Chapter 303: The Knight Order…? (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 303: The Knight Order…? (3)
“Sigh—”
Blue Ghost, a blue-skinned man and Ryanga’s right-hand man, had been sighing frequently of late.
Was he troubled by something?
Not exactly.
Blue Ghost wasn’t the type to dwell on worries. Even if a problem arose, he was the sort of person who preferred to resolve it through action.
Then, was he going through a difficult time?
That was closer to the truth.
Currently, Blue Ghost was facing a situation that was becoming a bit too much to handle. However, the irony was that the cause of his distress didn't lie with him.
“Brother, can we go in now?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you try?”
“I went in last time! It’s your turn!”
“No way! I don’t want to be beaten to a pulp!”
Blue Ghost turned his gaze toward the source of the commotion. He saw his subordinates whispering among themselves with terrified expressions.
In fact, it wasn’t just them; everyone who should have been inside the hideout was currently loitering outside. Seeing this, his sigh grew even deeper.
The reason these subordinates of the Ghost King were all out here was because of Historia, who had come to see Ryanga yesterday.
…To be more precise, ever since Historia delivered her message to the Ghost King, Ryanga had been in a foul mood. It was a mood so dark that she might drive anyone’s head into the ground if they so much as breathed the wrong way.
Naturally, the subordinates had all fled outside to avoid catching her eye.
‘…Can’t she just go see him?’
Honestly, from Blue Ghost’s perspective, Ryanga’s reaction was utterly incomprehensible. Of course, he didn't know the exact nature of the relationship between his boss and that Marquis Palatio fellow—the one she called "Legitimacy."
But if she wanted to see his face, couldn't she just go find him? He couldn't understand why she refused to take such an obvious step.
‘Well, I did hear a rough explanation, but still…’
Blue Ghost tuned back into the voices of his subordinates nearby.
“But seriously—if the Boss wants to see him that badly, why doesn't she just go?”
“You dimwit, didn't you hear yesterday? She said it only counts if he comes to find her.”
“Isn't it the same whether she goes or he comes?”
“It’s like… you know, like a princess in a fairy tale?”
“Eww—the Boss?”
A subordinate with horns on his head snickered. He shook his head as if the image of their boss as a princess was completely mismatched. Then, as if remembering something—
“Ah, come to think of it, I saw the Boss muttering something on the cliff the other day… What was it? ‘I’m now a sa—’”
He tried to finish his sentence.
K-BOOOOOM—!!!!
But he never got the chance.
The two who had been talking stared blankly to the side. There, they saw their comrade with his head buried deep in the cliffside, his body twitching rhythmically.
“……Well, it’s certainly a valid wish. Yes, yes, of course.”
“Exactly. If it’s a precious relationship, that’s totally understandable.”
Ryanga, who had been watching the subordinate rapidly change his tune after assessing the situation, let out a huff.
“……Hmph.”
She shot them a petulant glare and vanished on the spot.
“……”
“……”
Only after she had completely disappeared did the two subordinates let out massive sighs of relief, before quickly covering their mouths and looking around again.
Watching the two of them act with such caution for fear of being heard, Blue Ghost shook his head and thought:
‘Just what kind of person is this "Legitimacy"…?’
Ever since the news arrived that "Legitimacy" had returned from the dead, the Ghost King had been prone to hysterical outbursts whenever his name was even mentioned. But since Historia’s visit, that hysteria had reached a whole new level.
“……We’re doomed. It’s definitely happening today too……”
“A Brawl?”
“Uwaaaaah—”
The despairing voices of the subordinates reached his ears.
A "Brawl."
That was the name given to the combat training where the Boss fought against the entire Hundred Ghosts group alone. ……Of course, in reality, it was just a training session invented so the Boss could use her subordinates as punching bags whenever she was stressed.
“Should we just go get him?”
“If these Brawls keep happening for a few more days, I think I’m actually going to die……”
“Let’s just kidnap him—”
“Kidnap, my foot. You’ll really die if you try that.”
Listening to his subordinates’ lamentations, Blue Ghost thought for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and standing up.
“Good grief—”
At his movement, all eyes turned toward him.
“Huh?”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t tell me…… you’re running away?”
Just as a slight wave of agitation began to spread among the subordinates—
“I’ll go bring him.”
Blue Ghost declared his resolution.
“Ooh, really……!?”
“But don’t tell the Boss. I don’t know what’ll happen if she finds out I was the one who brought him.”
He gave a light wave of his hand and looked into the distance.
‘The Palatio Marquisate…… That was in the Asteria Kingdom, right?’
He gauged the direction of the Palatio estate.
“Please, you must bring him back.”
“I’m begging you……!”
“We believe in you, Vice Commander……!”
Under the send-off of his subordinates, who had crept out of the forest to give him small "fighting" gestures while the Boss wasn't looking, Blue Ghost secretly slipped out of the territory.
He let out a private sigh.
‘……The living have to go on living, after all.’
Offering a silent prayer for the subordinates who would have to act as punching bags in his stead, he began his journey toward the Palatio Marquisate.
* * *
After the interviews for the applicants were over.
A few additional tests were conducted to select the knights, but Alon was no longer heavily involved. The reason was Deus.
Thanks to Deus suddenly stepping forward to help with the selection exams, Alon naturally found time to rest. Consequently, Alon had spent the last few days relaxing without any work.
“The exams are finished.”
“Honestly, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so thank you for the help.”
Alon was speaking with Deus, who had just returned from finishing the tests.
“Not at all. It is an honor to be of help to your plans, Marquis.”
“So, do you plan to return to Calliban now?”
“I don’t intend to return just yet. I still have work to do here.”
“……Work to do?”
At Alon’s question, Deus nodded as if it were obvious.
“These people will be the foundation of your land, Marquis. Shouldn't they be thoroughly trained? I plan to oversee their education to some extent before I leave.”
“My land?”
Alon asked back with a puzzled expression, but he soon understood. Since these were the knights who would be stationed in Divine Land, the statement wasn't wrong.
“……Well, come to think of it, you’re right.”
“Yes. I will ensure they are trained so thoroughly that they can handle something like the Knight Orders of Calliban without difficulty.”
“……Something like them?”
It was good for a knight order to be strong. However, Alon couldn't help but wonder if a defense force for Divine Land really needed to be that strong.
Still, since Deus was offering to train them well, there was no reason to refuse.
“I’ll leave it to you, then.”
Alon nodded, and Deus responded.
“Yes. And I, too, shall be ready at any time.”
With a remarkably reliable expression, Deus gave a firm nod and left the office before Alon could say anything more.
‘……? Ready for what……?’
Alon was left looking at the spot where Deus had stood, wearing a bewildered expression.
“I’m here, Marquis.”
“You’re back?”
Alon pushed his thoughts aside and answered Evan, who entered as soon as Deus left.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Evan thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“Well—to be honest, I haven't had much to do lately, have I? No matter where we went.”
“……I suppose so.”
“But having work to do after so long has given me some motivation. I was a mercenary captain once, after all.”
“I’m quite good at managing things like this,” Evan added, and Alon found himself nodding. He realized that from Evan’s perspective, he might have felt a bit left out.
“I’m glad to hear you’re feeling good about it.”
“Anyway, have you heard all the reports?”
“I heard up to the part where Deus is going to provide extra training.”
“Then I’ll give you the additional report.”
Evan’s briefing began. Alon listened casually until—
“So, through the three rounds of testing, we have selected a total of 50 knights and about 600 soldiers.”
“……?”
Alon’s expression turned to one of pure confusion at the following words.
“?”
Seeing Alon’s reaction, Evan tilted his head in confusion as well.
“……Wait, how many?”
“50 knights and 600 soldiers.”
“……Isn't that way too many?”
“This? If anything, it’s on the low side.”
“The low…… side……?”
“Yes. Think about it. If they’re the personnel to protect Divine Land, we need at least this many.”
“Hmm……”
Thinking about it, Evan’s words were logical. However, if there was one point Alon wanted to argue—
‘……I didn't plan on defending Divine Land right away, though?’
Since there was currently nothing at the site where Divine Land was to be proclaimed, he had intended to hire about ten knights just to see if things would play out as Line had described. In other words, he had planned to start on a very modest, small scale.
However, he couldn't exactly tell Evan to fire the people they had already hired.
“Well, I suppose you’re right.”
Alon conceded.
“Right? And besides, you’ll need at least this many to do whatever it is you’re planning, Marquis.”
“What I’m planning……?”
……Did I have a plan? Alon wondered.
In his mind, he was just making a small-scale pilot case. But since he had come this far, it felt a bit embarrassing to admit he had no grand plan.
“……Well, yes. That’s true.”
He gave a vague answer to Evan’s question.
But still.
‘No matter how I look at it, 50 knights and 600 soldiers is a bit much, isn't it?’
To anyone else, it would seem like an excessive force to hire for the defense of an empty Divine Land. But after a moment’s thought, he shrugged it off.
‘Let’s just say I’m hiring them in advance.’
With that final thought, Alon pushed the matter of the knight order aside.
“Ah, and Marquis, I was going to tell you anyway—Yutia came by to see you.”
“……Huh? Yutia?”
He received the new piece of news from Evan.
* * *
Moving immediately after hearing from Evan, Alon found her.
“Yutia?”
“Hello, Teacher. Have you been well?”
He met Yutia, who wore her usual faint smile.
“I’ve been well, but what brings you here so suddenly?”
Though he was glad to see her, Alon asked for her business first. She stepped closer to him.
“I happened to have some business nearby, and there was something I wanted to consult with you about, Teacher.”
Her eyes naturally drifted toward the Green Badge on Alon’s chest, and her hand moved toward it just as naturally.
“Oh, Teacher. You’ll need to reattach this.”
“……Reattach it?”
“Yes. It looks like the pin has come loose.”
Yutia casually removed the Green Badge and placed it in Alon’s hand.
“?”
Alon looked at the badge, feeling a sense of doubt.
‘I’m sure it was attached properly this morning.’
Indeed, the backing for the badge was gone. Alon tilted his head in confusion.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He soon dismissed his doubts and tucked the badge into his pocket, unaware that Yutia’s lingering gaze never left his hand.
“By the way—where were you headed, Teacher?”
“I was just about to go to the garden.”
“Then it would be lovely to talk in the garden.”
“……Let’s do that.”
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Yutia seemed to be in an even better mood than usual.
……He felt as if he could almost hear her humming.