My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 04: As a Knight-in-Training

Chapter 04: As a Knight-in-Training

My sister’s words kept replaying in my head.

Don’t give too much.
Make them choose.
Don’t end as just a nice guy.
Kindness 7, spice 3.
Put some burden on them.
Don’t let your feelings spill everywhere.

…This was harder than practicing sword forms.
At least those, I could memorize.

With my sword at my waist and the reins in my hands, I headed toward the royal capital.

Knight trainees continued their training within the knight order until their assignments were decided.

That meant leaving my family home and returning to the capital.

This was my real first step as a knight-in-training.

My chest still hurt. The pain hadn’t vanished.

But no matter how long I stayed sad, Rina wouldn’t choose me.

More importantly, I had set a goal—to become a man who could marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

The road ahead was long.

The farmland and forests of my territory faded away, replaced by stone-paved roads as foot traffic increased.

…That was when it happened.

A scream echoed from up ahead.

“Kyaaah—!”

My horse pricked up its ears in alarm, and I instinctively lowered my posture.

Ahead on the road, just beyond a bend, a luxurious carriage had come to a stop.

People were fleeing toward me.

I pushed forward against the flow.

A jet-black carriage adorned with gold decorations.

I didn’t recognize the house, but there was a crest—this belonged to a high-ranking noble.

Monsters surrounded it.

Small, ugly green goblins—around thirty of them.

And five large, red-skinned orcs.

It looked like the carriage had been attacked by a group of monsters.

“…”

The knights were already scrambling to respond.

People on the road were running in panic.

There didn’t seem to be any adventurers around—no monster specialists in sight.

I let out a breath while still on horseback.

I had trained my body to become a knight-in-training.

I kicked the horse’s flank and headed straight toward the battlefield.

“Let’s go.”

The horse struck the ground and closed the distance.

Around the carriage were about ten escort knights, but the monsters were too many.

And behind the monsters, something else lurked.

Thick, black muscles. Large tusks.

An Orc General.
A commander leading the group.

The escort knights were desperately holding the line.

But goblins were already swarming the carriage.

“Fireball!”

I didn’t have much magical talent.

I could only use basic spells.

But with no bow or arrows, I’d use whatever I had.

“I’ll help!”

“Much appreciated!”

After calling out to the knights, I didn’t head for the front line—I went straight for the carriage at the rear.

On the way, a goblin yanked open the carriage door.

Someone was about to be dragged out—a young noble lady.

A pale-colored dress. White gloves. Trembling fingers.

The goblin grabbed her arm and pulled, while she desperately resisted.

“Stop—!”

Her voice came out hoarse.

I drew my sword from horseback, the sound of steel slicing through the air.

The goblin noticed me and seemed to grin.

But that ugly smile was split apart by my blade.

In the next instant, I leaned to the side without slowing the horse.

The weight traveled through my arm.

The tip of my sword cut exactly where I aimed, felling the goblin.

“Gah—!”

The young lady staggered, and I spurred my horse forward, steadying her by the shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

My voice came out calmer than I expected.

Moving emotions.
Spice. None of that mattered right now.

A life was right in front of me.

The lady took a deep breath and nodded, holding back tears.

“…Y-Yes…”

I guided her toward the carriage door and gently pressed her back.

“Get inside. Close the door.”

“W-Wait… what about you?!”

“I’m a knight-in-training. It’s alright—I’ll save you. May I save you?”

“P-Please!”

“Understood!”

For a split second, my sister’s words flashed through my mind, and I had asked without thinking.

But she answered right away.

That settled it.

What I needed to do first wasn’t paying respect to a high noble.

It was extermination.

I got the lady back into the carriage and shut the door.

At that moment, a dagger flew at me from behind. Thrown by a goblin.

I shifted my body half a step and avoided the blade.

Goblins coat their weapons with poison.

I couldn’t afford to take even one hit.

Three goblins rushed toward me. They bared their fangs, licking their lips as they closed in.

First—reduce their numbers.

I dismounted and stepped forward.

I kicked off the stone pavement, swinging my sword with no wasted motion.

First—throat. Second—stomach. Third—knee.

Blood sprayed, and the goblins collapsed.

…I was still inexperienced.

I could handle goblins somehow, but orcs were a different story—knights struggled with them for a reason.

In battle, tension made my sword feel heavy.

My breathing was shallow. Even so, I could still fight.

That was when I heard an escort knight shout.

“The orcs are pushing in! Fall back!”

One orc charged straight at me.

It was huge.

Goblins barely reached my waist, but this thing was over two meters tall—big both vertically and horizontally.

It wielded a club like a blunt weapon, each step shaking the ground.

I took a step back. I wouldn’t take it head-on.

To redirect its strength, I activated magic.

“Wind.”

A gust rose around me, deflecting the club as it swung down.

I slipped aside, and the instant the club shattered the stone pavement, I stepped inside its guard.

Inside of the knee.

I drove my sword in deep.

“GRAAH!!”

The orc roared.

My sword and magic weren’t strong enough to kill it instantly.

But I didn’t stop. I struck again.

Its armor-like fat was thick, so I aimed for the exposed neck where bone showed through.

I didn’t need a deep cut—just severing the heavy blood flow was enough.

“—!”

The orc dropped its club and collapsed.

My arm went numb. My shoulder burned.

The escort knights stared at me in shock.

“It’s not over! The goblins—!!!”

As I shouted, movement caught the edge of my vision.

A goblin was running toward the forest.

It was carrying something over its shoulder.

A maid’s uniform!

“…!”

She’d been taken.

I started running without hesitation.

“Wait! Guard the carriage!”

“Leave that to us!”

“Hey, where are you—?!”

“A maid’s been kidnapped!”

I didn’t look back.

If I stayed here, I could protect the young lady.

But the kidnapped maid would die.

The young lady still had escorts.

The knights would risk their lives to protect her, right?

The one who needed me now was in the forest.

◆

The forest was dim.

I ran between the trees, following the signs—goblin footprints, snapped branches, cloth dragged along the ground.

I caught up quickly.

There were two goblins.

One carried the maid over its shoulder, the other kept watch.

The maid wasn’t moving—she was probably unconscious.

…If I made noise here, she might be killed.

I slowed my breathing and silenced my steps.

“Stealth.”

Using magic, I dulled my presence as much as possible and moved in.

Sword ready, I kicked off the ground.

I closed the distance in one burst, and the moment the lookout goblin turned around, my blade split its throat.

I didn’t let it scream.

The other goblin noticed its partner fall, panicked, dropped the maid, and drew a dagger.

I stepped in half a pace, knocked the dagger aside, and drove my sword into its throat.

“Gah!”

The goblin collapsed.

Silence. I let out a long breath.

Then I immediately knelt beside the maid.

“You okay?”

The maid slowly opened her eyes, her voice trembling.

“…H-H—!”

“It’s alright. It’s over now.”

I took off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

It was cold.

The forest air was chilly—and with fear making her shake, even more so.

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at me.

“…T-Thank you…”

I shook my head.

“Save the thanks for later. Let’s get back first.”

She had beautiful black hair.

Since she couldn’t walk, I supported her and led her out of the forest.

The path back to the carriage felt shorter than before—probably because the tension still hadn’t left me.

When we returned to the road, the battle was nearly over.

The escort knights cut down the last goblin.

Four orc corpses lay on the ground.

Including the one I killed, that made five.

Most of the knights looked exhausted from fighting the Orc General and were sitting down.

The carriage was safe.

The young lady opened the door and stepped down, her hands shaking.

“Gina…!”

She rushed to the maid and hugged her tightly.

The maid—Gina—clung to her, crying.

…Thank goodness.

An escort knight approached me.

“Thank you for your assistance. May I have your name?”

“Hort. I’m a knight-in-training, on my way to the royal capital.”

I gave only my name.
Nothing more.

The knight bowed deeply.

“Thank you. We owe you our lives.”

“No. Things are hectic right now. I’m just glad everyone’s safe.”

Even I was surprised at how clearly I refused.

The young lady widened her eyes.

“But… you saved our lives…!”

I looked at her.

She was beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

That thought flashed through my mind—then vanished.

A lady important enough to ride in such a luxurious carriage would never have anything to do with me.

More than that, getting involved felt like it would only bring trouble.

“As long as you and the maid are safe, that’s enough for me. I’m truly glad I could help.”

She smiled at me.

My emotions were still running high from the battle.

Part of me knew I was acting a little cool on purpose.

But going any further would just be unnecessary.

I turned on my heel and walked toward my horse.

“Please wait!”

The young lady took a step forward.

Without turning around, I grabbed the reins.

I mounted the horse and threw out one last line.

“Please… stay safe.”

The knight standing beside her nodded, and I kicked the horse’s side.

Hoofbeats echoed against the stone road as I rode off down the highway.

I could feel the young lady’s gaze on my back.

Even so, I didn’t look back.

The knights’ achievements were far greater than mine.

I had only lent a small hand—that was all.