SBTMK Chapter 25

"Speaking plainly! Come to the Black Knights!"

Kough—kough. That was the third cough already.

All because of the man standing beside Flora's bed, motionless as a wooden post.

'Hello! We meet again! I'm Hakra Zenikaon, commander of the Black Knights.'

One cough for the introduction—delivered with all the breezy cheer and none of the gravity she'd braced for, the same way she'd been caught off guard when she'd learned Simen was the Emperor.

'I brought a little bribe! Let's eat together!'

Another cough for the shameless suggestion that they share a meal.

And a third for the recruitment pitch, delivered with a face so utterly harmless it bordered on suspicious.

Through all of it, she hadn't been given a single opening to greet him properly.

"I'm Flora. It's an honor, Commander Hakra."

Flora finally managed to rise from the bed and bowed to him with proper formality.

Hakra said it was nice to meet her too and offered his hand.

"You could've stayed sitting, you know. Isn't it hard to move?"

"I'm fine. You said we should eat together."

"Ah, right. Right! Where's my head. Let's get to the table, quick."

Hakra wasn't in the formal dress uniform she'd seen yesterday but a comfortable everyday version. True to the "flamboyant" label she'd given him at first sight, he still wore a large brooch set with a red gem at his chest.

Flora stared at it, a little dazed, before making her way to the table.

Hakra set down the food he'd brought and laughed, a bit sheepishly.

"Am I being scattered right now? I'm just that nervous. Because I really, really want to bring you in."

"…Why me?"

"Do you want me to flatter you, or do you want the honest answer?"

"The honest one."

"Because you're the raw material of a Master. Strong people are a huge asset to a knight corps."

"…"

"Good with a sword, good with a bow, mana to boot—you're practically a gem that sparkles all on its own. Polish you up, and you'll be the finest treasure the Black Knights have."

His eyes actually glinted as he said it, and somehow the whole mood lightened without her quite noticing how.

'I asked for the honest answer, so why does it feel like it circled right back around to flattery…'

She'd been braced tight ever since Eden mentioned the commanders would come visit her in person, but Hakra's easy manner had loosened something in her, just a little.

Flora filed him under: A bit scattered, but easy to be around.

As they ate, she asked him something she'd been curious about, and got a surprisingly serious answer in return.

"What kind of assignments does the Black Knights corps usually take?"

"Originally, hunting demon-beasts was our main job. But now… things have changed a lot. New Demon Hollows keep opening up, and we don't have enough people to clear them. So these days, honestly, the White Knights and Black Knights do the same work. Both of us are short-staffed."

Given how few people had passed yesterday's exam, she could see exactly why the corps were short-handed.

When Flora asked why they simply didn't recruit more, Hakra laughed, a little awkwardly.

"The second exam was a warning—showing us, in advance, the worst that could happen to us as knights. Anyone who clearly can't stomach that gets filtered out early. Otherwise they'll carry a trauma for the rest of their lives that they'll never shake."

That wasn't hard for Flora to understand, given what she'd been through.

Earlier, when Eden had been treating her arm, she'd been honestly afraid—afraid the pain would lodge itself permanently in her memory and haunt her from there.

Just recalling the demon-beast's grotesque form from yesterday was enough to make her palms sweat, even now. Most people wouldn't be able to bear that kind of terror.

"Before Sir Kasin and I became commanders, the corps' reputation had hit rock bottom. Money, connections, family name—any of those could get you in."

"…"

"Right now we're trying to change that, slowly. The Imperial Knights need people with the courage to defend the empire even at the cost of their own bodies. You saw it yesterday. Ordinary courage doesn't cut it for this work. That exam was built to make the people who just wanted a title, a salary, and an easy life guarding a castle run for the hills."

Flora nodded.

"Once our numbers stabilize, the duties will split apart again. Like I said, the Black Knights will mainly clear Demon Hollows, and the White Knights will focus on guarding the palace—but they'll also handle border defense and major incidents in the capital."

"…"

"Talent like yours belongs in the Black Knights, clearing Demon Hollows. Though—I'm not pushing you! It's fine if you go with the White Knights instead. I'll just get scolded by my people a little, that's all…"

"…"

"Doesn't matter anyway—I'll just put in the request myself."

"…What?"

He'd been speaking so seriously, and then just—grinned, shameless as ever. Flora went blank for a second.

And so lunch with Hakra came to an end.

That evening, Kasin Revelotia paid a visit.

A little blunt, a little cold on the surface, but compared to Hakra, Kasin was genuinely an ordinary person. He skipped the unnecessary pleasantries, gave a short introduction, and sat straight down at the table.

She'd braced herself for some kind of comment about how she'd ignored his orders yesterday and fled—but he said nothing about it at all, not once, all the way through the meal.

"What kind of knight do you want to be?"

It was only once the meal was nearly over that Kasin spoke for the first time.

Flora went silent, caught off guard by the sudden question. Kasin didn't press. He simply waited, patient.

Slowly, Flora answered.

"Up until now… I've lived a life where I turned away from anything, as long as it meant protecting what was mine. But now, I want to live as a knight who protects the weak—who doesn't abandon justice for the sake of the greater cause. That's the kind of knight I want to become."

She didn't know how to make it sound impressive.

She simply took out the dream she'd been holding in her chest all this time.

The dream she'd started building, concretely, once she'd decided to stay in Haenkan.

She'd said something similar to the Labeliu heir yesterday, but strangely, the feeling swelling in her now was fuller than it had been then.

Kasin looked at Flora and pulled one corner of his mouth up.

"You've got my approval."

"…"

"Commander Hakra's probably already praised your skill until his mouth ran dry. There are gaps, sure, but you're near-perfect for a rookie. You could be dropped into a mission right now and it wouldn't be a problem. And once you're able to wield magic—I'm curious whether you'll be able to match an imperial Master's output."

"…"

"And just now—I like what you said, too. More than anything else, I want to protect your dream. I want to cheer for it. I want to be the one who leads you into becoming that kind of knight."

His voice was heavy, and it dropped straight into her chest.

"Will you come to the White Knights?"

He wasn't wearing a warm expression. His words carried no obvious affection.

And yet—I want to protect your dream, I want to cheer for it—those words sounded, to Flora, unmistakably warm. They felt better than any flowery phrase could have.

Flora nodded, as if drawn along by something she couldn't name.

She was ordered to rest here for the next week.

The arm that had ached like it was tearing had, thankfully, healed within a day, so she decided to spend the remaining time simply eating, sleeping, and letting her thoughts settle.

And this time, she wouldn't forget—she'd go see the temple with Eden. She was just thinking that when—

"Have you eaten?"

At the familiar voice, Flora spun around at once.

"What's this. Disguised as a mage again this time?"

"Close, but wrong. Just a robe I bought in the capital."

Simen had a black robe pulled up over his head.

Flora took in the sight of him and let out an involuntary laugh.

"Nobody recognizes you?"

"Nope. As long as I keep my head down."

"You said you'd come back, but I didn't think it'd take you this long."

The last time she'd seen him had been right after the exam ended.

He'd stepped out while Eden was treating her, said he'd come back—and she had no idea how many days it had actually been.

Without quite meaning to, having secretly been waiting for him, Flora let something slip.

"I had a lot going on. Don't tell me you were waiting."

"Ah—no. I just said that without thinking."

"What? You don't just say things like that. My heart nearly dropped, hearing it."

Simen rubbed at his own chest theatrically, and Flora pouted her bottom lip out at him, thinking, there he goes exaggerating again.

She'd had a reason to wait for him. There was something she'd wanted to tell him, right away.

Simen had probably already heard the news, but she'd wanted him to be the first to hear it from her, so she'd been holding it in until now.

She hadn't told Eden. She hadn't told Lugaria, even during her brief visits to the room.

"Simen, I—I've decided to join the White Knights!"

Simen, watching her, crinkled the corners of his eyes. He didn't look surprised—so he really had already heard.

"Good. Congratulations, Dame Flora of the White Knights."

Even so, the warmth on his face as he congratulated her made something in her chest go soft and full.

Simen reached out and stroked her silver hair, gently.

"We should throw a party. Now that you're really one of my people."

"How should we do it?"

"How much leave did you get?"

"A week. I have six days left."

"Right. And I heard your arm's better, too."

"Yes. Completely fine."

'So even that gets reported to him.'

Flora, caught up briefly in that stray, useless thought, shook her head hard to clear it.

"What?"

"Ah— no. Just a stray thought."

That he'd come check on it himself—a reckless, careless thought, and it had actually crossed her mind.

She had no idea why it had suddenly caught hold of her like that.

Flora hurried to change the subject, trying to wipe the confusion away.

"So how are we doing the party?"

"Let's go out."

"Where to?"

"For today—how about a tour of the capital?"

And then Simen said something that would completely drive out whatever confusion still lingered in her head.

"…You mean leaving the palace?"

"That's why I came dressed like this."

"Is that all right? Just the two of us?"

"There'll probably be shadows sticking to us like glue, but—on the surface, yes. Just us."

"Isn't that dangerous, though, even so?"

"It's fine. I used to make it all the way out to a far-off hunting ground in broad daylight, you know."

At his words, Flora thought of the old home where she'd first met him.

"Then… was he there too, at that time? Lord Erne?"

"Ah, right? Mm, I told him to stay hidden, in case you got scared and ran."

"So that's why Lord Erne dislikes me so much."

Simen didn't particularly deny Flora's muttered, half-to-herself conclusion.