“The suppression army not only failed to manage the prisoners in the last battle, resulting in the loss of the 4th Castle, but also suffered immense losses due to strategic failures. I will hold the Imperial Knight Commander, Kane von Sturmgarten, accountable for all of this and revoke his qualifications as Commander-in-Chief.”
“Revoke…!”
*Gasp!*
Surprised gazes all turned to Schlus Hainkel at once.
Yet, he didn’t blink and just stared at the Imperial Knight Commander.
Even after a long wait, there was no attempt to retract the slip of the tongue.
He was undoubtedly serious.
“Is it a decree? Did His Majesty the Emperor dismiss me?”
“······.”
As Schlus Hainkel maintained his silence, a faint smile spread across Kane’s lips.
As long as it wasn’t a direct order from the Emperor himself, there might be a way to work things out.
“That is not the case. Even if you are a knight directly under the Emperor, you have no authority over the commander of the suppression army.”
“You seem to be seriously mistaken, Imperial Knight Commander. During the 44 hours you’ve been absent, it was purely thanks to the Holy Knight Commander’s achievements that the remaining troops were able to retreat into the fortress and continue the fight. At that point, you had already lost all qualifications. Do you now understand?”
“So you’re saying I want my qualifications back!”
“To someone who lost the entire suppression army?”
“It was just bad luck that I was defeated. It’s fine to hold me responsible, but to hand the position of Commander-in-Chief to some private knight commander? Are you out of your mind? Are you saying the honorable Imperial Knights’ status is less than that of the Holy Knights?”
“When you say ‘honorable Imperial Knights,’ do you mean the twenty or so knights present here? If so, it seems that a private knight order is indeed of greater standing.”
*Kugh…!*
Frustrated, Kane slammed his hand on the table.
Once numbering in the thousands, his knights had dwindled to just over twenty.
All because of himself.
He intended to take responsibility for this.
He thought he could turn things around as Commander-in-Chief.
But that man appeared determined not to give him that opportunity.
“Step down as Commander-in-Chief, Kane. I will give you the position of Vice Commander. Help Pelaine rebuild the suppression army.”
“······.”
If this issue were put to a vote now, he could easily secure the position of Commander-in-Chief.
Most of the knights, being affiliated with the Imperial Knights or having once been associated, would likely support him.
But that would be a problem afterward.
It was evident that the Holy Knights would withdraw from the suppression army altogether.
That would mean losing thirty percent of their core strength.
With each knight being precious, he couldn’t afford to do that.
If Kane accepted the Vice Commander position, he could at least maintain whatever remaining forces he had.
“I… will give up…,” he replied quietly, eyes tightly shut.
“Commander!”
Kane spoke softly, prioritizing the conduct of the war over his pride.
Taking responsibility for the defeat and stepping down to prevent the fragmentation of the suppression army was undoubtedly the right path.
“Then, are there any opposed to Pelaine Armstrong maintaining the position of Commander-in-Chief?”
“······.”
The mansion fell silent as if filled with mice.
With the Imperial Knight Commander having given up, no knight dared to voice opposition.
“Alright. I expect there might still be some who aren’t comfortable with the new Commander-in-Chief. Pelaine, please introduce yourself for now.”
“······.”
*Creak, creak.*
A fully armored knight stepped forward.
An odd one, even wearing a helmet indoors.
“Handing the Command-in-Chief position to a mute and then proceeding with the military meeting yourself? How about you just take the title of Commander-in-Chief yourself?”
Crossing his arms, Kane spoke bluntly.
“That’s not possible. In a week… and two days, I have to return to school.”
“Do you have some urgent business?”
“I have classes to attend.”
“······.”
Kane’s mouth dropped open.
Was he hearing this right?
In a dire crisis where the suppression army was on the brink, this person was saying he had to return to his studies in a week?
It was beyond his comprehension.
But before he could question Schlus Hainkel further, Pelaine removed her helmet, sending a stir through the mansion.
“W-What…?!”
“A woman?!”
Revealing herself from the helmet was a pretty lady with short, messy hair, sweat dripping from the tips of her bangs.
The knights were left speechless, unable to find words.
This was certainly not a typical situation.
A woman taking on the role of a knight commander, no, the Commander-in-Chief of an improvised army.
While it might not have precedent, they couldn’t complain about it.
“Eh? Ehh…?!”
Pelaine’s wild hair began to shake.
Then, a tuft of fur poked up through her hair, revealing furry ears, pointed and covered in white fur.
That was a clear indication of being subhuman, furry ears.
“S-subhuman! There’s a subhuman here!”
“A subhuman has infiltrated us!”
The knights, as if they found a lead, began to point fingers and shout.
It was difficult to remove her simply for being a woman, but a subhuman was a different story.
They thought they could drag her down as the lowly slave class known for being spies.
However, their calculations were overshadowed by a more profound, physiological repulsion.
“Is there a problem?”
“······.”
A low voice echoed.
A deep tone, yet unmistakably belonging to a woman.
Under the pressure embedded in her tone, the knights swallowed hard.
“We are currently at war with subhumans. How can I be commanded to kill subhumans by a subhuman? I cannot accept this.”
“······.”
One knight stepped forward and shouted loudly.
Everyone else nodded, watching Pelaine and Schlus for their reactions.
Yet, Schlus just sat back in a corner, legs crossed, appearing to find this situation amusing.
Kane glared at the knight who spoke up, while Pelaine parted her lips.
“Then how about Sergey von Freust, who took the lead in the war against the Trud Kingdom? Isn’t he also from the Trud Kingdom? The Imperial Army has taken orders from subjects of the kingdom and have slain subjects of the kingdom; why is it that you cannot follow the orders of a subhuman to slay subhumans?”
“No, that’s a different matter!”
“In what way is it different? I demand a detailed explanation.”
“Well, it’s a different race! Freya and Trud are simply different nationalities! We’re both human, after all! But subhumans are inferior to humans… aren’t they…?”
“······.”
As if he realized his misstep, the knight’s voice grew quieter.
But Pelaine stared at him, expressionless and unflinching.
As if she was used to this sort of thing.
As if she had been well-versed in humiliation and persecution.
“Then how about a duel? Let’s see which of us is inferior.”
“······!”
As Pelaine reached for her scabbard, the knight stepped back, gripping his sword.
His expression hadn’t changed since earlier.
Yet, he felt a sense of *killing intent* emanating from her gaze.
“If you’re trying to threaten me with fear, that won’t work. If you cannot prove that you are not a spy for Duke Lorraine, we will never trust you.”
“Hah…! You want me to prove I’m not a spy…?!”
“Vice Commander.”
Unable to contain himself, Taylor slammed his hand on the table.
It seemed these knights had forgotten everything that had happened the moment they saw Pelaine’s face.
Ignoring Pelaine’s firm grip on the situation, Taylor felt an urge to voice his thoughts.
“When we were besieging the 4th Castle. When we were ineffectively trying to breach the fortress filled with archers, who climbed up the walls and seized the fortress? It was Commander Pelaine. And when we got ambushed down low, surrounded, and discovered the enemy cavalry’s charge by scouting the rear, it was our Holy Knights who made a retreat route with the remaining meager forces. And what? A spy? That’s a laugh! If we’re talking about collusion with the enemy, it’s the Imperial Knight Commander who has wiped out 90 percent of the suppression army!”
“Taylor. That’s enough.”
“······.”
As he reached the point of offense, Pelaine shut her eyes tightly, indicating him to stop speaking.
At this point, it was enough.
Everyone here knew it.
Pelaine and the Holy Knights had fought for the suppression army harder than anyone else.
There was no way they were spies sown by the rebel army, nor a chance to betray them.
Logically, they understood this, but their expressions did not reflect acknowledgment.
A more fundamental, physiological repulsion resided within them.
As Kane examined the knights’ faces, he frowned in displeasure.
Then, he exhaled deeply and slammed the table.
“Indeed, I cannot abandon the position of Commander-in-Chief.”
“Imperial Knight Commander!”
“It is absurd for a human to heed the commands of a subhuman. Let’s duel. If you can defeat me, then I will accept your promotion as a superior.”
“······.”
Pelaine, slightly taken aback, looked at Kane’s face.
The honorable Imperial Knight Commander, reversing what he had just said?
While it seemed incomprehensible at first…
*Pfft…*
She quickly grasped his true intent.
With a chuckle, Pelaine replied.
“Alright. Let’s settle this with a dual now.”
“Whoa-oh-oh…!”
With the sudden duel set, the knights felt a surge of excitement, shouting in a frenzy.
It was a perfect chance to drag the subhuman down so she wouldn’t order them around…
Or so they believed without a shadow of doubt.
