IALFMFL CH 07

As expected, it wasn’t good.

Not good at all.

At the mention of a northern expedition, Rockhard lowered his arms. He hadn’t intended to, but his expression seemed to have stiffened.

“It seems His Majesty is planning to start a war using the recent disappearance of Baron Ibraam in the border region as an excuse.”

The Northern Expedition War.

To the north of the Empire were numerous small kingdoms, each no larger than a small city, clustered together like barnacles. However, the rulers of the Kabal Empire had always regarded those kingdoms as eyesores. In preparation for the Northern Expedition War, they had steadily strengthened their military forces despite the scrutiny of other nations.

To be honest, the possibility of war breaking out wasn’t particularly surprising.

Rockhard and the Imperial Capital Guard had already been undergoing intensified tactical and practical combat training for several years.

However, that still didn’t seem like enough reason for Nezar to push himself to the point of visiting the knight order.

“You…… You’re not planning to go to war yourself, are you?”

The heir to the Empire going to the battlefield?

It was absurd.

Yet Rockhard’s bad premonitions had never been wrong, and Nezar’s face as he stared directly at him looked firm and detached, as though he had already made a decision.

Rockhard fell silent.

Just then, Louis, who had gone some distance away, returned and handed Nezar a water flask and a towel.

“The training should be wrapping up soon.”

Nezar thanked him with a pat on the shoulder and nodded.

“I should be going as well. But somehow, I don’t seem to see Sir Pansion Entera today. Or perhaps I simply missed him?”

As he wiped his face with the damp towel, Nezar’s gaze swept across the training grounds once again.

Just like Kate, quite a few people seemed to be looking for Sir Pansion Entera today.

“Ah, Sir Pansion briefly went back to headquarters. If I remember correctly, he said his younger sister was coming to see him…… Since he brought flowers to decorate the drawing room after such a long time, he’s probably on the second floor. I believe he planned to meet his sister there.”

While Louis earnestly explained the reason for Sir Pansion’s absence, a dark shadow fell across Nezar’s face, which had been flushed red from the heat.

Nezar held water in his mouth before spitting it out and lifting his head.

Rockhard followed his gaze and turned around as well.

At some point, a man who looked exceptionally neat amid the sweaty men had joined them.

“Did you call for me?”

It was Pansion Entera.

Nezar’s eyes widened slightly as he looked Pansion up and down before speaking.

“You said you were meeting your family, but you arrived quickly. Did you meet your younger sister?”

“Yes. She seemed eager to return to the castle, so we exchanged only a brief greeting before parting ways.”

A cool floral fragrance lingered around Pansion, who had just arrived.

The clean, gentle scent suited his calm and refined presence perfectly.

Pansion looked at Louis and Rockhard in turn before finally fixing his gaze on Nezar once again.

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be on my way.”

“Are you in a hurry?”

“There will be a full knight order meeting shortly. And Sir Rockhard, you need to attend the meeting as well.”

It was an unexpected summons.

Rockhard looked up at Pansion, who was a head taller than even himself, despite Rockhard already being considered one of the taller men in the knight order.

“Me? As far as I know, the knight order meetings are attended by the deputy commander and above.”

“Commander Breite has just stepped down from his position as commander of the Second Knight Order of the Imperial Capital Guard. Instead, he has been appointed the overall commander of the Northern Expeditionary Force. As of today, the deputy commander of the Second Knight Order is you, Rockhard.”

“……What?”

There was no thunderbolt more shocking than this.

No matter how promising a knight Rockhard was, there was simply no way he could become deputy commander by leapfrogging dozens of highly experienced senior knights.

Was that old man Breite seriously trying to tie him down like this?

The moment Pansion finished speaking, he turned around and headed toward the headquarters of the Imperial Capital Guard Knight Order.

After calming his excitement and organizing his thoughts, Rockhard rubbed his face and turned toward Louis and Nezar.

At the mention of the Northern Expedition, Louis already looked as though half his soul had left his body.

In contrast, Nezar’s expression was as calm as a frozen lake in the middle of winter.

Rockhard felt slightly annoyed that Nezar hadn’t mentioned any of this beforehand.

“What an absurd situation…… Nezar, sorry, but since we happened to meet, do me one favor.”

“Denied.”

Despite the razor-sharp refusal, Rockhard stubbornly continued.

When dealing with Nezar, one absolutely had to arm oneself with shamelessness above all else.

“If you don’t mind, go to the Second Knight Order headquarters before you leave. Kate should be waiting for me in the drawing room on the second floor.”

At that moment, Nezar’s otherwise unwavering expression collapsed as though someone had poured boiling water over molded wax.

It lasted only for the briefest moment, but Rockhard noticed.

After all, Nezar’s one and only weakness, despite his pursuit of perfection, was his younger sister.

“Kate? Why is she here?”

“That’s……”

Rockhard couldn’t bring himself to tell Nezar that Kate had come because she wanted to see Sir Pansion Entera.

That would have been an incredibly stupid move that could easily cause the backlash to land on him.

Rockhard shrugged as though it were nothing important.

The dark crimson eyes staring persistently at him felt more piercing than the autumn sunlight.

“What other reason could there be? I suppose she wanted to see me training. As you can see, I have to attend a meeting, so I don’t think I’ll be able to look after her. You’re her fiancé, after all. Do me a favor.”

Without even waiting for an answer, Rockhard turned around and hurried after Pansion.

He made a mental note to make sure he warned Kate to be careful.

I almost fell in love at first sight.

That single thought dominated my mind as I returned to the drawing room.

I stared blankly down at the vase I was holding, with the baby’s-breath flowers spread out above it like the feathers of a duke’s plume.

He was a tall man.

He was obviously a knight, yet his presence was so quiet and composed that he reminded me of a priest in a temple.

He was the first person since Nezar who had left such a lingering impression in my memory.

Perhaps the aftermath of remembering my past life had changed the way I saw the world.

But even so, he didn’t possess the overwhelming presence that made me tremble simply by existing, the way Nezar did.

I placed the vase on the table and headed toward the window again.

I had only been gone for a short while, yet the training grounds were already completely empty, leaving behind nothing but clouds of dust.

……What am I supposed to do now?

Do I really have to wait until Rockhard finishes all his duties?

With nothing to do?

Just me, sitting here all alone?

I rose from my chair and walked toward the door.

If I wanted to quickly become friends with that girl, I needed to master the etiquette of tea parties, and I had no time to waste in a place like this.

Since I’d missed the chance to meet Sir Pansion because of my timing, I would simply have to wait for the next opportunity.

Of course, I would make sure it coincided with a time when the training was open to visitors!

I pushed against the enormous, heavy double doors.

Using my entire body and putting all my strength and effort into it, I shoved against the wooden doors.

They moved slowly at first—

Then suddenly, the door gave way.

My upper body lurched forward as I lost my balance.

Just before I could fall face-first onto the floor, something warm hurriedly caught my arm.

I fell into the arms of someone I didn’t even know, my nose burying itself into his clothes.

The smell of sun-warmed earth and sweat immediately enveloped me.

“Ah…… I’m sorry.”

Of all places, I had to make such a spectacle at the knight order where Rockhard worked.

I lowered my head toward the man, who appeared to be a member of the Second Knight Order.

Or at least, I tried to.

No matter how hard I attempted to pull myself away, a strong arm held me tightly in place.

“Excuse me, could you let me go?”

What was happening right now?

Why was I being held by some man I didn’t even know?

“Excuse me.”

Even if this engagement had been established only after much pleading and persuasion, I still had a young, capable, handsome fiancé.

Even if I happened to be in the bizarre situation of searching for that fiancé’s lover!

Even if I had to use his lover to break off our engagement!

Even then, Nezar was the only one I had!

“Can’t you hear me? I may look young, but I already have a fiancé, you know? I’m telling you that I’m not someone you can just put your hands on.”

“……Your response is quite useful.”

I knew that voice.

I abruptly lifted my head from the man’s chest.