Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Departure Ceremony, and the Princess Appears...!
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Daylight broke.
Finally... the time had come for the Knight Order to set out.
"Packed everything okay?"
I checked the state of my gear. I'd deliberately left the sub-space pouch behind. Bringing it out and having it tear or get lost would just cause headaches. So today, like the regular soldiers, my backpack was stuffed full. I'd packed clothes, simple jerky, biscuits, water, and other essentials.
"Daron!"
"Ray."
The head cook came running over with a bright smile upon seeing me. She was geared up solidly, just like me. That was because she'd volunteered to handle meals for the departing soldiers.
"Ray. Sleep okay?"
"I was a bit nervous, but yeah, I slept fine. You?"
"Me? This is just another day."
"Not quite just another day... huh."
Ray nodded, remembering that I'd regressed.
"More than that, Ray, I'm impressed. Didn't expect you to volunteer."
"If what you said is true, I wanted to witness these things up close."
She skipped mentioning "Saintess" since people nearby might overhear.
"Plus... you're going too. I wanted to help even a little."
Soon to be the Saintess. Of course, Ray would stay in the rear, but she wanted to experience battle, even from afar. It was to empathize more with the soldiers' pain. On top of that, she probably didn't want to be separated from me.
"And that woman's gonna keep tempting you the whole way."
"Hm."
Ariana Katrin was going, so there was no reason Rise Salt wouldn't tag along. Ray's guess matched mine. She'd probably stick to me whenever there was a chance out of others' sight.
Bwooo—!
The trumpet blared, signaling preparations for the departure ceremony. Time for me to fall in.
"Ray. Catch you later."
"Go get 'em, Daron."
I parted from Ray and headed slowly forward. Toward where the Gold Eagle Knight Order's banner fluttered. The big one emblazoned with the Commander's emblem.
"Kinda intimidating, huh?"
No matter how bold I'd gotten, this was my first time in such a heavy lineup as a mere soldier. Being in the ranks with the Gold Eagle Knight Order's Commander felt way above my station.
"Hey, that guy's..."
"Built nice, though?"
The knights started chatting as they eyed me. One soldier under Ariana Katrin's personal tutelage. I was already famous among them. A non-knight soldier personally trained by the Knight Commander—that indirectly proved I had worth.
One thing was clear: they were all strong. The knights in the Commander's ranks probably outranked those in the rear lines. Even at the same rank, their skills were surely superior. I could've held my own against rear-line knights, but here, my mana training felt trivial. Still, since Ariana had vouched for me, I needed to draw some confidence from that.
"Hey, over here!"
Someone called out to me as I hesitated to join the rough-looking knights. Not Ariana or Rise. A knight I'd never seen before.
Since she seemed to know me, I headed her way.
"I'm Ainel. Also the captain of the Gold Eagle Knight Order's 1st Company."
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am!"
The pretty female knight introduced herself first.
"Heh heh, no need to be so stiff. Relax."
Ainel laughed heartily and patted my back to ease my tension.
"The Commander asked us to welcome you warmly. She's off escorting Her Highness the Princess for now."
Knight Commander of the Order and leader of this unit too, so Ainel called her "Commander."
That explained Ariana's absence. Same for Rise Salt—she was probably glued to Ariana's side.
More than that... Princess?
That word brought her image sharply to mind.
"Her Highness the Princess...?"
"Sudden, I know, but yesterday orders came down that Lady Asabel would join us."
Fuck, the sister side?
Her face was similar enough that I didn't even want to look.
"Probably wants to rack up merits to solidify her position in the palace."
I didn't remember the Princess joining this Magical Beast subjugation in the previous loop. Just that the Empire took massive losses... Likely hushed up since it failed, including her involvement.
...Fucking bitch. Here to swallow up some glory for once?
"Heard your name's Daron. Right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Still tense, huh? Let me introduce you to the other knights one by one."
Ainel led me around, introducing me to the surrounding knights. Each time we exchanged greetings, I sensed the men's gazes on her turning oddly intense.
Ainel... Ainel.
Ah. I remembered.
The knight Ariana mentioned, the one with tons of dating experience.
The one who gave that great advice: "Men deflate after you drain 'em dry." Thanks to her, I'd gotten a handjob from Ariana. ...Not lately, though.
"Ah, Lady Ainel. The Lady Ainel? I've heard about you from Lady Ariana."
After greeting the knights, we returned to our spots.
"About me? Whatever for?"
The knight who'd explained dick sizes to Ariana. Lots of dating experience meant lots of sex, probably. She seemed pretty open about that stuff.
"Oh, no way... You're that guy?"
"Pardon? That guy?"
Ainel glanced around, then leaned in close and whispered.
"The first man to shake the Commander's heart."
"Ah... haha."
Ainel must've pieced it together since she was the one who'd taught Ariana about sex. She hadn't seen it firsthand, but Ariana's sudden questions about it after keeping men at arm's length would've raised flags. She hadn't known it was a soldier at the time, but now she knew it was me. And Ariana had told me Ainel was sharp about that stuff, which backed it up.
"You're... that huge, right? For real?"
Way more open than I thought.
"Did Lady Ariana say that?"
"She didn't spell it out, but after I taught her how to drain it, she asked if it went well, and said, 'It was way bigger than you described... Ah, never mind.'"
Ainel recited Ariana's exact words back then in vivid detail. Looking at her now, Ainel's eyes gleamed like a predator spotting prey.
"Commander had no experience, so maybe? Or is it true?"
"Ha... haha."
I felt countless men's glares boring into me too. Us whispering probably made them curious and uncomfortable. Ariana and Rise were unattainable flowers on a cliff, but Ainel wasn't. A bit less stunning, sure, but still a beauty. And as a knight, her body's naturally toned. A hottie like that might even give a pity handjob if you hit on her, so they glared daggers. Some random commoner soldier cozying up already? Pissed them off.
"Like, seriously huge?"
"...We'll see."
The blaring trumpet saved my awkward ass. All us knights turned our heads that way. The sun was rising, blinding, but no one could look away.
"Salute— Her Highness the Princess!"
At the shout, we snapped to attention in unison. Ainel, who'd been stuck to me, was suddenly at a distance, saluting perfectly. Me too, of course.
The Emperor appeared lightly armored. Beside him, the silver-haired Princess on a magnificent white steed. Her noble imperial blood awed everyone into silence.
Imperial knights flanked her as escorts. Ariana and Rise, who'd gone to greet her, rode alongside approaching us.
...Asabel Sylv.
First Princess, dreaming of Empress, one ambitious bitch. Near war's end, after the Emperor died, the Second Prince assassinated her... But right now, Asabel was a powerhouse contender for the throne. Right at the center of the imperial power struggle.
"At ease!"
We held at attention for over a minute thanks to the Princess's haughty late salute, but no one complained. She had every right, and the impudent thought of "this sucks" didn't even cross minds.
Daughter of this Empire's ruler, but Asabel was stunningly beautiful too.
Her skin looked flawless even from afar, impeccably maintained. Sleek silver hair and peerless beauty made her seem like a goddess descended.
"From this moment, the Gaia Empire marches to punish the Magical Beasts. We go to drive those monsters stealing our people's lands from this earth forever."
As I listened to Asabel's speech, impure thoughts were mine alone. I wasn't swearing blind loyalty like the others.
Still, as expected of sisters—she strongly resembled the younger one.
Bad bitch, but she kept reminding me of her, stirring me up.
"Will you join me!"
"Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"I, Asabel Sylv, will stand with you. So fight. Drive them out. Make the Magical Beasts pay for invading imperial soil!"
"Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Victory is ours!"
"Waaah!!!!!!!!!!!"
Wooo~~~
Bwooo—. Bwooo—.
The trumpets declared departure, blaring repeatedly.
Finally... we're off.