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31 – Knight of Moonlight ‘Azel’

31 – Knight of Moonlight ‘Azel’

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Imperial Family.

From ‘Assassin’ to ‘Kingslayer,’ could this all be a coincidence?

Are those Imperial Prince and Princess siblings actually in cahoots, plotting to screw me over by sending me bombs while pretending to be friendly?

So many thoughts crossed my mind.

“Lord, are you alright?”

Aish! You scared me!

Ricain’s burly face suddenly popped up right in front of me.

Even though he’s my loyal subject, his face is still a bit much to handle.

I quickly composed myself and said to Ricain, “Oh… I’m fine. I was just lost in thought.”

“You seem to have a lot on your mind. If you’re feeling burdened, we can postpone the sparring session.”

“It’s alright. I want to see the skills of the Knight of the Moonlight sent by the Imperial Prince with my own eyes.”

“Understood. Then, let’s begin.”

We were in the training grounds next to the castle.

Upon hearing my words, Ricain looked at the knights in the training ground.

There were three people in the training ground at the moment.

One was the justice-obsessed, or rather, the Knight of the Moonlight, Azel, sent by the Imperial Prince. The other two were Ark and Mark, brothers who were skilled members of our Knights and usually served as my personal guards.

Ricain announced to the three of them, who were preparing with wooden swords in the training ground, “Alright, let the sparring begin! Treat it like a real battle and don’t hold back!”

“We’ll learn a thing or two from you seniors!”

Azel gracefully and elegantly held her wooden sword, taking a stance.

Seeing her, the Ark and Mark brothers roared as they hefted their wooden swords.

“Hmph! Just because you’re from the Golden Knights Order!”

“Trying to take on both of us at once? Aren’t you being a bit too cocky, junior?!”

The Ark and Mark brothers, who looked like burly Scottish musclemen, seemed quite pissed.

Well, it was understandable.

Ricain said that he couldn’t entrust my protection without knowing her skills, so Azel offered to demonstrate her abilities through sparring.

So, I was going to have her spar with either Ark or Mark, like Lana did before, but she insisted on taking on both of them at once.

It was as if she was saying, ‘You guys are too weak, so come at me together, you noobs,’ and Ark and Mark gripped their wooden swords with murderous intent.

And then…

“Uwaaaaaah!!!”

“Don’t underestimate the Krone Knights!!!”

They charged forward with ferocious roars.

I could foresee the future, so I couldn’t bear to watch the scene unfold.

Whoosh-! Thwack-!!

“Keugh!”

“Keah!!”

The match was decided in just one exchange, or rather, two exchanges, with Ark and Mark each getting hit once.

With a speed that was barely visible to my eyes, Azel’s wooden sword struck Ark’s crown and then pierced Mark’s neck behind him.

If Magicians used Magical Power to cast Magic, Knights manipulated their bodies with Magical Power.

Strengthening the body through Magical Power was fundamental for Knights, but of course, not just anyone could do it.

Being able to move at such high speeds and with such precision, like Azel, was a feat only possible for SSR-class Knights, and Ricain was watching with admiration as well.

“Amazing. To subdue those two so easily.”

“Yes, she’s truly remarkable. Even I wouldn’t be able to guarantee victory in a one-on-one fight against her.”

For a moment, Ricain’s words reminded me of a certain ninja master saying, ‘She’s equal to or greater than me.’

Azel was among the top-tier SSR Knights in terms of combat ability, and her Blessing was also very aggressive.

Ricain’s abilities and Blessing were specialized for group battles, so he would probably have a hard time beating Azel in a one-on-one fight.

I didn’t mention that to protect my loyal subject’s pride.

Meanwhile, Azel, who had easily finished the sparring session, approached me, knelt on one knee, and said, “I dedicate this victory to the righteous Krone Lord!”

“Y-yes… Thank you.”

It’s nice that she’s dedicating the victory to me, but I wish she’d do something about that crazed look in her eyes.

I feel like I’ll get a big hole in my stomach if I make even the slightest mistake.

* * *

Having silenced all complaints, Azel became my personal guard from that day on, following me everywhere.

It was great to have a beauty like Azel following me around.

However, the problem was that her sense of justice and her affection for me were beyond imagination.

“I was so moved and got goosebumps when I heard that you liberated the slaves of Dreyhart, Lord.”

“Oh… Really?”

“Yes! Fighting in such a righteous and honorable battlefield is my lifelong dream. Please, if there’s a righteous mission next time, please take me with you. I, Azel, the Knight of the Moonlight, will wield my sword at the forefront for you and for justice.”

From what I heard, she seemed to have heard stories about me through bards.

In particular, the Dreyhart slave liberation incident seemed to have perfectly aligned with her sense of justice, and she said that if she hadn’t been selected for the Imperial Prince’s dispatch mission, she would have come on her own accord.

Seeing the justice burning in her sparkling eyes, I was a bit scared.

When I first heard about her, I honestly thought it was a joke.

I mean, who would believe that there’s a knight in the world who would stab and kill their lord for doing something unjust?

But after meeting her and seeing the look in her eyes, I realized.

She was the real deal.

She was a true madwoman who could risk her life and stab her superior for the sake of justice.

And that madness grew stronger while she was with me.

“Lord! When will there be another righteous mission like suppressing the Dreyhart rebellion?”

“Lord! Shall I go catch some bandits for the sake of justice?”

“Lord! I am always ready to dedicate this body for a righteous mission. Please give me your orders anytime!!”

This crazy justice-obsessed person never stopped asking me for righteous missions.

Hey! You! You’re a bodyguard!?

A bodyguard is supposed to protect me, not keep trying to go somewhere else!!

…I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t because I was afraid of getting stabbed if I provoked the justice-obsessed person.

“Lord, it seems like some measures need to be taken regarding Knight Azel.”

Hart even said something, seeing how serious her justice madness seemed from the side.

Even though she was capable, it was definitely problematic for her to be demanding missions from her lord.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan. I’ll take care of it.”

“Understood, Lord.”

Beyond simply being a bodyguard sent by the Imperial Prince, Azel was a very capable knight who was essential for dealing with certain enemies.

I decided to choose a method of fixing her and working together rather than abandoning her.

The next day, I told Azel that I had a mission.

Hearing my words, Azel said with expectant eyes, “Lord! Are we finally starting a righteous mission!?”

“That’s right. The day has finally come.”

Azel seemed ecstatic at my words.

I asked her, who was so excited that she was even breathing heavily, “Azel, are you prepared to act for the sake of justice?”

“Yes! I am!!”

“Then, follow me in light clothing from now on!!”

“Yes! Understood, Lord!!… But Lord, what do you mean by light clothing? Shouldn’t we be heavily armed with armor if we’re going to the battlefield?”

“When did I say we were going to the battlefield?”

I told her that we were going on a righteous mission, but I never said we were going to fight.

“From now on, the place we’re going is the ‘rice paddies.'”

“…Pardon!?”

I took her to the rice paddies.

* * *

The newly reclaimed rice paddies, thanks to the strength of the immigrants and Sharen’s Magic.

Crop planting was in full swing there.

“Everyone, one!”

[ “”One!!!!”” ]

“Two!”

[ “”Two!!!!”” ]

In response to my words, dozens of people were planting crops row by row.

Among those dozens of ordinary workers was Azel, who looked like a noble young lady.

She seemed to be doing this for the first time, sweating profusely and looking flustered.

“Azel! You’re not in sync.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t forget, this is a righteous mission!”

“Yes! Understood!!”

Understood what?

She couldn’t hide the confusion and annoyance on her face.

I’m a knight, I should be doing righteous and cool things, what am I doing?

I could see that thought in her eyes, and because of that, she wasn’t even as good at planting crops as I was.

I ignored her confusion and continued farming for the time being.

The farming work with everyone was finished around sunset.

“Lord, you’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you, Lana.”

“Azel, have some too.”

“Th-thank you… Lana.”

I drank the cool water that Lana gave me.

As expected, ice water after farming was the best.

After that, I grilled a wild boar caught in the mountains with the farmers and knights and had dinner together.

My farming didn’t drastically increase farming efficiency, and I couldn’t do this often because I was busy.

But doing this occasionally made the people happy, so I did it from time to time to build my image, like politicians going to the market.

And to be honest, the taste of alcohol and meat after working like this was truly amazing.

While I was spending time like that, I looked around for the main character of today, the justice-obsessed person, and saw her sitting listlessly nearby.

I approached her and sat next to her.

“Are you alright? Azel.”

“Y-yes! Lord! I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine!!”

What do you mean fine, I can feel the annoyance.

I tried to capture her, using a version that I arranged myself, referring to a walkthrough I had seen in the past.

“Azel, what is your justice?”

“My justice is… wielding my sword for the right cause for the sake of my lord!!”

I heard that Azel, whom I had briefly seen in the walkthrough, had fallen into a justice obsession due to something in the past.

Because of that, she tried to become a righteous knight, and she felt great stress if she couldn’t do a righteous mission.

Then what is justice?

Is wielding a sword the only righteous thing to do?

“Then is what we did today not a righteous thing?”

“That is… I don’t know.”

The first step to capturing Azel was to let her know that justice can be diverse.

I recalled those words and said to Azel, “Wielding a sword to protect the people from bandits, of course, that’s a righteous thing.”

In this world with bandits, evil lords, and even Blood Clans, I can’t deny wielding a sword for justice.

But that’s just a means.

The means and the purpose shouldn’t be reversed.

“But farming to feed the people, hunting, and creating a place where ordinary people can live happily without worry, I also think that’s a righteous thing.”

“Ordinary… justice…”

The farmers who had finished their work were laughing and chatting, enjoying their lives with a drink and a piece of meat.

Protecting the ordinary happiness of ordinary people, isn’t that justice?

At least, that’s what I thought justice was.

“At least, that’s my justice. Your sword is needed for that, not justice is needed to wield your sword.”

“Lord…”

“I’ll ask again. Azel, what is your justice?”

The walkthrough said that if I said this, Azel would awaken, think about her own justice, and grow.

At that moment, when I was expecting Azel, who had grown, to have a proper sense of justice and be free from being a justice-obsessed person, Azel’s eyes sparkled and she said, “I was short-sighted. I didn’t think so deeply about justice. Thank you for opening my eyes! Lord!”

“O-oh… I see. It’s good that you’ve opened your eyes.”

I don’t know if it’s just me, but her eyes were burning even more fiercely than before.

I even felt a bit of a fanatic-like look.

“So! Until the moment I find my justice, I will consider you, Lord, to be my justice!!”

“What!?”

From that day on, Azel’s justice obsession was alleviated.

And she started obsessing over me.

Oh… This isn’t it… Something seems to have gone wrong again.

Author’s Note

Independent arrangements are so scary, everyone.