Yuusha-sama no Oshishou-sama

The Knight School students who met the qualifications to become apprentice knights receive missions from the Knight Order.
That was one of the regular subjugation missions.
They were tasked with subjugating low level monsters such as goblins, orcs and ghosts in the mountain district’s forests.
With the Demon Lord defeated by the Brave, high ranked demons and monsters gone, much of the damage was caused by the unrelated low-level monsters.
For that reason, the Knight Order undertakes a biannual subjugation mission.
The mission was perfect for the new apprentice knights to gain actual combat experience.
This year, Knight Apprentice Locke Marine was directed to partic.i.p.ate in the mission.

“…And that’s how it is. Wynn, please come with me.”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘And that’s how it is.’, but I have work, and I’m not an apprentice knight, you know? ”

Returning to the room in high spirits, Locke declared to Wynn, who had returned earlier,

“With this subjugation mission[1], Doesn’t it take a month? What would I do about cla.s.s!?”

“At most, won’t your grade drop a bit? Wouldn’t real combat experience on the mission be more useful training?”

“That is true, but…”

Anyways, it was his fourth year here.
In his cla.s.ses, he would be able to earn back points on the tests. [2]
Tossing his coat onto the bed, and picking up the sword leaning on the wall, Locke sat on the floor.
The sword in his hand wasn’t the normal practice sword that Wynn used everyday, but a standard Imperial Knight’s sword.
On the blade, the magic words were inscribed were standard inscriptions against monsters.

Whether it be goblins, kobolds, or wild animals turned into demonic beasts by miasma, they multiply like humans and animals. [3]
Since the monster sp.a.w.n have physical bodies, using normal weapons to attack it is enough.
However, the demons higher than and demonic beasts intermediate-rank from the demon lord and elite demons, and demonic beasts possessing a miasma nucleus, do not receive damage by physical attacks. double check
The only way to damage them is by using magic, or using magic reinforced weapons.
For this reason, the humanity’s age-old weapons such as the bow and other wooden weapons were ineffective.[4]
Though there was Enhancement Magic, it wasn’t efficient to enhance each arrow one by one, and there was also the problem of the effective time of enhancement magic.
Therefore, though there was a way to inscribe the words directly onto the blade, the blade would need a specially refined steel to allow it to conduct magicenergy.well.
Since there are long gaps between combat, most people prefer easy to use weapons, so the common wooden hilts couldn’t hold magic words.[5]
Even though there were metal hilts created, the weight, cost and other problems, it was never popular.
Of course, powerful magic weapons existed in myths, but…

The standard imperial knight sword had mere its sharpness magically enhanced, and the magic blade’s core was made of cheap materials, the country does not give it out unless one is higher ranked than an apprentice knight. [6]
Locke treated his yet unused sword very carefully.
Even now, while Locke polished his sword with a loose expression, Wynn gazed at him with an envious expression.
The sword that he was granted, after all, was the first step to achieving his aspirations of becoming a knight.

“But my magical ability is practically nonexistent, so I want to at least make up for it in martial arts cla.s.s? Even then, I also want to earn my living expenses, so I can’t skip work.”

Even now, Wynn worked at the Wataridori Pavilion after cla.s.s.
He was the main waiter in the peak hours of the evening, so if he suddenly were absent for a long period of time, Hanna would no doubt start to complain.
At worst, he would be fired.
Even if he weren’t fired, the the tuition was expensive.
Apart from working at the Wataridori Pavilion, Wynn would use the breaks to do odd jobs and simple requests at the adventurer’s guild, so the mission would prevent him from taking those jobs.
However…

“Ah, but isn’t it fine if you don’t worry about the money?”

Locke stopped his hand that was polishing the blade, gave a satisfied nod at the blade’s gleam, and returned it to its sheath.

“Perhaps, within a few days, I think a directive will also arrive for you?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because, a person expected to partic.i.p.ate in the mission was named Wynn”[7]

“Why!?”

He was sure that the Knight Order only selected knight cadets above a certain ability, and then sent the mission dispatch directive.
Even as a cadet, official missions from the Knight Order, or the Empire, they would receive a reward even if they weren’t apprentice knights.
If that were the case, then Wynn’s monetary qualms would be nonexistent, and since it would be an official directive, he would have no choice but to quit working for a while.
Nonetheless…

“Up until now, I have never went on this sort of mission.”

“Isn’t that proof that their evaluation of you has improved?”

The students that attended the Knight School were of good blood.[8]
Among children of the aristocracy and the wealthy in the school, who possessed high magic power, Wynn had low magic power, so his evaluation was similarly low.
Since there were many of those who had risen ranks from being a soldier among the knights, not all the knights had strong magic power, but Wynn’s lack of magic power was a disadvantage to him in school.

“Is that so… then that would be good…”

Apart from his abysmal practical magic grades, his performance in his other cla.s.ses was better than the n.o.bles.
He took the cla.s.ses seriously, even if it weren’t his fourth year. [9]
Even in close quarter combat, he had reached the point that he could fight evenly against strengthened opponents.
Locke thought that it was strange that Wynn hadn’t become an apprentice knight.

“Well, the people who see it, see it.” [10]

“Apart from me, won’t there be other partic.i.p.ants?”

“I have a hunch on how many people will be there. However, Wynn, this mission, depending on circ.u.mstances, is a chance to become an apprentice knight.”

His face breaking into a smile, Locke faced Wynn.
Even though one was a knight cadet, and the other is an apprentice knight, they were both students.
Despite the mission, there was also training, however…

“Since it is a real battle, if you achieve good results in battle, it is a shortcut to becoming a knight!”

As Locke said, actual military exploits are the best achievements, after all. [11]

“I understand, but I should be careful to not be too reckless in my actions.”

The next day, the directive reached Wynn.
According to Locke’s words, it was the dispatch order for the periodic subjugation mission. [12]

On the highway between Imperial Capital Simurgh and a nearby city Kurunado.[13]
Wynn, who was appointed to go on the subjugation mission, was among Locke and the other apprentice knights students, while several knights rode their horses ahead.
The platoon that was mixed among the inexperienced students were those stationed in the relatively safe surroundings of the imperial capital.
Thus, in a place far from the frontier, the knights organized small platoons to carryout the subjugation.[14]
The students that were partic.i.p.ating numbered twenty, including Wynn.
In addition to the four knights dispatched from the Imperial Capital, six knights from the fort would make up the platoon.
With the horses in the lead, they marched forth on the highway.
As expected, unlike the nervous students, the knights maintained composed expressions.
While sometimes engaging in idle chatter, they advanced.
While walking in formation with Locke and the horse[15], Wynn looked ahead at the knights before him.
At the vanguard was Nigel, a knight of n.o.ble birth, and the captain of the platoon.
He looked to be around 35 years old. [16]
He had a tall and lean body, and wore a new suit of armor.
Beside him was a new knight riding alone on a horse, Jade.
For a son of high n.o.bility to partic.i.p.ate in this sort of mission was highly unusual.
Upon seeing his figure in the Knight School’s plaza, Locke was very surprised.

“Oioi, why is Jade-sama partic.i.p.ating? It’s not like a dragon will appear…”

“Stop that… Don’t say something so ominous.”[17]

Why Locke blurted out those words, Wynn understood.
However, possibly because he partic.i.p.ated, there were an unusually large amount of n.o.ble apprentice knights partic.i.p.ating…
They were also wearing new suits of armor.
But strangely, they didn’t talk to Jade, and Jade advanced all alone.
That he wasn’t surrounded by his lackeys was strange.
Jade was a student, but in this mission, he was considered a knight.
‘What sort of strings did he pull,’ was Locke’s negative a.s.sessment of him, but for the purposes of this he also held a grudging respect for him.[18]
Behind the two senior Knights, Jade merely looked ahead and rode his horse forward.

“Captain Nigel, though there are rumors of bandits appearing around here, there haven’t been attacks, have there?”

A student in front of Wynn called out.

“There are no bandits willing to risk attacking an armed group including us knights and students.”

Nigel looked back, and answered the student’s question.

“In the first place, the likes of bandits would aim for caravans possessing money. What would they gain from attacking an armed force?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Don’t worry.”

The two inexperienced knights in their mid-twenties looked back at the anxious students, drew their swords, and held them in the air.

“Whether it be bandits or monsters, we just have to subjugate them, don’t we?”

At that, they pointed the swords at the smiling students.

“Don’t draw your sword recklessly, Irusu.”[19]

A stern and firm voice came from the back row.
It was a person who marched without talking to anybody, in the rearguard, Aldo.
Even Instructor Aldo was part of the platoon.
The instructors were also knights.
Unlike the other three people in the rearguard, wearing a worn suit of armor covered in scratches, he clearly stood out among the other three people. [20]

“This isn’t a game. Face forward, and lead the way carefully.”

At Aldo’s reprimand, Irusu clicked his tongue, and sheathed his sword.

“Is that the mindset of the battlefield, Aldo?”

Nigel turned around to glare at Aldo in the back.

“Your words are important, befitting of a veteran knight-dono who has returned from the front lines. However, Irusu drew his sword to encourage you everybody. To reprimand him like that, disregards my authority and exceeds yours.”

Looking down, Aldo said no more.
Seeing this, Nigel pat Irusu’s shoulder with an unpleasant smile.
The young knight took a fleeting glance at Aldo, and smiled.

“What is it, so unpleasant…”

Riding beside Wynn, Cornelia whispered.
She was also picked for the mission as a knight cadet.
Two people, Wynn and Cornelia, were the only two knight cadet members on the mission.
Naturally she came to interact with Locke and Wynn.
Originally, she was avoided by the other students, so it was natural.

“Instructor is amazing. Since that person is a commoner, he must have done a meritorious deed on the front lines and became a knight. ” [21]

Locke whispered back to Cornelia. [22]

“But don’t bring those human relations into the conversation. It is a relief that Jade is quiet”

The discord between n.o.ble knight from the capital [23] and a commoner knight returning from the front lines was sometimes visible. Idiom? 見え隠れする。
Meanwhile, Jade merely remained silent, but since many of the other apprentice knights were also n.o.bles, Nigel and Irusu’s position was viewed more favorably.
Upon seeing the Aldo who always yelled at them being on the other end of the stick in the argument, many students snickered.
Being somewhat related to the recent conversation, the student who talked with Nigel and Irusu appeared among the students.
Apart from those people, Wynn and the others were in front of Aldo, who was in the back.
Aldo was silent, and hadn’t said a word since then.[24]
Marching on for a half an hour in somewhat unpleasant atmosphere, they saw a rough small stone fort in front of them.
It was the fort that would become the platoon’s base.

Translator notes

Well, I used Harvest Moon as my Iyashikei-ish diversion, and now I’m back… In less than two weeks, I go out of country. IDK whether I can translate anything, since family will be the priority. Will be gone for a month. After that, University starts. I hope I can aim for 1 chapter a week then, but we’ll see…

Thanks to: