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Commence Operation – Part 01

It was a hot, sunny day that heralded the coming of summer. A lone carriage was parked in front of the Morgstadt residence, pulled by no ordinary horse. A hybrid from different special breeds, it had high vitality.

The carriage itself was specially built, with a metal framework and bluish purple roof made out of raw materials from monsters. The door was fitted with iron bars, and sealed with a huge lock from the outside.

“…”

“Come on now, East. Cheer up. We can finally return to the capital.”

“It just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“You’re still on that? The investigation on whether it was Lady Lavia who killed her father will be conducted at the capital. That should be enough.”

“The investigator hasn’t even arrived yet, but they already pinned the murder on her.”

“He should be here tomorrow. The commander told us to follow orders. Are you going to disobey?”

“I… I’m not disobeying. I just can’t agree with their decision,” East said adamantly.

His fellow knight simply heaved a deep sigh.

---

Meanwhile in the basement of the Count’s manor, the knight who was almost stabbed by a maid had just arrived at the dungeon, accompanied by an old man.

“It is time, my lady.”

“I’m going to dispel the magic.”

The Alchemists’ Guild’s guildmaster held out his hand and recited some sort of incantation. His ring emitted a strange light, and the blue light around the iron bars stilled.

“Lady Lavia, please hold out both your hands.”

“…”

“You’re going outside. For caution’s sake we just need to handcuff you.”

“…”

Lavia quietly held out her hands.

The knight gulped as he watched her. She looked like she might shatter from a touch—no, even if left alone, she might just break on her own.

Yet there was still life in her eyes that were blue as the waters of a mystic lake. A tiny hint of light.

A thought crossed the knight’s mind. There would be no greater joy for a man if he could do something about this.

He knew his place as a knight, of course. She was a person of interest—a suspect for the murder of her father. An order came from their commander in the capital, and from someone even further up, to handle her with care.

The knight handcuffed her. The handcuff was a steel plate with two holes for both wrists that split in the middle horizontally, and a hinge on one end.

Once again, the guildmaster chanted a spell. Bluish light ran across the handcuff.

“This should hold until tonight,” the guildmaster said. “Any later than that will be difficult.”

“It’s fine. She will be at the capital by evening.”

“I see. I’ll be taking my leave, then.” The guildmaster left.

The knight bowed at the man, then turned to the girl. “Let us go, Lady Lavia.” He opened the cell. “Huh?”

At that moment, the knight felt a breeze, despite them being in a closed basement.

“A draft?”

Ignoring his suspicions, he led the girl out of the dungeon.

---

As she stepped out of the mansion, Lavia was blinded by the intense rays of the sun. She had been confined underground for a few days. Not only that, she barely went outside in the first place. Direct sunlight was too much for her body.

“Are you all right?” the knight asked, his brows furrowed as he supported her.

He was worried about the young girl. But there was one other thing that weighed heavy on his mind—the carriage that was supposed to transport her.

By the carriage were six men, two of them his fellow knights. That meant there were four more men.

Were they the adventurers that were supposed to escort the lady? The message they received said that a party of four women—high-ranked adventurers—would be dispatched to be the escort.

And yet there were four men. One of them was not even an adventurer, but a guild staff.

Trouble had already begun as East and the man were having a heated argument.

“What’s the meaning of this? These are not the adventurers assigned for this job.”

“Sometimes adventurers are simply not available.”

“You’re from the guild, right? Why don’t you follow instructions?”

“We don’t see any problem as long as the men we send can complete the job.”

“Are you mocking the Knights of Ponsonia?!”

“It seems to me that you’re the one belittling the Adventurers’ Guild.”

To make matters worse, the three adventurers appeared to be drunk. Or perhaps hung-over, which was basically the same thing. The type East hated the most.

“That’s enough, submaster. Let’s just go already. I have plans tonight.”

“What he said. There’s no point in spending another minute in this scrubby town… Oh, is that the girl we’re escorting?”

“Oh, quite the beauty.”

The men let out vulgar laughs.

East frowned. “There’s no way you can do your job in your current condition!”

“What did you say? I heard the commission came to the Adventurers’ Guild because you knights can’t handle the job.”

“Oh, and you can? When you’re drunk?”

“It’s all… riiight. Besides, she doesn’t have any relatives, does she? No allies among the nobility either. There’s no way someone will come to take her. We’re more like chaperons, really.”

“Did you tell them that as well?!” East snapped.

“It was necessary,” the submaster replied nonchalantly.

East ground his teeth. “Can you walk, Lady Lavia?”

The knight—a man who treated women gently—escorted Lavia to the carriage.

The coachman undid the lock at the back, and Lavia entered. A quick look revealed the inside to be small, but well-furnished. It should be a comfortable ride to the capital.

“I think we should escort her instead,” East whispered to his two companions.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You know we can’t do that. We were in the mansion the night the Count was killed. We can’t move until the investigator arrives.”

“We can request for more knights from the capital.”

“We’re short-handed due to the war. That’s why adventurers were asked to be the escorts in the first place. Besides, there aren’t any female knights in our kingdom.”

“And these adventurers are men!”

“We’re not the ones who made the arrangement. Just give it a rest, East.”

Outside the bars, the three adventurers were staring at Lavia, whistling. East watched them with a disgusted look on his face. The skirt-chasing knight was displeased as well.

“Excuse me. Can we leave now?”

“Coachman, come here.” The playboy knight called the driver over. “You’re the only one with the key, right?” he asked in a whisper.

“Yes… That is correct.”

“If those adventurers whine about opening the door, don’t ever do it. Those guys have no self-restraint. A noble is involved in this case. Should anything happen to her, you’ll be in trouble.”

“U-Understood, Sir!”

“Then go.”

As the nervous coachman trotted awkwardly back to his seat, the adventurers, too, mounted their horses. The carriage lurched into motion and rolled away from the Count’s residence.

“Let’s head back inside, East. After writing our report, we’ll prepare for the investigator’s arrival.”

East didn’t answer. He simply stood there, glaring at the direction the carriage went. He watched until the carriage turned the corner before returning to the mansion. Once inside, he spat out a curse.

“You seem to be in a bad mood, East.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he replied. “This job is—Huh?”

The voice did not belong to his fellow knight. It came from outside.

He whirled around and saw a towering man. Legs as thick as logs. Torso as wide as two people, almost entirely devoid of fat. Pulsating muscles. A bull neck so thick that, even if he was slammed head first onto the ground, he might just be unfazed. Atop it, however, sat a head with strangely kind eyes.

He seemed to be more or less forty years old, with a large scar on his cheek and blond hair cut short.

“C-C-Commander!”

“What brings you here?!”

Not only East, but the other knights, too, were shocked at the appearance of their leader.

People called him the Sword Saint.

A living legend to even the knights on active duty. His name was Lawrence D. Falcon, Commander of the Knights of Ponsonia.

“It is a huge problem that you failed in your mission to protect the Count. However, you did well to secure the prime suspect.”

“Sir.”

“You don’t look too pleased, East.”

“With all due respect, Sir.”

East told the commander that there was little reason to believe that the young lady was the culprit, and knights were supposed to escort her originally. His fellow knights looked displeased.

“I believe we still have a lot of work to do, Sir.”

“His Majesty the King has his eyes on this case,” Lawrence said. “Which is why I came here in a hurry to observe.”

“Where’s the investigator?”

“We left separately. He should arrive soon.”

“Commander, I have a request. Please send me to escort the young lady. I don’t trust those adventurers.”

“No.”

“But Sir!”

“I just told you: His Majesty has his eyes on the case. We will follow legal procedures in the presence of the investigator.”

“But…”

“Not buts, East.”

“Y-Yes, Sir!”

East straightened his posture. Seeing this, his fellow knights felt relieved. This should prevent him from acting on his own.

“Though I understand your concern.” Commander Lawrence nodded gravely. “I want to know more about the case. The investigator has not yet arrived, but speak to me anyway.”