When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 1

Episode 1, Part 1: The Southern Great Uprising Arc

Tashman Kingdom. Located in the eastern part of the continent, it is a frontline nation of humanity that borders the territories of monsters to the north, east, and south.

Due to its geographical characteristics, it is a nation with a strong military focus, with regular royal army units ranging from the 1st to the 10th army corps. It is common for members of the royal family to stand at the front lines, with the current king, Ramses Tashman, over 40 years old, having numerous heroic tales.

At first glance, Tashman Kingdom may seem like a completely muscle-headed nation, but the importance of logistics, such as supply for maintaining the front lines, is understood, and civilian officials other than the military are also valued to some extent or more.

One of the young bureaucrats working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of such a country is Jez Norman. He’s 26 years old. He graduated from the Royal Academy at the age of 18 and became a civil servant. He currently works in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he is responsible for assisting in various adjustments within the country and domestic affairs, keeping busy flying around the country.

One day. After working in the capital for about a month at a leisurely pace, he was suddenly summoned by his boss, who often criticized him, and was ordered to go on a business trip to a local city in the southern front direction.

It seems that the activity of monsters has become active on the southern front lines, and the kingdom’s military is considering increasing its forces. In anticipation of this, they want him to go to the local area in advance to coordinate between cities and arrange supplies.

He hurriedly prepared while complaining inwardly about the boss’ rough treatment, and jumped onto the carriage that day, leaving the capital and heading for the southern cities.

…

About a week has passed since leaving the capital, and they have traveled more than half of the way without any particular incidents. They are expected to arrive at the southern cities in about a week. On this day too, Jez spent his time on the carriage, sometimes gazing blankly at the sky, chatting with the coachman, and occasionally jotting something down in his notebook.

While spending a leisurely carriage ride like that, suddenly…

“Boss! It’s bandits!!!”

The panicked voice of the coachman was heard. Upon hearing that, Jez moved from inside the carriage to the coachman’s seat and looked in the direction the coachman was pointing.

“… This is bad. Is there anywhere we can run or hide?”

“The hilly terrain around here is not suitable for running or hiding! Damn it, if only we had hired proper escorts!!!”

This coachman. He is basically a merchant, transporting goods and sometimes people in his spare space. Hearing rumors of movement on the southern front lines, he had bought supplies in the capital and was on his way to the south. He happened to encounter Jez in the capital and brought him along.

Moreover, the security inside Tashman Kingdom is generally good, and it is common to travel without escorts, but it seems that various things have changed with the recent activation of the southern front lines.

In any case, it was extremely unlucky for the coachman.

“… If we abandon the carriage and the cargo, can we escape?”

Seeing the coachman muttering with a pale face, Jez muttered, “Well, that’s how it is,” and said to the coachman, “Hey, keep what you see from now on a secret.” Then he jumped off the carriage and dashed straight towards the bandits.

…

A few minutes later. Jez, covered in blood from the return, returned to the dumbfounded coachman.

“… Are you an adventurer or a knight?”

When the coachman, who was stunned by the tragedy in front of him, asked, Jez smiled wryly and said, “No, just a civil servant. Well, keep this to yourself because it’s quite troublesome.” And with that, the coachman uttered a few words. As Jez was considering whether to move after taking a break, he heard a sound like “clattering” coming from a distance, as if a cavalry unit was galloping.

And when the coachman and Jez’s carriage was found from afar, a dozen or so knights on horseback rushed over in no time.

“Are you all right!?”

The one who called out from horseback was a female knight who was truly worthy of being called a “princess knight,” with a beautiful appearance and a dignified atmosphere.

…

Summing up the story of their cavalry unit, it seems that a traveler who was advancing ahead on this highway seemed to have spotted the bandits’ group about to encounter Jez and the carriage. In a hurry, they went to report to the nearby town. And coincidentally, their cavalry unit happened to be stopping by that town and rushed to the scene.

Once the whole affair was concluded, the female knight who had dismounted from her horse, along with the other knights who had finished inspecting the scene, looked at Jez with keen interest, and the female knight, acting as their spokesperson, inquired, “So, was this your handiwork?”

Sensing the presence of the female knight akin to a bird of prey before its prey, Jez maintained a calm expression and replied, “No, it wasn’t me. I was fortunately assisted by a passing mercenary.”

“…No, with that blood splatter and your fists stained with blood, that’s hard to believe. For now, come with us,” said the female knight, seemingly about to escort Jez away, but in a moment of quick thinking, he interjected, “Excuse me, I’m actually a merchant. I need to hurry ahead. My apologies to the knights…”

As he contemplated how to break free, another female knight who had been conducting the on-site investigation approached and said, “…Jez, it’s been a while. What have you been up to since earlier? Your Highness, he’s not a merchant but a bureaucrat. Would it be alright to give him orders? He’s Jez Norman. I believe he used to work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

“Erin!? What are you doing here?” Jez’s former classmate from his student days, Erin Saylor, called out from the side. Upon hearing Erin’s words, the female knight chuckled softly.

“I see. I forgot to introduce myself properly. I am René Tashman, the commander of the 7th Army Corps of the Royal Army and the third princess. Jez Norman, follow me.”

“…Yes.”

—

Previous life: He was a business improvement consultant, but after reincarnation, he found himself in a perilous world that was more dangerous than he had anticipated during his childhood. He attempted to live peacefully as a bureaucrat by leveraging his knowledge cheat from his previous life. However, just as he was about to do some clerical work, he was discovered by the princess knight and dragged to the front lines.

“…Excuse me, may I go back? I have a stomachache.”

“If you push the front line up by 10 kilometers, then you can.”