Episode 29: The Kingdom Knights

“…Come on, you don’t have to act that repulsed.”

“I-I’m sorry, but…”

“Hey, hey, are you seriously turning down my personal invitation? Me, an elite knight, of all people…?”

As I train in my dream, voices from the real world reach my ears. They’re not nearby. Only my magically enhanced hearing allows me to pick up this distant conversation.

“Please… s-stop it!”

“What’s that, huh? You tryin’ to humiliate me or somethin’!?”

The man’s voice is pretentious but lacks any shred of refinement. The woman’s voice trembles as she resists. It sounds like trouble’s brewing.

It’s none of my business. But…

“I smell… a villain.”

I have no interest in playing hero. But villains? Those pique my curiosity.

I snap awake, pulling myself from the dream’s training ground back to reality. Unlike when I fell asleep, the carriage is now rolling through a city. This is one of the urban centers near the capital. It’s early afternoon.

“I’m stepping out for a bit.”

After informing Evan, I use magic to transform my noble attire into a plain black coat. Then, I leap out of the carriage window.

“L-Lord Siegfried…!?”

I land on Noctis’s back as he gallops behind the carriage, grabbing the reins. I spur him toward the source of the voices.

◆

“You don’t gotta act that grossed out, y’know? We’re just askin’ you to grab some tea with us, that’s all. I mean, turning down an invitation from a handsome kingdom knight like me? That’s, like, unheard of, right?”

“I-I’m telling you… I’m working right now. I can’t accept your invitation…”

In an alley off the main street, despite it being daytime, the air feels dim, as if the damp cobblestones are swallowing the light. There stands a woman clutching a bundle, surrounded by five men.

The woman has short, bobbed brown hair and looks young. The men, on the other hand, are all dressed in blue surcoats—the garb of knights.

Normally, a knight’s surcoat is a proud symbol of chivalry. But worn by these five, the color seems dulled. And no wonder—their faces are plastered with vulgar smirks, devoid of any trace of honor.

The leader, a man with unnaturally voluminous blond hair slicked with pomade, leans in close to the woman.

“Work, you say? Bet it ain’t even that important, huh? Just some peasant job, right?”

The woman’s expression stiffens.

To this knight, her work might seem trivial. But to her, it’s a task she takes on with a sense of duty.

She wants to snap back at him. But these are kingdom knights. If she talks back, who knows what kind of retaliation she’ll face?

“I’m really sorry… Please, just let me pass.”

Desperate to escape, she tries to slip through the men. But the leader grabs her hand.

“I’m sayin’, you tryin’ to make a fool outta me or what?”

Following his words, the other knights close in, their presence menacing.

“Listen up. The guy holdin’ your hand right now? That’s Narcian, from a high-ranking knight family among the kingdom knights. You should feel honored he’s invitin’ you.”

“Just come with us, alright?”

The leader—Narcian—tightens his grip, and the color drains from the woman’s face. In that moment, a fleeting memory flashes through her mind: a fairy tale her mother told her as a child.

In that story, whenever a girl was in danger, a hero on a white horse would come to her rescue.

If she were living in a fairy tale, this would be the moment a hero swooped in. But… in reality, there are no such heroes.

“Not bad villainy, you lot.”

A voice—calm, yet brimming with an unfathomable sense of intimidation—echoes through the alley.

The woman instinctively glances toward the sound.

Standing there is no hero on a white horse. Instead, it’s a young man astride a jet-black steed, a wicked smile on his face, like a villain straight out of a fairy tale.

He dismounts and approaches slowly. His striking silver hair sways, and behind him stands a majestic black horse. The five knights can’t help but catch their breath at the vivid sight.

For a moment, the man’s grip loosens. Seizing the chance, the woman bolts toward the silver-haired youth—Siegfried.

“P-Please, help me…!”

Siegfried doesn’t glance at the woman, his gaze fixed on the knights.

“What were you lot doing?”

“What? Just, y’know, invitin’ her for some tea, that’s all.”

“It didn’t look that way to me.”

“Hah! What, you playin’ hero or somethin’?”

The five men draw their swords, inching closer to Siegfried.

“A hero? Me…?”

Siegfried’s lips twist into an irrepressible grin.

“You call me, the antithesis of justice, a hero…? Pfft… hahaha! Are your eyes blind?”

“What’d you say!?”

One of the men raises his sword, but Narcian stops him with a sharp “Wait.”

Even Narcian can tell this man is no ordinary foe. He doesn’t think they’d lose in a five-on-one fight, but… there’s a chance some of them could get injured.

Running through those calculations, he glares at Siegfried.

“If you ain’t a hero, then hand over the girl. And get on your knees, grovel, and apologize to us. Do that, and we’ll let you off.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not an option.”

Siegfried declares coolly.

“I have a duty to fulfill. I must ensure you lot meet an end befitting villains. An end suited for third-rate villains like yourselves…”

Siegfried’s words carry an air of ‘this is for your own good.’ A vein pulses on Narcian’s forehead.

“What, you sayin’ that knowin’ we’re kingdom knights? Huh!?”

Kingdom knights.

As the name suggests, they belong to the Kirchhen Kingdom’s Knight Order, directly under the crown. They hold higher status than knights serving nobles, and many take pride in being the king’s knights. Some even boast that their standing surpasses that of minor nobles.

Facing such kingdom knights, Siegfried laughs.

“Trying to warn me because your own eyes are blind and you assume mine are too? That’s surprisingly considerate for third-rate villains. But no need to worry—I can see well enough to know you’re wearing the surcoats of the Kingdom Knight Order.”

“Oh, yeah? Then that means you’re defyin’ the kingdom knights… and by extension, the Kirchhen Kingdom itself! We can execute you right here as a traitor!”

Even if there’s a risk of injury, Narcian’s patience has run out.

Narcian raises his sword, and the other knights charge at Siegfried in unison.