CH 26

I thought that I would return to Carruzan as soon as my knighting ceremony was over, but it seems that’s not the case. It’s a bit misleading for Father to have said we came here to the royal capital for just that, and I can’t go home until we’ve finished all of our duties here.

Since I was knighted, I have to go around to say hello here and there, and Father took me to meet some nobles, so it’s not like I have free time.

Besides, I was obliged to serve in the military because I was knighted. Aristocrats are granted various privileges by the country and live on pensions from the national budget. Regardless of whether you are a feudal aristocrat or a noble’s in-law, there is no difference in the pension you receive, although the amount varies depending on your rank and position.

In addition, the feudal lords pay part of the tax that comes from their territory to the kingdom and keep the rest as their own share, but I have not been given a territory, so there is neither territory nor people to tax. In exchange for such privileges and pensions, nobles must of course also bear obligations. The most important of these is military service.

A high-ranking aristocrat, such as a Margrave like Father, has vast territory and incredible authority. On the other hand, when it comes to military service obligations, he has to bear a heavy burden. The exact extent of necessary military contributions is based on the size of the territory, its population, its taxes, and the rank of the ruling lord.

For example, although it is different from the numbers of an actual war, let’s say in a crisis a Margrave will send out 1,000 infantrymen, 500 archers, 300 cavalrymen, 100 magicians, and 100 other soldiers1, for a total of 2,000 soldiers. Of course, the weapons are also provided by the lord, and there are regulations on how many spears, how many bows and arrows, and how many horses they need to be equipped with.

This is not a special story only for this country, but similar rules were applied around the world. Even in Japan, of course. The number of weapons and soldiers that samurai had to bring was determined by their stipend from the government and their kokudaka, the measure of how prosperous their territory was. 2

According to that, I’m a knight who doesn’t have a territory, so I can’t feed soldiers. Since I have no territory, I have no citizens to conscript, so I am the only one who can participate in military service. However, I must bring enough food for one person for a year with a spear, a bow, and a horse, all out of my pocket.

I live at home and my family is big, so it doesn’t bother me that much, but it’s hard for smaller nobles to bear that kind of burden, and the reason their Houses collapse on their own is that they can’t prepare and maintain this sort of obligation.

And my future unit has already been decided. Normally, the lord’s army would be temporarily organized according to the needs of the occasion, but for some reason, it seems that it’s been chosen for me. It seems that this is also the will of King Wilhelm.

Today, I’m supposed to go to inspect the training and introduce myself to the Royal Guard Division, my assignment. It seems that they are at the training ground in the royal castle, so I’m on my way there. My arm is still in a sling so I don’t think I’ll participate, so I’m going to the training ground in the formal attire I wore at the knighting ceremony.

“You! I haven’t seen your face before, have I? From here onward, the Royal Guard Division is currently undergoing training. Anyone unrelated to that is forbidden to enter.”

It was a girl about the same age as me, one who was wearing the knight’s full formal attire knight, that is, a suit with pants and her hair tied back in a bun. She also looked like a man or perhaps a soldier.

“Yes, of course, I know that,” I said. “I have business with you today.”

“A child like you has business with the Royal Guard?”

The girl dressed in men’s clothes stares at me with cold, unblinking eyes. The actual reason was that I was summoned here specifically and I’m not supposed to be stopped like this.

“I am Floto von Caan,” I said. “I was recently knighted. And now, I come here today because I have been assigned to the Royal Guard Division if I am not mistaken?”

Today, I was summoned not as Flora of House Carruthers, but as Sir Floto, so it would be better to call myself like this. If this child was waiting for me as a guide, I should be able to get through with this.

“Huh?! You?!”

She stares at me more intensely. It seems she’s heard that a “Floto” was arriving today, but she didn’t seem to think that she could be so young. It’s either too few details in the message or perhaps a miscommunication.

“I, I see,” she said. “Apologies for all that just now. I am Claudio von Frieden. I am a squire.”

Claudio held out her hand…… Claudio? A male name? No matter how many times I’ve said that there isn’t much of a difference between men and women when they’re young children, there’s no way I would mistake a boy for a girl. This child must be a girl. And yet she’s using a man’s name? I don’t know if it was a pseudonym or if she was given a male name even though she was a girl. For now, let’s just accept the handshake. 3

With normal brown hair and brown eyes that you’d see anywhere, there wasn’t anything particularly distinctive with her face. Her features are a little masculine, or rather, sharp, but there is no doubt that she is a girl. She’s dressed as a man in a suit with pants, but her body is delicate and doesn’t look suitable for battle.

I tried to shake hands, but Claudio’s hand was in tatters. It seems likely that she is a squire because she has a short sword. Squire means a prospective member for full Knighthood. Let me add a little more about knights and knighthood here.

A knight is a soldier who fights on horseback. Those who rode horses were called knights, as opposed to infantrymen or men-at-arms 4. From there, you have two more possible meanings of knighthood.

Just being able to ride a horse is an honor and makes you a special soldier. From that, even those who belonged to an elite unit were called knights, even if they weren’t riding horses into battle. For example, in this country, regardless of whether they are riding horses or have territory, those who belong to the Royal Guard Division or the Crown Guard are called “Knights”.

And from that definition came “Knight” as a title of honor and prestige. Hence, the House and new name that I’ve been given. This latter meaning calls someone a knight whether or not they have ever fought on horseback…

When I was in the territory, Louisa and the others called me “Knight Apprentice Floto”. By knight apprentice, it meant “apprentice cavalryman.” More specifically, an apprentice cavalryman for Margrave Carruthers’ army.

In comparison, squires like Claudio are candidates trying to join an elite knight order who works in the royal castles and other important locations.

“I see… you’ve got callouses from sword handling… say, Floto… if you don’t mind, can I ask you to teach me a thing or two?”

With her eyes narrowed, Claudio challenged me to a practice match.

With Claudio leading, we arrived at the Royal Guards’ training ground. Normally, this might be the time to introduce myself, but since Claudio asked me to fight with her, I secretly prepare in the corner.

“Weapons are here, use whatever you like,” Claudio said.

The members of the Royal Guard Division didn’t say anything in particular, because they didn’t notice us or simply weren’t interested. I look over the weapons lineup Claudio pointed to.

There are all kinds. Of course, all of them are for practice, so the edges are blunted. My sword broke after the mad horned bear a few weeks ago, and I haven’t gotten a replacement yet. Since my right arm is still in a sling, I probably won’t be able to swing a heavy sword around. There was one sword that looked interesting, so I tried holding it with my left hand.

Could this thing be… a cutlass? I think it looks like a sword. A round piece of metal stretches from the cross-guard to the butt of the hilt, protecting my fingers. The blade is slender and slightly curved, and the edge is only on one side. Would it be easier if I said this was the kind of sword you’d find on pirate ships and the Age of Discovery in movies?

I don’t know if this is an authentic cutlass. It’s just that it’s a sword that resembles that image. Compared to other double-edged swords, it’s small and slender, so it’s light. If I remember correctly, the cutlass is small and lightweight, assuming that it will be swung around on a ship, and it can also be used for cutting rope…… or at least I think it is. 5

“Then, let’s go with this,” I said.

“… I’ll pick this one,” Claudio said.

She picked up one of the weapons neatly propped up in the corner of the training ground, not one from the shelf where I’d taken my weapon. It seems that the ones lined there are for members of the Royal Guard Division. Claudio’s short sword is also custom-made like mine was, so it’s small and light, but still heavy for a child to swing around.

When I pulled out my cutlass and held it with my left hand, Claudio pulled out her shortsword and held it up. Both have blunted edges, but if you hit each other with metal swords without protective gear, you’ll get seriously injured. I don’t know Claudio’s ability but it’s strictly forbidden to be careless or overdo it.

“Well then…” Claudio said. “Here I go!”

“Fumu…” I hummed.

Claudio closes the distance in a single step and swings down. This sword really was too heavy for a child. However, there is significant acceleration by using the sword’s weight by swinging straight down, at the cost of it being difficult to lift back up again. 6

If you take it straight ahead, I’m sure I’ll lose with only my left hand. Even if it is more advantageous to attack using gravity acceleration, it is impossible to fight head-on with one hand.

That’s why, as usual, I caught Claudio’s sword and let it slide off. And when it deflected to my left-hand side, Coludio’s sword slammed into the ground with too much momentum.

“….! Impressive…”

What was that just now? I don’t know Claudio but does Claudio know about me? Well, if she was asked to be my guide and waited over there, she might have heard to some extent what kind of person I am.

I don’t know what kind of information she heard, but I wonder if it was something like my defeating a mad horned bear by myself. In the end, I couldn’t handle the monster’s attack, so I just happened to defeat it with magic, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to defeat it with a sword. But if people think I defeated I killed it with a blade, that’s fertile ground for overestimating my swordsmanship skills.

“Not done yet, though!” Claudio cried.

“Oh?” I asked.

While I thought for a moment, Claudio started attacking me one after the other. All of the blows are parried by my sword, but the frequency of attacks starts to increase as if she’s trying to overwhelm me on the assumption I can’t parry all of them.

“This is it!” Claudio cried.

Ordinarily, I would have thought that it would have progressed to wider, more powerful blows, but on the contrary, Claudio was steadily pushing with more and more compact attacks. I was just defending against them, so I guess Claudio thought there was a gap. She swung her sword down again toward my right shoulder, which was left open.

“Not quite,” I said.

But I did that intentionally. Anyone would think my right arm would be my weak point. That’s why I deliberately neglected the defense on the right side. Claudio’s sword was lured in as I intended, and I swung around to the left and swept Claudio’s leg.

“Uwah?!” Claudio yelped as she overbalanced and fell.

“You still want to go?” I asked as I thrust my sword at her.

Around me, applause erupted. Apparently, the members of the Royal Guard Division were watching our mock battle halfway through.

“…… It’s my loss,” Claudio said.

“Good, I said.

I offered my hand to Claudio in the face of his calm concession. Claudio, dumbfounded for a moment, broke into a smile and then takes it. I thought it was cute for a moment without realizing it. At first, I was a little worried about being harassed, but if she’s honest like this, isn’t Claudio cute?

“They did a great job, didn’t they, Boss?!” someone called out.

A man approached us. With a beard all over his face, I don’t think he’s an elite knight. But you can tell from the way he carries his body and his atmosphere that he’s not an ordinary man.

Erich, my sword instructor, and Dominic, my spear partner, are probably not that different in terms of ability. Maybe Erich is slightly higher? Conversely, even though Dominic should have the advantage with the spear, Erich is the better fighter with it.

With this bearded guy, I think his skills are on par with those of Dominic and Erich. Of course, I didn’t actually test him or see his abilities, so it’s just a hunch. But I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary. It’s good proof that he seems to be so aloof and yet has no gaps at all. If you let your guard down like the sloppy old man he seems to be, you’ll be in a world of pain.

“You Floto, the new recruit to the Royal Guard Division?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I’m Floto von Caan. Nice to meet you,” I said.

For some reason, the other party acts rudely, so I respond with a simple polite greeting. If I’m the only one with a stiff attitude here, that’s strange.

“I’m the Royal Guard Division’s Commander, Horst von Grandorf.”

I see. Is this the Division Commander? Better not let his looks fool me. Perhaps this carefree attitude is also part of his calculations. 7

When I grasped the hand he offered, it was ridiculously thick. The strength I felt from his grip is so intense that I think it’s comparable to Erich and Father. He might be a tough opponent if I don’t use magic. But I wonder if magic worked against him… this type of fighter is probably used to enemy mages. If you try to use spells poorly, there is a possibility that you will be killed before that.

“You don’t need to be so wary,” Horst said. “Oy, you bastards! From today onward, this cheeky little brat will be our new companion, Floto! As you can see, her ability is as strong as Claudio! If you don’t like her, grab your weapons and come forward now! This is your chance to embarrass yourself in front of everyone!”

There was a burst of laughter. I thought Commander Horst was provoking them, so I thought I’d be forced to fight again, but apparently, there weren’t any challengers. Rather, it may have been just a joke, not serious.

“What is it? Not one in the crowd? Is it all just folks without the confidence to beat Floto?” Horst taunted.

Hey……. don’t be overly provocative… as you can see, my right arm is in a sling. I don’t want any more mock battles.

“Okay! Then I’ll take you on myself!” Horst said, pointing his sword at me.

“No, I refuse,” I said.

Once more, they burst into laughter. I can’t quite grasp whether this old man is serious or joking.

For the time being, I finished my greetings to the Royal Guard Division and took a quick tour of the place.