Episode 38: The Knight’s Resolve

Not far from the Kreving Earl’s mansion stands a small, brick-built fortress.

This fortress serves as a defensive stronghold in times of war, but in peacetime, it functions as the base where the Kreving Earl’s knight order is stationed.

Spread out before the fortress is a leveled plaza—a training ground where knights and soldiers hone their skills.

“Haa… haa…!”

Breathing heavily under the sun’s rays is a female knight with fiery red hair—Beatrice Nightray. Her training armor is cracked in places, a testament to her battered and exhausted state.

Standing before her is—

“What’s wrong? Is that all you’ve got?”

A young man with a fearless smirk, as if he were a demon king facing a hero… Siegfried.

“Not yet… not yet…!”

Beatrice raises her sword and charges at Siegfried.

A sharp strike, unbelievable from someone so worn out. But—

Siegfried’s hand chop deflects Beatrice’s sword.

Before she can regain her stance, Siegfried’s fist closes in on her.

“Tch…!”

Instinctively raising her arm, she blocks the fist with the gauntlet on her wrist.

The impact is tremendous—her gauntlet shatters, and Beatrice staggers backward.

“Hoh… you blocked that one, did you?”

Siegfried lets out a small sound of admiration.

But there’s no joy in Beatrice’s expression. She knows full well that Siegfried is clearly holding back.

(There’s… this much of a gap…!)

Before enrolling in the military academy, it was Beatrice herself who requested to spar with Siegfried.

She had seen Siegfried fight several times. Naturally, she knew she stood no chance against him.

Even so, she believed there was something to gain and challenged him. But what she’s forced to confront is an overwhelming difference in skill.

Siegfried effortlessly parries Beatrice’s attacks without breaking a sweat, countering with ease.

Meanwhile, Beatrice has already endured attacks that, in a real battle, would have claimed her life multiple times over.

Watching their fight are members of the Kreving Earl’s knight order. One of them mutters under his breath.

“…This is hard to watch.”

The man who spoke is Douglas Reed. His short brown hair is beginning to show strands of white—a middle-aged knight.

“The skill gap is too wide. Doesn’t this training… feel kinda pointless?”

—Pointless.

Those words pierce Beatrice’s chest like a dagger.

Siegfried is so strong that he feels utterly out of reach. No matter how much she trains, she’s not sure she can ever reach his level. And even if she does, by then, Siegfried will surely have advanced even further.

Beatrice’s lips tremble as she speaks.

“…Lord Siegfried.”

“What is it, Beatrice?”

“May I… ask you something?”

Siegfried nods silently.

“Is there… any meaning in me becoming stronger…?”

She knows it’s pathetic to voice such words during a training session she herself requested.

But this question has been gnawing at Beatrice for a long time.

As far as Beatrice knows, Siegfried possesses unmatched physical and mental strength—so much so that a knight commander like her seems unnecessary.

If that’s the case, then what reason is there for her to grow stronger?

“Do you think I’m some kind of philanthropist?”

“Huh…?”

Beatrice doesn’t immediately grasp the meaning of Siegfried’s words.

“I’m not the kind of charitable fool who wastes his time sparring with you for no reason. I’m fighting you now because I believe there’s meaning in you becoming stronger. Do you need any more words than that?”

(Ah…)

A smile creeps onto Beatrice’s lips.

(Those words alone… are enough…!)

They’re not gentle words by any means. But if the lord she trusts most says there’s meaning, then that’s enough.

“I… I will become stronger, Lord Siegfried…!”

Even if she can never reach him.

As long as he says there’s meaning in it—she’ll keep striving, keep struggling to grow stronger.

And so, Beatrice carves this resolve into her heart—

◇

—Three hours later.

“Ha… haa… ha… haa…”

The battle between Beatrice and Siegfried continues.

Beatrice’s armor is now completely shattered, leaving her in just her knight’s surcoat. Her hands tremble as they grip her sword. She’s barely able to stand.

Even so, her fiery gaze remains fixed on Siegfried.

“Not yet… I can still… fight…!”

“That’s right. You’re just getting started.”

Siegfried, as if it’s only natural, readies his stance again.

The middle-aged knight, Douglas, finally speaks up as he watches.

“H-Hold on a second!”

Douglas steps between Siegfried and Beatrice.

“Three hours ago, didn’t it feel like things were wrapping up nicely? Knight Commander Beatrice said, ‘I will become stronger, Lord Siegfried,’ and…”

“True.”

“Wasn’t that the moment to say something like, ‘I’m counting on you, Knight Commander Beatrice,’ and call it a day…?”

“Perhaps… if I were a ‘refreshing ally character,’ I might’ve done that. But unfortunately, I’m the villain.”

Muttering logic that Douglas can’t comprehend, Siegfried begins walking toward Beatrice again.

(No, no, I can’t keep watching this…)

Beatrice herself seems genuinely thrilled to be fighting Siegfried.

For someone like her, who’s often been told “you’re just a woman,” Siegfried’s merciless attitude—treating her the same regardless of gender—is probably exactly what she wants.

But even so… For Douglas, who’s 42 this year, Beatrice is young enough to be his daughter.

Watching her get hurt stirs something inside him.

A young woman fighting while he stands safely on the sidelines… It’s a sense of his own inadequacy, perhaps.

Driven by that rising emotion, Douglas speaks.

“L-Lord Siegfried… I-If that’s the case… h-how about fighting me instead…?”

Even Douglas is surprised by the words that slip out of his mouth.

Siegfried looks at Douglas with a smile curling his lips.

“Oh? You want to fight me? …You’re not joking, are you?”

(—I’m joking!)

Douglas wants to say that. He’s a knight, albeit a modest one. He knows full well that the young man before him is a monster.

He respects Siegfried as a lord, but he’s also someone he’d never want to fight.

Under Siegfried’s intimidating presence, Douglas’s mind flashes through his roughly 40 years of life like a montage. His turbulent 40 years. Turbulent…

(…No, actually, my life hasn’t been all that turbulent.)

Born into a knight’s family, trained under his father’s guidance, inherited the family title, and married his predetermined fiancée.

The only thing remotely turbulent was fighting under Siegfried’s command against Patrick’s forces. But even then, he was merely following Siegfried’s strategies.

All in all, it’s been a reasonably happy life with no real complaints.

But even so… there’s a faint sense of emptiness, a loneliness in a life where he’s never truly made his own decisions.

(Maybe… this is the moment to make a decision.)

Douglas takes a small breath, steeling himself, and raises his voice.

“I-It’s not… a joke, my lord! P-Please, let me fight you…!”

“What are you saying?! You’ll die, Douglas-san!”

A younger knight hurriedly tries to stop him.

But Douglas responds with a strained smile, his face taut with fear.

“J-Just one hour… Lord Siegfried has to leave for the military academy in an hour. I-If it’s just for that long…”

If he can endure one hour, Siegfried will leave. If it’s just that much… for the sake of the young knight commander, he’ll hold his ground.

(I’ll show them… the pride of a middle-aged man…!)

“Very well. Come at me.”

“R-Right…! H-Here I come, my lord…!”

Douglas raises his sword and charges at Siegfried. He swings with all his might—a strike that carries his full resolve.

But Siegfried easily dodges the attack and drives his fist into Douglas’s stomach.

“Uwaaahhh—!”

Douglas is sent flying sideways.

“Douglas-saaan!”

A watching knight lets out a pained cry.

After being blown several meters, Douglas slams into the fortress wall and finally stops.

A single strike ends it.

“Now then…”

Siegfried begins walking toward Beatrice again. At that moment, the young knight who tried to stop Douglas steps forward.

“I-I can’t just stand by… when some old guy’s stepping up like that…!”

The slightly small-statured knight, trembling, raises his sword to face Siegfried.

“L-Lord Siegfried! N-Next, please fight me! I beg you!”

“Fine.”

“Hyaaah—! …Guh…!”

Siegfried’s fist sinks into the young knight’s body.

“N-Next, me!”

Another knight steps forward.

◇

In the end, Siegfried’s training continued until every knight had fallen unconscious.

Only one remains conscious… Beatrice Nightray.

She looks around at her comrades collapsed on the ground, her lips trembling.

“Everyone… for my sake…”

She thought about stopping them multiple times. But once they decided to fight Siegfried… Beatrice couldn’t bring herself to halt their resolve.

To do so would wound the pride of these knights.

“—This is your strength, Beatrice.”

“Huh…?”

Siegfried speaks in a quiet voice.

“Your fighting spirit—it inspires others.”

Siegfried’s combat is dazzling and overwhelming.

His strength was honed to embody the charisma of a villain.

It’s powerful, beautiful, refined… and most who witness it are filled with awe and fear.

Beatrice’s strength is different.

It’s a relentless, straightforward strength—one that keeps rising and facing forward no matter what.

That strength moves people’s hearts and spurs them to action.

“Because you kept challenging me despite being battered and bruised, these knights were roused to fight. That’s something I can’t do… something only you can do.”

Siegfried pauses, his blue eyes fixed on Beatrice.

“Beatrice Nightray. You, who can inspire knights to rise, are the one fit to lead my knight order.”

“Lord Siegfried…”

A burning warmth wells up deep in Beatrice’s chest.

To be told that she can do something even Siegfried cannot—that she alone can do it—fills her with uncontainable joy.

“As expected, an evil organization needs at least one ‘warrior-type executive’ like you. For balance, you see.”

Honestly, Beatrice doesn’t understand the meaning of those words at all, but with her heart overflowing with emotion, it’s a minor detail.

“I’ve arranged for healers to arrive shortly. Rest until then. I’m… heading to the military academy.”

Siegfried snaps his fingers lightly, and the black horse Noctis gallops over.

“When the time comes, I’ll send for you. When that happens, come to meet me—Beatrice.”

“Yes…! Without fail!”

There’s no longer any hesitation in Beatrice’s heart. She salutes… and then, finally reaching her physical limit, faints on the spot.

As Beatrice’s unconscious body collapses from the knees, Siegfried catches her.

He gently lays her down beside the other knights.

After casting a smile at Beatrice and the knights who fought to their limits, Siegfried mounts Noctis.

As he rides toward the setting sun, he murmurs.

“It was a good call not to hastily turn Beatrice into a vampire. That would’ve been a quick way to grant her strength… but it would’ve stunted her mental growth.”

Siegfried turned Evan into a vampire because he sensed Evan’s resolve—“Even if I become something inhuman, there’s something I must accomplish.”

Turning someone without such resolve into a vampire would only lead to them being consumed by that power.

While he doubts Beatrice would be overwhelmed by vampiric power, for now, it’s better to let her grow as a human.

“That aside… today was quite the rehearsal for playing the villain.”

Beatrice, fighting to her limits despite being battered.

The knights, inspired by her, rising to challenge him—

And himself, facing them all. It’s a scene straight out of a villainous overlord’s tale.

“Now… what kind of villains await at the military academy?”

With his heart racing at the thought of the unknown villains he’ll meet, Siegfried urges Noctis into a gallop.