Chapter 18
A man with jet-black hair and blue eyes had appeared.
Was there someone like this in the knights’ order? If so, why hadn’t I seen him before? He was striking enough to make one doubt their own memory.
‘He seems like a major character.’
I was trying to recall any matching appearance from the original story when—
“Cesare, it’s been a while.”
Carlos greeted the man by name.
…So that’s Cesare.
Cesare Girotti.
Elia’s direct subordinate.
Another knight bullied by Elia alongside Carlos.
And eventually, he becomes Carlos’s right-hand man—
The key figure who helps remove Elia from the position of Knight Commander!
Just like Carlos, he was someone I had to recruit.
‘I didn’t expect to run into him here.’
Still, no need to panic.
I already had a plan for how to win Cesare over.
“It’s been a while, Vice Commander,”
Cesare said with a sharp smile to Carlos.
“Oh, and…”
Cesare’s gaze landed on me.
“It’s been a while for you too, Commander.”
His voice made it very clear that he didn’t want to greet me.
That wasn’t the end of it. Cesare deliberately took a seat away from me.
‘Wow, he’s really making a show of his dislike.’
Then again, considering Elia’s past misdeeds, I couldn’t exactly blame him…
Still, no need to be bothered.
This would happen countless times—getting upset each time would be a waste of energy.
“Knights, breakfast will now be served.”
Thanks to the well-timed arrival of a servant, I was able to quickly move on from thoughts of Cesare.
Breakfast consisted of egg dishes, fruit juice, and grilled sausages.
‘Delicious!’
The eggs were fluffy, the juice fresh, and the salty sausages made it feel like paradise.
As expected of the royal knights’ order—meals were top tier.
I was enjoying my breakfast when I felt a strong stare.
When I subtly lifted my head, I saw Cesare staring at me.
He hadn’t even touched his food—too busy glaring.
‘Do you really hate me that much?’
I ignored Cesare’s piercing gaze and kept eating.
Skipping meals because of awkward tension? That would only hurt me.
Just as I stabbed a cherry tomato with my fork—
I misjudged the pressure, and the juice squirted right onto Cesare’s face.
“Ha.”
I heard him let out a dry laugh.
“Uh, Sir Girotti…”
I was about to explain it was an accident when—
“Are you now trying to mock me with childish pranks like this?”
Cesare growled, and I fell silent, unsure how to respond.
How do I fix this? I was just starting to think when—
“That’s enough, Sir Girotti. Show some respect to your Commander.”
Carlos’s stern voice cut through the tension.
Both Cesare and I turned to him in disbelief.
“Vice Commander? Was that… directed at me?”
Cesare asked, shocked, while Carlos furrowed his brow.
“Must I say it twice?”
His tone made it clear: no backtalk allowed. It was also a harsh scolding.
“…Understood. I overstepped.”
Cesare quickly bowed his head.
It must’ve hit hard, coming from someone he clearly admired.
After that, Cesare didn’t glare at me again.
As Cesare sulkily wiped tomato juice from his face, I left the dining area with Carlos.
Once I no longer sensed Cesare’s presence nearby—
“Sir Ivach, you defended me just now, didn’t you?”
I asked excitedly.
Maybe Carlos was finally warming up to me.
“I merely fulfilled a knight’s duty to respect their superior.”
Carlos replied in a tone that was overly stiff and blunt.
“The chain of command is the most important principle in the knights’ order.
I couldn’t stand by and watch that hierarchy be undermined.”
Just to be very clear that I shouldn’t misunderstand.
“I see.”
Well, that was disappointing.
My shoulders slumped slightly.
It’s okay—I’m not that discouraged.
Regardless of the reason, Carlos did defend me, didn’t he?
‘That alone is good enough for now.’
With renewed determination, I cheerfully headed toward my office.
“Sir Ivach, go about your business. I’ve got work to do.”
Seated at my desk, I dismissed Carlos, who had escorted me all the way to my office.
But he didn’t leave right away—he lingered by the door and looked at me for a moment.
“Commander, I…”
“Yes?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
He turned and left the office.
“…What the heck was that?”
There are two ways to irritate someone—
One is by starting a sentence and not finishing it…
Never mind.
I considered pondering what Carlos had wanted to say, but it felt like a waste of time.
He probably would’ve just said something stiff and cold again.
Letting go of that thought, I pulled a stack of documents toward me and began working.
“Nothing important here. Just petty tasks.”
Since the delinquent Elia spent all her time slacking off, important paperwork seemed to always end up with Carlos.
“If I want to remain Commander, I’ll need to get a handle on administration too.”
Well, at least I had some work. Better get started before someone tries to take that too.
With that resolution, I focused on my tasks.
Replacing horseshoes…
Distributing imported Otten apples as post-meal snacks…
Purchasing writing supplies for clerks…
So many trivial matters.
But thanks to a past internship in clerical work, I processed them quickly.
Most only required approval—nothing difficult.
The unexpected happened when I was reviewing paperwork about the smoking area.
Knock knock.
I looked up at the sound.
“……”
I waited for the person outside to introduce themselves—but there was only silence.
That was odd. Knights were supposed to give name and rank.
“Who is it?”
I had no choice but to ask aloud.
“Girotti.”
Came the familiar voice.
“What brings you here?”
I didn’t open the door right away. Something felt off.
“I wanted to discuss the pen nib supplier selection for the clerks.”
A valid reason. I had indeed noticed that section was left blank on the form earlier.
“…Come in.”
I had no choice but to let Cesare into the office.
“Vairo Co. has submitted a bid. They want to supply nibs to us as well as to the 1st and 2nd Knight Orders.”
Cesare lowered his eyes and calmly stated his business.
But I caught it—his gaze lingered briefly on my right arm before darting away.
‘This… just got interesting.’
That tiny reaction told me a lot about what was going on in his mind.
“…So I’d like to accept Vairo Co.’s bid.”
“Alright.”
I nodded, only half-listening as Cesare continued talking about nib quality.
“Go ahead. Send cooperation letters to the 1st and 2nd Orders too.”
“Understood.”
Cesare responded.
But instead of leaving to carry out the order, he stood still and looked at me.
I casually clasped my hands together.
His gaze subtly followed my right hand.
“Is there an issue, Sir Girotti? Why aren’t you moving?”
At my question, Cesare lifted his eyes and met mine.
“I heard from Count Gonnir that we received our budget allocation.”
He suddenly brought up yesterday’s events.
“And that you’ve vowed to turn over a new leaf.”
“I have.”
At my honest reply, his expression darkened.
A pause.
“That’s disappointing.”
I smiled at Cesare, who looked confused by my words.
“If I had stayed a scoundrel, it would’ve been much easier for you to get me removed as Commander, wouldn’t it?”
Cesare’s eyes widened in shock.
Oho?