Zack spun around; as far as he was concerned, they were done talking. He glanced at the adventurers who’d been waiting behind them, sending a message with his eyes that they were leaving.
“Wait,” said Kristoffer, the steel in his voice stopping them all. “I’m the one who gave my commander permission to speak. I’m at fault for the reopening of old wounds. I’m sorry.”
It was an apology from the margrave’s own mouth. It was followed with a single slight nod, but all the same it shocked the men sitting around the table.
“Your Excellency, there’s no need for you to apologize—” started one.
“It was I who ordered that we call upon the adventurers for help with the dragon,” said Kristoffer. “We’re sending them into danger, and yet I allowed my own subordinates to speak without thought. An apology is only natural.”
A leader took responsibility for those under their command. That was the way of their organization.
“But, Your Excellency, you can’t deny that there is no better place to protect prodigious talent than among our own ranks. No more so than when considering an immigrant with no known relatives in the country. We can be a shield to protect Miss Shiori. Is this not a natural response?”
“You do realize that the knight corps turned its back on her, yes?” replied Kristoffer. “That alone is more than enough reason for her to refuse us. And yet now you speak brazenly of ‘protection’? Or are you telling me that you have not actually looked into the past surrounding this ‘talented individual’ you so desperately want among your ranks?”
“I...”
The margrave knew what Shiori had been through, but most of the men at the table—all of whom intended to be her superior—did not. Svenden and Appelberg had a grasp on things, but Ronnegard, who had but surface-level knowledge of it all, had gone pale.
“It’s come to my attention that some among our ranks have tried coercing citizens—and particularly adventurers—to join our ranks. I understand the desire to employ and support talented individuals, but I want to ensure good relations between ourselves and the Guild well into the future. I do not want to fracture those ties. You all understand what I’m saying.”
They were business partners. The knights could poach people now, but that was no guarantee they’d have any such success in the future, nor that they’d maintain a working relationship. The margrave was issuing them a stern warning, and the commanders around the table had no choice but to accept it.
“Understood.”
“You have my apologies.”
“Then the matter is settled,” said Kristoffer. “I know we did you wrong, but for my sake, please, let’s put it behind us, Zack.”
Zack stared into Kristoffer’s eyes.
“As long as you understand our stance, we’ve nothing more to say on the matter,” said Zack. “But given the nature of this request, and the magical beast waiting out there for us, I don’t want us to make any mistakes. We’re going to make the roles and responsibilities of our groups clear, and you’re going to let us do things our way.”
“But of course,” said Kristoffer almost immediately.
None of the knights at the table spoke up; their attempted negotiations had ended in failure.
In the end, it was enough that Shiori offered advice to the main squad of the northern knight corps, which was handling stampede control. Upon receiving some tips for making their search magic more efficient, the knights from the reconnaissance teams ran off to issue changes to their formations.
The northern knight corps’ main squad was tasked with surrounding the forest around the frozen lake and halting the movement of both stampeding magical beasts and the dragon. Changing troop formations over such a wide area was destined to be backbreaking work, but the knights doing it merely chuckled.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” they said.
The adventurers, who were the main offensive force against the dragon, were assigned a knight to act as their messenger. They would be accompanied to the site together with a support detail made up of archer, mage, and combat support squads, along with supply and medical aid squads—“insurance” in the case that the adventurers fell.
Frol and Julia, the former Imperials, were also coming along.
“Finally getting down to business,” whispered Shiori.
“Yep...” muttered Alec.
There’d been a few bumps on the road, but it would not be long now before discussions wrapped up and they set out. The adventurers could do little more than share wry grins.
“I feel like we’ve wasted time,” Shiori muttered.
“Because we have. All of us would have preferred sleep to slogging through all that rubbish earlier.”
The familiars were all in agreement; they were fed up with it all too. When the meeting came to a close, the departure was set for an hour’s time. Shiori made sure her equipment was in order, then wrapped herself in a blanket and closed her eyes, intent on resting with what little time they had left.
With the strategy meeting over, Kristoffer was left with his officers at the table. He shot a glance at Svenden. The other generals quickly left, giving him belittling or pitiful gazes; they were certain that he was in for a very harsh talking-to. In truth, however, this was not so.
“I know I asked this of you awfully quick,” said Kristoffer. “But you were amazing. Thank you.”
“It was nothing at all,” replied Svenden, grinning. “Who’s better at playing the clown than me?”
“Nonetheless, I’m grateful,” said Kristoffer with a wry chuckle.
It had surprised everyone when search magic had revealed itself to be such a huge help in the knights’ efforts to control the stampedes. The news had spread quickly, and Kristoffer then learned that some had begun making moves so as to recruit the original developer of the spell. The news chilled him to the bone. Though the actions were not in themselves terrible, Kristoffer did not want to see the peace and happiness of his friends disturbed by such schemes.
The leadership of the knight corps was made up largely of those of noble upbringing. Since long ago, it was not uncommon for such knights to use the corps to entice talented individuals to their families. When such things happened, even the margrave could do little to interfere. Realizing he had to move quickly, Kristoffer called upon Svenden, with whom he’d been friends since both were young.
The two had first met when Kristoffer had hidden his identity and visited a local pub among commoners. Svenden was born to commoners, had a bright personality and was something of a joker, but was someone who’d spoken very passionately about the importance of a dedicated support division. The conversation had left a deep impression on Kristoffer, and the two remained firm friends.
“A girl’s in trouble, and she may well be surrounded.”
This was how Kristoffer had introduced the problem when he’d explained that he wanted Svenden to play the part of a knight looking to weasel a way for Shiori to join his forces. Thanks to Svenden’s skilled performance, Kristoffer had been able to make it clear that none of his divisions were to make a move on her.
“I’d heard about Ronnegard,” said Svenden, “but Appelberg came as a surprise. I always saw him as conservative. Guess I was wrong.”
“He hasn’t delivered much in the way of results the last few years,” said Kristoffer. “He’s likely spurred by impatience.”
“So he’ll talk an immigrant woman into joining his forces, then take the credit for her work?”
“Presumably so.”
Kristoffer shrugged and chuckled. It was then that he noticed a certain blue slime under the table, eavesdropping on their conversation. The corners of Kristoffer’s mouth began to twitch. He prayed he would not be punished, and left to oversee the battle ahead minus his pants. His pleading was clear in his eyes, at which point the slime wobbled a brief “You’re off the hook...for now,” before sliding out the tent with a casual wave.
“I’ll tell you what, though, that Alec’s glare went straight through to my soul,” said Svenden. “For a moment there I thought I’d be meeting the goddess herself even before we went to battle.”
“I’m...sorry about that. I’ll make sure there’s no misunderstanding. And I’ll reward you for your help.”
“I only did what anybody in my position would do. But if you insist, then how about some of the wine in your secret stock? The stuff behind your office shelf, perhaps?”
Kristoffer was shocked by his friend’s words; they were so entirely unexpected. Svenden burst into laughter.
“It’s the nature of my work. Finding secret stashes is all too easy, you see.”
“How utterly terrifying...”
Tales had been told of Svenden. Some said that he sniffed out the luxuries ranking officers brought with them on training expeditions—where such indulgences were strictly prohibited—and shared them with his fellow soldiers. Others said that he sometimes “stumbled across” fruits, vegetables, and nuts which allowed him to donate large sums to squads that had lost rations due to accidents.
Svenden was observant, intuitive, and he had an excellent memory. He was, above all else, tactful. His division was often forced to cart the supplies of other divisions, and Svenden had quickly seen the power and leverage this gave him; he was just as quick to start putting it to use. In this sense, it was no wonder he’d been the first to take notice of Shiori’s spellwork.
While many thought him shady and frowned upon his ways, he had just as many true believers for his outstanding skills, and the way he took care of those he worked with. To Kristoffer, he was an indispensably talented knight and a precious old friend.
“In any case, I should see to my own preparations,” said Svenden.
The knight saluted and took his leave. Kristoffer watched him go, and prayed for the safety of his friend and the knights that served him.