The Female Knight Who Couldn't Even Last A Few Days Without Her Boyfriend Was Way Too Cute

“All right, line up!”

When I called out across the plaza after the battle had ended, the more than one hundred women silently formed perfectly straight rows at once.

“…Hmph.”

Even Ena, who had been particularly defiant until recently, obeyed without complaint, though she still looked somewhat dissatisfied.

For the time being, this should have brought everyone together.

“…Mm, mm. Good. That’s how you do it, Haru.”

Watching me perform my duties as commander, Karen-san nodded beside me with a satisfied smile. Somehow, I felt like a child whose parent had come to observe a class, but she seemed happy, so I decided not to worry about it.

“Now then, from here on we’ll split into two groups. First, I’ll ask for your preferences, so line up in front of either me or Karen-san――”

Before I could even finish, the entire group vanished from in front of me as though they’d coordinated it in advance, then formed a massive line in front of Karen-san.

“…I knew it.”

Technically, the previous battle had been a victory for both Karen-san and me, but in practice, Karen-san had almost completely stolen the show. So this outcome wasn’t surprising at all.

I’d heard that she’d been especially popular with women ever since her student days――perhaps this was a glimpse of what that meant.

The way they looked at Karen-san seemed strangely heated.

“…Seriously, are you all children or something?”

“…Ena, are you staying over here too?”

Ena and Zena watched the others with exasperated expressions. The two of them had remained on my side. Though I hadn’t expected Ena to choose me.

“――Don’t get the wrong idea, okay? I just don’t like that old hag. You know, the elimination method or whatever?”

“…Tsundere?”

“I told you, that’s not it! Hey, you over there, stop laughing!”

Zena tilted her head while Ena hurriedly protested with a bright red face――and I couldn’t help smiling at their heartwarming exchange. They were usually seen only as hardened warriors, but they also had moments when they showed such girlish and straightforward sides――realizing that alone might have made all the trouble worthwhile.

For now, I asked Karen-san to hand half of her line over to me, and with that, the group division was complete. From here, we’d carry out missions separately while teaching them tactics along the way――.

“Zena, sorry, but go with Karen-san. I want to keep you two separated as much as possible.”

“…………”

Since it was an order, Zena did nod, but the slight puffing of her cheeks made it obvious she wasn’t happy about it.

Zena followed my instructions accurately, so having her nearby was extremely helpful, but as someone in a leadership position, I couldn’t keep talking only to specific people and let my relationships become biased.

Of course, I had another reason as well.

“Then we’ll call Haru’s group the First Unit and mine the Second Unit. We’ll begin operations from this point onward. Second Unit, follow me for now.”

The Second Unit erupted into excited cheers at Karen-san’s gallant declaration, then moved out together while somehow forming an intensely yuri-like atmosphere.

――For now, I could safely leave that side to Karen-san.

Which meant it was time for the First Unit to get started as well, so we wouldn’t fall behind the Second.

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten the mission Erluka-sama had entrusted to me.

“Good, that’s it. Keep reducing the enemy’s numbers at this pace!”

While I continuously issued instructions from the rear, the First Unit steadily completed the day’s work.

After making them understand their allies’ abilities and combat styles, I had the entire party work together to compensate for one another’s weaknesses――it was the most fundamental principle of group combat, but even while struggling at first, they gradually began putting it into practice.

When these female warriors, whose physical abilities each specialized in a single aspect such as strength or speed, managed to coordinate properly, they became an enormous threat. We were still working with relatively small groups, but if we expanded that number further, we could raise the whole force to a level that ordinary groups wouldn’t stand a chance against.

On the other hand, their extreme physical specialization meant they had virtually zero aptitude for magic. If, for example, the Royal Capital Guard compensated for that weakness――thinking about it that way, I could understand why Erluka-sama and the royal capital were so invested in this country.

They could become far stronger than ever before――and the ones who probably understood that best were the women currently fighting.

“We’re done over here.”

“Good work. As expected, that was fast――any casualties?”

“Of course not. Who do you think I am?”

Ena returned without so much as a speck of dirt on her combat clothes, answering with a grin. I’d put her in command of a detached unit――essentially giving her the role of a company commander――and apparently it had gone well.

“…Hey.”

“? What’s wrong, Ena? If you’re tired, there are recovery potions over there, so drink one and get some rest――”

“I-I’m not tired. That’s not what I meant… I just had something I wanted to say――to, to… Captain…”

“C-Captain…!”

The moment Ena called me that for the first time, a jolt of electricity shot through my entire body.

For the first time, she’d called me Captain――which meant she’d acknowledged me, at least to some degree.

What was this feeling? I was unbelievably excited. I was starting to feel like I might delude myself into thinking I’d become a good superior.

“Y-You’re making too big a deal out of it. And besides, I still haven’t fully accepted you! You only beat the Princess, but you still lost to me, so don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Yes, yes. Adorable tsundere, very cute.”

“I told you, stop calling me a tsundere!”

And so, after all sorts of twists and turns, it finally looked like we’d managed to bring Ena, one of the major concerns, over to our side as well. Once the people around her had been won over, all that remained was dragging the princess currently shut away in her room back outside.

If we could secure the cooperation of Ena and Zena, her two close aides, the rest should be easy――or so I thought.

While returning to the plaza with Ena and the other girls to review the day’s mission,

A large convoy consisting of several carriages appeared ahead of us on the road. Judging from the neat decorations adorning them, they didn’t seem to belong to people from this country.

Upon seeing them, Ena glanced toward me.

“…Captain, something came up. Can you take the others back first?”

“Ena, do you know those people?”

“…They’re regular customers, you could say. I’ll explain the details later.”

Just as Ena stepped one pace ahead of me and began moving toward them, a woman emerged from the carriage in the center of the convoy――a woman wearing a gaudy dress that looked as though jewels had been scattered all over her body.

“――Good day, Ena. I’ve come to deliver the goods as promised today, but is Princess Lilia available?”

She was probably around the same age as Karen-san or Madeleine-san, though compared to those two, most other women their age tended to fade into the background anyway――but perhaps because she’d painted her bare skin unnaturally white with makeup, she looked far more garish and older than her actual age.

“Lilia-sama isn’t feeling well right now and isn’t in any condition to talk. So I’ll handle the transaction in her place this time, Nevan.”

Apparently Lilia remained mentally unstable, and Ena made that proposal to the woman called Nevan.

In response, however, Nevan looked down at Ena and snorted mockingly.

“Oh? Can someone as dim-witted as you even count properly? Wouldn’t it be better to bring that creepy――I forgot her name, but that silent woman instead? Or perhaps you could get the cute boy standing behind you to help. Judging by his armor, he’s from the Royal Capital, isn’t he?”

My armor bore the emblem showing that I belonged to the Royal Capital, so it was obvious at a glance――perhaps she and her group were merchants who did business throughout the Republic and surrounding regions.

“Cap――no, the guy behind me only just arrived here. He still doesn’t know anything about this place.”

“Hmm, I see…”

As though appraising merchandise, Nevan moved her eyes up and down, sharply inspecting my entire body. But apparently she wasn’t very interested, because after muttering, “…No good,” she quickly lost interest.

For some reason, that was a relief.

“Come on, quit standing around and hurry back. I’ll handle things here for now――”

Just as Ena began pushing firmly against my back to make me leave, an unexpected voice reached my ears from behind us.

“――Indeed, Ena is right. This matter has nothing to do with you.”

“Lilia…”

“Princess!? Why are you…”

Judging by Ena’s surprise, even she hadn’t expected Lilia to come here herself.

Were these goods they kept mentioning really that important?

“My, my, Princess Lilia, you are here after all. Thank you for coming all this way to greet me. If you’re feeling unwell, I wouldn’t have minded if you’d stayed in bed a little longer.”

“There is no need for your pointless concern. I wish to inspect the goods with my own eyes before making a decision, and besides――there are a few other matters I wish to discuss.”

While I hesitated over what I should do, Lilia glanced at both me and Ena,

“And so it is settled. Ena, I have no need of your assistance. Return to the guard post ahead of me together with that man.”

“But, Princess――”

“I said, return. That is an order. If you cannot obey it, then you will be banished from this country.”

“…Understood.”

Faced with pressure that left no room for argument, Ena had no choice but to back down.

Naturally, the other girls also seemed shaken.

“Ena, are you sure? Shouldn’t you stay with her?”

“…I can’t disobey the Princess, so there’s nothing I can do. Come on, Captain. If you don’t hurry back already, won’t that old hag start worrying about you?”

For now, we probably had no choice but to withdraw. There were far too many things I didn’t know to interfere in the situation here anyway.

“Captain… Ena, it seems you’ve become considerably more open with that man.”

After watching our exchange, Lilia muttered those words toward Ena. The sigh accompanying them carried no surprise whatsoever――only deep disappointment.

“N-No, Princess, that’s not what this is…!”

“It matters not. However your feelings may have changed is of no concern to me. In the end――in the end, I am all alone.”

“! Princess!”

I am all alone――after uttering those words as though she’d already given up, Lilia said nothing further and disappeared toward Nevan.

“Princess…! That’s not true. That’s not what this is…”

Ena’s knees gave way beneath her, and until she finally calmed down, all I could do was remain standing there beside her.

But of course, that didn’t mean I intended to simply stand by and do nothing.

“Ena, would you tell me? Tell me what happened to make the Princess become like the person we saw during that battle.”

The mission no longer mattered. Right now, I simply wanted to help her――to help all of them――and that single thought stirred restlessly inside my chest.