55 – 55. Initiation Period (5)
The knights who finished their morning exercises were expected to gather quickly at Mark’s call.
However, as there wasn’t much time left for rest,
A squire pulled me aside and stood me up.
“Karsein, trainee knight. Explain why you behaved that way.”
The reason? It’s obvious.
▶I’ve been framed in the training ground!◀
▶Options are given. Find a way to prove your innocence!◀
Because such a scenario had popped up.
Farce route.
When Karsein, who entered as a trainee, clashed with the knights, this was the route that played out within the episode.
The conditions were simply choosing one of the given options, or as now, speaking to the opponent who could be avoided.
It’s a route that isn’t commonly used.
If news of openly accepting challenges and fighting spreads within the knight order, it’s obvious it’ll affect Karsein.
The reason for ignoring the options that pop up every time you run circles is all for this.
“But now, it’s a situation where it can actually be useful.”
Glancing sideways, I caught sight of the squire Bruce, who was smirking like someone else.
I maintained a respectful posture towards the squire and spoke confidently.
[ 2. Because my belongings were taken. ]
“Because my belongings were taken.”
“Taken from you?”
“Yes. I had a towel given by my family taken from that spot.”
Then, as if Bruce had been waiting, he shouted.
“It wasn’t taken. It’s just a measure for a fair initiation test. Please give him the floor.”
“Alright. Explain, Bruce.”
“Karsein is currently not qualified to fairly undergo the initiation period. She’s receiving support from the outside, and one of them was that towel.”
“Hmm. Continue.”
The guy continued his speech in an excited voice, thinking he could outsmart me.
Though there was an objection in the middle! It was an option to interject, but I chose not to use it.
“If Bruce’s claim is correct, Karsein, you have committed a serious offense. Since you challenged an apprentice knight as a trainee, you must pay the price.”
From Noble mtl dot com
I didn’t plan to inform the superiors separately, but the price seemed quite heavy.
It’s a bit disappointing, but well, it ended somewhat as desired.
“You can refute if you wish. However, if you willingly understand and show a repentant attitude, then undergo the punishment right here.”
This is how the Karsein route ends, with Karsein facing the consequences.
Although it doesn’t have a significant impact on the episode, the perception within the order drops, and intimacy slightly decreases.
In any case, not choosing such things is perfectly normal.
However, there is one exception.
▶Ariana witnessed this scene!◀
▶The options disappear!◀
“Karsein undergoing punishment. What is that about?”
“Miss Ariana?”
It could only be useful when one knows that family is coming to visit.
***
Why did I choose the worst option when Ariana, whom I had raised the intimacy with, came to the training grounds out of the blue?
Why did I respond to the argument with that Bruce guy?
Why did I decide to let him take the blame even though I knew the Karsein route would be activated?
All for these reasons.
“It’s not like Karsein will receive the punishment. Family support may be there, but it only adjusts Karsein’s condition during the probation period; it doesn’t have the power to distort the evaluation. Isn’t that so?”
Because I knew Ariana would return.
So, I laid the groundwork and waited.
If Isabella or Claire had come, I could have made excuses. Women in the order generally don’t know the specifics of what goes on, after all.
But if Ariana came, the story would change.
Why did she directly ban Karsein’s entry? Why did Isabella overlook and let it slide?
Not because she was a noblewoman, but because she had firsthand training experience in this order.
When Ariana appeared, the disturbance was settled right there.
After that, the floor was mine again, and I recounted everything that had happened at the training ground without missing a detail.
The knights’ expressions stiffened.
“Bruce. You…!”
The rest was predictable.
Bruce, who had been just an apprentice knight, could no longer evade responsibility, and some who wanted to question me couldn’t speak out recklessly.
But I had a justification.
Not just anyone, but a legitimate reason to point out to Ariana.
To the firstborn who dismissed the knights with a shush, I bluntly asked.
“Do you understand now? What happened over a mere towel.”
[Do you understand now?] A reinforced version of the option.
I communicated more clearly to make her understand the favoritism accusation.
“It’s all about how things could get complicated because of you. It’s not just baseless nagging.”
“…”
“You’d better not worry about it. It’s actually better for me that way.”
Telling Mark about this would cause problems.
Scolding Bruce further here would cause problems.
So, I firmly told her not to worry about it at all.
Fortunately, she didn’t argue back, acknowledging her mistake silently.
However, after a while of silence, she turned around quietly and said.
“…This time, I never doubted you. Remember that.”
Once again, her red ponytail swayed.
This time, it was not a forceful, rough stride but rather a restrained one.
The anger had subsided. Just as the message indicated.
▶Ariana’s intimacy is increasing!◀
[Current value: 24%]
“I didn’t doubt it.”
I shook my head, denying the statement with a faint smile.
“You’d be better off doubting.”
Even the first girl was like that.
Whenever she promised to take care of something, it always led to trouble.
It seemed better to slap a face and spit out harsh words instead.
Ariana was the same.
Helping in this manner only made things more difficult.
It escalated the situation, and the thoughtless mistakes I made turned into obstacles.
If that was the case, I’d rather not have shown any interest at all.
That was my true feeling towards the first girls.
“Lift your butt higher. Do you dare think lightly of touching Lady Ariana’s belongings?”
“No!”
“Then maintain that posture.”
“Ugh, yes!”
As I averted my gaze from Ariana, who was walking silently ahead, I spotted Bruce receiving a scolding from someone nearby.
There was a difference between a trainee and a squire, but it was enough to warrant punishment for meddling in someone else’s affairs.
Moreover, the fact that it happened to be Ariana’s belongings played a significant role.
Thanks to Bruce, he ended up twisting the blame on himself rather than trying to frame others.
“…”
He glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
Like those delinquents I saw in school, there was a look of determination for revenge.
At times like this, the youngest was the best at provoking.
I chuckled, causing the veins in his neck to bulge.
“Yeah. You’re really angry, huh? Pile it up. The more you do, the more impatient you’ll become.”
It was a satisfying result from both sides.
***
“That commoner…!”
Upon hearing the new trainee mention Karsein, Bruce approached without hesitation.
A commoner, isn’t he?
If some noble son had become a trainee, it might have been different, but there was nothing to fear.
Rather than being afraid, he was more annoyed.
He was displeased at the idea that a beggar brought in from outside would soon become a squire just like himself.
So, he intended to intimidate him a bit, as he had done.
‘Oh. So you’re the one who’s been taken care of even though you’re a beggar? Quite a lot of attention for a rogue, isn’t it?’
But when he finally met Karsein in person, it wasn’t as luxurious as he had expected.
It made his blood boil.
He had planned to instill fear by mentioning misconduct, intimidating him with the entrance period and the equal test. If he took at least one of those, he thought people would back off once they knew that was the law within the Order.
However…
Contrary to his expectations, Karsein did not back down.
No.
His lack of intimidation made him let his guard down.
So, he was going to make sure to give him a proper scare.
By using his presence within the Order.
But unexpectedly, things took a different turn.
Ariana Vagrand’s intervention was surprising, and even though he didn’t believe the testimony of someone who wouldn’t be trusted, he didn’t think it would be a problem.
– Shouldn’t we stop such a rotten tradition?
With the first lady’s criticism in support of Carsein, Bruce ended up using more than necessary.
“Damn it.”
Following the knight’s orders, Bruce, who had been standing for a long time, cursed.
The palms that were treading under the gravel field bore both large and small marks.
Not only were there deep imprints, but sharp rocks had dug in for a long time, causing bruises.
Even now, Bruce could still feel the sharp pain in his hands.
But he didn’t have time to feel such pain.
There were still more trials ahead.
“Ugh. To think I’m a squire like that guy.”
“Pathetic. Are you even a knight with that attitude?”
“No matter how you lose, it’s not to someone who’s not even a proper squire. Ugh…”
It was the criticism of fellow squires.
Bruce bit back his retort.
“Don’t you shut up? These damn bastards, lower in rank than me, dare to speak?”
Within the squadron, the order of the squires held significant power.
Regardless of skill, the ones in front of him now were lower-ranking squires.
“If you blabber like that, when you return to the quarters later, you’ll get a good…”
“Then I can say that to you, right? Since I outrank you.”
“G-Gareth…”
But as soon as those words left his mouth, a higher-ranking squire immediately interjected.
Although of the same squire rank, from the perspective of their group, he was not a suitable opponent to argue with.
“Lucky you were chosen to be a squire with many juniors, why act so arrogantly? What position are you in to say anything to them now?”
“…”
“If that’s the case, don’t act all high and mighty. I heard from the trainees that you picked a fight and got beaten one-sidedly like a little kid by Theo, right?”
“No, I just…!”
“Shut up. Arguing with those who can’t even handle basic combat properly. Being careless, that’s your level, right? You always slack off during training, never grow. It wasn’t surprising something like this happened. You’re a fool.”
Unable to retort to Gareth’s stinging criticism, Bruce remained silent.
With the added ridicule and mockery from juniors who had almost the same tenure, his fists involuntarily trembled.
Confirming he had become the target of mockery, Gareth designated Bruce’s next destination.
“Your senior is calling. Go and see. You idiot.”
“…If the senior is calling, then…?”
“Tsk tsk. Looks like even the high and mighty have to pay a price?”
With a sneer, Gareth lightly tapped Bruce’s shoulder and walked away.
The juniors still didn’t see him as a proper senior, and their mocking laughter continued.
‘Oh no. If they’re calling me, that means…’
Damn it.
Muttering to himself inaudibly, Bruce soon displayed his arrogance and headed towards the location where the squire who summoned him was waiting.
Arriving at the usual gathering spot shortly after, Bruce soon heard the mocking voice of a fellow squire.
“You came?”
“…I heard you called me.”
Confirming Bruce’s arrival, the squire bowed his head as if guilty, then approached him cautiously.
And then.
“Ugh…!”
Driving his fist precisely into Bruce’s stomach, the squire once again forced him to kneel.
“It was chaos today, wasn’t it? I had to clean up all the messes made in the knights’ names.”
“Ugh…”
“They said the trainee caused a commotion. I thought I’d help since it seemed like they were outnumbered. But when I opened the lid, the story was different, huh? Huh? Huh?”
-Swish. Swish. Swish.
“When you see expensive stuff, your eyes can go round. I know what kind of guy you are. But listen.”
He lowered his posture and grabbed Bruce’s chin sharply.
Slap! Every time he swung his hand, Bruce’s head turned.
“Did you think you could proudly be my successor even after being humiliated in front of a commoner?”
“I-I was careless! I didn’t expect him to suddenly come at me like that and I was just casually dealing with it…”
As he was making excuses…
-Thunk!
A solid punch landed on Bruce’s face.
But even that didn’t seem to calm his anger as the kicking continued.
A face hidden in the darkness was revealed.
That face, which until recently belonged to a kind lady who worried about the cold and covered me with her own coat.
“You, being careless and all. Because of you, I’m hearing rumors that I’m teaching such a low-life. Huh? A useless guy comes in and makes my already annoying day even worse, making people doubt my skills?”
“Ugh!”
“I’m just a step away from becoming a full-fledged knight. If I fail because of this, then! How do you think my mood will be! You bastard!”
Yes.
He was fierce and violent.
The kind smile Flora saw was just a facade.
Theo Ramstair was so cruel and ruthless.
He beat his crouching subordinate unilaterally.
“Ha. Damn. I told you to bend the tree and you handle things like this.”
“…”
“Ah, you bastard! It’s been frustrating for four days with this happening. Understand?”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Unable to resist Theo’s kicking, Bruce groaned on the ground again.
“Ha.”
Theo vented his anger, kicking Bruce’s abdomen.
He was lost in thought.
“Darn. Because this guy couldn’t handle things properly, it became difficult to deal with it alone!”
The perception of the official knights changed due to Arina Vagrant.
It could have escalated to the whole knight order, but thanks to Karsein’s acquiescence, public opinion started to improve.
“Now that they see things properly, I can’t use what I’ve used so far… How do I get rid of them?”
Lost in thought suddenly, he lowered himself and grabbed Bruce by the hair.
“…Right. People can make mistakes. There should be a chance for redemption, right, Bruce?”
“Y-Yes?”
“You must also want revenge now. You want to step on that commoner yourself.”
Forcing an answer.
No question marks allowed. Bruce reflexively felt the threat and nodded urgently.
“You’ll have another chance at training tomorrow. Make sure to step on him firmly. Got it?”
“…”
“No answer?”
As Theo was about to raise his hand again, Bruce opened his mouth directly.
His eyes flickered and turned inside out.
“A bit excessive is fine, right?”
“What?”
“We have to handle this properly, don’t we? I’m just thinking about properly dealing with that guy right now.”
Bruce’s state was somewhat strange.
But to Theo, it wasn’t all that bad.
“Alright. I’ll leave that to your discretion.”
He could use this guy and then discard him as needed.
Bruce, filled with anger, simply needed to ensure that whatever retaliation he took against Karsein, it would prevent him from lingering in the battlefield.
***
▶Caution!◀
▶Someone within the faction harbors deep malice towards Karsein.◀
From Noble mtl dot com
▶Danger levels and time limits will be activated in specific areas of the battlefield!◀
“Hmm.”
A status window suddenly popped up while doing laundry.
Seeing the window indicating the emergence of someone harboring malice, my hands involuntarily stopped the laundry.