Are You Sure Our Empire's Knight Order Captain is a Yandere? - Chapter 16

The knights standing in the center of the training ground were kitted out in heavy armor, left hands gripping swords raised high, all lined up perfectly. Their faces were set with fierce determination, and their visible eyes held a deep, hidden sense of justice…
No, no, NO, you’ve got it all wrong. Seriously, the way those novels describe things is a million miles away from reality.
You’ve got to see this place for yourself to truly understand…
The knights standing in the center of the training ground were wearing light armor, leaning their weight on longswords jammed into the muddy floor. They were sloppy, their faces clouded with confusion and utter exhaustion, and their exposed eyes…
Look, I know I’m not writing fiction, so I’ll just put it plainly: the entire squad of knights standing in front of me is a total mess!
While there are definitely a few decent guys scattered among them, the ones standing the straightest are, hilariously, the five Vice Captains of the Knight Corps.
That’s just overkill, Vice Captains! Aren’t your ranks supposed to be for slacking off?!
You guys are standing there looking like models of rectitude! You’re missing out on the pure joy of yelling, “Wah ha ha ha, I’m your boss, now stand to attention!” while you yourself are slumped over like a pile of dirty laundry!
What in the blazes are “professional ethics”? Most people in positions of power practice nothing but professional delinquency!
“Good day, Captain!”
The moment this bunch of washouts spotted Shen Gongye, they roared out a greeting—perfectly synchronized and incredibly loud—a total 180 from the lack of energy they displayed five minutes ago.
The male knights’ eyes were sparkling, like tiny sparks lighting up a dark cave.
The female knights… I can’t find a single one! Where are all the women?!
No~~~ No~~~~ My dreams! My hopes! My whole future!
Turning my attention back to the male knights.
… Whoops, I described the male knights way too nicely. Let’s try that again.
A swarm of absolute creeps whose eyes are gleaming with ill intent. Their tight muscles announce their overflowing lust to the world. They’re staring at Shen Gongye like a pride of rutting male lions spotting a prime female, each one of them drooling, their heads full of nothing but filthy, endless thoughts.
A whole pack of disturbing, predatory weirdos!
Wait… are knights really all like this?
A proper seed of doubt is definitely starting to sprout in my brain now…
“How’s training coming along?” Shen Gongye asked, getting straight to business as soon as she reached her five Vice Captains.
“Not bad.”
“They’ve got quite a bit of spirit today.”
You two must be absolutely blind, surely?
“Mr. He, could you step over here for a second?” Shen Gongye beckoned me.
Mr. He? Why isn’t she calling me Bransien?
“Mr. He?”
“Mr. He from the pub?”
“Is the fox-masked guy who just walked down the stairs with the Captain that Mr. He?”
“I’m so jealous! I wish I could stand next to the Captain and get a whiff of her scent!”
“Tell me about it!”
I heard all sorts of weird whispers, but honestly, I’m just used to it by now.
“Starting today, Mr. He will be taking my place to instruct you all in martial arts. Please show him some respect and look after him.”
“Him? Teaching us martial arts?”
“We’re going to have a bartender teaching us how to fight? Can he even do it?”
“No, Captain, please!”
“We much prefer you, Captain!”
“Let the Captain teach us! I only joined the Knight Corps so I could see the Captain every day!”
“Mmm-hmm.”
How rude. But… hehehe.
Since they’re volunteering not to be taught by me, does that mean I’m off the hook?
I suddenly remembered that not too long ago, Shen Gongye said she’d support me, but because I still had a job, I told her to get lost. If I run back now, beg on my hands and knees, and admit my mistake…
I might still get away with it, right?
“Since the gentlemen of the Knight Corps have so little faith in Mr. He’s skills, how about we ask for a volunteer to have a friendly spar with him? If someone manages to land a single decent move on him, I’ll take back the offer.” Shen Gongye threw her hands out to the sides.
“Any volunteers?”
Ha ha ha ha, this is going to be a piece of cake, isn’t it?
I just need to deliberately take a blow, and then I can grovel my way to a life of leisure. Why would I want to work hard?
“Bransien,” Shen Gongye had somehow already set up a psychic link between us, “are you perhaps thinking that if you deliberately take a hit, you can beg at my feet and enjoy a life of ease?”
… Thinking it is one thing; having the person concerned say it right to my face is quite another. How absolutely mortifying!
This is so embarrassing! Why is there no hole nearby? I could just bury my face in it!
“No, ha ha! What an idea!”
“No reason, just a heads-up that if that’s your plan and you end up losing later… you’ll be working tonight.”
Working tonight… a night shift? Do the Knight Corps even have a night shift?
“This Captain is already seventeen years old. According to Article 25, Section 275 of the Imperial Law, any Imperial citizen aged seventeen or over may legally engage in that act, provided both parties are mutually willing.”
This is not good… this is very, very bad… Why is Shen Gongye going so red? Every time she’s shy, she calls herself ‘This Captain’… What exactly is she so sheepish about?
“Well?”
“Hmph,” Shen Gongye turned her face toward me, her crescent-shaped eyes twitching madly.
“Does this Captain seriously have to spell it out for you?”
“You’re moving into this Captain’s room every night from now on!”
Eh? Move into your room? What for?
Shen Gongye smiled again… that same damned wind chime-like smile…
“Right, you’ll be a Master Magician by the time you’re thirty!”