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 40

Episode 40

After annihilating the Orc King and his henchmen, the members of the 78th Composite Legion rested. Though Jez’s magical power hadn’t fully recovered yet, the discomfort in his right hand disappeared after Erin treated him.

Carefully advancing, as initially planned, they were about a day away from the anticipated rendezvous point. By the next afternoon, there was a high possibility of joining forces with remnants of the 9th Legion.

At this point, Jamil decided to once again split the members of the Al-Faz’s unit, 10 riders each, ahead of the main force of 1000 riders.

While the main force prepared for another march, the Al-Faz’s unit advanced. Among them, the group led by Fatima safely reunited with the remnants of the 9th Legion, the 2nd Regiment of the 7th Legion, and the 10th Legion on this night.

That night, as they reached a distance where the anticipated rendezvous point was just a breath away, Jez and the others quickly set up a simple camp. Even though it was uncertain if they would meet the 9th Legion by the next afternoon, encountering a large group of monsters on the road connecting Kohane to Bastiona was expected with high probability.

Therefore, René, Erin, Lilly, Jez, Jamil, Sofia, Clara, and others took a good rest to prepare for the battle the next day.

Jez, who had been sluggish during the day, was somewhat recovering, but his magical power was still far from fully restored. He wondered if his magic would recover in time for tomorrow’s battle and what he should do.

He didn’t regret using his trump card, the Conceptual Armament, during the battle with the Orc King, as it likely prevented a significant delay in their march. However, this battlefield now included the Orc Emperor. Engaging half-heartedly could lead to a devastating counterattack.

Well, René, who could use strategic-level magic, and Lilly were in perfect condition. Furthermore, considering that Serena from the 10th Legion was likely present, it shouldn’t be a problem.

While thinking about such matters, Jez participated in a simple military conference gathering the key members of the 78th Composite Legion.

“So, from the departure of Graysian, we have roughly followed the expected route and arrived here on schedule,” Jamil explained again to the participants of the conference, outlining their route and schedule so far.

“We encountered enemy messengers and scouts along the way, eliminating them all. At noon today, we also dealt with the ambush led by the Orc King without any issues. Considering the appearance trends and numbers of these enemies, there is a very high possibility that a considerably large enemy army is deployed along the main road from Kohane to Bastiona that we are heading towards.”

Listening to Jamil’s explanation and predictions, René, Erin, Lilly, and others nodded.

“Perhaps we should assume there are enemy forces equivalent to or greater than those that attacked Graysian. Moreover, considering the Orc Emperor…” Upon hearing the mention of the Orc Emperor, Sofia, Clara, and others wore extremely troubled expressions. They had almost been killed not by the Orc Emperor but by an Orc General.

While Jez seemed to be easily defeating them each time, it was still a threat even at the General level. Dealing with King-level enemies required a Legion, while Emperor-level enemies needed the coordination of multiple Legion.

Each of them recognized the scale of the invasion by the monster army once again. After discussing the events so far and tomorrow’s plans, as well as anticipated movements of both enemies and allies, the members of the 78th Composite Legion decided to take turns resting.

After the conference,
Erin, who was assigned to patrol the campsite first, finished giving instructions to her subordinates and sat down near the outdoor campfire she made next to the command tent, drinking warm herbal tea while gazing at the night sky lost in thought.

To Erin’s reverie, Lilly approached with a cheerful smile. “Senior Erin, it’s not good to be lost in thought during a mission,” she said. Outside of official settings, Lilly addressed Erin as “senior”.

Lilly, like Princess René, was also 22 years old, while Erin, like Jez, was 26 years old. The two of them had been acquainted for about 8 years.

Since Erin became Princess René’s attendant, it’s been the start of their companionship. Erin, graduating from the Royal Academy at 18, became Princess René’s attendant at the same time, but back then, Lilly was still 14.

As Erin and Jez graduated from the Royal Academy, René and Lilly were enrolled there, so Lilly called Erin “senior.”

“Lilly, what’s up? Taking a break?”

While preparing a new herbal tea for Lilly who sat beside her, Erin asked curiously.

“I couldn’t sleep a bit. Can we talk for a while?”

Slightly puzzled by Lilly’s unusual demeanor, the two engaged in small talk. After a while, Lilly casually asked,

“During the day, I saw Senior Erin and Mr. Jez looking quite close.”

“…Oh, is that so?”

When Lilly brought up Erin’s behavior, Erin chuckled awkwardly.

“Does Senior Erin still like Mr. Jez?”

Despite Lilly’s straightforwardness, Erin thought favorably of Lilly’s character, as she was able to maintain her position as a close friend of the royal family and the captain of the guard without being swayed by her vested interests.

“Um… I wonder. Of course, I don’t dislike him. But as for liking him, I’m not sure.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. You know, the longer you’ve been together, the more you see both the good and the bad sides of each other, right? Both Jez and I have pretty extreme strengths and weaknesses.”

Though Lilly found it hard to read Erin’s thoughts as usual, she decided to take a guess.

“In that case, it’s fine for Mr. Jez to be with Miss René, right?”

At that moment, Lilly felt genuinely threatened for the first time in a while. She got shivers down her spine and instinctively stood up.

In front of her was Erin, still smiling peacefully. Lilly thought, “This senior of mine is seriously scary,” but inwardly felt relieved.

“…Is it really fine?”

She pushed further. Lilly also had a good personality. They both silently stared at each other for a while. Erin sighed and said,

“Do as you please. I’ll do the same. But can we wait until after all the battles are over?”

Upon hearing those words, Lilly teased Erin, saying, “If a knight talks about love-related matters ‘after the battle,’ it’s an ominous jinx, you know?”

To which Erin retorted nonchalantly, “It’s fine. That jinx is for knights, isn’t it? Jez is a civilian, so it doesn’t apply to him.”

…Indeed, Lilly thought, feeling oddly convinced. She couldn’t recall hearing a civilian saying, “After this battle, I’ll…”

But seriously, Senior Erin is scary. René-chan, hang in there. With a half-hearted laugh, Lilly casually made a wish upon the stars.

The decisive battle was drawing near.