The Female Knight Who Suddenly Started Throwing A Tantrum The Moment She Learned Her Boyfriend Was Being Assigned To An All-Female Knight Order Is Way Too Cute

And so, after the fun (??) farewell party ended, the day of my departure finally arrived――.

“Haru, you haven’t forgotten anything, have you? Once you get over there, you won’t be able to return to the royal capital for a while, so make sure you’ve properly checked everything you’ll need.”

Despite how drunk she had gotten last night, Karen-san came to my room early in the morning as usual and helped me prepare while looking even more restless than I was.

Incidentally, she apparently remembered absolutely nothing about last night――I wonder what kind of structure Karen-san’s body has.

“Oh, it’s almost time to leave. Captain, you’re coming to see me off too, right?”

“Yeah. From what we were told beforehand, members of the knight order you’re being assigned to should be waiting at the docks. As your captain, I should at least greet them.”

As you can tell from the fact that the region I was being dispatched to was called an “archipelago,” it lay across the sea from the continent where the royal capital was located, so traveling there was basically done by ship.

It would take roughly two full days to reach my destination――which meant I would not be able to casually come home for a visit.

And so, Karen-san and I would have to part for a while.

“…………”

“? What’s wrong, Haru?”

“No――everything happened so suddenly that I didn’t really have time to think about it, but now that it’s here, I guess I really am sad about being separated from everyone.”

It was a little late to be realizing it, but as I looked around the room I would be leaving empty for some time, loneliness welled up in my chest all over again.

This was the place where I had first begun my life as a knight. It had plenty of inconveniences, but I had finally grown familiar enough with it that I could call it “home.”

“It can’t be helped. Every knight has to go through something like this eventually. Right now, you’re probably feeling nothing but anxiety about the new environment, but don’t worry. After all――”

Karen-san looked straight into my eyes and said,

“Haru, you’re the one and only man I chose to believe in.”

“Karen-san…”

“The duties of a captain――I know you can handle them. Go out there and give it everything you’ve got.”

“――Yes, understood.”

When I saw this side of her, I was once again strongly reminded of just how dependable Karen-san was as a superior. She always trusted and encouraged her subordinates――and in addition to being an excellent motivator, she possessed unquestionable skill as a knight. That was probably why she could keep all of Black Hawk together despite its reputation for being full of rough characters.

“Oh, it’s almost time. It would be rude to keep the people waiting for us any longer, so shall we head out?”

“Yeah. …Wait, Haru. Before that, turn this way for a second.”

“? Sure, what is it, Karen-sa――”

At the same moment the bell announcing wake-up time throughout the knights’ quarters rang out, Karen-san and I kissed.

“Mm――”

It would only be a brief separation, but for a couple who had only just begun dating, even that time was precious――as though reluctant to part, we firmly intertwined our lips and tongues.

“I’ll make sure to take an extended leave before long and come visit you. We’ll continue this kiss afterward.”

“――Yes.”

Caught completely off guard and with my heart pounding at the same time, that was all I could manage to say.

What happened to you all of a sudden? Wow, Karen-san was incredibly cool just now. So handsome. I might melt.

Apparently, this was the same person who had confessed in a tavern last night that “our first time hurt so much that we haven’t done anything recently.” She herself did not remember it, though.

Still, I had gotten her word now, so I had something to look forward to during her next extended leave. An excuse to tease Karen-san in bed at night.

I had not missed it. There had been the faintest bead of sweat on Karen-san’s forehead immediately after she delivered that suave line.

She might have been thinking, “Oh no, I got carried away and said that, what am I going to do?”――but it was already too late.

If Karen-san would become this gentle with me because of it, then perhaps feeling anxious every once in a while was not such a bad thing.

“…Hey, Haru. Um, about what I just said, could I maybe revise――”

“No♪”

“Aw…”

Seeing cute Karen-san force herself to raise the bar just to cheer me up filled me with even more motivation.

Thank you, Karen-san.

――Truly.

Even though it was still dim outside, the harbor for ships departing toward the Southwestern Islands was already bustling with people that morning.

Located beside the castle town of the royal capital, the area contained not only docks for ships traveling between continents, but also a market where fish and other seafood brought back from the day’s fishing were sold. The scent of salt carried by the sea breeze mingled with the heat of the crowd――creating an atmosphere almost like a festival.

Among all those people, one person in particular drew the attention of the crowd as she waited for our arrival alongside her attendants and escort knights.

“――Haru-sama!”

When I pushed through the crowd and approached her――Erluka-sama――the princess’s face lit up the moment she recognized me. It had been a long time since we had met face-to-face like this, so I was happy too, not to mention deeply honored.

“My apologies. I never imagined you would come here personally, Princess…”

“It’s perfectly fine, Haru-sama. This matter was something I decided on my own authority, so I ought to do at least this much for you.”

“Your own authority, Princess? Um, what exactly does that――”

“…I’ll explain that now, Karen.”

Lowering her voice so only we could hear, the princess began explaining the true reason behind this personnel decision.

“The matter of dispatching Haru-sama as acting captain――in truth, there had originally been no such plan whatsoever. Karen――that must have been the very first thing you questioned too, correct?”

“Yes, well… if someone is being dispatched abroad, they would normally be notified much earlier.”

Whether the new assignment was nearby or far away, it was normal to receive some kind of advance notice whenever one’s posting was going to change.

To use the same example again, when Mulberry was recruited away from White Cross, they had first asked her, “There is talk of transferring you to Black Hawk. What do you think?”

This time, none of that had happened, and I was even being dispatched overseas. Furthermore, the princess would never go this far for a single knight under ordinary circumstances, which suggested that this was an extremely urgent matter.

“Originally, someone from the main unit where I served had been dispatched ‘there’ as a knight――but apparently that person ran away… Their ability was beyond reproach, but it seems they simply couldn’t manage to keep the members under control.”

“Someone from the main unit deserted…? Princess, where exactly is Haru being sent this time――”

“Oh! Hey, Princess~! Is that little shrimp our next ‘slave’??”

Just as Karen-san tried to ask the princess, a loud, clear voice cut into our conversation.

When I turned toward the voice, I saw two girls with glossy brown skin standing on the deck of a ship already moored nearby. Judging by their revealing combat attire and the curved swords hanging at their waists, they appeared to be female warriors.

“Here we――go!”

One of them――a short-haired girl who looked particularly energetic――leaped high into the air in a single bound and landed beside us from the deck.

Karen-san and I could only stare in amazement at physical ability that seemed almost beastlike.

“…It has been a while, Ena. Is the ‘princess’ on your side doing well?”

“Mm, more or less. But she’s been in a bad mood lately because her ‘toy’ ran away――right, Zena?”

“Mm…”

The quiet voice of the other girl, who should have still been standing on the deck moments ago, suddenly sounded from behind me.

When did she――? While I was wondering that, the girl called Zena, whose black braided hair hung to about shoulder length on both sides, began patting and feeling my back, arms, and hands.

“Zena, what do you think of him? He looks pretty frail, but think he can handle it?”

“…No good. Tougher than he looks… but the last guy was better.”

“Really? I was looking forward to seeing what kind of guy they’d send, but this is kind of disappointing. Hey, Erluka-saaaan… can someone who looks like a kid really keep all of us under control?”

Ena pouted in dissatisfaction and complained to the princess in a manner of speech that was somewhat――no, extremely――disrespectful toward royalty.

“There is no need to worry, Ena. I am certain he will unite all of you without the slightest difficulty.”

“Hmmm… now that sounds interesting.”

As Ena observed me with a snake-like stare while licking her lips, I, the person directly involved, could only feel bewildered. Judging by the conversation, these girls were probably among the people who would become my subordinates, but….

“――Haru.”

“? What is it, Captain…? You look kind of terrifying right now――whoa!?”

At that moment, Karen-san suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled my entire body tightly against her chest.

“Karen-sa… Captain, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“――Don’t go.”

“What?”

“I said don’t go after all. Haru, I can’t let you be sent to a place like that.”

“??”

Even though we had exchanged a farewell kiss just moments earlier, now that it was finally time for me to leave, Karen-san suddenly started throwing a tantrum.

At first, I wondered whether being surrounded by girls yet again had triggered her usual “I won’t give my Haru to anyone” condition――but apparently that was not quite the reason….

“Release him, Karen. That is an ‘order.’”

“Ugh… but Princess――”

“Understand, Karen. I know how you feel, but this ‘mission’ is the result of my judgment that Haru-sama is the person best suited for it.”

The princess admonished Karen-san in a cold tone, but whenever she spoke like this, she was almost always concealing her true feelings. This decision must have been a painful one for her as well.

“Hey, hey――you old lady over there, he’s already our new ‘toy,’ so quit butting in from the side and getting in our way.”

“O-Old…!!??”

At Ena casually hurling the word “old lady”――the second-worst thing you could possibly call Karen-san, who was almost thirty, according to my personal research――the veins at Karen-san’s temples visibly bulged.

Wait, what was with this atmosphere? This was supposed to be nothing more than seeing me off, so why had I somehow ended up standing in the middle of a battlefield between women?

As I watched Karen-san and the female warrior Ena trade invisible bolts of lightning through their glares, Erluka-sama quietly whispered into my ear.

“Haru-sama… I have written all the details in a letter, so please read it once you are alone. It is encrypted, so do not forget to dispel the formula――this is a 【mission】.”

At her words, I responded with only my eyes. Ever since earlier, Zena, the other female warrior, had been staring intently in our direction.

Judging from the way she moved, she was probably an “assassin”――so it seemed I could not afford to show too many openings.

“Um, Princess… There’s just one thing I’d like to ask. Why did Karen-san suddenly start throwing a tantrum――?”

“Ah… the knight order in the country where Haru-sama will be serving as acting commander is actually made up entirely of women――and every single one of them is young.”

“I see… that explains it.”

As I watched Karen-san and Zena finally begin grappling with each other, I felt a slight sense of unease about the 【mission】 ahead, which clearly would not be simple.