Several hours after returning from my patrol, I sent several soldiers to guard the mother-child pair from earlier and finished adjusting the night patrol shifts. When one of the two soldiers ca back to report, I sent that soldier back with another soldier, so the familys house would be fine. I was glad that I could anticipate this kind of situation, think of a good solution, and give instructions. Now, I had to attend the dinner banquet that served as a et-and-greet. Conrad, the Emperor, the Holy King, his Holy Kingdoms Representative, the King of the Kingdom, and that Blockhead from before would all be there as well. The Empress would not be attending at this ti. The banquet was mostly for the monarchs and the representatives to interact with each other. However, that wasnt going well
Even though we were supposed to be interacting with each other, a heavy silence filled the room. Actually, it was more awkward than heavy. Food entered our mouths, but words never left. It was a relief that Conrad, clad in ceremonial attire, was beside . Honestly, I would feel lonely without him.
Anyway, was this what interacting was like? Well, I might have had such a thought, but it was understandable. The matter of the victims and nobles who had been arrested during the slave auction incident half a year ago had not been resolved yet. It was customary in this world for criminals to be judged by the laws of the country that the cri was committed in, but this ti each country involved demanded that their nobles be repatriated. They had also repeatedly stated that it would be impossible to search for all the victims.
Sheesh, what the heck are they thinking?
There was no way we could just let the criminals return to their own countries. The slavery was legal there. Even if they were guilty by the Empires standards, they would still be found innocent if we allowed them to return. We werent foolish enough to return them while knowing the outco. Neither was searching for the victims impossible, no way. We had already sent each country a list of those who had participated in the auction. All they would have to do was search their hos. I didnt understand why they would say that it was impossible. Thanks to that, the Empires relationship with the other countries was currently strained. Even so, we had to interact. The banquet was a tradition, so it couldnt be called off, but the timing was truly the worst. We continued to eat in silence. Truth be told, I couldnt really taste the food.
When the al was finished, coffee was brought out. Now that we finally reached this part, I finally had ti to look around .
First of all, on the Kingdoms side, there was the person I had t at the shopping district earlier, Clive Musgrave, dressed in green finery. He didnt look like it to , but he was the heir to a viscount house, and his table manners were truly befitting of a noble. Even he wouldnt cause a commotion in front of his king. He had no problem acting with grandiosity when his king wasnt around, though.
Said King was seated next to the blockhead, drinking his coffee in silence. He had short, wavy blonde hair, green eyes, and a mole on the right side of his mouth. My first impression of him was that he seed to be high-strung. Even though he was the sa age as the Emperor, he looked much younger. Or rather, it was probably the Emperor who looked older than his age. The King looked to be about 175 centiters tall, and he was dressed in blue. His na was Cornelius Ney-Virgil. I had been told that, despite his age, he actually was as high-strung as he looked, not to ntion hot-tempered. Well, that was probably because he had a lot of pride. However, I had heard from Conrad that he was competent in his job.I wondered what would happen if he were to hear about the shopping district incident.
Then, on the Holy Kingdoms side, there was their representative a beautiful woman. She had waist length, silvery-white hair and very matching turquoise eyes. Her eyes, nose, mouth her whole face was very pleasing to the eye. She even had the body of a model. But her chest was rather modest. She was about as tall as I would be without armour. Her na was Selene Mansfield and she was a magician. In her country, their called her kind Wielders of the Holy Art. If I rembered correctly, she was from a baron household. She wore a simple but gorgeous azure dress. For so reason, Conrad seed to grimace when he talked with her. I didnt really know why, but I didnt want to pry too much. I wondered if sothing had happened between them.
Finally, there was the Holy King. My first impression of him was that he had an unpleasant smile plastered on his face. He had short, white hair and blue eyes. He looked handso despite his wrinkles. You could probably call him a dandy. His clothing was made of silver cloth and had dazzling embroidery that looked a lot like a robe of a western priest. He was the oldest among the three leaders, being in his fifties. Honestly, I didnt even really want to make eye contact with him. The first ti our eyes had t, I had felt goosebumps from his creepy, appraising gaze. According to rumors, he swung both ways. Well, Conrad had sounded like he was half-joking when he had said that, but could it actually be true? Not that I really cared about the Holy Kings preferences. As long as he didnt cause trouble around at least. Besides, if I worried about it, it might show through my armour, so it was better to just not think about it. There were other, shady, rumors too. Word of mouth had it that he had removed his competition to the throne, and that he was backed by slave dealers. There was no evidence to prove or disprove that.
Those were the other countries monarchs and Representatives. Quite a colorful bunch.
In the end, apart from scripted greetings between the monarchs, the banquet ended without us uttering a word.
I was so tired.
After the banquet, I reported the incident at the shopping district to His Majesty and apologized for getting carried away by my emotions. I should have arrested the blockhead, but I ended up challenging him to a duel. It had been very childish of . The news caused His Majesty to make a strained smile.
I guess it couldnt be helped. The other person is a Representative after all. Pen an apology letter, and I shall forgive you, he said.
A written apology Was my youthful indiscretion going to be recorded for future generations? For a while longer, we discussed how to settle the feud between the blockhead and . And then, just as I was about to leave, His Majesty smiled again.
Teach that Kingdoms Representative a lesson, he said.
Apparently, His Majesty was also angry.
Once the audience concluded, I decided to take a stroll in the gardens to enjoy the night air. The garden I found myself in, thanks to the gardeners ticulous care, was filled with seasonal flowers in full bloom. I took in the moonlit scenery, so different from how it looked at dayti.
I would never have experienced this on Earth.
It was partly because I had stayed indoors as much as possible and partly because there werent any parks close to my ho. And also because it was dangerous to go out at night. Well, danger was present in this world too but, tonight, I was in the Imperial Palace the safest place in the Empire, that was kept under constant guard. I could take a midnight stroll without any worries listening to the birds and insects that chirped quietly in the background.
I took the jaw-piece of the helt off, exposing my skin to the chill of the night wind. In a re month, the autumn would end, making way for the winter. So many things had happened since I had co to this world I never really had the ti to take it in and process it all. Had it really been half a year already? I wondered if my family was fine. They must have been. After all, even though it was the past for , to them, I was still there.
Sohow, I ended up thinking about ho again.
My hotown was a peaceful place to which I could no longer return. I had been happy with my family, despite those few issues we had argued about. When I had still been living with them, I would never have imagined being unable to see them for the rest of my life. That all this could happen because I would be mixed up with my childhood friends summoning into another world. I did enjoy my current life. However, that didnt stop feeling hosick. I was just seventeen, not even an adult in that other world. I had never planned on leaving my family so soon. I understood that I couldnt have avoided it, but understanding apparently wasnt enough to stop those kinds of thoughts entering my head.
Aaaaah!scread the rational part of my mind,Nononono!
I had a mountain of important things to worry about and I would be liable to screw them all up if I started moping. I would never be able to show my face in public if that happened. I was the commander of the Imperial Armys Knight Corps! THE Black Knight! A duchess! I was no longer the ordinary highschool girl, Saitou Chie! That was quite enough of self-indulgence, it was very much the ti to go back to my room and sleep. And I decided to do just that. There was still work to do tomorrow, and an apology letter waiting to be written. Not to ntion all the other stuff.
be se
Wh
I startled. Faint voices interrupted just as I was about to reform the jaw piece of the helt and return to my room. Who else could possibly be here at this ti? Did I hear two people? Full of curiosity, I stealthily approached the place I heard the voices co from.
I hid behind a tree, where I wouldnt be discovered, and settled to observe the strangers with the help of the magic crystal in my helt that allowed to see clearly in the darkness. A man and a woman seed to have chosen a location among thick trees to et away from prying eyes. The woman was the Holy Kingdoms representative, Selene Mansfield. The man was my adjutant, Conrad.
W-whats this?I startled again.
Could this be a tryst? Impossible. I could clearly rember Conrad grimacing when he had ntioned her. It wasnt a face of sobody in love. What could it be then?
I said, I cannot beco your husband, said Conrad, looking tired.
Huh? Husband!? Did she skip the boyfriend stage completely?!
But why?! I have been thinking of you ever since that ti! Its been four years!
Its all in the past now. Its not like it was the first ti for either of us.
But, I cant think of any other man but you! That night, you have stolen my heart, my thoughts!
Frankly, I dont believe you.
SO IT WAS LIKE THAT?! THEY HAD SPENT A NIGHT TOGETHER?! Leaning against the tree, I hugged my knees while feeling my face go red under the helt. However much I didnt want to think about the details
So they had a one night stand, and it wasnt their first ti either, but Miss Mansfield ended up seriously pursuing Conrad. So that was why he had grimaced. It would be really hard to say aloud. Like, who would tell their boss about a woman they had a brief relationship with? And on another note, how could a noblewoman have so much experience? Well, it might sound like a reasonable question but, in reality, these illicit affairs happened between nobles too. Everybody simply turned a blind eye when it was done in moderation. I sighed inwardly. What could I possibly do?
It was very bad for to be eavesdropping on this conversation, I had to do sothing not to be here for much longer. And carefully. I might have been hidden from sight, but those two were strong enough to beco the Representatives of their respective nations. They could very well discover any mont now. Therefore, I had better stop
Then let us do it again! You shall see I am indeed the one for you!
Wha?! What are you thinking, woman?!
Miss Mansfield suddenly clung to him with all her strength but montarily stunned Conrad soon started to resist awkwardly. It was so distasteful
Propelled by that thought, I decided to step in.
What exactly might you be doing to my adjutant, Miss Mansfield?
Wha? Youre that!?
C-Commander!
My work-mode voice surprised the two of them completely. Now I just had to figure out how to make her give up.
This does not concern you. Tis a matter between and Conrad Aiden alone. Outsiders should have the good sense to leave.
And just like that, she resud where she had stopped. But Conrads resistance gained new strength. He managed to push her off and ran to my side flusteredly.
C-Commander, this isnt what it looks like! his face was completely red as he frantically tried to explain himself. This isnt an affair or anything of the sort!
I never expected him to react like this. I patted his back and turned to the woman again.
You see, I happened to overhear a sliver of your conversation.
How uncouth. It does save us so tedious explanations. Sir Aiden and I are in a relationship, do keep your nose out of it.
She obviously thought of Conrad as hers. What did she think she was doing ignoring his opinion like that?
That seems to be only your opinion though? He clearly loathes that idea.
Miss Mansfields face contorted but returned to normal quickly.
Thats entirely irrelevant. Hell see hes misguided once we co together again.
What did I get myself into?
Entirely irrelevant? Conrads feelings are irrelevant?
I frowned.
Obviously. Sir Aiden is a man, and he is mine. He will see reason.
Hers? He would see reason?
No man ever failed to yield to my will. It was ever thus.
It was ever thus? Hearing her speak those words made my cheek twitch. My fist clenched tighter. And she, with that delighted expression of hers, continued to spew sewage from her mouth.
And for that reason, Conrad WILL be my husband! He exists for , and only! His body is Gods gift to bring satisfaction!
I felt sothing snap within . In few swift paces, I closed the distance between us. My right hand sank into the tree trunk behind her.
Eh?
She had probably only seen suddenly appear in front of her and felt the wake of my punch. I retracted my arm. Slowly. Her face turned ashen.
I could no longer listen to your drivel, you know. I found it extrely irritating.
Wh-what are you? asked the woman, no, the bitch, while shaking like a leaf.
Pardon? Did you ask What?
I slamd my left hand against the other side of the tree, and brought my face so close to hers that my helt almost touched her nose. She actually squealed. I continued in my most threatening voice.
Nothing is ever certain, madam. What happened between you two is not necessarily bad. It wouldnt be strange for love to be born from it. But simply ignoring the other sides refusal and believing everything will go your way Will. Just. Not. Do.
The bitch tried to turn away so I grabbed her by the chin with my right hand, holding her head in place and forcing to look in the eyes.
Do NOT turn away!
She squealed again. Her eyes, welling with tears, focused on .
Understand this, no matter how much you pursue Conrad, he will never beco your husband.
In full panic, she seed unable to comprehend the turn of events. Even though all it took was to think about it for a bit.
Fine. Ill explain in a way even you can understand. You are both Representatives, indispensable assets of your countries. It would be impossible to arbitrate your place of residence were the two of you to marry. In worst case scenario, your marriage would spark a war. Such is the weight of your position.
Finally able to comprehend, she paled even more. And I continued the lecture.
But what irritates most, is how you refer to him like he was just a thing. You two seem to have been close in the past. And that wasnt an improper thing. It is fine for n and won to have relationships. But, considering that, you should at least be on speaking terms now, shouldnt you? Why would you mistake him for your possession?
By now, she was crying so hard that snot started to drip from her nose. Her face looked miserable. Her makeup was completely ruined. I decided to give this unsightly figure a coup de grace.
So from now on, do not dare to call Conrads na or touch him with your filthy body. I would very much love to be your next opponent in the tournant, but sadly, the Annoyance Number One cos first. But Im sure, Miss Annoyance Number Two, that he will take care of you by himself. I am not really thrilled by the prospect of him facing you, but that cant really be helped. Know this, though. He is entirely beyond your league. A dirty woman like you will not even be able to touch such a chivalrous knight!
With that final blow, I let go of her chin, allowing her to fall to the ground, still crying. I turned back to Conrad, who stood rooted to the spot dumbfounded. I put my left hand on his right shoulder.
Let us leave. No good will co from being near that sort of a woman.
He followed obediently, still completely confused by what had happened. How on earth had these sort of people ended up as the Representatives!?
It was the worst possible situation to be seen by the Commander, of all things.
After the banquet, Selene Mansfield, the Holy Kingdoms Representative, had taken to a deserted garden. To tell the truth, instead of being taken, I had been the one to propose going there. I wanted nothing to do with her at first, but there was that ti in the past when the tournant had been held at the Holy Kingdom Well, it would be a pain if she kept insisting, so I decided to humor her. I still regretted accepting her invitation four years ago.
Back then, I couldnt sleep due to the excitent of my first tournant, so I took a walk in a garden in the Holy Kingdoms palace. I happened to see Selene arguing with another man. I helped her out. She thanked once the nuisance was driven off. I asked for the cause of the argunt. Her words shocked .
Due to our many nights together, he thought we were destined lovers. Even though hes just one of my many n. Sheesh.
I couldnt believe what I had just heard. Could such words really escape the lips of a noble lady? From such a religious country no less? Later, I would learn that Selene Mansfield was a well-known hedonist who used her beauty to the fullest. One who had many affairs with many different n. But at that mont, as I looked at her in stunned silence, she started to cling to with a thoughtful expression.
You must be the Empires Representative. Would you like to spend a night with ? Its your chance to be with a noble lady from another country, you know. Even if only for a night. All I ask is that you satisfy in return.
And just like that, she seduced .
I was only twenty at the ti. She was unlike all the other won I had played with until then a noblewoman that approached of her own initiative. A single night would be no problem, I thought. And thus, the two of us slipped out of the castle, and spent a night together at an empty house owned by her family. Once we had done the deed, I left her sleeping on the bed, and returned to the castle before the sun had risen. Only the two of us knew about the affair. After that night, I considered our relationship over.
She had other ideas.
Why? Why had I ever accepted her invitation back then?
After that night, she pursued relentlessly. Of course, she never approached when there were people around, but as soon as I was alone, she would appear out of nowhere. However, there was no way that what she felt for was anything akin to love. I might have not known love then, but it definitely wasnt that. I could tell from her eyes that she just saw as an attractive young man that had dared to get away. So, feeling disgusted, I continued to avoid her. Only when I left the Holy Country and returned to the Imperial Capital did I find myself at ease again. That was how extrely abnormal she was.
I forgot about the matter over the next four years. And then I learned she was coming to the Empire as a Representative.
She didnt forget.
What was more, she had beco Representative exactly to pursue . I panicked then. I didnt want the Commander to know about our relationship. It wouldnt be good either if any other person found out, but it was four years ago. Nobody else would say anything. But the Commander absolutely couldnt know. The thought of her finding out pained my heart.
But despite all that, she still did. She heard what happened.
I tried to explain.
I thought I had disappointed her. But, without a word, she just let be there, all flustered like that, and moved towards Selene. Their exchange surprised . Commander Chie let loose completely. Her anger felt incomparable to what I felt during the Adelbert incident. Truthfully, I had never seen her like this. She looked so repulsed. And then, as I watched in amazent, a sudden fear took hold of . What if I was next? Due to that dread, not another of the words she spoke registered in my ears. I only knew one thing. She was tearing that woman apart with her words. She crushed any will to resist. That scene instilled terror within . And then, she led away, leaving Selene behind. It was my turn. I had disappointed her. I was ready to accept anything she said. I resolved myself not to let her down again.
Soon, we arrived at our destination. It was the conference room used for the Commanders and Vice-commanders. Naturally, at that ti, nobody was there, aside from us two. The Commander lit the candles on the table, then turned to face . It was coming, I thought. She took off her armor, put both knees on the floor, and then prostrated herself with both hands in front of her.
Im sorry! I could hear her say.
I was so very confused. What was she apologizing for? Why was the Commander bowing down and apologizing to ? Despite my confusion, she continued on.
Im really sorry! I was taking a walk, and I heard voices, and I ended up eavesdropping on you out of curiosity! It would have been more polite to pretend I wasnt there and didnt hear anything, but instead, I did the worst possible thing! As your boss, I really apologise!
The Commander was apologizing profusely.
Commander! Please raise your head. I replied, shaken from my stupor, There is no reason to lower your head to the ground like that!
I too got on my knees in order to bring her up. I had never seen this posture before, but I knew that she was prostrating herself before . I had to do sothing to get her to stop, but I didnt know what to do so I spoke again hurriedly.
Commander Chie did nothing wrong! All the bla lies on ! I have disappointed you greatly!
Huh? Disappointed?
She looked at , puzzled, but finally got up. I was relieved.
Yes, four years ago, I had an affair with that woman. You must be disappointed in . Please give a punishnt.
I then copied the pose the Commander took. That must have been a posture of apology from her hotown. I kept my head to the ground. It was a very fitting position for soone like . This ti, it was the Commander who beca flustered.
Wha? Hold up, hold up! Youre misunderstanding sothing. Did you hear nothing of what I said to that bicchi?
Huh?
It was my turn be puzzled, again.
What could she possibly an? Wasnt she angry about our affair?
Ah, you didnt hear what I said, did you?
Commander Chie sat in a weird kneeling position, and scratched her head. I raised my head and assud the sa position.
I didnt. In my sha, I thought you were disappointed in , so I didnt hear anything you said.
I see
She began to speak.
You see, what made angry was how that bicchi completely disregarded your feelings and the inanity of her words.
I was shocked. I was certain that she was angry at both Selene and . And what did bicchi an anyways?
That woman was completely oblivious of her position as the Representative. An ordinary noble would be bad enough, but the Representative is an indispensable military asset. No country would let them leave easily. If two of those were to fall in love and marry, it might even start a war between the two countries. And she didnt understand that at all. Is her head completely filled with sex, or sothing? It must be. She beca a Representative only in pursuit of your body after all.
She spoke with a strained expression, kneading her forehead. Her voice contained a mixture of anger and astonishnt.
Do the nobles of other countries lack even a shred of common sense? The blockhead from the Kingdom, and the bicchi from the Holy Kingdom. Theres no way that people like that could manage their countries well. Well, I guess it doesnt really matter how the other countries turn out. But it still ticks off. Im so going to vent my anger in the tournant. Id very much like to beat up both of these annoyances. But I cant do that. Conrad!
Y-yes Maam!
The way she spoke so quickly made involuntarily straighten my back.
Dont hold back against that bicchi. Or rather, since it would be over in an instant if you went all out, lets do sothing else! Lets show those ignorant people that we dont even have to face them seriously. Im not going to fight that blockhead head on. We can fight to the fullest in the finals. So lets show them
She smiled as she spoke. But the expression on her face was not her usual calm one. This smile belied her anger. I understood that perfectly when she finished her sentence. The other countries had awoken sothing they shouldnt have.
the strength of the Empire.
The Empires Black Knights wrath.
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