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Chapter 3
The past ten years flashed quickly through my mind. I drifted in and out of thought before picking up the mug on the table and taking a sip of beer.
Amid the noisy chatter filling the tavern, a low voice cut through.
“Commander, I have something important to discuss regarding this monster subjugation mission.”
“……”
Between slightly faded gray hair, green eyes came into view.
I glanced once at Kiern, who had leaned toward me to speak over the noise, then turned my gaze back to the mug in my hand.
It was a silent way of telling him not to talk to me anymore, but the idiot had absolutely no sense.
Apparently thinking his voice had been drowned out by the noise, Kiern moved even closer and continued speaking.
“There are rumors that a monster resembling both a bird and a snake has appeared in the northeastern village.”
The breath brushing against my ear tickled, so I shoved his face away with one hand and asked,
“So what?”
Then the two knight order members sitting beside him started chiming in one after another.
“Commander! Shouldn’t we take it down before another knight order gets to it first?”
“Of course we should handle this one too! Please let me join the expedition this time!”
“Gerald, where does a rookie like you think you’re butting in? Obviously I’m the one going on this expedition. Isn’t the commander’s right-hand man obviously me?”
Gerald and Haas’s voices boomed loudly through the tavern.
And as if my answer had never mattered in the first place, they immediately continued bickering among themselves.
“A shrimp like you is the commander’s right-hand man? Are you trying to send the commander to the afterlife?”
“What are you talking about? Even if the commander dies, she’d fight the Demon King and come back!”
Each time the two spoke, the grip around my mug tightened.
Crash!
Unable to withstand the pressure of my hand, the beer mug shattered, spewing yellow foam everywhere.
Beer flowed across the table and soaked my legs, but I remained still, staring quietly at my hand.
Shards of broken glass were embedded in my palm, blood slowly seeping out.
The one who broke the silence was Gerald, laughing heartily.
“Haha! Commander, you put too much strength into your hand! Don’t I always tell you to be careful?”
“Commander, should I order you another beer?”
“Ah, was the beer bad? We can change locations right now—”
“Enough!”
Haa… letting out a sigh, I pulled the glass shards from my hand.
How had things ended up like this? What exactly had I been doing for the past ten years?
Back when I first joined the knight order, what I wanted had been perfectly clear.
That subtle atmosphere blooming between comrades training together. Then one day, worrying over injuries received in battle, they finally realize their feelings for one another….
The so-called knight order romance!
From comrades to lovers—a cliché, but one of my favorite tropes.
And besides, this was supposed to be a romance novel…! I thought it was only a matter of time before love blossomed.
But my expectations were utterly destroyed.
The first problem was meeting Alonso Vargas, the man who declared himself my master.
Ten years ago, at the place the Duke had taken me to, a muscular bald man welcomed me.
After looking me over, he turned to the Duke with a slightly troubled smile.
“My, isn’t this the first time you’ve brought someone this young? She looks no older than fifteen.”
“She was a talent too valuable to miss. This child will surely become the sword of the Perunia Empire.”
The Duke’s eyes were filled with certainty.
Though where exactly that confidence came from remained a mystery.
Could it be because of the person I knocked down? The one inside the carriage that hit me had been the Duke’s younger brother.
The man had simply been far too weak, causing a huge misunderstanding.
“If Your Grace says so, then she must certainly possess exceptional talent.”
I didn’t have anything like that. I was just a little strong.
“I’d like you to take this child under your wing. When it comes to swordsmanship, there’s no one in the Empire who surpasses you.”
I had been listening absentmindedly to the conversation between the two when those unexpected words made me snap my head toward the bald man.
Wait a second, that burly old man is the Empire’s greatest swordsman?
The man dressed in a black uniform had a long scar stretching from beneath one eye down to his jaw. Even simply standing there, he exuded enough pressure to intimidate anyone before him.
He definitely… wasn’t someone insignificant.
If my guess was right, that man would later become the male lead’s mentor—and ten years later, he’d die at my younger brother’s hands.
Now that I thought about it, there had been a description in the novel saying his head shone brightly. I never imagined that meant he was bald.
The male lead, devastated by the death of the master he trusted and relied upon, would form a deep emotional bond with the heroine who comforted him.
Even a man with such overwhelming presence was no more than a supporting character who strengthened the protagonists’ love.
A supporting character whose reason for dying was never even explained.
Though if there was a reason, it was probably because you were the male lead’s master….
A character destined to be sacrificed for the sake of the protagonists’ romance.
Looking again, even his massive muscles suddenly seemed pitifully wilted.
Perhaps sensing my sympathetic gaze, the bald man looked at me and flashed a grin, revealing white teeth.
“Nervous? You don’t need to worry so much.”
The hand patting my head was rough but warm.
Maybe beneath those bulky muscles was someone kinder than expected.
A supporting character who barely appeared in the novel.
The older sister of a villain who died before even making an appearance in the story.
I think I felt a strange sense of kinship with him.
Perhaps because of the sunlight reflecting off his head, his eyes looked warm.
This person somehow seems like a good man…
That thought was completely revoked within half a day after the Duke left.
“Damn it, you cursed bald bastard!”
Carrying a giant boulder on my head while waddling in a squat, I hurled insults at the bald man.
That day was the first day I entered hell.
Life in the knight order didn’t suit me at all. It was a place completely removed from the peaceful and comfortable life I dreamed of.
The days I got proper sleep could be counted on one hand, and simply because I was considered more talented than others, I had to endure even more training and schedules.
Back then, I was constantly on edge. I tired easily and got angry over the smallest things.
Alonso Vargas.
That was the name of the bald man who called himself my master.
He was the person who made me realize I was capable of cursing someone this much.
Whenever I returned home, I would run to my parents, determined to tell them I wanted to quit the knight order.
But whether the Duke and Alonso Vargas had planned it together or not, during my first year in the knight order, I barely had any opportunities to see my parents.
After that, having already become one of the knight order’s rising prospects, I found myself burdened with the expectations of both my family and my house.
I was trapped with nowhere to go.
At one point, I even briefly thought it might be better if my younger brother really did grow into a villain and kill that damned bald man.
But emotional attachment is a terrifying thing.
Back then, just seeing the bald man made me want to throw up, but now I’d gotten somewhat used to him.
Then two years ago—eight years after I joined the knight order—he appointed me commander of a new knight order.
At the time, I had even felt proud to be trusted so much.
That was before I realized how exhausting the job actually was.
Defeat one monster, and another waited after it. Kill that one, and yet another was waiting for me next.
Before I knew it, I was living a life alongside monsters, barely even able to return home.
And despite being in the prime of my youth, I still hadn’t even dated once. At this rate, I was going to end up falling in love with a monster.
“This isn’t right!”
Last summer’s gorilla-like monster that tormented me flashed through my mind, and I abruptly shot to my feet.
The knight order members immediately turned their gazes toward me.
“Was the beer really that bad after all?”
“Commander, even so, please don’t get angry.”
Maybe it was the alcohol, but the gorilla monster’s face overlapped with theirs.
Romance with idiots like these? Yeah, right.
Filled with rage, I shouted,
“I’m quitting my position as commander!”
I immediately went to find Alonso Vargas, my master and the man overseeing all the knight orders.
He seemed to have been working in his office, dark shadows hanging heavily beneath his eyes. His already tanned face looked even gloomier, making the entire room feel dreary.
Seeing him, I became even more determined never to end up like that, and my desire to resign surged stronger than ever.
To push through your opinion, momentum was important.
I slammed my hand onto the desk and declared,
“I’m quitting the knight order!”
Alonso Vargas snorted dismissively.
“Denied.”
Denied? The absurdity of it made me laugh in disbelief.
“Ha, are you planning to take responsibility for my life? I’m going to date, go to parties, and spend money freely from now on!”
“Shiona Rodriz. You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
That shameless face!
Clenching my fists tightly, I glared at him as if daring him to continue.
“Do you know the ideal type of men in the Empire? Strong women. The muscles and strength gained through repeated training will surely increase your charm even further. Develop the ability and strength men can rely on!”
“Don’t say ridiculous things!”
Alonso Vargas had spouted the exact same nonsense two years ago when he appointed me commander.
“Love begins from admiration. Do you know how many people want to join the knight order because they admire you?”
“Aren’t you tired of saying that already?”
Admiration turning into love?
If that were true, then by now I should’ve already been passionately rolling around with several of my subordinates.
Admiration was just admiration.
Besides, I couldn’t even imagine dating one of my subordinates. We’d seen too much together while subjugating monsters. We were practically family. Romance between us was impossible.
“Hoo… then I suppose there’s no helping it.”
At that moment, Alonso Vargas’s dark eyes gleamed sharply.
What? Was he trying to threaten me?
Not knowing what kind of intimidation might come next, I reached into my clothes to pull out the resignation letter I had prepared all this time.
Just as I was about to throw it in his face and announce I was quitting, Alonso spoke first.
“Once this deployment ends, I’ll introduce you to a man who matches your ideal type.”
This bald bastard, what exactly does he take me for?
“If you thought something like that would tempt me—”
“I’ll arrange someone extremely handsome. Wasn’t your type a northern grand duke with black hair and blue eyes?”
Khm… to think he still remembered a joke I made in passing.
When he asked about my ideal type, I had merely recited the traits commonly used to describe male leads in the novels I read.
“Though that would be difficult. The Grand Duke of the Perunia Empire has territory in the southern region, after all. Do you perhaps prefer people from the north?”
“I don’t care whether they’re from the north or south. My ideal type is a man with black hair and blue eyes, cold to everyone else but warm and kind to me, a man so beautiful he looks like he stepped straight out of a novel….”
“……I’ll do my best.”
Ah, damn it. I almost fell for Alonso Vargas’s tricks again.
Today of all days, I had intended to quit the knight order and reclaim my peaceful daily life!
I remembered the last monster subjugation mission where I had to fight a giant centipede.
I must never forget those disgusting legs wriggling around even after being sliced dozens of times with a sword.
“Wait! When did I ever say I wanted an introduction?”
“Come to think of it, there is someone who fits your tastes.”
Like he knows my tastes that well?
Scoffing at his words, I replied,
“Forget it. Worry about yourself first. I’ve never once seen you date anyone, so who exactly are you introducing to whom?”
Despite my provocative tone, Alonso Vargas merely grinned.
“From my perspective, appearance-wise, he fits your tastes perfectly.”
My ears perked up despite myself, but I turned my head away, pretending not to care.
“And from what I know, that man has no dating experience either.”
So it would be both of their first romance….
I shook my head.
Then I should have thrown the resignation letter right into Alonso Vargas’s smug face.
I should have shouted at him never to look for me again before storming out.
“So….”
But….
“When did you say the deployment date was again?”
First love was one of my absolute favorite tropes.
