Chapter 17

“Looks like the monsters nearby came this way first. They tend to gather in open fields like this… Still, you won’t need to worry for a while.”

In the end, Farmer Thomas was extremely satisfied with the Azure Knights’ civilian support.

“Our knights came here specifically to clear out the nest in the nearby mountains. If word gets out that there’s a monster colony nearby, people will stop coming to the village altogether. We have to deal with it before the rumors spread.”

Strangely enough, this administrator seemed very attuned to the lives of commoners.

“R-right, of course.”

Thomas didn’t even have to explain much—she already understood the situation.

Before the knights arrived, he’d only been worried about saving his own farm, but now he cautiously asked, “But… will you be able to handle it with just this many people…?”

Only a dozen or so had shown up—he figured they were just here for the Beruba harvest.

Were they really going to go straight into battle afterward, all worn out?

What if someone got hurt?

Thomas asked the question, his face lined with concern. In response, Rodella simply pointed to the knight standing beside her.

“One knight is more than enough.”

“…?”

‘Who’s he supposed to be?’

Seeing the confusion on Thomas’s face, the man answered plainly.

“I am Aivert Royden, Vice-Commander of the Azure Knights.”

“…Hrk!”

Thomas reeled, his mind going blank.

Even a commoner like him knew the Vice-Commander of the Azure Knights was a Duke of the empire.

‘I—I worked the Duke like a field hand?!’

“S-s-sorry—”

“I will take care of it.”

But this man—undeniably a noble among nobles—showed no intention of flaunting his rank.

His surprisingly modest demeanor made Thomas’s heart melt on the spot.

His gaze drifted over to Rodella, who stood closely by the Duke’s side with an air of familiarity.

‘Wait… Syveric? That’s where I’d heard that name! Isn’t she the one engaged to this Duke?!’

So that’s how the Azure Knights had changed—under the power of love, no less!?

Unlike the Red Knights, who always shielded the powerful and turned a blind eye to the weak, the Azure Knights had more interaction with common folk. If this rumor was true, it was incredibly good news.

Eyes full of hope, Thomas nodded enthusiastically.

“I’m counting on you—yes, absolutely!”

He turned toward the men harvesting the Beruba.

“One, two!”

At the call, the knights flipped the field in perfect sync.

From beneath the soil, the glowing roots of pristine Beruba emerged…

“Ahhh…”

Tears welled in Thomas’s eyes.

‘Please, just keep going like this!’

“Then, I’ll head off to take care of the monsters. This field will be under the command of Senior Knight Lorenz.”

“Hello, sir!”

The knight—Lorenz—had a friendly smile, and Thomas visibly relaxed.

“Got it! Thank you for your hard work. I’ll go prepare a meal for everyone.”

He practically skipped back toward his house, excited to prepare food and drink the young knights would enjoy.

Little did he know…

That would be the beginning of disaster.

* * *

“I’ll head to where the monsters are by myself.”

Aivert spoke while watching the farmer disappear into his house.

“No matter how small the nest is, there are too many variables.”

Rodella might be agile and capable in swordsmanship—more than just the basics she learned at the academy—but she still wasn’t combat personnel.

“Really? Wait a second.”

She wasn’t the type to insist on joining recklessly. After carefully studying the map, she gave her answer.

“No. I have to go too.”

“Why?”

Her answer came immediately.  “Because I’m worried.”

At her words, Aivert narrowed his eyes. His heart beat strangely fast, while his rational mind remained perfectly calm—leaving him conflicted.

So he asked, “Are you worried about me, the monsters, or the fact that Todir’s private hunting ground is nearby?”

Rodella blinked.

“I knew there was a private hunting ground, but… did you look into this? Was it Todir’s?”

She was secretly a little impressed.

‘How’d he know who owned it? Did he really prepare this thoroughly before deployment? Aivert?’

“Anyway, worrying about the monsters is absurd. Why would I worry about you?”

“But I’m heading into a monster nest alone. I could get hurt.”

‘No way, she’s not worried at all?’

Aivert’s lips curved into a crooked smirk.

But then Rodella’s next words hit him like a blow to the back of the head.

“There’s no way you’d get hurt in a place like that.”

Ah.

Her faith was so unshaken, so absolute—it felt less like trust and more like a law of nature. A truth of the world itself.

Truths are supposed to be discovered, or followed.

Aivert exhaled, a quiet sigh caught in his chest.

‘If you declare something like that as “truth,” then I have no choice but to make it true.’

“I won’t get hurt.”

Since you believe it so firmly, I won’t let it happen.

“You’re sure you can go alone? You really won’t break anything?”

Rodella asked while unfolding the map.

She was about to say something, looking at the area around Todir’s property, when Aivert’s gaze drifted over the main road near where they were—the road by Thomas’s farm.

It was a high-traffic area, and dangerously close to the estate of Viscount Linbeck, one of the aristocratic faction’s nobles.

Lately, Viscount Linbeck had been desperate to earn some kind of merit.

What if those noble-aligned dogs, the same ones who’d tried to approach Rodella when she was in the administration, realized she and Aivert were apart?

Thinking that far, Aivert spoke casually.

“Good. I’ve been meaning to settle a score with the Todirs anyway.”

At that, Rodella grabbed his hand.

“…!”

Every time she did this, Aivert felt like the blood drained from his body.

‘Why do you touch me like this, when everyone else is afraid to even come close?’

He unconsciously drew in a breath, then exhaled as she declared, “There’s no way I’m letting you go alone. I’m going with you.”

He didn’t care about the Todirs at all—but seeing her response, Aivert smiled.

‘Yeah. I figured you’d come if I said that.’

“Well, guess there’s no helping it. Let’s go.”

Just like that, the two of them departed together.

Fortunately, the monster nest wasn’t large. Under Rodella’s command, Aivert managed to swing his sword in the direction away from the hunting ground.

“Nice!”

Of course, Rodella had no idea that her cheerful thumbs-up at the intact hunting ground made Aivert even more conflicted.

So, the two returned to Thomas’s farm—

Only to witness a truly bizarre sight.

* * *

“Hu-rrah-cha-cha! Hrrrgh!”

Give your all in everything!

That was the motto of Sir Latine Modilac!

Perhaps the knights had finally decided to wholeheartedly follow that motto, because they were now enthusiastically harvesting beruba like their lives depended on it.

It was just past noon in the height of summer—the hottest time of day—and yet they were practically brimming with energy. The kind of delicate strength required to harvest beruba without damaging it should’ve worn them down, but when Rodella and Aivert had left earlier, they looked like they were about to melt from the heat.

“…Where did all this energy come from?”

Rodella, sensing something suspicious, approached them.

And then—

“…Alcohol?”

She caught a scent she definitely shouldn’t be smelling at a public service site.

“You’ve been drinking?”

‘They drank? On duty? Are they insane?’

Rodella felt like her brain was short-circuiting.

Beside her, Aivert narrowed his eyes at the knights as well—his face clearly calculating how to discipline them.

“Did you at least harvest the beruba without damaging it?”

Rodella moved toward the massive pile of beruba.

The path there looked like a giant monster had gone on a rampage—pits and trenches everywhere.

“You’re back—Sir and Ma’am!”

One of the knights called out upon spotting them.

It was Lorenz—the knight supposed to be overseeing the operation.

Holding a liquor bottle, he staggered over and gave a respectful bow. It was… quite the performance.

“…We’ll talk later, Lorenz,” Aivert said.

Lorenz flinched.

Then quickly added, “Th-the farmer offered it to us…”

“Even so, you shouldn’t have drunk it.”  Rodella snapped back immediately.

“But refusing a gift is rude…”

“Oh, so working drunk is polite now?”  Aivert replied coldly.

They really were the infamous duo from the capital. Their expressions and tone of voice were eerily in sync.

At last, Lorenz went pale. The alcohol seemed to leave his system all at once as he scanned the area around them.

Then—

“UAAAAGH! I want to eat beruba steamed!”

He suddenly screamed a meaningless war cry—or perhaps a bizarre expression of motivation—as he watched the knights continue pulling up beruba.

Unsurprisingly…

It was absolute chaos.