Chapter 33

[Approx. 83% of previous quarter (a 17% decrease)]

A murmur of awe spread through the hall— even the Emperor himself let out a quiet sound of admiration.

In the midst of this, Rodella continued.

“Especially in the past month alone, the reduction in damages is as follows.”

At her words, Aivert flipped the presentation baton.

Then once again—

—Snap!

Rodella broke another baton and held it up next to the one Aivert was holding. The comparison was clear: the piece she held was noticeably longer.

“As you can see, damages dropped by more than half. Compared to the damages in December  from the previous quarter, they’ve plummeted to 42%.”

The cause was obvious to everyone.

It was one month ago that Rodella joined the Azure Knights.

“……!”

Surprised by the outcome, several nobles in the audience exchanged looks, especially those aligned with the Red Knights.

But soon enough, skeptical murmurs began to rise among them.

“The numbers are volatile anyway. What if the Vice-Commander smashes another golden statue like last time? The figures will shoot right back up.”

It was the Red Knights’ Commander who voiced the sentiment aloud.

Many nodded in strong agreement.

“Exactly. Short-term data like this is nothing but a smokescreen.”

Accusations veiled in politeness began circulating—some even going as far as to question whether she was brazen enough to try misleading the Emperor himself.

But before it could take root, Rodella stepped in.

“That’s not all.”

Of course she’d prepared for this response.

She motioned for Aivert to lower the baton and raised her voice.

“The Azure Knights have also begun direct public outreach efforts, so the people of the Empire can feel His Majesty’s grace more personally. These are their evaluations.”

What she read next were, naturally, compiled testimonials—starting with the farmer Thomas and followed by other citizens who had received support, praising the Emperor.

“…….”

The Steward glanced at the Emperor, anxious about how he would react to this unconventional report format. Fortunately, the Emperor seemed pleased—his expression relaxed.

Rodella pressed on.

“We have also significantly increased patrols of nearby monster clusters to minimize public anxiety. According to our survey, over 70% of respondents reported a decrease in fear compared to the last quarter.”

And this was Rodella’s final, winning move.

But once again, the Red Knights’ Commander flatly nitpicked.

“If the Knights themselves conduct the survey, of course the public will say they feel safer.”

With swords drawn in front of them, would anyone dare say they still felt unsafe?

He glanced around with a shrug, as if to say ‘isn’t that obvious?’

While questions were allowed and thus not inherently rude, the tone of incredulity in his voice was impossible to miss.

But this was exactly the kind of question Rodella had anticipated.

She flashed a pleasant smile.

“Naturally, we thought such bias might affect the results, so we hired commoners to conduct the survey instead.”

“Ah, then you truly captured the people’s voices up close,”  the Chancellor said with a satisfied grin.

The Red Knights’ faces turned a dull shade of gray—visibly stung by the counter.

Watching this, Latine clenched his fist.

Sure, the expenses for the public survey had come out of his own pocket, but he could now confidently say: this was the most fulfilling expense he’d made in the past year.

When Rodella’s presentation concluded, the Emperor rose from his seat.

Unlike at the start, he now wore a faint smile.

On the dais, his gaze flicked between the Red Knights’ administrator Ryan and Rodella. Then he gave a nod.

“The Red Knights must push a little harder, but they’ve shown decent results this year. However, the Azure Knights…”

He nodded again.

“There’s been significant change. A fascinating outcome. If it continues this way, I’ll be very pleased.”

It was, essentially, the highest praise possible.

At that moment, the long-standing rivalry between the Red and Azure Knights had its first official victory—following Rodella’s appointment as the Azure Knights’ administrator.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The entire Azure Knights delegation bowed together.

Applause erupted at the warm scene—but one group barely clapped, if at all.

Unsurprisingly, it was the Red Knights—and Ryan Diepelt in particular.

His expression was unmistakably sour.

“……”

Rodella met Ryan’s glare.

‘What? Didn’t expect to lose? Don’t tell me you actually thought you got promoted ahead of me on merit back in the Ministry?’

She smiled sweetly, pleased with the turn of events.

Now that everyone had seen the winds of change blowing through the Azure Knights, it was time to create a real divide.

The next step was already forming clearly in her mind.

* * *

“Must be the academy’s top graduate.”

People murmured as they exited the hall.

“The Chancellor certainly knows how to spot talent.”

Most of those praising her were neutral nobles, unaffiliated with the aristocratic faction.

“……”

The ones passing by silently with curt glances were those at the heart of the noble faction.

“We should head back quickly,”  

Rodella said as she noticed them.

With so many people around, she was nervous the handcuffs might get noticed at any moment.

“That’s true,”  Aivert replied, but his gaze drifted to one side.

Unbeknownst to Rodella, he had been aware of someone watching her for a while now.

“…?”

Rodella turned to follow his line of sight.

What she saw was a Red Knight.

The man had been glaring at her—but when he met Aivert’s eyes, his face went pale, and he fled.

“What a pest.”

Aivert’s voice was low, his narrowed eyes carrying an edge that felt almost murderous.

Startled by the sudden chill, Rodella turned to him.

“Shall we go?”

But when he asked, his tone was light and familiar—just as it always was with her.

Familiar, yet slightly different…

Ah.

She remembered where she had seen that look before.

It was surprisingly vivid, etched in her memory more than she expected.

— Crunch.

It had been shortly after she’d joined the Azure Knights.

The day Aivert had crushed the hilt of a Red Knight’s sword.

That cold, almost deathly gaze he cast at the fleeing knight—it looked just like this.

Maybe even colder now.

Yes, she was sure of it.

That kind of chill had never been directed at her, but she’d seen it countless times before.

Casually, in passing. Especially back at the academy.

“Greetings, Your Grace!”

“No need to be so stiff.”

By the time they graduated, he had seemed to interact and blend in with others more often.

Or had time blurred her memories?

Rodella tilted her head slightly.

That strange look in his eyes lingered in her thoughts.

She knew this much: Aivert wasn’t particularly kind to others.

Thanks to his sharp tongue—which often blurted out uncomfortable truths without hesitation—he had a reputation among the nobility as a walking disaster.

In truth, he did it on purpose. He wanted people to feel uncomfortable.

That uniquely insolent temperament of his was politely described as “difficult to deal with.”

But sometimes, people said there was something cold about him, too.

Rodella used to think: ‘He’s blunt, sure, but he doesn’t come off as cold to me…’

Now, in this moment, she thought she understood what they meant.

He felt… like someone else. ‘If it weren’t for these cuffs keeping us close, would I ever have known this side of him?’

She felt like she was seeing many new sides of him lately.

“Rodella?”  His voice called her back from her thoughts.

She looked over, then glanced again at the spot where the Red Knight had vanished.

“You really shouldn’t go around making enemies.”

Scaring the guy off like that wasn’t ideal.

Sure, the Red Knight probably already had a bad opinion of them, but still—it wasn’t good to be like that with everyone. Aivert had to know that too.

“There’s no shortage of people acting like that around me,” she began, “and if one of them really causes trouble, that’s when you―”

Aivert interrupted smoothly.

“But you’ll suffer in the meantime.”

“…Huh?”

His words flowed so gently—but they rippled through her like a stone in still water.

Once again, he lightly tapped her.

“I hate everything you hate.”

Enough to want to destroy it.

Rodella’s eyes widened.