Chapter 80

There is a term: “troublemaker.”

It is a collective term for people who possess the nature of attracting all sorts of trouble, from unnecessary inconveniences to disasters they have no business carrying. If I had to give an example, it would be the majority of the members of the Royal Foreign Hazardous Species Countermeasures Knights. To be even more specific, Captain Akina is a textbook case.

One might wonder, “How can the majority of the members be troublemakers?” but when you think about it, we as a knight order are troublemakers ourselves, so it could be interpreted that we simply have many veterans who are used to being in such situations. Not that being used to a lousy situation is something to be proud of.

However, in such an environment, I have a relatively low trouble-encounter rate.

You could also call it “ordinary.”

Even if I do encounter trouble, I can often just let it slide, so it’s usually people other than me who bring back major trouble. At the academy, the composition was usually Sedona bringing the trouble, Astraea stirring it up, and me being the one swung around trying to clean up the mess.

In short, what I mean to say is this:

“No! L-let go…!”

“Hey, hey, hey! You said you’d go out with me earlier, isn’t your change of heart a bit too quick?”

“I only agreed to talk to you because I’m afraid of you…! Stop it already…!”

“Lying isn’t good, you know. I don’t mind a little devil girl who plays with a man’s heart, but I wonder if you even know what your position is… Huh? You there, brat. You’ve got a look on your face like you have a complaint for me, what do you want?”

In any case, since I had time on my hands and went out for a walk in the town of Calypso, it’s quite rare that I would stumble directly into such an obvious scene of trouble.

Before me was a man, two sizes larger than me and possessing a look of malice, forcibly dragging the wrist of a woman who looked demure. It was unfolding before me—was this a tangled affair of the heart, or just a sleazy attempt to pick someone up?

I did wonder if it was appropriate for me, not even twenty years old yet, to interfere in the business of adults. However, from time immemorial, rushing to the aid of a woman in crisis is a knight’s staple. The attitude of the man grabbing the woman’s hand was that of a villain out of a picture book, and I couldn’t bring myself to just ignore it.

“This is the kind of patrol work that’s the job of the Holy Shield Knights”—I grumbled inwardly while taking a deep breath and switching my heart into ‘Knight Mode.’

“Standing in front of a fellow who drags a woman around by force and utters threats like that, it would be impossible for me not to have a complaint. You should treat women more kindly.”

“……Heeh. What is this, are you pretending to be a knight, kid? A splendid ambition! But do it somewhere else. This princess here broke a promise with me. This is a matter between adults.”

I was bothered by the man’s truly annoying reaction, but I was certain of one thing: the woman being dragged around by him was genuinely resisting.

For a while now, the man’s irritation toward me had been manifesting in his grip, and the woman was wearing an expression of agony. Her arm, being grabbed so violently, was red and congested; no one looking could interpret this as them holding hands happily.

“There is no law that says threats and violence are permissible between individuals. And looking at the current situation, you look like the villain. In short—take those clumsy, overbearing hands off her.”

“You’ve got spirit! A brave young man! But sadly, you lack the ability. For example… you haven’t fully considered the possibility that speaking so arrogantly to me, a knight, could result in you being struck down for disrespect.”

The man, showing a leering, base smile, shifted his belt, and something hidden by his large frame appeared. A hilt, a guard, and a scabbard that balanced functionality with design. In this kingdom, it was a sword—something that only knights and a limited number of officials were supposed to be permitted to carry.

The woman being pulled along gasped when she saw it.

“No way… You! Don’t worry about me, just run!”

“There, the princess says so, too. It’s not good to disregard a lady’s words, right? Now, if you understand, turn on your heel and go home, quick.”

“……?”

I tilted my head.

“……Huh? What’s with that vacant look? Don’t tell me you still don’t understand the situation? I am a knight, and you are a commoner. I’m the smart, superior one, and you’re the stupid, impulsive idiot. I’m saying that from the start, you never had a shred of qualification to do anything to me!!”

“No, that’s not it…”

Thinking something was wrong, I checked my attire, and finally, I understood what the issue was. No wonder the man had been making such high-handed, nonsensical threats.

“Damn it, my belt must have shifted, so it wasn’t visible.”

“Hah? What are you saying…!!?”

“My bad, my bad,” I thought, feeling ashamed inwardly as I adjusted my belt—and just like that, my sword, the proof of knighthood which must have been hidden behind my back and invisible from his perspective, made its appearance.

Yes, I had been wondering why things felt off; these people hadn’t realized at all that I was carrying a sword—in other words, that I was a knight. To think I’d realize my own mistake only after seeing this guy pull out his sword with such self-importance; frankly, that’s pretty idiotic. However, according to the man’s pale expression, the misunderstanding seemed to have been cleared up, so I stepped forward without hesitation.

“——I didn’t introduce myself, but I’m a knight, too. I especially can’t look the other way when it comes to the misconduct of a colleague.”

“K-Knight…? H-how could a brat like you—”

“So? Which order do you belong to? There shouldn’t be any knights permanently stationed in this town, so are you on leave?”

As long as the man was wearing a sword, he must be a knight.

In this country, carrying a sword without a permit is a crime, and impersonating a knight when you are not one is a grave offense that, in the worst-case scenario, carries the death penalty. Therefore, even I couldn’t bring myself to believe that anyone was genuinely insane enough to pull such a foolish stunt. In other words, thinking logically, it was far more likely that this man was a real knight.

“Judging by that half-hearted attempt at expensive clothing, is your status as a privileged class barely holding up before an imminent downfall, or were you disowned by your family? Either way, picking on a woman is disgraceful.”

“Guh… ha, haha! Y-you may be a knight, but it seems you’re sorely lacking in experience and observational skills! A knight order isn’t just a bunch of pampered rich brats like you! I am a man of effort. Born a commoner, I seized the only chance available to us, and climbed to the top as the strongest knight!! Yes, I am—”

He’s being highly arrogant, but I have no idea what he’s rambling about while getting himself worked up. Besides, my current attire is at best the “minimum fashion required not to look like a beggar,” and even from a multifaceted perspective, it doesn’t go beyond “a commoner with a bit of disposable income.” Where in the world does he see a pampered rich brat? My parents are back in the countryside, farming or something.

Well, since this is pointless, I’ll take the quickest route.

It’s an infallible method that works on anyone who isn’t part of the Holy Boot Knights.

“Yes, yes, I get the gist, so hurry up and let go of that woman. If you accidentally injure her, I’ll report your name to the Royal Palace, you know? I’m acquainted with that Chronicler Yagara.”

“Ya-gara… Record Officer…? W-wait, the Royal Palace!?” Tch, damn it!! Take this ugly woman, do whatever you want with her!!“

The man shoved the woman forcibly toward me and fled without even glancing back. I hurriedly caught the woman who had been thrown at me, and by the time I steadied her, the man’s back was already far in the distance. Was it just my imagination, or was his decision-making surprisingly practiced?

Regardless, the fact that he lost his composure the moment he heard the words “Royal Palace” meant that Yagara’s name was still effective. I hadn’t said a word about being close to him, just that I knew him; he’s an impatient fellow. I feel like I should have learned a bit more of the “Bearded Geezer’s” way of doing things… though, even now, I feel like I shouldn’t have.

Since the scumbag was gone, I checked on the woman.

“Are you alright? He was holding your arm quite tightly…”

The woman’s arm, which the man had gripped, was bright red and swollen, but it didn’t look like there would be any lasting bruising. Looking at her, there were no other signs of her being roughed up. Perhaps because she was terrified, the woman clung to me, bursting into tears. She was a beautiful woman with slightly drooping eyes and noticeable freckles.

“Thank you, Sir Knight! Oh, truly…!”

“I apologize for the wait. Although our affiliations differ, as a fellow knight, allow me to apologize for that man’s impudence.”

“Oh, no, that’s ridiculous! A man like that is no knight! A true knight is someone like you, who helps out a commoner like me!!”

He really was a disgraceful man, I muttered inwardly.

Honestly, I thought about catching him right there, but for a knight to arrest another knight is an act of overstepping one’s authority unless the situation is truly dire. I couldn’t leave the woman behind, so I let him go, but it still bothered me.

He claimed to be a knight, but from his clothes to his attitude, he was an incredibly inconsistent man. I’ll go to the guard station later and confirm his true identity.

“I’m still just a young man halfway through my journey. By the way, what exactly happened between you and that man?”

“Y-yes! My name is Koruka, and I work as a waiter at the tavern on this street…”

I looked at the woman—Koruka-san—again and felt a slight jolt.

I hadn’t been conscious of it until now, but perhaps because that man had scared her so much, she was clinging to me, so our faces were close. She noticed the position she was in and pulled away in a panic, apologizing, “I-I’m sorry!”

I’m just not used to having women do that to me, Sedona included. I’m used to it with someone like Calme, though. That girl jumps on me the moment she’s surprised. Once I calmed down, I was able to hear her story.

According to her, that man had been walking around this town for several days acting like he owned the place.

As he was an armed knight, the commoners couldn’t treat him poorly, and since he committed acts bordering on extortion without a care, they were too scared to defy him. It was Koruka-san who happened to catch his eye, and she explained that I had interrupted him just as he was about to barge into her house.

It was a genuine close call. I hate trouble, but I felt deeply that if it’s trouble that results in helping someone, I might be happy to accept it. Throughout all this, Koruka-san’s grievances against knights showed no sign of stopping.

“Because of that man, our regular customers and the master have suffered so much trouble!? Goodness, I don’t know if he’s a knight from commoner roots or what, but he is the lowest man as a human being!! It feels like we were fools for supporting him until now!!”

“Eh? A knight from commoner roots…?”

“Yes! You must have heard of him, too!? That man who went from a commoner knight to participating in the Imperial Matches at the youngest age and was chosen as the most excellent knight—Knight Varna!!”

“…Yes?”

For a moment, I honestly couldn’t understand why my name came up there. However, the storm of insults from an increasingly heated-up Koruka-san didn’t stop. The insults directed at me while I was standing right in front of her didn’t stop.

“What ‘ally of the commoners’?! He goes around saying he has money while forcing those around him to put things on his tab! His attitude is vulgar and brutal, and he’s nowhere near the standards of a knight! To use violence and threaten commoners, he’s scum lower than the privileged class!”

“U-um, yeah…”

“I don’t know what the Royal Capital or the Pig-Hunt Knights’ leadership is thinking, cheering someone like that on! He’s a walking disgrace, a humanoid Orc! I hope he never shows his face in front of me again! Well, I’m sure it’s not just me, but everyone in this town who met Varna feels the same way!!”

“I-is that so…”

My spirit was being chipped away by the relentless violence of her words. I finally understood now: that knight had been using my name without permission and doing whatever he wanted. So, every one of her words was directed at that suspicious knight. They were directed at him, but—

“Right! You can’t forgive him, can you? That barbaric ‘lower-half’ brute they call Varna!!”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

When someone stares at your face while repeatedly calling your name and hurling insults, even if it’s directed at someone else, it hurts.

This isn’t a problem of factual accuracy; it’s a problem of words.

Even if unintentional, words travel through people and end up hurting someone somewhere.

What struck my heart wasn’t anger at the culprit, but the relentless stabbing and sense of despair caused by the knife of words. Because the person speaking was genuinely good-willed, it hit my heart much harder than the discrimination from the privileged class.

“Oh, that’s right! As a thank you for saving me, I’ll treat you to something at the shop!”

“Yeah… sure. It’s fine, it hurts, but I can endure it… eh? What was it?”

“……? Like I said, a treat at the tavern where I work…”

“Ah, that kind of… well, I can’t really drink alcohol in the middle of the day. Do you have anything that could serve as lunch? Also, let me pay for it myself.”

“Are you saying you’re different from Varna, who made everyone else pay for him? You’re admirable! Lunch is perfectly fine!!”

I felt like something sharp had pierced my heart again.

Regardless, I wanted to eat something and calm myself down, so I nodded weakly at Koruka-san’s smile.

“Then I’ll guide you to the shop, Sir Knight!! Um… come to think of it, may I ask your name?”

“………”

If I said “I’m Varna” here, what kind of face would she make? Besides, I’m apparently an incredibly hated person in this town, so I’m intensely afraid to give my real name. After the mental exhaustion from the barrage of verbal stabs, the conclusion I reached after spinning my head around was—

“I-I go by Orcus…”

For the time being, I decided to borrow a classmate’s name to get through the moment. It was a name I thought of on the spot, under the conditions that it would never be confused with the name Varna in the Holy Boot Knights, and that among the knights I know, it belonged to a man who was already assigned elsewhere and wasn’t a famous name.

Sorry, Orcus. Between the unrequited love for Sedona and this, I keep causing you strange trouble even though we aren’t even that close. Next time we meet, I’ll thank you for no reason.

Around that time, Royal Capital—Holy Boot Knights Training Grounds.

“Hm? …What? I felt something terribly creepy touch the nape of my neck just now, was it my imagination?”

Orcus, who was immersed in his training, shivered at the unknown sensation and returned to his swordsmanship practice.

“Still, I have no luck… It was such a great chance to ask Sedona on a date, and then suddenly an emergency assignment to Calypso. Damn it, I’m going to blame Varna for no reason!”

Orcus didn’t yet know that it looked like his prediction might end up being not too far from the truth.