Chapter 8

Practice ground and Lecture

Right now I am In the field of practice in the castle while watching the men’s training, each unit is surrounded by the captain.

“Conrat, what about it?”

The younger gentleman with the blue hair tied up in a bundle, he was about the same height as me at 180 kuameito, Adolf Addinsell said.

A pair of blue eyes looking at me seeming sour.

Dressed in a White gambeson and a brown leather armor, worn black short boots in black leather pants.

With a dark green mantle put on.

A quite good face, with proper manners, it’s popular with lady’s maids of a castle and daughters in the town, too.

At 24 years old of the age same as me, the Archer Captain.

I joined up the imperial army the same year as him and both got the promoted to captain and is my best friend.

“What?”

I ask Adolf.

From the start it was expected.

“Don’t play dumb! That mysterious Black Knight, I heard that the Knight Captain and chief Imperial Knight t.i.tles belong to him now!!”

Celestia Avary said it.

Low cla.s.s n.o.ble house Avary eldest daughter and Spearmen Captain.

Short gold wavy hair, the face of a woman considered beautiful.

A purple pair of eyes scowl at me.

Silver scale armor and a gauntlet, wearing high heeled boots and a brown leathe akirt to the knee top.

Navy colored mantle.

The age around 19 years old.

The character is proud and the tone is manly.

I feel irritation for the words that Celestia said.

Is not a good habit to insult that person.

“Celestia, you don’t have permission to insult the captain.”

“““!?”””

My declaration seems to have effect, the eyes of everyone are wide open and displays the expression of surprise.

For my having called that person a captain, they seem to be at loss.

“It’s just as Your Majesty said yesterday. That person is the savior of Imperial Family and us, the only person I decided to follow. So Kyle and I asked His Majesty.”

“B-but! Why is that person using the red that is proof he is close to the Imperial Family, Even if a legendary black unicorn choose it and say that it is a knight no matter how much, I can not understand”

Still, I am amazed with her who rushes when she can’t understand.

“Wait a moment, a beauty like you doesn’t shout.”

The man of the affected tonei s the Swordsman Captain, Adelbert Abercrombie.

Short gold colored hair and blue drooping eyes.

With a mole under the left eye.

With 175 kuameito in height and 23 years old.

Silver plate mail.

Purple colored mantle.

Eldest son of the upper cla.s.s n.o.ble house Abercrombie, the next head of the Family.

Seems to be childhood friends with Celestia.

The skill with sword is reliable and suitable to be the Swordsman Captain and the character of the affected tone.

It’s the first meeting with the male other parties, and said impolite words calmly.

Typical n.o.ble boy.

For men who belong to the Imperial Army, I am convinced that there isn’t a guy who doesn’t want to hit this man.

As for specialty with the proud sink eye, entrapping the women. (TLN: Help, I pratically made this one up: 特技はお得意の流し眼で、女を落す事。)

In private he is always happily surrounded by beautiful women.

Subordinates were saying it was enviable, but I don’t understand what is enviable at all.

This playboy…

“It’s as Adele says. Calm down a little, Ceres”

The one who said so to pacify Celestia, Brandon Adams.

The captain of the Fighters Corps, the oldest among the captains.

A tall man 190 kuameitos and muscled const.i.tution.

His hair is a Wolf hair (?) dark brown with length to the nape

The eye color is brown.

With an evil expression in his eyes, suntanned brown skin is a feature.

A dark green gambeson on top of a black  lorica segmentata*

*Google it.

The mantle’s color is brown.

The character is a good-natured person in spite of the appearance.

He is from the common people, but two people yearn for his existence like an elder brother, Celestia and Adelbert.

Not only them but also lots of people love him in the armed forces.

Myself included.

“T-that’s…R-right”

Hesitantly said Amy Arnold while being clogged up.

Is the youngest child within the three daughters of the middle-cla.s.s n.o.ble house Arnold.

Wearing a hood silently, with red long hair flowing in both shoulders.

With ordinary features which put on circle gla.s.ses with red drooping eyes.

Brown short boot are worn.

The mantle color is Orange.

She is extremely shy, but had the best magical skill of the empire.

When also having a strong sense of responsibility and doing, it’s the type to prosper.

“…Sorry.”

The Celestia that was lectured by everybody, cooled her brain down.

“I understand the true of what Ceres said, too.I don’t known such a man, I can’t accept him as the superior.”

Aside from the one who said it, all the members nod for the words Adelbert said.

Still, after all, all the members seem to have judged the captain as a man because of the height and  voice, as expected.

I didn’t notice until I saw the face.

“Conrat, I can’t trust that fellow either.What about such a weird Knight the best Knight like you was attracted?”

Adolf says it.

For this fellow, it will be a terrible thing that the position of his best friend whom climbed together to the top falls down.

But this fellows misunderstood it.

“Adolf, I am not the best Knight. My ability is surely above na ordinary man,but it’s a result of mere training”

I am only an ordinary Knight from the commoners.

Until now I was certainly called the strongest, I doubt being called so.

I’m just a human who is stronger than a normal person.

And it became clear yesterday.

“Listen to me everyone. I am just a ordinary human, like the ones everywhere”

“Th-there are…no such…a thing”

Amy denies desperately.

One besides Amy, witha  face that says ‘such a fool’ turned to me.

“It’s as Amy says. A person who matches you does not exist in here!”

Celestia said.

 I turn over for the words of Celestia.

“No, I can’t beat that person”

“I have no reason to believe that.”

Adolf said as if my words were unbelivable.

Apparently all of them believes that there would never be a person matching me.

So, I got mad at them very much.

“Stop it!”

““““!?””””

I shouted unintentionally.

Because of the angly yell, the subordinates and leaders who had been trained are surprise too, and the practice stopped.

I said to them.

“I am glad that you think so. In other words ‘Because he is no match for me, it is useless even if I become stronger’ I hear only words of resignation to say so.”

I vented what I thought all the time.

“I thought all the time! I think that I can’t follow a country when I don’t only make an effort as a person and I trained you. However I was told to be the empire strongest too soon, Many feelings surrounded me and were about to overwhelm me and were much heavier.I am an ordinary person from the commoners! Even if such feelings can be pointed, I do not possess the capacity to agree with you. ”

“You…”

Adolf let his voice leak.

My real feelings I said to no one so far.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to be surprised either.

“The time I was attacked by five ogres yesterday is the evidence, and I let Their Majesties experience a dangerous situation, and I wasn’t able to rush at the end of the tether”

[It’s a lie] and [It’s unbelievable] they had those facial expressions the whole time and I understand well.

“It was hopeless. I hoped strongly that anyone would help His Majesty, anybody was good. Then, that person appeared before us.”

I think I remember that at that moment, the surrounding area became less tense.

I watched it while being perplexed at that time.

Riding on a legendary Black Unicorn, penetrating into the ogre, a figure fluttering in the sky.

“When that person appeared, I thought whether it was a dream.Riding on a Black Unicorn, jumping out of the forest, rescuing His Majesty from a crisis, that person gave hope to us”

At that time, I remembered the battle between the Captain and the ogre.

Suddenly provocating the ogre.

When she was deliberately offending the ogre, I thought ‘what are you doing?’.

But the thing I saw next, the scene of her overwhelming the ogre with one hand.

Even I must have to use both hands on the sword to deal with the power of an ogre, I can’t compete with it.

And he cut the ogre in two with a single strike in one stunt, how?

Already at that time, when I felt somewhere in my heart, I understand it now.

I am no match for that person.

“For me, that person was chosen by the Black Unicorn, I am irrelevant. Simply because is that person, I strongly desire to follow him*.”

(TLN:He uses a neutral form to refer to Chie)

When I finished what I had to say, everyone was in silence.

Silence continued for a while.

What broke the silence.

“Aniue!*”

(TLN:It means ‘older brother’ in a respectful way, I want to use it, but if you think is better to just say ‘older brother’, please manifest yourself with a reason.)

My younger sister who was in charge of the Captain, it was Alice’s voice.

When I looked at the entrance gate of the practice grounds, there was the Captain’s figure envolved in a black armor with my younger sister.

Bright red mantle matched with the black armor.

“Captain!”

I instinctively called out and felt encouraged.

For the voice, Captains and subordinates turned a surprised face to me.

I ignored their eyes and run to near the Captain.

“Captain, what happened? ”

I ask the only boss whom I recognized.

“Ah, I came for a consultation with Conrat, but what happened? I didn’t understand well the voices I was hearing.”

The captain said in a low maculine voice.

My voice seems to have reached outside somehow.

I was relieved that the contents were not known.

It would be shameful in front of this person, if she was aware of what was done.

I stiffened my expression.

“Nothing, it isn’t a big deal.”

“Aniue, you are happy that Black Knight-sama came, right? ”

Alice looks at my face, sayint it while smiling.

Although she is my younger sister she is perceptive.

“…”

The Captain seems puzzled.

“More than that Captain, the consultation ‘you and Black Knight’…‘’

When I was going to ask it, Adelbert called out to the Captain.

This affected man.

“Hmm, You?”

While Captain looks at Adelbert, he says.

“I am Adelbert Abercrombie. I am the Captain of the Swordsmen Corps.”

He says so and offers his right hand ith the gauntlet put on.

Hey, usually you would take off the gauntlet.

“I am hiding my face and real name, I am sorry.”

He says so and takes off his gauntlet and shakes hands with Adelbert.

As expected of the Captain.

Showing her* tolerant behavior.

(TLN:He uses a neutral form to refer to Chie)

“…Fuu”

While looking at the Captain’s handshake, Adelbert laughed with his nose.

To be exact at the captain’s right hand.

“…What is it?”

Captain asked Adelbert.

“Nothing, I only thought that it was a rugged poor-looking hand.”

Adelbert was looking down at the Captain and making a fool of him.

This guy!

What did you say to captain?

That Captain’s hand is rugged and distant from a female’s plump hand for certain, as much as it’s being seen, it’s understood.

A hand just like a man.

However, it may be a bad thing to be allowed to say.

The Captains and subordinates that were behind Adelbert, behaved as if it was the proper thing to say.

In this place, the subordinates who were accompanying the emperor Family for certain had the intention to kill Adelbert.

Alice and I scowl at Adelbert.

Adelbert releases the handshake.

“When I heard that the Black Unicorn had chosen a Knight I didn’t expected it was a human with such a poor looking hand. Disappointing.”

“…”

The Captain was silent.

I don’t seem able to stand it any more.

Alice seems to be the same, clenching her hands.

I send eye signals.

I will half kill him if he says anything rude again.

Alice that read it precisely, nods.

As expected of my younger sister.

“Conrat, come to your senses, if you are under such a Knight it’s vulgar even to you. What is it? Your eyes are bad, Don’t you know any more what is right? Then you are already a pathetic fool.”

I quit it, and let’s send you flying.

I stepped forward so that I approached Adelbert.

But in the next moment.

—————-BAAKOON!

“GWAFU!”

It happened in an instant.

The moment I was going to step forward, the captain’s right hand without the gauntlet, hit Adelbert’s face, the shock blow him backwards, Brandon who was right behind took him.

“Fuu”

The captain takes a breath while putting the gauntlet back.

I was dumbfounded.

The Captain who was a calm figure was angry.

I can’t confirm because of the helmet, but the atmosphere was understood.

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!?”

Adelbert has being hit, Brandon who values his companions is angry, let Adelbert on the ground, and rushed to grab the captain.

“…yare,yare”

The Captain seeing it is not upset, rather mutter as having finished cooling down.

So,

—————–GATSU!

“WHAT!?”

“ORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

——————DOSSHIN!

The right arm that Brandon was going to grab, with his left hand, changed around a direction behind quickly, when a neck is grasped tightly on the right side, using the momentum into which Brandon has rushed, put him on his back and threw Brandon beating him against the ground.

It was the wonderful skill.

What was that skill?

“Uuh…”

A considerable impact has come to his back.

Brandon without being able to move layed on his back with a grimace.

“This guy!”

Adolf holds a bow and arrow and turns it to the captain this time.

He has strengthened his arrow with his favorite ice magic if I see it well!

“Adolf! Stop it!”

I yelled at Adolf and tried to stop it.

“Don’t say stupidity!Two Captains have lost! Such a guy!”

It is useless.

That fool lost his cool, it is not the usual calm Adolf.

Just like the old days together with me, a fool.

To be honest, even I can’t stop this state.

So nasty.

I was going to tell a captain to be careful.

“A-are you a child? That fellow”

I did not called out because the atmosphere of the captain, who completely went berserk.

The trained sense in my actual fighting is talking about it.

That you aren’t supposed to speak to this person now.

Alice seemed to have sensed that, too.

At that time I evacuated to a corner.

I always think, but the ability for dangerous inference of that fellow is great.

If I thought it was dangerous in the past, I took my sister and took refuge in a safety zone quickly.

That also seems to have functioned this time.

But I know my sister’s behavior in the speed.

There wasn’t none equal to the Captain.

“Wh?”

“…”

One ice arrow that Adolf threw, with a swing of the sword that was draw out unnoticed  it was chopped down, stopping it.

Adolf was surprised, looking at the situation and not undestanding.

Such Adolf, Captain quietly seeing it, kicked the ground, with a speed that can be said to be “barely possible to follow with the eyes” turned towards Adolf.

And in Adolf’s throat whom was unable to react to the surplus speed, Captain pressing on the back of the sword that was bladeless.

““Wonderful!””

Alice and I murmured unintentionally to that event.

It was really admirable so that it was murmured unconsciously.

“…Did you calm down?”

“…”

To the cold voice of the Captain, Adolf nods silently.

The Captain seeing it separate the sword which was forced on Adolf and soundly puts it back in the sheath.

Hearing the sound Adolf fell on his backside sitting down.

The scared expression is reflected on his face, when you see carefully seems that he is trembling.

The captain who turned the back on such Adolf and approach Adelbert who while sitting and holding his head with a look on his face that he does not believe in it.

“Don’t come!”

That figure didn’t look like the Captaind of the Swordsmen Corps at all.

Just like a n.o.ble who is only skilled using the mouth, but is incompetente in using the sword.

Celestia and Amy didn’t try to stop the Captain who approached such Adelbert silently.

No, they weren’t going to stop.

By having been given a vivid description of the overwhelming  difference in power of the captain.

Standing next to Adelbert the Captain stops.

——————GATSU!

Catching the white shirt under the plate mail with the right hand and forcing Adelbert to stand up.

“…Do you know why I am angry?”

It was a cold voice that crawled on the ground.

Adelbert’s teeth are clattering and he looks blue.

He looks not able to use his voice because of excessive fear.

“S-….Sorry about this.”

The Captain who sees the state of Adelbert spit out.

“I thought first to endure it, because I understood that you didn’t like me.”

The captain continued it in the cold voice that crawled on the ground calmly.

“I undestand that a n.o.body like me from an unknown place, the whole body in black armor and the face hidden by a helmet. Such a suspicious guy is suddenly given the red mantle and dukedom. Without coming through any hardships, suddenly becomes the Captain of the Knight Corps and Chief Imperial Knight. It is natural to not feel good. Rather to be angry is proper.However I cannot permit the words you said!”

“Hiiii!”

When te Captain shouts, Adelbert trembles violently.

Everyone who was in this place were the same.

“First, is the att.i.tude you had towards me, when it was only that I intended to endure it as I said a while ago, but I have to say this, what is up with you? When you shake hands normally is not common sense to do it barehanded? And later is that manner that you looked down on  me after you saw my hand. My hand is rugged and isn’t a hand which has elegance for certain. However, you arrogant att.i.tude is unnecessary.You mostly ridiculous your opponent. ”

“…”

Adelbert nods while waving his neck like a broken toy.

“Second, the why I went berserk. I don’t care what you have to say to me, in fact I have caused that, but…”

The captain strongly clenched the fist of the left hand and shook it.

And I was surprised by the words that the Captain said next.

“Conrat has nothing to do with this problem!!”

Hearing that everyone in this place opened their eyes wide.

No, only Alice that was the expression apart, smiling joyfully.

“Why are Conrat’s eyes bad? A hopeless fool? What a stupid matter, stupid swordsman! That would be you! What about him is stupid and where are the bad eyes?! Is it the knight who it is kinder than anyone who can fight to protect everybody from ogre desperately even if he crumbles, and is reliable? I met and understood it at first glance though it was me who didn’t know him so well! He isn’t the kind of man whom a fool swordsman like you who doesn’t watch things properly may speak ill of!”

Saying that the captain released and  pushed Adelbert away.

Adelbert sits down in the ground again.

“Good! This time it was me that you were bad mouthing, if it was another person your neck would have said goodbye to your body.”

“Y-Yeah!”

Adelbert answers to the Captain who shouts while pointing his finger on the right hand to Adelbert.

“Okay!”

The satisfied captain turns her back on Adelbert and approaches towards me.

The atmosphere of the anger disappeared, too, and it was the original atmosphere.

“Sorry Conrat!I lost my cool.”

The captain apologizes in the common low man voice.

Such a Captain is fl.u.s.tered because of me.

“No, it is natural that a captain is angry!Even if the Captain had not hitted that fellow, Alice and I would half kill him! ”

“…Eh? Alice?”

That Alice’s name was listed Captain seems to find it strange.

Looking puzzled and giving a wondering atmosphere.

This person seems to express feelings with an atmosphere somehow or other.

So this person is easy to understand, too, with my skill.

“Yes. Who will become a maid in the castle? I don’t understand where you learned it, but that fellow is a master of the bare hands martial arts, to be said to be on the same level of the captains that you were playing with someti-me ago.”

“Ku-kueee~”

(TLN:This ‘kue’ thing kinda remembers me of Tate no Yuusha…)

Perhaps the face under the helmet would twitch.

There are times when my younger sister looks fearful to me, too.

“You know, I thought yesterday. Who are the servants of this castle?”

“W-well…”

I’m sorry, Captain.

It is a mistery among the people of the army.

Burned out early to work, fighting ability is pretty good.

“W-what is it that you wanted to talk about?”

It became scary to think more than this, and I decided to hear the original purpose.

“It was so. Though I heard a rumor of a slave auction at the capital, Conrat, I want information detail. Do you want to hear my investigation?”

“Eh?! If I am not mistaken, I think that you were a.s.signed a vacation day by His Majesty today, not information collection!?”

This person was moving already at the place I don’t know.

“It was that I wanted to buy clothes and wanted to watch the present situation of the capital with my own eyes. A proverb of my country says [Seeing is believing]”

I look suspicious for unfamiliar words.

What is a proverb?

“Captain, what is a proverb?”

I ask a captain a question.

“It was used for a long time and it is the concise expression that drilled truth of the everyday life is what a proverb is. The meaning of ‘Seeing is believing’ is ‘When someone sees something with his eyes is reliable and knows it better than when hearing it from someone else’”

I see.

“It is a splendid word.”

It is surely just what to say with a proverb.

“As is expectedof the captain. I will call the subordinates whom I trust and who understood it. The captain please wait in a room.”

“Thank you and I’m sorry if you are busy.”

The captain apologizes apologetically.

“No! Because oneself is your subordinate!”

“Aah, Conrat?Because I think that ‘I’ is more suitable than ‘oneself’, isn’t that fine?”

(TLN: Normally Conrat says ‘ore’ which is kind arrogant, but when he is speaking with Chie he changes his speak to a more polite and respectful form. )

I look puzzled for the words said suddenly.

“When you spoke for the first time, it was normal speak, why did you change to formal language halfway? The respect language has been already made the thing by which I think it’s inevitable.Conrat, when you say ‘I’ instead of ‘oneself’ it means your are closer to the person you are talking to.”

Eeeh?!

H-how can you say that?!

“So, is that sort of thing! From now on in front of me you call yourself ‘I’!”

“No, what is such a thing!?”

“I said so then is how I said so. Then I will return to the room first!”

Saying so Alice and the Captain left the practice grounds.

Al-already?

“C-cool…”

While I was dumbfounded to looking at the gate, I heard  Amy’s voice from behind.

Looking back were tinged red cheeks, held with both hands and Amy had a enchanted expression.

“That agility is the real deal! I doubted that gentleman, something was wrong with myself a while ago!”

Celestia blushed in red just like Amy whom she was next to, said that while clenching both hands.

The two of them seem excited.

These two people already saw and seem to have understood the splendor of the Captain.

“…Conrat, what is that Knight?!”

Adolf soon comes near and asks about the Captain.

Brandon that revived soon, Adelbert who is unable to stand up sits down, the eyes of Celestia and Amy are attracted to me.

No, I attracted the eyes of everyone in the practice ground.

I said to them proudly while grinning.

“That person is the best Knight accepted by the Legendary Black Unicorn!It is the person who shout at me and His Majesty!”