CH 139

“Thi-This is a little sudden to be bringing up again,” I said. “Why?”

Sir Henblitz lowered his head as he spoke his request. I was unable to show any understanding of his question or his appearance. I barely managed to ask him to explain.

Yeah, seriously, why is he asking?

Going back 100 steps to the start, if the Knights realize that the other party is in danger from a swarm of saber boas, and offer their escort, then it’s barely understandable. I’m used to it happening almost every year in the village, and although it’s an opponent we have a good chance of winning against, it’s still not an enemy to let your guard down around.

But even with that in mind, it’s not a matter that the Vice-Captain of the Rebelio Knights himself will work on. Above all, I don’t think it’s very good for a person who holds such an important position to leave the HQ for a while.

“…Yesterday, I spoke with the Captain,” Henblitz said as he neatly bent back up.

“Mm,” I said, looking him in the eyes.

“I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t think a countryside settlement like Bidden Village has the strength to repel one saber boa… let alone a whole swarm of them,” Henblitz went.

“Hmm,” I went.

Henblitz probably wanted to call Bidden Village just a rural village. I won’t deny it. No matter how you look at it, it’s just a rural area.

You can’t help but have doubts about our ability to handle it, but it also can’t be helped because we really do need help. By the time I started learning swordsmanship and my body wasn’t much different from an adult’s, I started participating in monster subjugation.

“If I doubt the village that much, I was ordered to go see the situation for myself,” Henblitz said. “Of course, I’d get your permission first, Sir Beryl.”

“Hmm?” I asked.

So does he mean this request went through Alexia?

Yeah, but, what’s the problem? If you don’t believe me, go see it for yourself. It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

But even so, I don’t think it’s a good reason to move the Vice-Captain of the Rebelio Knights so easily. My estimate is at least 2 weeks. If it drags on, it could take anywhere from 3 weeks to 4, a whole month. What will happen to the Knights’ operation during it?

“Are the Knights okay with it?” I asked.

“Captain said if it will broaden my knowledge, then I’m welcome to go,” Henblitz replied.

“Is that so……?” I said.

Alexia’s granting permission means that she has judged that there will be no problems with the Knights’ usual operations even if Henblitz was away.

She’s very talented, and she’s a genius, but she’s not superhuman. It would be impossible for her, let alone for anyone else, to complete her accumulated duties in an instant. And she’s not unaware of judging that for herself.

So, in theory, there would be no problem with taking Henblitz. If Aleutia is just putting up with being short-handed or is forcibly cramming work onto her schedule, then I should probably refuse Henblitz’s proposal.

However, Henblitz, who had seen her power up close, could not have made the wrong decision.

“… Well, if Alexia has given permission, there’s no reason to refuse, is there?” I asked.

“Thank you very much!” Henblitz said. “I wouldn’t want to be a drag on your feet.”

“No, no, I’m not worried about that,” I said.

Besides, this offer itself is very appreciated from the perspective of Bidden Village.

After all, the Vice-Captain of the Rebelio Knights will join the militia. It’s not like sending 100 men. It is an undeniable fact that Sir Henblitz is much stronger than 100 ordinary men.

The problem is how to explain it to my parents’ house, but I can make up any number of reasons, such as him being the soldier I supervise them as the Order’s instructor, or Henblitz greeting the locals who helped raise and produce his special instructor. If you’re Sir Henblitz, you can easily set up a meeting with that.

“Also, I’m not the only one, but Miu will be accompanying me, so please take care of her, as well,” I said.

“Ah, you mean the girl who had that accessory?” Henblitz said.

“Yes, her,” I said.

Miu has no direct acquaintance with Sir Henblitz.

For the time being, I told him the bare minimum, such as Lucy giving me my current house, that I became Miu’s guardian, and that I was living with her.

However, in the end, that was the only time that Miu visited the Knights Order’s HQ. And the only knight she met there was Alexia. Well, it seems that Alexia doesn’t seem to be very pleased with Miu, either.

If this was a little while ago, I would have refused to let anyone else accompany Miu, taking into account Miu’s personality. But now her mind has become quite stable, and her thorns are falling off.

In that case, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a relationship with someone like Sir Henblitz, who has status and a personality worthy of his position, even though we only met by coincidence and chance.

“By the way, it goes without saying, but… your duties are okay with this, aren’t they?” I asked.

“There is no oversight there,” Henblitz said. “I have already coordinated with the Captain.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said.

In the end, it seems that the duties have been properly adjusted. Now I have one less thing to worry about. If there is a problem there, to begin with, I don’t think Alexia will have given permission.

“When do you plan to leave?” Henblitz asked.

“Hmm, I’d like to leave next week. I don’t have anything to prepare, so I’m waiting for Alexia’s documents to be confirmed,” I said.

As far as I’m concerned, I can leave tomorrow if I want to. After that, I wonder if I can arrange a carriage to Bidden Village, but there shouldn’t be any problems if it’s not urgent. The return carriage was prepared when I asked permission from Alexia, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.

“Since the Knights sometimes leave for business, it shouldn’t take that long for the paperwork to be cleared,” Henblitz said.

“I see,” I said.

It seems that the knights often have to leave HQ due to personal circumstances. It seems that there are many events where they have to come in person, like a tragedy in the family, weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies where you have to show up.

For that matter, I don’t fit into any of those situations. Perhaps the content of the document is taking a little time.

That said, since I’m now an employee of the state, it would be awkward for me to move freely without documents.

So here we have no choice but to wait for the completion of the documents. However, as Henblitz just said, it doesn’t take that long, and we won’t wait long, either.

“Well then, I’ll go apply for my documents personally,” Henblitz said.

“Oh, I see. You do that,” I said.

If I need documents when I take leave, naturally, Henblitz needs documents when he takes leave.

And since he is in the position of Vice-Captain, he will also be the one who prepares the documents. I’m sure he doesn’t really want to be late, so let’s hope he completes the paperwork as soon as possible.

“Well then, I guess I’ll go back to training,” I said.

Henblitz bowed his head goodbye, and finally, I parted ways with him and went back into the training ground.

I think this was why he was reluctant to be overheard by the other Knights.

I’ll say it again and again, but if you become the Vice-Captain of the Rebelio Knights, you’re already one of the big names. If such an individual were to go to the remote countryside with an emphasis on his personal feelings, even with express permission, I don’t know what kind of reaction he would get.

There should have been news of the absence of the Vice-Captain, but there is no need to go into detail about its contents.

However, it is too disrespectful to follow after me without talking to me, who is the person responsible for this entire trip?

In other words, I am convinced that it will be like that.

“Ah, Master! Welcome back!” an energetic Kuruni tells me.

“Aah, sorry for leaving you behind earlier,” I said.

Kuruni’s expression is bright but she’s already worked up quite a sweat.

“Did you have a mock battle with Sir Evans?” I asked.

“Yes! 3 wins and 1 loss! I’m going to win this time, too!” Kuruni said.

A brighter smile blooms.

Kuruni is one of the knights who has really grown in strength recently. She originally had power and was able to perform basic movements, but after changing her weapon from a short sword to a zweihander, it seems that those characteristics have matched perfectly, and her growth is drawing a scary upward trajectory.

Without a doubt, now is the time for her explosive growth.

Conversely, if she fails to grasp this time, her future will change greatly. I feel once again that I can’t miss this time as a special instructor.

“Where did Vice-Captain go?” Kuruni asked, worried.

“Yeah, I heard he has something to do,” I said.

I don’t speak honestly, it would have made his pulling me aside meaningless.

So, it ended up being a vague answer. Well, I’m not lying, so it should be fine.

Come to think of it, Alexia and Henblitz have already been told that I will be leaving for a while, but I wonder if it would be better to tell everyone about this from me as much as possible.

As a special instructor, I’m not obligated to come to work every day. However, I don’t have anything else to do, and as a result, I’m showing up almost every day, so I wonder if it would cause unnecessary worries if he suddenly stopped coming without informing anyone ahead of time

“Master, are you thinking about something?” Kuruni asked.

“Hmm… no, I’m fine. It’s nothing,” I said.

After some time to think, I came to the conclusion it would be fine.

I’m the one who worries about it, so naturally, Alexia and Henblitz should be aware of it. If so, it would be best to follow their lead. In other words, there is no need for me to say anything extra.

“Okay, then let’s do our best again today,” I said.

“Roger-dodger!” Kuruni said.

I put my thoughts aside for now and concentrate on today’s training.

There are many talented and promising knights with great qualities here, including Kuruni. I will be a guide only if you face them sincerely. On the other hand, if students are sluggish in such a wonderful environment, it is the teacher’s fault.

If I say I’m worried about Bidden Village, they’ll be worried, but even if I worry about it here now, nothing will change. Besides, if the Old Man is there, there is little chance something would happen.

So, I’m going to do my best today.