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 13: The Second Knight Order Is on Your Side

Chapter 13: The Second Knight Order Is on Your Side

The man from the Third Knight Order slowly sniffed the air of the training grounds, as if tasting it, then gave an exaggerated shrug.

“Well now… lately, the documents we entrusted to the Second Knight Order Commander’s office keep getting sent back, you see?”

Entrusted, huh.

What a convenient choice of words.

Commander Adelheid looked at me, clearly not understanding what he was getting at.

But the two Third Knight Order knights standing behind him lightly raised the bundles they were holding.

I recognized them instantly.

They were the ones I had dumped straight onto the marshal’s desk.

“This here is the report on missing equipment. This is the request to fill vacant serving staff. This one’s a feed order. And here’s a repair application.”

The man flicked each sheet with his finger, one by one.

“‘Not under the Second Knight Order’s authority, so returned.’ That’s what it says. Heh—how very impressive you’ve become.”

Commander Adelheid’s red eyes narrowed.

“Is that all you came to say?”

“The matter itself is simple,” the Third Knight Order knight replied, still smiling.

“The Second Knight Order Commander is a marchioness from the marshal’s family, right? You became commander through connections—at least, that’s how we understand it. In that case, helping with a little paperwork shouldn’t be a problem, don’t you think? We’re busy with training and city patrols, after all. You understand, right?”

The air around the Second Knight Order sharpened, like a blade grazing skin.

Even the line of trainees held their breath.

Before the commander could speak, my mouth moved on its own.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

The Third Knight Order knight turned his gaze toward me.

“…A trainee shouldn’t butt in!”

“I’m sorry. At the moment, I’m serving as the commander’s errand boy. And I’m the one who returned those documents.”

I slowly stepped forward.

Not in front of the commander.

I lined up beside her.

“By your logic, it goes like this, right? She became commander through connections, so she should carry all the dirty work too?”

The Third Knight Order knight snorted.

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“Then let me ask you this instead.”

I looked straight at him.

“Are you stronger than the commander?”

The training grounds fell dead silent.

The Third Knight Order knight’s eyebrow twitched.

“…Hah?”

“The commander is strong. She can lead. She can run operations on the field. Even while handling the paperwork you dumped on her, she’s stronger and more capable than you, who only train.”

“Wha—?!”

“And after all that, you expect her to take on other departments’ chores too? If you weaklings handled your own paperwork, the Kingdom’s Knight Order would be in far better shape. Can’t you understand something that simple?”

I shrugged.

I was openly provoking him.

But compared to barging into the marshal’s office, this was nothing.

“So what exactly do you do? Training? Patrols? You can’t even manage paperwork—do you really think training alone will make you stronger than the commander? And if you’re not doing paperwork, are you actually doing patrols properly? Or are you slacking off somewhere?”

I tilted my head slightly.

“You even came here today to say something this stupid—so you’re slacking off right now too, aren’t you?”

The Third Knight Order knight’s face flushed.

The two behind him reached for their swords.

“…You bastard—”

“Oh, yeah. I’m provoking you on purpose. Nice and clear.”

I didn’t stop.

“The Third Knight Order has been making a fool of the Second Knight Order this whole time.”

At my words, the air around the Second Knight Order snapped tight.

“You don’t have any knightly pride.”

I deliberately curved my lips into a smile.

“Talking about ‘connections’—aren’t you embarrassed? She’s the commander because she has ability. Can you seriously not understand something that simple? Or does logic just not reach you?”

“Don’t think you’ll get away with insulting us like this!”

The knight at the front of the Third Knight Order grabbed his sword.

Honestly, I was prepared to get hit.

But then, from right beside me, the commander dropped her voice low.

“Hort.”

“Yes.”

“…What exactly are you saying?”

She looked completely confused.

Would she get angry at me for acting on my own?

That thought crossed my mind.

“Commander, I’m sorry. I returned the documents to the Third Knight Order—the ones I judged weren’t something Commander Adelheid should be deciding.”

“You mean those from earlier?”

“Yes. They weren’t tasks you were meant to handle. I simply returned the Third Knight Order’s work. It seems they came here just to complain about that.”

“…I see.”

The commander understood.

She gave me a look that clearly said, Do as you like.

So I gave the Third Knight Order knight two options.

“Do you want a duel? Or will you withdraw right now and apologize?”

The Third Knight Order knight laughed.

It was a laugh thick with anger.

“Fine then. I’ll tear you to pieces.”

“Why did you assume I would fight?”

I shrugged lightly.

“What you need to prove is the difference between the commander’s strength—and yours.”

The commander’s red eyes flashed.

She had been swallowing her frustration for a long time.

And now, the target stood right in front of her.

“Commander, I’m sorry. This is a bit too much for me—so please help.”

I could fight if needed.

I was angry too. But this wasn’t my battle.

My sister used to say that it was fine to place a burden on women sometimes.

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

The commander stepped forward.

I thought the Third Knight Order knight might back off—but my provocation had gone straight to his head.

“…I’ll give you exactly what you want.”

He moved up.

The two behind him also placed their hands on their swords.

“I’ll take all three of you at once. Be grateful.”

He really didn’t seem to have any knightly pride at all.

Three against one.

The surroundings stirred.

It was dirty—but that was exactly the kind of people the Third Knight Order claimed to be.

I looked at the commander.

“It’s fine.”

The metal fittings of her armor clinked softly.

For just a moment, hesitation flickered in my chest.

I was placing a burden on her.

But if she yielded here, everything would revert to how it had been before.

“…Commander Adelheid. Please. I believe in you.”

“Yeah. I am Adelheid von Graetz. There’s no problem.”

She was smiling.

Steel slid from its sheath, slicing through the air.

In the next instant, the Third Knight Order knight rushed in.

The other two moved to flank her. Their coordination was clean.

But the commander shattered the premise itself.

Her first step was different.

Fast—yet heavy.

Even when I fought her, I’d never landed a single hit.

There stood the commander, her blade refined into something beautiful.

Red hair flashed through my vision—and in the next moment, the Third Knight Order knight was flying through the air.

“…Huh?”

A sound that barely counted as a voice.

The commander’s sword didn’t stop.

A spin. A step in. A counter.

The man on the left lost his footing.

His knees buckled.

He hit the ground on his back.

The man on the right tried to leap away in panic—but the commander ended it with a single touch of her sword.

Not the chest. The shoulder line.

Not a gap in the armor.

A blow that rattled the bone itself.

“Guh—!”

He collapsed.

The last one—the leader—turned pale as he reset his stance.

Too late.

The commander stepped forward.

The pressure alone crushed his breath.

Her sword flashed. 

His vision shook. His sword slipped from his hand.

And then—he fell.

Instant defeat.

Everyone on the training grounds was left speechless.

The commander lowered the tip of her blade and spoke, her breathing perfectly calm.

“Have you confirmed it now?”

She looked down at them.

“Take this back to your commander, Snake. If you pull anything unnecessary again, I won’t be merciful.”

“…!”

The Third Knight Order knights let out strained groans, their pride shattered.

At that moment, the Second Knight Order moved.

They stepped forward together, forming a wall—becoming shields before their commander.

Vice-Commander Bind spoke quietly.

“If you’ve got complaints, bring them to us next time.”

“If you’ve got a problem with Commander Graetz, say it to our faces.”

“That’s right! Our commander is strong!”

“If you’re knights too, then do your damn jobs properly!”

The Third Knight Order knights nodded stiffly.

“The commander is the leader of the Second Knight Order.”

“Don’t bring unnecessary noise here.”

“If you try dumping work on her again, we’ll throw it right back.”

Surrounded by the Second Knight Order, the three Third Knight Order knights went pale.

Even when they tried to stand, a wall blocked them.

They couldn’t reach the commander.

Only their faces twisted—anger, fear, humiliation.

“…Remember this!”

Like the howling of beaten dogs, they forced their way through and fled.

“There won’t be a next time.”

At my words, laughter broke out.

The Third Knight Order fled in disgrace.

The Second Knight Order’s stares stabbed into their backs.

“Commander Adelheid. That was amazing. And thank you for protecting us.”

I thanked her properly.

She made a complicated face—then smiled back at me.

♢

After that day, the hell of paperwork never returned to the commander’s office.

The marshal worked behind the scenes, and everything stopped at the Second Knight Order’s reception desk.

Documents flowed to the proper departments, and even if someone tried to dump work out of spite, the Second Knight Order moved to protect their commander.

Commander Adelheid began to notice it too—little by little.

But she said nothing. 

She simply spent more time on the training grounds. Spoke to the trainees more often. Gave instructions to the knights more often.

At last, Commander Adelheid had returned to where she truly belonged.

My assignment with the Second Knight Order was nearing its end.

Morning—documents. Noon—the cafeteria. Afternoon—training. Night—special training.

The commander’s sword was as unreasonable as ever, and I was still getting yelled at for letting my eyes wander toward things that swayed.

“Hort! Where are you looking!”

“I’m not looking!”

“That’s a lie!”

“…The wind!”

“That excuse is sloppy!!”

Each time, laughter echoed through the Second Knight Order.

The atmosphere where people could laugh had returned—and that made me happy.

The end of my assignment.

The work I’d been doing was handed over to a secretary chosen from the Second Knight Order’s proper personnel.

A female knight was selected—someone who could handle the commander’s worries as a woman, things I could never solve.

At dusk on the training grounds, the commander sheathed her sword and looked down at me.

“Hort.”

“Yes.”

“…You’ve got quite a bit of promise.”

Those words felt different from the first day.

Not lighter in weight—warmer.

I straightened my back.

“Hah! Thank you very much. It’s all thanks to being trained by you, Commander Adelheid.”

“Hmph. A straightforward answer—good.”

Her lips loosened just a little.

“…You’re moving on to the next knight order?”

“Yes. That’s how the trainee system works.”

“I see.”

Her red eyes narrowed—just slightly.

Remembering my sister’s words, I deliberately asked in a light tone.

“Two choices.”

“…What?”

“Do you want to see me again? Or do you not want to see me?”

“Ugh… you really are a demon. Of course I want to see you again!”

She answered instantly.

I almost laughed and covered it with a cough.

“Next time, I’ll make you say you want to be my personal attendant.”

“That would be nice.”

“—”

She turned on her heel.

The evening sun dyed her armor red.

That back of hers would never sink into mountains of paperwork again.

I tightened my grip on my sword and looked up at the sky.

I still didn’t have an answer to whether Commander Adelheid was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

But I knew this much—she was a captivating woman.

And the sight of her standing on the battlefield, like a single drawn blade, was beautiful.