The knights lined up in front of me. In other words, the ones who would be my subordinates in the future, I sighed as I looked at their appearance.
It was a total mess.
'Where, there are one or two who look useful... '
The few who looked decent were a few, and I could count them on one hand, and the rest were all below par.
In fact, aside from the decent supply conditions implied by the decent uniforms and the flab around the waists of most of the soldiers, it seemed better to just pick up the stragglers from the front lines and use them.
At least feed them, change their clothes, and give them some decent sergeant's uniforms, and they'll go out and fight for their lives. I'm talking about ordinary soldiers, not knights.
No matter what, how can you compare the fighting power of ordinary soldiers and superhuman knights?
In a battlefield where means and methods are not always considered, force is not always the absolute value.
It may sound like nonsense, but there are facts that can only be known through direct experience.
In my opinion, if you can't handle Aura anyway, it's much better to be a normal person who listens well and is quick-witted than a half-superhuman with excellent physical abilities.
Of course, a knightly order comprised of properly trained knights can display a destructive fighting power that makes numbers meaningless, as is widely known…
At least, it didn't seem like these guys could do that.
"Everyone, salute the sun of the empire that looks down on all people!" "Eternal glory to the imperial family! Eternal loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor!"
Look. There are hundreds of people, but that's all they can say.
On top of that, their eyes are all dim, and their mental state seems to be completely shaky…
I don't know how much effort it would take to somehow fix those guys.
'Come to think of it, where are they all doing? The survivors are probably doing well.'
I know that comparing the past and the present is the most foolish thing in the world.
But I couldn't help but think of the faces of my former subordinates who had shared life and death with me on the battlefield.
"Next, we will present a plaque of appreciation to the former Grand Master of the Knights Pietro de Medici, who spared no 'hard work' for the Knights of the Black Lion for the past three years."
But why on earth is the Vice-Grand Master conducting this inauguration ceremony?
Normally, an administrator would preside over such an event. It seems like things are a bit complicated internally.
Still, since it was a meaningful inauguration ceremony, I tried to make it go as smoothly as possible, even if it was a little lacking.
"You've worked very hard."
"The price for all your hard work is this piece of stone. Is there something more?"
"You are truly consistent until the very end."
As things become more and more strange, my patience is slowly reaching its limit.
"Everyone! Salute the former Knight Commander!" "Loyalty! May the grace of God be with your steps forward!"
Not only the ordinary knights, but even the commanders, the ten-man captains and hundred-man captains, are just sitting there, soullessly staggering like zombies or skeletons, shouting out a few words.
From the event management to the command of the personnel, and even the award ceremony, the small vice-captain is taking care of everything by himself.
To be honest, this is the first time I've ever experienced such a stupid inauguration ceremony.
I want to turn it all upside down right away, but the only reason I'm holding back is because the vice-captain gave me a pretty good first impression.
How much did the previous commander manage the unit so badly that it ended up like this? Or is this how the rear is always run?
Or is it because it's not a regular unit, but a knight order, so the rules and traditions are a little different?
Of course, that's not true, but seeing them in such a chaotic state made me feel like all the common sense I've built up so far was being denied.
Even though I hadn't done anything, the deep sense of exhaustion and emptiness that had already begun to creep up on me suddenly brought to mind the princess's cold face.
She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. In appearance and body.
'Don't ever forget what happened to me today.'
… Well, I don't know her personality.
Even after receiving such a brutal threat, I still wanted to see her again. Did I really become obsessed with her without realizing it?
Strangely enough, when I thought of the princess's face, my irritation seemed to subside a little.
"Next up is the farewell speech of the 13th Grand Master of the Knights, Sir Pietro. Everyone, please be quiet and listen."
It's finally here.
I decided to listen to what my predecessor, who brought the Knights to this state, was talking about.
The Medici family, a very prestigious marquis family that comes to mind just by hearing their name, is so incompetent.
Was he just a brazen fool who ran wild under the protection of his father?
He's the type of person I personally detest the most. Of course, it could be my bias, but judging from his appearance, it didn't seem like that.
He had a greasy face, a sly expression, and his clothes were also sloppy.
I can't believe that someone like that was a commander. I could see why the Knights didn't run properly.
"Ah, dear Black Lions. The Knight Commander I have spent a long time with you through thick and thin…"
However, his farewell speech itself was surprisingly normal.
It wasn't particularly great or impressive, but it was an ordinary content that I couldn't find fault with.
To summarize briefly, it was a textbook speech.
"Then next in line is the inaugural speech of the 14th Knight Commander, Lord Wolfgang. Please give him a round of applause!"
—Clap clap clap clap!
Applause? It's just a needless burden. The predecessor's farewell speech just passed quietly.
—Wink
As expected, the Vice Commander's face, blinking his left eye as he looked at me, was filled with anticipation.
I wonder if he did that on purpose. I should warn him not to do that next time.
Since I'm not very good at talking, I cleared my throat to finish as short and thick as possible.
"Gentlemen, it's nice to meet you. My name is Wolfgang of the Schwarz Counts."
A commander must establish a certain level of authority in front of his subordinates. Otherwise, proper command is impossible.
It's not too late to build rapport with his subordinates later, but now is the only chance to make a good first impression.
Besides, since they're all so lax in their discipline, it wouldn't hurt to openly pressure them a bit to seize the initiative.
"No need to talk at length, let's make it short."
Sometimes, one action speaks louder than a hundred words.
He completely releases the momentum he's been holding back. Since they're all knights, I believe they'll be able to endure this much.
—Kuaaaaak! —Hee, Heeeeek! —Euuugh…
'If you have power, you should think about using it. What are you going to do with it if you save it!'
The Master clearly said that.
If that were possible. Those who stand in front of others need to show as overwhelming an appearance as possible.
They say that if you properly control your subordinates, you will have at least one less person dying when you go to battle.
I am still just following in my master's footsteps. But now I can at least imitate him.
—Crack, crack…! —Grrrrrr…
As I continued to apply pressure, some of them started to pee, and some even passed out, foaming at the mouth.
The ones who were still standing were the former knight commander, who was staring at me with squinted eyes, sweating profusely, and the vice-captain, whose face was red from the pressure.
And four captains of the ten, and only one captain of the hundred. Why are the lower-ranking commanders holding up better?
The ordinary knights were annihilated. They are pathetic.
The northern barbarian warriors were afraid of my momentum, but they tried to fight back.
What use are knights who are so weak?
Still, there is no need to harass my subordinates more than necessary, so this is enough. I slowly withdrew my momentum that I had been spreading out and shouted loudly.
"Black Lion Knights, all attention!" "Cheers, cue cue!"
From those who were not completely broken and could open their mouths, a voice that was incomparably louder than before returned.
Then, I finally began to like those guys a little.
"I ask for your continued support. Under the command of this knight commander, the Black Lion Knights will be reborn in a new form. That is all."
As I said before, I concluded my speech as briefly and concisely as possible.
This was the end of the not-so-pleasant inauguration ceremony.
From now on, I was the leader of this place, so there was no need for any other events.
I immediately called the vice-captain.
"Vice-captain."
"Yes, yes?!"
I frowned at the strange answer that sounded strangely relaxed. I thought the vice-captain was somehow useful. But it turns out he was barely holding on until now.
Well, since we were standing on the podium together, he must have felt even more pressure. I can understand that much.
"Including the commanders. Those who just peed themselves, those who collapsed, those who foamed at the mouth... There are too many. Anyway, I'll report the names of all the members who couldn't stand on their own two legs to the disciplinary committee."
"Um, all of them?"
"Did you not understand what I said?"
I approached the vice-captain, who was trembling with a red face, and whispered directly in her ear. She seemed to come to her senses only then.
"No! I'll carry out your orders as soon as the inauguration ceremony is over!"
"Good. I'm finally starting to like it."
At my words, the vice-president returned to her seat on the right corner of the stage and took a deep breath.
The inauguration ceremony was over, but she seemed to think there was still something left.
I was going to tell her that she could go to work right away, but since she looked so unwell, I decided to leave her alone for the moment.
First of all, the buttons on her jacket seemed like they would burst at any moment, perhaps because of her posture. Her uniform size seemed too small for her body type, so it seemed like it needed to be repaired.
The blush on her face still hadn't gone away, and her ears were even red, so it seemed like there was a problem with her blood circulation.
"Haa, haa… Heh…"
Heavy breathing. Could it be a respiratory problem?
As a knight whose physical strength is important, it couldn't be, and it must be because of the clothes that she's having trouble breathing.
It would be difficult if her physical characteristics interfered with her mission.
Since I also have an unusual body, I could easily guess her difficulties. I should introduce her to a tailor who takes on custom orders.
In many ways, the vice-captain seemed to be the type of person who needed more attention than I thought.
However, paying attention to subordinates is also a virtue of a superior. As long as she showed her ability in proportion to the attention I paid, it didn't matter.
In addition, since I'm not very familiar with paperwork, I definitely needed a smart subordinate, so I had to get along with the vice-captain as best as I could from now on.
Of course, there's no way someone who took on all the roles by themselves during the entire event could be stupid.
"Haha…! You're quite the master. The Schwarz Counts? How can someone like you come from such an insignificant family…"
Meanwhile, the one who showed an unexpected side was none other than the former captain.
I thought he'd be the first to fall, but he held on until the end. But he didn't just grab the position of knight commander for nothing.
Or maybe it's because of his Medici bloodline.
But why are you suddenly picking a fight?
"You're the one. I thought you were useless, but you seem to be doing the basics."
I didn't intend to blush, so I tried to pay you back as politely as possible. It seems like they want to keep holding onto my trouser leg and hanging on.
"What, what! You, a slacker who's a Count who's just a bum, how dare you not know your place!"
Yeah. It's obvious what a piece of trash like that would say.
When you can't speak, you bring up your status or family. That's something only people with nothing else to boast about do.
"Aren't you the one who doesn't know the topic?" "T-this... such an insult to me..."
The sight of the trash blushing and shaking as he didn't bother to hide his rising displeasure.
The sight of the vice-captain blushing is aesthetically pleasing. It's just disgusting when a dirty bastard blushes.
Also, a bastard who doesn't even know whether he has the right to succeed or not, who isn't even the Marquis Medici himself, isn't worthy of me in the first place.
So this is the current situation.
I'm not daring to talk back to that guy.
That guy is daring to talk back to me.
"I will definitely file a formal complaint at the family level! If that happens, your insignificant family will definitely be in a miserable state…"
But the more I listen to it, the more disgusting it becomes, and I can't listen to it anymore.
"What did you just say?"
I grabbed the talking trash's throat with one hand and lifted it high into the air.