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Chapter 24

All three floors were used for the same purpose: offices for the higher-ups. In particular, the third floor had private offices exclusively for the use of the commander and deputy commanders of the Imperial Knights Templar. The widest room, in the middle, was the commander’s office; to the sides were the offices of the deputy commanders in charge of the 1st through 10th battalions.

There was an obvious reason for dedicating an entire floor to the senior leadership. Namely, they wished to instill pride into the members of the order, making them feel proud of their duty and their status and and motivating them to constantly hone their skills. 'Someday, you too might be able to claim one of these rooms for yourself.'

On this floor, in the 9th battalion office,?a young man lay on a sofa. He had flaming red hair that seemed to sparkle like fireworks, but his silver eyes, on the complete opposite, were freezing cold.

As the sun rays from the windows fell on his face, his visage was the epitome of indolence. It seemed as if nothing could shake him from his laziness.

“This is nice.” The man stretched his legs out on the sofa.

It hadn't been long since he got promoted to deputy commander, and that much was fine by him. His favorite pastime was avoiding his superiors’ attention while he mooched around during work hours; after all, there was only one person in this building who was ranked higher than him.

Suddenly, the door he had thought was locked swung open without the slightest warning.

“...I knew you were here.”

“Yes?” The man didn’t bother sitting up, only turning his head towards the exhausted voice coming from the doorway. However, upon confirming the identity of the man who had entered the room, his eyes widened.

“Commander?”

There stood the only person who could give orders to anyone in the building: Rod den Hogg, the “Master”, the middle-aged commander of the Imperial Knights. Seeing his superior, the man begrudgingly heaved himself off the couch.

“What brings you here, Commander? If you had contacted me in advance, I would have gone to see you in person.”

“Look at you. Would you really come to see me?” Knight Commander Rod exasperatedly shook his head at the other man yawning and muttering.

“Ah, the Knight Commander is an exception. No matter what, you are truly on of the few whom I truly admire.”

“Valmont, I see you’re still running that deceitful mouth… I wish you would show your respect by actions sometimes, not just empty words. You’re not just a random member of the Knights Templar, you are someone who people look up to, a deputy commander in charge of a battalion.”

“Don’t worry, I’m doing my best.” Valmont stood up and flashed a playful smile.

“Then why are you here instead of training?!” Rod shot him a fierce glare, and throwing his hands into the air in despair, but didn’t bother pressing the issue. He knew that nothing would change, and he would just end up nagging Valmont again.

Valmont dun Brown had always been like this.

Valmont’s talent was so overwhelming that it sometimes made the Commander nervous, but Rod was confident that someone like Valmont was never going to take his place. Simply put, he was born lazier than a barnyard pig.

To be promoted to deputy commander of the Imperial Knights, one had to be at least a B-Class Knight; in other words, at least an advanced expert. It was as if Valmont achieved this supreme state with half as much effort as anyone else.

“I feel this all the time… but somehow, medicine turned into a stick in the mud. Back then, I was so proud, but that attitude of yours—”

“Chief, if I’m a stick, doesn’t that mean I’m quite useful?” Valmont pouted at Rod’s nagging before he clicked his tongue and clapped his hands together.

Rod clenched his fists, sighed, and held out his right hand.

“...His Majesty’s decree.”

Valmont wiped the playful expression from his face and his eyes widened.

“Kneel and listen.”

“I humbly receive His Majesty's order.” Valmont quickly dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

Rod den Hogg took a glance at Valmont before he unrolled the scroll. The golden dragon embossed on the seal parted, revealing the hidden contents.

“...Hear Us, Our proud commander of the 9th Battalion. We wish to dispatch the Imperial Knights to the Agnus territories, at the behest of the Duke. We order you to depart in the company of the Imperial Chief Mage Evergrant as soon as all preparations are made.”

Each word coming out of the Knight Commander's mouth made Valmont's eyes widen a little more.

***

One of the Duke’s largest training halls, located in the most remote area of the Duke’s residence, was built solely for the purpose of training soldiers. Dozens of his centurions were gathered there.

“Hey, did you hear?” A soldier in light leather armor ventured.

“About?”

“The stable bast—No, the Duke’s second son!”

“Ah, that!” The soldier next to him clapped his hands in apology.

“I heard he was actually a great talent? Rumor has it he even beat ogres with his bare hands?” This came from a young soldier to his other side.

“Hey! Even knights would be minced meat if they attacked an ogre with their bare hands. What is that child? Say something that makes sense—”

“Wasn’t there even a rumor that the little boy is already using mana?”

“You dumbass, really… You mean to tell me a concubine child less than ten years old can become a mana user? What? Then I’m a Master—no, I’m one of the Nine Stars!”

“Pfthahahahaha!”

The soldiers around them burst into laughter. Most of them dismissed the rumors as nonsense—they simply sounded too absurd to be true. Absolutely no reasonable person would believe something like that. Except…

“Hey Rols! Tell us! Where did Roid and Gort get off to?”

“Yeah, Rols! You said you’re going to thrash that Lucia girl! Didn’t the three of you always bully that kid?”

“Well, with that face and body, of course she’s going to catch someone’s eye… Ah, shoulda slept with that maid—”

“You’re so small down there, you can't even get yourself off. She needs someone of my size.”

“What?”

The centurions bantered on with their lecherous talk, but Rols couldn’t say anything. After what he had witnessed on that night with a chillingly bright moon, Rols was as quiet as if his tongue was cut off.

“That weird bastard... He started turning strange from god knows when. He doesn’t even talk.”

“Did you really ravage Lucia, after all this time? Women of Lucia’s age are hungry, hehe. I bet Rols was so small, Lucia was disappointed—”

“Idiot, you're thinking with your crotch again. When’s the last time you got laid?” Once more, the centurions’ laughter filled the hall.

“By the way, who called us today?”

“I think it was a Red Knight.” At the mention of the Red Knights, Rols slumped and his eyes lost focus.

“The Red Knights… Hahhh, it’s going to be a long day.”

“Does sparring take days or something? Let’s just finish this quickly and go get a drink.”

All of the centurions wore resigned expressions.

The centurions’ training was unusual; they were expected to lead 100 soldiers, so they were directly trained by knights with command experience. The Duke’s three great orders of knights took turns training them, and among them, the Red Knights were famous for being the harshest. Given their relative influence, the Red Knights worked the centurions hard to avoid being underestimated by the other orders.

“So what if you have pride in that thing of yours? After the training, do you think you'll even be able to get it standing when your legs are like jelly?”

“Tskkk. Hey Rols! If you have experienced heaven, you have to recount your experience with your peers! Damn, if it were that Lucia, I would happily do it even after this terrible training.”

“He really can’t be stopped, can he?” one of the centurions shook his head and the atmosphere instantly quietened down. Just then…

“Attention!”

At the cry of the 1st Battalion leader, the most senior of the centurions, all of the centurions stood to attention.

Small footsteps echoed in the silence.

“...Rols? Are you okay? Are you sick?” a knight beside Rols asked, but the latter could not form any words.

Rols shuddered uncontrollably when he saw the knight arriving. The reaper of that day—that terrible day—appeared before him once more…

“Hmm? Why did the knight bring a child with him?”

“Wait. Isn’t that the kid from the stable? Why is Lucia’s kid—”

Rols, rattled by each passing word, managed to slowly raise his head. He met someone’s eyes and groaned.

“Young Master… Joshua.” Fear was evident in Rols’ voice.

“Today’s training will be useful to you.” Cain, clad in iron plate engraved with the symbol of the Red Knights, looked around.

Why was a Knight of the Red using honorifics for such a child? The centurions’ ranks rippled.

“I am Joshua von Agnus.” The kid stepped forward to resolve the confusion in the centurions’ hearts.

“...Hey, that kid—”

Joshua could hear the centurions muttering, but continued.

“I hope that the Agnus Duchy’s centurions are the kind of people who could command a following rather than the kind that only knows how to shout 'Attack' or 'Charge' in a battle.”

There was a cold glint in his gaze. The silence was suffocating.

“As such, one's skills would be of the utmost importance”

He looked around and scanned every one of the centurions. “All of you… come at me.”