Night Watch

After the meal, washing the dishes naturally became entirely my responsibility. Actually, it’s been that way since lunch yesterday.

It wasn’t just because everyone unanimously decided to delegate the task to me due to my maid experience-it was simply because I was the only mage among us who could use Clean Magic.

Most of the magic Ethan wielded was body-enhancement magic, and Agnes was too busy learning combat spells to bother with support magic. As for the imperial family, being able to use Clean Magic was almost considered shameful.

And Sir Colt, being of commoner origin, couldn’t even use magic at all. Though his status as an imperial knight granted him higher standing than a baronet’s daughter, that didn’t mean he had inherited the noble blood capable of wielding magic.

So, with my large mana reservoir allowing me to spare enough for dishwashing, I ended up taking charge of the chore. Then, night fell again.

Before we retired to sleep in the two tents-one for men and one for women-with a campfire lit, the last task was deciding the order for the night watch from tonight until tomorrow morning.

“If the four of us excluding His Highness take turns once each, we can rotate roughly every two hours. Personally, I was thinking of taking the second shift.”

“No need. Protecting the safety of distinguished guests at the campsite is also my duty. Everyone else may rest until morning.”

“Huh? But Sir Colt, you have to drive the carriage tomorrow too, don’t you? Wouldn’t taking night watch on top of that be too exhausting?”

“An imperial knight can go without sleep for three days without it affecting physical performance.”

“…I don’t like that. It’s unsettling. I can just imagine you dozing off while driving and sending the carriage tumbling down a cliff.”

“……”

“I don’t think as extremely as Lady Blaze, but personally, I’d feel more at ease if the carriage driver got proper rest.”

“…Understood. In that case, since Lady Rosewood mentioned taking the second shift, I’ll take the third…”

“I think it’d be best if Sir Colt took the first shift. The first or last shift allows for the longest uninterrupted sleep, so the driver should at least get that consideration.”

“I agree with Lily. Since you’ve been driving alone for two days already, you should get as much rest as possible. Either take the first shift or the last.”

“…I’ll take the first shift.”

“Hmm, by the way, I don’t understand why I’m naturally excluded from the watch rotation. I’ll take a shift too-how about we reorganize the schedule to an hour and a half per shift, including me?”

“Are you sure? Do you know the protocols for night watch?”

“Stay awake, keep my ears open, and wake everyone up if any suspicious people or monsters approach, right? Though my martial skills may be lacking compared to you all, I can handle that much.”

“Alright. Then it’d be best if Your Highness took the last shift. Monsters might attack in the morning, but at least bandits won’t strike after daybreak.”

“Hmm, very well. By the way, could you tell me which shift Lady Agnes is taking, just for reference? Purely out of curiosity.”

“I think Lady Blaze should take the fourth shift. Since everyone would avoid the middle shifts, I’ll take the third. Any objections?”

As Ethan scanned the group, the red-haired mage quietly raised her hand.

Her face clearly showed dissatisfaction with the current arrangement.

“I’ll take the third shift.”

“Then I’ll take the fourth shift, swapping with Lady Agnes. Can Prince Ethan handle the last watch?”

“Understood. So Lady Blaze will take the third…”

“…Never mind. If you’re going to change it like that, just stick to the original plan.”

“Fine, then I’ll take the third shift and swap with Lily…”

After Agnes, who was trying to avoid swapping with Antonio, and the oblivious prince continued their back-and-forth, the watch order was finally settled.

With all the chatter, the atmosphere grew lively enough to feel like a proper trip.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

About an hour after everyone except Sir Colt had entered their tents to sleep…

Tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, I finally sat up in my sleeping bag-30 minutes before my shift was supposed to start.

‘Can’t sleep…’

Having napped in the carriage during the day with nothing else to do, I now struggled to fall back asleep.

Years of maid work had conditioned my body to function on minimal sleep. Forcing extra sleep now just didn’t take.

Honestly, why was the imperial carriage’s suspension so comfortable? The smooth ride made it impossible not to doze off.

And then there was Ethan, who insisted I could lean on him anytime-placing my head on his shoulder the moment I showed signs of drowsiness.

Since I was already awake, I decided to tidy up and step outside. Handing over the shift early wouldn’t hurt Sir Colt.

-Rustle.

“…Lady Rosewood? Did you come out for some air?”

His roundabout way of asking if I needed the bathroom made me shake my head in response.

“No, I just couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d relieve you early.”

“There’s no need for such consideration, my lady. Night watch is routine for knights.”

“It’s not consideration-I genuinely can’t sleep. Being a dedicated maid for so long means waking before my master and sleeping late, so my body’s used to less sleep.”

“…I see.”

“You can go rest first, Sir Colt. I’ll keep watch for about two hours until Ed-I mean, Young Master Ethan takes over.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll fulfill my duty.”

“…Suit yourself, then.”

I didn’t insist further. The world was full of all kinds of people.

Some couldn’t bear breaking their own principles, so I saw no need to force him into the tent early.

If I had to stand watch alone, I’d probably just zone out and idly browse Lilith’s status window. Having someone to talk to was better.

“How many years have you served as an imperial knight?”

“Ah, since it’s just the two of us, you can drop the formalities, Lady Rosewood.”

“I’m more comfortable with formal speech-it’s what I’m used to.”

“…I see. This is my third year in the imperial knights. I joined right after graduating from the academy.”

“So three years ago, you were a fourth-year student… making you about five years our senior?”

“If we’re going by academic years, yes, but there’s no need to think of me as a senior.”

“I wasn’t really thinking about it. It’s just that you’re around the same age as the sister of an acquaintance I know, and you share the same surname, so I was a bit curious.”

“……”

At my vague hint, Sir Colt’s attention sharpened slightly.

I’d suspected it from the start-it seemed my guess about him being Natalie’s family was correct.

“Sir Colt, are you Natalie’s older sister?”

“…Were you friends with her, Lady Rosewood?”

“Not quite friends… more like acquaintances. We’ve met a few times at gatherings, but never had a one-on-one conversation.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Agnes or Young Master Ethan-no, well, Agnes probably has more interactions with her than I do. At the academy, they’re both in the Hero’s party, after all.”

Though having more interactions didn’t necessarily mean they were close-Agnes and I were probably on similar footing.

Bringing up Natalie made Sir Colt fidget slightly, which I found oddly endearing.

“I don’t know all the details, but would you like to hear a little about how Natalie is doing at the academy?”

“…Yes, please. I’d appreciate that, Lady Rosewood.”

“I don’t know much since I’ve mostly only seen her during joint swordsmanship classes. Last semester, she sparred with Young Master Ethan…”

We spent about thirty minutes sharing stories about Natalie. Watching Sir Colt’s expressions shift with each anecdote was quite entertaining.

When I mentioned how often Natalie had bested the Hero in training, he looked proud. Hearing that her group had won last year’s hunting festival made him nod in satisfaction. But when I recounted how she’d once passed out drunk after just one cocktail at a party, he clutched his head in despair.

“*Sigh*… So she did it outside too… I warned her repeatedly never to drink in public…”

His emotions were as transparent as Natalie’s-like a taller, slightly more mature version of her.

If Natalie’s boldness (or muscle-headedness) was dialed down with restraint, you’d get someone like Sir Colt.

“At least it turned out fine. Since the whole incident was recorded on a magic crystal, she’s been avoiding alcohol like the plague lately.”

“…That’s some small comfort. When I saw her last, she didn’t say a word about her drunken mistakes. *Sigh*.”

“She must have been too embarrassed to talk about it. Oh, and please keep it a secret that I told you.”

Even if I wasn’t infatuated anymore, I didn’t want to be disliked by a character I’d once adored.

With a troubled nod, Sir Colt slowly rose from the campfire about thirty minutes after our conversation began.

“I’ll retire now. Thank you for sharing so much about my sister, Lady Rosewood.”

“Rest well, Sir Colt.”

“If you notice anything unusual during your watch, wake me immediately. As an imperial knight, I’m always ready to draw my sword-“

-Jingle.

“……”

“……”

-Jingle-jingle-jingle. Jingle.

The security bell rang loudly in the dead of night.

Since whatever was approaching wasn’t bothering to hide its presence, it was likely a monster rather than bandits.

“About that sword you mentioned-I think you’ll need to use it right about now.”

“…Yes, I believe you’re right.”

Sir Colt halted his retreat and drew his sword from his waist. I, too, stood up quietly, retrieving the dagger strapped to my thigh.

An unexpected EXP event in the middle of the night? More than welcome.