Chapter 9: Escort Leaders (1)

There may be a misunderstanding, so I’ll clarify upfront: I’m not dissatisfied.

I’m not angry or annoyed, not at all.

However, I can’t help but find it a bit amusing how things are unfolding.

Every time I make a plan, Elaine always manages to interfere at the perfect moment.

When I was trying to build up a strategy to win over Grace, I ended up getting involved with Elaine.

Then, in the morning, as I was trying to sort things out, she woke up, grabbed me, and confessed her love.

When Grace asked about our relationship, I was going to try to brush it off, but Elaine immediately stepped in and

said we were dating, stepping on the gas.

Now, I was planning to go to the Crystal Lake, but she says she’s sending the second and third squads.

Of course, she’s not trying to sabotage me with any malicious intent.

The world isn’t conspiring against us either.

On the contrary, the reason she acts like this is because she’s thinking of me.

The reason she’s sending the second and third squads to Crystal Lake is that the first squad worked hard on the last

mission, so they should have an easy time this time.

But there’s another, hidden reason no one knows about.

‘She wants me to focus on preparing for the knight’s exam.’

The guard is divided into four squads.

When there’s a mission, two of these squads will guard the Duke, while the other two will protect his base.

The two squads on the mission will be further divided into the main and reserve forces, but anyway,

‘It makes sense. Last time, we were the main force, and squad four was the reserve, so now it’s time for the two

squads that were waiting to go.’

Since the primary task of the guard is to protect Grace, the squads left behind have a comparatively easier time.

Elaine is taking advantage of that to help me focus on my knight exam preparations.

‘If it were another mission, I’d accept it gratefully.’

But the problem is that this mission is at Crystal Lake, which contains the Ice Crystals, so I was quite concerned.

In the original story, they didn’t discover the Ice Crystals when they eradicated the Silver Sabertooth, so if I don’t go

this time, it’ll probably be the same. Then, I’ll have to go back to Crystal Lake later to find the Ice Crystals.

‘By then, other monsters will have moved in and claimed the spot. It’ll be hard for me, a guard, to carve out time to

go to Crystal Lake on my own.’

The right choice to secure the Ice Crystals early would be to follow along on this mission.

And the reason I’m not at all angry that Elaine interfered is ironically tied to this very fact.

‘Whenever Elaine gets involved and messes up my plans, it always ends up leading to a better situation.’

That night’s accident made me the partner of the Northern Guard Captain.

The relatively simple path to becoming the husband of the Northern Duke was suddenly changed to a relatively

simple path of becoming the husband of the Guard Captain.

Because of the bet with Grace, Elaine felt responsible and offered to give me personal lessons in her swordsmanship,

the Seolhan Sword. In that case…

‘Could I really be getting Ice Crystal fragments after all?’

When you think about it, Elaine is not the kind of person who ruins my plans.

Rather, she’s the best driver who steers my plans in a way that makes them work even better.

This is true support.

So, after the morning roll call, I went to find Elaine.

“I have something to report to you, Captain.”

When I arrived at Elaine’s office, she was alone, doing paperwork during her vacation.

“What is it? The first squad’s training starts in twenty minutes. Is it something that can be handled in that time?”

She responded with a stiff, businesslike attitude.

She didn’t even crack a smile, her expression mechanical and neutral. As Grace had said, she kept a clear boundary

between work and personal matters.

Who would think that the two of us, who spent the night tangled up together, went for a hand-holding date the next day? This woman, even in a world with smartphones and messaging, probably managed to keep any office romance

under wraps without anyone suspecting a thing.

There was no need to feel hurt. Thanks to her professional demeanor, one worry was taken off my mind.

Moreover, the gap between how she acted at work, cold and stern, and how she showed her affection when alone

with me at home was a difference that transcended genres and generations… Ahem.

“Let’s talk about the next mission for the escort squad.”

“Go ahead.”

“I would like to participate in that mission as well.”

Tap.

Elain put down her pen and looked at me.

“That mission is assigned to the second and third squads. Your unit is the first squad, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then why would you act separately from your squad? If you don’t provide a valid reason, I’ll consider this a waste of my time.”

She wasn’t deliberately trying to act colder to hide the fact that we were in a relationship. This was how Elain was—strict, and that made her voice sound cold at times.

But those who knew her understood. Beneath the cold tone, she always showed a willingness to listen and reconsider if the reason was reasonable.

I needed to persuade her in a way that matched her style.

“As you know, Captain, I am preparing for the knight exam. While training is important, I also believe there is much

to learn from seeing senior knights fight, how they handle crises, and how they adapt on the spot. I think there are

valuable lessons to be learned in the field.”

“Especially with this Silver Sabertus campaign, it’s different from the Mountain Bear we fought in the last mission,

both in terms of the monster’s nature and the battlefield environment. I believe this mission would offer even more

opportunities to learn. Therefore, if possible, I don’t want to miss this chance.”

“Is that all?”

Elain silently listened to my words and then asked curtly.

This wasn’t a cold response—it meant she wanted something more, and knowing that, I quickly answered.

“I will speak to the squad leaders and the deputy leader of the first squad to convince them. The reason I’m speaking to you first is to seek permission for this action.”

I wasn’t just pleading to be allowed to go; I was also acknowledging the consequences of my actions. I wasn’t asked to

present every detail of my plan, but I made it clear that I would take full responsibility for my actions as a member of

the escort squad.

“I understand. Once you get approval from the squad leaders, come back and let me know.”

Elain said, her eyes returning to her paperwork. I silently celebrated my small victory. She had agreed to consider my request.

But I couldn’t let my guard down. She approved my request because I had included elements she wanted in my

words. If the discussions with the other squad leaders didn’t go well, she’d reject the request without hesitation. After

all, she wasn’t going to give me special treatment just because we were in a relationship.

“Luke.”

Just before I left, Elain, still focused on her paperwork, called my name.

“Do your best today.”

Her voice was completely devoid of emotion. But I smiled slightly and saluted.

“Good luck, Captain.”

During the three-day vacation, staying at Elain’s house allowed me to understand her even more. Before saying those

brief words of encouragement, Elain probably thought, ‘This isn’t revealing any personal feelings; it’s just the

captain supporting her subordinate. That’s fine, right?’

Even though we separated work from our personal lives, we were still people with emotions. If we forced ourselves to

restrain everything, it would only make us sick. There was no need to suppress even these simple, everyday

conversations. It was better this way.

The leader of the first squad was Elain, but since she was also the overall captain of the escort squad, she couldn’t focus solely on the first squad. Because of that, the actual leader of the first squad was the deputy leader.

The reason I didn’t directly ask Elain in her office, “You’re the first squad leader, so can you approve this?” was

because if I had, the plan would have been immediately shot down, and I would’ve faced punishment right there. I

wasn’t joking around.

After finishing the morning training session, I approached the deputy leader during lunch.

“Deputy Leader, may I sit beside you?”

“Oh, Luke! Sit, sit!”

The vice-captain of the first squad, Anduril, had a gentle and easygoing demeanor, unlike Elaine. While Elaine was

strict and cold with the guards, someone needed to soften her frosty attitude. He was the carrot to her stick, so to

speak.

Anduril’s appointment as vice-captain wasn’t just because of his affable personality; he was also highly skilled,

meeting the high standards required for the role. What’s more, the first squad members often leaned toward him

more than they did toward Elaine, who might have their ambitions, but Anduril, chosen by Grace and appointed by

Elaine, was loyal to his role without selfish desires. I trusted him deeply as well.

I told Anduril about the bet I made with Grace, though I left out the part about my relationship with Elaine and focused on the fact that Grace had offered to support me if I passed the knight exam.

When Anduril heard about my plans to challenge the grueling knight exam, he responded with, “Oh, you’re going to face that challenge? You have guts. I’ll be cheering for you, so do your best.”

Not all of the guards were knights, but the higher-ups were, including Anduril, the vice-captain. That meant he had gone through the same trial as a knight.

The fact that someone as warm and kind-hearted as Anduril would describe it as a “grueling challenge” made me realize just how tough the northern knight exam was. To be honest, it made me a little nervous.

Then, Anduril asked, “So, you’re not just telling me this for the knight exam challenge, do you have a request?”

As expected, he was quick to pick up on the hidden meaning in my words.

I replied, “I promised Grace that I would try to be ready in two months. But with the time constraint, I don’t think

the usual methods will be enough. That’s why I’m hoping to participate in the Silver Sabertus operation to gain more

experience. Do you think the squad leaders would allow me to join?”

I elaborated on why participating in this mission was crucial for my preparation.

Anduril paused, considering my request seriously. Even while thinking, his spoon kept moving, showing his focus as Elaine’s subordinate.

“Hm…”

After a while, he smiled and said, “Our squad is staying back this time, so it should be fine to send one person.

Preparing for the knight exam is important, and everyone will be supporting you.”

His response was just what I needed. I couldn’t hold back my smile, and I expressed my gratitude immediately.

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. If it were anyone else, I might have taken more time to think about it, but you’ve been dedicated to your training, so I trust you. Just make sure you don’t cause any trouble for the other squads.”

“I’m the youngest, but I’m the one everyone wants to have on their team.”

“Heh, that’s true. When the captain personally brought you to our squad, the member who was supposed to receive you almost lost his mind.”

That member was Gii, the captain of the third squad.

Even after I joined the first squad, he kept trying to entice me to join the third squad, saying that I could always talk to him if I was interested.

“I’ll talk to the captain for you. I think she’ll agree to it.”

“I’ve already told her that I’ll speak with the squad leaders first, and then bring it up again.”

“That’s the right way. Anyway, I’ll be cheering for you. The knight exam has no restrictions as long as you have the skill, so don’t stress out too much.”

With Anduril’s warm encouragement, I had overcome the easiest obstacle. Now, I was ready to face the toughest one: the third squad leader, Gii.