CH 191.1

At the same time that the Empire, the Elves, and the Knight of the Kingdom merchant guild were fighting in a three-way battle in the great hole on the south of Awoke.

「I’m sure they’ll be here shortly」

The one who nodded was the owner of this room, the Knight Commander. He is a huge middle-aged man with a magnificent kaiser mustache.

He was rubbing his mustache with his fingers and leaning his weight on the back of his chair.

It was Corneal who called out to him.

His face was below average, but it doesn’t feel like that now. It was probably because of the stern expression on his face.

「Come in!」

Corneal answers the knock at the door.

Three pilots opened the door and came in.

「Pardon our intrusion. We were told you wanted to see us sir」

The old man leading the group, who is the leader of the group, said with a nervous look on his face.

The ones behind him are a married man who is also in his forties, and a young woman with a ponytail who has a rather stern look on her face.

When he saw the three of them standing side by side, the Knight Commander stood up from his seat.

「I’m sorry to have called you when you’re busy」

The knight commander was half a head taller than the old men. He looked down at the group and continued to speak.

「All of you have gained experience and improved your skills. Judging from your abilities, you are no longer rookies」

The two old men and the girl nervously waiting for his next word.

「I will give you B-class Knights. Good work, all of you」

The three of them used their mental strength to hold back the excitement that welled up in their hearts.

Even so, the voice that came out of their mouths was filled with a wave of emotion.

「With pleasure!」

The fake B-class is no longer called B-class within the knight order.

The fake Knights that look like a B-class while the inside was actually a C-class. There could be a mistake in the operation if there’s no way to tell them apart.

The knight commander turns his face to Corneal.

「Go to the hangar and let them choose」

「Yes sir!」

After giving a reply, Corneal left the room with the three of them in tow.

They proceeded down the corridor, crossed the hallway, and arrived at their destination. There, three B-class knights were being maintained in a standing position.

Two of the Knights were light gray, as if they were primed. While the other Knight was camouflaged in green and brown.

「Oh? Could it be that this one is…」

「Isn’t that yours?」

The two old men look at the camouflaged Knight and raise their voices.

Until recently, they had been the pilots of the adventurer guild’s Knight. The knight looked very familiar to them.

Corneal, with his thick arms crossed, affirmed the old man’s guess.

「These two are brand new, while the other one was purchased from the adventurers guild」

The two major guilds that owned B-class Knights are the adventurer guild and the merchant guild.

The adventurer guild has two Knights, and the merchant guild has one. Incidentally, the Knights of the blacksmith guild are all C-class.

(So they’re finally unable to keep it maintained, huh?)

The two old men crossed their eyes.

As the highways became safer, the work at the adventurer guild was decreasing.

The cost of maintaining a Knight is not cheap, and they can no longer afford it. In fact, right now, there’s only enough room for one knight.

(Because not only the merchant guild, but also we, the knight order, have started to subjugate demon beasts)

They felt a bit said, thinking about the wretched condition of their old workplace.

The two of them quit the adventurer’s guild to become members of the knight order. But even if they had stayed, one of them was bound to be fired.

「You may choose any one of these three Knights. Though the order of who will choose first will be determined by your abilities」

Then he turned his eyes to the single old man.

「We’ll start from you」

The old man steps forward, swallows his saliva and looks up at the Knight.

He looks slightly younger than his colleague, perhaps because he is single and has never experienced the hardships of having a family.

(Both the new Knights have the same specs, right? So it’s the matter of brand new or used ones)

The single old man nods and turns around. He points to the light gray knight at the far end.

「I will have that Knight please」

The mechanics went to the pointed Knight as soon as Corneal gave the order. They would be preparing for the necessary adjustments.

The next person to be appointed was the married old man.

「Well then, I will choose that Knight」

He pointed with his hand to the light gray Knight in the middle.

The remaining Knight was the second hand Knight from the adventurer guild. It was decorated with camouflage and had scratches all over the exterior.

When Ponytail saw this, she pushed the old man with the side of her body.

(Hey, don’t you guys have any attachments to it? Haven’t you guys ride it before?)

The two old men gave a small shrug to Ponytail who asked in a whisper.

(Well… you know…)

(New things are you see, is a man’s romance)

Ponytail’s eyes grew more stern at the unclear answer.

She’s about to open her mouth to say something, but stops halfway when she feels Corneal’s gaze on her.

「That’s settled then. Next time you guys get dispatched, you ride these B-Class Knights. Until then, get use to it」

Corneal turns his back and walks away with a clack of his heels. After he is out of sight, the married old man taps Ponytail on the shoulder.

「I used to ride this guy. He’s a good, honest Knight, you know? Take good care of him for me, okay?」

「If that’s so, then why don’t you―」

The old man climbed up the wooden ladder towards the cockpit, ignoring her protests.

Ponytail gave up and exhaled a sigh. She put both of her hands on her hips and looked up at the camouflaged knight that had become hers.

(I finally got a B-class Knight. I can’t afford to ask for luxuries)

And her best friend, Busty-chan, was the only one who didn’t get called.

Her heart hurts when she imagines how she felt, but there’s nothing she can do about it.

(I should try to ride it first)

She called out to the mechanic and started to climb the wooden ladder.

She was wearing a tight skirt, but this was a pilot’s uniform. She had no choice but to let it off as a service to the mechanics who had gathered at the base of the ladder.

(If I’m not wrong, it is okay to repaint it)

From below, she can hear people talking about blue and light blue. But she ignored them and moved her arms and legs, while thinking about recoloring her Knight.

She soon finished the climb and sat down in the cockpit.

(…Hm?)

She immediately jumped up from the seat, leaned out of the cockpit and shouted. It was, of course, to the pilot with wife and child.

「You! Why is there a weird smell coming from the headrest! Moreover, it’s so strong it stings my eyes」

Replying to her shouts, the old man pokes his head out of the cockpit next to her.

「Ah, yeah! That thing just won’t come off, you see! Maybe it’s because I’ve slept there so many times that my sweat and tears have soaked into it」

He must have known, because he had a big smile on his face.

Ponytail protested further, but the old man only gave her a single wink and withdrew into the cockpit.

(I’m going to have the maintenance guy give it a thorough wash)

Ponytail had one foot on the edge of the cockpit and wrinkled the tip of her nose in exasperation.

While the mechanics were peeking up with binoculars from directly below her.

***

Half a day has passed since then, and the location has shifted from the knight order’s headquarters to the Royal Castle.

In the daytime, the many spires of the royal castle would stand out, but it’s late at night now. Only the light leaking from the small windows on the top floor showed the existence of the towers in the night sky.

「A bunch of golem, you said!?」

The voice of a middle-aged man with droopy eyes echoed in the room.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom stood up from his seat, gripping the top of his desk with both hands.

The soldier in front of him frowned slightly as he felt spit on his cheek.

『There has been a large cave-in on the land to the south of Awoke』

The soldiers who went to investigate it the moment they received that news have just returned. The captain came to the Prime Minister’s office to report.

The contents of the report were astonishing.

「A giant mortar-shaped hole, over a thousand meters in diameter. It’s a good thing the place is uninhabited」

The knight commander who’s also present fiddles with his well-trimmed Kaiser mustache and expresses his thoughts.

The land was barren, with nothing but rocks and gravel. It was a dangerous place where magical beasts fed on each other.

Nodding his head, the Prime Minister replied.

「Up until now, I’ve simply ignored it as a worthless wasteland. But if there are golems there, then it’s a different story」

The inside of the giant hole is inhabited by a large number of golems.

Most of them are clay golems made of clay. However, they also spotted a number of stone golems.

(I need to get those materials even if I have to kill someone)