During the half-day journey, I talked a lot with Arlen Dwight, the vice-captain of the Eurem Holy Knights.

Thinking about future activities, it was an action based on the idea that I should get close to him first, but more important than that was gathering information about the Eurem Holy Knights through conversation with him.

First of all, unlike other cases where the future was known, the massacre of the Eurem Paladins in the forgotten village had not been accurately grasped.

All they know is the ‘beginning’ that the Eurem Paladins entered the forgotten village, and the ‘result’ that not one of them survived.

There was no information about the ‘process’ that took place until they entered the cleanup of the forgotten village and were massacred.

Was it the result of an unfortunate defeat after a really fierce battle, or was it the result of dying with an overwhelming difference in power from the beginning, or was it because of carelessness even though I could have won enough?

In order to gather even a little bit of information about him, it was right to first investigate the Eurem Paladin itself.

The quickest way to investigate it is to talk to Vice-captain Allen to pick up Saint Clare.

Of course, since he was also the vice-captain of the Order of the Holy Knights of the Orthodox Church, there was a possibility that he would lightly ignore the words of Confucius, the Viscount from the outskirts.

Apparently, that part was not a problem because Saint Clare was there.

Because to openly ignore my words even in front of Saint Clare meant hurting the face of the girl who had brought me in as an escort knight.

First of all, he opened his mouth with appropriate praise from the first word.

“It looks like a pretty good sword. Is it something that was handed over by a dwarf artisan?”

Vice-captain Allen, realizing that the conversation was addressed to himself, opened his mouth a little later.

“… That’s right.”

“I know that Dwarven artisans don’t easily make weapons for just anyone, but if that’s the case, then Vice-captain Allen’s skills must be of a high level.”

“… Well, I guess that’s what it means.”

“You said you became a sword master a while ago, but since the sword has signs of being used quite a bit, it’s probably not something you recently acquired. It seems that you have already possessed skills enough to be called a sword master.”

I could see the corner of Vice-captain Allen’s mouth slightly rising.

“I don’t think so, but there have always been people who thought I had those skills.”

“Also, Vice-captain Allen became a sword master at a relatively young age, so there is only one thing left to do in the future.”

“It is overrated. Compared to Captain Douglas, I’m still a kid.”

Seeing that he made a face that wasn’t too bad while saying that, it definitely meant that the strategy of roasting and boiling with compliments was being used to some extent.

Descendants of nobles, and belonged to the Order of the Holy Knights.

A place where people who have lived a life that has been praised by others since childhood reach to find a greater honor.

However, due to the nature of the group called the Knights, there were bound to be countless people stronger and more honorable than themselves.

In order to be recognized again in such a place, I practiced training over and over again, and finally broke through the wall of a sword master and was able to grow even more.

If someone recognizes the achievements of their efforts, it is bound to make them feel better.

Even if it was a compliment that could be seen clearly, it was inevitable that the heart would be excited.

“Do you mend your plate mail every time?”

“If you are a member of the Eurem Paladins, taking care of your equipment is a basic requirement.”

“I thought it was a really neat and polished armor, but it seems that Vice-captain Allen himself took care of it.”

“If the equipment is clean, then Lady Luck will also smile at us.”

“You learn so much from Vice-captain Allen.”

“hahahaha, it’s nothing. I’m just taking the virtues that a knight should have.”

Seeing Vice-captain Allen completely relieved of the wariness he had with me at first, I thought it might be okay to get to the point.

“Do the other members of the Eurem Paladins also focus on swordsmanship and manage their equipment thoroughly like vice-captain Allen?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Training and maintenance are the model for a desirable knight.”

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Just when I was wondering if things were going well unexpectedly, vice-captain Allen continued.

“… I would like to say, but in fact, most of the members of the Holy Knights are satisfied with their current abilities and have given up on development.”

“Why?”

“It must be because he has lived for a long time in a place where people of similar skill level are gathered. You must have heard countless calls from your family and academy that you are a genius or a gifted child, but when you find out that there are dozens of people similar to you, you feel empty.”

In a word, it meant that the people who lived in their own taste were gathered, so they saw each other and gave up the competition.

“To my shame, I too once had those thoughts. If it hadn’t been for Captain Douglas, I would have wandered for a long time like the other members of the ranks.”

“Captain Douglas?”

“I’m talking about Douglas Pomwell, the leader of the Eurem Holy Knights.”

“Yeah. Even though he reached the level of a sword master much earlier than I did, he is not conceited and always leads the other members by saying that they can reach the level of a sword master. Thanks to this, the new members continue to train passionately for a while after joining, but… .”

“In the end, it’s not long before you settle for power, like the rest of the crew.”

“To my shame, most do. Of course, not all.”

After grasping the reality of the Eurem Holy Knights that came out of Vice-captain Allen’s mouth, the situation began to be grasped to some extent.

The Eurem Holy Knights, the most elite order of knights of the Orthodox Church, composed only of sword masters and sword experts.

It was an incomprehensible phenomenon in my previous life that a group of twenty-two talented people were finally wiped out by a unit led by an executive of the Dark Church.

“Still, since Vice-captain Allen has reached the level of a sword master, wouldn’t you want to follow in his footsteps and try again?”

“If that is the case, . . . It couldn’t be better.”

The fact that even the fact that a sword master was born among the same experts was not a catalyst meant that there were many people who were deeply complacent.

There was a natural suspicion that many of them had solid skills among the sword experts, or that there might be some who were worse than before becoming expert.

“The same goes for equipment management. Discipline was so lax that Captain Douglas told the members about personal maintenance more than once or twice. Then, most of the people scramble to fix the equipment.”

“This is not a good thing.”

“Even as vice-captain, he hardly listens to me. Not too long ago, they thought they were on the same level as them, so they seemed to listen to them and stop and talk. It is the evil of a group where there are only a lot of people who have more pride than their skills.”

In other words, in order for the members of the Order of the Holy Knights to listen to their words, it means that we have to persuade a person named Captain Douglas rather than vice-captain Allen.

It was fortunate that at least one person remained as a leader.

Of course, since it’s someone you haven’t met yet, you’ll have to figure out what kind of personality he has.

Still, he began to get a sense of what kind of method he should use to move the Eurem Paladins.

“Still, since Vice-captain Allen is here, this matter will be resolved somehow. It’s a short time, but please take care of me, Mr. Allen Dwight.”

“I would like to ask you well, Mr. Conrad Perdalos.”

With him, whom he had become close enough to shake hands with, after that, he headed to the base of the Eurem Holy Knights while having a proper private conversation.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

It was late in the evening when they arrived at Rose Hill, the sacred ground of the Eurem Holy Knights.

An autonomous district of the Orthodox Church where the Rose Hill Great Church and the Eurem Holy Knights are stationed.

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Just like a noble estate or an imperial estate, the surrounding estates were all the domain of the Orthodox Church.

Of course, unlike the aristocratic territories, where the management method was changed by one lord, the orthodox districts were more stable in their own way.

It was a land owned by an Orthodox church that could never go bankrupt overnight, so it was much more financially prosperous than a typical nobility.

Since it was already a city built on the ideology of the Orthodox Church, it did not change policies or enter into sudden development in an instant.

In addition, like most of the Orthodox boroughs of this kind, there were several areas around the city with sacred barriers that prevented the invasion of monsters.

Since the entire constituency was owned by the Orthodox Church, there was a disadvantage that individuals could not own real estate such as houses or land, but all shops, dwellings, and accommodations were rented from the Orthodox Church at a low price anyway, so life itself was inconvenient. There was no

Even if you don’t have a single penny, if you hold a service at the Great Church, you’ll give anyone your daily bread.

However, since it was a city where there were no taverns, gambling halls, or brothels that went against the doctrine of God, some might feel bored.

Those things were good things compared to not having to worry about tomorrow’s bread.

The title of a city for those who want to settle down in reality is a place that fits perfectly.

Perhaps the atmosphere of the entire city is suppressing the Paladins’ desire to improve.

Unless you know someone who has a serious sense of purpose to the point of losing weight, there are few people who can only devote themselves to training without proper entertainment.

Alcohol, gambling, and changgwan. Depending on the person, it was a place that was undoubtedly necessary to some extent.

Even the demure Saint Claire used to use the ‘One Cup of Doctrine’ skillfully to relieve stress without avoiding a drinking party.

I’ve been thinking about this the whole time since I entered Rose Hill, and before I knew it, the wagon carrying Saint Clare and Vice-captain Allen, I, crossed the city and went straight to the base of the Eurem Holy Knights.

The long carriage trip, which lasted almost half a day, had finally come to an end.

“Since you have come a long way, it would be good to say hello and rest today.”

“I think that is good too. From tomorrow, you will have to take the wagon and go a long way again.”

Saint Clare nodded in agreement with Vice-captain Allen’s words.

“Then I guess I should also say hello to Captain Douglas. Could I see you now?”

“Perhaps it is possible. Right now, the captain will be directing the members’ regular sparring.”

“Looking at the regular sparring, it doesn’t seem that morale has fallen as much as I thought.”

“Only when the captain is supervising, we share swords while keeping an eye on each other. If someone leaves and I am left alone, I tend to get stretched out quickly.”

If the leader had been a little less busy, the unit would have been a little more disciplined. Vice-captain Allen muttered that with a bitter expression on his face.

Under his guidance, she and Saint Clair walked to the arena, and immediately saw several paladins wearing their costumes and sharing swords.

And even among them, I was able to face someone with a uniquely striking physique and energy, roaming around the arena and raising his voice.

“Cairn! Hold the sword more firmly! You don’t think it’s going to get out of your grasp right now! Monua! You stupid bitch! Do you intend to hide only behind a shield for a hundred days and a thousand days! Paylin! Don’t babble like a mutt, move quickly! Dustin!! This ignorant, strong idiot!! Did you decide to go all out!”

The man who seemed to be the leader of the Holy Knights was guiding the posture of each Paladin, mixing all sorts of shouts and curses, as if he was watching every one of the 20 Paladins’ sparring.

I feel sorry for the same sword master, Allen, but from the leader’s point of view, a completely different sense of intimidation emanated from Allen.

It was not for nothing that he said that his attitude was different when he was the manager and when he was the manager.

Even I wouldn’t dare to goofing around if I was among them.

“Rhino, you son of a bitch! I kept breaking my wrist and told you not to swing it! You will re-educate later… !”

“Captain, Saint Clare Larapria‧Meidel has arrived.”

“… Hmmm, it’s already that time.”

Captain Douglas’ expression, which had been shouting with a bloodshot face, instantly softened.

“Come on, rest! Take a break for 10 minutes from now!”

Eventually, as soon as he heard Vice-captain Allen’s words, dozens of men and women’s bodies were scattered over the arena.

Still, some of them maintained their posture even while resting and looked like they were servicing the swords they had been using until recently, but it was unmistakably true that more than half of the Paladins were missing out.

Seeing her slumped like that even in front of Saint Clare, Vice-captain Allen wasn’t saying that his discipline was lax for nothing.

“… I’m sorry for showing you something I couldn’t bear to see, Saint Clare.”

“No, it’s okay. It was because I was able to see General Douglas who was so enthusiastic about training.”

“I will make sure to re-educate the guys who are losing weight now. There are a lot of guys who call themselves sword experts these days… .”

Upon hearing the voice of Captain Douglas, the members of the Order of the Holy Knights began to raise their bodies stealthily, noticing.

“Who’s with you anyway?”

“Let me introduce you. This is Prince Conrad, Viscount Perdalos. Although he is a student, he is a wizard who can use Circle 6 magic, and he decided to accompany me on this journey as my escort knight.”

“It’s the 6th circle at the student level… . You seem to have quite a bit of ability.”

“Mr. Conrad, this is Knight Commander Douglas Pomwell of the Eurem Holy Knights. You are the first person to become a Sword Master in the Eurem Holy Knights.”

“It is an honor to meet you. Knight Commander Douglas Pomwell.”

“Heh heh, without formality, just call me Captain Douglas.”

It was the first time he had actually spoken to Douglas Pomwell since he had only met Douglas Pomwell in his previous life as a necromancer.

I opened the conversation with the words I had prepared for the leader of the Holy Knights, who put on a kind expression and was considerate of me as if I were treating a guest.

“How could I not be polite to a descendant of the imperial family? I’m doing it because I’m comfortable, so don’t worry too much about it.”

royalty. As soon as the word came out of my mouth, a buzzing reaction erupted from among the paladins.

Douglas Pomwell, general manager, reacted as if how did he manage to know that.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone who only hears the surname Pomwell and speaks of the royal family.”

“Isn’t the narrative of Calt Pomwell, who voluntarily left the family to protect his younger sister, Empress Seirin, and founded the Pomwell family?”

“But it’s a story so old that it’s almost a forgotten truth except for the Pomwells. Most people just regard it as a family myth. This is a really important guest to have.”

The story of the Pomwell family learned from a previous life helped him a lot to earn his favor.

“Today, you’d better eat first and rest. Regarding tomorrow’s itinerary, let’s talk over dinner.”

“Yes. Do what Captain Douglas says. After all, the schedule will be busy again from tomorrow.”

In terms of my heart, I also wanted to enjoy a meal and rest, but of course I couldn’t do that as I had work to do.

That’s why I deliberately turned the topic around and created an atmosphere where I could bring up the next story.

“It doesn’t matter if Saint Clair and I take a break like this, but aren’t we taking away the training time of the Paladins for no reason?”

“It’s okay since Vice-captain Allen is here. For the rest of the time, I’ll just have him oversee Dalian. Isn’t that right, Allen?”

“… Yes, Captain Douglas.”

After hearing the captain’s words, vice-captain Allen responded calmly, but enough was able to detect a bad feeling on his face.

Looking back on what we just talked about in the wagon, it seems that he doesn’t want to work as a supervisor for members who aren’t properly trained.

… A plan to buy favors from not only Captain Douglas, but also Vice-Captain Allen, flashed through his mind.

As a bonus, even to the members of the Holy Knights resting over there.

“… Captain Douglas, this may be rude, but may I ask you one favor?”

Captain Douglas, who was about to change seats with St. Claire, stopped when he heard my words.

“Now, wait a minute, Mr. Conrad? How long has it been since you met Captain Douglas?!”

“It’s okay, lady. On the contrary, seeing such a dignified appearance makes me want to hear what kind of request it is.”

The leader, who answered Saint Clare’s words instead, made eye contact with me and asked.

“So, what is the request of the saintess’ escort knight?”

Also, it was to the point where I could feel the eyes of Saint Clare as well as Allen and the other members of the Holy Knights gathering on me.

I made eye contact with him calmly and spat out the words I had prepared.

“As a mage and escort knight, I would like to request a one-on-one match with Captain Douglas.”