Clang clang clang, the rhythmic sound of swords clashing could be heard.
After working up a nice morning sweat, I smiled at Fabian.
"As expected of Fabian. Your sword strokes are precise and straight. You're an easy opponent! You're truly worthy of representing us at the induction ceremony, aren't you?" (Fia)
"...Thank you. Then, may I say something as well?" (Fabian)
Fabian smiled and looked at me.
Oh dear. I wonder if I'll get a compliment in return for complimenting Fabian?
As I waited in anticipation...
"Why is Fia's sword so light? The sword you used in the demonstration match with the commander became so famous that everyone thought Fia's strength wasn't that great, but you used a wooden sword in the first test of the entrance exam, right? It was your strength that knocked the sword of the examiner, who was fighting with brute force, away, wasn't it?...I've been watching you for the past week or so, and your sword has always been light, and you don't seem to be holding back. What's going on?" (Fabian)
Wow! What an unexpected comment!
As a proper member of society, I thought that if I gave a compliment, I would get a compliment back!!
"...Ah, actually, I'm not good at mornings. I think the problem is that sword training is in the morning..." (Fia)
"Fia, this isn't just about having a bad morning." (Fabian)
...I guess so.
"...So, are you the type who, when cornered, can exert more power than usual?" (Fabian)
"There are people like that sometimes," I thought to myself, and Fabian waved his hand slightly in a troubled tone.
"Fia... I'm sorry to be rude, but your excuses are at the level of a three-year-old." (Fabian)
No, Fabian. You've never dealt with a 3-year-old.
At least, a 3-year-old couldn't speak this fluently! I was way better!
Also, if I might make an excuse, physical strengthening wasn't something I do for a long time. It's not like I couldn't do it, but the next day I'd end up with terrible muscle pain...
"Pfft, it's Fia after all" (Fabian)
Now I was in a difficult position, wondering what to say next, when Fabian started laughing in a funny way.
"What a look on your face. Lately, I’ve been looking forward to seeing your troubled face, so I think I said something a little mean. I’m sorry. …Now, it’s time for culture class, so we need to get moving. Today we played chess, right?" (Fabian)
Fabian was indeed a gentleman.
Even if there was something that bothered him, he would not pursue it any further and would let it go.
…He might be a newbie, but he's already a noble knight!
I put the wooden sword back in its place and smiled back at Fabian.
"Thanks, Fabian. Let's meet in the entertainment room after we get changed." (Fia)
——A week had passed since I was assigned to the First Knight Order.
The role of the First Knights was to guard the royal family, and the people they were guarding were the king and his younger brother, the commander.
They were being guarded by several dozen knights in three shifts, but the manpower was more than enough.
Therefore, for the first few months, newly assigned knights were basically removed from guard shifts and underwent training specific to the First Knight Order.
In other word, etiquette! Dancing! Learning the continental language! Music! Poetry!
This was what a knight needed!! It was the world we lived in.
Yes, I was a princess in my previous life too. But it's 300 years ago...
If there were things that I was not interested in, I didn't remember them, and even if I did remember them, it's knowledge from 300 years ago and wasn't very useful.
...In other words, I need to relearn, ahem.
Well, maybe guarding royalty was a specialized job and required a variety of skills.
However, I didn't think it's just my imagination that the other newly assigned knights, apart from me, were training enthusiastically during their regular training in horse riding and sword handling but they seemed completely unmotivated during their cultural education classes.
By the way, there were 20 new people assigned this time, including Fabian and myself, but what's notable was that 10 of them were women.
Considering the percentage of women in the Knights, it was clearly too many and felt artificial.
"...I heard that the king cannot love women. Does that mean he hates women? And is he trying to cure his hatred of women?" (Fia)
No matter how much you dislike someone, if you're close to them you get used to them. I wondered if that's the case.
"Or maybe the commander was surrounded by too many guys and wanted a change of scenery?" (Fia)
The love of the male knights for the commander was hot and intense. It's no wonder he wanted a change of pace.
With this in mind, I quickly got changed and headed to the entertainment room.
...As I stopped in front of the door, I sensed an ominous atmosphere.
Hmm, I wondered if he's coming today too...
I opened the door to the recreation room hesitantly, and someone immediately called out to me.
"Too late, Fia. I've already lined up the pieces." (Desmond)
"Hya! Captain Desmond." (Fia)
My bad feeling turned out to be correct.
"Come on, sit down. You're white." (Desmond)
A knight with dark blue hair, sitting heavily in the back seat, beckoned towards me.
This harmless, good-looking knight was Captain Desmond, the Second Knight Order Captain.
According to his self-introduction, he was 32 years old, single, and lived in the knight dormitory.
He seemed like a friendly knight, but even so, he was apparently one of the two greatest members of the Knight Order known as the "Dragon and Tiger of the Kingdom" along with Captain Cyril of the First Knight Order.
"Well, Captain Desmond, I'm always grateful for playing chess with you, but is your work okay?" (Fia)
I tried to tell him to go home, but he was a knight captain. He must have heard my thoughts, but he simply ignored me and beckoned me to sit nearby.
"It's fine, it's fine. A captain doesn't have any direct work to do. I only have to deal with it if something happens. The most important thing is to be able to contact everyone. Ah, so it would be bad if I'm not here. I told my subordinates that I'd be in the recreation room for the next hour." (Desmond)
"……is that so?" (Fia)
I realized it was pointless to say anything, so I gave up and sat in the seat in front of the captain.
And honestly, playing chess with Captain was fun because he talked to me about all sorts of things during the game.
"Well, you start. How is it going? Have you gotten used to being part of the Knight Order?" (Desmond)
"Yes, everyone is very kind to me. However, I'm still in training, so I hope to start regular work soon." (Fia)
While moving the pawn in the center, I answered seriously like a rookie knight.
"Hahaha. The training of the First Knight Order is special. You see, there was poetry and stuff, right?" (Desmond)
"Yes, there was a lecture yesterday. The assignment was to write a poem on the theme of 'Adoration for Ladies', and Fabian wrote a really wonderful poem. I'm worried that he might become a real womanizer in the future." (Fia)
"Oh, he'll be popular. You're from the same year, right? What do you think about him?" (Desmond)
Captain Desmond asked, glancing my way.
"Haha, he's the eldest son of a marquis, you know? Our status is totally incompatible." (Fia)
"You're right. It would be different if you had some kind of special ability." (Desmond)
"Special ability... Is it like that thing where if I close one eye, all men will kneel down and start singing poems in my praise?" (Fia)
"...I don't have that kind of ability. Your delusions are incredible." (Desmond)
Well, we just had leisurely chats like this while playing, winning and losing over and over again.
Honestly, I didn't understand why Captain Desmond always played chess with me.
He said that with his mouth, but being a captain was bound to be extremely busy.
And yet, from the very first chess class, he sat in a chair in the recreation room as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and spoke to me as if we were old acquaintances.
And from then on, every time we had chess time, Captain Desmond would play against me.
The captain and vice-captain were much higher-ranking officers, so it's usually difficult to speak to them.
However, being so noticed by the captain of the neighboring knight order seemed a bit like favoritism, so when I asked Fabian if my colleagues would say anything to me, he just looked at me in surprise.
"You've already crossed swords with the commander, so what's the big deal now? I think you're the one who all the knights are jealous of. But the Knight Order are an incredibly hierarchical society. No knight would stand in the way or oppose the actions of their superiors, such as the commander, the captains, or the vice-captains, who act of their own volition." (Fabian)
However, there were exceptions to every group. It's not surprising that some people did strange things out of jealousy. "Yes, Fia's fears may not be unfounded. Be careful," Fabian concluded...
"By the way, starting tomorrow you will be accompanying the Sixth Knight Order on their monster extermination. Be careful." (Desmond)
Captain Desmond suddenly remembered something, so I thanked him.
"Thank you. I'll be careful." (Fia)
After that, we played a few more games while chatting about trivial things and ended the day with 4 wins and 1 loss.
Captain Desmond seemed to be moody, having strong days and weak days.
By the way, today was a weak day. The next day was the day to defeat monsters, so maybe he gave me the flower as a good luck charm?
Author's Note
Thank you for reading.
[Thank you] Thank you so much to everyone who bookmarked my post. I'm so happy! Sorry for the late response.