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 60 & 61

Chapter 60: What I Truly Want to Do

“I understand. I’ll tell you everything.”

For some reason… I felt like I couldn’t lie to this person.

“I was involved in reforming the slums as part of the Fifth Unit.”

The moment I said it, distant lights flickered in my mind.

Steam rising from the soup kitchen.
The clatter of pots.
The quiet breathing inside the ward.
The kind of night where the groans slowly faded away.

“To ease the patients’ suffering in the ward, I used healing magic. With Sister Natasha helping maintain the purification spell, I no longer had to handle everything alone. I began assigning tasks to those who were well enough to help.”

Captain Falcon didn’t nod. She didn’t praise me either. She simply listened.

“The soup kitchen. The little school. Cleaning. Patrols. The knights of the Fifth Unit protected the area, and the residents began taking initiative—as if it were their responsibility. …So I moved on to the next step.”

I slowly opened my clenched fist.

My palm was damp with sweat.

Marletta was smiling, clearly enjoying herself.

Captain Falcon stared at me without blinking.

“Go on.”

“There was a wraith beneath the orphanage.”

I placed the Eleventh Unit insignia in front of Captain Falcon.

“We defeated it with the help of adventurers. And afterward… we discovered it bore the Eleventh Unit’s mark. The number Eleven was carved into the clasp of its cloak.”

The metal reflected the room’s light in a dull, muted sheen.

“The Eleventh Unit serves as the Gate Guard. They’re responsible for protecting the royal capital’s gates. So I… went to meet Gate Guard Captain Uragar.”

I had the feeling Captain Falcon already understood this much.

“But he wouldn’t hear me out.”

Just remembering it left a bitter taste at the back of my throat.

—”Weak. Far too weak.”

Those words still felt lodged there.

“I was driven away. He said I lacked resolve.”

“And then?”

“I didn’t have enough proof. So I decided to learn how the Eleventh Unit actually operates.”

I looked straight at Captain Falcon.

“I wanted to see what kind of place they worked in, what kind of decisions they made, and what kind of dirt they carried. After understanding that… I planned to knock on their gate again.”

As I spoke, heat slowly gathered deep inside my chest.

It wasn’t impatience.
It wasn’t frustration either.

It felt more like the scattered thoughts inside me were finally aligning… coming into focus.

“I investigated the Eleventh Unit knight, Gantetsu. I have history with him, and there was a chance he had ties to slave traders.”

“Slave traders?”

Marletta’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“He does have connections. But he isn’t deeply involved. In exchange for bribes, he receives information from slave traders about incidents happening in the shadows. …It’s a gray method, but it helps the Gate Guard function.”

The moment I finished speaking, my chest tightened slightly.

I couldn’t call it completely right.

But I had seen enough to understand that, at the scene, that kind of ‘right’ was sometimes what kept things running.

It wasn’t something I could do.

After a long silence, Captain Falcon slowly nodded.

“I see. You were struck head-on… and instead of running, you chose to see their side of the field for yourself. …That part is fine.”

Her voice suddenly softened.

“Now let me ask you something, little Hort.”

She lifted her chin slightly.

“What is it that you want to do?”

The same question for the third time.

I hesitated, unsure what the correct answer was.

“Listen, Hort. The Knight Order protects many things.”

Her tone was gentle.

But her words were straight as a blade, aimed directly at my throat.

“Whether someone is good or bad. Poor or powerful. A knight must protect them.”

“….”

“Everyone has their own way of living. Just because someone is bad doesn’t automatically make them a criminal. And just because someone seems good doesn’t mean they will never become one.”

I frowned.

I almost understood it.
But not completely.

My head could follow the logic—
Yet my chest refused to accept it.

I wanted evil to remain evil.
I didn’t want good people to ever fall into crime.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“I’m not denying what you’ve done.”

Captain Falcon smiled.

“But can you truly take responsibility for your actions?”

“…What?”

The air in the room grew noticeably colder.

Sweat gathered along my back.

“Are you truly protecting the people you’re supposed to protect? You know… people can’t protect as much as they think they can. In the end, they can only protect what they truly, from the bottom of their heart, want to protect.”

The question was too heavy.

I couldn’t answer immediately.

If I claimed I was protecting them… the slums were still fragile.

There were nights when a single pot of soup wasn’t enough to save anyone.
The orphanage still had children who went to bed hungry.
In the ward, there were still people standing at death’s edge.

And then Natasha’s face surfaced in my mind.

Her profile as she pressed her hands together in prayer.

She cried every time we met.

She was kind… yet when she was alone at the depth of night, there was a certain look in her eyes.

A smile she wore even though her father never returned.

Sometimes, that smile hurt to see.

My chest tightened painfully.

Captain Falcon didn’t press me.
She didn’t rush me.

She waited.

Waited until I found my own words.

Because of that, I was able to cast aside the unnecessary ones.

Justice. Duty. Secret orders.

All of that could become excuses.

That wasn’t what I needed to say right now.

There was only one thing.

The reason I was standing here.
The reason I knocked on that gate.
The reason I went back even after being thrown out.

I took a breath and spoke.

“I want to wipe away Sister Natasha’s sadness.”

The moment I said it aloud, my purpose finally became clear.

“I want to tell her the truth. I want her to know how her father met his end. I want her to properly see him off… and offer her prayers.”

Captain Falcon’s eyes trembled ever so slightly.

As if she had finally heard the answer she had been waiting for.

Even I was surprised by how simple it sounded.

“I don’t want credit. I’m not rushing in because of some sense of justice. …Sister Natasha is just one woman who was crying. I heard the truth behind her tears. I want to know whether that wraith was her father or not. Whether there’s a body or not. I don’t want to leave her waiting forever without answers.”

Saying it aloud made my chest feel lighter.

At the same time, it was frightening.

Those words were my decision.
A decision I wouldn’t be able to take back.

Captain Falcon let out a soft laugh.

“…I like that, Hort. I’ve taken a liking to you.”

Her tone was sweet.
Her gaze was sharp.

“So that’s what you want to do. That’s the shape of your responsibility.”

“Responsibility…?”

“Yes. If you want to save someone, you must stand at the end of their sorrow. Not with pretty words—but by handing them a proper ending.”

She tapped the desk lightly with her fingertip.

The small sound echoed in my chest like a heartbeat.

“Alright. Next.”

She was smiling.

But there was nothing gentle about it.

“Hort. You said you want to tell her the truth. After you tell her… what will you do if Sister Natasha breaks?”

“….”

My throat tightened.

I didn’t want to imagine it.
But I had to.

“The truth is a blade. Sometimes it cuts down every piece of hope someone is clinging to. If you hand her that blade, and she starts bleeding… can you take responsibility?”

Captain Falcon’s question was right.
Too right.

It hurt.

I tried to answer—

But no words came.

Instead, voices echoed deep inside me.

—Gina: “The Black Sheep favor payment.”
—Captain Uragar: “You talk pretty, but your hands aren’t dirty.”
—Captain Oren: “You need the resolve to accept them as comrades.”

All of them were pushing me to stand in the same place.

Get your hands dirty.
But carry it.
And if you carry it—protect it.

Captain Falcon allowed my silence.

Then she spoke one last time.

“Your answer doesn’t have to be complete yet.”

That surprised me.

I thought she would crush me with it.
But she didn’t.

“However.”

Her smile sharpened slightly.

“If you decide to tell her the truth, then the weight of that truth—and the hell that follows—is your responsibility. If you don’t run from that, then you’re no longer a child.”

Heat rose deep in my chest.

I was afraid.

But I didn’t want to run.

Without looking away, I spoke.

“…I won’t run.”

Marletta gave a small round of applause from the wall.

“Fufu. What a good boy. I might just fall for you.”

Captain Falcon kept her eyes on me and smiled only with her lips.

“Then let’s make a deal.”

My back straightened at those words.

“A deal…?”

“Yes. You want the truth. And I can fill in what you’re lacking. If you plan to knock on Uragar’s gate again, you won’t manage it alone. I’ll cooperate.”

“Why?”

The offer was far too convenient.

That was why I swallowed hard, searching for the hidden catch.

“…What do I have to do?”

“Ufufu, smart and handsome too… I might really get hooked on you.”

For some reason, she blew me a kiss.

“Ugh.”

Marletta made an openly disgusted face.

“Fufu, I’m joking. What I want from you is—”

Gulp. I swallowed without meaning to.

“I want you to help expose the truth about Third Knight Order Second Unit Captain, Daitaros Mephi.”

“Why me?”

Cold sweat slid down my back.

“Let’s keep that a secret for now. If you become my ally, you’ll find out eventually. So? What do you say?”

I would learn the truth about Captain Uragar.

And at the same time, investigate Vice-Commander Daitaros Mephi.

“I’ll accept. If it means I can learn the truth.”

“I like those eyes. Then we have a deal.”

When I took the hand she offered, I was overwhelmed by its size.

---

Chapter 61: A Forceful Solution

Captain Falcon’s idea of “cooperation” was not what I expected.

It wasn’t something simple like guiding me to the gate or writing a letter of introduction.

No.

She brought me straight to someone important without warning.

Actually… more accurately, she threw me right in front of him.

The place she took me to was slightly removed from the noise of the royal capital.

The building was old.

But it was well maintained.

The Third Knight Order headquarters training grounds.

The First Unit’s station.

The moment the door opened, I saw real swords lined neatly along the walls.

And in the center—

A single man leaned back in his chair as if he owned the place.

The instant our eyes met, my stomach tightened.

A gaze like a snake.

Long hair tied back with a bandana.

Captain Falcon smiled at him, clearly amused.

“Commander, I brought you an interesting kid.”

The man’s lips twisted.

“Hah? What does the muscle freak want? Come here to get yourself killed?”

The air dropped another degree.

That wasn’t laughter.

That was a warning.

Captain Falcon merely shrugged.

“I’m not the one today. Hear this kid out.”

Commander Snake’s gaze pierced into me.

The killing intent felt sharp enough to cut.

“…What’s this? Who the hell are you?”

His voice rumbled low, as if dragged up from deep in his throat.

Captain Falcon lightly tapped my back.

“Go on, Hort. Tell the Commander about that matter.”

“Huh?”

“The Commander will lend you his strength.”

The word strength sounded suspicious.

I swallowed and looked at Commander Snake.

The moment our eyes met, it felt like I’d been punched by his gaze alone.

The fear of being killed crept up my spine.

But if I ran now, it would be over.

So I forced the words out—short, steady, without stumbling.

The reform of the slums.

The wraith beneath the orphanage.

The Eleventh Unit insignia.

Being driven away by Captain Uragar.

And… how I was moving to stop Sister Natasha’s tears.

“…I want to tell Sister Natasha the truth. How her father died. Whether that wraith was her father’s body or not. I don’t want her to keep waiting without knowing. That’s why I want to hear Captain Uragar’s side.”

The moment I finished, cold sweat spread across my back.

Silence fell.

Commander Snake stared at me as he slowly rose to his feet.

“…You want to question that fake swindler for the sake of a crying woman?”

Fake swindler?

His speech was rough—almost crude.

But the pressure he exuded reminded me of Commander Adelheid.

A knight of equal strength stepped closer to me.

“…Yes.”

I didn’t look away.

“Take a sword.”

It came out of nowhere.

“…What?”

Beside me, Captain Falcon grinned.

“Good for you, Hort. The Commander will judge you.”

“Judge…?”

“If your conviction is real, then land a single strike on me.”

My throat tightened.

“Wait—this is—!”

“Silence. I’ve heard your words. From here on, it’s time to test your resolve. You said you doubt a fellow member of this Order. Then show me you have the resolve to doubt them. Prove it with action. Challenge me.”

Commander Snake flicked a sword toward me.

It slid across the floor and stopped at my feet.

“Pick it up.”

There was no way out.

I crouched and grabbed the hilt.

The weight settled into my palm.

Lighter than my usual sword.

A training blade… no, it had an edge. Dull—but it would cut if it struck cleanly.

Commander Snake drew a slender sword.

“Fufu, how nice, kid. You really are interesting. Do you know how many knights can even hold a weapon in front of the Commander?”

“…What?”

“Commander Snake constantly radiates killing intent. You need a certain level. A certain resolve. A certain strength just to stand before him. You earned the right to face him.”

It didn’t feel like praise.

If I hadn’t endured those three months of brutal training under Commander Adelheid, I wouldn’t even be holding this sword right now.

“I’m coming!!!”

A flash of light.

His blade moved like a serpent—flexible and deadly sharp.

Captain Falcon chimed in cheerfully.

“Try not to kill him, Commander.”

“That depends on him.”

No one laughed.

This wasn’t an atmosphere that allowed laughter.

I raised my sword.

Commander Adelheid’s blade had been overwhelming power.

Commander Snake’s was sharp and swift.

If he locked onto me properly, it would be over.

So I had to chip away first.

I stepped forward.

“<Light>!”

“Tch! Tricks?!”

“No. This is how I fight!”

Even Commander Adelheid had praised this.

My style wasn’t just swordplay.

First move—three strikes.

Diagonal. Horizontal. Thrust.

Blind with magic. Overwhelm with speed.

But Commander Snake didn’t move.

Only his sword did.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Each of my strikes was deflected, and my wrists went numb.

“Ghk!”

“Now this is interesting!”

At the edge of my vision, a silver line flashed.

The next instant, cold air brushed my neck.

I leapt back on instinct. A few strands of hair drifted down.

He cut me.

My skin was untouched—but one step closer and it would have been my throat.

A chill ran down my spine.

So this was Commander Snake’s sword.

It sliced through everything.

“Shishishi, I like you! What’s wrong? Is your resolve all talk?”

His voice dipped with mockery.

I clenched my teeth.

Don’t rush. Multiple strikes aren’t useless. Lure him in.

I stepped forward again.

This time, I swung wide on purpose—leaving an opening.

His blade shot straight for my throat.

There it is. Same as before.

I dropped my hips and snapped my sword back short.

“<Water>!”

“Hah?!”

A wall of water formed along the path of his blade.

Just for an instant—but it slowed him.

I slid my edge along his and knocked it aside.

Clang! Sparks flew.

Fast. Heavy. The distance closed in an instant.

I stepped in with my left foot and increased the tempo.

Four strikes. Five.

Swinging my sword while casting magic with my free hand.

“<Fireball>!”

The spell burst as I chained my attacks—

Up. Down. Side. Thrust. Reverse slash.

The sound of air tearing apart grew louder.

My arms burned.

My breathing turned ragged.

But Commander Snake’s breathing never changed.

His single blade sliced through my flurry of strikes as if separating threads.

He read my footing.

He read the tip of my sword.

The shortest line.

The smallest motion.

My offense kept getting pared down.

Again and again, I saw lines where I would die.

A shallow cut on my shoulder.

A slice along my side.

But each time I was chipped away, I felt myself sharpening too.

Lately, I’d been focused on investigations. Even when I fought as an adventurer, even against the wraith, those were battles against monsters. I hadn’t needed to push my technique this far.

I remembered training with Commander Adelheid.

Back then too, in the end, I managed to land one strike.

So I wouldn’t let this end here.

Natasha crying.

Her profile as she prayed.

That smile that looked happy—yet unbearably sad.

The reason I knocked on the gate.

The reason I couldn’t stop.

It wasn’t about winning.

It was about reaching him.

I took a breath and lowered my sword.

I didn’t aim for his blade.

I didn’t aim for his body.

I aimed for distance.

I stepped back once.

Commander Snake’s eyes narrowed.

“…Oh?”

His sword descended.

From above.

Straight.

To split me in two.

I stepped half a pace forward instead.

Normally, that would mean death.

But I slid my body along that killing line.

“Heal!”

“What?!”

The blade bit into my shoulder.

Pain exploded through me.

But at that exact moment, I cast healing magic.

Muscle and magic together pushed back against the Commander’s sword.

At the same time, the distance closed—just enough for my blade to reach.

I thrust.

Not his throat.

Not his heart.

I turned the flat of my blade and slammed it into his ribs.

Thud.

A dull, heavy sound.

His body shifted—just slightly.

It landed.

One strike.

My breath left me.

My legs trembled.

I could barely keep from dropping my sword.

Commander Snake didn’t move for several seconds.

Then the corner of his mouth lifted.

“…Not bad.”

Captain Falcon clapped once.

Clap.

“See, Commander? Interesting kid, right?”

Commander Snake looked down at me.

“That strike just now… that was a step taken with resolve.”

Gasping for air, I answered,

“I want to know the truth!”

His eyes changed—just a little.

Not the eyes of someone about to kill.

Not the eyes of someone measuring.

“Fine. I’ll lend you my strength.”

My throat tightened.

“…Really?”

“Why would I lie? Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“Fufu, I won’t be joining from here. Hort, the Commander will personally go with you to the Gate Guard.”

“What?!”

“Move!”

I followed Commander Snake—and just like that, he marched straight to the Eleventh Unit with me.

And then we stood before Captain Uragar.

“Oy, fake swindler! Listen to this kid. And tell him the truth.”

“What’s with the sudden assault? Hm? Hort, are you serious? You actually moved the Commander?!”

Captain Uragar—who always acted like he was toying with people—actually looked surprised.

“W-Well… things just kind of happened?”

“Haha—ahahahaha! You really are entertaining, kid. Just like I thought.”

“Enough chatter. Talk, fake swindler.”

“Hey, who are you calling a fake swindler? Honestly, you’re the only one who uses that name, Commander.”

Commander Snake and Captain Uragar.

The two men I was investigating were now casually talking.

It was strange.

More than that—it felt like they were old comrades who understood each other perfectly.

“Well, fine. Your methods are forceful, but you showed resolve. That’s why the Commander moved. And you gave me a good laugh too. Go on, ask.”

“Then—! Who does this insignia belong to?! And why did that knight turn into a wraith?!”

Finally.

I was going to get an answer.

Captain Uragar had said he knew.

“Ah, that’s Natasha’s father. I kept it hidden because I didn’t want to make her sad.”

“Why?”

“He was lured by a demon.”

“…What?”

Natasha’s father… was lured by a demon?