CHAPTER 31
“Now then, you rascals. Do you really have the nerve to be fooling around? This is where it gets important.”
“Whoa!”
Adelle smiled gently as she watched Reynard demonstrating with a sword. The children gathered around him had exceptionally bright, eager eyes.
‘Boys will be boys, I guess.’
It would be a real novel if someone changed overnight.
It wasn’t likely that children from noble houses all across the country would undergo dramatic transformations so quickly, but at least during swordsmanship class, they all seemed genuinely enthusiastic.
Then her eyes met Nero’s, who was craning his neck from the front row.
“…Hmph.”
So stubborn.
She suppressed a chuckle as the little boy turned his reddened face away sharply, too embarrassed for words.
He might have been an arrogant little brat, but it was still admirable that he was making an effort to apply himself. She quietly walked over to him.
“Nero, are you really not going to tell me?”
“Agh, what?!”
“Oh my, no need to yell.”
Adelle twirled around to face Nero, who still stubbornly refused to look at her.
Oh-ho, so he’s determined not to show his face.
Naturally, there was a special method for times like this.
“I’m just curious, is all—about why you suddenly started focusing during training. Just the other day, you were sniffling, saying you could never become a knight like that.”
“Who was sniffling?! I was just…”
Gotcha.
Nero blushed down to his neck the moment he turned his head and saw Adelle’s knowing smile.
Still, his temper hadn’t gone anywhere—his loud voice came roaring back just as before.
“Hmph! As if a mere errand girl like you would understand.”
“Say ‘you’ one more time and see what happens.”
“…Ahem. A mere errand lady like you wouldn’t get it anyway.”
Even so, he clearly wasn’t old enough to withstand a smiling face turning serious.
Reminds me of K—
Adelle twirled her fingers against her cheek and got back on track.
“Anyway, what is it I wouldn’t understand?”
“It’s just… That person, too—when they were young, they were like me—”
“That person?”
“I’m not saying anything else! I don’t have time for this!”
Clutching his wooden sword, Nero ran off toward Reynard again.
His face was glowing with suspicious pride.
“…There’s really something going on, huh.”
“Something going on, my lady?”
“Oh, Sir Reynard.”
Reynard, who had been waiting for the right moment to approach her, seized the opportunity.
Adelle had business with him, too.
“The children seem so bright today. Did you also begin training around their age, Vice Captain?”
“Yes. I had older brothers in the household, so it was decided early that I’d follow the knight’s path. It’s different for someone naturally gifted like the Commander, but for ordinary people like me, the earlier, the better.”
“…The Commander, you say?”
There it was.
Sticking close to Reynard, the most talkative and bold of Killian’s close aides, had paid off.
Adelle perked up her ears but kept a puzzled expression.
“To reach the Commander’s level, didn’t he have to start wielding a sword at, like, three or four?”
“Oh no, you can’t compare him to the rest of us.”
“…But he’s still human.”
She spouted what she didn’t even believe herself.
Even just looking at him, he didn’t seem like a normal man. But this was the only way to provoke loyal Reynard into spilling something.
She didn’t love this method, but as someone currently seen as nothing more than a lowly assistant rather than the heir to a merchant guild, it was the best she had.
“No, no. The Commander has only been here for, what, just under four years?”
“What? Only four years?!”
“Remember that huge fire in San Fidelio a few years back? The one that seemed like it would burn down the whole world? He saved the Archbishop during that, and that connection brought him here. Of course, everyone resisted at first. I mean, who wouldn’t? We’ve been here for over a decade and barely received a knighthood, if at all.”
“Ah… I see.”
He must’ve been one of the most vocal opponents.
Adelle hid her smile behind her hand.
Four years—she had to admit, that was impressive.
Especially considering he probably spent a few of those years in the Ice Caverns of Keloan. And yet, he joined the Order and rose to Commander?
Could it be true… that he subdued the Red Dragon?!
As she mentally retraced the timeline, Adelle swallowed dryly.
Being from a major merchant house meant she heard all kinds of rumors—some about great battles or signs of war, others fleeting whispers.
Among them was the tale of a Red Dragon that had caused a raging wildfire near San Fidelio a few years back. It was considered pure fantasy.
But Adelle remembered it clearly because their guild had donated a massive sum for reconstruction.
Still, a Red Dragon? That’s ridiculous.
Dragons had supposedly gone extinct centuries ago.
Sure, things like horns or claws turned up in trade now and then, but she’d never seen one herself. To her, dragons might as well have been dinosaurs.
Even those who claimed to have seen the event in person became uncertain when questioned—then eventually brushed it off as a mistake.
I thought it was all made up just to squeeze out donations.
It was a good story to accompany a blank check.
Wildfires happened often enough, but if you wanted to justify sending aid from the Sacred Palace, the story had to be dramatic.
Still, the more she thought about it, the more unsettled she felt.
For a man like Killian to rise suddenly to commander of this knight order? That would require more than just skill.
You’d need not just overwhelming ability, but also the unwavering support of the Archbishop or the High Priestess—figures even world-weary Adelle considered holy.
If they had personally vouched for him, there could be only one explanation.
And the timing matched, too.
“Mm…”
No, it can’t be.
Adelle sighed quietly.
After living as a merchant heir for twenty years, she only believed what she could see. This felt like something out of a fairytale.
Besides, if a Red Dragon really had existed—
“…They would’ve sold it off a long time ago.”
“Pardon? Sold what?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about the past.”
“Well, anyway, even without that incident, our Commander is more than worthy of respect. He joined the Grand Battle of Tilan right after finishing his training in the Ice Caverns. I’m sure you’ve heard of it? If you saw how he looked then—like a grim reaper, really—you’d know. Honestly, milady, it’s better you didn’t.”
“…I see.”
She’d been the one who sold the cannons for that battle.
Whether here or anywhere else, the ultimate merchant was always an arms dealer.
Adelle kept her silence on that fact and praised Reynard just enough.
“The Commander is impressive, but so are you, Sir Reynard.”
“Ha ha, not really.”
“Oh, could you show me that move again? The way you cut forward with the sword?”
She mimicked the motion with her arms, prompting a proud reaction from Reynard.
Though it was a bit of a hassle, the valuable intel about Killian had made the effort worthwhile.
“Nero, everyone—look! The Vice-Captain’s going to chop that tree!”
“Waaah!”
With the kids joining in, the training ground turned noisy again.
Flushed with the crowd’s cheers, Reynard ran a hand over his blade.
“Now, imagine that tree is the enemy commander. You have to turn the blade this way, focus on planting it right there. Keep your eyes open, don’t move, just focus. Absolute focus. It’s either you or them—put your whole soul into—Commander?!”
“…Move.”
Killian’s gaze pierced through Reynard as he stepped out from behind the tree.
Startled, Reynard looked down at his sword, confused.
“Commander? Why are you—ah, I was just demonstrating for the children…”
“Is that so?”
Thunk.
Without even looking back, Killian sliced the tree in half with one strike. Clean. Silent.
The training ground fell into stunned silence.
“What kind of demonstration was that?”
“…Ah.”
Reynard blinked, his long explanation rendered meaningless by Killian’s indifference.
What did I just witness?
His mouth went dry, his skin tingled.
Actually, he’d felt it even before the tree fell—when Killian’s eyes first swept over him.
“If you’re going to demonstrate, do it properly. The children are watching.”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
And you just stole that chance from me.
Dazed, Reynard lowered his head.
It wasn’t easy to apologize in front of Adelle, but not apologizing felt worse.
No—if he wanted to survive, he had to apologize.
“…I-I’m sorry, Commander.”
“There’s no need to apologize to me. Apologize to the children who were trying to learn from you. And also…”
Killian’s gaze finally shifted to Reynard’s side.
“…To the one who trusted you enough to give you a chance.”
“….”
Wait, was he talking about me?
Adelle glanced around, startled.
Her hand pressed tightly over her chest.
“Uh, no. I’m really fine.”
“Are you certain?”
When he asked like that…
Adelle brushed her hair behind her ear.
At that small gesture, Killian’s eyes narrowed.
Whip.
He turned his head as sharply as Nero had earlier, and his scolding flew toward the easiest target.
“Reynard, instead of wasting time with fancy words, maybe work on the basics.”
“O-Of course. You’re right.”
Reynard hurried off toward the armory, the children following like ducks in a row.
Adelle stared after them—until her view was blocked by silver armor.
“You as well. When assessing someone, you should be more cautious.”
“…Are you speaking to me?”
“Who else is here?”
She blankly looked up at his cloak fluttering too close.
If the wind blew just a bit harder, it might touch her.
Rising onto her toes, she gave up and rubbed her cheek instead.
Whatever this was, it felt like she’d suddenly become a major criminal.
“Excuse me, but what exactly did I do wrong?”
As far as she knew, nothing.
She frowned, but as the wind picked up, Killian immediately stepped between her and the breeze.
His large frame blocked it entirely.
“…You really don’t know?”
“Well, then maybe you could explain it, Commander.”
“That’s…”
He didn’t answer right away. She couldn’t read his face, but it didn’t seem like he knew either.
See?
Adelle turned to say something, but he was faster. Thinking he was the only one good at comebacks was a mistake on her part.
“You said you were to be the guild’s heir. Then you should improve your judgment of character. Reynard is not suited to teach children. Disappointing. Especially since children at that age absorb everything they see.”
So this man can talk after all.
Adelle blinked, stunned by the onslaught.
As her eyes adjusted to the shadow, his face became clearer.
“So… this was that important to you? Even though the kids are doing just fine?”
“They’re not just ordinary kids.”
“….”
“If you want to change the life of someone who was said to be beyond saving—not even human, let alone knight material—then you have to do more.”
In his eyes, Adelle saw a flash of emotion she couldn’t name.
“…You heard me, didn’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
Even the way he pretended not to know was flawless.
And yet, he didn’t seem to care about excuses right now. Something else clearly weighed more heavily on him.
“That’s why you must be cautious in every choice you make.”
“Yes. But with all due respect, that’s not something you should be saying to me.”
Flustered now, Adelle looked up directly at him.
For a moment, Killian’s expression flickered with interest—but quickly hardened again.
“Why not?”
“I think you’ve forgotten—it was your idea for me to be here.”
“…”
“I told you my situation was urgent. I was grateful to anyone who would help, regardless of who they were. Didn’t you consider that before sending me here?”
“No. It’s you who doesn’t understand.”
His eyes met hers, deadly serious.
“Adelaide.”
She hadn’t expected her name from his lips to feel so heavy.
“I brought you here because only if you were here could I do what I needed to do. If I had known you would waste your time on foolish thoughts, I would never have let you in.”
“What? What foolish thoughts?!”
Adelle cried out in frustration, but Killian didn’t flinch. His dusk-colored gaze deepened.
“There is no place more loosely watched than here in San Fidelio. As much as people say there’s no shame in honest work, I didn’t think you’d be the type to spend your days doing menial labor, worried about others’ opinions. Even if there are disobedient children, I believed none of them could be a match for the Lady Adelle I know—”
