You, Be My Daughter's Master
The Shardena Kingdom’s knight order was renowned across the entire continent. Every knight within its ranks was a powerhouse that lesser warriors wouldn’t even dare approach with a business card. They moved only upon direct royal command, and their sheer martial might meant that, unlike ordinary soldiers who handled the kingdom’s miscellaneous chores, only the king’s closest blood relatives could command even a fraction of them.
Because of that overwhelming strength, the daily life of the Shardena Knights could honestly be described as remarkably leisurely. They rose at six in the morning, ran a light jog together, bathed, ate breakfast, then those on escort duty rotated shifts while the rest honed their minds and bodies through training, meditation, or reading. In the afternoon, everyone not on assignment gathered for full-power drills. Afterward, unless further orders came down, it was free time. In short, the knight order was quite literally a gathering of powerful individuals who embodied freedom itself—training and resting exactly as they pleased.
Of course, once a week the knights would patrol or subjugate dangerous regions and take on important missions beyond escort duty. Still, compared to the regular soldiers who stood guard on the walls and outer perimeter every single day, repaired the royal castle, maintained public order in the residential districts, and were dragged into every trivial task imaginable, the difference in freedom was like heaven and earth.
So today as well, after starting the morning refreshed by a jog with roughly fifty members, Shardena’s Knight Commander, Zenle Hyde, sipped well-steeped black tea while reviewing documents.
“Huu… The aroma is excellent.”
Clink———
She savored the sunlight streaming through the window, enjoyed the tea’s scent and flavor, then gently set the cup down.
The position of knight commander came with more administrative paperwork than the average knight, but Zenle was perfectly content with her role. The salary far exceeded the workload, she could train her swordsmanship to her heart’s content, and the retirement pension was generous. It was simply too good a position to complain about a little extra desk work.
Above all, what Zenle loved most about being knight commander was that—except for the king himself—she held the highest authority over all military forces in the kingdom. In other words, unlike the other knights who had to obey every royal command and provide escorts, she could act as an independent agent. Unless the king issued a direct order, her commands took precedence over those of the royal family when dealing with soldiers and knights. And if it wasn’t a royal decree, she wasn’t bound by orders or required to perform escort duties. Within an already free knight order, the commander enjoyed the greatest freedom of all.
“Let’s see… This document is…”
That was why, after the war ended and she had spent the past several years finishing urgent tasks and settling into a peaceful routine, this leisurely life felt completely natural to Zenle.
It would have remained that way if not for the communication orb that suddenly rang.
Beep—— Beep——
The orb, which had almost no registered contacts and therefore rarely rang, began emitting a reception tone.
At the unusual sound, Zenle’s eyes widened. She quickly returned the quill she was holding to its stand.
“Who could be calling at this hour?”
There should have been no reason for anyone to contact her right now. If it had been an order from His Majesty, a messenger would have come in person. The few close friends registered on the orb were all busy with their own duties at this time of day. So who—?
Harboring that question, Zenle picked up the orb resting on her desk.
Kael
“Wha—?!”
The name floating above the orb made Zenle forget her usual composure. She shot up from her chair, knocking it backward.
“M-Master?”
The name belonged to the very person who had elevated her to knight commander and taught her every principle of swordsmanship—her master, Kael. She had contacted him first once or twice a year, but he had never reached out to her before. No wonder she was flustered.
Still, the position of knight commander had not been won by luck. After a few deep breaths, Zenle regained her composure. She cleared her throat deliberately.
“Ahem… Hm!”
She refused to answer while still rattled and show her respected master an embarrassing side of herself. Once she confirmed her racing heartbeat had steadied, she carefully channeled mana into the communication orb.
Beep———
The once-transparent orb clouded over, tinted with the color of Zenle’s mana. A connection tone sounded, and a voice came from the other side.
“Yes, Master. I hear you clearly.”
At Kael’s first words, Zenle unconsciously snapped to attention. It had been more than five years since she last saw his face, yet the mere sound of his voice sent military discipline surging through her body and tension racing up her spine. At the same time, memories of those long-ago training days under him flashed through her mind.
‘Ugh… Just remembering it makes my head throb.’
Those days had been the nourishment that shaped her into who she was today, but they had also been nightmarish. Zenle’s body trembled faintly at the recollection.
“Ahaha… I’m sorry, Master.”
The question struck straight at her conscience. Zenle gave an awkward laugh. It was true—she had contacted him far less often during her relatively peaceful years than she should have. If he asked how she could possibly be too busy to call after everything he had given her, she would have no excuse.
‘Is he actually upset…?’
For a moment she worried that her silence had offended him. She swallowed dryly during the brief silence, but fortunately her anxiety proved groundless.
“Me, Master? No, I haven’t been particularly busy lately…”
In truth, the number of truly busy periods over the past few years could be counted on one hand, but Zenle was not the type to invite trouble. Admitting that would only earn her another lecture about why she hadn’t called. So she simply answered that she had free time. From the other side of the orb she thought she heard Kael speaking to someone else; then his voice returned, clear and calm.
“…Pardon?”
Even though she had heard the words perfectly, they refused to register. Zenle let out a dazed sound before she could stop herself.
Daughter? Since when did her master have a daughter? Had he married without her knowing? She had never heard any such news. Dozens of questions swirled through her mind in an instant, jump-starting her frozen thoughts. Yet no matter how she turned them over, she could not possibly answer them alone. After a brief hesitation, she asked carefully.
“Master… did you get married? What exactly do you mean by ‘daughter’…?”
Kael answered as if he had grown used to such reactions. The casual tone only deepened Zenle’s confusion. She nearly lost the composure she had regained before answering the call and began to bombard him with questions, but he spoke again before she could.
“So that’s what you meant…”
“I… understand, Master.”
Thanks to Kael’s timely explanation, Zenle’s chaotic thoughts finally settled. Anyone would naturally raise a baby abandoned on their doorstep. And since Kael knew the orphanage’s dark underbelly well, he would never have dumped the child there. She nodded at his suggestion to treat the girl as his adopted daughter.
“But if she’s five years old now, as you say, what exactly do you mean by asking me to serve as her master…?”
With her questions resolved, Zenle steered the conversation back to the main topic. According to him the child was only five. What could it mean to ask someone to become the master of a five-year-old? Wondering if it was a figure of speech, she tilted her head.
“I see. But why ask me, Master? Wouldn’t it be better if you trained her yourself?”
Zenle genuinely believed that. She was strong, yes, but the man who had trained her would surely be the best teacher.
“…Ah.”
The moment Kael said he could only teach swordsmanship, Zenle understood perfectly. During her own training she had never received proper stamina drills—only hellish sword lessons that made additional conditioning unnecessary. In other words, Kael had no talent for teaching anything beyond the sword. His instruction was limited to the mental realm; when it came to the physical side, he was utterly clueless, as if swordsmanship were the only subject that existed in his world. Of course, that one peerless discipline had been enough to forge geniuses out of geniuses.
“Being chosen by you is an honor, Master.”
Without the slightest trace of flattery, Zenle smiled. She quickly reviewed her schedule, organized her thoughts, and answered.
“I will submit a report to the administrative office and depart within three days. Things are relatively quiet at the moment, so if I set aside only essential duties I should be able to come five days a week.”
“Indeed. I plan to stay in the vicinity. There are a few villages near your cottage, aren’t there, Master?”
“I will contact them in advance and arrange private lodging. Hagen Village is a decent-sized trading town, so it should be more than adequate.”
She had no pressing matters at the moment; this was perfect timing. At last she had a chance to repay even a fraction of the debt she owed her master. After a few more exchanges to finalize the schedule, Zenle bid farewell to the man she would see again in a few days.
“Then I will see you soon, Master.”
With those final words the connection ended. Zenle watched the mana dissipate and the orb turn transparent once more, then sank into her chair with a long sigh.
“Haa… First, I need to write that report.”
Imagining the face of Kael’s daughter—whom she had never once seen—Zenle began drafting the document, humming a quiet tune to herself.