Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Chapter 15: Radical or Unconventional (4)
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To cut to the chase, I won the bet.
It wasn't easy.
I even deployed the fortress's reserves, something I hadn't done even against the brats.
Even then, I couldn't shake my unease, so I disguised myself as a soldier to prepare for the worst.
I deliberately launched a surprise attack, aiming for the left hand he had willingly bound.
If luck hadn't been on my side, I would have been the one defeated.
The Cradle, they called it.
I never imagined a mere examiner would be this skilled.
It was a bet I only started after stacking the odds in my favor.
I'd even gotten him to promise he would forgo all his powers as a knight and use only his right hand.
That was a far harsher condition than I had anticipated.
Excluding his blessing was by no means as easy as it sounded.
Unless there was a special artifact or tool to restrain a knight,
a blessing, once settled in the body, was bound to emerge in one way or another.
Honestly, I had thought it would be easy.
I figured if I sent in enough soldiers, his blessing would slip out at least once in the heat of battle.
The moment I saw any sign of his blessing manifesting, I planned to use it as a pretext to end the bet.
But things didn't go as I'd planned, and he never used his blessing before the battle was over.
That meant he had fought the entire time with immense concentration, suppressing his blessing from manifesting.
There was no way he could have focused entirely on the fight.
At this point, I honestly wasn't even sure what to be impressed by.
Should I be amazed by his integrity, so faithful to chivalry once the battle began, in stark contrast to his flippant demeanor?
Should I marvel at his monstrous strength, devouring five centuries of soldiers while suppressing his blessing?
Or should I pay my respects to the untainted, pure chivalry of the knights from before the Great War, the very chivalry they embodied?
I just couldn't tell.
But there was no need to rack my brain over it.
The bet was over, and in the end, I was the winner.
“You won.”
The examiner declared the victor, his hands clasped behind his back as he turned away.
His tone was matter-of-fact.
“The promise will be kept.”
Even though it was an unfair bet, it couldn't have been easy for a knight to accept defeat at the hands of a mere squire, yet his attitude was completely straightforward.
I found myself admiring him once more.
“...May I know your name, Examiner?”
It was a question born half of apology for my hasty judgment based on his flippant tone and first impression, and half of respect for how earnestly he had engaged in a bet with a mere squire.
“What's so important about a worthless name?”
“Still...”
“If you insist, then for now, just call me the Master of the Rose Garden.”
I bowed my head to the examiner—no, the Master of the Rose Garden—who stood with his back to me, hands clasped behind him.
“...Thank you for your guidance.”
He raised a hand and waved it dismissively.
Immediately, the scenery around me crumbled away.
“Ah.”
When I came to my senses, I was standing in the middle of the testing grounds.
“Number 99!”
I was surrounded by the brats.
But the expressions on the faces of the brats encircling me were incredibly hostile.
As if they were looking at their mortal enemy.
Even the few brats from minor families who had shown me favor, and that chatterbox Angelo, were glaring at me as if they wanted to tear me apart.
“You despicable bastard!”
“You shameless lout who knows nothing of chivalry!”
Watching them hurl insults, I tilted my head.
All I had done to them were things commonly seen on a battlefield—embedding an arrow in someone's forehead, surrounding them on all sides so they couldn't move before picking off their soldiers one by one, or stabbing them in their sleep.
And it was just a mock battle, not even real.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
Could I have wronged them in some major way without realizing it?
“...?”
I truly had no idea.
* * *
“Hah.”
The Deputy Director sighed.
Not only did he barge into the mock battle unannounced, but he also promised all sorts of special treatment to a mere candidate.
He was always self-willed, but this time, he had gone too far.
This time, he was determined to fix his impulsive nature.
That was his intention at first.
But.
“*Groan*.”
Seeing his superior lying limp and half-dead on the bed, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
Simply summoning the Rose Garden carried significant aftereffects.
On top of that, he had personally entered the Rose Garden, so the consequences must have been severe.
Nagging his superior in such a state was something he just couldn't do.
“I mean, what kind of place did he think that was to just barge in?”
Still, unable to let it go completely, he offered a few token rebukes.
In response, his superior's lips twitched.
*Mumble, mumble.*
Thinking he might be in discomfort, the Deputy Director leaned in closer.
“I'm embarrassed enough, so don't be too hard on me...?”
*Mumble, mumble.*
“At least I finished things cleanly without making a scene at the end...?”
*Mumble, mumble.*
The Deputy Director straightened up and moved away from his superior.
“Well, at least he knows to be embarrassed and managed to wrap things up neatly. I suppose that's worthy of some praise.”
*Nod, nod.*
Watching his superior nod repeatedly, the Deputy Director smiled faintly.
“...Did you really think I was going to say that? Seriously?”
But it was only for a moment.
“You call that something to be proud of? My head is about to explode trying to figure out how to clean up your mess without causing a scandal! What have you done to deserve praise...?!”
The Deputy Director shrieked.
But his superior was resolute.
“What, you think that kid is strange? He says it was only because it was him that he got away with just a few strands of hair lost. If it had been some clumsy fool, it wouldn't have ended so neatly...?”
*Grumble, grumble.*
“Now that he thinks about it, the fact that the kid used a strange Avatar is also suspicious?”
*Gasp, gasp.*
“Still haven't come to your senses. Why does any of that matter right now...”
The Deputy Director, who was about to shout reflexively, snapped his mouth shut.
In a way, he had a point.
An Avatar from the Rose Garden usually took a form most familiar to the user, with a slight projection of their desires.
But Number 99's Avatar was different.
It was too different in build to be a familiar form, yet not idealized enough to be an excessive projection of desire.
But it wasn't a completely random Avatar, either.
“Hmm.”
The hair color and a few other features were strangely similar to Candidate 99.
“He thought that's what Number 99 would look like after about ten years of rolling around on the battlefield?”
*Nod, nod.*
The Deputy Director was lost in thought.
Artifacts, by their nature, could become monsters or treasures depending on how they were used.
With the exception of a few cases where their origins were perfectly known, the effects of most were not fully understood, requiring extreme caution in their use.
Artifacts that had flowed into the Empire through war, like the 'Flag of the Twelve Great Warriors of Burgund' used in this mock battle, were especially prone to side effects and aftereffects.
He worried and worried that Number 99's Avatar might be one of them.
“No, wait. Why am I racking my brain over this nonsense?”
After mulling it over and over, the Deputy Director's face suddenly contorted.
“We should have just let the mock battle proceed as planned! Of all the artifacts we have, why did you have to use one that came from the Kingdom of Burgund? What if there was an accident!”
Once the nagging he had been holding back finally exploded, it was uncontrollable.
“What! Are you sleeping? What? You fainted? This guy, seriously...! Fine. Perfect. Since it's come to this, I'll make sure you're really knocked out. Huh? Let's have you rest for a few days!”
The nagging was remarkably effective.
So much so that his superior, who had been bedridden with severe aftereffects, returned to work in less than a day.
* * *
In the last mock battle, I had clearly earned my admission to the Cradle.
All I had to do was rest in my quarters, and when the other brats finished their tests, I could quietly join them and enter the Cradle.
That was the plan. But...
“The final comprehensive evaluation will assess how well you serve a knight as a squire.”
Before the day was over, an examiner from the Cradle showed up and dropped this bombshell on me.
“Don't think of it as a difficult test; just approach it comfortably. Your acceptance won't be revoked unless there's a serious disqualifying reason.”
It was the old knight who had been in charge of the first test, the weapons maintenance subject.
“Oh, look at me. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm August. As you can see, I'm just a useless old man mooching off the Cradle.”
The old knight, who introduced himself as August, didn't even pretend to listen to what I had to say.
“As I said, this is merely a formality, so don't overthink it.”
“Even if you say that...”
“I told you not to worry. Just follow this old man around for a few days and keep me company.”
The old knight stressed several times that this evaluation would not significantly affect my acceptance.
He also added that it was purely a formality.
Then again, for a mere examiner to guarantee a spot before all the tests were even finished could easily be seen as an overreach of authority.
Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. It was a relief that the examiners seemed to be backing up the promise to save each other's faces.
At least, his words that my guaranteed right wouldn't be revoked seemed genuine.
Though it came with the condition of ‘no serious disqualifying reasons.’
Anyway.
“It's not difficult. Just take it easy.”
Since he told me to approach the test comfortably, I decided to do just that.
*Brush, brush.*
I smoothed out the wrinkles on the old knight's uniform and brushed off the dust.
“...?”
The old knight's eyes widened as he looked at me.
His face seemed to ask what in the world I was doing.
“Yes. Comfortably.”
I replied nonchalantly and re-fastened the somewhat loose belt and the loop of his sword.
Smiling in satisfaction, I took a step back.
The old knight was still looking at me.
“So, without any complications. Comfortably.”
I repeated the old knight's words again, like a mantra.
Whether the mantra worked or if it was for some other reason,
my mind was incredibly at peace.
As if I had finally taken off ill-fitting clothes.
As if, after wandering lost, I had finally found my place.
* * *
Four days.
The comprehensive evaluation period was short, yet it felt long. It was short.
During that time, I stayed at the old knight's residence in the capital's residential district and diligently performed my duties as a squire.
When I woke in the morning, I would polish his beloved swords, 'Azure Sky' and 'Blade Breaker,' and press his uniform.
It was also my job to maintain the old suit of armor set in a corner of the living room.
After that, I'd mix oats, chaff, beets, and barley in the proper ratio, toss it into the hay bin, and then clean the stables while the horse ate.
Once the morning chores were roughly finished, I would change my clothes and quietly wait for the old knight to emerge.
“Knight.”
The old knight always left his room at sunrise, right on schedule.
I would help him into the uniform I had pressed beforehand.
After that, it was off to the Cradle.
As I led the horse by the reins toward the Cradle, knights from the Cradle appeared here and there.
“Knight August.”
“Knight Lewin. Knight Jillian.”
The young knights greeted the old knight warmly when they saw him.
While they exchanged greetings, I too nodded to the squires holding their horses' reins.
They were brats like me, temporarily assigned to serve knights.
The brats barely acknowledged my greeting, just glancing around nervously before disappearing.
The venom was gone from the eyes of those who, just a few days ago, had glared at me as if they wanted to kill me.
Come to think of it, the brats had become quite shabby in a short time.
Judging by their stiff necks, tensed in fear of a sudden reprimand, and their slumped shoulders, it seemed their temporary masters were all strict.
In that sense, I was lucky to have been assigned to an easygoing knight.
“Me, not demanding?”
The old knight chuckled.
It was a laugh I couldn't understand.
By my standards, he certainly didn't meddle much, nor was he a high-maintenance master.
Although there were times he would test my reactions by remaining silent when he should have acted, or conduct surprise inspections of the equipment and the horse, or ask random questions and demand an immediate answer.
But what did it matter?
As long as I did my job properly, it was fine.
In fact, I was more at ease now than ever before.
“You've worked hard following this old man around.”
“Ah, already...?”
When the comprehensive evaluation ended, a sigh escaped me unconsciously.
“When we meet again, it will be as instructor and cadet. I look forward to it.”
With that brief farewell, the old knight was gone, leaving only me and the brats in the clearing.
“Is it normal to get chewed out for four days straight over a single wrinkle in a uniform?”
“A wrinkle in your uniform? I got yelled at because the horse's mane wasn't combed neatly. Isn't that insane?”
“Even the knights in my family weren't that strict!”
“Don't even get me started. The squires there looked at me like I was a thief trying to steal their position. They interfered with everything I did... Wow... I barely managed to stop myself from challenging them to a duel.”
The brats, who had been holding their breath, began to vent their frustrations as if on cue.
“How about you? Knight August is super strict, right?”
Angelo, his face pale after just a few days, asked in a suggestive tone.
A few other brats who had sidled up were also waiting for my answer with expectant faces.
It seemed the resentment from the mock battle hadn't faded yet, and they wouldn't be satisfied until they heard that I had suffered terribly.
Unfortunately for them, I had no choice but to disappoint their expectations.
“No? He treated me so well that I had a very comfortable time.”
At my words, Angelo frowned and tilted his head.
“That's strange. He's famous for being so strict that even squires can't last long before running away.”
“They say if you can endure a year under him, most knightly orders will accept you without even an interview, right?”
“A year? I heard even three months is rare.”
The brats chattered on, competing to share rumors about the old knight.
Just as I, unable to watch any longer, was about to step in.
“Here's the list of successful candidates!”
Several figures who appeared to be staff from the Cradle hung a large scroll on one side of the testing grounds.
“Oh! The total scores and final rankings are next to it!”
Angelo and the other brats exchanged glances and then dashed toward the scroll.
A step behind, I followed them.