Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Independent Knight Brigade (1)
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Gaining knighthood didn't mean I could immediately step into the role of Knight Brigade Leader.
It was already decided that I would take command of the Independent Knight Brigade, with Edwin and Lieselotte coming along... but we hadn't received the summons from the overarching Independent Knight Brigade yet.
The Independent Knight Brigade consisted of a total of thirteen knight brigades, and approval had to come from a Knight Brigade Leaders' Meeting attended by more than half of those leaders before they could appoint a new one.
The problem was that the Independent Knight Brigade was always scattered here and there on missions, making it hard to gather everyone in one place.
On top of that, the Brigade Leader commanding the Independent Knight Brigade was currently away on a long-term mission, so they couldn't even hold the meeting.
At first glance, it seemed like a terribly inefficient system, but thinking about it, the Dialogue Church had plenty of similar setups.
*Clinging to outdated traditions, huh. Both the Holy Knight Order and the Dialogue Church.*
While waiting for the Knight Brigade Leaders' Meeting to convene, we stayed with the Holy Knight Order's training unit and received additional instruction.
It was less actual training and more administrative education. As members of the Independent Knight Brigade, we'd be moving around a lot and often dealing with local administrative offices or branches of the Holy Spirit Church.
"Focus on the flow of mana! Grasp each and every strand!"
"Yes, Sir Sion!"
I used this time to train Edwin further.
He had already reached three stars and could wield sword aura, but he wasn't proficient yet.
I taught him the Aleyas family's sword aura techniques, blended appropriately with Archbishop Houselle's methods that I knew.
With his exceptional talent, he'd grow quickly.
"Sir Sion, do you think someone like me deserves to learn the Sacred Heavenly Eight Sovereigns Method? It's not something just anyone can pick up, right?"
"You're already Sion Aleyas's right-hand man. Don't worry about it."
Meanwhile, for Lieselotte, who hadn't reached three stars yet, I focused her training on accumulating mana.
To that end, I taught her the Aleyas family's Sacred Heavenly Eight Sovereigns Method. It suited her well; I could tell her mana was condensing rapidly.
"By the way, Lieselotte, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"How old are you really? The two years older than me—that's Lieselotte Hydra's age, isn't it?"
"Hehe. That's a secret."
"......"
We passed the time like that until I turned fifteen... and finally, the summons from the Independent Knight Brigade arrived.
* * *
"So this is the Independent Knight Brigade."
"It's a bit removed from the main headquarters building."
The place we arrived at was an old building on the outskirts of the city.
It used to be a cathedral, but now the Independent Knight Brigade was using it.
"Let's go in."
After identifying ourselves to the knight on guard duty, he led us to the meeting room.
Inside the meeting room was a single black-haired man wearing glasses.
We moved to greet him, but he raised a hand.
"Keep your mouths shut. I'm working, so don't disturb me."
"......"
It was the first time anyone had forbidden even a greeting.
The man rifled through documents for a while before finally looking up.
"Stand over there and wait. Don't speak until I give instructions. Not a single word."
"Understood—mmph."
Edwin started to reply thoughtlessly, so I clamped my hand over his mouth from the side.
The man furrowed his brow slightly but said nothing more.
"......"
We stood there silently, waiting, and soon others began entering the meeting room.
"It's been a while since we've had a meeting."
"The Brigade Leader's been on that long-term mission for ages."
"But now that he's back, we'll probably hold them whenever enough people gather."
They chatted idly as they took seats at the round table in the center of the meeting room.
They glanced at us but didn't say anything.
These must be the Knight Brigade Leaders of the Independent Knight Brigade.
*Some look impressive, others less so.*
I asked Igzard, and a response came right away.
[You're right. There are knights above six stars, but also some at four or five.]
*Who's the one with the most mana?*
[The man over there with his eyes closed. He's got mana at the seven-star level.]
The one Igzard pointed out was a middle-aged man sitting silently.
His face wasn't familiar, but he looked seasoned.
[Meanwhile, the guy who greeted you first only has three-star level mana.]
*So he's not combat-oriented, then.*
The black-haired man had a frail-looking build.
If his mana was weak too, his combat prowess would be negligible.
"The Brigade Leader's coming."
"......!"
Someone peered out from the meeting room and spoke, and everyone rose from their seats.
They bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Brigade Leader!"
"Greetings!"
The man who entered amid the salutes had long, flowing golden hair.
He was a handsome man with sharp features and striking eyes.
*This is the man... Independent Knight Brigade Brigade Leader Bernhard.*
Bernhard, the Martial Rank Knight.
He held the title of "Martial Rank," bestowed only on those with eight-star mana—higher than the "Iron Rank" given to six-star knights who could unleash sword beams.
"Sorry for being away so long."
He scanned the Brigade Leaders at the round table, then addressed the black-haired man who'd been there first.
"Gustav, thanks for managing the brigade in my absence."
"Supporting you is the duty of your adjutant, Brigade Leader."
"Good work."
"Today, Units 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, and 12 are in attendance. That's over half, so no issues proceeding with the meeting."
"I wish we could do away with traditions like this."
"Traditions leave us no choice."
"That damn tradition."
Bernhard took his seat.
"Let's start the meeting, then. Time's precious."
"Understood."
The other Brigade Leaders sat as well, and the meeting began under Gustav's lead.
"First, reports on recent missions carried out by the Independent Knight Brigade. Present Brigade Leaders, report directly. Starting with Ridcamp of Unit 1."
"Understood. Here's my report."
The seven-star knight who'd had his eyes closed earlier spoke in a deep voice.
He must be the leader of Independent Knight Brigade Unit 1.
"The mass emergence of low-grade drakes in the southeast. After subjugating them, we investigated but found no artificial causes. We left cleanup to the local administration and returned."
"Our losses?"
"Two minor injuries. Some equipment damaged—needs resupply."
"Can't you handle that yourself?"
"A Grade 2 Shario was destroyed."
"That's serious. Who broke it?"
"Me."
"I figured."
"Grade 2 Sharios can't withstand my sword beams. Please issue a higher-grade sword."
"That's because your mana control is too rough. We'll discuss a new sword with headquarters."
The meeting continued in that vein.
But we had to keep standing silently in the back.
Bernhard, Gustav, and the Brigade Leaders said nothing to us.
"......?"
That's when Lieselotte poked my side.
She mouthed something without making a sound.
Reading her lips, it was: *Are they doing this on purpose to intimidate us?*
*Could be.*
I shrugged in response.
I couldn't tell the exact intent anyway.
Gustav started glaring at us, probably thinking we were whispering.
*Still, watching the meeting is interesting enough.*
The Independent Knight Brigade seemed far more active than I'd imagined.
From the discussions, they handled all sorts of activities in diverse locations.
[They're like fixers who rush in and solve problems wherever they pop up.]
*Yeah, sounds more fun than I thought.*
The famous units in the Holy Knight Order were the Assault Knight Brigade or the Judgment Knight Brigade.
Even back in the Dialogue Church, I hadn't heard much about the Independent Knight Brigade.
But observing this meeting, it felt like they were an elite unit in their own right.
Full-scale wars against the Dialogue Church would fall to the Assault or Judgment Brigades, but for responding to incidents across the continent day-to-day, an "independent" force that could move swiftly like the Independent Knight Brigade seemed essential.
"Next, Unit 13 matters."
Unit 13.
At those words, Edwin and Lieselotte tensed up.
That was where we'd be assigned.
"First, the investigation results."
"No, hold on."
Bernhard stopped Gustav.
"We've kept them waiting long enough. Let's talk to them first."
"Understood."
"You three, then."
All eyes turned to us.
"Introduce yourselves."
"I'm Sion Aleyas, Grade 1 Knight."
"Edwin Signus, Grade 2 Knight."
"Lieselotte Hydra, Grade 2 Knight."
With permission to speak, we gave our introductions, and Bernhard nodded slowly.
"Sorry for the long wait. Making you stand through the meeting was one thing, but calling you to the Independent Knight Brigade this late... Understand we had our reasons."
"It's fine, Brigade Leader."
"There were several reasons. The biggest was the difficulty in convening the Knight Brigade Leaders' Meeting, and another..."
There was more beyond what we'd heard?
"The issue with the existing Unit 13 hadn't been resolved."
"......?"
"Our Independent Knight Brigade traditionally consists of thirteen units. You're not adding a fourteenth by becoming the new Brigade Leader—you're taking one of the existing thirteen spots. However..."
Bernhard trailed off and gave a look.
Gustav spoke up beside him.
"Unit 13 vanished during a mission."
"Vanished...?"
"They were on a security mission in the northeast. At first, we thought they'd died fighting a criminal syndicate, but that wasn't it."
"The northeast—Dialogue Church territory, by any chance?"
"No, looks like they got scouted by an illegal mercenary band. Investigation showed they'd leaked Holy Knight Order internal intel. Embezzled funds too."
"......"
"So I went and exterminated them."
That was the real reason we'd been left hanging.
Unit 13 had betrayed the Holy Knight Order, and the Brigade Leader had personally judged them, delaying our processing.
"Anyway, that matter's settled now. So we're reforming Unit 13, and that's opened spots for you."
"......"
"Yes, spots have finally opened."
Bernhard spoke again.
"Sion Aleyas, the Integrated Oversight Headquarters has ordered us to install you as the new Brigade Leader. With the vacancy now available, I'd love to seat you as Unit 13 Brigade Leader and get you on missions right away... but..."
He paused and looked at Gustav.
"Gustav, since the Independent Knight Brigade's founding, has a fifteen-year-old boy ever led a brigade?"
"No."
"Has a total rookie less than a year out of entry exams ever done it?"
"No."
Bernhard smiled at Gustav's curt replies.
"Sion Aleyas, you're a Grade 1 Knight, so you qualify. But... that's not enough."
"......"
"The Integrated Oversight Headquarters ordered it, but frankly, we're concerned."
The other Brigade Leaders seemed to share the sentiment.
Some looked at me with outright disdain.
"You topped the entry exams, sure, but we didn't see it ourselves."
"So you're questioning my skills."
"Try to understand. You're the Aleyas family youngest."
Aleyas family youngest.
Mentioning that outright implied my scores might've been fudged.
"Others might fawn over the Aleyas youngest, but not here. This place has a strong independent streak, even within the Holy Knight Order."
"That's the tradition since the legendary independent knight Abelmeier."
The Abelmeier Gustav mentioned was one of the Holy Knight Order's legendary heroes—a knight who'd achieved great feats operating solo.
I'd heard the Independent Knight Brigade was founded in his honor.
"So what would you have me do?"
"Show us directly."
"Proof of my qualifications?"
"Exactly."
Bernhard turned to Gustav again.
"Gustav, has a new Brigade Leader ever skipped the initiation rite?"
"No."
Initiation rite.
At the term, the Brigade Leaders reacted variously.
Some shook their heads with sighs like they didn't want to think about it; others rubbed their hands in anticipation.
"So, who for the initiation rite... Ridcamp, you up for it?"
"If you entrust it to me, I'll do my utmost, Brigade Leader."
Ridcamp, Unit 1 Leader, bowed his head.
"But it might be too harsh for a newbie."
"True enough. You don't know the meaning of 'going easy.'"
"Units 11 or 12 might be more suitable."
"Then..."
Bernhard looked around, and a man with short-cropped red hair raised his hand.
From the earlier roll call, he was Unit 11 Leader.
"I'll take it, Brigade Leader!"
"Garf, you sure?"
"Of course! I'll show them the Independent Knight Brigade isn't to be trifled with!"
He grinned sadistically.
He seemed thrilled at the chance to crush the new recruit.
[Perfect. Right?]
*Yeah.*
Just as Igzard said, this worked in my favor.
[If a stronger one stepped up, it'd be harder to hold back.]
*True, but that guy's...*
From what Igzard had gauged earlier, he was four stars.
*I can crush him cleanly without using much strength.*
If an initiation rite was what it took to be recognized as Brigade Leader, I'd gladly oblige.
But I wouldn't be the one getting crushed.