It was a very cloudy day, with heavy rain pouring down.
"Why did you save me?"
stared at the knight kneeling with blood dripping, dazed.
The knight's appearance was pitiful.
His armor was completely destroyed, his body torn and broken in various places.
In front of him, a pool of bright red blood was forming on the ground.
Around such a knight were the bodies of countless monsters. It was the result of the knight sacrificing his life to protect the village.
Because of him, the village was saved.
But, in return, the knight was dying.
It was a knight who could be used to save a village that was not even known by name.
How inefficient.
"This is an inefficient act."
"Hah… Hah, damn brat."
The bloodied knight struggled to lift his head and muttered.
It was true.
From a rational point of view, there was no reason for the knight to sacrifice his life to save this village, as Alonso said.
He could just run away.
Even if he ran away, there would be no one to care about such an unknown village.
Alonso was overly rational. Perhaps it was his nature, as he had always seen the world analytically since he was a child. That's why he couldn't understand.
– Why?
It's beneficial to him.
But is there any benefit to the knight?
Then, the knight spoke.
"Because I am a knight."
"…Yes?"
"I did it because I am a knight."
Once again, he said that. He didn't know if those words were directed at Alonso or at himself.
"Is that… important?"
"It is important."
The knight forced his eyes, which were beginning to close, and looked at the young boy.
He saved a life.
Although he looked mature for his age, he was still a life that the knight saved.
"Someday you will understand."
"Is that so?"
Is this what a knight is?
Alonso recalled the image of a knight he had seen in a fairy tale.
It was a bit different from that knight…
He didn't shine like that knight, nor did he have a beautiful princess by his side.
But.
"Ah."
Impressive.
Alonso unknowingly thought that and clenched his left chest.
For some reason, it felt like a sharp pain.
The knight chuckled as he looked at Alonso like that.
"Remember that feeling."
The last moments of life.
The knight advised the young boy until the end as a knight.
"The day you become a knight is the day you will understand."
That day, a knight died, and a boy who admired knights was born.
—
"First, let me apologize."
After it was all over, Alonso politely bowed to me.
"It was foolish of me to simply belittle you as 'a young lord' according to my narrow-minded standards."
"I accept your apology."
In the first place, it was hard to see myself at this point as completely innocent.
What drove Silo to rampage was clearly my fault from my childhood.
I may not be immature now, but I was immature at that time.
It's that kind of story.
"It's faster than I thought. What's the point of pretending if I'm just an actor?"
"Even if I am considered eccentric, I still have enough intellect to reach the seventh level, Your Excellency."
Alonso said again.
"If you act with such intentions, you are bound to be exposed."
"…."
"On the other hand, if you can act without revealing yourself, that too is a testament to your cunningness, isn't it?"
The ability to hide my emotions and the patience to achieve my goals. That too, is quite impressive.
At the very least, it's not the kind of vessel that would be swayed by a traitor like Silo.
"So, I apologize once again. And shameless as it may sound…"
Alonso's tone changed.
"If you permit, I would like to stay by Your Excellency's side as a knight for a while."
"Oh."
Faster than I thought.
The Alonso I know would have been more cautious in making decisions…
"Can such a small change be considered significant?"
Of course, this change in Alonso is something to be welcomed from my perspective.
The faster Alonso grows, the better for me.
'Perhaps the current Alonso is not far from reaching that power.'
If that period is short, I can deal with the followers of Jormungand more efficiently.
"Is that okay?"
"I cannot be completely sure yet, so I asked to watch over you for a while."
Alonso said, looking at me.
"Of course, I will not refuse any task you give me until then, as long as it does not violate my own 'knightly conduct.'"
"Then, I accept."
However Alonso sees me, as long as I do my duty, that's all that matters.
Besides, what he wants is related to my plans.
"But Alonso."
"Yes, what is it?"
"As a mage, did you have a reason to aim to become a knight?"
I was curious before.
He didn't tell me about this before the regression. Of course, he died before he could get close enough to hear it, but still.
"A reason…?"
Alonso hesitated for a moment at my words. Then he seemed to be thinking hard about something.
"There was a knight."
"…A knight?"
"Yes, he was a knight that could be found 'anywhere' in the contemporary world."
Alonso seemed to recall something and raised his head for a moment.
"By chance, I visited the village where I lived. For him, my village was just a place to stay for a night."
"…Hmm."
Alonso continued.
"At that time, there was a monster nest near my village. It was a potential problem that the lord didn't care about, as it was a place that could explode at any moment."
"Of course, the problem erupted at that time."
"It happened to be when that knight visited the village."
A huge group of monsters that couldn't be dealt with by the guards the village had set up on its own.
Moreover, the terrain was not good, so the villagers had no way to escape.
"At that time, the knight stepped forward."
"…."
"He was a knight who was quite skilled in using Aura at a young age. If he had abandoned the village and fled, he would have become a great knight by now."
"I see."
"However…"
Alonso let out a bitter smile.
"He did not do that."
"He fought back?"
"Yes. Despite being covered in wounds and soaked in blood, he did not back down. In the end, he defeated all the monsters and protected the village."
However, Alonso said that the knight lost his life in exchange.
"It was a gruesome sight. It was different from the knights in fairy tales. His armor, his sword… they were all in pieces."
I imagined for a moment.
What was the end of the knight that Alonso admired?
It must have been gruesome.
At least, it wouldn't have been the image of the 'ideal knight' that Alonso had talked about so far.
But.
"Still, he was a knight."
"That's right."
"He never gave up being a knight until the end, and he died as a knight. And that's the kind of knight I want to become."
Alonso looked at me.
"It's as you say."
"…."
"The important thing is that you define yourself as a knight, not how others define you."
The knight who saved the village was also someone who defined himself.
Alonso said so with a smile.
I said to him as I watched him.
"You've become a bit of a knight."
"Yes, just a bit."
It was almost like a dream come true.
There couldn't have been a more fitting word for Alonso than that.
"So, are you going to give up the special mana circuit you created to become that 'knight'?"
"Oh, no. I don't mean to give up on that, like giving up 7th-grade magic or anything like that…"
Alonso shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll continue to improve it, step by step."
"That's a good attitude."
Alonso nodded as if it were obvious.
The memory of that day must have played a significant role in Alonso's decision to pursue becoming a knight.
But is that the only reason Alonso has become the eccentric he is now?
Probably not.
Alonso confidently said, "Because it's a romance."
—
As soon as Alonso arrived at the mansion, I said to him, "Can you take on the role of the head of the magical battalion?"
"If it's the head of the magical battalion, then that position was held by that problem-causing Silo. But since it's vacant…"
"I executed him on charges of heresy."
"I see."
Alonso's expression showed a slight hesitation.
He knew that Silo was the cause of the problem, but he probably didn't expect him to be a heretic.
But he quickly understood.
"Well, it's rather strange for someone who was engaging in all sorts of evil deeds to be completely normal. It makes sense."
"Anyway, the position of the head of the magical battalion is vacant due to that reason, but it's not something that anyone can fill."
"I understand."
The reason I'm saying this is because Alonso still sees himself as a 'knight,' and that hasn't changed.
Alonso could accept the position of the head of the magical battalion.
But I didn't want to force him into it.
Whatever it is, it's different.
The result may be the same, but you can't neglect the process.
"However, that doesn't mean I won't treat you as a knight. Besides, although I say 'head of the magical battalion,' since the person has changed, the direction should change as well."
"What do you mean…?"
"If the knight takes on the role of the head of the magical battalion, lead the magical battalion as you wish."
A magical battalion led by a knight who wanted it so badly wouldn't be bad.
Ultimately, what I'm pursuing is to stop Jormungand.
Of course, in the process, the magical battalion may change a bit from the existing one…
'Well, it'll work out somehow.'
Alonso isn't the type to be stuck in one place, and he'll move as a mage when needed.
Then Alonso asked, "So, Your Excellency."
"Yes?"
"Does that mean I can change the weapons to run the magical battalion the way I want?"
"It's generally known that mages often use staffs as magical conduits."
"That's right."
While I have the realization in my head that I don't need a staff as a conduit, most mages need a 'medium' that is suitable for casting magic.
And the staff is often used as a medium for magic.
Alonso said in a very excited voice, "I'm thinking of changing that idea a bit, and having our magical battalion use swords instead of staffs."
"…Swords?"
"Yes, the reason mages use staffs as magical conduits is because they are the easiest to handle, right?"
"That's… right?"
What if you try to use a sharp weapon like a sword to cast magic?
Moreover, there is also the problem that ordinary steel is not a suitable material as a medium for magic.
Well, that's the common sense of the world.
"It's a crazy idea."
When I said that, Alonso looked momentarily disappointed.
But my story wasn't over yet.
"Carry on."
It's fun, a mage using a sword.
How can I resist that?