Chapter 8
It was like a bolt from the blue. He was going to introduce me to the knight order?
According to Valentin, the Berenice Knight Order was also responsible for dealing with the monsters that came down from the Black Swamp to attack the village.
Don’t tell me they’re going to dissect me to figure out a monster’s weakness? Use me as a sacrifice…?!
“Useless thoughts.”
How does he know what I’m thinking?
I narrowed my eyes and started a staring contest with him. The moment I did, Aila—who had been standing behind Valentin to assist with the meal—turned bright red.
Was she that startled?
“Grrr!”
I cleared my throat in self-reflection, but even that sounded like a beast’s roar. Aila’s face showed no sign of returning to normal.
Feeling dejected, I poked at the broccoli with my fork and cautiously probed Valentin’s intentions.
“Why are you introducing me to the knight order?”
“Because you’ll be joining them.”
The more my expression twisted, the wider Valentin smiled.
“You can do well, right?”
Well… I feel like I’d need to know what ‘it’ is before I can do well at it…?
“Hah!”
“Faster!”
“Run!”
From afar, loud shouts rang out.
The pounding of feet kicking off the ground, the sharp clang of swords colliding— the heat of the knights’ training carried all the way to us.
To think I’ll be standing in front of this many people.
Just the thought that I might get to talk to them made my tail sway unconsciously.
I didn’t bother to stop it, and soon I felt Valentin’s gaze on me.
“What?”
He looked displeased about something.
His lips were curved into a beautiful smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all. And as expected, what he said next was loaded with meaning.
“Nathan wags his tail for just anyone.”
…Is he talking about my tail right now? Don’t tell me he’s trying to control even that!
I puffed up like an offended sparrow and hid my tail behind me. His eyes flashed strangely.
Just as cold sweat began to form under that suffocating stare, we fortunately arrived at the training grounds.
“You’ve arriv—!”
The knights who had spotted Valentin and begun greeting him suddenly sharpened their gazes.
Even with the yellow ribbon on, they’re still wary of me?
I steeled myself not to shrink back—
But at that moment, a red-haired man suddenly lunged at me.
It happened in an instant.
Without giving me time to think, he thrust his sharp blade at me. Startled, I reflexively grabbed the blade with both hands.
It stings!
My palms—well, the soft pads on my hands—were shallowly cut.
Sensing that this wasn’t a joke but a real danger, I instinctively twisted my hands with all my strength.
The man’s grip on the sword hilt collided with my brutal force as I wrenched the blade aside—
Clang!
The sword shattered.
“……”
Silence fell.
I wanted to demand why he attacked me out of nowhere, but the atmosphere was so hostile that even opening my mouth felt dangerous.
I turned my head toward Valentin.
Do something. They’re your knights.
I changed my expression in every way possible, hoping he’d understand, but what came back instead was the red-haired knight’s shout.
“You monster—how dare you set foot here!”
Throwing aside the broken sword, the knight hurled himself at me.
Ah, this is bad. I still can’t control my strength.
But it didn’t seem like dodging would end this.
I caught his punching fist with one hand. The cut on my palm stung, but it was bearable.
Honestly, he wasn’t as strong as I expected.
Putting all my intention of let’s stop here into the motion, I gently pushed his chest away with my other arm.
Just a little.
But contrary to my intention, he flew backward like a leaf caught in the wind and crashed far away, sprawled flat on the ground.
A silence heavier than before descended.
Don’t they need to re-recruit this knight order or something?
There’s no way Valentin’s knights are this weak…
Staring at the red-haired knight lying there like he’d fainted, I leaned closer to Valentin and whispered quietly,
“Is he… perhaps a trainee knight?”
Valentin’s smile deepened so much it formed dimples in his cheeks.
“As if.”
Ah. So not even a trainee.
……What do I do about this atmosphere?
The brighter Valentin smiled, the more uneasy I felt.
Thankfully, a black-haired man with sharp eyes stepped in quickly.
“Take George to the infirmary.”
“Yes.”
The knights lifted the red-haired man—George—and carried him off. I was worried he might be injured, but I couldn’t exactly follow.
“Your Grace, you’ve arrived.”
Behind the black-haired man, the knights lined up neatly in rows.
“Devon, has anything happened?”
At that name, my shoulders twitched. Devon had definitely appeared in the novel as the captain of the Berenice Knight Order.
And sure enough, he looked exactly as described.
And if the original story is anything to go by, Devon…
“A new monster has appeared in Shamantla. We received a report that it attacked the village. It has been dealt with. The corpse has been brought back.”
“After dissection, register it in the compendium.”
“Yes.”
D-dissection? I might have ended up like that too, couldn’t I?
Suddenly feeling like I’d wandered into a horror story, cold sweat trickled down my back.
I should stay on Valentin’s good side.
As if unaware of my thoughts, Valentin stepped forward with me before the knights.
“I will introduce the new trainee knight who has joined the Berenice Order.”
The moment his words fell, the gazes that had been consciously avoiding me all focused at once.
Not wanting to lose for no reason, I puffed out my chest and glared at them one by one. A few flinched and looked away.
Victory.
But where exactly is this new trainee knight?
As I looked around, my eyes met Valentin’s. One corner of his elegant lips lifted.
“Nathan Rafelia, greet them.”
…Me? Me?!
I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak.
A trainee knight? Me? Becoming a member of the order meant actually becoming a trainee knight?
Even if he planned to use my strength, I thought he’d do it secretly, behind the scenes. He’s really enrolling me officially?
I wasn’t the only one shocked. The entire knight order stirred.
Valentin, can’t you see their disbelief?!
But it was already done.
Remembering his words over breakfast—You can do well, right?—I realized what he meant and forced myself to speak.
“My name is Nathan Rafelia. I look forward to working with you.”
My husky voice cut through the training grounds.
As if he couldn’t see the knights’ stiff faces, Valentin calmly explained,
“The Berenice Knight Order consists only of knights who have been formally granted titles. Trainees train elsewhere. But there’s no point in Nathan being there, so he will live and train with you from now on.”
After finishing his brief explanation, his gaze turned to the aligned knights.
“My knights should have the mental fortitude not to crumble, even in the face of overwhelming differences.”
At his words, the knights widened their eyes and straightened further.
“Devon, help Nathan adjust. Decide yourself how to train him.”
After confirming Devon’s bow, Valentin turned to leave, but a brown-haired knight stopped him.
“…Your Grace, I have something I wish to ask.”
His drooping eyes might have given off a gentle impression, but his solid build and scarred arms canceled that out.
He bravely voiced the question none of the others dared to ask.
“Sir Nathan—where do you come from?”
I heard someone swallow nearby.
It wasn’t just asking where I was from.
Was I a magical beast from the Black Swamp? Or a monster? Something like that.
In other words—what exactly was I?
I glanced at Valentin.
Even if it wasn’t the Black Swamp but the Latlenta Forest, that region also had frequent appearances of monsters and magical beasts.
My mouth went dry with tension over how he would introduce me.
“It seems you want a clear explanation.”
His sorrowful expression—Do you not trust your lord?—made everyone start watching each other nervously.
“I…”
The brown-haired knight looked flustered but did not back down.
Valentin chuckled lightly, the sadness vanishing as if it had never existed.
“Nathan is neither a magical beast nor a monster.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest at the unexpected words.
Valentin… he really believed me when I said I was human.
Maybe he really is a good person.
I’d been judging him only by how he was portrayed in the novel—cold and strange.
While I was touched, everyone focused intently on what he would say next. I, too, listened closely.
After slowly sweeping his gaze across the training grounds, Valentin spoke in a face utterly devoid of mischief.
“Nathan is a puppy.”
…What?
My jaw dropped.
How can he say something that ridiculous in a public setting?
His expression was so calm that I almost doubted my hearing.
Unfortunately, my beastly ears were working perfectly fine.
At this rate, the knights might start dreaming of escaping Berenice.
I cautiously looked at their reactions.
But what was this? Why did they look… convinced?
Even the brown-haired knight who asked the question didn’t press further.
Why are you just accepting that? Where in the world is there a puppy this big? I’m bigger than you!
Are puppies in this world all capable of walking on two legs? Am I the strange one for not understanding this?
Leaving me in confusion, Valentin told the black-haired knight to train me well and left the training grounds.
I felt like I’d been abandoned alone on a deserted island. As I stood there frozen, the knight who had questioned Valentin approached me.
“It is an honor to meet you. My name is Neumann Kraus.”
His gentle voice matched his amiable appearance. With warm hazelnut-colored eyes, he looked more like a priest or teacher than a knight.
“I apologize for George Teller’s rudeness. He is particularly sensitive about monsters. I will have him personally ask your forgiveness later.”
I nodded immediately. From their perspective, the misunderstanding was understandable. Though I’d never actually seen a monster myself.
“I understand. I may look a bit…”
As I rolled my eyes around, trying to think of an appropriate answer, Neumann slowly shook his head.
