Southern Colony.
In front of the 4th Castle, the headquarters of the suppression army.
The Imperial Knight Commander was busy juggling his duties.
“Commander… no, Commander-in-Chief! We’ve received a letter asking if we need support from Schultzenburg.”
“Forget it. Politely decline. We can’t rely on mercenary families.”
“Understood. And the Holy Knights have requested to join the suppression army.”
“Holy Knights?”
The adjutant handed over a detailed report on the Holy Knights’ forces.
“Twelve knights… what a joke. They are probably armored infantry thrown together haphazardly.”
Twelve self-proclaimed knights. No magician mercenaries hired. No self-sourced supply lines either, so they’d rely on the supplies from the hired transport of the suppression army.
“Tsk…”
The commander tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.
Bringing in such scrappy troops would likely cause more harm than good.
His gaze drifted from the name of the Holy Knight Commander to that of the head knight.
“Is the actual head of the knights Schlus Hainkel? No way—”
“Yes. It’s Schlus Hainkel from the Imperial University.”
“Hmm…”
A faint smile crept onto his lips.
Schlus Hainkel owned the knights, it seems. They were probably a gathering of scholarships and medals.
Their armament and training must be a disgrace, but accepting them would indeed have its merits.
Even if he couldn’t give them a chance to shine, he could let them gain some real combat experience.
If so, this was an opportunity to owe a favor to Schlus Hainkel.
Though nobles bitched about Schlus Hainkel constantly, he was destined to hold a prominent position in the empire.
After the scandal with the Crown Prince, pressures against Schlus Hainkel had nearly vanished.
“Where are the Holy Knights now?”
“They’re waiting outside. I’ll call them in.”
“Do that.”
After the adjutant stepped out, he returned about a minute later, his footsteps creaking.
The newcomer was a soldier clad in full iron armor.
Well, they certainly ticked the right boxes.
Schlus Hainkel had apparently squeezed every penny.
The man soon removed his helmet and knelt before the commander.
“I am Taylor Schwartz, the deputy commander of the Holy Knights.”
“Deputy commander?”
“Yes. The commander has not yet arrived, so I am in command.”
“……”
A frequently tardy knight commander.
The Imperial Knight Commander’s brows furrowed.
He felt like telling the commander to come immediately and shoo him away.
“Therefore, I wish to hand over the command of the Holy Knights to the Imperial Knight Commander.”
“I accept. The Holy Knights are now part of the suppression army gathered to deal with the ruffians.”
“Thank you.”
But since the decision had already been made, there was no point in dragging things out unnecessarily.
Sorting out the chain of command with the troops gathered from across the nation was already too complicated; he wished to handle this tiny matter simply.
Soon, the deputy commander of the Holy Knights returned to report.
“Commander-in-Chief! I bring word that reinforcements have arrived at the 4th Castle.”
Just then, the adjutant rushed in.
The 4th Castle.
It was the northernmost castle among the four that had been taken by the rebel army.
In other words, it was at the frontline.
To solve the supply problem, they had to take back the three remaining castles, making this a crucial foothold.
“What type and scale of troops?”
“About a hundred medium cavalry.”
“What species?”
“Pardon?”
“Are they human or subhuman?”
“Subhuman.”
The commander tapped the table again and sank into thought.
Reinforcements at the enemy stronghold on the frontline was no good news.
If they were human soldiers, that is.
“We’re going to start preparing for an attack. Notify all troops.”
“What? Directly at the castle?”
“Yes. We’ll take it in one go.”
The existing plan to tire out the enemy and then launch a siege was immediately scrapped.
His instincts, honed by years of experience, told him that the reinforcements were nothing more than untrained scarecrows.
They needed to strike now.
“Yes, understood. I will summon the commander and strategist.”
*Bwooo…!*
The sound of a horn echoed through the ranks, signaling an emergency.
*
“I’m really being toyed with.”
“Hehe. Just making it more comfortable for you.”
“Then put me down.”
“Not a chance.”
“……”
I was lying on Iris’ thigh, sprawled out.
But the real issue was that no matter how much I disliked it, I had no way out.
Right now, my body wouldn’t listen due to mana exhaustion.
And of course, I wasn’t just saying I was uncomfortable for fun.
It was genuinely uncomfortable.
Iris’ thigh was so wide that my head was positioned too high for comfort.
Perhaps it was more about her butt size than her thigh.
Ah, whatever. Who knows.
“Ughhh… What are you two even doing?”
“Nursing a sick person.”
“……”
Even as Erica gasped in shock from the side, Iris remained shamelessly casual.
Shouldn’t a saint be more reserved about cuddling with an unrelated man like this?
Sooner or later, the Papal Palace might need to revoke Iris’ saintly title.
“What exactly happened?”
“……”
Erica reached out and touched my blood-soaked sleeve, her voice filled with concern.
I had intended to gloss over it, but…
It seemed she wouldn’t let it slide until I said something, so I decided to tell her.
“I killed several people.”
“……”
Neither Erica nor Iris could find the words.
Of course, as I intentionally chose a statement that was hard to respond to, this reaction was expected.
Even though it was a world where people die easily, it would undoubtedly come as a shock to Iris and Erica, who had likely never taken a life.
I, on the other hand, was fine.
I only killed a combination of characters, after all.
Yeah, they’re not human.
Not human at all.
“I… I see…”
“Phew. I’m relieved.”
“What? Why?”
“Seeing you flustered makes me think they’re not hired by Lichtenburg.”
“Of course not! What are you even saying?”
While it was obvious Erica was innocent, I did find myself questioning Madam Lichtenburg. But I decided to rule that possibility out.
If Madam aimed to kill me, she would only do so when she could certainly finish the job.
She wouldn’t recklessly mess with me over something as trivial as ruining my midterm grades.
“Not from Flechette either.”
“……”
As for Flechette… honestly, it was hard to say for certain.
Though the chance Iris led the charge against me was near zero, the old folks there occasionally stirred up trouble.
If Iris found that out, the council of elders in Flechette would be in for a shake-up.
If rumors surfaced from within Flechette, that would confirm it.
As for the rest, it could only be the Weigstein or other minor noble families.
Weigstein had barely been described in the original work, leaving me little information to reach a judgment.
Ultimately, the masterminds behind this incident were shrouded in mystery.
“……”
“……”
Feeling burdened by Iris’ smile, I turned my head away.
I had finally regained some strength to move slowly.
By the way, Iris’s gaze was strange.
It felt like she was probing me for something.
Damn it. I felt like I knew what it was.
“Erica.”
“Huh? What?”
“Can I go visit Julia someday?”
“What? No way. Absolutely not.”
“Erica, shouldn’t you at least hear me out?”
“What reason could you possibly have…?”
With Iris smiling, Erica clicked her tongue and asked.
“Julia has been having nightmares, calling my name in her sleep.”
“Oh, yeah. You did say that. But back then it seemed serious… No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s probably a psychological issue so there’s no need for you to feel guilty…”
“I think I might be able to solve it.”
“What?”
I slightly raised my trembling left hand.
The Ring of Miracles sparkled on my ring finger.
That was likely the issue.
Or rather, it was my empty wish with the ring.
I couldn’t afford to not feel guilty.
“I… How can you possibly resolve that?”
“I’m not sure. But I want to check on Julia’s condition. I don’t intend to perform an elaborate examination like a doctor; I just want to see her in person. Whether it’s for food, tea time, or a chat, anything is fine. I just hope to create an opportunity for us to meet alone.”
The solution was simple.
In fact, it could be done right now.
All I’d need to do was mutter a few words to the ring.
But I couldn’t do it.
There was still something I needed to verify.
Was it really Julia who had embodied in her body?
Or was it merely a ghost mimicking her?
I couldn’t just throw caution to the wind without checking first.
Alright. I won’t keep making excuses.
I wanted to meet her again.
I wanted to have a conversation again.
Even if it were a fake.
At the very least, I didn’t want to leave things undone.
“Alright, fine. But you mustn’t say anything weird to Julia, okay?”
“I won’t. Don’t worry.”
“But Schlus…”
“What is it?”
“Um… about that.”
“What about it?”
“W-well… when exactly did you start wearing that ring?”
Suddenly, Erica hesitantly asked warily.
She was asking about the Ring of Miracles.
I’m sure they had a rough idea.
Why the sudden focus on my accessory?
“I’ve been wearing it since I returned from the Imperial Palace.”
“Ah. I see. So that’s it. By the way, have you ever taken it off at all since then?”
Seriously, what’s with the questions?
I had briefly taken it off for the first few days, but eventually, I grew disinclined to remove it.
I even wore it while washing my face; enough said.
“I never took it off even once.”
I added a bit of exaggeration to my answer.
Immediately, Erica’s expression changed to one of surprise.
What’s happening here?
Is there something about the Ring of Miracles that I’m unaware of?
Could it be that it’s toxic and dangerous to wear it for long?
I couldn’t remember putting such a setting in.
“Heh. Heeey, I see… then it seems a marriage proposal has been made, huh?”
“……?!”
What?!
How did she know that?
I felt my expression falter in surprise as I abruptly realized my blunder.
Damn it. This was tantamount to confession.
Was she now sure of it, or did she lean in closer to whisper in my ear?
If I tried to deny it, I’d just end up looking ridiculous.
“Yes. That’s true.”
“You crazy… then when’s the official announcement?”
“What?”
“Nobles have been eagerly awaiting it. Obviously, it’s being advertised through the ring, so when exactly are you going to officially announce your engagement to the Crown Prince?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I was completely lost by what she was saying.
Were Aria and I engaged?
When did that ever happen?
“Are you seriously pretending you don’t know? You admitted it earlier, though.”
“So what exactly is happening? Please explain…”
*Thud!*
Just then, the door swung open violently.
As light poured in, Iris and Erica squinted.
But to me, who could see through mana, it was clear.
Sweating profusely and staggering in was Emilia.
Had she already recovered?
“Schlus… Hainkel! I’m not late for the deadline, am I…?”
Emilia’s gaze shifted to us as she surveyed the classroom, stopping dead in her tracks.
“I… I…”
“Yes. Everything has been submitted properly.”
“That’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”
“Thanks…?”
But Emilia’s voice was so cold it could chill the room.
Her glare was vicious.
What was up with her? Upon reflection, I realized…
Oh. She must have misunderstood something.
“Ah, no! Emilia, calm down! These two are just helping me, not trying to kidnap or attack me!”
“I know!”
“…?”
Wait, now she seemed angry?
What the hell was wrong with her?
I glanced at Iris for cues, but she was evading both our gazes.
This was the first time I had seen Iris so flustered.
