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 42 & 43

Chapter 42: What Does the Fifth Unit Actually Do?

With apologies exchanged and a promise of cooperation made, the air in the captain’s office softened just a little.

The sharp, prickly tension faded, replaced by the smell of paper and leather.
The smell of work.

Captain Oren leaned her elbows on the desk, tapping a map with her fingertip instead of a dagger.

“…Sit.”

“Yes.”

I sat down.

She glanced at me once, then let out a breath.

“Now that we understand each other, we’re cooperating from here on out. That okay with you?”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to working together. Um—there’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a while. The Third Knight Order has more people than other units, right? That’s why it’s divided into units. You mentioned before that captains have strong authority within their units—what does that really mean?”

At my question, her cat ears twitched.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Strong authority doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want.”

“So it’s not about individuals… but the order as a whole?”

“That’s right.”

Captain Oren raised two fingers.

“The Third Knight Order is a single order—and also divided into units. And at the same time, it’s made up of individuals. Sounds contradictory, but that’s reality.”

“What do you mean?”

She tapped the edge of the desk with her finger.

“As an order, we have a meeting once a month.”

Items to report. Security information. Movements of each unit. Problem cases. Budget and personnel. Orders from above.

“That’s when all the unit captains meet face to face. Commander Snake, Vice-Commander Daitaros—everyone’s there.”

“What about outside of that?”

“Basically? We don’t meet.”

She said it flatly.

“Only in emergencies. Big incidents, trouble at the gates, monster swarms. Otherwise, each unit is already stretched thin just handling its own area. Still, your case, Hort, was passed along to all captains as a report item during the meeting.”

“…All the captains? And can you really share all information in just meetings?”

“Honestly? No. Everyone’s busy with their own jurisdiction. Unless cooperation is requested, we don’t know what other units are doing.”

As an order, they relied on meetings alone, and avoided extra communication whenever possible.

“Only important matters get shared in meetings. Incidents, warnings, orders, personnel, budgets… But what really rots the field isn’t those nice, official topics. It’s rumors. Work dumping. Grudges. That kind of stuff never reaches the meeting table. We’re field ants—just barely managing to get through each day.”

I let out a breath.

The Third Knight Order was massive.
And because it was massive, it cast huge shadows.

Captain Oren looked at me.

“Hort. The Third Knight Order is more indifferent to other units than you think. It’s a gathering of field workers.”

“The field…”

“It’s not pretty.”

Her cat ears lowered once.

That wasn’t disgust—it was resolve.

“The Fifth Unit’s assigned area is the slums.”

“……”

The map that was always spread out in the captain’s office.

The area circled on it—that was the Fifth Unit.

The edge of the royal capital.
Far from the castle.
Close to the gates.

A place where the flow of people turned murky.

“The slums have orphanages, unemployed people, and lots of sick folks.”

“Is the security bad too?”

“It is. But it’s not just bad.”

Captain Oren continued calmly.

“People steal because they’re hungry. They take medicine because they can’t afford it. They steal fire just to keep warm. That’s the kind of ‘bad’ life it is. And then there are those who gather there to take advantage of the weak.”

“…”

“You can’t just beat them up and be done with it. If you do, the same person comes back the next day.”

Her cat eyes cooled.

With a three-shift system, Fifth Unit members were constantly out on patrol.

“The Fifth Unit doesn’t just guard. We mediate disputes. Protect lost children. Handle bodies. Contact orphanages. Transport the sick. Report the injured.”

“…Is that really a knight’s job?”

“It is. No one else wants to do it. No one willingly steps into the slums.”

Her finger tapped an even smaller section of the map.

“Sanitation is terrible. The waterways are clogged. Waste builds up. Rats show up. Insects crawl everywhere. Underground, undead-type monsters appear. And the smell sticks to you.”

“…Is that why so many of your members are sensitive to toilet smells?”

“No idea.”

Sewers clogged. Undead roaming below.

That was the Fifth Unit’s battlefield.

“Beastfolk are sensitive to smells. If their noses stop working here, their alertness drops too.”

Captain Oren let out a short breath.

Her position as a captain in the Third Knight Order.
Her role managing and commanding the Fifth Unit.
And the responsibility of being entrusted with me—
A troublesome presence to the Third Knight Order.

Her burden was heavier than I’d thought.

“In the slums, if you show a soft face or act too kind, they’ll take advantage of you. You can’t underestimate commoners. You always have to stay alert—there’s no telling where bad people are hiding.”

Maintaining public order—and in the slums, a place full of incidents and trouble.

The mental strain had to be immense.

“You acting as a handyman—doing cleaning and laundry—really put the unit at ease. I want to thank you again. You truly helped.”

“…Captain.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just properly acknowledging my own mistake.”

Even as she said that, her voice softened just a little.

“You did the laundry, cleaned the toilets, organized patrols—and the atmosphere in the unit genuinely improved.”

Captain Oren lightly scratched the edge of the map with her claw.

“The slums are full of darkness.”

“Darkness?”

“Slavery. Underground guilds. Smuggling. Child trafficking. …People like that. We catch them so they can’t do whatever they want. We don’t know the mastermind yet—but we’ll never forgive them.”

Captain Oren stared at the map with genuine hatred.

At last, the secret mission and the Fifth Unit’s work connected into one line.

“Hort. You want to rise in rank, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then produce results. To get results through the Fifth Unit’s work, we either change the slums—or capture the darkness inside them. If you achieve results here, no one will be able to ignore you.”

“…Understood.”

So that was why she had explained the job in such detail.

“Alright. Starting today, you’re my secretary and my partner. Learn the job. See the filth of the Fifth Unit. Smell it. Remember it.”

“Yes.”

“And don’t run away.”

“I won’t.”

Her cat ears twitched slightly.

She seemed just a little satisfied with my answer.

“Then here’s your first task.”

Captain Oren tossed a stack of papers at me.

“Complaints from orphanages. Delays in transporting the sick. Clogged waterways. Missing persons. The work is piled high.”

“Understood.”

I caught the stack of papers.

This was the Fifth Unit’s front line.

And somewhere within this filth, the darkness of the Third Knight Order was sinking deep.

Chapter 43: A Reassuring Ally

I was finally on proper terms with Captain Oren.
Just that alone made it feel like a weight deep in my chest had been lifted.

It finally felt like I had solid ground to carry out my secret mission.

Someone who had decided I was an “enemy” learned the truth, bowed their head, and chose to cooperate. Inside the Third Knight Order, that was something close to a miracle.

And I had also learned the reality the Fifth Unit carried.

The slums. Sanitation problems. Children in orphanages. Sick people who couldn’t properly see a doctor. People without work.

A place where poor living conditions piled up—and malice gathered there like parasites.

The smell of toilets. Laundry. Patrol schedules.

Beyond those things lay a front line that directly decided whether the unit lived or died.

Darkness was sinking here.

Then the only option was to produce results here.

♢

My dorm room, lights turned off.

I sat on a chair and checked the darkness outside the window.

The signal was already decided.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Three times.
A small, dry sound.

I immediately unlocked the window.

Night air flowed in, and cloth brushed softly.

“…Excuse me.”

The voice was low and composed.

By the moonlight, the silhouette was clearer than last time.

Beautiful black hair swayed quietly. A slender outline. A lean body with no wasted movement.

The maid outfit blended into the darkness—and yet, she alone stood out.

Ethereal was the closest word.

The mysterious maid—Gina.

From behind her mask, her eyes locked onto me.

“A report.”

I lowered my voice.

“Thanks to you, I was able to build a good relationship with Captain Oren.”

“I did nothing.”

An instant reply.
A calm, flat denial.

“I see. Still, it helped.”

“……If I was of use to you, Sir Hort.”

The way she said it carried a strange weight.

Gina didn’t look around the room.

Without hesitation, she sat down beside me on the bed.

The same spot as before. 

The distance—very close.

“Today’s results. Captain Oren told me about the Fifth Unit’s situation. The slums are more troublesome than I imagined—but that’s exactly where I plan to produce results.”

Gina’s fingers moved slightly on her lap.

“Produce results?”

“Yeah. The slums are full of problems. There’s darkness there. Underground guilds. Smuggling. Child trafficking… I want to remove them from the royal capital.”

The moment I said it, Gina’s eyes cooled.

The warmth vanished.

Her gaze turned sharp—like a blade.

Seeing that, my throat went dry.

“Sir Hort.”

“Hm?”

“If you intend to expose that darkness, the danger will increase.”

“Yeah, I know. You belong to a different organization than I do. I’m not asking you to cooperate. But I intend to rise in rank within the kingdom—as a knight.”

I placed a finger on the stack of papers on the desk.

“While I’m still officially a knight trainee, I’ll earn achievements and raise my status as a knight.”

Gina’s eyes trembled—just slightly.

“You wish to rise in rank as a knight, Sir Hort?”

“Honestly, at first, I didn’t really care. But the chance Commander Adelheid gave me. The request from the Marshal. And after seeing the reality on the ground… I think that if I grab this chance, there might be a future for me.”

If you called it ambition, maybe that was true.

But in the end, the only thing I could truly devote myself to right now was my work.

Rina. Nagi.

I wasn’t confident in myself—not at all.

To gain that confidence, I wanted proof.

Proof that I had succeeded at something through my own effort.

“I want to rise.”

It wasn’t a lie.

More than anything, it felt like acknowledging my own existence as a person.

I cast my gaze out the window.

In the darkness, I could hear the footsteps of patrols.

“And knowing about the darkness, I can’t just leave it alone.”

The Third Knight Order that tried to seize Nagi.
Their ties to slave traders.

If Commander Adelheid hadn’t helped me when I received the secret mission, I might not have been able to do anything at all.

“That’s why I’ll produce results here.”

Gina leaned forward—just a little.

I couldn’t see her face beneath the mask, but her presence alone drew closer.

“Give me an order.”

“Huh?”

“Please tell me—who are Sir Hort’s enemies?”

Her voice was calm.

Too calm—and because of that, dangerous.

I let out a breath.

“Gina. You—”

“Yes.”

“We belong to different organizations, don’t we? And wouldn’t it be bad for you to help me personally?”

Gina didn’t even blink.

She simply stared straight at me.

“No. I am your personal shadow. If you tell me to kill, I will kill anyone—no matter who they are.”

Her eyes didn’t waver at all as they fixed on me.

I could tell—she meant every word.

“I don’t know what you’re really thinking, but… can I consider you an ally?”

“Yes! I promise. I will never betray you. I will even help you rise in rank!”

Those words made me unexpectedly happy, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, thank you. Gina, you’re a good person.”

I thanked her in an almost casual tone.

“……Sir Hort, you’re the best.”

“Hm?”

“No—please don’t mind it.”

“Alright then. Gina, I need information. I want you to trace the threads that lead to the darkness in the slums. While you do that, I’ll work on improving the environment.”

She nodded.

“I will prepare it.”

“I’m counting on you.”

She tilted her head and stared at me intently.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“I wish to record you, Sir Hort.”

“Record me?”

“I am a shadow. I do not stand out.”

“No—well, I can’t see your expression because of the mask, but with that beautiful black hair and your figure, wouldn’t you stand out anyway?”

…What was I even saying?

No—maybe she meant that she suppressed her presence because she was from the shadows.

Gina froze.

Then, behind the mask, her eyes widened—and a moment later, softened just a little.

“Thank you.”

“I just said what I was thinking.”

“Even so, it made me happy.”

“I see.”

“Work in the slums will require funds. Please take this.”

As she said that, she placed a pouch down.

“What’s this?”

When I peeked inside, it was packed with gold coins.

“W–What!? No, I can’t accept something like this!”

“This is part of the proper compensation meant for you, Sir Hort. It was originally yours to begin with. Please consider it necessary expenses.”

Gina truly left the pouch of gold behind and stood up.

Just like when she arrived, she headed for the window.

“Next time, three knocks.”

“Hey!”

“…Sir Hort.”

She called to me right as she was leaving.

“Yeah?”

“I will make sure you rise in rank. Please act exactly as you wish. I will support you fully.”

I couldn’t see her expression beneath the mask, yet I felt an alluring presence—and froze in place.

Gina melted into the darkness.

What remained was the night breeze and her faint scent.

“She really is mysterious to the very end…”

As I locked the window, I felt like I was being supported by a truly reliable ally.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

[Afterword]

Hello, this is the author, Iko.

This time…

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