Bodyguard Knight (Forced)

The Saintess is Obsessed Over Today as Well

A romance fantasy novel in which the heroine—a saintess in both name and nature—is relentlessly obsessed over by the male leads.

But instead of delivering the romance it promised, the story dumped a late-game villainess out of nowhere who massacred the entire cast—leads, supporting characters, and extras alike—before the author fled the burning wreckage. Pure trash-tier kindling.

And I got isekai'd straight into that garbage pile.

Into the body of an extra young master named Roen Kraus.

In the original work, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠description of him amounted to exactly one line:

A youth of exceptional sword talent who remained lazy.

A single scrap of exposition. Literally one of those extras who drifts past and vanishes.

So I lived hard.

From the age of five, the moment I possessed him.

If laziness was going to keep me an extra and get me killed, then hard work would solve the problem!

Study, physical conditioning, and sword training were the basics. On top of that came magic beast hunts and barbarian repulsions. I did a little of everything, really.

Well, for the latter I mostly just cleaned up after the real fighters.

No matter how talented you are, what can a guy who hasn't even shed the apprentice-knight label actually accomplish?

The only reason I managed even that much was because my family—the Kraus Count household—was a knight house.

Innate talent and a perfect environment.

That bastard Roen Kraus had everything spoon-fed to him by the people around him and still kicked the whole feast over with his own two feet.

But I am different.

Unlike the original, I put in the work. And I already know what the future holds.

If I can just become a regular knight, I can climb past extra status and become the protagonist who stops the massacre ending.

I can do it. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If it's me!

…I had been hanging on with that confidence until now.

"Father? What on earth are you saying all of a sudden?"

"I told you to become the bodyguard knight of the Weiss Grand Ducal Lady. In other words, Lady Ilia."

Bodyguard knight?

Of Ilia Weiss, no less?

My original plan had been simple.

Receive official knighthood, become a wandering knight, leave the territory, and hunt down the culprit behind the massacre ending.

But if I became a bodyguard knight, I wouldn't be free to roam as I pleased.

And the one I would be guarding was none other than Ilia.

The northern grand ducal lady who wore a blank expression at all times and tried to cut down anything that displeased her with her sword.

…Wait a second.

In the original, Ilia never had a bodyguard knight.

Cold sweat suddenly prickled down my back.

No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matter how I look at it, this has to be because of me.

Because I lived diligently unlike the original and changed things.

But then why me of all people?

"If it's a bodyguard knight, aren't there many more suitable candidates than me? The Wolf Marquis house, for instance…"

"Haha. No need to play modest just because you're in front of me, Roen. You graduated at the top of the knight academy. If you don't take the post, who else would?"

Ah, damn it.

I must have lived a little too hard.

"Besides."

Father trailed off and rummaged through a drawer. A moment later he set something on the desk.

"Is this… a letter?"

"It is. A personal missive from the Grand Duke himself."

"Th-the Grand Duke himself…?"

"Mm. Read it."

I hesitated, then carefully picked up the letter. The seal was already broken. When I unfolded it, a storm of pedantic, aristocratic flourishes swam before my eyes.

Strip away every scrap of useless ornamentation and the contents boiled down to this:

Hmm. This was unexpected.

Ilia herself wanted me as her bodyguard knight?

Not the Grand Duke designating me?

Why? We had a brief acquaintance in the past—was that it?

If she needed a bodyguard, having someone whose face she already knew nearby would be more comfortable.

…Come on. As if a grand ducal lady would name her guard for a reason that thin.

There had to be some other reason I didn't know.

"Roen. The choice is yours. As your father, I will not force you."

"Ah, yes."

The proud fire already blazing in Father's eyes felt like the heaviest coercion imaginable to me.

And the letter itself clearly said to "review this favorably."

"I will review this favorably" and "review this favorably" are polar opposites.

The first is a polite refusal. The second is an order that must be carried out no matter what.

And the other party was a grand ducal house.

Someone like me had no right of refusal.

With a short sigh of resignation I set the letter back on the desk.

"…Understood. I'll do it."

"Mm!"

The moment my answer left my mouth, color flooded Father's face.

Father, aren't you being a little too openly delighted?

Honestly—and I say this as his son—he was usually so taciturn and stern, yet at times like this he could be downright insufferable.

"Good! I knew my son ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would make the right choice. I'll send a reply to the Grand Duke at once. You go back to your room and rest easy."

"Yes, Father."

I bowed and left the study.

The instant the door shut, I leaned my back against the wall and exhaled a long breath.

My grand plan to escape extra status had been beautifully derailed before it even began.

What was I supposed to do with this mess?

…No. Think positively.

Turn the crisis into opportunity.

If I could persuade Ilia properly, I might even gain a powerful ally against the massacre ending.

It wouldn't be easy, of course.

But I had to do it.

I had no desire to die meaninglessly without even knowing why, the way it happened in the original.

"Haa…"

For now, I needed to think carefully about what came next.

Even at the fastest, the appointment would take several days. Plenty of time to plan.

Surely they wouldn't ship me off tomorrow.

"They're sending me right away…"

There I stood in the early morning, battered by a fierce blizzard. My state of mind was pure chaos.

Who could have guessed the personnel orders would move this fast?

Father had said yesterday that he would send a letter.

This world had no overnight express mail, so I had naturally assumed the letter alone would take several days just to reach the Grand Duke's Castle.

But this morning Father had pressed a letter into my hands and said:

"It would be better if you delivered this yourself. Show it to the Grand Duke when you arrive."

…Does this letter even have a point anymore, Father?

From where I'm standing, it has zero purpose.

I agree with you completely.

See? Even the letter resting snugly in my breast pocket was taking my side.

I had no idea what Father was thinking.

Anyway, when I packed my things and left the house that very day, the rest of the family—everyone except Father—put up quite a fight.

Mother, my older sister, my little sister, even our dog Poppy.

They all, bless them, fiercely opposed my sudden conscription and protested to Father.

But the single phrase "It is a request from the Grand Duke" immediately crushed every objection.

I didn't blame them.

That was simply how power worked.

I watched the carriage that had brought me disappear into the blizzard, heading home, then pulled my cloak tighter. My gaze shifted naturally to the main gate of the Grand Duke's Castle.

Two guards stood before the massive iron doors, sniffling against the cold.

I might as well approach and speak to them.

I was going to be seeing them often enough from now on.

"You two must be freezing. Hard work."

"Huh? Ah—yes, sir. Thank you. But who are you…?"

The mountain of a man answered first. Probably the senior of the two.

A stranger suddenly appearing at dawn and striking up friendly conversation must have looked suspicious. His grip tightened on the shaft of his spear.

Time to smile.

Who spits on a smiling face?

"My name is Roen Kraus."

"Roen Kraus? …Ah! We've heard about you!"

His wariness melted into a bright grin. I felt a little relief myself—minus one small sticking point.

"You've heard about me?"

"Yes! His Grace the Grand Duke told us yesterday in advance. He said someone from the Kraus Count house would arrive today and to let them in immediately. We just didn't realize it would be the young master of the Kraus house himself."

"Ah… ah, right."

What? So the Grand Duke and Father had already finished the entire one-sided conversation!

You're coming whether you like it or not, so hurry up and get here—was that it?

They never even considered that a mere count's son might refuse a request that was essentially an order from a grand duke?

…Well, I couldn't refuse, so I had no grounds to argue.

"W-well, please come inside. Your face looks frozen solid."

"Yes. I should go in. Hoo…"

A white plume of breath clouded my vision and scattered.

Clank.

Creeeak—

The iron maw of the gate slowly opened.

A newborn pup walked in of its own free will.

I only hoped I wouldn't get eaten.