Chapter 302: The Knight Order…? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 302: The Knight Order…? (2)
After sending Philian out, Alon let out a deep, involuntary sigh.
Naturally, a title of nobility wasn't something one could simply throw away, no matter how much they wanted to.
‘Maybe I should have at least looked at the paperwork.’
Belatedly, Alon realized just how reckless it was to post a recruitment notice for a knight order without a second thought.
However, it was too late to turn everyone back now.
Massaging his throbbing temples, he had no choice but to call in the next interviewee.
“Greetings!”
Fortunately, it was a commoner applicant he didn't recognize.
Seeing the man stiff with nerves, Alon breathed a private sigh of relief.
The interviews continued in that fashion.
“The numbers are dwindling faster than I expected.”
“Indeed.”
Alon nodded at Evan’s remark as another applicant left.
The interviews, which had initially seemed like an endless task, were progressing much quicker than anticipated.
‘Actually, to be precise, it’s not that the interviews are fast, but...’
Every time he glanced at the waiting area, the crowd had visibly thinned.
‘Was it just that they looked like a lot because they were spread out?’
With that thought, Alon naturally called for the next person.
“I am Deus.”
Seeing Deus walk in as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Alon was once again left speechless.
“...Deus?”
“Yes, Marquis.”
“Wh—why are you here?”
“ I am here for the interview.”
Unlike Alon, Deus spoke with utter composure.
“...Deus, you are the First Sword of Calliban.”
When Alon pointed this out, Deus replied with a face full of confidence.
“It is fine.”
“What is?”
“If that is your concern, I have already taken measures, so it is fine.”
“...What kind of measures?”
“....”
“...Deus?”
“I handled it well.”
“...Handled what?”
“....”
“...Surely, it’s not what I think it is, right?”
“To which part are you referring?”
Alon asked, feeling a strange sense of dread, while Deus feigned innocence.
“Did you also abandon your noble title or something?”
“It is not that.”
“Then what?”
“I left a letter stating that if anyone interferes with my enlistment in the knight order, an unfortunate situation might occur.”
“....”
That’s just a threat...
Thinking this, Alon shifted his gaze toward Evan.
“....”
Evan also looked dumbfounded, clearly sharing the same sentiment.
Silence hung in the interview room for a moment.
“...Get out.”
Alon issued the dismissal. Deus nodded boldly and marched out of the room.
Immediately after, the next person entered—
“Hi, Mentor!”
“...Seolrang?”
It was Seolrang.
With a "Hee-hee!" she rushed into the room and threw herself into Alon’s arms the moment she entered.
As Seolrang naturally settled herself onto Alon’s lap, he gave up on trying to make sense of the situation.
“...Are you here for the knight order interview too?”
“Yep!”
“Didn’t you say you had work to do?”
“I came in the middle of it! I heard Mentor was recruiting for a knight order!”
Her ears perked up with an expression that practically screamed, 'Didn't I do good? Praise me!' Alon found himself stroking her head before snapping back to his senses.
“...Aren't you the Babayaga of Colony?”
He felt like he had asked a similar question several times already.
A series of troublemakers—no, applicants—flashed through Alon’s mind.
“I am, right?”
“Then wouldn't it be better for you to stay in that position?”
At those words, Seolrang blinked and pondered for a moment.
“...Hmm—if Mentor says so, then I will!”
She soon nodded with a bright, sunny smile.
“I’m sorry for making you come all this way for nothing.”
“It’s okay, Mentor! It felt kind of like a mission anyway!”
“A mission?”
“Yeah! I came as an escort mission too!”
“...Did someone come with you?”
“Karsem!”
Seolrang answered Alon’s question immediately.
Alon recalled Karsem, the son of King Karmakeses of Colony—the prince who used to be portly but had become quite handsome.
“...Just in case, I have to ask. Is Karsem also—?”
“He came to join!”
The answer was so predictable that Alon couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
“...Regrettably, please tell him to refrain from taking the entrance exam.”
“Okay, got it!”
Seolrang nodded vigorously. After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, she stood up.
“Then I’m going, Mentor!”
“Is it okay for you to leave just like this?”
“Yeah! I still have things left to do!”
And with that, she left as breezily as she had arrived.
Alon stared blankly at the spot where Seolrang had been, appearing and disappearing like a whirlwind.
Evan called out to him from the side.
“Marquis.”
“What is it?”
“I don't know why, but you've gotten even closer to Seolrang.”
“In what way?”
“Just the sense of distance between you?”
“Is that so?”
Muttering that it felt the same as usual, Alon immediately resumed the interviews.
“...Let’s stop here for today.”
“Understood. I will inform the rest that we will continue tomorrow.”
The sun had begun to dip behind the mountain ridges, so they decided to wrap up for the day.
He wanted to finish everything today, but realistically, it seemed impossible.
‘...Besides, why are mages showing up for a knight order recruitment?’
Alon thought of Karsem, who had entered with a boisterous greeting, and Rian, the daughter of the Red Tower Master.
When asked, ‘Aren't you royalty?’ Karsem had gallantly shouted that he was ready to join the knights.
When asked, ‘You’re a mage, so why—?’ Rian had replied, ‘I know how to handle a magic sword, though...’
With a light sigh, Alon walked over to the window.
“....”
He thought the numbers had dwindled, but looking out, the crowd seemed to have grown again to the point where he wondered if it had actually decreased since this morning.
‘...This is going to take at least a week.’
Alon felt a bitter taste on the tip of his tongue.
* * *
The next day.
Deus was looking at the applicants swarming the Palatio Marquisate with a strange expression.
It wasn't that he questioned the sheer scale of the crowd.
If anything, he was thinking, 'The Great Moon is recruiting knights, and this is all that showed up?'
...Of course, that was strictly by Deus’s standards.
Regardless, the point of his doubt lay in the Great Moon’s actions.
‘Why on earth is he doing this?’
From Deus’s perspective, the Great Moon’s behavior was incomprehensible.
To begin with, the Great Moon was not a weakling who required the protection of such mediocre people.
Furthermore, even among those Deus knew—including himself—there were plenty of people far more suited to guard the Great Moon than the riffraff gathered here.
‘And even right now—’
He could sense the presence of Elves and Lizardmen nearby, ever since he arrived.
Normally, he would have driven them away immediately, but since he confirmed they were there to guard the Great Moon, he left them alone for now.
‘...His protection should be more than sufficient.’
Of course, Alon had absolutely no idea that Elves and Lizardmen were following him around.
Unaware of that fact, Deus continued his train of thought.
‘And yet, for the Marquis himself to meet every applicant and personally organize a knight order...’
He began to speculate on Alon’s intentions in his own way.
As he stroked his chin.
“!”
A story he had heard from Evan yesterday suddenly came to mind.
‘The reason the Marquis is forming a knight order? Actually, I didn't hear the details so I don't know exactly, but he said it was to recruit forces to protect the new territory.’
The words Evan had passed on casually.
‘Could it be...!’
From that alone, Deus reached a single conclusion.
‘Does he intend... to become King?’
To anyone else, it would be an absurd deduction.
However, from Deus’s perspective, everything suddenly made sense.
The fact that Alon was personally meeting applicants to pick soldiers.
The fact that he didn't select Deus for the knight order.
And going further, it even explained why Alon had sent the five of them, including himself, to different kingdoms.
Once his thoughts reached that point, Deus understood why the Great Moon was recruiting a knight order in such a public manner, and he felt an involuntary shiver of awe.
...Of course, the real reason Alon was meeting every applicant was simply because his conscience pricked him at the thought of dumping all the work on Evan.
Furthermore, the reason Alon recruited the knight order was simply because he listened to Line and thought, 'I guess I do need knights,' with no other hidden motive!
‘So that was it...!’
Regardless of what Alon actually thought, Deus marveled at having "discovered" the Great Moon’s hidden intentions. At the same time...
“...Huh? Deus?”
“Seolrang.”
“What? I have to go.”
“This is important.”
Deus relayed his deduction—no, the fact he had discovered—to Seolrang.
And so.
“...If that’s true, we need to start preparing.”
“Indeed.”
A bizarre misunderstanding—no, a massive misunderstanding—began.
* * *
A week had passed since the interviews began.
Despite that, Alon was still conducting interviews.
He knew there were many applicants, but he hadn't expected it to still be going on.
It was something even Alon hadn't anticipated.
Though the interviews had dragged on for a week, Alon was in a good mood today.
The reason was that the interviews would finally end today.
‘Once today passes, it’s finally over.’
Looking out the window, there were only a few dozen people left.
As Alon looked at the estate grounds with a satisfied expression.
“...Greetings. My name is Simus.”
“....”
For the first time in a long while, he encountered a character he had seen in Psychedelia.
Simus the Scoundrel.
He was a character who could be recruited as an ally around the mid-point of the game.
His base stats were on the higher side, and since his growth stats upon leveling up were far superior to other characters, he was a favorite among many players.
However, some players hated Simus, and that was because of his personality.
Perhaps due to the influence of his excellent stats, he lived life far too easily and generally spoke in an arrogant tone that constantly grated on the player. Players who weren't obsessed with performance often chose not to use him.
‘Well, his personality does mellow out a bit later if you progress through his character story.’
As he thought this, Alon’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion.
The face was definitely Simus.
The strength he felt from him also confirmed that the being before him was Simus.
But...
‘...Why is he so well-behaved?’
No, beyond being well-behaved, Simus was speaking quietly as if he were being crushed or suppressed, which made Alon even more suspicious.
At the very least, the Simus he knew wasn't that kind of character.
However, he couldn't exactly ask, ‘Aren't you supposed to be a total jerk?’
So, Alon finished the brief interview and sent Simus away.
A deep sense of doubt did not easily fade.
* * *
Around that time.
Deep within the Ronobelli Jungle.
Two women were there.
One was Historia.
And the other was—
“...So, the Boss is definitely the Boss we know, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you met him?”
“Yes.”
“...Then that means the Boss remembers me too?”
“Yes.”
The being known as the King of the Hundred Ghosts, who ruled the most dangerous sector of the Ronobelli Jungle.
“...He remembers me, and yet he hasn't come to see me?”
Ryanga was puffing out her cheeks in a massive pout.
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