The Interview (3)
A hollow laugh slipped from Orion's lips.
"Wow. This is something else. I already feel like a criminal being marched off to prison."
"You'll be eating well and living in comfort. What part of that compares to a prison cell?"
She looked at him the way a predator might look at prey already caught in its jaws.
Orion furrowed his brow and racked his brain.
How do I get out of this?
"Ahem. Uh, Boss?"
"What is it?"
Alright. Let's try this angle.
His freedom was already in her grip. She didn't look like the type to reverse a decision once she'd made it. Getting angry and venting his frustration now would only tighten the noose around his own neck.
Then maybe I should just list off every one of my flaws until she gets sick of me.
Orion scratched the back of his head and spoke.
"Well, I'm not really used to group living. I'll probably fail to get along with the knights and end up causing trouble for everyone."
"That's fine. If you prefer, I'll assign you duties you can handle alone."
"…Also, I'm an extremely picky eater. If you're going to spend money feeding me and I keep leaving food on my plate, isn't that just waste?"
"Hm? Leftovers go straight into the livestock feed. What's there to worry about? Besides, we've already arranged for you to choose the dishes you prefer, so there's no need to concern yourself."
"Ah, and I snore really loudly—"
"Every member of the knight order has a private room. No one will care what you do inside yours."
"I oversleep a lot—"
"Working hours are flexible. The structure runs around the clock, so you may work whichever shift you like."
No matter how many bizarre excuses he rattled off, none of them landed. By now most people would have been irritated, yet she didn't so much as blink—she simply dismantled every argument the moment it left his mouth.
Orion thought of one last resort.
"Haa… Look, I've been holding this back out of pride, trying to act like a man and all, but…"
"It's all right. Go on and say it."
Even if she's a ruthless noble, she still has to have some basic human decency, right?
Back in his military days, even the most demonic squad leaders had fallen for this one.
Orion arranged his face into the most pitiful expression he could manage and spoke in a mournful voice.
"It was eight years ago, that day."
He gazed up at the ceiling as if lost in memory, then began gently stroking his right arm.
"If I hadn't gotten hurt back then, I would have accepted your offer right away…"
The classic "Aren't you being a little harsh on an injured man?!" gambit.
Keeping his expression carefully in place, Orion snuck a glance at her face.
Did it work?
At last she pressed a hand to her temple, as though a headache were blooming from sheer exasperation.
And then—
Whoosh—
Snap!
A sharp hairpin came flying straight at the space between his brows.
"W-what the hell was that for?! I wasn't even finished talking!"
Orion snatched it out of the air with ease.
Karen's lips curved upward at the sight.
"It moves just fine, doesn't it?"
"…Ah."
Only then did Orion realize the hand that had caught the pin was his right one.
He launched straight into damage control.
"Aaaagh!! My arm!!"
"The arm you just used was your left one, actually."
"…Come to think of it, maybe it was my left arm that got hurt."
Karen propped her chin on her hand and watched him, as if daring him to dig the hole deeper.
Any further and the self-loathing would become unbearable. Orion let out a long sigh and flopped sideways onto the sofa.
"Honestly. You're not just ruthless—you're an actual demon."
"You're the one who started it. Why pin it on me?"
"Yes, yes. It's all my fault."
"If you're so aggrieved, finish the story you started. I'll listen."
"I'm good."
Grumbling, Orion sat down in front of the contract and picked up the pen. He shot her a look full of resentment, but she paid it no mind whatsoever.
"While we're at it, let me ask you one thing."
"Speak."
"Why go this far? By your own admission, the people here hate outsiders like me. What do you even gain by dragging me into your ranks?"
Karen took an elegant sip of tea before answering.
"The safety of my territory's people is the reason I hold this seat. Life is full of regrets. But the chance to soothe those regrets is almost never given. We cannot return to the past, so a single missed choice may become something we can never make right."
"What are you trying to say?"
"As you said, plenty of people will find you distasteful for now. But once you leave this world, what does any of that matter? I have no intention of placing my people's lives on a scale—even if the result brings me nothing but disadvantage."
"So you're fine with those precious people of yours hating you for it?"
"Being hated is the destiny of this position. And I've long since grown used to it."
"Hah. Look at Miss Righteous over here."
He was done. Ignoring her gaze, Orion began reading through the contract.
Hmm. Looking at it now, this might not be so bad.
A silver lining, if nothing else. As the saying went—if you can't avoid it, enjoy it. The terms were better than he'd expected.
Setting everything else aside, the money was what caught his eye. For two years, room and board would be fully covered, and the salary itself was substantial. Saved carefully, it would be enough to loaf around for roughly fifteen years—no, closer to twenty.
Before, a single day's work had bought him three to five days of rest. With prices the way they were now, a paycheck like this would put even a major corporation to shame.
So if I grind hard for two years, I can coast through the rest of my life?
Oh-ho. Not bad at all.
Orion signed the contract as he asked,
"You're actually going to pay me what it says here, right?"
"Have no fear. I am a woman who keeps her word."
He looked at her with open distrust.
"Hm? Why that face? If I weren't serious, would I have bothered handing you a contract? I simply would have dragged you off."
"Hah, fine. Whatever. I'm the subordinate now—who am I to doubt the boss?"
Still muttering, Orion finished signing. Karen took the contract, frowned, and murmured, "What dreadful handwriting," before passing it to Heily.
"Come along now."
"Boy, you don't waste any time."
"You brought this on yourself. You could have simply accepted the offer sooner."
"So now it's my fault?"
"Hmph. I already told you that accepting the proposal without fuss would be better for your circumstances."
"Tch."
Orion stuck out his lower lip and followed her out.
The moment they left the reception room, the air in the corridor pressed down heavy and hostile. The soldiers who had been ordered out earlier were lined up along the hallway.
Orion eyed them and spoke to Karen.
"So that's what you meant by 'get out'?"
"Even I need insurance. How was I to know what you might try?"
"I don't have a hobby of hurting people. And if anyone did anything, it was you, Boss!"
"Hm? In the end, nothing happened, did it?"
"Throwing a hairpin at someone's forehead is normal behavior to you?"
"Oh, don't make such a fuss. I don't have the strength to drive one through your skull."
"If I hadn't caught it, I still could have been seriously hurt! What were you planning to do if I'd just sat there?"
"Then you simply would have lacked the qualifications to become a knight."
"Hah. Earlier you said you wouldn't put your people's lives on a scale."
"You aren't one of my people yet."
He was speechless. She refused to lose a single exchange.
Orion clicked his tongue and muttered,
"I should've just taken the hit and become a patient. Catching it was a mistake."
"In that case, I would have put a bounty on your head immediately."
"Wow. Holy hell. That's just cold."
"It means you made the right choice. Hold your head high."
Just as the sheer self-serving flow of the conversation was starting to make his head throb—
"My Lady."
The underling who had pointed a sword at Orion earlier stepped forward.
"I am busy. Come find me later."
Even so, the soldier did not withdraw.
"No. As Captain of the Agnes Knight Order, I believe I have the right to say at least a word about this situation."
What?
Captain of the knights? That guy?
Orion had been certain he was just some common grunt. In every ordinary novel, a knight captain was a stern, burly old veteran—the kind of man even other men found impressive. This one's entire vibe, on the other hand, screamed petty blame-shifter.
Karen considered for a moment, then let out a faint sigh.
"Very well. Speak. I have much to do, so keep it brief."
He bowed stiffly, then pointed at Orion.
"I have heard that you intend to bring that lowly outsider into the knight order. That would place him under my command—and I cannot accept it! And why was this decided without so much as consulting me, the captain?! Even if you are the lord—"
"Sir Albert."
A murmur of agreement had begun to ripple through the surrounding soldiers, but a single word from her froze the atmosphere solid, as if it had never existed.
Her voice was cold and low beyond measure.
Karen fixed the man called Albert with a piercing stare. He met her eyes with equal resolve, refusing to look away.
"Sir Albert. Let me ask you one thing."
"…Please do."
"Who is your superior?"
"…You are, My Lady."
"Good. You know that much. And yet—"
Karen's delicate brow furrowed.
"For the mere matter of bringing in a single person, must I—your superior—report every detail to you?"
"…Even so, an outsider—"
"Sir Albert."
She spoke his name a second time. He clenched his teeth and shut his mouth.
Karen continued.
"Yes. I suppose it is not wrong of you to speak up. As you say, you are the captain—I believe you are fully entitled to voice an opinion. However."
She swept her gaze across the assembled soldiers, then raised her voice, sharp and ringing.
"To spout such things in front of all these men—does that mean you intend to defy me?"
"N-no! That wasn't what I—"
"Then step aside at once. If you have something to say, I will hear it—come find me privately."
"…Yes, My Lady."
At her words, Albert reluctantly cleared the path.
Orion followed behind her.
Crrrk—
Watching them go, Albert clenched his fist so hard the blood drained from his knuckles.