The Second Subjugation

That lunatic was back again.

Eric, a knight of the Gilbert family, clenched his fists and glared at Alvin. Whenever that bastard showed up, there was never a quiet day. Already, among the knights, there were others like Eric who couldn't contain their rage, snorting with barely leashed fury. Considering everything Young Master Alvin had done up to this point, it was only natural.

Every year, countless knights knocked on the doors of the Gilbert Knights, hoping to join their ranks. The order had earned as many feats as its reputation promised, and it was called the finest knight order in the kingdom — the very shield of the Agnes Magic Kingdom. That was why every knight who belonged to it felt a fierce, unshakable pride in the name.

And then there was the family's only son. The eldest. A disgrace to the house. A wastrel who routinely looked down on the family's knights, then turned around and used the family's power to run wild. Even if they were proudly recounting tales of the order or swapping heroic legends, the moment Young Master Alvin's name came up, those stories would wither and die on their tongues. In the knights' eyes, he was the family's one and only stain.

Worse, he had once falsely accused Knight Eric and several of his fellow knights. Thanks to that, they had been punished and forced to serve a long sentence. They had been waiting for a chance — any chance — to get their revenge.

That morning, they had received a new order from the Duke, delivered through the Knight Commander. Young Master Alvin would be joining them from now on. The knights who heard the news, Eric included, were all worked up. They were like horses with the reins cut loose.

"Sir Eric, during the spar later, should we quietly snap something?"

Everyone was getting excited at the thought of putting him in his place.

"We'll call it an instructional match and just break him."

They all thought it was a brilliant idea. Knight Eric nodded.

"Let's wait and see for now. When the chance comes, we'll make sure he never sets foot here again."

He was already out of the family's favor anyway. When the opportunity came, they would deal with him.

The knights' burning gazes followed me the entire time I observed the training. They were staring at me harder than at their sparring partners. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠almost felt like an idol. Of goodwill? Not a chance. Pure hostility.

Checking their mental states, I found more than a few knights harboring hostility toward me. If anything, finding a knight who wasn't hostile was the hard part. On top of that, they already had a complete plan for picking a fight with me. To think I was this popular. I really had to thank the previous Alvin for all the shit he'd piled up.

As I looked around, someone caught my eye. A white-haired veteran knight who looked considerably older than the rest — but the sword he swung was impossibly light. Now that I looked closer, it was a face I had seen plenty of times before.

"Sir Emond, who is that old ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠veteran over there?"

I asked Commander Emond, just in case.

"Ah, you mean Sir Jacqueline. He's a newly admitted knight."

Just as I thought. It was him.

"As you can see, he is quite advanced in years, but his skill is outstanding."

"Oh? If even you are praising him, that's quite interesting."

He was one of the NPCs I had created — Grandpa Swordmaster, Sir Jacqueline. First Faran, and now Jacqueline was in the Gilbert family too. At this rate, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be surprised no matter who I ran into next.

His whole concept was the hidden powerhouse: a righteous hero who concealed his strength in everyday life and only stepped forward when someone needed help. He had spent a long time as an adventurer, then retired to live out his remaining years in peace. But then his adopted daughter fell ill with a mysterious disease, and the setting was that he traveled in search of a cure. He was a randomly appearing character who showed up in a different location every playthrough — but if you encountered him during combat at a certain probability, he would appear in a role that aided the player. I had actually received his help from time to time during my playthroughs, so it was a genuinely welcome face. If I could get him on my side, he would be a huge help going forward.

"I'd like to have a word with him. I'll be right back."

"Of course. Please go ahead."

I approached Sir Jacqueline, who was quietly practicing his sword in a secluded corner. Sensing my approach, he sheathed his blade and looked at me.

"A pleasure to meet you, Sir Jacqueline. I am Alvin Gilbert."

I offered a greeting and held out my hand.

"Young Master Alvin. It is an honor. I am Jacqueline."

He took the hand I offered and spoke.

"I heard you recently joined the knight order. How have you been finding it?"

"As befits the kingdom's finest knight order, the knights here are quite skilled. I have been learning a great deal myself. Hahaha."

"That is truly fortunate."

And then I checked his information.

Just as I thought — he was a target of the Relation Point skill. This all but confirmed it. The NPCs I created were all skill targets. Learning that much was already a solid result. But I wasn't going to stop there.

Those were high stats, even after the decline that came with age. On top of that, he was a one-man army — a Swordmaster. The reason he was here was probably his sick daughter. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He's earning money to find a way to cure that disease.

In the game, he would appear at random and settle down somewhere in search of a clue about the illness. This time, it seemed he had chosen to settle in the Agnes Magic Kingdom as a knight with a stable income. I was the one who created him, so I knew how to solve the problem he was currently facing.

"To train so diligently even at your age. I find that admirable."

"Hahaha. I thank you for the compliment. When I think of the family I must look after, I find myself working hard. My daughter is in poor health, you see."

"In poor health, you say. If it is not too forward of me, might I ask what ails her?"

"It is not something I go around telling people, but I shall share it in return for the kindness you have shown me, Young Master."

Jacqueline was the type who trusted what he experienced firsthand over what others told him, so it seemed my unexpected demeanor had earned me some goodwill.

"It began with a fever. I thought it was a mild cold. But the symptoms worsened — her body gradually grew numb, and her skin began to harden. I summoned many physicians, but not a single one could identify the cause..."

As he described the symptoms, his own face grew steadily harder.

"I recently ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heard that there had been patients with similar symptoms in this area, so I decided to settle here."

"Now that you mention it, I believe I have heard of those symptoms as well."

I hadn't heard of them. I knew them.

"Is that truly so?"

For a moment, a flicker of hope seemed to pass across his hardened expression.

"And besides that — has her skin begun to crack as well?"

"Yes, that is correct. Do you know this disease in detail?"

"Of course. Including the method of treatment."

His eyes flew wide.

"...Is that... truly so?"

Jacqueline, overcome with emotion, seized my shoulders as he spoke. For him to get this worked up over information that, from his position, was still uncertain... I could tell just how desperate he was.

I was lucky. There was no other way to describe this situation.

Excessive Mana Disease. A condition caused by mana overflowing throughout the body. Without intervention, the victim would gradually harden until the skin and every muscle burst, resulting in death. But if you knew the solution, it was a disease that could be treated quite simply. It hadn't been identified yet, but later this illness would appear all across the continent.

"Calm yourself first. If I can be of help to you, I shall gladly do so."

"Ah... Young Master. I thank you for your mercy."

"I'm glad I can be of help."

The relation level had jumped three stages all at once. Was it because a problem he had spent so long searching for a solution to was finally being resolved? A result I hadn't even imagined. Today was my lucky day.

"Young Master, what do you think you're doing, coming all the way out here?"

The moment Jacqueline released my shoulders, a group of knights approached. The way he had been gripping and shaking my shoulders was, from the outside, easy to misinterpret. But to come charging over this worked up...

"Sirs, it is not what it—"

Sir Jacqueline began to explain that it was a misunderstanding — that he had simply gotten excited after receiving help. But my image was already in the gutter, and this was a group that had been looking for any excuse to pick a fight with me. Sir Jacqueline's words were an afterthought.

"Young Master, I hear you'll be joining us on a monster subjugation soon. That sword of yours isn't just for decoration, is it?"

One of the knights drew his blade.

"Looking at you now, I don't think you'd last. How about we give you a special instructional spar?"

The commander, having noticed the commotion, could be seen approaching from a distance. But the knights, already seeing red, had their blades pointed at me. A situation on a hair trigger.

"As the eldest son of House Gilbert, why don't you show us what you've got? We're knights — not nannies hired to look after you."

It was pure sophistry. But I knew perfectly well that in this state, nothing I said would make a difference. So I was reluctantly considering whether I'd have to use the weapon I'd bought at the smithy today, when Sir Jacqueline stepped in front of me.

"You call yourselves knights, yet you draw your blades on the young master of the house you serve, hostility plain on your faces. I can scarcely believe it."

And then he drew his sword. That's right. He was exactly as I had always loved him — a man who could not abide injustice.

"I shall face you."

The knights, who didn't know much about Sir Jacqueline, seemed to think they could take him down quickly and get to me. They charged him one after another.

Blades whipped through the air in a furious storm. To my senses, the charging knights' swords were plenty fast — they felt like the wind itself. But in a single fleeting instant, those blades shattered and went flying.

Only Sir Jacqueline remained standing.