After finishing his morning shower, Ron deliberated before deciding to save the ramen for later. He wanted nothing more than to eat ramen for all three meals, but the supply was limited, so he could not.
‘I'll get tired of it if I eat it every day.’
He comforted his body and soul by gazing at the fifty-five packets of ramen lined up neatly in the cupboard.
If he grew tired of one kind, he could simply eat another.
Black bean, spicy seafood soup, fire chicken, seafood, spicy mixed noodles.
There were numerous varieties and products. To taste them all, he would have to gather plenty of Coins.
After making do with mild, bland, healthy boiled pork for breakfast, Ron put on his knight's uniform and left the house.
SHHHHH.
The landscape around his home, where the mist vanished beneath the rising sunlight, looked like a painting. It felt as though he were looking at a modern screen in 32K resolution every day.
“This is why I live here.”
Security on the outskirts left something to be desired, but it was quiet because few people passed through, and the scenery was magnificent. If he could only record this view, it would be guaranteed to earn a million views on YouTube.
RATTLE, CLICK—!
After securing the door thoroughly, he set out to arrive at work on time.
WHOOSH—!
It took him fifteen minutes to reach the Knight Hall within House Leonard's estate.
The Knight Hall was divided between Apprentice Knights and Full Knights.
The Full Knights often called the Apprentice Knight Hall the chick training camp.
There was still time before the regular schedule began, but most Apprentice Knights arrived thirty minutes early.
The gazes of his colleagues turned toward Ron.
Ron had never stood out before, but now that he had become the young lady's Personal Knight, the atmosphere inside the hall was split between suspicion and jealousy.
It was a reality they found difficult to understand.
Part of the problem was that they did not know Ron's true skill, and the fact that he had not yet even been granted a surname bothered them.
Did he truly possess the level of skill people claimed? If so, that would mean he had hidden his abilities all this time, which made no sense by ordinary standards.
The goal of an Apprentice Knight was to become a Full Knight. Only after being promoted to Full Knight and then becoming an Intermediate Knight would one qualify to receive a surname and be treated as a noble, even if the title was non-hereditary.
If Ron had killed an aura-trained assailant alone, he possessed more than enough skill to become a Full Knight. There was no reason for him to remain an Apprentice Knight.
That meant he must have had some other motive for hiding his strength. Would His Excellency the Count and the command staff truly have made Ron Adelia's Personal Knight without knowing that?
Even amid their suspicion and jealousy, they hesitated to act because doing so might be construed as misinterpreting His Excellency the Count's will.
‘Judging by those challenging looks, the Second Young Master really does know how to keep his mouth shut.’
As expected, the Second Young Master had not told anyone about the beating he received yesterday. He might have been ignorant, but true to someone who cared deeply about appearances, he lived and died by his dignity.
‘It's wise to resolve this sort of problem quickly.’
The correct response to suspicion and jealousy was not to ignore them but to strike first. The optimistic belief that matters would quiet down if left alone was nothing more than an ideal.
So Ron employed the most effective response available.
“Dane, Ryan. Front and center.”
Ron stared directly at Luke Cherokee, who was glaring at him, as he summoned Dane and Ryan.
Huh?
Luke looked puzzled for a moment, but he soon understood what was happening.
RUSH, CLACK-CLACK—!
Dane and Ryan moved at Ron's call, bringing their factions with them. Like walls erected to protect their master, twenty Apprentice Knights took their places around Ron in perfect order.
They had acted distant until he called them, yet the instant they were singled out, they became loyal retainers.
“If you have something to say to me, speak to Dane and Ryan. They'll answer you very kindly.”
“......What is this?”
The Apprentice Knights, including Luke, were plainly bewildered. Along with Luke, Dane and Ryan stood at the centers of the three major factions within the Apprentice Knight Corps.
With both of them behaving as though they were loyal to Ron, the situation became even more incomprehensible.
As their suspicions deepened.
Ron stepped behind Dane and Ryan and slung an arm around each of their shoulders.
FLINCH!
They tried not to show it, but both Dane and Ryan suffered tiny spasms. At the same time, they looked at each other in surprise.
‘You too!’
‘You too!’
Neither could bring himself to ask whether the other had also been beaten.
As proof, Dane and Ryan had known nothing about each other's circumstances until Ron called them. That realization startled them and sent an eerie chill down their spines.
‘What the hell is going on?’
‘When did he get Dane too?!’
And the events until now began to make sense.
They understood how Ron had managed to live as an Apprentice Knight without anyone noticing him.
His Excellency the Count had moved early to prevent discord among the knights, but communal life could never be entirely free of conflict. All the more so when a group of hot-blooded young men was gathered in one place.
Some might ask what hierarchy could possibly exist among fledglings. Yet there was pride among them, as well as competition. When someone rose above the rest, envy and jealousy followed. When they deemed someone beneath them, they looked down on him. It was unreasonable and base, but it was a harsh reality.
Yet Ron had never been involved in an incident, much less even a minor clash. He had existed within the knight order as quietly as water on a still lake.
He was not an invisible man. How many people could live that way?
Only now did the Apprentice Knights realize the reason.
A faction.
It would have been possible if he had formed a faction within the Apprentice Knight Corps and deliberately ensured that no one touched him.
More importantly, Dane and Ryan were nobles, even if only low-ranking ones. Proud as they were, they had obeyed Ron without a word of complaint all this time.
The Apprentice Knights finally realized that Ron becoming Lady Adelia's Personal Knight had not been a matter of luck.
GRIN.
Having seized the initiative, Ron revealed his true colors. Now that he had exposed the faction, there was no longer any need to hide it.
When they had known nothing, the matter could have passed quietly. Now that they knew, they needed to understand reality.
If he claimed he intended to continue living quietly as before, it would only deepen their suspicions. At times like this, he had to crush their spirit decisively and show them who held the power.
“Are your suspicions still unresolved? What must I do to convey my sincerity? Dane, Ryan! What do you think?”
“I'm sure your desire to help them understand has already been conveyed clearly enough.”
“If it still hasn't, we'll quietly take them somewhere secluded and persuade them romantically.”
At Dane and Ryan's replies, the Apprentice Knights averted their eyes. Ron controlled two of the three factions. That meant the most powerful faction in the Apprentice Knight Corps had just emerged.
They were told to speak openly if they had complaints, but in truth, it was a threat ordering them to grovel on their own. Otherwise, life in the Knight Hall would become difficult.
They could have pretended not to notice, but instead, they had scratched at the problem and made it fester.
“If it hadn't been for Ron, we wouldn't even have made it back alive! So, Luke, do you have a problem?”
“Ron received a fair reward. No, compared to his contribution, it still isn't enough.”
Dane and Ryan launched into impassioned speeches while glaring fiercely.
Luke instinctively realized that the situation was unfavorable. Even the men who followed him were wavering. Until now, they had at least watched one another because it had been a three-way struggle, but once the balance of power became clear, everyone began to falter.
Luke did not like the current situation. Before Ron arrived, he had been confident he could corner him and force a confession.
‘These damned bastards. Are you groveling before a mere commoner without even a shred of pride?!’
At the same time, fury surged within him at the absurd reality that one suspicious glance had instantly turned him into a traitor.
Yet if he lost his temper, he could be swallowed by Dane and Ryan's factions. It would clearly become difficult even to preserve the faction he already possessed.
‘Does this really warrant going this far?!’
He had not even tried anything yet. It would have felt less unfair if he had at least done something.
“If anything feels unfair or uncomfortable, speak openly. I might not, but Dane and Ryan will listen carefully somewhere quiet.”
Ron did not conceal his true position, but neither did he step to the front. He intended to act as the real power from behind the scenes while dumping all the hardship onto Dane and Ryan.
The act was unreasonable to anyone who saw it, but the fact that he did it openly made it even more threatening to his colleagues.
The fact that Ryan and Dane said nothing despite all this was itself proof that Ron held the real power.
“No one's answering. Well, I suppose I haven't been much to look at until now.”
“...No!”
“...We'll do that!”
Everyone realized it.
Ron was not merely quiet by nature.
By needlessly provoking Ron when he had been minding his own business, they had made life in the Knight Hall much less comfortable.
GLARE, GLARE—!
Luke, marked as the cause of the entire situation, trembled beneath the accusing gazes fired at him from every direction. Even his own faction kept signaling for him to do something about it, driving him nearly insane.
Though Luke had been driven into a corner, Ron did not leave him alone.
You did not give rice cakes to someone you hated.
“Everyone, don't blame Luke. People make mistakes and misunderstand things in life. I'm not such a petty man that I'd react to every trivial matter. So everyone, behave as you normally would.”
“......?”
He had made it clear that everything was Luke's fault, then told them not to blame him.
After feeding Luke all the blame he could stomach, Ron pretended to act for his sake. Everyone had to swallow a gasp at his wickedness. He was the kind of bastard who would throw a large stone at the head of a drowning man flailing and begging to be saved.
Once he marked you, you would not get so much as a drop of broth.
Grovel on your own.
If it felt unfair, become stronger.
The Knight Hall's code of chivalry was newly established.
“They say silence means agreement, so I'm sure our seniors will understand as well. Whatever else may be true, our seniors are exceptionally considerate toward their juniors.”
......Who the hell is considerate?
Apprentice Knights were promoted and became Full Knights. They said habits learned at three lasted until eighty. They may not have shown it openly, but becoming Full Knights could not possibly turn them into angels overnight.
And yet Ron was praising the seniors.
‘Damn it, he has people among the senior knights too!’
‘Just how far has he extended his grasp?’
‘Could he be the Count's hidden...?’
Before long, no one remained around Luke. Afraid that sparks might fly onto them as well, they abandoned his faction and lined up behind Dane and Ryan.
The Knight Hall's ecosystem changed.
Ron rose to the top of the food chain.
And he did it in a single day.
“Now I finally feel a little comfortable. Until a moment ago, everything felt unfamiliar. I can endure hardship, but I cannot tolerate discomfort. Keep that in mind and behave as you normally would.”
“Of course!”
“We trust you, Ron!”
When they had started trusting him was unimportant. The ultimate lesson in social skills was to flatten oneself before the real power.
“Get along with Luke from now on as well.”
“...Of course!”
The very person who had made them cut ties with Luke was saying that. Besides, had he not just made it clear they would die if they were caught fraternizing with him?
After everything was wrapped up beautifully, it was time for the day's schedule to begin.
SLIDE—!
Balcon, a Full Knight of the Dawn Knight Order, entered the Knight Hall.
“Is Ron here?”
When Ron rose from his seat, Balcon wore a strange expression. Ron's face was not familiar to him. That meant he was not one of the men who had drawn attention within the knight order.
That was why it was strange.
‘It doesn't seem as though there was any particular conflict.’
If they had gathered in the Knight Hall thirty minutes ago, some disturbance should have broken out among the Apprentice Knights. The existence of factions within their ranks was an open secret.
Yet no one was paying any attention to Ron. The indoor atmosphere, unchanged from usual, carried an inexplicable sense of incongruity.
‘How strange.’
Luke, Dane, and Ryan were all fiercely proud. Dane had witnessed the attack firsthand, but it was unexpected for Luke and Ryan to remain quiet.
“Follow me.”
“Yes.”
Strangest of all was Ron's attitude.
It had become known yesterday that Ron was now Lady Adelia's Personal Knight. Some sort of disturbance over that fact was inevitable today.
Ron had to know that, yet he remained perfectly calm.
‘I cannot tell whether he's thoughtless or simply has enormous courage.’
Honestly, if His Excellency the Count had not granted permission, Balcon would not even have known there was a knight named Ron in the order.
Ron followed silently throughout the walk to their destination, prompting Balcon to ask why.
“Why aren't you asking anything?”
“Did the Commander not summon me for an interview?”
“You are perceptive.”
“Thank you.”
“That was not a compliment.”
“I see.”
Balcon did not view Ron entirely favorably.
There were cases where genius suddenly blossomed and transformed someone overnight, but most knights developed gradually through effort.
It would have been one thing if the fruits of Ron's accumulated effort had finally revealed themselves, but Ron had displayed his skill without warning.
Setting aside the suspicion that he had been hiding his strength, it also meant Balcon's discernment had been lacking. It meant that as a senior, he had no eye for talent. How could he possibly like that?
That was why Balcon deliberately provoked Ron.
‘I understand him even less now.’
Balcon had tried to scrape at Ron's nerves and discern his disposition, but instead of flaring up, Ron let it pass without concern. He was far too calm for someone merely suppressing his anger.
“When the Commander questions you, it would be best to tell the truth. If any lie is uncovered, you will receive severe punishment.”
“Of course.”
The more Balcon observed him, the more audacious he seemed. The fact that Ron had remained unknown until now put Balcon on guard. It would have been impossible unless someone had deliberately kept him outside the range of attention.
Despite Balcon's wariness, Ron's mind had wandered off to a bean field of its own.
‘One Coin is far too stingy.’
Receiving only one Coin each time the Progress Rate rose did not constitute equivalent exchange. To make the exchange rate fair, they should give him at least one box of ramen per Coin.
‘Will it change once the Progress Rate rises above zero?’
Even if the numerical increase remained the same, there was a good chance the rewards would change as the value climbed higher.
‘Even so, it's bothersome.’
He wanted to preserve his peace.
His previous lives had been an endless succession of hellish suffering until the moment he died. Twice, he had risked his life to save humanity.
I've done enough protecting and passing things on by now, haven't I?
They arrived before the office of the Commander of the Dawn Knight Order.
“Go in.”
“Yes.”