SWISH!
He had been promoted to Full Knight and would soon be granted a surname as well. It was undeniably an extraordinary promotion. Normally, a knight had to become a Full Knight and then reach Intermediate Knight before receiving a surname.
Ron looked around and let his confidence show.
He did not leave matters half-finished. He had to leave a deep and unmistakable impression. Only then would they refrain from trying anything foolish.
Of course, he observed proper etiquette.
He formally greeted his seniors.
“Senior Randall, Senior Dorgon, Senior Parkerson, I look forward to working with you.”
“Of course. If you ever have trouble, just say the word.”
“We've always been on your side. We were cheering you on passionately just now. You saw us, right?”
“I nearly tore my throat cheering you on in my head.”
Could someone tear their throat while cheering silently?
It sounded like a new kind of bluff.
In any case.
Behind Ron stood Randall and Dorgon, both Upper-Grade Knights, with Parkerson, an Intermediate Knight, behind them.
Once that swift repositioning was complete, one-third of the Dawn Knight Order stood with Ron.
......?
Everyone stared blankly at the sudden development. Ron might have overwhelmingly defeated Britten, but why were the Upper-Grade Knights treating him with such warm kindness? Until yesterday, they probably had not even known his name.
Was this for real?
Anyone watching would think their own blood relative had just joined the knight order.
Wasn't Ron an orphan?!
It would have been one thing if Randall and Dorgon were known for treating their juniors kindly. Instead, they were notorious throughout the order for being extremely prickly and sensitive.
Yet those very men now stood squarely behind Ron, wearing the benevolent expressions of seniors who cared for their junior more than anyone.
“We knew from the beginning that Ron would win.”
“His promotion was a foregone conclusion. We were only wondering how soon he would win.”
“A poser like Britten would've had his head cut off long ago if Ron hadn't gone easy on him.”
“This isn't the time for that. Let's congratulate Ron on his promotion together.”
“Of course, of course. This is the tradition of the Dawn Knight Order!”
When had that tradition appeared without any of them knowing?
Moreover, they were not the sort to spend their own money buying something for a junior. They were supreme cheapskates who might as well have been made entirely of salt.
When the hell had they saved up money for this?
The members nearly gave themselves brain cramps trying to understand behavior so unlike the men they knew.
Even so, one thing was clear.
‘This definitely didn't happen overnight!’
‘He must've bought them off beforehand!’
‘How the hell did he buy those bastards off?’
‘They're the type who'd fleece a junior, not be bought off!’
They were the sort of men who would split open a flea's liver and sell even that.
That was why they were so troublesome to provoke. Having men one could not afford to antagonize dote on Ron made the situation extremely awkward.
‘At this rate, we'd be serving a senior rather than welcoming a junior!’
‘Even so, this is too much!’
‘After all our years in the order, are we really supposed to accept this?!’
‘Do none of you have any pride?!’
It was a situation that naturally invited complaints, but none of them dared cast Ron a disrespectful look. The balance of power within the knight order had already tilted toward him. If his swordsmanship had merely been at the Lower Grade, they might have found some pretext to drag him down.
‘Fuck, honestly, I think he's stronger than me!’
‘Wouldn't someone need to be Upper-Grade to face him?’
‘Even an Upper-Grade Knight might struggle. Sir Ternoar wouldn't have brought just anyone.’
‘Forget his skill—he's the bastard who drenched a colleague in blood!’
They could not forget Ron's ruthlessness.
His swordsmanship surpassed his peers, but comparing his ruthlessness to theirs would itself have been insulting. It was comparable to that of a veteran hardened by countless battles.
He was the kind of man who would bring disaster upon anyone who provoked him, and he was not a lone wolf. He had formed the central faction of the Dawn Knight Order.
A bastard no one should associate with had been promoted.
“Though I have many shortcomings, I will do my utmost as a member. I sincerely hope we can all live peacefully, without any incidents or accidents.”
It did not sound like a junior declaring that he would do his best. It sounded like a threat suggesting that they should all get along, because provoking him might cause incidents and accidents to become frequent.
Hah!
The members were dumbfounded.
The bastard had only just become a Full Knight, yet he was already insolent.
As seniors, they naturally ought to teach him a sharp lesson. After exchanging glances, the members stepped forward and raised their voices.
“I knew the moment I saw you that you'd become a Full Knight!”
“Me too! Me too!”
“If anything is difficult, tell me as well!”
“Don't act so formal just because I'm your senior. Call me your brother from now on!”
“Ahem, don't get insolent! One look tells you Ron's the elder brother here.”
The members did not resist the prevailing tide. Once they knew who held the real power, following him was the wise way for an office worker to survive. The world would not acknowledge them merely because they sharpened their edges and insisted they were different.
If the stone that rolled in proved stronger, they were prepared to follow it without hesitation.
Ahem.
Upper-Grade Knights McCain and Teoska disliked the situation, but they could do no more than clear their throats. They sensed it too. Ron was someone they must not touch. The only reason they did not approach him warmly was their pride.
‘Fine. Let's say nothing.’
‘Ignoring it is easier.’
When the two Upper-Grade Knights turned away, the corners of Ron's mouth rose into an arc.
‘Good.’
He had seized the initiative, and their mutual agreement not to interfere with one another was complete. It was safe to say that nearly every possibility of conflict within the knight order had disappeared.
It was the ideal result Ron had wanted.
Some might ask why he did not simply take control of the entire knight order while he was at it, but that would be knowing one thing and not the other. Once he became an Upper-Grade Knight, he would have to aim for Vice Commander and Commander. The higher one's position rose, the more authority one gained, but expectations and responsibilities followed.
Ron merely wished to enjoy peaceful pleasure without responsibility.
‘Responsibility naturally belongs to the seniors.’
It was enough to be a junior treated like a senior.
***
Ron was in Adelia's room.
Adelia's quarters were situated in the northern wing of the U-shaped mansion. The interior was completely hidden from outside view, perfectly protecting her privacy, while the garden courtyard could be seen from within.
The room assignment plainly demonstrated the Count's overprotectiveness. It was almost surprising that he had permitted her to spend a night away under the pretext of inspecting the territory.
As her Personal Knight, Ron assessed the real estate.
Did this make him a two-home owner?
“Where is my room?”
“The first thing you say after arriving is to ask for your own room?”
“I am human as well. When I rest, I would like to do so in peace.”
Being a Personal Knight did not mean staying beside her every moment.
In truth, there was no need to guard her inside the estate. He merely had to prevent the unlikely accident. Bluntly speaking, what within House Leonard could possibly threaten Adelia, whom the Count treasured so dearly?
“That sounds as though you're saying my room isn't comfortable.”
“I've never heard of anyone feeling comfortable in a superior's room.”
Adelia swallowed a gasp.
He was far too honest.
She had liked that honesty until a few days ago, but now it was also irritating. She had never imagined he would speak that way even before her father.
“It seems making one's liege uncomfortable is considered a knightly virtue these days.”
“I apologize if it sounded uncomfortable. I had no such intention.”
“Even when something is true, the proper response depends on the time and situation. Surely you aren't simply honest because you lack tact?”
“I am striving to exercise flexibility in all matters.”
Even under Adelia's persistent questioning, Ron joked that he could lie if she wanted him to. It was absurd, yet somehow refreshing.
At the same time, Ron looked different to her for maintaining his convictions without wavering even when facing her. Many people changed their convictions according to their circumstances.
“I'm very glad I'm not your type.”
“Indeed. A Personal Knight falling in love with his lady would, when you think about it, show a lack of professionalism. You may pursue whatever you wish without the slightest concern.”
Ron treated Adelia solely as the lady he served and harbored no improper feelings toward her. They said the eyes were the windows to the heart, so Adelia must have sensed it as well.
At Ron's wooden, log-like gaze, Adelia's brow tightened.
“Nothing in this world is absolute.”
“I see.”
“What's with that look?”
“I wasn't looking.”
He left an impression that was amusing and unpleasant at once.
Beyond the fact that no one had ever treated her this way, it almost felt as though he was treating her carelessly. Perhaps that was why it forced a strange competitive urge upon her. Maybe he acted that way because he had not truly looked at her.
‘There's more to me than meets the eye.’
These stifling clothes were the problem.
There was nothing lacking about her figure. That did not mean she had feelings for him, however. She must not make that mistake. “No one has ever treated me this way before” was nothing more than a relic of a bygone age.
Adelia concealed her emotions and changed the subject.
It would not be good to waste time on personal matters. For the future of the family, there was a mountain of work to do. More than anything, she was honestly at a loss as to where she should begin.
“How are the knights? Some of them may be dissatisfied.”
“They're all good people.”
Huh?
Adelia looked puzzled by the unexpected answer. There was no way that could be true. It was far removed from everything she knew. It was almost as though he had given a deliberately mysterious answer to tease her.
“You never seemed particularly close to your seniors or colleagues, but it appears you are far more capable at handling people than you look, Sir Ron.”
“Nothing so grand as skill. I merely behave as a junior should and treat seniors as befits seniors.”
Adelia stared at Ron with a subtle look. Until the attack, Ron had always been alone, much less holding conversations with his colleagues. When she asked Remian, her Personal Maid, she heard that he ate alone every day.
To anyone watching, it would have looked as though he was being ostracized. Was it not strange for him to claim that the knights treated him well? All the more so because he might have been hiding himself all this time. His sudden rise to prominence could easily have aroused suspicion and caused conflict.
‘Perhaps there was no need to summon him.’
Concerned that friction might arise between Ron and the knights after the Promotion Exam, she had sent Remian to call him to her quarters.
Now that he had been promoted, Ron only needed to fulfill his duty as her Personal Knight.
‘I simply can't understand him.’
Ron was not sociable, nor were the knights particularly easygoing.
“Are you curious?”
“You're perceptive.”
“With that look on your face, how could I not know?”
“How did you do it?”
“I'll begin by explaining how I managed to live so quietly.”
Now that Ron had become her Personal Knight, he needed to share part of the truth with Adelia. It was a necessary step if they were to lower the walls between them.
There was not much to it, however.
It was the same method he had used to teach the Dust Trio a proper lesson after the attack.
WHAT?!
Adelia looked utterly dumbfounded. She had to turn over what she had heard several times just to understand it.
“You beat up the senior knights?”
“Even a strongman folds beneath the rod.”
“And you still call them good seniors?”
“They do as they're told.”
Her judgment wavered over whether she should truly attempt anything important with a man like this. He had openly committed an absurd act of insubordination. Yet it was also an astonishingly effective solution.
Knights lived by their pride. After being beaten like dogs by a junior, where could they possibly go to complain?
In that manner, he had taken control of them one by one and then concealed his presence.
It was absurd, yet he had accurately pierced through human psychology.
“You told me you had suddenly gained enlightenment!”
“I distinctly said I had exercised flexibility.”
He was openly admitting that he had lied to her face.
She had known his shamelessness was extraordinary, but she had never imagined that he had even deceived Sir Ternoar, the man who raised him.
Yet they had come too far to turn back now. She had barely managed to persuade her father and obtain an opportunity to act. If she said she wanted nothing to do with Ron now, it would clearly become an obstacle to everything she intended to do in the future.
More importantly, he could have hidden this until the very end, yet he had told her the truth. Perhaps that was why she understood him even less. She could not tell where the lies ended and the truth began.
Even to Adelia, who prided herself on reading a person's heart through their face and especially their eyes, Ron was an unknown species. Not once had events involving him unfolded as she predicted.
“Except for the Commander and Vice Commander, it would not be an exaggeration to say the knight order is in my hands. If you want the Dawn Knight Order itself, I will meet with the Commander separately as well.”
“The Commander is an Intermediate Expert.”
“So?”
“......?”
She had thought he spoke from ignorance, but once she realized otherwise, she was left speechless.
This was not just anyone. It was Sir Crimson, known as the First Knight of House Leonard. Ron was proposing to meet such a man secretly and beat him. It would have been stranger if she could find words.
“You said you weren't an Expert.”
“Flexibility... Hmm.”
Adelia's catlike glare warned that she would not let him off if he said one more word.
Ron decided to end the joke there.
It had been a bit of showmanship intended to ease the tension and improve their relationship as lady and knight.
Adelia furrowed her brow and asked.
“Now, truly, there is nothing else you're hiding, correct?”
“Ah. I pummeled the Second Young Master yesterday.”
“......!”