chapter 10
At that, the knights’ faces turned pale, and even Duke Calix’s expression became somewhat strange.
Only then did Penelope realize that the words she had spoken aloud were a bit odd.
‘Uh… Uh-oh?’
But by the time she realized her tongue had slightly malfunctioned, it was already too late.
“…That’s a fine idea.”
The duke raised one corner of his mouth in a smile. Then, with his large hand, he patted Penelope on the head.
Penelope received the gesture in a half-dazed state.
“I quite like it. Yes. Those who act like dogs should be treated like dogs.”
It was the first praise she had received since entering this mansion.
‘…Is this a good thing? It must be… right?’
But why could she hear Demonia laughing and shouting from far away?
「Notoriety… rising…!」
「High… notoriety…! Magic power… increasing…!」
「Successful…!」
The Next Day
Two knights—no, two people—were dragged to the front of Penelope’s door.
Yes, they were literally dragged there.
Penelope looked up at the person who had brought them.
“Sir Derrick? What is the meaning of this?”
Derrick, the deputy commander of the knights, chuckled as he jingled the iron leash in his hand.
“Puhaha! Miss, you’re bolder than I thought! I must’ve had an eye for recognizing someone fit to be the next Calix!”
“Wait, why did you put leashes on people?”
“Well, you said you’d treat them like dogs, didn’t you? We’re simply following your orders faithfully.”
Derrick responded casually, his voice sounding way too cheerful.
Penelope tried her best to remain calm, but her feet started stamping nervously.
“T-That was just an expression! I didn’t mean to actually drag people here like dogs!”
“It’s fine. A proper Calix should be able to do at least this much.”
His joking tone shook Penelope’s resolve.
“…Really? Doing this is what makes a great Calix?”
“Of course. Honestly, no matter what you do, it’ll be hard to surpass His Grace’s youthful reputation.”
…Indeed, Duke Calix was no ordinary man!
As Penelope admired the duke’s devilish talents, Anna stepped in and took the chains from Derrick, letting out a dissatisfied sigh.
“Sir Derrick. You lack delicacy.”
“What do you mean, Anna? What’s wrong with what I did?”
“Our young lady is only eight years old. These heavy chains are far too much for her to handle.”
Hailey chimed in beside her.
“That’s right. Besides, such rugged things don’t suit a young lady! What Miss Penelope needs is ribbons, not chains!”
“There aren’t any ribbons in the knights’ armory, though.”
“Oh dear. That’s exactly why you knights are hopeless.”
Anna and Hailey shooed Derrick away with snooty expressions and then laid out colorful ribbons in front of Penelope.
“Miss, which color do you like?”
“Should both knights wear the same ribbon color, or would it be better if they wore different ones?”
Penelope almost shrank back at the strange madness shining in the maids’ eyes.
“Uh… well, you two pick whichever you like.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
“Oh my! You’re so kind, Miss. I’ll choose a color that suits your pretty hair!”
Anna and Hailey leaned in together to choose the ribbon colors.
Penelope looked at the two knights standing awkwardly in a corner. Their faces were bright red from embarrassment.
“Gentlemen, come closer.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The two knights knelt down on one knee in front of little Penelope. Only then did their eye level somewhat match hers.
“What are your names?”
“Frederick Miller, ma’am.”
“I’m Ben House.”
Penelope looked at the two in turn. Frederick had brown hair and a gentle-looking face, while Ben had light blond hair and a sharper, more aggressive expression.
Neither looked very old—perhaps in their early twenties.
“Hmm. Sir Miller and Sir House.”
“Please, call us Frederick and Ben.”
“We’re not here as your knights, but as dogs…”
They muttered while staring off into the distance, half-resigned.
Seeing them like that made Penelope’s conscience prickle. Clearly, doing bad things required a strong mental fortitude.
“Alright then, Frederick, Ben. I’ll be assigning you dog roles from now on—what kind of things do you think you should do?”
If you don’t know, it’s best to ask. Penelope sought their advice.
At that, Frederick and Ben’s expressions darkened. The fact that they even had to suggest how to act like dogs made their situation feel all the more pathetic.
But Penelope, unaware, asked with pure intent.
“What’s wrong? Do you have complaints?”
Demonia’s training in how to speak heartlessly was finally bearing fruit.
「Excellent… Excellent…!」
In reality, Penelope was worried about their gloomy expressions—but to anyone else, it looked like she was intimidating them.
“…No, ma’am. It’s fine.”
“Well, if we’re dogs, then loyal creatures should be trained by their masters, right?”
Frederick and Ben suggested reluctantly, as if chewing on bitter herbs.
It actually sounded pretty convincing.
Training knights like dogs?
‘…I like it!’
Penelope decided to help them train so they wouldn’t waste their time.
“You’re right. Then today, try to live as much like dogs as you can!”
After long deliberation, Anna and Hailey chose the ribbon colors for the knights’ collars. Frederick got a deep green ribbon, while Ben got a lighter, minty green one.
“Since Miss has bright red hair, green shades match well!”
That was their unanimous opinion.
Penelope didn’t have a good eye for color, so she decided to trust them.
And so, Frederick and Ben ended up rolling around the main mansion’s garden, each with a large ribbon bow tied around the back of their necks.
“Hailey. I think the knights’ stamina isn’t as good as I expected. They look really tired… Should we stop?”
Penelope leaned her chin on the outdoor table, looking at them with concern.
Hailey, standing beside her, smiled brightly and poured her a glass of juice.
“Dogs stick out their tongues and pant when they’re excited. The knights are just like that.”
“But saying I’d treat them like dogs doesn’t mean they actually became dogs…”
“Hehe. You have to push yourself to grow stronger. If they can’t even handle this, they can’t call themselves Black Hawk knights.”
“…Is that so?”
At that moment, Anna threw a stick beyond the garden trees. It soared through the air with a whoosh. Penelope wondered how such a slender girl had so much strength.
“Aaaaaagh!”
Frederick let out a dying scream and ran off to fetch the stick.
“But is Anna okay? She’s been dealing with the knights the whole time. I was supposed to be the one throwing.”
“No need. A noble young lady shouldn’t be doing such rough tasks. Just pet their heads a little later, that’s enough.”
“I see.”
“Of course.”
Lately, everything Frederick and Ben did had become a hot topic in the Black Hawk Knight Order.
“What did they do today?”
“Scent game. They had to find dolls hidden around the mansion using perfume trails.”
“What about the day before?”
“Digging. Dogs love digging, apparently.”
Frederick and Ben, having gotten on the bad side of the new young lady, were undergoing outrageous punishments.
Wearing ribbon collars around their necks made them perfect targets for teasing.
As the others giggled and mocked them, a chill ran down their spines.
“What did you just say?”
“…What the? When did you get here?”
The chatting knights flinched and turned. The two subjects of all the rumors stood there, eyes blazing.
Their eyes looked a little crazed—like they had rabies or something.
“You’re dead, all of you!”
Apparently, they really were in such a state. Frederick and Ben lunged at their comrades—against five knights, no less!
The scuffle in front of the barracks drew the attention of more knights, who came out one by one to spectate the brawl.
Despite being knights, they were still rough fighters at heart. A fight like this wasn’t even considered a real incident.
“Whew! Go get ‘em!”
“I bet 1 silver Frederick goes down first!”
“Yeah? I’ll throw in a few coins too.”
Not only did no one stop the fight, but people even started betting.
Everyone expected the outnumbered Frederick and Ben to go down quickly.
But soon—
“Guh!”
“Ack!”
“Ugh!”
The five knights started dropping one after another.
That’s right—Frederick and Ben alone were taking down five knights!
“You bastards! Come at us! Come on!”
“Graaah! I’ve had enough for today, and now this?!”
Frederick and Ben roared like two raging beasts. The onlookers stared at them in shock.
“What the…? Weren’t they barely holding their own in one-on-one duels two weeks ago?”
“When did they get this strong?”
“Were they training in secret at dawn or something?”
As the questions poured in, Ben wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and replied.
“With the training the young lady puts us through, we’re barely staying alive. How would we even have time for extra training?”
“…The young lady’s training, you
