Chapter 135

【IF Route: White-winged Knight Order Enrollment Arc】Part 2

“Well then, Takumi. I’ll be right back, so please wait here.”

“Yeah, got it.”

I nodded and watched Leon and the vice-captain’s backs as they left.

The two of them were going to greet the commander of the Green-winged Knights, with whom a joint training session had just been decided.

It certainly seemed like I would just get in the way if I went along, so I’ll wait patiently.

—I was currently at the Royal Court located in the central part of Ritzheim City.

This place was apparently the equivalent of the Supreme Court of the Ritzheim Magic Kingdom, and the grayish-white stone building exuded a solemn atmosphere just by looking at it.

During peacetime, trials were conducted here, but once a month, members of the Royal Knights gathered and held a joint conference in this building.

When the White-winged Knights participated in this joint conference, it had become customary for the captain, vice-captain, and one member to attend. For some reason, I was selected as one of the participating members.

…Following the ball, I definitely felt out of place here no matter how you looked at it, so I thought it was clearly a mistake in the selection process.

Well, the joint conference was already over, and all that was left was to go home.

I’ll wait for Leon and the vice-captain to return without getting in the way—oh,

That’s definitely…

“……”

A young man who was in the room.

With shining golden hair and amethyst-like purple eyes.

Clad in a knight’s uniform with gold embroidery on black fabric, his appearance was more like a prince from a fairy tale than a knight.

When the young man noticed my gaze, he walked over to me with confident strides.

“It’s been a while.”

“…Yeah. It has been a while, Felix.”

“You’re… a member of the White-winged Knights, I see.”

Felix had a puzzled expression as he looked at the pure white uniform of the White-winged Knights that I was wearing.

Ah. That’s right, the White-winged Knights are basically a knight order that only accepts nobles.

Even Felix must have been surprised to learn that an ordinary commoner like me was a member of the White-winged Knights. I totally get it, yeah.

Regarding my enlistment, His Majesty the King said during the joint conference earlier that it was “a step towards removing the barriers between knight orders, an act that carries on the wishes of the previous king, and I want to praise Commander Leon’s wise decision,” so it doesn’t seem to be viewed negatively, but…

I have no idea what the ‘barriers between knight orders’ or the ‘wishes of the previous king’ mean!

I’ll ask Leon what they mean later.

“Oh, Felix. Is he the mysterious young man you were talking about?”

Then, a man peeked out from behind Felix.

He had wine-red hair and golden eyes reminiscent of a predator’s gaze.

Like Felix, he was wearing the uniform of the Black-winged Knights, but his collar was left more open than Felix’s, giving a slightly casual impression. However, it didn’t make him seem sloppy at all; rather, it brought out his charm to the fullest.

Wow, it’s Gazelle, the commander of the Black-winged Knights!

I saw him from afar during the conference earlier, but I never thought I’d get to see him this close!

I’m so moved to see both Felix and Gazelle up close, and even talking to them…!

I-I wonder if I could get their autographs if I asked!?

Ah, that’s right.

Speaking of the Black-winged Knights, I wonder what happened with that event.

I gave Felix some advice at the ball before, but…

“How was the village?”

When I asked, Felix’s amethyst-colored eyes widened in surprise.

And for some reason, the air around Gazelle also grew tense.

Huh? What’s with this atmosphere?

“…Your warning was genuine. Thanks to it, we were able to fend off the attack on Tomi Village. There was some damage to the crops, but no harm came to the villagers.”

“I see, that’s good to hear…”

I let out a sigh of relief at Felix’s words.

Seeing that, Felix furrowed his brows a bit in confusion.

“However, please tell me. How were you able to predict the future?”

…Huh? The future?

“That’s right. And you apparently knew the details of the pirate suppression order that had just been secretly issued to us.”

“Who exactly are you…?”

……

…That’s right!!!!!

At the ball the other day, I left Felix in a hurry to avoid being pressed about these things!

I-I’m such an idiot!

I should have run away the moment Felix approached me…!

I was so concerned about whether the village was safe or not that I focused too much on asking Felix about it and completely forgot about that…!

And I got too excited seeing Felix and Gazelle together!

There’s no way I can escape in this situation now!

And my identity has been exposed too…!

While thinking about what to do, I glanced at Felix and Gazelle.

When our eyes met, Felix’s cheeks turned slightly red for some reason.

I wonder why? But as expected, Felix is still handsome even with that expression!

I’m honestly envious!

But what should I do…?

F-First of all, I have to let them know that I can’t do something as grand as predicting the future!

“That wasn’t—it wasn’t really a prediction.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I just got that information from a certain source. That monster activity in that area was increasing, and there was a risk of casualties.”

“…And the reason you knew the contents of the royal decree issued to us?”

“That was also information from a certain source.”

Th-This is terrible…!

Gazelle and Felix exchanged troubled looks. I’m seriously sorry.

No, I mean, you see… When I try to explain that “I only knew about the monster attack and stuff from the knowledge I gained from playing the game in my previous world, not because I predicted the future or anything!” without mentioning the game and all, it can only end up sounding like this…!

“Who’s this ‘certain source’?”

Ah, but it seems like Gazelle is going along with it!

Thank you very much, thank you very much!

“Let’s just say it’s knowledge I gained from a certain place before coming to Ritzheim. So it’s pointless to ask the members of the White-winged Knights about it.”

The information about the monsters and such is from my game knowledge, after all!

Even if you ask Leon or the others, they don’t know anything about it!

“A certain source, huh.”

“…An organization that can predict monster movements and even grasp the internal information of the knight orders in the Ritzheim Magic Kingdom…”

Huh? Organization?

Wait, I feel like I just heard an ominous word from Felix’s mouth…

“Takumi!”

—I was about to ask Felix for clarification, but someone called out to me before that.

It was Leon, the commander of the White-winged Knights.

Behind him, the vice-commander was also looking at the three of us with a perplexed expression.

Yay, perfect timing, Leon! I love you!

This is a golden opportunity to escape from this awkward situation!

“Sorry, but since the captain is here, I’ll have to excuse myself.”

“…Ah, wait!”

As I hurriedly tried to go to Leon and the others, Felix grabbed my hand firmly.

Felix was staring at me with a somewhat flustered expression.

Wh-What is it?

“…Your name is Takumi, right?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Ah, he heard it from Leon’s call just now.

But they would have found out soon enough if they looked into it anyway. I’m the only commoner among the White-winged Knights, after all.

“…Takumi. I haven’t thanked you yet. Thanks to you, many people were saved. Thank you very much.”

I braced myself, wondering what he was going to say—but what Felix told me while looking straight at me was just a simple word of gratitude.

The tension left my shoulders, and at the same time, a smile naturally appeared on my face.

Seeing that, Felix’s cheeks turned slightly red, just like before.

I wonder what’s wrong. Could he have a cold?

“I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for believing in someone like me… and for saving the village.”

“…Takumi…”

“Well then, let’s meet again if the opportunity arises.”

I gently loosened Felix’s grip on my hand and headed towards Leon and the others.

Leon and the others, who welcomed me, asked with puzzled faces, “What were you talking about with the members of the Black-winged Knights?” so I answered, “Just some small talk.”

…Ah, that was really nerve-wracking!!!

I need to think more before acting from now on, or I’ll end up tightening the noose around my own neck.

…Come to think of it, Felix said something strange earlier, didn’t he? Something about an organization.

Well, it’s probably not a big deal, yeah.

More importantly, we parted on a relatively peaceful note at the end, so the next time we meet, I’d like to get autographs from Gazelle and Felix!

◆

“…Takumi.”

When I uttered that name, I felt an illusion of a sweet taste on my tongue.

It was a sensation like the nectar of a flower, yet with a refreshing clarity.

“Fallen for him, have you?”

Commander Gazelle teased me as he watched me repeat his name.

Although I answered with a wry smile, saying, “That’s not it,” even I could tell how unconvincing those words were.

Commander Gazelle seemed to realize that too, as he didn’t pursue the matter further and changed the topic to the next one.

“But still, it was incredible seeing him up close. I’ve never seen someone with black hair and black eyes before.”

“…Yes.”

The first time I met him was—in the courtyard of the venue where the children of nobility gathered for a ball.

I still vividly remember his profile gazing up at the stars, blending into the night.

His skin, with its mysterious color floating in the pitch-black space, looked extremely alluring.

…At that time, our encounter was in a dark place, so I couldn’t see the color of his eyes or hair clearly, but to think he had jet-black hair and eyes…

In this world, there are hardly any people with black hair and black eyes.

There’s only a legend from about 300 years ago that the hero who defeated the Demon King had black hair and black eyes.

“On top of that appearance, he has knowledge of predicting monster movements. And he’s the first commoner to join the White-winged Knights. No, that’s really amazing.”

“…He said he got the information from a certain source. Could he be a spy from another country?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, look at his appearance, you know?”

“You’re right. Certainly, just having black hair and black eyes would make him stand out too much as a spy.”

“And you know what? The story behind how Takumi got the Dorme family as his backer. The daughter of the Dorme family—in other words, that Leon’s sister. Apparently, while the young lady was traveling in a carriage, she was attacked by a horde of B-rank monsters. The White-winged Knights guarding her were also injured, and just when things were looking dire—that young man named Takumi threw himself into the fray to help.”

“I…didn’t know that.”

I was surprised by Commander Gazelle’s words.

“And then, with his demonic fighting skills, he single-handedly defeated the horde of monsters. As a result of that favor, the Dorme family became his backer, and moreover, Leon himself recommended his enlistment in the White-winged Knights.”

“…That’s too conspicuous for a spy.”

“More like, he’s too strong to be kept as a spy, you know?”

“…And Takumi didn’t try to hinder us; on the contrary, he gave us a warning. If it weren’t for that, the village would have been attacked by monsters.”

“That’s the thing… For a spy, he’s kind of…too kind, you know?”

However, if he’s not a spy, there are many questions that remain.

With that black hair and black eyes, and strength to face B-rank monsters alone, rumors about him should have spread quickly, regardless of whether it’s within the country or outside.

Commander Gazelle must have been thinking the same thing, as he muttered, “The only explanation is that he was thoroughly isolated to keep him out of people’s sight until now.”

“…He mentioned a ‘certain source.'”

“If they’re conducting research on predicting monster movements, it must be a pretty large-scale organization. And on top of that, they’re even well-versed in the internal information of the Ritzheim Knights.”

“Judging from the results, it’s likely a secret organization backed by someone of higher status than nobility, right?”

“I don’t know if he was dispatched to this country by the organization or if he left the organization… But we can’t leave this alone. I’ll have Iris discreetly look into it.”

I nodded in response to Commander Gazelle’s words.

But at the same time, somewhere in my heart, I believed that he—Takumi—wasn’t a bad person.

“How was the village?”

“I see, that’s good…”

—He asked about the village first thing.

And when he heard that the village was safe—

“I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for believing in someone like me… and for saving the village.”

…At that time, his gentle yet lonely smile is etched in my heart.

“Takumi…”

I let his name rest on my lips once more.

It was the first time in my life that I had such strong feelings for another person.