IWTGHFW CHAPTER 14

Episode 14

“Ah… well… uh… you changed your hair.”

“Yes. Was that such an urgent thing to say?”

“Huh? No, not really…”

He trailed off, staring blankly at me again. What? Spit it out already.

It wasn’t until my expression started to turn grim that he came to his senses and spoke.

“The Captain is looking for you.”

“You could’ve said that sooner.”

Knock, knock—

The moment I knocked on the captain’s office door, it flew open. Huh. Normally, isn’t it the person knocking who opens the door and walks in?

I looked up at the man standing in front of me. Tall, broad-shouldered, with well-kept red hair.

It was Ron.

“Captain, I heard you called for me…”

“You…”

When our eyes met, Ron seemed to lose his words, just gaping at me.

What now?

I only cut my hair a bit—hardly a big deal. It’s not like I suddenly became a stunning beauty like in some drama. I just looked a bit neater. Why such a reaction?

Annoyed, I pushed past Ron and stepped into the office. I was about to naturally take a seat on the sofa when I realized someone was already there. A man with light purple hair and silver-rimmed glasses.

Uh… his name was…

“Sir… Sean?”

“It’s been a while, Ail.”

I’d seen his face in passing enough to remember his name. I greeted him and sat across from him.

If I remembered correctly, he was Ron’s adjutant. Or was he the vice-captain? Or both?

“They said you’d become a beauty, and it’s true.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

“Yes. It was just talk.”

…?

Ah. So this is what your personality is like?

By the time Ron snapped out of it, he noticed the bag of cookies in my hand and asked what it was. When I told him I’d gotten it from Team Leader David, he looked about ready to roar about me moving over to the audit team. I quickly reached out to stop him.

“I turned him down on the way here.”

“Huh?”

“I refused. I said I’d stay here.”

I’d just stopped him from roaring for one reason, only for him to look ready to roar for another. I glanced at Sean for help. He chuckled softly, then brought Ron back to his senses with a simple, “Captain, you had a reason for calling Ail, right?”

As expected of an adjutant. Knows how to handle things.

“Ail, we’re planning to recruit a new knight.”

“A new knight? Do you mean you’re going to hold an entrance exam?”

“That’s right. I called you here to help plan it.”

The entrance exam.

There are two ways to join the Imperial Knights. One is to pass the entrance exam, enter as a probationary knight, complete six months of training, and then be recognized as a full knight. The other is to get letters of recommendation from five counts or higher-ranking nobles.

The latter method is usually used by high-ranking nobles trying to push their sons into the order, but thanks to Ron’s equal-treatment training, this has become far less common in recent years.

The more common method, the entrance exam, comes in two forms: the regular exam held once every two years, and a special exam held irregularly for specific reasons.

Since last year was a regular exam, this would be a special one.

“Planning it is fine, but special exams are usually held for a special reason, right?”

“As expected from you, Ail. Smart. You’re a real talent.”

“This is something anyone would know.”

Why the sudden praise? I gave him a look, and realizing he’d gone a bit overboard, Ron cleared his throat awkwardly. Chuckling, Sean spoke in his place.

“It seems the Captain has a particular recruit in mind.”

“If that’s the case, couldn’t they just wait until the regular exam next year?”

“The recruit in question is from the Northern Tribes.”

“The Northern Tribes?”

Northern Tribes?

When I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term, Sean’s eyes widened—like he couldn’t believe I didn’t know. I just awkwardly nodded. Not knowing is possible, you know. Drop yourself into a completely different world and see how much you know.

“To put it nicely, they’re called the Northern Tribes, but in truth, they’re barbarians.”

“Oh, the ones you go out to subjugate every winter…”

I’d heard from Rose before that there was a vast mountain range in the north of the Empire, where nomadic tribes lived in hiding.

They were uncivilized barbarians who raided border cities every winter to steal food, causing trouble. So each winter, the Empire sent knights to subjugate them. Since I’d arrived here after one of those campaigns, I hadn’t experienced it yet.

‘So will there be another campaign this winter?’

I was curious, but asking now would just make the conversation longer, so I stayed quiet.

“Among the barbarians captured this time, there’s one who caught the Captain’s eye.”

“So the special exam is to bring that kid into the knights?”

“That’s right. Reckless, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s a reckless idea.”

Sean and I said this in unison, then turned to look at Ron sulking in the corner.

While he loudly insisted the kid was knight material, Sean and I quickly began looking for realistic countermeasures.

Since I knew nothing about the Northern Tribes, I asked if they looked very different from Imperial citizens. Sean shook his head.

“They were originally people who lived in the Empire but were exiled for certain reasons. They look similar—just speak a different language and follow different customs. Actually, barbarians don’t really have customs; they’re complete ruffians.”

“Then we should probably teach them the language and etiquette in advance.”

“If possible, yes. Their identity will also need to be fabricated, but the Captain will handle that. The most important thing is that no one finds out they’re from the Northern Tribes.”

“Why? As far as I know, there’s no restriction for taking the entrance exam.”

“That’s true. But rules and reality aren’t the same.”

The Imperial Knights—aside from the recommendation route—recruit as fairly and cleanly as the Imperial Civil Service Exams. Status, gender, and age don’t matter—only skill. Of course, the training to develop such skills favored the nobility and the wealthy, so it was still rare for commoners to rise to the top.

Even so, sometimes talented commoners, like Reinolf, were discovered, so it wasn’t impossible.

‘That con artist.’

Just thinking about Reinolf’s face made me shake my head in irritation.

“A commoner from the Empire entering the exam is no problem. But the Northern Tribes are different. They’re barbarians.”

“I don’t quite get it. Is it because they’re foreigners?”

“Mm. Strictly speaking, they’re not foreigners. But they’re not Imperial citizens either. They’re in a strange, in-between place.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

Seeing my tilted head, Sean continued.

“To Imperial citizens, the barbarians are both an object of contempt and a source of fear. They’re the only people who still instill physical fear in a population accustomed to long peace. Sure, the south near the Kingdom of Aint has been noisy lately, but that’s just army-to-army conflict.”

“So the barbarians are the only real threat.”

“Exactly. Which is why the way nobles see commoners is a bit different from how Imperial citizens see barbarians.”

I finally understood. Even if someone’s status is lower, they’re still inside the same social framework—but the perception of someone completely outside that framework is another matter entirely.

I nodded, then asked my question.

“Why go to all this trouble to put such a person in the knights? From what I’m hearing, if this gets out, it won’t just blow over.”

“Well, you see…”

Sean adjusted his glasses out of habit and sighed. At his sigh, Ron flinched noticeably.

Shaking his head like he was dealing with an incorrigible child, Sean said:

“That kid supposedly has extraordinary swordsmanship skills.”

“Extraordinary swordsmanship?”

“That’s right, Ail. The kid’s a genius. With just a little guidance, they could reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship—a level most think of as mere legend—ah!”

From where I was sitting, I couldn’t see it, but I could tell Sean had stepped hard on Ron’s foot.

Ignoring Ron’s complaints about noble-insult charges, I thought it over.

I could understand Ron’s desire to bring the kid in. If knights were like athletes, finding a gifted child would make you want to train them to their full potential—just like a coach.

But was it worth deceiving the Imperial court for?

“This seems too dangerous. Besides, you said they were a prisoner. What if they get the wrong idea? From their perspective, the knights are basically the ones who killed their family.”

“That’s fine. Having an enemy only makes one’s skills grow faster.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Ron’s eyes widened at my words. I wondered if I’d said something wrong, then realized the word “nonsense” was a bit harsh and quickly apologized.

“That was too strong. Sorry.”

Ron waved it off.

“There are two situations that most effectively develop a knight’s skills. One is having someone to protect. The other is having someone to take revenge on.”

“I get the idea. But that doesn’t justify bringing a potential threat into the Imperial Palace. Actually, that’s exactly why you shouldn’t. The knights would be taking on the biggest risk.”

“You’re right.”

Ron nodded readily. Sean, beside him, nodded even harder in agreement.

But agreeing with me didn’t mean Ron was giving up.

“But Ail, I want to see the pinnacle of swordsmanship. And not just me—everyone in the order could grow through this kid.”

“Then why don’t you reach that pinnacle yourself, Captain?”

“It’s different when you have a worthy opponent.”

I sort of understood… but also didn’t. In any case, Ron didn’t seem likely to back down, and oddly enough, Sean—who had been critical earlier—had now clammed up.

So I decided to drop it.