Assembly

It had been the days since the doubtful news of Petersian army’s invasion reached the Knight Order’s headquarters, from a certain Knight Cadet.

If it were only a single knight cadet who reported it, the Knight Order headquarters may not have acted.

However, when a Duke’s daughter got involved, the significance of that Knight Cadet’s report changed.

And if that Duke’s daughter’s name was Leticia van Mavis, the Brave…

It took the army 2 days to prepare, and it takes a week on horseback to reach Nest Town.

When it was reported that the enemy forces were small, an advance party of 500 cavalrymen with high mobility was formed from the organization of the main body imperial army.

Among them, were Wynn and Locke.

Wynn was heading home to the Knight School dormitory after finding his day’s work at the Wandering Bird’s Roost when he bumped into somebody.

“Woah!”

“Wynn, Wynn!”

“Who? … Abel!”

His whole body was smeared with dirt, his face was gaunt, and his eyes glowed with a strange light. He leapt at Wynn with enough force to push Wynn over, and clung to him. It was Abel, the second son of the inn’s proprietors.

His appearance had changed to the point that even Wynn, who had known him since childhood, didn’t recognize him for a moment.

“Wynn! Wynn! I’m begging you, help them! Help Riggs, help my comrades!”

Abel grabbed Wynn’s shoulders with so much strength that Wynn grimaced.

However, Wynn couldn’t shake of those hands.

From the shadows under his eyes, he could tell that Abel hadn’t slept for a long time.

Moreover, how long had he gone without eating, then?

Wynn recalled the last time they had met, when they duelled in the backyard of the inn.

Comparing his figure to that time, Abel’s body had become terribly emaciated, to the point that Wynn was lost for words.

However, upon seeing the strength in Abel’s grip and in his eyes, which was completely different from the Abel of that day, Wynn couldn’t brush him off.

“Calm down, Abel. What happened? I won’t understand if you don’t explain.”

“Da…. Dam… Damnit! It’s Petersia. It’s Petersia’s army.”

“Petersia? As in the neighboring country? You met the Petersian army? DIdn’t you go on a bandit subjugation mission with the adventurers?”

“Those bastards from the Petersian army disguised itself as bandits! Shit… I ran away in order to deliver the news… All I could do was run away… I should have already grown up… Riggs-san and the others are still there… They definitely going to die… Why did I… Shit… shit…”

Abel was clinging to Wynn while crying.

Riggs had also taken care of Wynn when he started visiting the Adventurer’s Guild.

He had guided Wynn and Leticia to become an adventurer when they were children; he was their benefactor.

Apart from Riggs, there were also other adventurers whom Wynn knew among those who went with Abel.

He believed that they wouldn’t die that easily, but against Petersian knights, even seasoned veterans like Riggs would be at a disadvantage.

In the worst case, the villages around Nest Town, and them would be—

“I’ll report this to the Knight Order. Calm down and start from the beginning.”

Wynn helped the sobbing Abel into the cafeteria of the Wandering Bird’s Roost.

“Wynn? What’s wrong with that drun— ABEL!?^[1]”

When Hanna realized that the broken, sobbing man Wynn supported was her cute second son, she was about to shriek— she put her hands to her mouth to stifle the sound when she saw Wynn’s stare.

Though Hanna had known Wynn since he was a small child, it was the first time she had seen Wynn’s eyes with that strong of a will.

Wynn gave off the feeling that she shouldn’t say anything.

Hearing his wife’s voice, Randell came out, and stopped and gasped.

Though he was used to the brawls between the adventurers and mercenaries, the intimidating air Wynn gave off overwhelmed him, that he couldn’t approach his son, looked completely different.

It was late in the night, but the guests who were still drinking together all fell silent when they noticed the abnormal atmosphere.

“Wynn… You…”

Abel, who was closest to Wynn, looked at Wynn in surprise when he felt Wynn’s presence.

He was a servant who worked at the Wandering Bird’s Roost

He was their gofer.

He was a failure, an eternal knight cadet, only following a dream far above his station.

“You’ve calmed down— Are you alright, Abel? You’re tired and in a bad mood, but please tell us the situation.”

Abel felt that the presence Wynn exerted had an uncanny resemblance to Riggs when he talked to the villagers and newbie adventurers.

Abel had always been jealous Riggs and the other adventurers’ high estimations of Wynn, always thinking ‘Why is it always him?’

However, feeling Wynn’s presence directly, he could see why Riggs and other veteran adventurers had those evaluations.

He realized that he wasn’t looking at a servant who worked at the inn, but rather Wynn, the person who was still a knight cadet but aspires to become a knight.

“Please…”

Wiping the tears, Abel slowly explained the situation.

He was sent by Riggs to convey what was happening at Torc Village.

As soon as he heard the situation from Abel, Wynn ran towards the Knight Order headquarters.

Riggs and the other adventurers, whom Wynn had known since he was a child, had entrusted Abel with important information.

For the sake of Abel, who had gone to the point of total exhaustion in order to convey this to Wynn.

Receiving dispatch orders for the campaign, Wynn and Locke went to the plaza in front of the Knight Order headquarters.

The plaza was completely paved with grey stones, giving it a dreary impression, unlike the outskirts of the Knight School building, where shrubbery showed traces that it used to be the old palace’s garden.

Upon seeing that absurd scene, Wynn realized that it wasn’t a mistake, and that the dispatch orders had really been sent to him. Wynn’s anxiety grew.

As he approached the plaza, he saw full-fledged knights, sporting the crest of the Imperial Knight Order, a twin-headed lion, engraved on the chest of their silver armour, wearing a knight’s sword on their waist, stood on alert.

Wynn’s feet stopped.

Lined up in front of him in an orderly manner in front of him, were the knights.

It wasn’t the first time that he had seen them fully armed.

He had also worked with fully-armed knights during the periodic subjugation mission.

The time when he and Locke broke into the fort was also the first time he crossed swords against knights, who supported general Zaunas, led by Instructor Aldo.

However, unlike the the subjugation mission, which doubled as both a military operation and practice for students, the current gathering was in order to expel enemy forces.

Whether he liked it or not, Wynn felt the tension among the knights.

Right now, before his eyes, the knights of his childhood dreams were spread out.

He was still a student knight cadet, this was a world that was still beyond his imagination— towards that world, he began walking,

“Oh? The students are gathered over there. Let’s go.”

Locke’s words brought Wynn from his thoughts back to reality.

He dazedly followed after Locke, who was walking to where the other apprentice knights and knight cadets were grouped.

“Sorry. I was slightly moved. You’re really calm, aren’t you, Locke?”

“Moved? Well, It’s not like I don’t get it. Maybe it just feels like a practice march to me right now…”

“Nonono, it’s completely different! It’s kinda like…? The tension is really high.”

“Hmph, now that you say that… the atmosphere does seem charged. Well, I guess we could die if we fight.”

“That’s right. From now on, we head for battle— we head for war. In a war, some people here will die.”

Locke looked at Wynn, who was walking beside him.

Wynn’s swordsmanship far exceeded that of the others.

He had completely shown that during the Zaunas incident.

Without using magic, without reinforcing his body, his swordsmanship was unequaled, even against senior knights.

He demonstrated why even the strongest Brave called him Master.

But that was only just when the knights didn’t use magic.

Wynn’s swordsmanship was meaningless on horseback.

That also applied to group fights.

In a group fights where attack magic flew around, Wynn’s techniques were useless.

As a result, the role he was given was—

‘As expected, I ended up on reconnaissance.

He was a scout.

Searching for the enemy was important, but those who followed them were also in danger.

Nonetheless, in Locke’s opinion, Wynn was perfect for scout duty.

Wynn, didn’t use reinforcement magic on his body, so he wore light armour, and he specialized in striking without letting the opponent have a chance to retaliate.

Since he didn’t wear metal armour, he was suitable for covert actions,

It would be surprisingly effective for Wynn to use his superior physical ability in a surprise attack to catch an enemy off guard.

The officer must be capable to be able to make the best use of Wynn’s abilities to kill.

“You’re so slow! Over here!”

As Wynn and Locke approached the group of students, a short girl waved her hands to greet them

Beside her stood a student who stuck out from the crowd of students by a head.

“Yo, Wedge, and… Reeno, was it?”

“So mean~ You don’t remember my name?”

The short girl who glared at Locke with her hand on her hips was named Reeno, and the strikingly tall boy was called Wedge.

They both achieved good results in the same apprentice knight selection examination Locke took, and had the qualifications to become apprentice knights.

“I remembered it in the end, didn’t I? I only properly remember the names of cute girls.

“Okay whatever, and this… ”

Brushing aside Locke, who was proudly sticking out his chest for no reason, Reeno stood in front of Wynn and looked up at his face.

“You’re Wynn, as in that Wynn?”

“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘that Wynn,’ but I’m probably that Wynn.”

Wynn thought: ‘Leticia is short, but this girl is even shorter,’ as he replied.

“Just like I thought! Hey, Wedge! It really is him. Look, the Wynn, who is rumoured to be Leticia-sama’s Master.”

She hopped back to Wedge, delightedly pulling on his arm, while speaking to him.

Wedge just smiled wryly and put his hand on her head.

Partly due to the height difference, they looked completely like a father and a daughter.

“You’re as taciturn as always, Wedge. And Reeno, did you have some business with us?”

At Locke’s question, Reeno separated from Wedge’s arm and turned towards Wynn and Locke.

“You two arrived so late. The order just arrived, and it seems that we’re in the same group.”

“Oh? A group made of only students?”

“No. It seems that it won’t be just students. Two actual knights will also join the group.”

“Okay.”

“But in the end, I’m the only knight cadet in the group, huh…”

“You’re a cadet, but aren’t you also Leticia-sama’s Master? Nobody gathered here will look down on you.”

Wedge nodded in agreement.

He realized that there weren’t any of the usual malicious stares today.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any stares.

The normally feeling was normally in the background.

“Hey, since Wynn-kun is here, will Leticia-sama come too? ”

“No, it wouldn’t be okay for Leti to come, right? She’s not even a knight.

Wynn shook his head when Reeno asked him with sparkling eyes.

“Is that so… To bad. I thought it would be a chance to talk to her…

“Speaking of, where’s Jade? None of the young masters of high mobility are here?”

“Those people are all with the main force. The people here are all like Wedge and I, lower class nobles, Knight families, all people outside the mainstream.

“So it’s like that.”

Though the advance party was by no means small, they were in high risk.

The children of the high class nobles wouldn’t be assigned here.

Then—

“Unsurprisingly, all of the knights assigned here are also those without influence.”

Locke let out a sigh while looking at the men who were walking straight towards them.

They were the two knights.

They would probably become their squad captains.

The four students lined up and greeted their superior officers.

“Tch, commoners are going to be my subordinates…”

Without even trying to hide his sharp remark, the man stood in front of them.

Instead of wearing sparkling silver armour, he wore leather armour that seemed to be about to burst. There stood Count Elstead— Lieutenant^[2] Royce, making a grimace.