When the Villain Joined the Knights to Avoid Doom Flags, but Somehow the Heroines Started Approaching Him - Chapter 20: Jealous Glares and Annoyance

Chapter 20: Jealous Glares and Annoyance

“My, you’ve got some nerve cuddling up so openly in the morning where people can see you. Even rabbits have more decency, and they don’t need a warm body for that.”

“Coming from you? Didn’t you give Master a lap pillow yesterday the moment I looked away? Getting all touchy as soon as no one’s watching—you’re such a shameless fox.”

“Aan?”

“Aan?”

And so began the second morning of life in the knight order.

As Yulis woke up and made his way to the dining hall, spacious but sparsely populated, sparks were already flying between the two girls.

If he weren’t directly involved, he could have just sipped his tea and commented, “Such energy in the morning, huh?” But alas, as one of the main participants in the drama, it was nothing short of exhausting.

“Fufu, you’re all so lively this morning. It’s fun to watch.”

“You think a battlefield like this is fun? That’s some next-level mentality right there.”

“Well, I’m not the one stuck in the middle.”

“…Fair point.”

Nearby, Yulis sat slumped, embodying the defeated spirit of a villain.
It was clear he was at a loss, caught between two incredibly cute girls who seemed to get along as well as oil and water.
Or maybe it was the fact that both the lap pillow and being used as a human-sized hugging pillow were directly connected to him.

Celia, ever the mischief-maker, watched the scene with an amused smile.

“So, how does it feel to be the center of this drama, Mr. Ladykiller? Are you feeling proud, looking down on the lonely men around you from such great heights?”

“If sitting on a clock tower to gloat sounded appealing, I wouldn’t look this miserable…”

“My, what a luxurious problem you’ve got. I’d suggest keeping comments like that to yourself, though.”

Why…? Yulis tilted his head, his face utterly drained of energy.

Celia, in response, pointed toward a corner of the dining hall—

“Damn it… that newbie’s sitting there with two cuties by his side and still looks like that…!”

“And here I thought we’d finally have some pretty girls around here…”

“Should we crush him, burn him, boil him, steam him, or chop him up? Even if we skip gut disposal, there are so many ways to get rid of him.”

“If we call it an accident during training, we can handle it however we like. A good old-fashioned beatdown works too.”

“That’s the one.”

“Agreed.”

Uh-oh.

The real problem wasn’t the glares—it was the things they were saying.

“…So, would it be fair to call this the passionate attention and feedback inspired by my bad reputation?”

“Even if you were to write countless heroic tales in the future, I don’t think those stares will ever go away.”

The jealousy of men was truly terrifying.

All Yulis had done was sit near the girls, yet he’d already triggered a self-destruction flag among his fellow knights.

Faced with this unforgiving reality, Yulis covered his face with both hands and began to cry quietly.

“Well, it’s not entirely surprising. Most knight orders have an unbalanced gender ratio. So, when a little eye candy shows up and then turns out to be ‘off the market,’ it’s like an oasis vanishing before the eyes of men stuck working in the desert.”

“…I didn’t mean to monopolize the water in this desert at all.”

“And don’t forget, I’m part of the ‘pretty girl’ category too. When the few oases around here are seen cozying up to their junior, it’s no surprise you’re getting hit with waves of jealousy. Fufu, sorry about that—I can’t help being a popular girl♪”

It was true—Celia’s appearance was stunning.
So much so that there was no real comparison to Lieselotte or Iris.
Add to that her mature aura and mischievous yet approachable personality, and it was no surprise she drew attention.

Now here she was, flashing a playful smile and poking her new junior’s cheek as if it were the most entertaining thing in the world.
It was the perfect recipe for a jealousy bonanza, with resentment on clearance. No matter how you slice it, any interaction under the guise of “friendly camaraderie” was bound to feel like a thinly veiled standoff.

“Ugh… Change! At least give me a different senior! Or someone, please, win her heart already!”

“Hmm, true, I am technically open to finding a partner… but if you’re so insistent, why not try winning me over yourself?”

“ZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!”

A chorus of glares drilled into Yulis from across the room.

“Nope! I can’t imagine surviving in this knight order anymore!”

Hearing such a rare collective hiss, Yulis couldn’t envision a bright future for himself.

“Oh, right. I got so caught up in having fun that I almost forgot.”

With a casual munching motion, as if biting the air, Celia suddenly turned her attention back to the quietly sobbing Yulis.

“Starting today, you’ve been assigned your first mission. It’s a simple one: guarding the Third Princess—”

But just as she was about to finish, a shadow appeared beside their table.

“Hey, Yulis Blanche.”

The voice belonged to a tall man with a lean yet muscular frame.
Who’s this guy? Everyone, including Celia, Iris, and Lieselotte, who had been mid-argument, turned their attention to him.
Yulis also looked over, only to be met with a sharp, cold glare.

Then, the man spoke harshly.

“What kind of trickery did you pull to end up here?”

An accusation Yulis didn’t recognize at all, and one that was downright rude.

But more than the insult, Yulis found himself more focused on the question, Who is this guy?

“Um… and you are?”

“Thor Frenz. One of my peers.” 

Celia answered Yulis’s question with a sigh before continuing.

“…And? Is that really the first thing you say when you show up? Seniors who bully rookies are the first ones to get hated, you know.”

“This isn’t bullying. I’m just saying it’s ridiculous that this ‘disgrace of the nobility’ is part of this knight order.”

“…You really haven’t changed.”

In short, Thor simply couldn’t stand Yulis’s presence.

The royal capital’s knight order was a gathering place for elites, recognized as a prestigious group by all.
Thor took pride in being part of it, and to him, it was unacceptable for someone with Yulis’s infamous reputation in high society to be among them.
It wasn’t surprising that someone would take issue with Yulis being there—it was just that Thor was bold enough to voice it outright rather than limit himself to cold stares.
Faced with this, Yulis sighed in exasperation, thinking, Even in my escape from reality, I get stuck with stalker-types like this…

“Yulis passed the exam fair and square. There was no cheating involved. The commander himself oversaw the tests and evaluated everyone’s skills. Are you saying you’re dissatisfied with that?”

“I only trust what I’ve seen with my own eyes. You’re the same way, aren’t you?”

“…It looks less like you don’t trust him and more like you just don’t like him.”

“Well, whether that’s true or not doesn’t matter. We can settle this with a spar.”

At those words, Celia’s eyebrow twitched.
It became clear to her that Thor wasn’t really doubting Yulis’s abilities.
He just wanted to mask his personal grudge as a formal spar to pick a fight.

Realizing this, Celia lowered her voice, her tone more serious.

“…Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. And you’re curious about his skills too, aren’t you?”

“…”

Celia hesitated for a moment, her silence suggesting he might have a point.

(…Why is this conversation steamrolling ahead without me? Is this what it means to experience the inevitable hierarchy of the workplace?)

Yulis, hoping someone would speak up on his behalf, stared blankly into the distance, sensing the bad vibes in the air.

He could already see where this was going—he’d probably end up sparring with Thor. Maybe if I just let him win, it’ll blow over… His mind had already resigned itself to the situation.

But then—

“Hey, I’ve been quiet, but this is getting ridiculous!”

Bang!

Iris, who had been sitting next to Yulis, stood up abruptly, a vein of anger visible on her forehead.

“What’s your problem? You’ve been insulting Master non-stop. I don’t care if you’re a senior—that’s just plain rude!”

“…”

Thor turned his sharp gaze toward Iris, locking eyes with her.

And then, without warning—

“You’re a noisy rookie,” he muttered, throwing a punch at her.

“Huh?”

Iris froze.

Maybe she hadn’t expected him to actually hit her.

Or maybe it was because the punch came so suddenly.

Either way, she couldn’t react in time as Thor’s fist closed in.

But—

“You’re seriously crossing a line here.”

Grab!

Just before the punch could connect, Yulis’s hand shot out and grabbed Thor’s fist mid-air.

“What’s this?”

Thor growled, his brows furrowing as he glanced at Yulis’s hand holding his.

But Yulis ignored Thor’s confusion and spoke calmly.

“…Fine. Let’s do this.”

“Hm?”

“I said I’ll spar with you, you damn idiot.”

Yulis hadn’t planned on refusing.

He didn’t want to fight, but ignoring a senior’s challenge after joining the knight order wasn’t an option.

After all, defying someone and risking being “kicked out” would make all his efforts so far meaningless.

But now, that didn’t matter anymore.

Letting someone raise their hand against another person—especially someone he cared about—was something he absolutely couldn’t tolerate.

“And don’t you dare drag Iris into this. I’ll make you pay for it… and I’ll carve that debt into your body myself.”

Yulis, a vein of anger visible on his forehead, growled these words at Thor, his voice low and unwavering.