CH 21.1

The next day after completing the administrative tasks with Iris, I returned to my regular duties with the Black-winged knights. Every morning, we would begin with training. We did strength training with squats and push-ups, as well as sparring with wooden swords. I feel particularly frustrated with my own lack of physical strength at times like these. Since I joined the Black Winged Knights, I was in such a mess that I could not even finish my lunch.

But that did not mean I had to work out forever. Following the one-hour physical training, each person was assigned to a different job based on their placement. Today, I was tasked with sorting through petitions sent to the knights by Ritzheim citizens. 

The petitions ranged from “The father of a beastman who sells vegetables in the southward is cheating on his sales to avoid being taxed,” to “The woman who lives next door has been targeted by a man of unsavory connections and we need your help,” to “The man who lives in the house next to ours has been harassed by a man of bad character.” “I want you to help her,” or “I want you to make it easier for me to find my way to the carriage boarding station.”

From these, the most pressing requests would be prioritized, and members of the Black-winged knights would be dispatched to the site, while those deemed important enough to be reported to upper management would be corroborated and a report would be prepared. This went on until noon when we all went to the dining hall located in the unit’s barracks for lunch. After lunch in the dining hall, everyone returned to their afternoon duties, which included attending lectures.

Specialists invited to the Order gave lectures on military tactics, monsterology, herbology, and other subjects to all members of the Order. As a result, even higher-ranking executive members like Gazelle, Felix, and Iris sat in the same classroom as the rest of us, taking lectures. They were not, however, required to attend all of the available classes.

Nonetheless, there was a need for lectures because there was a significant difference in fighting style between fighting against humans and fighting against monsters. This made sense, given the obvious differences in movement speed and attack range between humans and monsters. Even more importantly, given the regularity with which new species and unusual monsters were being discovered, it was foolish to stop learning. 

However, because the lectures were held after lunch, some members could not help but doze off on their desks. These people were frequently given a taste of Gazelle’s hard knuckles.

Personally, I enjoy the lectures. There were so many things about this world that I did not know and learning about the monster’s ecology was a lot of fun. After the lectures, it was back to training. Evenings would be spent sparring with wooden swords and going through group training drills. During this session, the members would even use real swords with sharp edges at times.

Of course, being an indoor person as I was, I felt a little bit intimidated and surprised. After the training was over, everyone gathered for a final roll call before breaking for dinner and a day off the next day. On their days off, some of the members would go to the city to check out the red-light district, while others would go out drinking.

Furthermore, because each member’s off day was staggered and arranged, some members of the order would enjoy their free time tomorrow instead of the others who enjoyed it today. Nonetheless, some people went out drinking and went to the red-light district despite being on duty the next day, explaining the lack of presence in the barracks.

“Takumi-kun, aren’t you going anywhere? Tomorrow is your off day, right?”

“Takumi-chan is really cool, isn’t he? He doesn’t drink and doesn’t go to the red-light districts.”

Although I had off days tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I had no intention of going out. The members around me admired me, saying things like, “You are so serious,” or “You are so stoic for such a young man, Takumi-chan,” but they were far from the truth.

I simply don’t have the energy to go out after a day of training because my body is so exhausted…! 

After that hellish-like training, everyone was filled with energy, exclaiming, “Yossha! Let’s go out for a drink!” “I’m going to make Anna-chan from the red-light district fall in love with me today!”

How can you all have the energy to do that? Instead of admiration, I’m beyond impressed! Members of Black-winged knights are really strong even if they’re just regular members and not executive members…

Hmmm, as expected, this place is a den of ‘battle junkies’,

With this in mind, I said my goodbyes, exited the dining hall and returned to my dormitory. There was a large training ground inside the Black-winged knights’ barracks, and further in, there was a fork road—where two buildings emerged: an L-shaped building and a rectangular building. 

The L-shaped building contained shared rooms and a communal bath—basically, a place where the order’s regular members slept. The other building, it housed the members who held official positions in the order. Just beyond these two buildings was a row of stables, an armory, a food warehouse, and other storage facilities; from my window, I could make out a figure in one of the stables, even at this unusual time of the day.

I wonder if that person was a hostler?

While casually glancing in the direction of the stables, I caught sight of a familiar figure. I hesitated for a second, but then I turned around and headed for the door. I figured it would be the right time if I ran into him, and luckily, he was still there when I arrived at the stables.

“—Felix.” 

“…Takumi?”

“What are you doing in the stables at this hour? Did something happen?”

As I thought, it was Felix in the stables.

Perhaps because I had called to him so unexpectedly from behind, he looked back at me with a look of surprise on his face. Felix, still dressed in his black military regalia, had removed his epaulets and rolled his sleeves up to his arms. He was holding a comb for brushing his horse. He appeared unusually carefree for a man who was always neatly dressed. 

“I can see Felix from the barracks. Sorry, if I surprised you.”:

“No, it’s fine…”

As I got closer to Felix, I caught a whiff of fresh hay and horses from the stables. The horses’ reactions to me varied; some ignored me completely, while others looked at me curiously and a few others beamed expectantly as they awaited their treats.

Felix was standing in front of his cherished horse. As I got closer, his horse huffed and puffed, turning his head toward me and gently licking my cheek with his tongue. Felix, who was standing next to me, immediately opened his mouth. 

“I-I’m sorry, Takumi. Hey, stop it.”

“This much is fine. It’s cute.”

“I apologize… He usually doesn’t care about anyone except me.”

“It’s probably because I’ve ridden with Felix many times previously. More importantly, what’s wrong?” I asked, gently stepping away from Felix’s beloved horse, and looking up at him. 

Felix lowered his eyes with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. His long, delicate lashes cast shadows on his cheeks.

Translator’s Notes

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