CHAPTER 25:……………………………………………
Priorities
“These guys have never swung a sword on the battlefield, yet they sure love to talk.”
Leone thought this as he leaned against the wall of the Knights’ Headquarters meeting room.
Just by slightly raising his head, he could see the knights who were keeping their distance, moving their mouths endlessly.
He didn’t need to hear their conversation to know what it was about. Probably something like whether it was acceptable for a supposedly “special knight” who had been kicked out to enter the headquarters.
“Useless fools.”
He muttered unconsciously as he watched those who were supposed to wield swords use only their mouths.
“Ah, they’re still trainee knights. Cut them some slack.”
Then, a man stood in front of Leone.
“Edgar.”
At the sight of a familiar face, Leone’s sharp gaze softened. The man smiled faintly as their eyes met.
“Long time no see, Sir Leone.”
Edgar Levy, a knight of the Third Order and Leone’s former subordinate, placed a hand on his chest and bowed politely.
“Yes, it’s been a while. Come to think of it, you weren’t around during the Heinstein villa incident either, were you?”
“Yes. I had other matters at that time, so I couldn’t participate in the investigation. That winter villa of the Heinstein family… I’d heard it was beautiful, so I really wanted to see it.”
Edgar exaggeratedly shrugged with a disappointed expression.
“But aren’t there too many trainee knights? Some faces I don’t even recognize.”
Leone didn’t respond directly. Instead, he glanced around. Among the groups of knights gathered in threes and fives, a few young faces looked freshly graduated from the academy.
“It seems this is the first time demons have approached near the capital, so higher-ups must have issued orders to replenish as many personnel as possible. Officially, it’s probably framed as giving them war experience.”
“Orders from the top?”
“Yes. From above.”
When Leone raised an eyebrow, Edgar pointed upward with a finger, meaning the Imperial Palace.
“Well, it seems there are quite a few competent new recruits this time. I heard some of them even earned fame outside the Empire.”
“They brought people from outside the Empire too?”
“Yes. Lady Agnes had to pull some strings. She really ran around everywhere. She worked hard as a bridge between the Imperial Palace and the Knights.”
“So, running her mouth everywhere, I suppose.”
Leone’s lips curved in a sardonic smile.
“Haha. Still, if this war goes well, Lady Agnes might… fill the vacant vice-captain position.”
“What?”
Leone’s gaze sharpened on Edgar, who immediately froze with a guilty expression.
“Are they putting Lanistan in another executive position?”
Edgar flinched at Leone’s cutting tone. His lips quickly pressed together awkwardly, but Leone was already letting out a dry, bitter laugh.
“The captain is a Lanistan, and the vice-captain is a Lanistan… The Knights are really…”
Leone didn’t even feel the need to finish the sentence. They kicked him out, and now it seemed they wanted to expand their family’s influence within the Knights.
“Why shouldn’t they? The predecessor was incompetent. The vacant position is being filled by someone capable.”
At that moment, a voice cut in, dripping with obvious mockery.
Leone turned to see Karde Moore, once his longtime friend but now a complete rival, the vice-captain of the Fourth Order.
His arrival brought silence to the previously noisy meeting room.
“Vice-Captain of the Fourth Order, at your service!”
Next came the loud greetings from the trainee knights.
“Alright, alright. It’s been a while since I became vice-captain; no need for such exaggerated greetings.”
Karde waved his hand lazily, though Leone could detect a faintly bitter smile behind the expression.
“Ah, this feels… refreshing, doesn’t it, Leone?”
Among the young knights bowing to him, Karde extended his hand toward Leone, as if offering a handshake to a long-lost friend.
“…Looks like you’ve been well.”
“Of course.”
Leone ignored the hand and stared at the man in front of him.
When he was expelled from the Knights for acting independently, Karde had been one of the first to agree. Moreover, he had taken the most effort to push the Fourth Order’s vice-captain, also acting independently to protect the village, out of his position.
“I never imagined our relationship would come to this.”
That was Karde Moore, the current Fourth Order vice-captain, and someone Leone had once considered a close friend.
“Today, you’ll stay for the entire Knights’ Headquarters meeting, right? Well… you’re not officially part of the Knights, so there’s little you can contribute, but you might learn a thing or two by observing.”
Even though Leone didn’t respond, Karde continued eagerly, unable to hide his excitement.
“No. When the captains arrive, I’ll just show my face and leave.”
Leone answered briefly. He saw no reason to sit through a long meeting surrounded by people who openly mocked him.
He had come to the headquarters mainly to see the faces of the knights he would fight alongside.
“What? Hey, friend… Have you forgotten all the Knights’ etiquette just because you left?”
Even Karde’s childish mockery couldn’t change the fact.
‘I didn’t expect everyone to pretend not to notice even with such blatant sarcasm.’
Leone let out a dry chuckle in the quiet room.
“Oh dear. Showing my face alone violates etiquette that much, huh?”
At that moment, a soft voice cut into their conversation. Turning around, Leone saw Aria Heinstein standing in modest clothing suited to the Knights’ uniform, a gentle smile on her lips.
“My health isn’t great, so I only intended a brief greeting. I didn’t know it would violate etiquette.”
Aria lightly touched her right cheek as she spoke carefully, appearing delicate and pitiable.
“Oh, that’s…”
For a moment, Karde’s words lost direction, and Leone almost chuckled at the sudden shift in attitude. She had changed her tone so quickly.
“No, I must have been mistaken.”
Of course, even the Knights couldn’t force a member of the imperial family and a magical healer who had participated in the war to stay against her will. Leone hadn’t been the one to expel her—it was the Heinstein princess.
Between him, a former Knight, and Aria Heinstein, a newcomer to the Knights, it became starkly clear who the Knights prioritized.
After that, everything proceeded faster than Leone had expected.
“Thanks for saving time.”
Leone even had a chance to thank Aria, who had stepped out during the meeting.
When the captains entered the room, Leone gave a brief greeting and rose, as expected, the other executives immediately brought up etiquette and raised their voices.
However, when Aria followed him, the voices fell silent.
They didn’t want to upset the princess and risk offending the Heinstein family or causing her to refuse participation in the war.
“No, I acted quickly because I wanted to leave,” Aria said dryly with a polite smile, hiding her fatigue.
“Then, let’s go. Until next time.”
Before Leone could add anything, she bowed and quickly walked away.
Leone watched her retreating figure.
And in that figure, he saw Lowell’s concerned expression—the drooping eyebrows, the violet eyes staring only at her, the faintly exhaling lips…
“…”
Thinking that, Leone quickly left.
“Sir Leone!”
Probably because of that.
“…Lowell?”
When Leone stepped onto the street in front of the Knights’ Headquarters, he stopped at the sight of Lowell. His mind had been full of thoughts of only one person the entire way here.
“Stay there!”
As Lowell ran toward him waving his hand, Leone couldn’t even blink.
“Why…?”
“I thought I might see Miss Aria if I came here.”
Before Leone could ask why he came, Lowell spoke first, then quickly looked around, seemingly searching for Aria’s carriage.
“Ah.”
“Have you seen the carriage sent by the Heinstein family?”
Lowell’s eyes were wide, and he kept turning his head, making his purpose unmistakably clear.
“If it’s Princess Aria, she just got into the carriage. If you follow in it, you’ll meet her.”
Leone turned his gaze from Lowell and said this. Somehow, he felt his ears warming up but ignored it.
Having recently seen how much Lowell worried about the princess, the thought that had briefly crossed his mind… made his ears burn again.
“I… should catch the carriage now…”
“Sir Leone.”
But Leone’s slightly hasty words were cut off by Lowell.
“What’s wrong?”
Lowell grabbed Leone’s cheek and asked firmly.
“…What?”
“Something must have happened at the Knights’ Headquarters, right?”
Lowell emphasized every word. Then, muttering to himself about how the Knights only summoned him when needed, he looked at Leone and asked if anyone had caused trouble.
“I…”
The hand on his cheek was warm, and the violet eyes right in front of him shone softly in the afternoon sunlight.
Seeing that light, Leone strangely felt it reaching his chest. Perhaps that light had caused the faint, absurd thought to arise.
‘Maybe I’ve become… this kid’s priority.’
A thought he couldn’t even voice came to him. Leone, who had never been anyone’s priority, briefly considered what it meant. Not love, not affection, just a fleeting sense of being first in line. Perhaps even in this dry contractual relationship, such a small priority could exist.
Perhaps noticing the awkwardness at the lack of response, Lowell’s hand soon fell from Leone’s cheek—but Leone unconsciously held onto the retreating hand.
“……?”
Lowell blinked at him, eyes wide with innocent confusion.
“Why would they summon someone they expelled from the Knights again?!”
“Watch your words, Sir Moore. There are many ears around here.”
At that moment, voices from the gathered knights interrupted. Those who had been in the meeting room were now pouring out.
Startled by the sudden noise, Lowell turned his head and looked at the people crowding behind Leone. ‘These must be the ones who troubled Sir Leone.’
“Uh.”
But before Lowell could glare at them, Leone raised his hand to shield Lowell’s eyes.
“Let’s go back now.”
As Lowell paused, Leone leaned forward and met his eyes, a softness in his gaze unlike anything seen before.
“…Ah. Yes.”
That day, in the carriage on the way back, Lowell noticed Leone looked more relaxed than usual. Looking out the window and occasionally smiling, Leone had a noticeably different aura about him.
