The Childhood Friend on the Frontier
"Hey Hugh! How long are you going to keep digging there!"
"Sorry! I'll finish it right away!"
The sunlight beat down unusually harshly on this spot compared to other regions. Before them lay the jungle, and behind them the mines—an uncharted territory. The empire had personally laid out the land and roads here, then moved people in to expand the territory, and the work was in full swing. The only downside was that the land was so rocky and stubborn that it took twice as long to develop compared to other lands.
Lower Knight Hugh was sweating like crazy while putting all his effort into clearing the road. It had been three and a half years since he joined the order. After two years as an apprentice knight, he had settled into being a full knight for a year and a half now—a new recruit. Although it was the capital, Hugh's unit was located at the very edge of them all, so the working conditions were quite tough. But despite all that, what was the reason he had been able to endure without complaint since the day he first stepped foot in the knightly order?
"When will the work of connecting the stream with a canal be completed?"
"It should be finished before the next month at the latest."
"Redistribute the manpower and redesign it so it can be completed within 45 days and report back."
"Yes, sir."
Even the unit commander of Hugh's unit, the highest-ranking officer there, couldn't speak directly and had to report through several superiors. Among the existing knights, the one with the most noble and grand achievements in the Aegis Empire's war hero. Ahrens de Lucia. It was simply because of his long-time childhood friend.
"...!"
From a distance, their eyes met for a moment. Ahrens, without anyone noticing, waved her hand shyly with a very faint smile, greeting Hugh. Hugh also waved his hand slightly, secretly greeting her. Although Ahrens had innate talent for combat and had risen to become the captain of the imperial guard by joining the order earlier than him and advancing steadily, compared to her, Hugh was still just a nobody who had only just left the apprentice knight stage, a stark contrast. Yet, their bond remained warm and unstrained, always tightly knit.
After the grueling work was finished, Hugh was lying in the barracks. Since the supply officer had brought him a letter addressed to his name, he opened the envelope and started reading it while lying on the bed. It was none other than a letter from Ahrens. Because it could cause problems if it was known that the captain of the imperial guard and a lowly lower knight were exchanging letters, he had been careful to ensure that the letter's content didn't allow any such inference.
"What is it, Hugh? Oh, a letter?"
"Ah, damn, another one from that childhood friend?"
"That damn envious guy. Why does a guy like that with a plain face have such a decent girlfriend? Haa..."
"It's not like a girlfriend."
The colleagues in the same room sighed in envy upon seeing his letter. Hugh was not in a romantic relationship with Ahrens. However, it couldn't be called a simple friendship either. Since before joining the knightly order, they had always been inseparable, no matter where they went, and their parents had believed they would marry and never doubted it. The tone in Ahrens's letter was far gentler and more coquettish than when she was acting as the captain of the imperial guard, something that couldn't be mistaken for the same person at a glance.
"Bullshit. If it's not dating, then what is it? Do you really believe there's a woman who uses words like 'I miss you' while thinking of you as just a serious friend?"
"Don't lie to me. I'm holding back from killing you right now..."
He didn't know what Ahrens was thinking, but Hugh had feelings for her. Due to the huge gap in status and the difficult circumstances of meeting, the emotions he couldn't express outwardly now, but someday, when he became a proper and dignified senior knight in the future, he could hold her hand. If he became a worthy person worthy of standing beside Ahrens... he wouldn't hesitate to confess. That was all he thought.
"Ah, anyway. That bastard of a unit commander. He was always like that, but today he was especially condescending, wasn't he?"
"He had his reasons. He got divorced."
"What? Divorce? Why? That guy was completely inseparable with his wife."
"It... you know. There. His Majesty the State Preceptor."
"Ah, ah..."
There was a rumor that the unit commander of Hugh's unit had recently suffered some misfortune. The rumor was that the pretty and cherished wife he had been bragging about everywhere had been taken by that 'State Preceptor.' Since he always carried his wife's photo in his pendant and showed it to anyone who came near, Hugh knew about it too. At first, he had wondered a lot why that condescending unit commander had gotten such a pretty and beautiful woman, but according to the rumor, he had caught Martin's eye, spent a night with him, then treated the unit commander like trash, placed the wedding ring on the table, and suddenly submitted a divorce document with only the words 'Sorry' written on it, and got hired as a maid in the imperial palace.
"Scary."
"Well... what can you do. Not just anyone, and why him."
"He should have hidden it better. Honestly, every time he showed the wife's photo, I thought he looked like a piece of crap."
"Heh heh, that's true."
"Haa... that milk-juice tits from the pendant. By now, the State Preceptor is probably sleeping with her and fucking her senseless."
"It's disgusting, but honestly, I'm really envious."
"I agree."
Hugh was quietly lost in thought. Meanwhile, one of the colleagues next to him spoke to him.
"Hey, you too, hide that childhood friend well. Don't let the emperor notice."
"Look at this guy talking. Puhah!"
"After all, she's just a girl living in a rural village. Why would the State Preceptor go all the way there?"
"Haha... that's right."
Hugh laughed it off without showing it, but an unease settled in one corner of his heart.
'If she's the captain of the imperial guard, even if I didn't know before, after coming to the capital there will be many chances to meet the State Preceptor...'
It was only natural to be worried.
"Hey, by the way. What business did the captain of the imperial guard come for this time?"
"Yeah. According to rumors, she had a big fight with the State Preceptor inside the palace."
"Where did you hear that?"
"There's a knight guarding the palace gate. He said that."
"Ugh, damn. Don't go around saying such things. Talking too much will get you in trouble."
"What? We don't have anyone else here."
Hugh could vaguely guess why Ahrens had deliberately come to this unit on the outskirts to do inspections. She had probably wanted to see his face after fighting on the border for so long. Even in previous letters, she had expressed wanting to come to his unit to see his face when she had the chance. While feeling a bit pleased, it was a bit uncomfortable to hear Ahrens mentioned in the colleagues' mouths. The rumor about her having a fight with the State Preceptor... The colleagues were chatting about various things. Among them, an insignificant remark came out.
"Haa... I saw the captain of the imperial guard for the first time this time, and she's not human."
"What?"
"What, her face. I've never seen such a beautiful person in my life. It can't compare to the ex-girlfriend I had in the village."
"I think it's her figure more than her face."
"But with the armor, you can't see it. What figure?"
"You don't know? Damn. Even with all that heavy armor on, her tits are jiggling. She could give birth twice a week and no problem."
"Puhah!! Heh heh..."
Hugh found the topic uncomfortable. Those lewd words and gazes directed at Ahrens. But since he couldn't speak up without grounds, he just ignored it and felt frustrated.
"Well, anyway. I bet the State Preceptor has fucked our wife hundreds of times like a dog?"
"It hasn't even been two weeks since she came to the capital?"
"Honestly, with that appearance, how could she not be noticed? And two weeks is enough. Probably by now she's been fucked like a dog so much her holes are ruined."
"The captain of the imperial guard is acting spoiled in bed? Wow... she's really amazing."
"Maybe she's already pregnant? Heh heh."
"Hey, you guys."
Hugh couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"We're about to change shifts soon, so keep your voices down?"
"Ah, damn. Time's up already?"
"Hey, turn off the light. Lights out."
Thus ended the lewd gossip. Hugh pushed the letter aside and pulled the blanket over himself, a bit worried that his displeasure might show on his face.
It was a needless worry. Ahrens had only been in the capital for a little over ten days, not even two weeks. It was a bit unsettling that she had already met Martin once, but given her upright personality, she wouldn't endorse Martin's actions. The big fight was probably because of that reason.
'Yeah. Ahrens always said she hated men who were scheming and like delinquents the most in the world.'
Shaking off all the thoughts, he pulled the blanket over and gently closed his eyes. When lying quietly, memories of his hometown would occasionally surface as vivid recollections.
'Hugh! Look at this, I caught this fish!'
'Ahrens...! Your arm is scratched...'
'Hehe. It's okay.'
When he went to the battlefield where the smell of blood was thick, Hugh had stayed up all night worrying about her. The desire to approach her and help her had been the reason he joined the knightly order. In the past, Ahrens had been a girl with quite a mischievous and innocent tomboy personality. As he walked the battlefield, he could feel the many pains she had endured. His friend's death. An incident where her life was in danger due to traitors. Even visiting the devastated village after the war's aftermath and feeling heartache. That's why Hugh wanted to become a senior knight as quickly as possible. Although the war had ended, making achievements was difficult... But submitting a dispatch request and volunteering for the front lines wasn't impossible. Eliminating the remnants of the enemy nation, arresting civilians hiding in border areas who had become resistance forces or bandits, by steadily accumulating merits, someday he could stand beside Ahrens. As seen from the low support rate, it would be a difficult and painful path... But Hugh had vowed to endure it. And when he became a proper senior knight in the distant future and met Ahrens again... he would confess his heart to Ahrens and promise eternity together happily. Thinking such thoughts, Hugh fell asleep.