It was the medical officers, arriving just in time, who rescued the 4th Knight Order Commander, who was shivering with shame.
“Commander, let’s go.”
“…Yes.”
The commander, desperately avoiding the eyes of his subordinates, left the scene with the help of the medics.
Up until that moment, none of the 4th Knight Order dared to speak.
‘To be trampled on so thoroughly.’
Even the evaluator couldn’t hide his look of disappointment.
Meanwhile, the Azure Dawn Knights, unable to contain their joy, were now in a frenzy of excitement.
They rushed over to Giscard, cheering.
“Commander!”
“Haha, we knew you would win!”
“Everyone, maintain your dignity.”
Giscard tried to calm the knights with a serious tone, but the corners of his lips were uncontrollably lifted in a broad smile.
He was happy too. Cassia watched the knights’ joy with satisfaction.
But then,
“Astrid, the Administrative Officer.”
Surrounded by the knights, Giscard turned to Cassia with a curious expression.
“Why are you standing there alone?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Cassia blinked in confusion.
Giscard tilted his head.
“Aren’t you also a member of the Azure Dawn Knights?”
Cassia hesitated for a moment.
At the same time, Giscard beckoned her over.
“Of course, you should be here with us.”
“……”
“……”
The knights didn’t disagree.
They simply stood there, slightly embarrassed, silently watching Cassia.
But there was no hostility in their eyes.
‘Can I really… go there?’
After hesitating for a moment, Cassia approached the knights timidly.
Although they looked a bit awkward, they stepped back to make space for her.
‘Ah.’
Cassia felt a warm emotion welling up in her chest.
Just then,
“How long are you going to stand there awkwardly?”
With a teasing tone, Giscard swept his gaze over the knights.
“Everyone knows who we owe today’s victory to, right?”
“Of course.”
“Absolutely.”
Nodding, the knights bowed deeply to Cassia.
Then, in unison, they spoke.
“Thank you!”
Huh?
Cassia’s eyes widened in surprise.
The knights smiled brightly at her.
“Thanks to the administrative officer’s various support, we were able to win.”
“For the first time during training, we could use our aura freely to our hearts’ content!”
“It’s been so long since we’ve beaten the 4th Knights like this. It feels incredibly satisfying!”
Finally, Giscard nodded lightly towards Cassia.
“Thank you for all your hard work, Administrative Officer Astrid.”
“……”
A warm feeling surged from deep within Cassia’s chest.
After a moment of clenching her lips to control her emotions, Cassia smiled brightly.
“Congratulations, everyone!”
“Wooooah!”
A loud cheer erupted, along with applause and whistles.
Cassia joined in, clapping enthusiastically in response.
At the same time, she thought to herself.
Today was truly a day that would be remembered forever.
* * *
After the heated moments of euphoria had passed.
In the deep of night all the creatures were asleep, there was one person still awake at the knights’ quarters.
That person was Giscard.
‘Today…’
His blue eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
The mock battle from earlier still lingered in his mind.
The Azure Dawn Knights, who had fought freely, using their aura to their heart’s content, flew through the battlefield.
For the first time in a long while, the knights, who had only known defeat, finally seized victory and smiled brightly.
And that wasn’t all.
They had also managed to crush the pride of the 4th Knight Commander, who had been running wild under the protection of the Northern Commander-in-Chief.
It had been a long time since they had been able to preserve their dignity.
…That exhilarating feeling.
Giscard, who had unknowingly clenched his fist, let out a wry smile.
‘At times like this… Administrative Officer Astrid was really reliable.’
When Cassia had first joined the knights, Giscard had been full of worries.
But ever since Cassia became part of the order, everything seemed to be going well.
‘Is this what it feels like to have someone to lean on?’
Giscard’s smile grew a bit wider.
It was a slightly mischievous smile.
‘The 4th Knights must have felt this way every time until now.’
The 4th Knight Commander, who had been backed by the Northern Commander-in-Chief.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and bullying for bullying.
Just by having an unruly princess join the fray, the situation could be improved this much.
Even if it seemed petty, it couldn’t be helped.
The fact that they had thoroughly trampled over the obnoxious 4th Knights…
“Haha.”
Giscard Couldn’t hold back and let out a short laugh.
He was utterly satisfied.
* * *
After the grueling joint training, the Azure Dawn Knights returned to their original garrison.
And there, before them, stood a sight that left them speechless: their barracks, completely renovated and gleaming.
“This… is our barracks?!”
“Really?”
“Are we dreaming?”
Sir Rodrigo couldn’t believe his eyes and pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.
The other knights were equally dumbfounded, examining their new surroundings with wide eyes.
During the joint training, while the quarters were empty, Cassia had sent workers to renovate them.
‘I fixed the most urgent issues last time, but that wasn’t enough.’
Cassia’s eyes sparkled.
‘Our knights deserve the best!’
And so, the once-haunted barracks were transformed into a shining new home for the knights.
But the surprises weren’t over yet.
Sir Daniel, who had gone into his room, came running out, shouting with joy.
“Whoa!”
“What, what is it?”
“Why are you like that?!”
The startled knights turned to Sir Daniel.
It was unusual for him, the most gentle knight in the order, to be so excited.
Something extraordinary must have happened.
“The wardrobe! The wardrobe, you guys!”
Sir Daniel pointed towards his room, his eyes wide with excitement.
His young cheeks were flushed with joy, making him look like a startled squirrel.
“It’s been replaced with a new wardrobe!”
“What? Really?!”
“Why would I lie about something like this?!”
Sir Daniel shouted, his face serious.
“And there are new uniforms, training clothes, and even outing clothes in there!”
“What? Weren’t the knightly uniforms newly issued recently?”
“We have two sets of uniforms now?”
Meanwhile, Cassia watched the excited knights with a warm smile.
When they had gone for the joint training, she had hurriedly ordered new uniforms for them, not wanting them to be outclassed.
But that wasn’t enough.
With all the harsh training they endured, their clothes wore out quickly.
They needed plenty of spare clothes.
“Now, everyone.”
Cassia stepped forward.
The knights, who had been as excited as children, tried to compose themselves as they met her gaze.
Cassia chuckled inwardly and continued.
“Today, we’re having a special meal.”
“A special meal…?”
The knights’ eyes lit up.
Some were already salivating.
Cassia announced the menu with confidence.
“For dinner, we’ll have steak cooked with butter. And we’ll have asparagus and potatoes sautéed in butter as the garnish.”
In an instant, the knights’ expressions turned blissful.
It was because they instinctively had imagined the sight of the steak.
A large piece of butter melting in a hot pan would fill the air with a rich, savory aroma.
When a thick, red beef tenderloin was placed on it, the sizzle would echo…
TL/N: I’M GETTING HUNGRY…
“Oh, and one more thing. For dessert, we’ll be having pudding with freshly whipped cream.”
As she added that, the knights’ faces practically melted with delight.
Sweet, creamy, and fluffy like clouds, the fresh cream, paired with the jiggly pudding that wobbled at the touch of a spoon—it was pure bliss just to imagine it.
* * * *
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New chapters, thank you ! Pretty much enjoying how she is supporting them and making them regain confidence