The month after graduation, the reorganized subjugation force—now joined by the knights of House Gazard—departed the royal capital.
The Gazard contingent was commanded by Lady Diana Gazard, the future Duchess of Gazard.
Her appointment as a female commander attracted considerable attention. However, as she was a gifted woman who had graduated at the top of her class, no one dared complain openly.
(Even if they have something to say, no one dares voice it aloud…)
Diana could sense the atmosphere surrounding the subjugation force.
Since her graduation, the malicious rumors about her that had previously been whispered only within the academy had spread throughout high society.
“Apparently, the daughter of House Gazard deliberately draws attention to herself because she covets the ducal title.”
“She must feel terribly out of place after trampling over all those men to claim the top rank.”
“Who would ever want a woman who does not know how to defer to men?”
Such whispers had also reached Diana’s ears.
During her previous life, similar rumors had spread after her father died from an epidemic and she took over the management of the family’s trading company.
This time, however, they had begun circulating much sooner.
Perhaps it was because she had done something so conspicuous. Yet the thought that someone might be deliberately spreading them sent a faint chill down her spine.
(When I think back, I certainly made a great many people resent me.)
In her determination to strengthen House Gazard and its trading company in her late father’s place, Diana had acted recklessly on many occasions.
She had made numerous enemies.
She did not believe her actions had been wrong, but now she could see that she might have handled things more skillfully.
Ordinarily, no one was given the chance to relive their life.
But—
(Now… in this new life, I feel as though I can do better. No—I will do better!)
The first step toward that goal was taking part in the monster-subjugation campaign.
Dressed in the formal uniform of a female knight, Diana walked through the central encampment among the other knights.
Her destination was the tent serving as operational headquarters.
“Ah, Lady Diana.”
The man she refused to allow to die, even if she had to twist fate itself—Grand Prince Alan Rutledge—was waiting there.
“Once again, thank you for allowing the Gazard Knights to join the campaign, Your Highness.”
“Please, none of this ‘Your Highness.’ Call me Alan as you always have.”
When Diana bowed formally, Alan scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.
“I cannot do that. I have the soldiers of House Gazard entrusted to my command, after all.”
Diana’s eyes narrowed in a smile.
The surrounding knights stared in momentary astonishment before their cheeks reddened.
At the academy, Diana had always been calm and composed, never displaying anything more than an aloof expression.
Even Diana herself had not realized that such a rare smile came so naturally whenever she was before Alan.
“I am grateful that you brought your troops, but…”
“Have we caused you some inconvenience?”
“No, nothing of the sort. Your presence is a great help, but…”
As Diana tilted her head, Alan furrowed his brow.
“Considering your safety, perhaps the Gazard Knights should be assigned to guard the rear—”
“With all due respect, Your Highness.”
Diana’s tone immediately became formal once more.
As the former commander of the Royal Knights and the king’s younger brother, Alan had been appointed supreme commander of the monster-subjugation force.
Every deployment and decision concerning the campaign had been entrusted to him.
If Diana were stationed somewhere far away from Alan, there would have been no point in joining the campaign at all.
“Though I am a woman, I will prove that I can be of use. Please give me your orders just as you would any other knight.”
“But…”
“I volunteered to go to the battlefield of my own accord. I will not have anyone think I lost my nerve afterward. Please grant me a chance, Your Highness.”
To Alan, Diana was the daughter of his friend and one of the few people who had always shown him genuine affection.
Although he was a member of the royal family, the circumstances of his mother’s bloodline had caused the other royals to shun him and the high-ranking nobles to keep their distance.
Amid such isolation, Diana’s father had continued treating Alan as a true friend. And whenever the young Diana saw him, her face would brighten as she eagerly ran to his side.
They had been a greater comfort to Alan than anything else.
He wanted to grant Diana’s wish.
At the same time, he wished to protect her.
Those conflicting desires left Alan deeply troubled.
“Monster subjugation allows no room for carelessness. I may not have the luxury of protecting you.”
“That is perfectly fine. I shall protect you, Your Highness!”
Alan’s expression naturally softened at the sight of Diana’s shining eyes.
Had another knight said such a thing, Alan would likely have reprimanded them for their arrogance.
Yet hearing those words from Diana did not bother him in the slightest. Instead, he found them endearing, and a pleasant warmth slowly spread through his chest.
“…Very well. Do not stray from the main force—from my side.”
“Yes, Your Highness! Thank you!”
As though drawn in by Diana’s radiant smile, Alan found himself smiling as well.
(I can never say no to Lady Diana.)
Although he knew personal feelings had no place on the battlefield, he could not help feeling inclined to prioritize Diana over the other knights.
His attempt to station the Gazard Knights in the rear had also been motivated by concern for her safety.
(To think she has grown so much before I even realized it… When she was little, she would cling to me and call, “Lord Alan, Lord Alan,” whenever she wanted affection.)
Now, that same Diana stood proudly at his side as a gallant female knight.
The sight filled him with joy. Yet at the same time, he felt a faint sense of loneliness now that she no longer relied upon him as openly as she had as a child.
(That little girl has grown into such a beautiful woman… No wonder I have gotten old.)
Diana’s mere appearance at the command camp had changed the atmosphere among the knights.
Every one of them straightened their posture, suddenly conscious of presenting themselves in the best possible light.
Diana possessed that much charm.
Beautiful enough to be called the Moon and bearing herself with such noble dignity, she captivated all who saw her.
Some continued to speak ill of her, but even they fell silent when Diana herself stood before them.
She carried such an innate nobility that the rumors surrounding her could be dismissed as utter nonsense with a single laugh.
As for Alan, whenever he noticed one of the knights gazing at Diana in fascination, he could not help glaring at them.
To him, Diana was his friend’s daughter—someone under his protection.
He justified his behavior by telling himself he could not allow any undesirable men near her. It had not yet occurred to him that another emotion might be hidden within his actions.
The monster-subjugation campaign in the Demon Forest proceeded so smoothly that Diana, who had been worried for Alan’s safety, found it almost anticlimactic.
The Royal Knights were seasoned warriors. Unless something truly extraordinary occurred, they would not be easily defeated.
That was especially true with Grand Prince Alan, renowned for his valor, commanding them.
(There have been no signs that a Stampede is about to occur…)
The Demon Forest was dangerous enough to have earned its name. Naturally, it was far from peaceful.
However, neither the knights fighting the monsters nor Alan himself appeared to have sensed anything unusual.
Then why had Alan and so many of the Royal Knights lost their lives here?
The first suspicious incident occurred not within the Demon Forest, but at the command camp established near its entrance.
“You are ordering the Gazard Knights to return to town?”
Diana frowned suspiciously at the words of the deputy captain of the Royal Guard, who had been appointed second-in-command of the campaign.
“I was informed that the monster-subjugation operation would continue.”
“I want the Gazard Knights to escort and transport the wounded soldiers.”
The deputy commander’s response was cold and indifferent.
“You intend to assign all five hundred of our soldiers to escorting the wounded?”
It was an utterly absurd order.
Monsters did occasionally appear near the outskirts of the Demon Forest, but the danger did not warrant assigning five hundred soldiers as escorts.
His words were effectively an order for the Gazard Knights to withdraw from the front lines.
“What did Lord Alan—the supreme commander—say about this?”
“The decision has already been made. House Gazard would be wise not to entertain any foolish notions of defiance.”
The deputy commander’s eyes were cold, with an unmistakable trace of contempt.
Had the order come from Alan, he would have explained why he needed them to perform the task and offered words of appreciation to the knights undertaking it.
He would never send someone else merely to deliver an order without explanation.
(They are trying to separate us from Lord Alan’s unit…?)
A wave of unease passed through Diana.
A Stampede—an abnormal surge in the monster population—had supposedly claimed the lives of Alan and many other Royal Knights.
Diana had never doubted the royal palace’s official announcement.
But now that she was reliving those events and standing on the front lines herself, she could not detect even the slightest sign of an approaching Stampede.
“I have delivered the order.”
Leaving those words behind in an overbearing tone, the deputy commander strode out of the tent assigned to the Gazard Knights.
The knights watching him leave made no attempt to hide the distrust in their eyes.
“Are they serious about making us withdraw now?”
“What are they planning by pulling us away from the front lines…?”
Diana heard the knights whispering among themselves with furrowed brows.
“What are we going to do, Milady?”
The man who addressed Diana directly was Ian, deputy commander of the Gazard Knights and the knight who had served as her personal guard since childhood.
He was one of the few people Diana trusted wholeheartedly, as well as a knight upon whom she could always rely.
“We cannot simply disobey an order.”
“But would Grand Prince Alan really send a subordinate to deliver an order to you, Milady?”
There was a meaningful note in Ian’s voice.
He had clearly sensed something suspicious about the order as well.
“Even so, we cannot violate it.”
“So, in other words, anything is acceptable as long as we do not violate the order?”
At Ian’s perceptive response, Diana smiled sweetly.
The following day, the Gazard Knights withdrew from the front-line base as ordered.
The expeditionary force was a combined unit consisting of the Third Knight Order, to which Alan belonged; the Royal Guard, to which the deputy commander belonged; and the Gazard Knights.
With the departure of the Gazard Knights, approximately one-quarter of the entire force had withdrawn.
The disturbance occurred that very night.
Suspicious shadows moved through the deathly silent encampment.
The figures creeping through the darkness were not monsters.
They were unmistakably—human.
