Chapter 43: Honorary Count Deon Hart

“Come on, isn’t it a miracle that commoners like us even learned to read? We should be proud of how far we’ve come.”

“Hah! The teachers sure had a rough time with us.”

“Rough time? Please. They were fun to tease, always shaking in their boots. A few pranks and they all quit. That’s how we ended up learning from General Nemesius. Now that was scary.”

“So, it’s just our knight order going? Without the Count?”

The conversation, which had been flowing freely, snapped back to the present.

This kind of conversational style was typical of the Lofty Knights. There was nothing new about it.

Kleter sighed in response.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

A look of utter disbelief was aimed directly at him.

He mumbled something about being hurt and backed off, leaving a silence in his wake.

Kleter, who had been deep in thought, looked around at his comrades, noticing the unusually long silence.

Whether they were thinking or just spacing out, they were surprisingly quiet.

“…You’re drooling.”

“Tch.”

Yeah, what was he expecting from these guys? As long as they didn’t cause trouble, that was enough.

In the end, it was once again his turn to initiate.

“Going with just our knight order… it’s probably because the border is nearby.”

It was rare for only one knight order to be dispatched for monster subjugation.

The more monsters that needed to be dealt with, the more knight orders were deployed. Usually, even for minor tasks, at least two, and on average three knight orders would move. In that sense, if it were a normal knight order, this subjugation might be a bit dangerous, but…

Kleter chuckled.

–That was only if they were a normal knight order.

‘As long as monsters have emotions, there’s nothing to worry about.’

Even if they couldn’t kill them all, they could definitely drive them away.

That left the Count.

Considering the Count’s personality, he would have definitely wanted to go. Especially since it had been quite a while since he’d seen blood, and he’d been cooped up in his office all day, he must be feeling incredibly stifled.

Such a perfect opportunity for escape had appeared before him, so why wasn’t he going?

Just as he was about to seriously consider it, a voice piped up, breaking his train of thought.

“So what?”

Kleter’s brow furrowed.

He knew they were dumb, but it seemed they’d become twice as dumb.

Was it really that difficult to understand that only one knight order was moving because the border was nearby?

“Dumbass, how do you think the neighboring kingdom would feel if a bunch of knight orders stormed over for a regular monster subjugation?”

“What do you mean, dumbass? I know that much! I’m saying, what’s the problem with just our knight order going? The Count has gone alone before.”

“Ah, that? I heard he commanded the local lord’s troops for those subjugations, so technically he wasn’t alone. And that’s not the point. The Count is…”

“Not going with us? I think I know why.”

A familiar voice interrupted.

Turning towards the source, Kleter saw Milan waving his hand as if to say, ‘Over here!’

He looked like he’d been thoroughly roughed up. He hadn’t even bothered to brush the dirt off his clothes. Being white, it stood out far too much.

While thinking that, Kleter focused on his words instead of meddling with his clothes.

“You think you know? What is it?”

“When I visited his office before, there were stacks of papers piled up to the ceiling. It looked like he was swamped with work.”

“In other words, he’s too busy to even go on a subjugation?”

“Oh my.”

“Our Count, I feel so bad for him…”

A ripple of sympathy went through the members.

Come to think of it, he’d collapsed from a nosebleed not too long ago. It seemed it was all due to overworking himself with the piles of paperwork.

The moment they thought that far, the same idea popped into all their heads.

“We definitely need to take the Count with us on this subjugation.”

“Looks like we’re the only ones who can rescue the Count, right?”

“The doctor did warn him to be careful about fatigue and stress.”

“Stress… monster subjugation is definitely the answer.”

“Doesn’t fatigue just disappear after a good monster hunt? When the Count went on a solo subjugation a while back, his face was practically glowing when he came back. Honestly, didn’t he look like all his fatigue had just vanished?”

The Killer Knights adored Deon Hart.

As their superior, he was respected. On the battlefield, he was the savior who had protected their lives. Moreover, he didn’t discriminate against them for being commoners, and he was a remarkable commander who did his best to ensure they didn’t suffer unnecessary losses. How could they not adore him?

That’s why when they heard the news of him collapsing, even though they didn’t show it, they were all considerably shocked.

Given his naturally frail constitution, hoping that such an incident wouldn’t happen again was wishful thinking, but as members of his knight order, they earnestly desired to minimize the frequency of such occurrences.

And the result of that desire was the situation now unfolding.

“Let’s go! To convince the Count!”

For the Count’s sake, they absolutely had to take him on this monster subjugation!

The burly men in white knight uniforms marched with grim determination towards the office.

A knight from the Count’s Estate, heading for his room while carrying stomach medicine, happened to witness this scene and dropped the container.

“What are they trying to do now…”

***

After deciding to send the Killer Knights on the subjugation, I felt considerably lighter as I dealt with my work.

Just the thought of those mad dogs being out of my sight was enough to make me feel like I could finally breathe.

The location being near the border was a bit unsettling, but they should be able to handle it. They weren’t complete idiots who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.

“Count? Is something the matter?”

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

Having mostly resolved my biggest headache, I was discussing the Count’s Estate’s ‘spy’ with the butler, Rememver.

Yes, that bastard who promptly informed the enemy of my return, leading to that ambush when I went to the Imperial Palace. There was no way I’d let him get away with that.

However, I couldn’t just replace the entire staff. I needed to find the most efficient way to weed him out with minimal losses…

“Counttttt!”

“We can’t go on the subjugation without youuuu!”

“Let’s go together!”

The guys I wanted to get rid of as soon as possible barged in.

What, you bastards? Go where together?

The pen in my hand clattered to the floor. Rememver’s eyes crinkled with an amused smile, finding the situation quite interesting.

I stared in bewilderment at the group occupying a part of my office.

Are you protesting against me sending you to a dangerous place?

Or perhaps you intend to kill me? Planning to off me as soon as we reach the subjugation area?

“Actually… you aren’t going alone. Sir Lien is going with you.”

“Sir Lien is part of our knight order! ‘Without us’ is the correct term!”

Well, well. And here I thought they were calling him a parachute.

Of course, it was all in jest, they didn’t genuinely disregard or despise him, but still, they were the ones who called Sir Lien an outsider, complaining about his ‘parachute landing’.

Speechless with disbelief, I watched as Rememver slowly stepped forward.

“Forgive my presumptuousness, but please consider this old man’s unsolicited advice. Perhaps you should go?”

“…Me?”

“Yes, this old man has been giving you a lot of trouble these past few weeks. Consider this my apology, and treat it as a short vacation.”

If it’s an apology, shouldn’t you be doing something I like…?

I was so dumbfounded I no longer knew what kind of expression I was making.

Perhaps my ambiguous expression gave him the wrong idea, because Rememver spoke with a deep, warm smile on his face.

“Furthermore, your physician advised you to be mindful of fatigue and stress. Shouldn’t you take a break in between?”

Right, a ‘break’.

Monster subjugation isn’t a break, it’s a brutally difficult ‘job’!

Isn’t it common sense that you accumulate both ‘fatigue’ and ‘stress’ after a monster subjugation?

I’m part of that ‘common’ group, so what exactly are you seeing in me to make such a suggestion…

“Not too long ago, when you returned from a solo monster subjugation, your face was glowing. Even those dark circles under your eyes had disappeared. I didn’t say anything then, but this old man was quite surprised.”

“Ah, that’s…”

It’s because I rested well in the Demon Realm.

There’s no paperwork there, just lazing around all day. Of course, my dark circles would disappear.

Ah, thinking about it makes me want to go back to the Demon Realm. Only my mind was tired there, but here, even my body is exhausted. It’s driving me crazy.

Well, once I actually get there, I’ll probably miss the Human Realm again.

“The work is already piling up. A little more won’t make a difference. Go and enjoy yourself. I’ll take care of the paperwork as much as I can.”

“But…”

“That’s right, Count! Let’s go together!!”

“So…”

I don’t want to go.

And my face glowing wasn’t because of that.

But if I said that, I’d have to explain why my dark circles disappeared, which would inevitably lead me into a corner.

In the end, I had no choice. Rememver’s added words were the final nail in the coffin.

“If you go, the rat hiding in the estate will surely make a move as well. This old man will catch him for sure, so please just enjoy yourself.”

“Understood…”

He was going to catch the spy. There was nothing I could say. No reason to object.

Eventually, I gave my assent with a voice on its last legs.

And now.

“Count! I see monsters over there!”

“…Okay…”

“Let’s go crush them!”

“Where did you learn to charge in without your superior’s orders?! Get back in formation immediately!”

“Cough, cough… Commander….”

“Not ‘Commander’, but ‘Commander Sir’.”

Where am I? Who am I?

Why am I with these lunatics in this perilous place?

Amidst all this, Sir Lien was a beacon of order, firmly controlling these mad dogs.

Come to think of it, that was the reason Sir Lien was parachuted in.

Initially, they put Milan, the strongest among them, in the commander’s position, but the moment he saw an enemy, he’d charge ahead with a roar, leaving no instructions whatsoever.

So then they put Kleter, the most composed one, in charge.

[Alright, you bastards, see the enemy over there?]

[Then let’s go! Charge!!]

I realized. He wasn’t composed; he just looked composed.

In the end, he was just another mad dog.

He thinks just shouting ‘charge’ makes him a commander.

Definitely shouldn’t pick a commander from among these guys. It’d be a disaster. A definite disaster.

That’s how Lien Riner came to be here.

She was skilled enough to join any reputable knight order even without this kind of ‘parachute’ appointment. I can only feel sorry for her.

That’s why I always observed Sir Lien with the apprehension of a mother worried about her badly behaved children, but these incorrigible fools didn’t understand my feelings and kept talking back and causing trouble.

And they were doing it again today.

“I don’t know if it’s reckless, but the Count taught us to charge at the enemy…”

“Yeah, you told us to just charge in.”

“Didn’t you say we had to become madmen that even madmen would avoid?”

And adding slander on top of it!

When did I ever say that?! I merely allowed them to stay in the mansion, and this is how they repay my kindness?

I cautiously glanced at Sir Lien. Surely she wouldn’t misunderstand.

Her expression clearly showed she was fed up, but she couldn’t have misunderstood.

‘Damn it…’

There’s no way. She definitely misunderstood.

What if she decides to quit as the knight order commander? She’s the only reason these guys are even controllable.

Fearful that she might actually submit her resignation, I hurriedly tried to explain.

“I…”

“We didn’t mean to insult you, Count. We apologize.”

Before I could even get a word out, a sincere apology came crashing in.

No, isn’t it possible that I wouldn’t have taught you such a thing in the first place? Isn’t it possible that they’re slandering me?

Faced with her unwavering gaze, which held not an ounce of doubt, I was left speechless.