Chapter 11 – Know Your Place

Obviously… Gaikaku’s appointment as a Knight Commander doesn’t mean he’s going back to square one at the knight academy or anything like that. He has to prove he’s already more than qualified to lead. In that sense, this latest assignment was more than enough.

Baron Arla Borealis, who had issued the rescue request, offered his “deepest gratitude, on behalf of my late father and mother,” for Gaikaku’s deeds.

As a result, Tistria officially appointed Gaikaku as the head of a newly formed Knight Order.

When the news spread throughout the kingdom, people asked, “Was such a powerhouse group really hiding out there?” and “Should we try to get close to them now?”—but almost everyone chose to wait and see.

That caution came from wisdom.

Once the Knight Order made its rounds through the provinces, the truth would reveal itself, like it or not.

Approaching them afterward wouldn’t be too late.

※

Leaving Baron Borealis’s domain, Gaikaku Hikume made his way to Tistria’s workplace—the Knights’ Headquarters.

Normally, a man of unknown background would never be invited inside, but this time was different. The kingdom had only five knight orders, and therefore only five commanders. Counting Tistria made six… and Gaikaku was about to become the seventh. He had leapfrogged almost everyone who had ever worn the uniform.

Keeping his hood on, he stepped into her office and offered his greeting. “Supreme Knight Commander-dono… Gaikaku Hikume reporting.”

“Thank you for coming, Sir Gaikaku Hikume.”

As always—if that was the right phrase. Tistria smiled without so much as twitching an eyebrow. It was the perfect corporate smile: pleasant, yet showing no real joy. And on top of that, she was stunningly beautiful. In a world where non-humans exist, such praise might sound odd, yet her beauty felt almost beyond human. She clearly looked human, yet seemed to surpass humanity. If someone called her a higher species, you’d believe it. At the very least, no one would think she and Count Borick were the same race if they stood side by side.

(Those slender arms and fingers can fight evenly—or better—against drug-enhanced brutes? You’ve got to be kidding…)

Gaikaku acted humble, but inside he trembled. The difference in class as living beings was obvious. Even if she meant him no harm, she was terrifying.

“First… let me commend you on your recent mission. Your work has preserved the honor of the one who recommended you—me.”

(Fair enough… but she doesn’t look relieved at all. Does this woman have zero interest in me?)

“You have completed two of my tasks. In that case, I must keep my promise to you.”

For men, women, and even other races in this country, becoming a knight was a dream. The appointment of a Knight Commander—the one who led them all—was about to begin.

(Never thought I’d get this far… but I’m in now, so I’ll ride it as far as it goes!)

If people found out Gaikaku was an Illegal Mage, he’d be punished on the spot. But with enough rank and connections, he might squeak by (probably). He was desperate enough—and lucky enough—to pin his hopes on that fuzzy goal.

“Normally we’d hold a lavish ceremony, but considering your circumstances we’ll keep it simple. That said, once your Order completes a few missions, you’ll naturally become the stars of a grand celebration. You must.”

“I—I’ll live up to your expectations.”

“I’m counting on it.”

She had just tossed out “perform legendary feats” as though it were nothing. And since his unit had to match the work of elite orders, she was probably right.

“Because your unit has been elevated to Knight Order status, you’ll also need to relocate. You’re under Count Borick’s roof now, but we’ll prepare land near headquarters. Feel free to bill us for the expenses.”

“Understood.”

To be honest, that was welcome news. The estate they’d been using was starting to feel cramped anyway. With a larger plot, they could do a lot more.

“Next, about the ranks of Knight Commander, Full Knight, and Squire Knight. Are you familiar with them?”

“In broad strokes… true knights—the real elites—are the Commander and Full Knights, five or six per order. Below them are the Squire Knights—still elite in their own right—about a hundred.”

“You can ignore all that.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I gave you the rank precisely so you’d be free inside the organization. Don’t worry about how many Full or Squire Knights you have.”

It sounded outrageous, yet she delivered it like routine paperwork. There wasn’t a hint of “Look how badass and unconventional we are!” It was simply, “Here’s the equipment you requested.”

“In fact, you should create titles that fit your own group. It’ll reduce friction with others.”

“Your consideration is deeply appreciated.”

“As long as you stay within the normal budget for an Order, you may structure pay and positions however you like. If that’s not enough, find your own investors.”

(Yeah, budget’s everything… If there were no spending cap, you could just drown problems in supplies…)

And then she bestowed a name.

“You have heard the precautions, yes? Then… I hereby appoint you.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Gaikaku Hikume, from this moment you are the Captain of the Conjurer Knights, serving the realm.”

“Conjurer… Knights…”

“A fitting name for you, I think.”

Until now they’d been using the placeholder “Lowly Slave Knight Order,” but Tistria granted them the name Conjurer Knights. A very reasonable choice.

“Incidentally, this will be your banner.”

The flag she produced featured a silk top hat, a gentleman’s cane, and a pair of white gloves. It looked like the logo for a cheerful magic show.

“I designed it, and I sewed the flag myself.”

She was showing more emotion than ever before—clearly proud of her work.

“…”

“Is something wrong?”

“N-no! I’m… deeply moved.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Gaikaku felt it was… questionable, but not worth making a scene.

(…We’re really going to fight under that flag?)

He kept quiet, but he wasn’t thrilled.

※

Gaikaku returned to his base for the moment. His comrades were already back, so he rounded them up to talk about what came next.

“So, starting today we’re the Conjurer Knights—good-bye, Lowly Slave Knight Order!”

“Woo-hoo~~!”

The placeholder “Lowly Slave Knight Order” really did describe them perfectly. But the women hated facing that reality; even if they were the last-pick slaves, they still loathed introducing themselves with such a title.

“Since we’ve been made an official Knight Order, we’re also moving near headquarters. I’ll hand out assignments—haul over anything we can carry…”

“Um, may I ask something?”

Gaikaku was in the middle of giving orders when someone raised a hand. It was a former Amazoness—now a rank-and-file foot soldier—human, female.

“Hm? What is it?”

“What about the ranks of Full Knight and Squire Knight?”

“Ah, that. Yeah, I should’ve covered it.”

Gaikaku being Knight Commander was set in stone—and he had no intention of changing that. But becoming a Full Knight was still on the table for them. Sure, being a Squire Knight was plenty of honor, yet if they could, they wanted the top rank.

“According to Lady Tistria… we don’t need to worry about those categories in the Conjurer Knights. Frankly, we’ve already blown past the head-count limits.”

A normal order has about five people total—the commander plus four Full Knights—plus a hundred Squire Knights, so roughly 105. Give or take a few, that’s the standard size.

Right now the Conjurer Knights have 20 Ogres, 20 Elves, 20 Goblins, 10 Beastkin, 10 Dark Elves, and 101 humans. That’s already 181, and the number would creep up a bit more.

“So I’m not splitting you into Full Knights and Squires. I’ll come up with different titles.”

“I-I see… b-but!”

“What’s with the sudden enthusiasm?”

“Well, in practice we’ll need people in equivalent posts, right? For ceremonies—aides flanking the commander!”

Other Knight Commanders usually appear at ceremonies flanked by their Full Knights. Gaikaku standing there alone would look awkward. Even if they masked their faces like him, stepping into society as the Order’s reps was a dream.

“Yeah, fair enough.”

“Maybe one rep from each race? And obviously, for the human infantry, that would be me—ex-Amazoness commander, thank you very much—”

Gaikaku hadn’t thought that far ahead, but the former commander puffed herself up and proposed the idea. Honestly, she was the obvious pick to represent the humans.

“Fine, then I’ll crush the ex-commander!”

“Why?!”

“I—I want people to say I’m amazing, like a Full Knight too~~!”

Since no one was chosen on raw ability, the role could go to anyone; another foot soldier objected.

“Me too! I want the Squires to envy me!”

“This might be my one shot at becoming a ‘Full Knight’—can’t waste it!”

“I want an audience with Lady Tistria! Preferably often!”

“Sigh… Lady Tistria, greatest heroine of humankind—beauty that blinds the eyes, valor that overwhelms all…”

“I want to be close to her! If not by skill, then at least by position!”

They all knew the post was above their station. But still, they wanted to live the dream—just once. That mood spread to the other races as well. Lively debate broke out over who should be the reps (except among the confused Goblins).

“Ugh… If bottom-tiers like you show up as ‘Full Knights,’ it’ll trash the prestige of the title.”

Gaikaku’s dead-on, ice-cold jab. The warrior women wilted in unison.

“What if someone challenges you to a duel? You’ll end up like that fat idiot. In fact, you sound exactly like him.”

Gaikaku was showing his chops as commander, reining in his giddy troops—the majesty of a leader.

“But if that’s the logic, Commander, aren’t you the same?”

“I don’t put on airs! I admit I’m weak!”

“That’s… strong!”

Honesty is the best policy—or maybe it takes strength to say you’re weak.

“I’m nothing like that fat slob!”

A forceful declaration of his resolve to do better.

※

Meanwhile, Count Borick. He was currently being treated by a physician in his castle. It wasn’t deskwork-induced lack of exercise turning into illness. Surprisingly, he’d broken a toe.

That sort of break could happen in daily life, so most people would assume he’d dropped something or stubbed it on a dresser. But nearly everyone in the castle knew what really happened. Including the doctor bandaging him.

“M-my lord, the treatment is complete… please avoid walking for a while.”

“…Hmph.”

Borick sat on the bed like it was a chair, glowering at his bandaged foot. Anyone dislikes being injured, but his foul mood was on another level.

“W-well then, if you’ll excuse me…”

The doctor hurried out. As soon as the door closed, Borick slammed the bed with his pudgy hand.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

He’d passed the title to his son, yet rumors of the Conjurer Knights still reached his ears—and that their commander was a mysterious man named Gaikaku Hikume.

“Aaaaaaaaaaa!”

Now it was official: Gaikaku Hikume had become a Knight Commander—worst of all, backed by Tistria.

“Oooooooo!!!!”

Borick had flown into a rage. In his fury he’d kicked the nearest thing—and broken his toe.

“Gaaaahhh!!”

Ranting only hurt himself; nothing in the room broke. What else could he do but scream?

“…”

One sentence now echoed inside him, two sides of the same coin.

If you’d been honest about your situation, I could have made you a Knight Commander. You wasted that chance through your own stupidity.

The words burned. Tistria herself had admitted he could have had the post—and his vanity ruined it.

The thought clung to him, searing and inseparable. Had the line been split in two, he might remember only the convenient half and say, “It wasn’t my fault.” But fused into one, it kept thrusting his failure at him.

Gaikaku hadn’t stolen anything unfairly; Borick could have won by acting differently.

“Damn it aaaaaall!”

Unable to accept that, he lashed out again. The supposedly soft mattress transmitted the thud of its wooden frame as he punched it.

When his fury peaked—

“Gyahhhhh!”

This time he broke a bone in his hand.

“Gyahhhh!”

He lurched upright, putting weight on the broken toe.

“Aaaaargh! S-someone, help meeee!”

Writhing in pain, he screamed and screamed. Only in this moment could he drop the bravado and honestly call for help. Sadly, the only thing that could fool his heart was his own self-destruction.