The Intelligence Merchant Catgirl

“Hehe~ Thank you, Young Master Naiye, for your generous contribution. If there’s anything you need, please ask.”

“Why don’t you introduce yourself first—Tina wouldn’t have called over an ordinary Miscellaneous knight.”

The cat-eared girl deftly counted the money she had taken from Young Master Naiye, happily swishing her tail.

She looked like a little money-obsessed miser who especially loved cash.

The cat-eared girl put the money away, tidied her posture, and finally bowed to Young Master Naiye, who was seated above, and to the ice-cold Tina with her hands clasped behind her back, using her best manners.

“I am Cat-Ears, the intelligence merchant of the Miscellaneous Knights—responsible for collecting and selling all kinds of information from the Academy!”

Intelligence is a very important element in war.

Of course, in a real war you can’t rely on ambiguous middlemen like intelligence merchants to be in charge.

But at certain times, these middlemen who lurk in between can be very useful.

However, Naiye noticed from her earlier movements that she hadn’t really learned proper noble etiquette.

From her bowing and gestures it was clear she had only learned the basics, specifically to deal with those noble knight young ladies.

That means this Cat-Ears was indeed capable—she had likely seen people from the Four Great Knight Orders and wasn’t some third-rate information peddler.

Ice Tina also wouldn’t casually summon some random person off the road.

“I know intelligence has a price, so first let me hear about this Miscellaneous Knights—what are they exactly? A Fifth Great Knight Order?”

Young Master Naiye held a very tiny mana crystal between two slender, pale fingers.

But Cat-Ears clearly understood how much that crystal—smaller than a coin—was worth!

She didn’t glare greedily or snatch it; instead she cleared her throat and began to explain to Young Master Naiye.

“Ahem, the Miscellaneous Knights aren’t a Fifth Great Knight Order—it’s just an unorganized knight group formed in wartime for many reasons, like mercenaries, occasionally hired by the Four Great Knight Orders.

“The members are basically poor ordinary knights; for them it’s just a way to make money, no real loyalties, and they don’t have to truly take part in the wars of the Four Great Knight Orders.”

So far it matched what Naiye had thought—if ordinary people wanted to enter the upper ranks, they basically joined the Four Great Knight Orders.

Or they relied on their own strength and virtue to be chosen—though that’s difficult, the Student Council is the most reliable but hardest to get into.

But all that is difficult; if one truly had that level of ability, one wouldn’t be an ordinary person anymore.

“How many people are in it?”

“A huge number, about half of the Academy’s ordinary knights are in it!”

—Hmm… the number in that order already equals the total of the Four Great Knight Orders.

“But doesn’t that mean a lot of ill-behaved people are mixed in?”

Naiye asked a crucial question—knight orders are strict to the letter about discipline.

Discipline and conduct are held to strict standards.

“That’s right—those ill-behaved ones are ruffians; they spontaneously formed an organization called the Ruffian Knights, because there’s no good name.”

Naiye turned to look at Ice Tina; she remained unmoved.

It had been said that the Academy had many things to handle—after all, many incidents break out in wartime.

Ice Tina had just been doubting Naiye.

Cat-Ears watched the two with bright eyes until Young Master Naiye turned his head.

“So these Ruffian Knights stir up trouble like ordinary foot soldiers, right?”

“Exactly; but the reason they could form a knight order is that for creating chaos as small ruffians they’re too useful. The Four Great Knight Orders are actually happy to use them, but won’t treat them well.”

“No wonder—the Student Council are unable to handle a lot of things, can they?”

Cat-Ears’s eyes widened slightly—Young Master Naiye’s comment was a bit blunt.

And things were exactly as he said.

“That’s right—in this war the Four Great Knight Orders have been very hardline, and many of them completely don’t want the Student Council to interfere.”

“From what I know, many affairs big and small have been delayed, and a lot of the Miscellaneous Knights’ work involves handling miscellaneous tasks.”

Naiye suddenly remembered Train No.1—its reason for not being repaired was probably not only that people were busy but that no one knew how to fix it.

“How did Train No. 1 that the Lycoris family donated break down?”

Cat-Ears spread her hands and answered helplessly.

“Because nobody went to repair it—the knights who maintained it only knew maintenance, not repairs. It’s just been left like that for a year.

“I went to look once; I don’t understand magical technology, but I feel a train this large would require the Young Master, the head of the Lycoris family, to handle it.”

Naiye looked at Ice Tina once more.

“…………..”

This time Ice Tina’s icy beauty’s expression wavered a little.

She had just been doubting what Naiye could handle that the Student Council couldn’t—especially matters that required someone very knowledgeable like Young Master Naiye.

Would Ice Tina still dare to doubt Young Master Naiye now?

He’d asked most of the questions; it was time to understand the Academy’s situation as well.

“Here—now, what’s the situation with the Four Great Knight Orders?”

“Thank you very much!”

Cat-Ears caught the small mana crystal that Naiye tossed and, upon hearing the question, her bright pupils flicked attentively.

“Right now the most powerful is the Elemental Knights—under the leadership of Fire Lina they are charging forward! Their main opponent is the Sky Wing Knights.

“The Sky Wing Knights have many knight young ladies—though they aren’t as strong, they’re very wealthy. The two sides have reached a stalemate.”

The Elemental Knight family is the most powerful clan—both the first and third Knight Kings came from their family.

The Sky Wing Knights are a family based on faith and noble assets; although they have faith, it’s not a church-like power but a family power structure.

“Finally, there are the Dragon Knights and the Three Moons Knights. The Dragon Knights have always been well-behaved; they have long maintained rule over two regions, and their family’s focus has always been outside the Academy.”

The Dragon Knight family is the most orderly and the most supportive of the knight Academy and Queen Auriel.

For a long time they’ve maintained their own way—don’t pick fights but don’t avoid battle—and their family core, like the Lycoris family, holds territories outside.

“The Three Moons Knights originally also participated in the war, but recently they’ve calmed down; previously their share in the war wasn’t large. At present it’s mainly the conflict between the Elemental Knights and the Sky Wing Knights.”

The Three Moons Knights’ family’s faith differs from that of the Sky Wing Knights.

The ‘Three Moons’ refers to the combination of the Silver Moon, Crimson Moon, and Dark Moon families.

They are a wholly faith-based power that worships the Three Moons Goddess.

Their family is a purely faith-driven faction, and rather than vying for Knight King, they fight more for the Three Moons Goddess.

It’s rather ironic that as a pure faith faction, the Three Moons does not exclude or oppose technology.

But the Sky Wing Knights, allied with the Church of Light, oppose the Lycoris family’s technology purely for faith-related reasons.