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 10: A Direct Appeal to the Marshal

Chapter 10: A Direct Appeal to the Marshal

Before the morning bell rang, I opened the door to the Second Knight Order Commander’s office.
The mountain of papers was lower than yesterday.

Still, it didn’t look like hell was anywhere near finished.

New documents had been brought in after I left.

“Fwaa…”

The commander stifled a yawn at the edge of her desk, ran her fingers through her red hair, and looked at me.

“Morning, Hort. Another day in hell.”

“Good morning, Commander Adelheid. I look forward to working with you today as well.”

Without a hint of doubt, she began reading through the documents I handed her.

But today, I was working with a clear decision in mind.

I was going to reduce these papers.

I picked up one stack from the desk.

Sealing wax. Paper quality. Stamped crest. Recipient.

To the Second Knight Order Commander, Adelheid von Graetz.

Everything was addressed to the commander.

That was the problem.

But once you read the contents, it was obvious.

This wasn’t her job. I flipped through the reports.

A request to repair the training grounds. An additional order for horse feed. A written explanation about lost equipment from the Third Knight Order. A request to fill missing staff positions in the royal castle’s dining service.

…No. Seriously. Why was the Second Knight Order Commander handling any of this?

I let out a breath and placed down the sorting tags.

[Requires Second Knight Order Commander’s approval] 

[Can be handled by the assigned department]
[Wrong recipient] 

[Clearly dumped here]

The last tag was personal bias.

But it wasn’t wrong.

The commander kept holding her pen, sneaking glances at my hands as I worked.

“Are you angry this early in the morning?”

“I’m not.”

“That’s a lie.”

“…I’m normal. Commander, please focus on your own work. It won’t get done otherwise.”

“Uuuugh…”

Even while groaning at my words, the commander returned to her documents.

She was too used to this.

She’d accepted it as normal—to take everything on herself.

Never asking for help. Carrying it all alone.

I kept sorting, never stopping my hands.

There was a document past its submission deadline.

Worse, the date it had been forwarded to the Second Knight Order was the day before the deadline.

There was no way it could’ve arrived in time.

This was paperwork meant to be dumped here and forgotten.

“…”

I straightened the edge of the stack and slipped in another sheet.

[Reception No.: S-18 / Deadline Falsified / Delayed Forwarding]

Leave evidence. In a way no one could talk their way out of.

The commander tilted her head.

“What’s that number?”

“A sorting number.”

“I see… you made it easier to understand.”

The commander was an honest person.

Give her a sword, and she was unstoppable.

But office work like this?

Not her strength.

The fact that she didn’t question it further actually helped. I calmly kept working.

After about half a bell, the right side of the desk held the stack the commander should handle. The left side held the stack she shouldn’t.

The pile on the left was overwhelmingly larger.

The commander frowned.

“…Hey. Isn’t the left side way too big?”

“It is.”

“That’s not normal!”

“It isn’t.”

The commander crossed her arms, her expression bitter.

“Well, even so, this is still work. I’ll do it.”

“No—please start with the stack on the right first.”

I wrapped both arms around the pile on the left.

It was heavy.

Not just the weight of paper—the weight of bad intentions.

The commander’s eyes widened.

“Hey. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get this checked. Please handle the remaining stack, Commander.”

“W-Wait—o-okay.”

She started to stand, but I talked my way through it and left the commander’s office with the bundle in my arms.

The marshal’s office was deeper inside the royal castle.

The air in the corridor felt heavy.

Two marshal guard knights stopped me with just their eyes.

“Who are you? State your business.”

“Yes, sir! I am Hort Rubel, assistant to the Second Knight Order Commander! I’ve brought documents from the Second Knight Order Commander’s office that I request Marshal Graetz personally review!”

I raised my voice as clearly and loudly as possible, making sure it carried inside the room.

The two guards looked surprised—but that didn’t matter.

I lifted the pile in my arms slightly, showing them.

One of the guards’ eyebrows twitched.

“…What is that amount?”

“All documents requiring confirmation.”

“Are you messing with us?”

“No. This is everything that was delivered to the Second Knight Order Commander’s office.”

One guard’s mouth twitched for just a moment.

I knew there was a chance I’d be sent away.

I’d already prepared myself for that.

If needed, I would come back again and again while I was stationed with the Second Knight Order.

But then—A low voice answered from beyond the door.

“Enter.”

The guards opened the door, and pressure slammed into me from the other side.

It felt like the room itself was saying, If you can’t handle this, don’t step inside.

But I couldn’t lose here.

For Commander Adelheid’s sake, this was my only chance to meet the marshal.

The core of the kingdom’s army.

And Commander Adelheid’s father.

His blazing red hair was like a lion’s mane, and his burning eyes locked onto me.

A chill ran down my spine.

Still, I didn’t run.

If I ran now, the commander would keep getting crushed.

I stepped forward and dropped to one knee.

“Second Knight Order trainee, Hort Rubel. I have matters I wish to have confirmed by Marshal Graetz.”

“State your business.”

“Among the documents being forwarded to the Second Knight Order Commander, there are many that should be completed within their own departments, others sent to the wrong recipient, and some with signs of manipulated deadlines.”

The marshal’s gaze fell on the pile in my arms.

“…Why are you carrying those?”

“Because I am assisting the Second Knight Order Commander. She is buried in paperwork every day, to the point that it interferes with training and instruction. More importantly, these are not tasks the commander should be handling. Their presence proves that there are knights neglecting their proper duties. Was this done under your orders, Marshal?”

The moment my jab landed, the marshal’s eyes widened.

Scary.

This pressure was clearly stronger than Commander Adelheid’s.

The guards even reached for their swords, thinking I was mocking him.

The marshal tapped his desk twice with his finger.

The guards released their grips.

“Put it down.”

“Yes, sir.”

I set the pile at the edge of the desk.

Thud.

The stack of documents made the desk shake.

I felt the guards hold their breath.

The marshal’s eyebrows lifted—just a little.

“…Who has been forwarding all of this to the Second Knight Order Commander?”

“At the moment, multiple parties. But there’s a clear bias. Most of it comes from the Third Knight Order. However, documents are also being sent from the First Knight Order, under your command, Marshal.”

I took out a single sheet I had prepared.

Reception number. Sender. Date forwarded. Deadline. Contents. Responsible department.

Everything I had investigated and written down over the past month.

The marshal accepted the paper and scanned it.

Silence fell.

It was the frightening kind of silence.

After a moment, the marshal stood up.

“Does the Second Knight Order Commander know about this?”

“…Of course. The commander prioritizes her own duties. She has taken on these tasks without complaint, treating them as part of a knight’s job. But the workload clearly exceeds what one person can handle. I don’t want to place any unnecessary burden on her.”

The marshal’s eyes narrowed.

“Loyalty? Or have you fallen for her?”

“Please don’t insult me!”

Not words I should be saying to a marshal.

But I’d already come this far.

The moment I confronted him directly, I’d accepted that I could be expelled as a knight trainee.

If that happened, I’d just be the third son of a baron.

I could live on as an adventurer if I had to.

“It’s to prevent losses to the Kingdom’s Knight Order. That lady shines when she holds a sword. Chaining her to a desk is a loss. And there are idiots who dump their work on the Second Knight Order Commander so they can take it easy. Are you really going to let that slide?”

To my own surprise, my voice was calm.

The marshal let out a short snort.

“A mere apprentice barks quite loudly.”

“I’m not barking. This is a report. Since it seems everyone else isn’t doing their jobs.”

The marshal slid the pile of documents toward the edge of his desk and signaled the guards with his eyes.

“Call the heads of the relevant departments. Now.”

“Yes, sir!”

The guards rushed out.

The marshal turned his gaze back to me.

“Is Adelheid doing well?”

“…Eh?”

“She’s always been the type to endure without complaining. You moved on this using your own name, didn’t you? That girl isn’t the type who notices things like this.”

“Yes. This was entirely my own decision. If someone has to be dismissed, then dismiss me.”

“What’s your name?”

“Hort Rubel.”

“That child… has a tendency to make unnecessary enemies. Support her well. I’ll handle what I can on my end.”

Hearing the marshal speak so openly about the commander caught me off guard.

I bowed deeply.

“I apologize for my many disrespectful words!”

“It’s fine. You only came to report. There was no disrespect in that.”

His generosity was impressive.

The marshal tapped the pile of documents with his finger.

“Well done. But remember this—being right can be more dangerous than a blade. You’ll make enemies too.”

“I understand.”

The marshal gave a small nod.

“Return. Things are about to get noisy.”

“Yes, sir.”

I bowed again and left the office.

My back was soaked with sweat.