At that moment, someone was silently watching Cassia’s retreating figure. It was none other than Sir Gerard, the Deputy Commander of the 4th Knight Order.
‘That princess…’
Sir Gerard’s gaze darkened.
‘She truly is an astonishing person.’
Once again, the conversation he had with Cassia a few days ago flashed through his mind.
“Um, I’d like to have a word with you, Deputy Commander. Is now okay with you?”
It was when the 4th Knight Order had gone to the Azure Dawn Knight Order’s quarters to apologize directly in person. Cassia had requested a private conversation with Sir Gerard.
And then…
“Don’t you think the life in the Fourth Knights is unjust?”
She had dropped a bombshell.
Honestly… it would be a lie to say those words didn’t feel refreshing. Sir Gerard had long felt disillusioned with the 4th Knight Order’s way of life. However, unsure of the sincerity of the so-called reckless princess, he replied cautiously.
“I believe there is no choice. As a knight, I must follow the principle of obeying orders…”
But Cassia immediately raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, how disappointing.”
What?
Her blunt words made Sir Gerard instinctively tense up.
However, Cassia continued speaking without hesitation.
“I thought the Deputy Commander was someone who recognized the injustice and would try to change it.”
“……”
What do you know…!
Sir Gerard almost raised his voice but bit down on his teeth instead.
After calming himself down, he spoke in a repressed tone.
“No matter how much I tried, nothing changed.”
He had tried his best to serve the country, using his abilities as Deputy Commander of the 4th Knight Order, which was tasked with guarding the seal.
He tried to think as rationally as possible, believing that the Azure Dawn Knight Order was an ally, not an enemy, and that they should cooperate.
But what was the result?
He was being ignored by all the knights.
He couldn’t hide the resentment in his gaze, and Cassia, noticing it, shrugged her shoulders casually.
“So, are you just going to accept it and give up?”
“Yes?”
For a moment, Sir Gerard felt as if he had been struck in the head.
Accept, give up.
Those two words pierced deeply into him.
As soon as she uttered these words, Sir Gerard couldn’t help but ask himself.
Am I really being true to myself?
And the answer was likely…
“I’m not asking you to abandon your honor and pride as a knight. I just want to know what it means to ‘act like a knight’.”
“To act as a knight?”
“Yes.”
Cassia nodded and looked directly into his eyes.
“Do you really think it’s knightly to stay silent and turn a blind eye when you witness something wrong?”
“….…”
Cassia’s question once again struck deep into his heart.
Honestly, it was only natural that it did.
It was a question that Sir Gerard had been pondering ever since he joined the Fourth Knights.
The feeling of finally facing his own broken self was truly…
The worst.
Eventually, Sir Gerard glanced at Cassia with cautious eyes.
“Why are you telling me this?”
At his question, Cassia smiled brightly, her smile dazzling.
“Because you’re the only knight here who still has a bit of a conscience, Sir Gerard.”
With that, she suddenly extended her hand, as if asking for a handshake.
Sir Gerard looked at her hand, bewildered.
“So, what will you do?”
Cassia waved her hand, prompting him for an answer.
“If you’re a knight who knows honor, then I’d be willing to support you.”
“……”
“What do you think, Deputy Commander?”
Her words shook Sir Gerard to his core.
How could he not take that hand?
After hesitating for a long time, Sir Gerard finally reached out his hand.
Cassia smiled broadly and grabbed his hand without hesitation.
“Then, I’ll be counting on you from now on, okay?”
Her soft hand gripped his firmly.
A hand that likely hadn’t held anything heavier than a fan was now stained with ink.
‘…That’s right.’
Sir Gerard’s eyes sank deeply.
After that, what Cassia asked of him wasn’t anything grand.
She simply wanted him to speak up whenever he witnessed corruption or unjust behavior among the knights.
And so, Sir Gerard decided to do his best to meet Cassia’s request.
Because he thought that was what a knight should do.
* * *
A long time had passed.
The knights were now busy organizing the items in the warehouse.
In the midst of this, one of the knights from the 4th Knight Order slipped outside, hiding a new barrier stone in his arms.
“Why me, of all people…”
The knight grumbled quietly with a deeply frustrated expression.
Just a moment ago, the Commander of the 4th Knight Order had secretly summoned him.
“Go and replace the barrier stone immediately.”
It had been a while since the order was given to replace the barrier stone, but it still hadn’t been done.
Since there had been instances of demonic beasts escaping from the portal before, the knight felt uneasy.
Of course, the Azure Dawn Knight Order had always handled those situations smoothly, so nothing serious had ever happened.
‘But, what if a monster escapes right when I’m replacing the barrier stone…’
Am I going to end up dying a pointless death like this?
Growing anxious, the knight bit his lower lip.
Just then—
“Sir Montero.”
Someone called the knight. He turned around and frowned slightly.
‘Why is that guy suddenly…?’
It’s no wonder, because the other person speaking was the Deputy Commander, Sir Gerard, who had been sidelined within the Order.
“……”
The knight pretended not to hear and looked away.
Despite being openly ignored, Sir Gerard kindly spoke again.
“Are you going to replace the barrier stone?”
“……”
The knight still remained silent.
Watching this, Sir Gerard asked in a subtle voice.
“Would you like me to handle that task for you?”
Finally, the knight, who had been unresponsive up until now, reacted for the first time.
His face lit up as he turned to look at Sir Gerard, as if he had never ignored him in the first place.
“Oh, I’d appreciate it if you did.”
“Good.”
Sir Gerard, smiling, took the barrier stone from the knight.
Having happily passed off his task, the knight eagerly left the scene.
“……”
Sir Gerard quietly stared at the barrier stone in his hand, his face twisting into a grim expression.
‘Could it be… that they really haven’t replaced the barrier stone?’
Since he had been sidelined for so long, he wasn’t fully aware of the Commander’s orders.
But something had always felt suspicious.
And now, hearing that the Commander had secretly ordered a knight to replace the stone…
‘No matter how you look at it, this could cause serious problems at the portal.’
Sir Gerard clenched the barrier stone tightly.
He had suspected for a while that the 4th Knight Order had been neglecting their duties regarding the barrier stones.
However, the fact that the Commander, who should have been correcting this negligence, was the one instigating it was an entirely different issue.
‘Still, there’s the matter I discussed with Administrative Officer Astrid.’
After suppressing his surging emotions for a moment, Knight Gerard let out a long sigh.
‘I suppose I should move.’
As he lifted his head, Sir Gerard suddenly held his breath.
Above the bustling knights, the sun was setting.
The sunset that draped over everything was as red as freshly spilled warm blood.
Why was that?
…Why did that color feel so ominous?
And at that very moment—
Ding-ding-ding—! Ding-ding-ding—!
From far away, the urgent sound of bells signaling danger began to ring.
Startled, the knights immediately looked up.
“What’s happening?”
“No way, that sound…!”
At the same time, Sir Gerard’s face hardened.
The meaning of that bell was clear.
The portal’s seal had been breached, and as a result—
“The demonic beasts… have escaped.”
* * * *
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