
But after he went that far, I had no reason to refuse.
"All right... I'm counting on you. Let's work together, Wickhart."
And so, I gained my first aide.