How in the world did this happen?
Looking down at the young knight bowing before me, I sat in a daze, trying not to think too hard about the situation. Since coming to the imperial capital, several people had requested to be my apprentice, but this was the first time a knight I didn’t even know the name of bowed before me. What’s more, I hadn’t even done anything this time around.
I was struggling to hide my confusion when suddenly, I met Tino’s gaze. She had come here with Liz.
“Incredible as always, M-Master,” she stammered, just as bewildered as I was. “Without doing anything, you’ve managed to make a proud knight of the Zero Order bow before you. That’s, uh, something only a Level 8 could do...”
If I was right, it sounded like she wasn’t praising me so much as she was questioning this guy’s sanity. Maybe Liz had hit his head a bit too hard when she brought him in. She was oddly proud of herself. She was still sharp as ever if she had knocked out a knight for no good reason.
I set aside the groveling knight and focused on Liz for the time being.
“I already told you, the thing with Luke was a coincidence. Lucia getting that staff was also because things just happened to play out that way. You can say ‘I want one too’ all you want, but there’s nothing I can do. It’s not a matter of accomplishments; I can’t give you what I don’t have.”
Liz had apparently heard about what happened with Luke and thought it was incredibly unfair.
Liz, how old are you again? Calm down. Everything you’re saying is wrong. Luke got a Devil Sword because that’s just how things went. It wasn’t a reward, the staff I gave to Lucia isn’t cursed, and suddenly bringing me an unconscious knight isn’t something to be rewarded!
I had too many objections I wanted to raise, and I was tired. Why was she so hungry for trouble? We had just gone through a number of ordeals at the Supreme Warrior Festival, so how did she still have so much energy? If Liz got violent here, Franz would be the one with a headache, but I didn’t think she understood that.
Liz remained unfazed by my explanation, her finely shaped eyes shimmering with expectation. She believed I would bring more trouble. I didn’t like being trusted in that way. The case with Luke had definitely increased her expectations, and now there would be no getting through to her.
I casually reached out and ruffled her hair in an attempt to rub out those memories. “There, Liz. Good girl.”
“Mmm.”
Tino’s cheeks flushed as she watched my lazy attempt to placate her mentor. Then, the knight at the center of all this got up on unsteady feet. His eyes were as wide as they could open.
“M-Magnificent,” he said in amazement. “This is the sort of control a Level 8 commands.”
“I dunno why, I keep finding myself surrounded by weirdos.”
“P-Please keep such thoughts to yourself, Master.”
In what way did it look like I had anything under control? If there was a way to rein in Liz, I wanted to know it.
The young knight straightened his posture as though the thought had just occurred to him. With a dignified expression that would win the heart of any woman, he bowed.
“Please forgive the delayed introduction. I’m Hugh Regland, knight of the Zero Order. On the orders of Captain Franz, I’m to serve under your command for the time being. Please, don’t hesitate to put me to work!”
That’s funny. Nobody told me about this.
I could understand if they had sent someone to cooperate in investigations, but having a knight to order around struck me as strange. This guy could try to act all prim and proper, but it wouldn’t make up for his earlier behavior. Though, that might have been a result of getting walloped by Liz, so I didn’t say anything.
Hugh was undeterred by my suspicious gaze. If I were in his place, I would’ve broken under the pressure and looked away, but this guy was one of the elites.
Hm. So I guess this means Franz plans to put me to work?
He didn’t know who he was dealing with. Nobody had told him there was nothing more obnoxious than an incompetent busybody. I didn’t expect anyone to understand it, but my laziness was driven by ironclad principles!
I crossed my arms and tapped my elbows. I gave him a hard-boiled smile and said, “All right, I understand. Here, for starters, you can go look for a cursed item I can give to Liz.”