Chapter 50

The young man stood in shock, his gaze fixed on the carcass of the Great Wolf lying before him. However, upon hearing my voice, he slowly lifted his head.

Could he be thinking, “Where the hell did you throw that…? It almost hit me!”?

‘I-I’m sorry!’

But the only thing I could think of to help you was to throw my weapon… 

With an apologetic sentiment, I slowly reached out my hand to him. My heart pounded with worry that he might shrug me off, but he grasped my hand in response. Relieved, I helped him to stand, pulling his body up gently.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Y-Yeah…”

At that moment, I suddenly recognized the familiarity of his attire and facial features.

His white military uniform, adorned with a chest plate bearing the emblem of white wings, belonged to the White-winged Knights. Additionally, his orangish-brown hair and bright green eyes, along with his somewhat intimidating countenance similar to sanpaku eyes, reminded me of an aloof stray cat.

https://www.tsingapore.com/p/sanpaku-vs-normal-eyes-1200.jpg (sanpaku eyes)

He was definitely one of the White-winged Knights I fought alongside during the relief mission in Menonu city three weeks ago! Wow, I can’t believe we’re meeting here!

Back then, we didn’t have much time to converse and I didn’t even get to learn his name properly. I wondered how he was doing and couldn’t find him… Glad to see he’s doing well!

Wait, a member of the White-winged Knights? Oh, come to think of it, Felix mentioned earlier, “Apparently, a pack of Great Wolves has appeared along the highway at the east gate”… Could this be the place?!

Damn it. 

I was under the impression that a monster was attacking a civilian and panicked. But if it was a member of the White-winged Knights fighting, that’s a different story.

Could the scene of him about to be attacked by the Great Wolf have been part of some kind of strategy?!?!! To lure the enemy into letting their guard down!

“… I’m sorry, did I unnecessarily intervene?”

“N-No, you saved me, thanks. Thanks to you, it seems like we’ve taken care of the last one, and you saved my life too.”

He said this, cheeks faintly reddening, then turned his face away.

Ah, this is bad. I think he’s being overly considerate. I feel really sorry… showing off my cluelessness after intervening unnecessarily… that’s just not right.

“By the way, my name’s Rei.”

“Rei, huh?”

Seeing me downcast, the orange-haired youth introduced himself. I thought to introduce myself as well, but Rei continued to speak before I could.

“You’re Takumi, right? I remember talking to you during the defensive battle in Menonu city. Do you remember?”

“Ah, of course, I remember. I’m glad you remembered me, Rei.”

To my surprise, Rei remembered me even though we had only spoken briefly! Wow, that makes me so happy. Even though I remembered him, I didn’t expect him to remember me…

What a genuinely nice person this guy is! Despite that, I’m really sorry for meddling…

“I’m glad I got to hear your name. I didn’t get to ask during the time in Menonu city.”

“Is that so? I-I’m sorry…”

“I wanted to talk to you again. I never expected to meet you here, of all places.”

While conversing, I noticed specks of blood on Rei’s cheek. They must’ve splashed on her when the Great Wolf was stabbed earlier.

This sucks. If I hadn’t made such a poor throw, he wouldn’t have gotten dirty with blood…

Taking a handkerchief from my pants pocket, I gently wiped Rei’s face stained with blood. “I’m glad to see you again, Rei,” I said, smiling at him.

For some reason, Rei’s face turned beet red, and he froze like a statue. But he didn’t seem to dislike it, so I continued wiping his cheek. 

By the time I’d mostly wiped the blood off Rei’s face, a familiar voice called my name. “Takumi!! Why are you here…?!” The one who was surprised to see my face and had eyes wide open was Leon de Dorme, the leader of the White-winged Order, one of the eight knight orders in this country. 

Leon is a beautiful young man with long silver hair and pale ice-blue eyes. He’s dressed in a knight’s uniform and breastplate, more elaborately designed than Rei’s, all based on white.

His silver hair, ice-colored eyes, and white uniform give him an appearance that’s stunningly beautiful, even on the battlefield, almost like a sculpture made of ice.

But hey, our Gazelle and Felix aren’t losing in the handsome department either! As for me… I can’t even step into the same ring! 

“Takumi…why are you here?” 

Leon, who had dismounted from his horse, noticed the corpse of the Great Wolf and approached us, looking puzzled. Well, that’s to be expected. If an outsider, let alone a low-ranking member of another knight order, intrudes on their operation, no one would feel good about it. 

“Sorry, Leon. I didn’t mean to interrupt your operation.”

“No… it seems you’ve saved our member in danger. The one who should thank is me.” Leon said with a wry smile, but it only made me feel more guilty.

It looks like I really did interfere with their operation… I sent a glare at the culprit—no, the guilty horse—that brought me here in the first place. 

However, instead of showing remorse, the black horse I rode here returned my gaze with glittering eyes as if to say, “Come on, you can praise me, too!”

Ugh… it’s harder to get angry when there’s no ill intent…

“I’m really sorry, Leon, Rei. I didn’t mean to interrupt the White-winged Order’s fight… I just happened to pass by and couldn’t help but lend a hand.”

“N-no, I really didn’t mind…”

“Please don’t apologize too much, Takumi. If you say any more, it will make it hard for him. Besides…” Saying this, Leon  momentarily diverted his gaze from us. At the end of his line of sight lay the corpse of the Great Wolf, a Japanese sword stuck in its neck.

After glancing at the Great Wolf’s corpse, Leon turned back to us, his ice-blue eyes filled with a wistful light as he gazed at me. “I’m aware of your skills from the battle in Menonu city. For you, the Great Wolf might not be an enemy… but please don’t be reckless.” 

Huh? Did he just say that the Great Wolf is not my enemy? Is it just me, or did I hear him wrong? If it’s not a mishearing, then what on earth is Leon talking about?

“Leon… it seems there’s a misunderstanding. This time, I didn’t really do much. That Great Wolf was likely weakened from the fight with Rei and the others. I just delivered the finishing blow,” I explained.

“Heh, you’re as modest as ever.” Leon replied with a wry smile at my explanation.

But no, this isn’t modesty, it’s just plain fact!!!!

“Huh! I see, I understand now.”

While Leon looks delicate and strikingly handsome, he is the captain of the White-winged Knight Order. To him, subduing one or ten Great Wolves would be as easy as breakfast. Is it because he applied this standard to me, that he misunderstood that I defeated it effortlessly?

Moreover — it could be the fact that I’m a member of the Black-winged Knight Order that added to this misunderstanding.

You see, in the Kingdom of Ritzheim, there are eight knight brigades: the Golden-winged, Silver-winged, White-winged, Black-winged, Red-winged, Blue-winged, Green-winged, and Yellow-winged Orders. Each order has its own distinct characteristics.

For instance, the White-winged Order led by Leon is primarily composed of nobles’ sons. There was a time when they were mocked as the “Ornamental Knight Order”. However, after the defense battle of Menonu City three weeks ago, they’ve changed considerably, and it seems that there are fewer people slinging such insults now.

As for the other brigades, the Red-winged is a brigade mainly composed of female knights, the Green-winged comprises primarily commoners, the Yellow-winged is centered around beastmen and other races, and the Blue-winged specializes in naval battles. My brigade, the Black-winged, unlike the others, accepts members of any race or social status. During the admission, the only thing that matters is the individual’s skills, making us quite a unique brigade.

Therefore—being a member of the Black-winged Order equates to the people of this kingdom thinking, ‘Since he’s accepted into the skill-focused Black-winged Order, he must be quite skilled!’ This is an inevitable assumption.

So, even if I’m just a regular member, from Leon’s perspective, simply being a member of the ‘Black-winged Order’ implies that I must be somewhat skilled. 

…Really, it’s a wonder I was able to join the Black-winged Order.

“Oh, is that you, Captain Leon?”

“Takumi, are you okay?”

Just as I was pondering, another voice called out to me. Needless to say, it was Gazelle and Felix. Both of them seemed to have followed me.

“Gazelle, Felix. I apologize, my horse ran off on its own.”

“No, it’s a relief that you’re safe. …That aside, it seems that your blade is embedded in the Great Wolf.” 

“Ah, I threw it. I missed my aim slightly, though.”

“…..”

In response to my answer, Felix scowled as if he wanted to say something, a bitter expression on his face.

Huh, why?

“Takumi… you didn’t go doing something reckless on your own again, did you?”

“I’ve never done anything reckless. This time too, I just delivered the final blow.”

“……… You…”

At my words, Gazelle seemed exasperated, as if to say ‘not this again.’ 

Huh, why? …Could it be, Gazelle and Felix didn’t like my ‘I just delivered the finishing blow’ part? Are both of them thinking, ‘As members of the Black-winged Order, it’s lukewarm to just throw a blade and finish it off! We need to charge in more actively!’?

Hmm, as expected of the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Black-winged Order. Such battle junkie mentality. If they think like this, of course Leon would misunderstand… But I don’t want to be seen as a battle maniac like everyone else. After all, I’m trying my best here!