Antic.i.p.ation
The man rose from the ebony desk, and slowly walked towards the window.
A month after the entrance ceremony, he finally had a moment’s rest from work.
He gazed at the practice field through the window.
There, the students who aspired to become knights spent their time.
However, immediately after the entrance ceremony, of the people found in the practice field, the figure of students were missing.
It was a common spectacle in recent years.
Since the new students hadn’t gotten used to the atmosphere yet, any students that did enter were extremely diligent, and so a month pa.s.sed like this. [1]
The man let out a deep sigh.
It had been three years since he had returned from the front lines to the capital.
Now, the administrative position he was given was a high position in its own way, but he was completely unable to contribute to the war effort.
In essence, it was a demotion.
While on duty in a village on the front lines, the man had punished a knight who was about to rape a young girl, and was sent back to the capital as a result.
Afterwards, he learned that the rapist knight belonged to a long line of prominent n.o.bles.[2]
The demotion was so blatant, that he felt irritated, but his head had begun to whiten. The subordinate he had trained was forced to agree to such a foolish action. [3]
However, the reality he saw here was unbelievable to he who had risked his life on the front lines.
Various injustices including factional disputes, betrayal, and even bribery,embezzlement, and were rampant throughout.
The students of the Knight School who would shoulder the imperial army soon were no exception, especially the the ones who should have been model students, the n.o.ble children, were the ones who took the initiative to commit such injustices.
What was frightening, was that those very people would one day govern the entire knight order.
No,The current Knight Order’s leaders were also the same.
The students were merely imitating their parents.
He wondered how his other comrades from the front lines saw the reality of the capital.
According to orders to the distant front lines from the capital, many knights and soldiers fought to the death.
He was a good battle strategist, but even he couldn’t guarantee zero victims.
He had seen many lives end.
Even those who cared for the sick died. [4]
On the other hand, those who gave the orders that caused the deaths were there surrounded by their family members, living lives of luxury.
But that didn’t mean that they were completely rotten.
They understood that logistics were important.
If they fulfilled their work without fail, some of their decadence would be ignorable.
However, the supplies, food and money that was to be sent to the front lines were embezzled by them, and the supplies that arrived were always insufficient, and those on the battlefront had no choice but to endure it.
Of course, before his eyes in the practice field, there were students who trained all day, intending to truly protect the empire as knights.
Those who thought that way were few, and they were of low status, and did not remain in the capital.
They were sent to the front lines.
Officially, it was the high achievers that were left in the capital, but in reality, bribery was able to determine the grades.
This was no good.
The empire had no future like this.
While the demon lord existed, it was a threat to all those living, and it was better while it existed. [5]
Throughout the whole continent, all the countries and races were united to oppose the threat.
However, now that the threat was removed, fights between people and nations came to the forefront yet again.
In fact, information was obtained stating that the neighboring country had planned to begin militarizing.
When the country would invade was unknown.
‘Humans, I believe, are truly greedy beyond help.’
‘Despite the fact that they had been companions united against a common enemy just the other day, the moment the menace of the demon lord disappeared, beings of the same race began to fight each other.’
‘That reminds me –‘
‘That girl, who became the Brave…’
‘When I heard that she would be enrolling as a scholarship student, I was surprised.’
He had seen the Brave three years ago at the frontier — he was the commander of the platoon that had moved against the ogres about to overrun a village — it became his last battle.
Though he sent a scout platoon, the platoon’s estimates of the size of the ogre horde exceeded expectations, he had resigned himself to the loss of the scout platoon and the village.
However, what they saw when the arrived was — there, countless ogre corpses lay, standing in the middle was a girl with a cold gaze.
The girl was surrounded by the gazes of the scout platoon knights and the villagers.
At the same time that he arrived, her companions arrived, and without a word, they departed.
According to the scout platoon’s report, and the villager’s words, he was able to find out that the girl was the Brave, Leticia von Mavis, and he was unable to forget that scene
The cold gaze the Brave showed.
The feelings of fear that coursed through the villagers — they were directed at she who had saved the village, the Brave.[6]
‘Unrewarded, without being given even a word of praise, solely given looks of fear, what sort of mental state could she be experiencing?’
‘By all rights, she was still at the age where she should be playing around happily.’
‘But she wasn’t allowed to do so.’
‘Feared by those she protected, despite being rejected, why did she continue to fight on?’
A knock on the door brought him out of those thoughts.
“It’s open. Please come in.”
“Yes sir! Excuse me.”
The person who entered the room was is former subordinate, with whom he had met again when he returned to the capital.
That man returned to the capital a short while before he did.
“Is the plan going well?”
“I believe things are going as you expected, sir.”
“Is that so…”
The man leaned into his chair and closed his eyes.
“Many uninvolved people will be involved in the end, huh…”
“Sir…”
Some fatigue dwelled in the words he muttered with a deep sigh.
“The plan, can we afford to reconsider it again? Now, the Brave is in the school. If she–”
“There is no time for that.”
The man interrupted his subordinate’s worried words.
“She might make a move, we do not know. She probably is not one to tolerate injustice, and she has enough power. However!” [7]
With those strong words, the man raised his head.
At those eyes filled with vigor, his subordinate shrunk back.
Even if he had retired from active duty, they were eyes of a knight who had survived for years on the battlefield.
“I do not plan to let the Brave shoulder the burden of our Knight Order’s problems. This is our problem.”
Originally, the demon lord was also supposed to be the knight order’s problem.
Instead, the fate of the world was entrusted to a young girl.
He still felt the anger at his own worthlessness.
Furthermore, he couldn’t possibly shame himself more by troubling others.
“Sir, if you would even go this far, then there is nothing more to be said. Now, the plan is beginning to be put into motion. Lastly, we…”
“Such a stupid matter.”
He laughed off the subordinate’s proposal.
“I am the commander. Your commander. It is the commander’s responsibility see through the plan to the end.”
At those words, the subordinate took a deep bow, and left adroitly.
The man saw him off, and in the room alone, he muttered to himself.
“Oh, Brave. You shouldn’t have returned to this country. This country is rotten. Therefore, before you turn on the country, I will act first.”
“Father.”
“Oh, Jade. How goes your matters?” [8]
“There are no problems. With the money I obtained, I can use the group as I please.”[9]
They were at the Cliffdorf House’s estate in the Imperial Capital.
The head of the household, Welt, and his son, Jade, were having a meal together.[10]
The table was filled with decadent food– food that those on the front lines would never taste.
While enjoying the cuisine and drinking first cla.s.s wine, Welt began to speak.
“Have you noticed the movements around here recently?”
“Yes. According to the spies, the plan has not changed, and they will move as planned.”
“Is that so.”
With those words, Welt nodded with satisfaction, and once more drank his wine.[11]
“I must say, Father. It is a splendid plan. The using that man’s plan, it is possible to deal a blow on the imperial household.”
“Hmm. That’s because ha had just returned from the battlefield. The war in the capital is similar to the war on the front lines, it uses not only brute strength, I know.”
Welt had already been aware of the dissident faction of the Knight Order.
He had not risen to the top of the Knight Order for show.
If he exercised his influence, he would be able to promptly suppress them, but he wanted to use the plan to deal a blow against the imperial household.
“But, Is it alright? Even if we kill?”[12]
“There is no problem. The Brave has now caught my interest.”
Jade smiled faintly.
“It is surely regrettable, but they can’t compare to the Brave.”[13]
“As for that matter, is it going well with you? Can you obtain the Brave?”
“As we had said before, the Brave is merely a little girl after all.[14] Furthermore, she is inexperienced in high society. Please leave it to me.”
Jade held up his gla.s.s, lightly tapping his father’s gla.s.s.
A faint clink was heard. [15]
Tipping his gla.s.s, Jade drank the wine while thinking about the Brave.
‘She certainly is a beautiful maiden. She is suitable to be my partner.’ [16]
‘Only she has the air of n.o.bility.’[17]
‘That overwhelming presence.’
‘That unparalleled beauty.’
‘Although I thought that whether a wife was ugly or beautiful didn’t matter, but after seeing her figure, I just had to have her.’[18]
‘I want to control that girl.’
‘Which reminds me… The Brave is especially close to that plebeian Wynn, or so I hear…’
‘Perfect.’
‘There should be that apprentice knight who is close to that plebeian.’
‘Using him, I will be able to deal with that annoying plebeian b.a.s.t.a.r.d.’
‘I’ll first kill all the pests before they multiply.’