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 56 & 57

Chapter 56: Captain Uragar

Side: Hort Rubel

The number of pained voices coming from the ward had begun to fade.

The groans.

The desperate prayers.

Instead, what filled the air now were quiet breaths… and the soft bubbling of pots steaming with soup.

When illness is cured, people can work.

My brother-in-law spoke up.

“Leave the workers to me.”

It was brief, but firm.

Young men.

Even elderly people who could still move.

I entrusted them to my brother-in-law.

There still weren’t enough hands, so we prepared fields and let them tend to them.

The women helped in the ward—washing clothes, caring for patients.

Others worked in the dining hall built for the soup kitchen.

Some set up small stalls nearby, selling knitted goods and vegetables they had grown themselves.

Even in places where I wasn’t present, people were working.

Things were moving.

If someone got injured, Sister Natasha handled recovery and purification.

I no longer had to keep casting “Heal” without pause.

With more stamina to spare, my view broadened.

The soup kitchen ran on its own.

The little school ran on its own.

Cleaning became something the residents began calling “our job.”

A cycle had formed.

And that was enormous.

Of course, this place hadn’t become a paradise.

Everyone was still struggling desperately to build a future.

And part of the Fifth Unit stood guard over it.

Night patrols.

Watching over the orphanage.

Keeping an eye on the soup kitchen grounds.

They scrubbed the filthy back alleys of the slums, making sure no new criminals were born from that rot.

Every time Daut’s belly shook as he walked, I felt strangely reassured.

“…Alright.”

I straightened the collar of my cloak and let out a slow breath.

Now the real part began.

The secret order from His Excellency the Marshal—

Investigate the Third Knight Order.

The wraith we defeated beneath the orphanage.

The number “Eleven” carved into the clasp of its cloak.

We had finally found a lead connected to the Eleventh Unit.

If that was merely a coincidence, then there was no darkness within the Third Knight Order at all.

Which meant—

I had to dig.

Gate Guard Captain, Uragar.

“Let’s go, Sir Daut.”

“Yeah, yeah! …Sheesh. You think my belly can even fit through the Gate Guard’s entrance?”

“If it can’t, we’ll find another door.”

Our partnership had truly begun to feel natural.

“You know, sometimes you’re kind of cold.”

“I’m not cold. Just realistic.”

We stood near the gates of the royal capital.

Heading toward the Eleventh Unit’s station.

The atmosphere here was different from the Fifth.

In the Fifth Unit’s slums, the air smelled of sweat, mud, and cooking food.

But here—

It smelled like metal.

The scent of inspections.

The scent of authority.

And the scent of secrets.

Standing before the main office door, I straightened my back once more.

“Knight Hort Rubel of the Third Knight Order, Fifth Unit. I request an audience with Gate Guard Captain Uragar.”

Silence fell on the other side of the door.

The sound of a lock being undone.

The door opened—

And I saw a face I didn’t want to see.

Sharp buck teeth.

Thin lips.

Sticky, clinging eyes.

There was no way I could forget him.

The man who tried to take Nagi away under the excuse of “suspected slave.”

“…You.”

The man looked at me and curled the corner of his mouth.

“Hort Rubel, right?”

Daut stepped forward.

“Hey. We’re here on official business. Let us through.”

“Hah. Isn’t that the raccoon old man from the Fifth Unit? Go clean some stinking latrines.”

The air tightened instantly.

From deeper inside the station, Gate Guard knights were watching us.

Eyes filled with hostility.

Eyes measuring us.

It reminded me of when I was first assigned to the Fifth Unit.

Even within the Third Knight Order, the way they treated me was still steeped in resentment.

“…We have business with Captain Uragar.”

“Like I care. Captain’s busy. What does the Saint of the slums want?”

The way he said it—pure mockery.

Ever since the newspapers spread the story, people had started calling me “Saint.”

I stepped forward once.

“We have two matters. First, an audience with the Eleventh Unit Captain. Second, regarding the body of an Eleventh Unit knight discovered beneath the slums.”

“…Huh?”

His eyebrow twitched. For a split second, his expression shifted.

Then he quickly covered it with a laugh.

“Don’t know anything about that.”

“Then allow us to confirm it. Captain Uragar may know something.”

“Like hell I’ll let you see him.”

The man let out an exaggerated sigh and looked me up and down—slow and insulting.

“Hey… you remember that day? At the gate.”

“I remember.”

“You defended that adventurer. The oni woman. What, she your girl? Heh.”

I could tell Daut’s fist had clenched tight.

I quietly stepped in front of him.

“No. She’s a fellow adventurer. We worked together during our leave.”

“Fellow? Don’t mess with me. A guy like you, all polished on the outside, playing hero—don’t act righteous. Just because you became a Knight, you think you’re important now?”

So that was it.

He was angry that I had become a Knight.

His face made it clear he didn’t find it amusing at all.

“I don’t know if I’ve become important. But I do have the authority of a Knight.”

“…Tch.”

His eyes clouded with open hatred.

“Stop sniffing around the Gate Guard. Get lost.”

“I won’t. And if there’s nothing wrong, then there shouldn’t be a problem with an investigation, correct?”

The moment I said it clearly—

A low voice fell from deeper inside the station.

“…You’re awfully loud.”

The air turned cold.

“Captain!”

“Hm? Who’s this young one?”

The Gate Guard knights instantly straightened their backs.

Footsteps. Heavy boots striking stone.

I focused only on that sound.

The man who appeared was slimmer than I expected.

A large scar ran across his cheek.

Long green hair fell over one eye.

He felt different from the other knights.

The air tightened sharply around him, making it hard to breathe.

“Hort Rubel of the Fifth Unit.”

“Ohh… so you’re that famous Hort Rubel, eh… What do you want?”

Only after Captain Uragar addressed me did I finally manage to draw a proper breath.

“There’s something I need to confirm. An Eleventh Unit knight was discovered beneath the orphanage… turned into a wraith.”

“What did you say?!”

The atmosphere inside the Gate Guard station froze.

The moment the words left my mouth, the entire room went silent.

The Gate Guard knights were staring at my throat.

No one had their hands on their swords—

But it felt as though killing intent could be drawn at any moment.

Daut stepped half a pace behind me.

Guarding my back. Making sure no one circled around.

Captain Uragar didn’t look at my face.

His eyes settled on my chest instead.

“…I see now. So that’s how it is. A rookie knight coming all the way to the Gate Guard—must’ve taken some effort, huh?”

His tone was light. Casual.

Too light.

And yet my back felt cold.

I took out the cloth bundle and placed it at the edge of the desk.

The gray cloak clasp.

The number Eleven carved into it.

“I want to ask about the death of this Eleventh Unit knight!”

“Ahh, that insignia.”

Captain Uragar’s gaze dropped to the clasp.

Then, without even raising an eyebrow, he said—

“I know about it.”

“You do?”

“I do… but now.”

He looked at me.

Those green eyes felt like they were seeing straight through me.

“You’re quite something, aren’t you? Bet you’re popular with the ladies.”

“Huh?”

The sudden, completely off-topic comment slipped out before I could stop it.

For a second, my throat tightened.

“You’re young and good-looking. Shining like some hero out of a story. The Saint of the slums. Even made it into the papers, didn’t you?”

His tone was light.

But his words were sharp.

“…That has nothing to do with this.”

“It does.”

Captain Uragar smiled.

A thin smile.

The kind that made your throat tighten.

“When someone succeeds like you, it usually starts with something ugly. Wanting to prove someone wrong. Jealousy. Failure. That’s how it begins.”

The Gate Guard knights around him smirked.

As if they were trying to peer straight into my heart.

A rebuttal rose to my throat.

I didn’t do this to prove someone wrong.

I didn’t act out of jealousy.

That wasn’t it.

That’s what I wanted to say—

But suddenly, Rina’s face surfaced in my mind.

“What you’re doing looks pretty on the surface. But this world, you know… there are things that have to be hidden. Sometimes you stay silent to protect something. I can see you’re desperate in your own way.”

“Hidden? Hidden what?”

“The very thing you’re trying to ask about.”

Captain Uragar extended his fingers toward the clasp—

But didn’t touch it.

Without touching it, he continued.

“Success starts from dark feelings. That’s why hands get dirty. You still don’t seem ready for that. You talk about ideals, but your hands aren’t stained yet.”

“You’re saying I lack resolve?”

“This ain’t some word game.”

It felt like he was roughly stirring the deepest part of my heart.

I almost stepped forward.

“I—”

But Uragar raised his hand, as if to say the conversation was already over.

“You’re still too early to be talking to me.”

He was smiling.

But his eyes weren’t.

“Weak. Far too weak.”

With that alone, he turned on his heel.

“Wait, Captain Uragar! Who was the Eleventh Unit knight?!”

The moment I tried to follow, a Gate Guard knight stepped forward and shoved me in the chest.

“Go home, Saint.”

“Don’t interfere with Gate Guard business.”

“This isn’t your turf.”

There was killing intent mixed into the shove.

Daut let out a low growl.

“Hey. Cut it out.”

“Shut it, raccoon.”

The air felt like it might split apart.

Right before it did, Captain Uragar spoke without turning around.

“Go home. …Come back when you’re stronger. Bring enough proof to properly corner us.”

I clenched my teeth.

My fists trembled.

I wanted to snap back—

But if I lost my temper here, I would lose.

The Gate Guard knight shoved my chest again.

“I said go.”

I took one step back.

Over my shoulder, Daut muttered quietly.

“Hort. Pull back for now.”

“…Yes.”

Frustrating.

But Captain Uragar wasn’t wrong.

He wasn’t the kind of man who would simply hand over answers.

We were trying to dig into something they clearly didn’t want exposed.

And if it was me—someone already disliked within the Third Knight Order—of course they would be on guard.

Captain Uragar definitely knew something.

And he was hiding it.

I wrapped the clasp back in cloth and tucked it inside my coat.

Chapter 57: Awareness as Comrades

We were thrown out of the Gate Guard station, leaving only the cold scent of metal lingering in my chest.

Honestly, I had expected to get at least some kind of lead from Captain Uragar.

Instead, I returned to the Fifth Unit headquarters empty-handed.

As I walked, his words kept echoing in my head.

—“You talk about ideals, but your hands aren’t stained.”

But that wasn’t just a taunt.

There was meaning behind it. I could feel it.

The thing I was trying to ask about had clearly become a forbidden box within the Gate Guard.

Not enough evidence.

Not enough proof.

With no clear direction for the investigation, I headed back to report to Captain Oren.

As I walked down the hallway of the unit building, a familiar scent greeted me.

Sweat. Leather armor. Paper and ink.

Different from the muddy smell of the slums—

But after the Commander’s office of the Second Knight Order, this place was slowly becoming somewhere I belonged.

In front of the office door, I paused and steadied my breath.

Knock.

“Come in.”

A short reply.

When I opened the door, she was leaning against her desk, flipping through documents with her fingers.

Her eyes shifted toward me.

“You’re back. …So, how’d it go?”

“I spoke with the Sister at the orphanage, then went to the Eleventh Unit. But they refused to answer and drove us out.”

“Yeah, figures.”

I stepped closer to the desk and took out the cloth bundle.

The cloak clasp.

The number Eleven carved into it.

She glanced at it—then pierced me with her gaze alone.

“You’ve got that look like you want to ask something.”

“Yes. Captain Uragar… what kind of person is he? It felt like he wouldn’t even listen to us. He had this intensity… and something unsettling about him.”

Her eyebrow twitched slightly.

Then she leaned back in her chair.

“I mentioned it when we talked about Daitaros. The demon cult case.”

“Yes.”

A chill crept into my chest.

The Black Ram incident.

A massive operation involving the entire Third Knight Order.

A cult that worshipped demons—its members called the Black Sheep.

Black robes.

The smell of blood.

She tapped the desk lightly with her fingertip.

“During that case, he was the man who cut down the most Sheep.”

“…Cut down the Sheep?”

The way she phrased it felt disturbingly vivid.

Her voice remained calm, but something in her eyes dimmed slightly.

“It was a large-scale crackdown involving the entire Third Knight Order. Back then, Uragar was still just a knight in the Eleventh Unit. He cut down more Sheep than anyone else. One of the key figures who brought the case to an end.”

“…So he was a hero?”

“In that incident? Yeah, a hero. But… he looked desperate while pursuing that case.”

She spoke as if she were staring at something far away.

Inside my head, the pieces almost connected—
But not quite.

Captain Uragar’s fame came from the demon cult incident?
If the body we found was connected to that case as well…
Then why hide it?

“But at the Eleventh Unit, they wouldn’t even hear me out. They questioned my resolve.”

“Are you an idiot?”

“Huh?”

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

She looked at me as if I’d said something absurd and lightly tapped the stack of papers on her desk.

“Think about it. Even if the Third Knight Order is divided into units, have you ever wondered why it’s such a large organization?”

“That’s because the territory we cover is vast—”

“That’s part of it.”

She nodded, then raised a finger.

“But that’s not the core reason. There’s meaning in belonging to the same Order.”

“Meaning…?”

“Solidarity. A sense of comradeship.”

The moment she said it firmly, the room seemed to grow colder.

Wasn’t that already implied by being knights of the kingdom?

“Comradeship?”

“Yeah. Even if you’re in different units, you’re still part of the same Third Knight Order. That naturally creates a sense of being allies. That’s why, when something happens, you can cooperate. You can entrust your life to them. You can turn your back and trust they’ll guard it.”

Her eyes locked onto mine.

“But Hort, you still seem to lack that broader sense of comradeship with the Third Knight Order.”

“….”

I wanted to argue.

I acted as part of the Fifth Unit.
I protected the slums.
The unit acknowledged me.
I even risked my life.

But before the words could fully form, something in my chest ached.

That was comradeship within the Fifth Unit.

When looking at the entire Third Knight Order, the words “secret mission” kept surfacing in my mind.

And that…
I couldn’t tell her.

“I acknowledge your individual achievements. I acknowledge that the Fifth Unit recognizes you. But—”

She deliberately paused.

“Do you truly feel that you belong to the Third Knight Order?”

It felt like a blade pierced straight into my chest.

The Marshal’s secret order.
Investigate the Third Knight Order.
Suspect your comrades.
Grasp the darkness.
Expose betrayal.

Those commands had wrapped around me like cold chains.

Even before fully stepping inside the Third Knight Order, I had already been viewing it from the outside—
Doubting my own allies.

Maybe Captain Oren… maybe even Captain Uragar… had seen through that.

“…I—”

“No excuses.”

She cut me off immediately.

“If you want to know what kind of man Captain Uragar is, you can’t just charge in head-on. He’s looking at your face as a comrade.”

“My face… as a comrade?”

“Yeah. The face of someone who’s shared the same pot of food in the Third Knight Order. Can you be trusted? Do you have the resolve to protect your comrades?”

She stood from her chair and glanced once out the window.

Then, still with her back turned to me, she spoke.

“Hort. You said he questioned your resolve.”

“Yes.”

“Resolve is…”

She turned back.

Her eyes were strict—
Yet strangely distant.

“Resolve means being ready to accept them as comrades. I’ve already received a report about your clash with the Gate Guard. Did you apologize? Did you ask about their situation?”

“…No.”

My throat tightened.

Resolve to accept them.

I was suspicious of Captain Uragar.
Suspicious of the Eleventh Unit.
Suspicious of the Third Knight Order itself.

I had judged the entire Gate Guard as rough and hostile.
I hadn’t truly felt like I was part of the Third Knight Order.

I acted like I was the one investigating—
Looking at everything from above.

That contradiction weighed heavily in my stomach.

“…What should I do?”

“First.”

She opened her desk drawer.

And pulled out a stack of old papers—something like a pass—and placed it in front of me.

“Look at the Gate Guard with eyes that trust them. See what kind of work they do. Approach them as fellow members of the Third Knight Order. Show proper respect. And then, on top of that, build solid evidence for your investigation.”

Trust them first.

Then gather proof that they are—or aren’t—the culprit.

Don’t forget the trust that comes with belonging to the same organization.

“Get enough proof so you can speak to Uragar as an equal. …And to do that, you might need methods that aren’t exactly clean.”

Deep within my chest, the words of the secret mission glowed cold once more.

Suspect. Expose. Seize the truth.

I swallowed them down with a slow breath.

But for now—
As a member of the Third Knight Order, I had to believe in my comrades.

“…Understood.”

“You’re honest.”

“Huh?”

“Your expression changed. If anything, you look clearer now.”

“Yes. It feels better to act by trusting someone rather than doubting them. I’ll trust Captain Uragar. And on top of that, I’ll search for proof that there’s no problem within the Third Knight Order.”

She gave a small shrug.

“That’s fine… just don’t forget. Before you’re Hort of the Fifth Unit, you’re Hort of the Third Knight Order.”

Those words struck harder than anything else.

I saluted and left the room.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, my lungs filled with air again.

The me who doubted my comrades.
The me who was told to act like one.

…It was contradictory. And yet, both were necessary.

I touched the clasp inside my coat.

Eleven.
Uragar.
The Black Sheep.
The demon cult.

As a knight of the Third Knight Order—

I would knock on that gate again.