Releases slowed as the main translator has been on vacation with family. The second translator needs some time to get the ropes since the translation is from Chinese raws. When the translator is acclimatized, the releases will speed up again. Happy New Year. Peace!

Chapter 167 Persuasion

“Why do they have to call us out here for the appointment of a new knights’ captain?”

As I complained, my footsteps were heavy.

Ryle, who would usually be the one convincing me to work on my attitude, was also frowning.

His footsteps were just as heavy as mine.

Of course they would be. Since Duke Armenia had been attacked, neither of us really wanted to leave Iris’s side.

So we turned the summons down, several times in a row.

Even so, the newly appointed knights’ captain didn’t give in.

In the end, they even paid a visit to Master, asking him to bring us with him.

Master and his son…Duke Anderson hadn’t planned on telling us anything about the situation due to our current duties. But when we heard the news from the knights’ order members who had arrived to deliver a letter, we couldn’t help but fume.

“We can’t give Master more trouble. Plus, the whole situation is just getting old.” With that idea in mind, all we wanted to do was resolve things quickly as possible…and that was why we were heading out to the palace at long last.

“Duke Armenia’s family’s servant Ryle, here for a visitation.”

“Duke Armenia’s family’s servant Dida, here for a visitation.”

We displayed only the bare minimum of courtesies before moving into the room designated for the knights’ order’s use.

Although some people were frowning, most of the knights viewed us with pity.

Yes, the summons of the new captain came so out of the blue that even the knights felt sorry for us.

“Oh, Sir Ryle, Sir Dida! You’re finally here!”

The new captain seemed quite happy to welcome us.

“Please, sit down there.”

We obeyed his orders.

“I am the new captain of the knights’ order, Sultar Melzel*. I’ve heard quite a bit about the two of you already. So nice to finally meet you.”

Facing this smiling man, our faces probably looked quite blank.

“Well then. Do you need anything from us?”

Ryle’s voice sounded so low, it might as well have issued from below ground. He was clearly in a terrible mood.

…Honestly, it scared me a bit.

He was rarely this emotionally excited…it made me a bit antsy sitting next to him.

“No need to be so impatient…let’s just talk it through.”

Sultar seemed confused, but still maintained a smile. The atmosphere seemed more intense.

Of course it would.

He’d called us all the way here, not to talk about what business he had with us, but to chat?

If he had that kind of time, he should just serve as milady’s guard himself.

Perhaps our aura was too menacing. All the knights who knew us took a step back.

“I think we’ve communicated quite a few times that we don’t have the time to come here. Yet you keep inviting us over and over, without regard for our situation…and now you’re asking us to chitchat? Even stooping so low as to trouble General Gazelle himself?”

Ryle’s fury had reached a peak, his gaze piercing enough to kill.

Under this situation, even Sultar had been overcome by his aura.

“…Well then, what are we here to talk about?”

If we got stuck at this juncture, we couldn’t continue the conversation. I tried to usher along the topic.

“Ah…no, I heard a great deal from the previous captain about you two and your accomplishments, so I wanted to invite you two to become members of the knights’ order…”

“Didn’t we already turn the offer down in the past?”

The chilly atmosphere in the room seemed to have become even colder.

It was quite terrifying. I didn’t even dare look into Ryle’s face.

“Ah, you would receive sizeable benefits…”

“It has nothing to do with that. We are only loyal to one person, and nothing you say can change that.”

I didn’t have much to say about Ryle’s firm words.

“I feel the same way.”

I spoke the words before they even crossed my mind.

Sultar’s expression turned blank.

“So as to not keep wasting each other’s time, we’ll take our leave now. In addition to that, we are planning to take up a complaint with the general and all other relevant authorities. We’ve already earned a promise from the queen dowager to protect Duke Armenia’s household. Please don’t try persuasion tactics like this again in the future.”

Ryle’s departing words made Sultar’s head drop. I couldn’t help but whistle at his back.

Ryle probably heard what I was doing.

Unlike when we came here, our footsteps when departing were incredibly quick.

Both of us were silent. But compared to earlier, the atmosphere was somewhat more relaxed.

“Ah…! Mr. Ryle, Mr. Dida!”

And then this voice called us to a halt, turning our moods the other way again.

Suppressing the thoughts in our heads, we bowed politely.

“Look up.”

The one who was standing there was the fiance of second prince Edward, the daughter of the Noir Baron family, Yuri Noir.

“No…we can’t be so impolite in the presence of the second prince’s fiance…”

Why in the world is this woman here? I couldn’t help but think in frustration.

Ryle was probably thinking the same thing.

“Why are the two of you here? Ah! Are the two of you by any chance coming here to become knights?”

Yuri’s voice was lighthearted.

It made me quite anxious, as a matter of fact.

“No…that’s too much praise for us.”

Ryle’s voice was just as low as when he had spoken to the knights’ captain earlier, perhaps even deeper.

“Not at all! You two are very strong, I’ve heard it from many people!”

She responded happily.

Honestly, her voice and the lighthearted demeanor were only making me irritated and anxious.

“Right now, security within the nation is deteriorating. I was actually hoping that you two might be willing to lend your power to me. As long as I have the two of you guarding me, I could work harder for the wellbeing of the country!”

The baron’s daughter keep speaking, seemingly ignorant of our demeanors.

Just shut up already! Although that’s what I thought, I couldn’t say something like that in the capital.

“I’m very sorry, but we are only loyal to one master.”

Ryle said this, lowering his head.

Exactly, exactly! Say it again for the people in the back! That’s what I was thinking, at least. But Ryle seemed to be rejecting the conversation with Yuri altogether. His gaze strayed toward me.

“We’re not important. What we hope for is to protect our master, who is so important for her people. We want to support her, so that she will never fall.”

I spoke after Ryle.

“Well then, please excuse us.”

After bowing again, we left as quickly as possible.

We walked quickly away from the palace, toward Duke Anderson’s home.

Although we hadn’t talked about it beforehand, we wanted to go and ask him for forgiveness for all this.

And also take the chance to exercise ourselves.

To protect our lady,our princess, we wanted to be more powerful.

Duke Anderson’s home was surprisingly close to the palace.

Even on foot, it didn’t take too long.

We passed through the main gates, and then toward the training arena.

When he wasn’t in the palace, Master would usually be here.

…That’s what we thought, at least.

But he was nowhere to be found in the arena.

“Ah, Ryle, Dida, you’re here visiting today?”

The one who emerged instead was Duke Armenia’s wife.

Seeing her there, we felt chills down our spine.

What a bad time to be here

But it was too late for regret.

Since she had already seen us, there was nothing else to be done. We walked toward the center of the arena.

*The romanization for this name was difficult…I tried my best, my dudes.