The Border Fortress 7

Margrave Kennys left Maurice and Gild at the barracks and returned to the fortress alone. He recalled Maurice’s reaction upon hearing Gild’s explanation and let a small smile escape his lips. He had anticipated his reaction.

For Maurice, who had supported the Kennys Knights as vice-captain for many years, the margrave’s decision must have been unsatisfactory. For the margrave, who knew Maurice from his youth, it was remarkably easy to see that his seemingly calm expression was filled with vigilance and tension toward Gild.

“I cannot betray their expectations and trust…”

The margrave, relaxing in a chair in his room, murmured this to himself. The scene that came to mind was from the training grounds, before his body became half-paralyzed—when he was still active on the front lines as the captain of the knights.

At that time, only the “northern immigrants” were there. Having just joined, they seemed to have difficulty getting along with the other knights, and while they were individually skilled, they appeared to struggle with group combat. Therefore, the margrave decided to gather only the “northern immigrants” and conduct special training.

This special training, unlike the training normally assigned to knights, was aimed at accomplishing something through solidarity with comrades. To that end, the margrave decided to divide them into two teams and have them compete.

The rules were simple: each team would choose a general, and the first team to have their general’s or all of their members’ small plates, tied to their chests, broken would lose. However, any means could be used to break the plates. They also decided on a movable area for the match, which included the knights’ barracks. They were allowed to hide in the rooms where they slept, as long as they did not touch others’ belongings and did not interfere with the other knights. However, an ordinary knight would not consider hiding in a room a means of winning, as it was not a fair and square attitude. The margrave intended to see how the “northern immigrants” would think and act in this regard as well.

'Has a victor been decided yet?'

The situation was better than the margrave had anticipated. Initially, he and Vice-Captain Maurice had assumed that both teams would fail to protect their generals and the match would be decided quickly. But they had focused on protecting their generals’ plates and had shown a stance of thorough resistance. The attitude they usually showed in training—cooperative but with a low sense of belonging to the knightly order—was completely absent. Not only that, but those among them with particularly high combat abilities were not easily defeated, and the night passed and the morning sun rose. At this rate, it would interfere with regular training, so the margrave forcibly ended the match. The knights, with the same number of broken plates, looked slightly dissatisfied with the draw, but the margrave appeased them by promising another opportunity.

But a mystery remained. The margrave, who had felt a sense of unease at their fighting style and attitude, which he had never seen in their regular training or in skirmishes at the border, decided to select a few of those who had shown the most remarkable change and speak to them individually. Among them was Yeori, who was the youngest at the time.

'It was because we had the goal of protecting our general.'

Everyone the margrave spoke to individually said the same thing in unison. He had not informed them beforehand what questions he would ask, nor had he told them that he would be conducting individual interviews. Despite this, they all gave the same answer, which made the margrave frown and ask further questions.

'The Kennys Knights have a mission to protect the border. Is that not enough?'

The knights immediately looked troubled. They said they understood the mission well, of course. But when he managed to make them open up, it seemed that, though it was not their intention, the mission of “protecting the border” alone was not enough to bring out their full potential.

'Then what is necessary to bring out your full potential?'

After a moment’s thought, the margrave asked the “northern immigrants” who had become knights.

Compared to their training and small battles at the border, the movements of the “northern immigrants,” especially those with high combat abilities, had improved dramatically. Of course, they were not slacking off during training or in actual combat. The margrave was well aware of that. He had thought it might be a difference in tension, but the match should have been more tense than the training. Considering that, it didn’t seem likely that the level of tension was the reason for the difference in their combat abilities.

The moment they were asked, all the knights’ faces stiffened. A hesitation, as if they were wondering whether it was alright to tell the truth, could be seen in their expressions.

Margrave Kennys did not rush them. The combat abilities of the “northern immigrants” were already becoming indispensable to the Kennys Knights at that time. It was far more beneficial to steadily gain their trust and bring them into the fold, even while their own questions remained, than to lose their trust and them with it.

But they all, after a long period of deliberation, finally opened their mouths.

'—Even among the “northern immigrants,” there are those of different tribes. Among them, we in particular place importance on connections with “people,” not places or power. When we unite to protect a person worthy of trust, love, respect, and admiration, for example, our abilities are strongly manifested.'

I see, the margrave understood. If they valued “people,” then the mission of “protecting the border” was probably not something they could truly put their hearts into protecting. A thought then occurred to the margrave, and he asked.

'Protecting the border leads to protecting the people of the Kingdom of Slibegrad. Are you dissatisfied with that?'

'Unfortunately, it is our heartfelt wish to unite under a single person.'

'The Kennys Knights look up to His Majesty the King as their one and only master. What do you think of that?'

A few of the knights, who had been answering with troubled expressions, had a cold light flicker in their eyes for a moment upon hearing the margrave’s words. Of course, the light vanished immediately, but Margrave Kennys did not miss it.

'With all due respect, His Majesty the King is a person above the clouds, so I humbly believe it would be disrespectful to even think of such a thing.'

Though the phrasing was not exactly the same, all those the margrave had interviewed had indirectly stated that they could not give their all for the king. This was a surprising fact for the margrave, who had been raised with the vow to protect the border and the royal family from the moment he was born, but it was also true that a part of him had understood it.

'In other words, you can exert your abilities to protect a master you have chosen yourself.'

'That is correct.'

'Then I ask you, why did you join my Kennys Knights? By that logic, it would be more in your nature to work as a bodyguard rather than joining a knightly order.'

He understood that what they meant was not the same as the loyalty a knight swears to their lord. It was probably something much more personal than a knight’s loyalty. In the current kingdom, it was rare for a knight to swear loyalty to a person of their choosing. Knightly orders existed in various places, and one could not receive the ceremony of knighthood without joining one. Therefore, the original form, where one strongly desired to swear loyalty to a single person and became their knight, had been reduced to a mere formality.

If they wanted to protect a person worthy of their trust, it would be more natural for them to become that person’s bodyguard, unless there were special circumstances.

But as soon as they heard the margrave’s question, the knights smiled softly.

'That is not so. I have already found the master I am to serve.'

'—What?'

For the margrave, this was a statement he could not overlook. As he frowned suspiciously, they reassured him.

'Please rest assured, as long as that person is here, I will not betray you, and I swear to protect not only the border but also the Kennys Knights.'

And that question was answered by Yeori, the last one he interviewed. He smiled shyly and replied, 'That is, of course, you, Your Excellency.' The margrave was wide-eyed at his straightforward, guileless gaze.

'It is because you were here, Your Excellency, that I decided to join the Kennys Knights. It's a shame that I could be stronger if I were with my own people, but I thought you were the one. You were the only one who treated us on the same level, with the same attitude as everyone else.'

Indeed, when Margrave Kennys had received the report that the “northern immigrants” were in his domain, he had gone to the area where they lived himself. He had listened to them directly and made arrangements to make their lives easier. He had never neglected them, who had traveled a long and difficult road with their families and friends from a completely different region. Although he had left most of the correspondence to his subordinates, he had always checked the key points with his own eyes and ears. Impressed by this attitude, all those with confidence in their skills had offered to join the knightly order. The reason, of course, was their pure desire to be of service to Margrave Kennys.

But after they had honestly confessed their circumstances, they had bowed their heads to the margrave apologetically. They said that this was a very delicate matter for them and asked him not to tell many people. Therefore, the margrave had kept it to himself and had no intention of telling anyone. Even his trusted vice-captain, Maurice, knew nothing.

Recalling the past, Margrave Kennys let out a deep sigh.

It was when Gild, who had come to him directly about this matter, had said, 'I want permission to temporarily stand above them,' that he had remembered the words Yeori had let slip.

Yeori had indeed told the margrave—'I could be stronger if I were with my own people.'

He had vaguely realized that Gild was of the same kind as Yeori and the others even before he went into actual combat. And after seeing him fight the enemy, the margrave was convinced—Gild was one of Yeori’s people.

Just as Yeori and the others had chosen Margrave Kennys as the master they should serve, Gild must have decided in his heart that Liliana Alexandra Clark was his master. Otherwise, a man of his caliber would not be content with the position of a bodyguard.

The man from the enemy army, who seemed to be targeting the most skilled among the “northern immigrants,” appeared to be well-versed in Yeori and the others’ weaknesses. To counter him, they would probably need to bring out their full potential.

Even though they had chosen Margrave Kennys as their master, the margrave was not one of them. Therefore, they could not exert their full potential. But if there was a “comrade” with the ability to lead them under the margrave—perhaps their abilities would improve dramatically and they would be able to escape the enemy’s wicked scheme.

“—My apologies, Maurice.”

The margrave offered a small apology to his absent vice-captain. It was a confession to his comrade-in-arms, whom he trusted but could not tell everything.

—-

Toc

Chapter 172