Episode 10: Formation of Siegfried’s Army
Two days after receiving Patrick’s request for troop deployment—around twenty knights had gathered in the entrance hall of the Kreving Count’s estate. In this world, knights primarily serve as commanders who lead and organize soldiers. These twenty knights are the captains who will command troops under my authority.
“I believe you’ve already been informed, but the purpose of this deployment is to suppress the beastmen who have rebelled in the Arving Marquis’s territory.”
As I addressed the assembled knights, a man standing in the center let out a smug snort.
“When I heard about the deployment request, I was thrilled, thinking it might be a war with another nation… but to think it’s just beastmen? A bit anticlimactic, don’t you think?”
The man, wearing a self-assured grin, was Izakko Pucchini. His silver armor gleamed as if polished to perfection, though it seemed tight and constricting, likely due to his slightly plump frame. Despite appearances, he holds the position of the top knight in our Kreving Count’s household—the Knight Commander.
“Oh? Quite confident, aren’t you, Izakko? I was planning to ask you all to devise strategies for this rebellion’s suppression.”
“Strategies, you say?”
Izakko shrugged.
“Against mere beastmen, there’s no need for elaborate plans. We can just crush them head-on. After all, we’re the illustrious army of the Kreving Count’s household.”
“So, in other words, you have no strategy.”
“Exactly. With the prestige of the Kreving Count’s household, there’s no way we’d fall behind the likes of beastmen.”
Izakko declared this with unshakable confidence. But someone stepped forward to challenge his words.
“May I speak, Lord Siegfried?”
The one who advanced was the only female knight among the twenty. A horizontal scar ran across her face, and she was notably tall for a woman. Her hair and eyes burned a vivid red. She appeared to be around twenty years old.
“I value open opinions. There’s no need to ask for permission—speak.”
“Yes, sir. My name is Beatrice Nightray. If I may be so bold, I’d like to offer my opinion.”
Though her expression betrayed slight nervousness, Beatrice spoke in a clear, resolute tone.
“I’ve heard that beastmen often possess superior physical abilities. We should approach this with caution and devise a proper strategy.”
“Hah! What are you blabbering about?!”
Izakko shot Beatrice a look of contempt.
“Are you saying the proud forces of our time-honored Kreving Count’s household would fall behind mere beastmen?”
“The fact is, the Arving family is struggling to suppress them. That’s proof the enemy is formidable. At the very least, they’re not opponents we can afford to underestimate.”
Beatrice responded with unwavering resolve.
“Haha…! Women really are hopeless.”
Shaking his head as if exasperated, Izakko glanced at me.
“Lord Siegfried, this one comes from the lowest rung of knightly houses. She’s practically a peasant with a title. Compared to my Pucchini family, with 192 years of knightly history, she’s nothing. And above all, she’s a woman—hardly worthy of being called a knight. No need to take her seriously.”
Beatrice looked as though she wanted to say more, but she only lowered her head, her face twisted with frustration.
“Alright, it’s settled then.”
Nodding as I observed the two, I strode purposefully toward Izakko.
“Yes, settled indeed. We shall—”
As Izakko began to speak, I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Izakko, you are hereby relieved of your duties as Knight Commander of the Kreving Count’s household.”
“Agh!?”
Izakko let out a shrill yelp from deep in his throat.
“L-Lord Siegfried, w-what are you…!? Haha, I get it, a joke, right?”
“I don’t have a taste for such petty jests.”
“Tch, then I demand to know why I’m being dismissed!”
“First and foremost, I have no need for a Knight Commander who succumbs to arrogance.”
A commander’s duty is to maximize victories while minimizing losses through every possible effort. Someone who dismisses that effort from the start due to overconfidence has no place under my command.
No… to be precise, I don’t entirely dislike the archetype of an arrogant villain who gets carried away and loses spectacularly. But I have no intention of placing such a small-fry villain in the role of Knight Commander.
“And Beatrice, I appoint you as acting Knight Commander. Though, for now, it’s a temporary measure.”
“M-Me…?”
Beatrice blinked in surprise. But Izakko stepped in front of her, raising his voice in protest.
“W-What!? This woman!? Are you serious, Count!? She’s from a bottom-tier knightly house, only allowed to call herself a knight out of pity. And she’s a woman—”
“And how does that relate to ability?”
I fixed Izakko with a cold glare.
“The courage to speak out without hesitation and the sound judgment she displayed are qualities you lack. Unlike you, I don’t judge people by their lineage or gender.”
“Guh… b-but…”
“If you believe yourself more suited to be Knight Commander, then prove it with your actions moving forward. If you achieve that, I’ll reinstate you as Knight Commander. And this doesn’t apply solely to Izakko.”
I swept my gaze across the assembled knights.
“If anyone demonstrates worthy ability, I will promote them. Be they a lowborn knight… or even a common soldier risen from peasantry—if I deem them capable, I will elevate them. So strive hard.”
At my words, a faint flush colored the cheeks of some knights, particularly those who seemed of lower status. They remained silent, but their expressions spoke volumes.
—Maybe I, too, have a chance to rise.
Exactly. That’s the spirit. Let your ambitions for advancement be the wings that propel our army to soar as a mighty legion of evil.
But in stark contrast to the quiet fervor, one man trembled with rage, his face pale. Needless to say, it was Izakko.
“This is absurd…! To remove me, the head of the Pucchini family with 192 years of history, from the Knight Commander’s post and appoint a bottom-tier knight in my place…! Even if it’s your word, Count, I cannot accept this!”
“Then what will you do, Izakko?”
“I refuse to participate in this expedition!”
With that bold declaration, Izakko stormed toward the mansion’s exit. He called out, “Oi!” and four knights followed in his wake—likely his lackeys.
Reaching the exit door, Izakko turned back with a smug grin.
“My apologies, but the five of us will not be joining the rebellion’s suppression. Heh… five out of twenty knights refusing to participate? Quite a predicament, isn’t it, Count?”
Izakko’s lips curled slightly upward.
“Of course, if Lord Siegfried were to retract his earlier words and apologize, I might consider joining the expedition…”
Izakko holds the most influence among the knights of the Kreving Count’s household. If the Kreving household were a company and I its president, Izakko would be a high-ranking executive. He likely believes he can negotiate with me to some extent.
Letting out a small sigh, I responded in a calm voice.
“Very well. I’ll retract my earlier statement.”
At those words, Izakko’s face lit up with glee.
“Hahaha, is that so? Then reinstate me as Knight Commander—”
“I said before that, depending on your future achievements, I might reinstate you as Knight Commander. That statement is now retracted. You will never be Knight Commander again. Because… right here and now, I’m going to kill you.”
