Stopping the assassins did not mean everything was over. They still had to tend to the dead and wounded and uncover the assassins’ identities and whoever was behind them.
As with all things, cleaning up after something was more troublesome than causing it. When one person made the mess and another had to clean it, the latter had the more burdensome job.
In a household, that role usually fell to the mother. That was why children should always be grateful to their mothers.
As a father, Ron was already one step ahead.
The other knights were taking care of treating the knights and soldiers, so he saw no reason to get involved.
‘Troublesome work is most rewarding when someone else does it.’
Normally, as the youngest member of the knight order, he should have taken the initiative, but Ron had earned merit by stopping the attack. Without him, they would all have fucking died. Today, he was allowed to sit still.
‘Let me ride the bus for once.’
Ah, right. There were no buses here.
In the grim atmosphere, darkness began swallowing the land the moment the sun set.
They could simply throw the assassins to the wild beasts, but camping beside a graveyard was unsettling.
‘What were their names again?’
Three knights had died. They would not have died if they had maintained the formation properly. It was the price they paid for panicking like novices and forgetting their positions.
‘That was their lot.’
Their stations were different anyway.
They called one another comrades.
Ron had been selected through an Aura Test as a subject of the count’s territory and had become a knight.
There were walls even within the Dawn Knight Order.
Had the count not strictly punished conflict among the knights, it might not have ended with mere ostracism.
Perhaps that was why he felt nothing in particular about the deaths of the other knights. When it came down to it, knights were merely coworkers. Confiding in coworkers only gave them something to gossip about.
‘How much should I contribute as condolence money? Three, five, or seven would be appropriate.’
He did not plan every move he made, but the money he earned each month was limited. If he paid condolence money, he would have to cut back somewhere else. He disliked disrupting his daily life for members with whom he was barely acquainted, but he had earned merit, so he could at least look forward to a reward.
‘The living have to keep living.’
Even though the attack had made everything noisy and troublesome, he did not dwell on it. Something like this could happen at any time, and if it had ended with only three deaths, they should consider themselves fortunate.
SWIPE, SWIPE.
Ron oiled a cloth and maintained his sword.
He had reached a level where blood did not cling to the blade even after cutting a person, but there was nothing he could do about blood that spattered onto it. Blood might not show immediately, but it would gradually oxidize and dull the blade. Wiping it clean at once was best.
‘At least I should pretend.’
He wiped away blood visible only to honest people.
The sword had been issued by House Leonard as communal equipment, but worn-out gear had to be replaced at the knight’s own expense. Using it as long and as safely as possible was best.
Never spend my own money at work—that was Ron’s motto.
He missed the company card.
‘You’re precious in your own way.’
PAT, PAT.
He had even named the communal sword and treated it like a beloved blade.
Our Devil.
You saw some blood today.
‘Suspicion alone proves nothing.’
There was someone he had reason to suspect of being behind the attack.
An iron deposit had recently been discovered in a region where the border between House Leonard and House Rehalt was unclear. Ron was no miner, so he did not know exactly how large the deposit was, but it had sparked an ownership dispute.
Normally, friction between a count’s house and a viscount’s house would have an obvious outcome to anyone, but reality did not always follow the natural order.
Especially when one considered the tangled interests involving Marquis Calix, Viscount Rehalt’s backer and a power broker in the imperial capital.
‘Our count isn’t a greedy man, but...’
To nobles, what mattered was who held more power and who could benefit them more. Some nobles might value reputation and honor, but those concerns came later.
Love it or hate it, that was much the same in every world.
‘It isn’t my problem.’
It was a matter for the high and mighty people of the count’s house to resolve. A probationary knight of the Dawn Knight Order had already exceeded his quota by standing out as much as he had. Just as a position shaped the person, acting beyond one’s position inevitably invited trouble.
Today alone would make his life troublesome for a while.
Ron reminded himself to be content with his lot.
Again and again, furtive glances came his way.
As the cleanup neared completion, the noble fellow knights who normally regarded him with all the interest a cow showed a chicken stared at him strangely.
When their eyes met, they hurriedly looked away.
AHEM.
They could not understand what they had experienced. More precisely, their reaction was close to distrust of Ron. From their perspective, reality made no sense.
It was only natural. Someone they had considered no different from themselves—perhaps even beneath them—had suddenly slaughtered the attackers. They could hardly accept it.
They had thought he was a pathetic idiot, only to discover that he was a Sword Master.
Like the textbook example of a knight hiding his strength.
‘That doesn’t change anything.’
Looking down on someone else did not make a person superior. They would be better off swinging a sword one more time instead.
Humans, however, had a powerful fear of and wariness toward uncertainty. They also refused to tolerate someone they had always looked down upon rising above them. If they could not attain the same height, they dragged that person back down to their level.
It was a malicious human instinct.
‘As long as they don’t cross the line.’
Ron could ignore ostracism and distrust. As long as they caused him no physical or financial loss and wasted none of his time.
‘My daily peace is worth more than gold.’
Yet there were always people who could not believe something even after seeing it with their own eyes.
At times like that, it was only human nature to pour runny shit over them instead of soybean paste.
He had made examples of several people, which was why he had been able to live quietly until now.
‘How would I have handled it in the past?’
He did not want to imagine it.
The past was the past.
The mere thought of returning to those days was horrifying. In that respect, he was satisfied with his present reality.
These were peaceful times.
An attack like today’s was nothing more than a minor part of daily life. In the brutal Middle Ages of a fantasy world, wasn’t a little swordplay practically romance?
The attendants busily prepared the meal.
Compared with the strongly seasoned food he had once enjoyed, it was bland. Still, a knight’s body was his capital, so he had to eat whenever possible.
‘The tent is out of the question.’
It was comfortable, but the moment he showed it to anyone, it would become communal property rather than his alone. He had to use it only when he was alone and in urgent need.
That was how he could avoid troublesome questions.
Proving oneself, as he had said many times, was extraordinarily exhausting. Thus, while it was best to step forward when necessary, in ordinary times it was best to remain quietly buried in the crowd.
STEP—!
A shadow approached from behind.
Ron was not startled.
There was only one person it could be. The commotion had died down, and the situation had been brought under control to some extent.
It was Sir Ternoar, the rigid old knight whose loyalty to House Leonard ran deep.
“Who are you?”
“Why ask when you already know?”
“Then you know this makes no sense!”
“Why? You thought I was easy prey, but now you’re worried I might be dangerous to provoke?”
“Do not play word games!”
“The man who raised me asks who I am? Is that any way to speak to someone who is practically your own grandson?”
Ron’s composure left Radon unsure which version of him was the truth.
Ron was the son of Ethan, whom Radon had once taught.
Ethan had been a single father. Before Ron turned ten, he suffered an unfortunate accident while away on a mission.
Taking pity on the boy left alone, Radon showed Ron the path of a knight, tested him for aura, and brought him into House Leonard.
He had looked after Ron until the boy turned fifteen, and five years ago, Ron bought a house in a secluded corner of town and began living independently.
Radon had watched him since childhood, so he could not reconcile the boy he knew with the sight of him defeating the assassins alone. It was as though someone else had entered Ron’s body.
But Ron said that was not the case.
The more Radon thought about it, the more infuriating it became.
“You have hidden your abilities all this time!”
“Rather than hiding them, I simply never had a chance to show them.”
“That is hiding them.”
In truth, it was an excuse.
Ron could have proved himself through sparring at any time. If he had still chosen not to show his abilities, it was reasonable to suspect he had some ulterior motive.
‘The old man simply failed to notice.’
Ron added plausibility to his flimsy logic. This was an act of consideration entirely for Radon. At least then the old man would have something to report when they returned.
“I gained some insight recently. Before that, revealing half-baked ability would only have earned me resentment, so I waited for the right time. As you know, those men and I come from different backgrounds.”
HMM.
Radon groaned when Ron struck a sore point.
As a knight, Ethan had been a diligent hard worker, but he had never risen above the lowest rung of the knight order. He was an unfortunate case whose talent fell short of his effort.
For a commoner who became a knight to be granted a family name, he had to rise to the rank of mid-ranking knight. Otherwise, even within the knight order, he would only be made to handle menial chores.
Had Ethan become a mid-ranking knight and been granted a family name, Ron would naturally have entered the knight order as well. But he was never given that chance.
Then Ethan died during a mission, leaving Ron’s position in limbo. Taking pity on him, Radon raised Ron himself, and Ron met expectations by passing the Aura Test and joining the knight order.
Even so, nothing Ron had shown until now suggested that he possessed the kind of innate talent he had displayed during the attack.
He had no one he associated with inside the knight order, and once his assigned duties were over, he was always in a hurry to go home, never mind attending group dinners.
‘Had I been wrong?’
Perhaps Ron had tested and tempered himself somewhere no one knew. No, he must have. His present combat ability could not be explained otherwise.
With effort, anything could be achieved. That had been Ethan’s motto, and it was something Radon himself had taught him.
Once his suspicions faded, Radon acknowledged the effort Ron must have made all these years.
“You carried on Ethan’s wish.”
“It isn’t anything that grand. You’ve simply grown old, and those men were too weak compared with the knight order’s reputation.”
The Dawn Knight Order’s reputation had declined greatly compared with the past. If they were weak even by the standards of such an order, that said everything.
Still, even if it was true, Ron had never said it aloud before. When skill disappeared and only reputation remained, all it did was wound their pride.
“……So that was why you kept to yourself.”
“Do your bones hurt, perhaps? Bone health is extremely important at your age.”
“…You concealed that personality well!”
It was not so much that Ron had concealed it as that they had never shared an open conversation like this in the first place. He had no close friends within the knight order, and Sir Ternoar was not a talkative man. He had been more like an instructor than a friendly guardian.
Even so, Ron was grateful to him.
Most parents would abandon even their own children when times were hard. How easy could it have been to raise the child of a disciple he had only briefly taught?
Though his wife had done the real work.
More importantly.
‘My memories of my previous life returned during the Aura Test.’
The memories of his previous life had seeped into him during the process of determining whether he possessed aura, the condition required to become a knight.
Of course, it had taken time for those memories to settle fully. His mind and body had been far too weak to absorb everything in a single instant.
He had trained his mind and body for three years to accept his previous life, then spent seven more years training to regain the realm he had reached before.
‘My conscience hurts when he looks at me as though I’m a tireless worker.’
Radon’s eyes said that Ron must have shed blood and sweat day and night where no one could see him.
The memories of his previous life had certainly given him an advantage over others, but the memory of burning himself down to white ash in those days had made him content with his present life.
It was a kind of burnout.
He no longer had the fuel to devote himself without a single day of rest as he had in his previous life. He trained only during fixed hours and enjoyed peace through the gifts of his previous life.
Like a student who studied less than everyone else, rested as much as he pleased, and still earned good grades.
SWIPE, SWIPE.
Ron continued wiping his sword even during the conversation. Though there was nothing left to wipe, he applied himself with great care. It was silent pressure telling Radon not to assign him any troublesome work.
A knight who had completed his quota had the right to enjoy peace.
At Ron’s blatantly obvious intention—
Haa.
Radon’s earlier emotion lasted only a moment before he sighed. He had believed he knew Ron inside and out, yet the Ron before him was far too unfamiliar. He had never imagined this was his true personality. Far from writhing in loneliness because he had been ostracized, Ron overflowed with so much self-esteem that he had become shameless.
Perhaps he was the one ostracizing the entire knight order.
Maybe that was why something had bothered Radon for a while.
“Why did you not step forward from the beginning?”
“I merely obeyed your order to maintain the formation.”
“Whatever else they were, those men were your comrades!”
“The moment I ignored orders and acted alone, I would have become everyone’s enemy. I have no desire to help people only to be cursed for it.”
As with all things, gratitude was fleeting. He would be fortunate if they did not whisper behind his back about how he had hidden his abilities all this time.
If he had disobeyed orders from the beginning and defeated the enemy alone, the evaluation he later received would surely have included envy and jealousy. They might even have seized upon his insubordination and created a problem in one way or another.
Of course, perhaps that would not have happened.
It was also true that viewing everything negatively was unhealthy.
However, a careless attitude could give others a pretext to cause trouble. Unless the situation was unavoidably desperate, it was better not to stand out. The circumstances had to be such that his comrades and everyone around him could fully accept what he did.
“Then why did you step forward when you did?”
“Because of you, old man. If those men had calmly maintained the formation as ordered from the start, they wouldn’t have died. Their own lack of caution was to blame. You clearly told us that this was a fundamental quality every knight must possess.”
“……You are saying it was my fault?”
“You’re stating the obvious. Sir Ternoar is the officer responsible for security on this journey. Or is the blame supposed to fall on the young lady, who came out on a pleasure trip without knowing any better?”
“……?”
Radon was left speechless.
Logically, Ron was right, but emotionally, Radon wanted to deny it. A knight naturally had to prioritize orders, but their comrades had lost their lives right before them.
Could Ron truly swear that his personal dislike of those men had played no part in letting them die?
Moreover, Ron had not asked a single question about his dead comrades. Far from being shaken, he treated it with the indifference of someone hearing about strangers.
But what meaning would there be in pointing that out now? Radon had already become an incompetent security commander. Nor could he shift the blame onto the young lady.
That was also why he found Ron so infuriating. He wanted to put him through disciplinary training again, but it was also true that Ron had rendered distinguished service.
“The young lady has summoned you.”
“Yes.”
Ron sheathed the sword he had polished so much that the blade itself might have worn away, then checked his attire. It was largely ceremonial, but formalities mattered.
“Are you not going to ask why?”
“She saw my performance. She could hardly help summoning me.”
“You certainly know how to gild yourself.”
“I am merely stating the facts. Still, surely she hasn’t fallen for me. That would be troublesome. I have preferences too.”
“Keep your mouth shut as you normally do.”
Radon worried whether he should take Ron to the young lady in this state.
Just as Ron had said, the young lady had opened the carriage door and come outside despite being told not to. She had then witnessed Ron’s performance. Though she had been shocked by the gruesome sight of severed heads, she had not ignored Ron’s accomplishment.
“You’ve really aged, old man. I heard you practically flew around in your younger days.”
“You brat, I am still hale and hearty!”
“I’ll be sure to tell your wife, who has been feeling rather lonely lately.”
“Shut up!!”
This bastard had hidden his true nature all this time.
Radon, who had pitied Ron without knowing any of that, felt as though he had wasted his entire life.
***
Her platinum-blonde hair, flawless luminous skin, lake-clear eyes that seemed to draw in everything around them, elegantly sculpted nose, and vivid scarlet lips harmonized perfectly with the smooth line of her jaw.
Noble elegance and cuteness formed a strange harmony. She was only seventeen. Once time allowed her beauty to mature, she could easily become renowned across the continent.
The wavering torchlight and her presence brightened the surroundings.
Adelia Leonard.
She had to calm her pounding heart after learning that someone had targeted her.
Until now, she had lived a life untouched by murder and death. Only after a long while did the reality around her begin to enter her awareness.
‘His name was Ron, wasn’t it?’
Had it not been for what he did today, she would have been dragged along according to someone else’s intentions and brought harm to her house.
That was what puzzled her.
Ron had no family name.
That meant he was a commoner by birth and occupied the lowest position in the Dawn Knight Order.
Yet his martial ability had overwhelmed the assassins.
For someone with that level of skill to remain at the bottom of the knight order was at odds with everything she knew.
Knights were people who lived and died for honor. With ability like that, he should have revealed his strength long ago and been granted a family name.
‘Still, Sir Ternoar said he raised Ron from childhood, so it is difficult to believe he has some other purpose.’
It was possible that an outside force targeting the family had deliberately staged this incident as part of a scheme to secure Ron a foothold within the house.
Disputes among nobles, tangled in complicated interests, made it impossible to view events innocently.
Still, she would not treat the benefactor who had saved her life coldly based on suspicion alone.
That was why she had summoned Ron.
She could learn what kind of person he was through conversation. Whatever else might be true, she prided herself on having a fairly discerning eye for people.
Sir Ternoar brought Ron to her.
Ron offered a brief formal salute, then kept a respectful distance from Lady Adelia. This was not something for her to take offense at, but basic decorum between a noble young lady and a knight.
Moreover, a count belonged among the high nobility. As a probationary knight—and a commoner without even a family name—brazenly looking directly at the young lady would itself have been disrespectful.
Silence settled over them, making the atmosphere uncomfortable and heavy. Normally, he might have asked why she had summoned him, but Ron waited in silence. Far from looking uncomfortable, he appeared peaceful.
As though a thorn had lodged in her throat, the silence grew more grating with every passing moment.
‘Ha, this brat!’
Radon knew why the young lady maintained her silence. When handling subordinates, silence was a fairly effective weapon. As the saying went, a thief’s own feet would begin to tingle. There was no better method for inducing anxiety, panic, and incoherent babbling.
But Ron was not a thief. He was a knight.
‘Perhaps it might have worked on the Ron of the past.’
The Ron he had watched since childhood and the Ron of today were different people. If Ron had hidden his true thoughts all this time, then a thousand-year-old drake must surely dwell inside him.
The young lady’s discernment was remarkable for her age, but she had no hope of controlling Ron.
‘This is conduct difficult to tolerate from a knight.’
Radon disliked it, but it had become strange for him to intervene.
The person who had summoned Ron remained silent. If Radon stepped in, it would amount to disregarding the young lady.
Ron seemed to understand that and had no intention of playing along. He remained perfectly relaxed.
So he believed time was on his side.
That was why Radon found him infuriating.
How mortified must their delicate young lady be? Engaging in a contest of wills with his liege was itself unknightly conduct.
As the discomfort dragged on—
Adelia opened the conversation.
“I’m sorry for summoning you and then making you wait. My thoughts weren’t in order, so I couldn’t speak carelessly.”
“I understand. You were likely shaken, and my ability is far beyond what one would expect of a probationary knight, so you may also have suspected that I had some ulterior motive.”
……This insolent brat!
Radon frowned at Ron’s shameless answer. Even if the young lady had been thinking that, pointing it out openly violated proper etiquette. A knight ought to know how to cover his lord’s shortcomings.
How deeply wounded must their delicate young lady be?
Radon felt sorry for Adelia.
“I see. So that is why you left one assassin alive.”
“That is correct.”
“But we haven’t managed to learn who ordered them. Do you happen to suspect anyone who might be behind the attack?”
“No.”
“Truly?”
“My opinion is not important.”
What kind of conversation is this?
Radon had been about to intervene and teach Ron a lesson, only to find himself standing there awkwardly instead. Far from being hurt, Lady Adelia remained calm, as though she had expected exactly that answer. She seemed like a stranger to him.
Who in the world had he been surrounded by all this time?
Once again, Radon felt as though he had wasted his life.
Was his eye for people truly this poor?
Now, the more he thought he understood, the less he knew.
“And if I still want to know?”
“I do not know.”
“It isn’t that you do know, but don’t want to answer because you might be dragged into something troublesome?”
“A knight’s guiding principle is to pretend not to know even when he knows, pretend not to see even when he sees, and pretend not to hear even when he hears. That is Rule One of Sir Ternoar, Chapter One, Verse One.”
You brat, when did I ever say that?
Besides, that is Rule Three!