The day of the induction ceremony was a bright, sunny day.
I put on the knight uniform I was given yesterday and look at myself in the mirror in my room.
The Knights' uniforms were based on a blue background, which symbolizes ideals and sincerity, with black as an accent color.
As proof of my membership in the First Order of Knights, I wore a lapel pin bearing the royal crest, a black dragon.
"...The effect of wearing a uniform is amazing. I feel like I look 20% cooler." (Fia)
I looked at myself in the mirror, not entirely opposed, and tried posing.
Then, in the mirror, I saw a woman looking at me with the same eyes as one would look at a silly child.
"Hah, Knight Olga! I've shown you something unpleasant this morning!" (Fia)
Olga handed me one of the cups filled with hot drink and waved her free hand in annoyance.
"I told you to call me Olga. Next time you call me with a knight attached, I won't answer." (Olga)
"... Understood, Olga." (Fia)
"There's no need to use honorific language. We're just colleagues after all. We only use honorific language with people of higher ranks, like captains. Everyone does that." (Olga)
"...I understand...I got ith." (Fia)
Damn, I bit my tongue.
"Hahaha! You've been chewing a lot since yesterday!" (Olga)
Olga, who laughed heartily, became my roommate in the dormitory.
Yesterday, the results of the Knights' entrance exams were announced, and the First through Sixth Knight Orders who were scheduled to stay in the Royal Capital were given permission to move into the Knights' Dormitory.
The knight dormitory was divided into men's and women's rooms, and into groups. All knights except those with official duties shared double rooms, and bathrooms and toilets were shared.
Olga, who was sharing my room with me, was a tall female knight with ivory skin and yellow hair.
She was 27 years old and has been with the Knights for 12 years, and this was her second year with the First Knight Order.
She had a straightforward personality and treated me as an equal, even though I was more than 10 years younger than her.
"Should you go now? New recruits are supposed to meet up early." (Olga)
"That's right! It feels a little early, but I don't want to get lost, so I'll go first." (Fia)
I ran out of my room and out of the First Knight Order's girls' dormitory to find Fabian standing at the entrance.
When he noticed me, he smiled lightly and raised one hand.
...Hi, hiiiiiii!
When I saw Fabian, I jumped in surprise.
The silver-haired Fabian, clad in the blue and black uniform of the Knights, was a perfect dazzling prince.
"Good morning, Fia. I was afraid to go alone, so I waited for you. Can I come with you?" (Fabian)
"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for getting carried away and thinking I look 20% cooler when I wear a uniform." (Fia)
"...Huh?" (Fabian)
Fabian looked at me curiously, not understanding what I meant, but I remembered how I was 10 minutes ago and felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Fia?" (Fabian)
"No, I was getting carried away with my knight uniform! ... When I saw Fabian, I came back to my senses." (Fia)
"Hmm? I'm glad I was able to help." (Fabian)
Fabian was smiling mysteriously, but my whole body felt limp, first thing in the morning.
How arrogant can I be to think that someone like me is somehow cool?! I told myself, and obediently followed Fabian to the induction ceremony venue.
The induction ceremony would be held at the knight training facility inside the royal castle, and in addition to the 200 new knights, the captains and vice captains of all the knight orders, as well as all members of the First through Sixth Knight Orders residing in the royal capital, were scheduled to participate.
The program consisted of three parts: 1) a speech from the Knight Order, 2) a greeting from the representative of the new knights, and 3) a demonstration match between the new knights and a representative of the existing knights.
Apparently, point 2 and 3 were not informed in advance who had been selected, and were suddenly nominated on the spot.
No, that's impossible for a chicken like me...
While thinking like that, I somehow came up with a greeting, so maybe I was being a bit self-conscious...
The new knights were supposed to line up in the center of the venue, so I stood upright with the other new knights who were with me at the same time and waited.
Little by little, the knights from each order gathered, forming an oval around the new knight. There were about 200 knights from the First to the Sixth Orders, so there were probably about 1,200 in total... but the knights who gathered were overwhelming.
Even from a distance, it was clear that each and every one of them was an outstanding knight.
They had well-trained bodies, were dressed in knight's garb or armor, and had swords at their waists.
Just when it seemed that everyone had gathered, around 50 knights entered.
They wore the white knight uniform, a symbol of trust and integrity, which was permitted to be worn only by those of rank of vice-captain or above.
The knights looked very strong and the atmosphere was different. It felt like the air had suddenly become heavy.
The once noisy hall suddenly became completely silent, with not even a sound of noise to be heard.
Just as the tension was reaching its peak, a knight entered.
Even though there were over a thousand people gathered, the sound of boots could be heard every time the knight took a step.
The venue was completely silent.
The presence that knight emanated was not normal, but what made him even more abnormal was the attitude of the knights around him towards him.
He said he continued to see visible results, such as victories and successes.
This was reflected in the attitude of the surrounding knights, who showed absolute blind obedience.
When he walked before their eyes, the captain and ordinary knights alike bowed their heads as if they could not bear to look at him.
The sensation spread throughout the venue, and before I knew it, he was the only one with his head up.
——The Commander of the Black Dragon Knights of Nav Kingdom Black Dragon Knights, Commander Savis Nav.
He had terrifying control over the Knights with just his presence.
"First of all, let us rejoice that a new comrade has joined us." (Savis)
Commander Savis stepped up to the podium and began his speech in a clear, booming voice.
Everyone in the room strained their ears to catch every word.
There was no doubt that his voice and appearance contributed to the deification of Commander Savis.
He had well-trained muscles and a magnificently tall build. His body was wrapped in a white knight uniform that reached down to his knees, longer than the other knights. The accent colors were black and gold, and a bright black cape with a scarlet lining was draped over one of his shoulders.
His hair, shiny black like his cloak, was a little long and reached down to the nape of his neck, and from under his bangs his eyes shone the same black color as his hair.
His prominent forehead, obsidian eyes, straight nose, and thin lips all combined to create a look of supreme beauty, but perhaps his most distinctive feature was the black eyepatch covering his right eye.
One eye.
...However, this characteristic did not detract from his charm in the slightest.
Rather, it seemed as if a new charm had been added to his perfect beauty by casting a shadow over his face...
"We pledge poverty, chastity, and loyalty. We will not plunder, exclude, or submit to anyone. We will abide by the Ten Commandments of Knights and give every last drop of our blood to this country and its people. ... All of heaven and earth is with the Black Dragon Knights!" (Knights)
That voice turned into a wave that hit the knights throughout the hall.
The knights chanted in unison and slammed their fists into each other's shoulders.
"All of heaven and earth are with the Nav Kingdom Black Dragon Knights!!"
……………………………What can I say?
……………………………………………………That's amazing.
Among the other knights trembling with emotion, I gazed upon Commander Savis in admiration.
As a princess in my previous life, I had many opportunities to hear speeches from my father, my brother, the prince, and the kings of neighboring countries, but I had never seen anyone who captured people's hearts so much.
...It's really amazing. It's probably a natural talent, plus the result of constantly demonstrating his abilities, but he must have had an extremely difficult life...
As I gazed upon him in admiration, my eyes met with Commander Savis. ...or so I thought.
Yeah, that's what it was.
People who capture people's hearts are good at making everyone feel special.
That's no good. I was so self-conscious that I thought my eyes had met with the commander...
After Commander Savis's speech that shook the entire hall, it was unfortunately Fabian who was asked to give the speech on behalf of the new knights.
…Yeah, I thought maybe that was it.
It's an unprecedented case of a new knight joining the First Knights. I thought maybe it was Fabian, or maybe I was being egocentric. Oh, good. It's Fabian.
I watched over Fabian with relief, and realized he was truly the eldest son of a marquis.
Even from the sidelines, it was clear that he was extremely nervous, but he greeted without any hesitation and his bow to the senior knights was very beautiful.
Phew, two events were over now. All that's left was the demonstration match, I thought, when a commotion started to form around the MC's booth.
Although I was a bit suspicious, I congratulated Fabian when he returned after greeting me.
"Impressive that you didn't bite your tongue even once. You were good at it." (Fia)
"...I think that standard is unique to Fia. Thank you." (Fabian)
At that moment, the knight in command spoke in a strained voice.
"Next, we will have an exhibition match. The representatives of the new knights are... Fia Ruud from the First Knight Order."
"………hah?" (Fia)
I made a silly noise and stared blankly at the MC.
The host knight coughed several times and raised his voice.
"My opponent is... Commander... Savis, Black Dragon Knight of Nav Kingdom!" (Fia)
………………………………………………………hah?
This time, there was no sound.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading.