When the Villain Joined the Knights to Avoid Doom Flags, but Somehow the Heroines Started Approaching Him - Chapter 12: First Mission Before the First Day on the Job

Chapter 12: First Mission Before the First Day on the Job

“With this girl, we’ll be able to score a hefty ransom, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, no doubt about it! She’s the daughter of the biggest merchant guild on the continent! We’re unbelievably lucky!”

Inside a dimly lit cave, the crude laughter of men echoed.

A quick glance revealed over a hundred of them—tough-looking guys, people holding sharp blades, and others stained with blood. Their greedy intentions and unpleasant voices filled the cave.

And among this large crowd, there was just one person—a young girl (heroine) with tears in her eyes—

(Someone, please save me…)

♦♦♦

“Sigh… How is it that this view, which should be easy on the eyes, made me sigh for the first time?”

“I’ve never had someone sigh right in my face like that before either.”

Standing in front of him was a beautiful girl with fiery red hair.

She puffed out her cheeks cutely and gave Yulis’s shoulder a little poke, like a small act of revenge.

“You don’t have to react like that. I was actually looking forward to meeting you, you know.”

You must’ve realized the people listed for his first mission—

The commander of the Knights, known as the kingdom’s secret weapon and one of its strongest. And then, a girl who, despite her cute face, specializes in wielding a dangerous segmented weapon.

And now—

“We’ve met a few times before, but formally—I’m Lieselotte Karan. Looking forward to working with you as fellow recruits.”

The story’s heroine, born into a family of knights and known for her talents.

She was supposed to be attending the academy, but on her first day of work, on her first mission… for some reason, she was here.

Of course, Yulis couldn’t help but be shocked.

He couldn’t believe it, but even more than that, he felt tears of frustration well up at the royal capital’s carriage stop.

“…Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be at the academy, enjoying tea and flower arranging like a proper lady?”

“I’ve got my reasons why tea and flowers aren’t in the cards for me. Well, the biggest reason is…”

Lieselotte pulled on Yulis’s arm as he sobbed quietly.

Then, she leaned in close, bringing her beautiful face right next to his… and whispered softly into his ear.

“I wanted to see the person who saved me back then. Is that not a good enough reason?”

“!?”

Her voice was sweet and full of warmth, her soft breath brushing against his ear. A tantalizing, feminine scent tickled his nose.

With all of that happening at once, Yulis’s face turned bright red.

And then—

“Okay, okay! Lady fox, please back off from seducing someone you just met in public!”

Iris, wearing the same uniform as Lieselotte, suddenly jumped between the two.

“Who gave you permission to get all touchy-feely with my master? Everyone knows that being clingy with him is a privilege reserved for cute, doting maids! It’s like, common sense, written on page one of the maid’s guidebook!”

“That’s… quite the guidebook.”

“Sounds like a guidebook that’s a bit too biased for one person’s interests.”

Iris puffed out her cheeks.

“Muu… Master, whose side are you on?”

“Compared to someone I just met, it’s obviously you, Iris. No hesitation.”

“Take that!”

“For the record, we haven’t ‘just met,’ you know?”

Even though they’d already met a few times since his reincarnation, it seemed Yulis had completely forgotten.

Yulis patted the head of the smug-looking Iris, trying to keep her happy for the moment.

“That aside, even though being in the Knights means titles like noble or commoner don’t matter anymore, why do you dislike me so much right off the bat? It’s not like I snatched away something you love, right?”

“…Actually, you kind of are trying to snatch it away. I mean, you even smell the same as me when you’re around Master.”

“Ha… Fine, you got me there. Guess we’ll keep not getting along, then.”

Now, how did it come to that conclusion? Yulis tilted his head in confusion.

At that moment, as the three of them chatted at the carriage stop, a man appeared before them.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, all three of you.”

Just one look was enough to recognize his overwhelming strength. His intense presence made you want to look away.

—Gram Karan.

He was the head of a knight family that had served the royal family for generations and the commander of the kingdom’s strongest group of knights.

As soon as he appeared, Lieselotte quickly bowed her head. Even though he was her father, she straightened up, probably because she was about to officially become his subordinate.

Meanwhile—

(So this is the guy who crushed my dreams of getting shipped off to some countryside with adorable, fluffy animal-eared girls. Give me a break, just send me there already!)

(This must be the man who shoved his daughter into my private time with Master and ruined our date. I’d love to spit in his face before he officially becomes my boss.)

These two had nerves of steel, glaring at him with disdain.

Though they didn’t actually have the courage to spit, they did keep their grumbling just barely audible.

“But still, Fa— I mean, Commander. Why did you personally oversee the exam? I thought other knights could handle it just fine. Does this mission really need such high-level supervision?”

“No, it’s not that difficult for newcomers. We just have some… special circumstances.”

“Oh, I see. You’re worried about your daughter, huh?”

“You know, being overprotective is the kind of thing that teenage girls really hate. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”

“Both of you, brace yourselves!”

““We deeply apologize!””

The cheeky pair bowed their heads in perfect sync. They were surprisingly in tune with each other.

Seeing them like that, Gram couldn’t help but smile a little.

(As expected from the kid known as the disgrace of the nobility… He’s got some spirit. I came all the way here out of curiosity, wondering what kind of guy would catch the attention of the princess and my daughter, but this might actually turn out to be pretty entertaining.)

Gram turned his back and started walking—right past the waiting carriage, heading straight for the gate and beyond.

Yulis and the others tilted their heads in confusion at the sight.

“Um… aren’t we going to ride the carriage?”

“What are you talking about? A knight shouldn’t be thinking about taking the easy way.”

“Wait, you’re telling me we’re going on foot!? Are you kidding me? Then why did you choose this as the meeting spot? That’s some serious misdirection!”

“…Father, you can be surprisingly playful.”

“Being all mischievous at his age… Who’s that even for, anyway?”

Even so, they couldn’t just ignore the orders of their assigned supervisor.

Grumbling and complaining the whole time, the promising new recruits of the royal capital’s Knights followed behind Gram as he led the way.