Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 97. Knight Evaluation Match (6)
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The Second Imperial Princess stood on the training ground.
But there was still about 500 meters to go.
In the meantime, pursuers had appeared behind her.
“Veil Mikhail…!”
A chilling, powerful mana emanated from behind.
Followed by a familiar voice.
“Stop right there! I’ll be the one to finish you!”
Richard.
He was charging after me with heavy thuds, at a blistering pace.
As an advanced expert with a swordmaster right in front of him, his speed was ferocious.
But…
Two flags were already tied to his back.
‘He’s already got two, so why’s he coming after me?!’
“What are you lot doing?”
Richard ran into the cartel of knights chasing me.
His face twisted in anger as he lashed out at them.
“Get out of my way! I’m the one who’s taking down Veil!”
The knights were swept aside by his massive arms.
Thanks to him, the group chasing me thinned out considerably.
‘He’s handling them all for me?’
But it was too early to relax.
Richard, having cleared the knights blocking the front…
Rushed at me and my partner with terrifying speed.
One from the left.
Richard from the right.
They targeted my flag from both sides at once.
“…!”
I ducked low in response.
And as I fell…
“Miya, Senior!”
Miya had recovered her stamina and sneaked ahead.
I hurled a flag-tied arrow at her.
Senior leaped toward the arrow.
She caught it with her signature fluid motion.
“Go, Senior…! Take first place…!”
I was caught by Richard and his subordinate.
They crushed me like a sandwich.
“Krha…!”
“Show me your strength, Veil Mikhail!”
He glared down at me coldly, clearly eager for another spar.
But I stared only at Miya pulling ahead.
“Haa… haa…”
Clutching the flag, she headed for the hill overlooking the training ground.
She’d clearly lost her stamina from all the cigarettes and desk work up to now.
But…
For twenty-one years of her life, she’d been dismissed as a fallen noble.
Even after becoming a knight, she’d been at a disadvantage in every way.
This was the one chance that had come to Miya, who’d been on the verge of elimination.
Top of the first semester evaluation.
Knight of the Capital Defense Order.
Miya ran with all her might to claim that record herself.
Clutching her lungs that felt ready to burst.
“Hup…!”
Miya staggered into the training ground.
She stamped the marble floor confidently with her trembling combat boots.
“I-I made it…!”
The black-bobbed knight approached Irina.
Panting raggedly, drenched in sweat, she handed the flag to the princess.
“I brought it, Your Highness…!”
The Second Imperial Princess looked at her peer.
“…”
Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she smiled brightly.
Even to another woman like herself, it felt beautiful—her lips nearly curved up.
“Capital Defense Knight Order, Miya Greta. You pass.”
“R-Really…?”
Senior clutched her hands, her face full of emotion.
Irina gazed at her innocent expression.
Soon, she chose to cheer the young woman’s passion rather than feel jealousy.
“Yes, congratulations from the heart.”
“Thank you, Your Highness…!”
Miya grabbed the princess’s hand without thinking.
She shook it happily, like a child.
“Um… Lady Miya? My hand…”
“Ah, sorry!”
Senior startled, released it, and gave an awkward smile.
“Your family name is Greta, right?”
At the princess’s question, Miya quickly composed herself.
She clasped her hands politely and replied.
“Yes, my father is a baron with a small estate in the northern capital.”
“…”
Irina gazed steadily at Miya.
Then she remembered: Baron Greta, her father, had lost everything to gambling.
“I see. Lucky for the baron to have such a fine daughter.”
“Thank you…”
Senior bowed politely.
The princess patted her shoulder and said,
“I’ll remember your name, Miya Greta.”
Irina stepped back with the bold expression befitting royalty.
She secretly watched Miya meet up with me as I arrived.
“Senior, how’d it go?”
I rubbed my sore back and asked her.
Miya turned to me slowly.
Her lips curved into a grin, and she beamed.
“Passed, obviously!”
The bob-haired knight proudly flashed a V-sign with her fingers.
She trotted over to me, tossing the flag back.
I chuckled and straightened up.
Standing tall before Miya.
“Good thing. I thought we lost because of your terrible stamina, Senior.”
Miya beckoned me to lean in.
“What?”
I obliged, lowering my head.
Then…
“Thanks, Veil.”
Miya stroked my lowered crown like it was hers to pet.
A sensation I’d never felt before.
I lifted my head slightly and stared blankly at her.
“I’ve never gotten first place at anything in my life.”
Senior smiled, hands behind her back.
“No matter how hard I tried, my background and talent never backed me up.”
Was it the blazing sunset behind her?
A halo seemed to frame Miya’s face.
“But running on my own two feet and seizing it like today? It feels so good, right?”
Her black eyes sparkled in that halo.
With those eyes, Senior said,
“Without you, I’d never have felt this sense of accomplishment.”
I gazed warmly at her smiling eyes.
“This is just the beginning for you, Senior.”
This time, I stroked her head.
With the relaxed gaze from my past life, I said,
“This evaluation will make the nobles see you anew. First from the Capital Defense Order in the top ranks.”
Miya looked up at me, who’d petted her head.
“If you keep pushing like this, no matter the circumstances, success is certain.”
I smoothed her tousled hair.
Then crossed my arms alone.
‘That way, you’ll be my reliable partner later.’
“You, you…”
Miya blankly touched the hair I’d stroked.
Was it the sunset?
Her face seemed redder than usual.
“Who said you could pet your senior’s head?!”
“You petted mine, Senior.”
The long-haired cat I’d absentmindedly stroked was hissing back.
Miya yelled at me instead.
“Because I’m the senior!”
Miya huffed and stepped back.
Her prim side showing—her tousled hair even stood on end.
“Where you going?”
“To send a messenger bird to my parents!”
Senior headed to the aviary shelter in the corner of the training ground.
She wrote her letter alone, a faint smile on her lips.
I watched her leisurely from afar.
Then, following the gloomy gaze I’d felt since earlier…
I stared at Irina, peeking from behind the wall.
Having seen everything, her expression was sharp as a feral wolf.
“…!”
Our eyes met, and she whipped her head away.
The silver ponytail at her nape swayed out of sight.
I followed that hair to the small stream hidden behind the wall.
“Your Highness, are you there?”
The water glowed golden in the sunset.
“What is it…?”
I approached slowly at her response.
Together, we gazed at our reflections in the water.
“I came to thank you for your help earlier.”
My reflection smiled faintly.
But Irina’s face remained sullen.
“It’s fine. I just guided some knights who were cheating. You did well in the evaluation, right?”
“Yes, thanks to you, two from our Capital Defense Order made the top ranks.”
The Second Imperial Princess’s reflection curved her lips.
“Good for you.”
Bitterly.
“You seem down today, Your Highness. Is something wrong?”
I asked carefully, hands behind my back.
I glanced up to check her expression.
“No… What would be wrong with me.”
Irina hid her face from my gaze.
“Please, tell me freely.”
But she kept hiding her face.
Her body even began to tremble slightly, as if it was serious.
“If it’s something I can solve, I’ll do anything.”
I smiled faintly and leaned in from both sides of her shoulders.
Then…
The princess slowly raised her head.
I caught a glimpse of her expression in the water.
“You… you…”
Her eyes were red-rimmed.
She looked extremely sulky.
“…?”
I stared at her, bewildered.
That moment.
The princess snapped her face up.
With a pouty expression she’d never shown me, she said,
“You slept with Lea!!”
She whimpered plaintively.
I was stunned.
“Yes…?”
Irina rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
In a sorrowful voice, she continued,
“You pounced on Lea and slept with her! And now you’re flirting with some cute girl!”
Her accumulated suspicions exploded—she sniffled.
“I saw you picking rabbit grass for her too…”
The princess looked utterly wronged.
“I’ve been waiting all this time to do everything first with you…”
She muttered so I couldn’t hear.
Flustered, I recalled my time with Lea.
I remembered waking up in the same bed.
But had I pounced on the princess…?
No, even if I did, I surely hadn’t done anything weird.
‘At most, grabbing her thick thigh as I got up…?’
I took a deep breath.
With a gentle smile, I persuaded Irina again.
“Is that why?”
“Yeah! How could you do that to Lea first!”
‘The order mattered more than sleeping together…?’
I looked down at Irina’s hand.
Her fingers chafed from hastily firing the arrow for me.
I gently took that finger.
Startled, she glared primly at me.
“W-What are you doing…?”
“Explaining the misunderstanding.”
Irina blinked her emerald eyes.
“A misunderstanding…?”
“Yes. Lady Lea came to retrieve her book when I collapsed from illness.”
I caressed her hand as I spoke.
“She healed me while I slept. I just fell over in the process—nothing else happened.”
No hanky-panky.
Hearing that, Irina stared up at me blankly.
“T-Then you didn’t pounce and do weird stuff…”
“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but that’s all it was.”
I cut her off.
The princess was speechless.
“And Lady Miya is my direct senior. She helped me a lot when I was a newbie.”
Then, I smiled brightly.
“We’re not dating or anything like that.”
Irina whipped her head away from me.
In a small voice, she muttered,
“Then, the rabbit grass…?”
To answer, I reached into my pocket.
I pulled out the flower bracelet I’d prepared.
“…!”
Soon.
I slipped it onto her arm myself.
“I noticed your fingers swelling from archery before…”
I scratched my head sheepishly.
Clearing my throat, I said,
“This grass naturally heals injuries, so I prepared it.”
The princess stared down at the golden rabbit grass bracelet on her arm.
“You prepared it… for me…?”
Her eyes trembled.
Her prim gaze wavered.
“Yes.”
I bowed and answered her.
Lifting my face again.
Irina covered her face with trembling hands.
“I-I see…”
Through the gaps in her shaking fingers, I glimpsed her face churning with joy and shame.
Embarrassed at her dirty fantasies, her lips twitched madly.
Her flushed face radiated heat toward me.
For her sake, I turned away.
I held at ease, giving her space.
“…”
Panting breaths reached me.
Having resolved something, she lightly slapped her cheeks.
“Yes, the first time is still…”
Hearing that, I chuckled to myself.
But.
“Veil.”
Irina’s suddenly husky voice came from right behind.
I started to turn.
“No, stay like that.”
At her abrupt command, I held stiffly.
“Close your eyes.”
I obeyed humbly.
That instant.
“…!”
Hot arms wrapped around my waist—the princess’s.
“That’s an order, Veil Mikhail.”
Then, her chest pressed against my arm.
“Stay still like this.”
The Second Imperial Princess’s command.
I humbly held position.
From her pressed chest came the thud of her heartbeat.
“Haa…”
Then, she buried her face in my collarbone and inhaled deeply.
Like a wolf marking its territory.
Like Lea, inhaling my scent and leaving hers.
“You pouncing on someone first was Lea… but…”
Irina looked up at me with sultry eyes.
Her pink lips glistened moistly.
“I claimed you first.”
Blushing, Irina said primly.
The silver wolf whose breath lingered on my nape.
I gazed at her blankly.
All the while, only the stream’s murmur filled the air around us.