That night, the long-awaited meat festival was held.
In the garden in front of the dining hall, a grill was set up and chunks of meat were cooked right before my eyes.
Not only were there participants from the Sixth Knight Order, who had been instrumental in obtaining the meat, but there were also quite a few participants from the First, Second, and Fifth Knight Orders, which is maybe only natural given the actions of knights who love meat.
A lot of meat was served and even more alcohol.
Hehe, I had successfully completed my Coming-of-Age Ceremony and became an adult, so I could drink alcohol.
I picked up the yellow drink in front of me and gulped it down in one gulp.
"...Hmmm, it's kind of watery. It's a bit bitter, and a bit harsh. Is it tasty?" (Fia)
In front of the knights around me, I tried to pretend that I was used to it, but this was only my second time drinking alcohol, following the night of my "Coming of Age Ceremony."
Hehe, but I was amazing.
Joining the Knights and even drinking alcohol was the perfect sign of joining the adult world!
I was so happy that I gulped down the glass. I thought to myself, "Hmm, I really do have a good mouth."
I picked up a new glass and was about halfway through when Fabian spotted me.
"Fia, are you okay? Your cheeks are bright red." (Fabian)
"Yeah, I feel like blushing today." (Fia)
Ah, isn't this line really cool? I have a goal to achieve, and I need alcohol to get there. It's so mature and cool!
I grinned, enjoying what I'd said, and Fabian just chuckled when he saw me.
"If Fia passes out drunk, I'll probably have to pick her up and send her off. Hehe, what excuse will she make now that she's not wearing her armor?" (Fabian)
"Hmm. What are you talking about? Without my armor I'm as light as a feather." (Fia)
As I said this, I picked out a tasty looking piece of meat for Fabian.
"The Flower-horned Deer is the highlight of the day, so they won't be serving it at first. But the Violet Boar is delicious too, so give it a try." (Fia)
"Yeah, that's true. It's delicious, right?" (Fabian)
Fabian took a bite and continued chewing with an expression of satisfaction on his face.
Okay, okay. Let's feed Fabian a lot of meat and alcohol so he'll forget about my weight from the day before.
As I was smiling and offering Fabian some drink, there was a commotion coming from the entrance.
When I turned around, I saw the First Knight Captain, Cyril, and Commander Savis walking in together.
Wow, this was my second encounter today!
Like the captain, the commander was a being above the clouds, so it should be rare to encounter him, but the encounter rate was unusually high. Well, I felt like I'd encountered an SS-rank monster.
I wanted to go and express my gratitude for the help I had received that day, but before the commander and the captain had even taken a few steps, they were surrounded by a large number of knights.
I wouldn't be going near them for a while.
Well, today was a free day, so I decided to just eat some meat and was having a pleasant chat with Fabian when the captain called me over.
...Hmm?
Tilting his head, Fabian and I were approached by the captain and were shown into a private room separated from a part of the dining hall. The knights from the 3rd Platoon of the 6th Knight Order, who had helped defeating the monsters, were also gathered in the room.
...Huh?
I felt a tingling sensation on the back of my neck. This was the same feeling I get when my big brother ARUDIO lectured me. Captain, can't that be...?
I casually took a few steps back and hid behind Fabian.
"Fia, I can see you. Come forward." (Cyril)
"……yes" (Fia)
I had no choice but to step forward, trying to disappear as much as possible.
In front of me stood Captain Cyril, and one step behind him (judging from the color of his sash) stood the Sixth Knight Order's Captain. A few steps further back, Commander Savis was calmly sitting in a chair.
...What should I do? I had a feeling I was going to get in trouble.
At Captain Cyril's instructions, today's members of the 3rd Platoon lined up in three rows and sat in the chairs lined up in front of the captain.
After making sure that everyone was seated, Captain Cyril suddenly spoke.
"Now, the reason why you all gathered here today is none other than that. I wanted to praise your heroic performance today. Despite being in an absolutely unfavorable situation and encountering a B-rank monster, your skill in cornering the monster without a single fatality was splendid. I am impressed." (Cyril)
The captain praised us with a bright smile, but they were veteran knights after all.
No one was fooled by the captain's words of praise.
They remained silent with their brow furrowed, guarding themself against the lightning that would likely strike him.
"——but" (Cyril)
Suddenly, the captain's smile disappeared and he turned serious.
"Could you please tell me why the person in command was a rookie from the First Knight Order?" (Cyril)
But then, crash—!!
If you were to add sound effects, that's what it would be like.
It just fell! Captain Cyril has definitely struck lightning!!
Platoon Leader Hector spoke with sweat streaming down his forehead.
"It is truly regrettable that I was hit by a monster's blow right away and lost consciousness. I am truly ashamed."
He ran away! Captain Hector ran away completely under the guise of an apology!
Lifting his chin slightly as if to say "Hmm," Captain Cyril looked around at the acting platoon leader and the rest of the 3rd Platoon.
"So then? With all those talented people gathered together, what were you thinking when you decided to entrust the command to our new recruit?" (Cyril)
"………………"
"The Sixth Knights are in charge of Starry Forest, right? That means the list of monsters living in that forest has already been distributed to everyone in the Sixth Knight Order. In other words, everyone should have read it, so they should already know the types and characteristics of all the monsters living in that forest." (Cyril)
"………………"
"So, going back to the original topic, you all have ample knowledge of the monsters in the forest, and even though you have gathered so many of them, what were you thinking when you decided to entrust command to a newbie?" (Cyril)
"………………"
As expected of veteran knights, they kept silent and didn't say anything unnecessary.
That's right everyone! Silence is golden!!
"Oh dear, no one will answer my question. I can't even be listened to just because we belong to a different order. The knights are a surprisingly cold-hearted organization." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril lied, putting on an exaggerated sad expression.
And then he smiled brightly at me.
"However, if you are a member of my order, I'm sure you wouldn't treat me so coldly. I'm sure you'd answer my questions honestly. Right, Fia?" (Cyril)
"H, Hiiiiiiiiiiiihh…!!" (Fia)
Scary. His smile was scary. I thought his straight face was scary earlier, but his smile was even scarier!!
"F-Fa-Fabian. H-Help me..." (Fia)
Muttering under my breath, I looked up at Fabian sitting to my right, his face paled, and his teeth clenched.
No, no. This wasn't helping...
"A-a-acting platoon leader, please help me..." (Fia)
As if for a final helping hand, I looked at the acting platoon leader sitting to my left, only to find his pupils were wide open as he stared at the Sixth Knight Captain, standing behind Captain Cyril.
The Sixth Knight Order's Captain was a muscular knight with rust-colored hair, a little over 40 years old. He was overflowing with the charm of a mature adult, but right now, that charm was concentrated in one direction: an intimidating presence. With his arms crossed and glaring arrogantly at his subordinates, he looked exactly like a member of the demon race.
Hmm, that's impossible. The current acting platoon leader was like a frog being stared at by a snake. No, a frog being stared at by a demon. He's no help here either...
Damn, it's true that humans are only ever alone.
Now I had to face this raging storm alone.
"Uh, ehehehe... O-Of course, Captain Cyril. If it's something I can answer, I'll answer." (Fia)
I replied to the captain with a forced smile.
Uh, uh, uh. This was the start of a fun time that you'd never want to experience again——...