Chapter 34: Second Examination, Leadership

Since I met Sofia, I decided to take a magic lesson, and after returning home, I planned to focus on swordsmanship practice.

That’s when I had an interesting encounter.

“Hello…?”

“Hello.”

During the last vacation, I moved from my old room to Elaine’s house, so this is now ‘my home.’

Since I was excused from the guard duties during the knight exam period, I didn’t feel like returning to the guard

dormitory, and Elaine would likely still be at the dormitory as well.

I had planned to rest and manage my condition in a quiet place alone, but when I opened the door and entered, I

found a kind-looking woman cleaning.

Though I hadn’t seen her before, I quickly figured out her identity.

“You must be the new housekeeper. My name is Luke.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Mia.”

I awkwardly greeted her, and Mia welcomed me warmly with a smile.

I had heard that a housekeeper was hired to manage the house while Elaine wasn’t around, and I had planned to

greet her the next time I met her.

But now that I actually saw her, I felt somewhat embarrassed.

To be honest, the owner of this house is Elaine, and I’m just living here temporarily.

We’re not even married yet, so there’s no official relationship to define my position here.

If Elaine were here, it wouldn’t be a problem, but being alone, I wasn’t sure how to treat Mia.

I wondered if I should return to the guard dormitory right away.

“You must be cold. Come inside. Have you had something to eat?”

“No, not yet…”

“Then let me prepare something simple. Please relax. Is there anything you don’t eat?”

“No, nothing.”

Mia responded naturally, without hesitation, as if welcoming a family member into the house.

It seemed like she was truly dedicated to her work as a housekeeper.

When I changed my clothes and came out, Mia had already prepared a meal on the table.

“I’ll eat well.”

I expressed my thanks politely and started eating.

The meal was satisfying without being overly extravagant. It was the kind of simple home-cooked meal that felt very

comforting.

Though it wasn’t exactly the same as the home-cooked meals I was used to, since this was a fantasy world and

Korean food didn’t exist here, the meal still gave off a familiar, heartwarming feeling.

“I think you know who I am… Did I surprise you by showing up suddenly?”

“When the door opened, I was certainly surprised. But when I saw your face, I was happy. I had heard about you

from Elaine and wanted to greet you when I had the chance.”

Now that I thought about it, I was curious.

The only person who knew about Elaine and my relationship was Grace, whom Elaine had confided in.

If we hadn’t run into each other by chance in Milky Way, it would’ve likely remained a secret from Grace.

But somehow, Elaine had shared it with Mia, even though she’d been careful to keep it secret from others.

As a housekeeper, Mia would eventually figure it out, so maybe Elaine decided to tell her in advance.

Still, knowing Elaine’s personality, I assumed she trusted Mia and considered her reliable enough to share that secret.

“Sorry for asking, but what’s your relationship with the commander of the guard? You seem very close.”

“Hehe, you don’t have to be formal with the title. It’s not like we’re that close. But with Elaine… She once saved my

daughter’s life.”

“Your daughter’s life?”

“No, my daughter’s life.”

Mia’s story went like this:

In the past, Elaine had gone to the battlefield with Mia’s daughter, a northern soldier. At that time, Elaine saved

Mia’s daughter when her life was in danger.

Not only that, but Elaine also helped pay for Mia’s medical expenses, as Mia’s family was quite poor.

Since then, Mia had considered Elaine a lifesaver and treated her with great respect.

It turned out that Elaine and Mia were close neighbors, which I hadn’t known before.

“That’s quite something.”

“She’s a person I owe so much to. If I had lost my daughter back then… I can’t even imagine it.”

I could empathize with Mia’s gratitude, as I too had been saved by Elaine when I was in a dangerous situation with

the Mountain Bears.

“That incident became a connection, and it has continued until now.”

“Is that why you agreed to be the housekeeper?”

“I had wanted to do it before, but I also have my own family, so staying here was difficult. But now that I can

commute, I agreed to take the position.”

“I see.”

“Did you know? Actually, I’ve been helping out with housework for a while. I was the one who taught Elaine how to cook.”

“Did you also teach her how to make fruit jam?”

“Oh! That’s her… Hehe, I misspoke. It’s Elaine’s preference.”

It was clear that their relationship was not ordinary.

Moreover, after talking to her, I could sense Mia’s deep character through her words and actions. She had the kind of

demeanor you’d expect from a mother who would smile and say, “Oh dear!”

“You don’t need to worry about me knowing your relationship. Aunties love gossip, but northern women don’t like

spreading other people’s secrets. I haven’t even told my daughter about Mr. Luke.”

“Don’t worry, I trust you. You don’t need to worry about what my wife thinks either.”

Elaine trusts her.

That alone made me trust Mia as well.

“How did you two meet? I’ve always worried since Elaine is so uninterested in romance. When you agreed to be the

housekeeper, she hesitated and then suddenly brought up Mr. Luke. I was so surprised!”

“Hehe, really?”

“Hehe, it seems like you worked hard. I noticed some stains because you weren’t used to laundry. After that, you had

to be careful with the sheets. You’re surprisingly clumsy but still try to appear strong, and I think that’s quite cute.”

“Ma’am?”

Suddenly, I was reminded of the term ‘○○mom’ from my past life, which referred to passionate female fans of certain

people. I was taken aback by the sudden change in the warm and soft middle-aged woman who had become

talkative, but at the same time, I realized how much Mia cared for Elaine.

“Are you thinking about marriage? I suppose so? You wouldn’t be thinking of abandoning her after taking her first,

right? Elaine may seem stiff because of her manner of speaking, but she’s deeply affectionate and kind-hearted. She

knows the joy of love.” “I know that.”

Maybe that’s why.

A mutual understanding quickly formed between Mia and me.

Elaine is really cute. I like her too.

I felt proud of how many good people were around her.

We spent the whole meal chatting about Elaine.

Thanks to Mia, I had a surprisingly restful night.

The next morning, I got up early and finished preparing.

It was a bit lonely to sleep alone in the bed we used to share.

But since no one was there to watch me wake up, it was a relief that I didn’t have to drag it out.

When I went to the knight exam venue where Grace had given her speech the day before, there weren’t many people around.

Since I had arrived early, I was lightly stretching to loosen up my body when suddenly someone approached and spoke.

“It’s really you.”

Someone came up to me and started talking.

“Heh! Long time no see. You still look so bored with that lazy face of yours.”

“?”

“Not only did you get lucky joining the guard, but how did you manage to pass the first hurdle of the knight exam in

just a few months? Did you flatter the higher-ups like you did with them? Or did you offer them something? Hehe.”

“……”

“What’s this? You don’t even greet your senior, and when someone asks, you can’t even answer properly. Or now that

you’ve joined the guard, you don’t mix with the other soldiers? You’re filled with arrogance, huh?”

“Ah.”

I was puzzled by the sudden confrontation from this extra character. Now I realized that not everyone would see my

success in a good light.

Among them, some would be jealous, envious, or even stir up trouble. Of course, there were those who would pick a fight.

The man in front of me, giving off the aura of a third-rate thug with his beard, was one of them and a prime example.

He had been a senior soldier in the same unit, and when I was assigned under him, I quickly became favored by the

higher-ups and rose through the ranks, which made him extremely resentful.

What was his name again…? I remembered his face but couldn’t recall his name.

Doesn’t matter. I’ll just call him Extra 1, or for short, Ex1.

“Ex1, you also took the knight exam? Looks like you passed the first phase,” I said, greeting him.

“……Damn, why are you speaking informally to your senior? Are you crazy? What’s with calling me Ex1?”

“Well, we’re from different units now, so no need for formalities. If you want to get technical, I should be the one

using formal language now. But hey, we’re from the same unit, so let’s keep it friendly. Let’s both work hard, okay?

Aja aja!”

“What? You arrogant little shit. Are you mocking me now? Where’s your manners, huh?”

Ex1 seemed in a hurry to use the bathroom, and his expression wasn’t great.

He had always walked around with a scowl, probably suffering from chronic indigestion.

Before the examiner could ask if I needed to take a break, Elke raised his hand.

Of course, this wasn’t a school setting, so he probably wasn’t actually going to the bathroom.

He was someone who got easily excited, so most likely, he was trying to show off his strength to me.

Heh, there’s no helping it. I guess it’s time for a “soda lesson.”

Right, it’s like one of those situations where a thug from the past shows up and tries to pick a fight when things are

going well. It’s like a universal law.

It’s a scene straight out of novels and comics, and even though I was a little excited, I was debating whether or not to

focus my energy into my hands when—

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Chill.

For a brief moment, my breath caught in my throat.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed it—Elke, still with his hand raised, froze in place too.

Turning my head, I saw a knight with a solemn expression standing there.

It was someone I knew.

It was Gunther, the high-ranking knight I had worked with during the Silver Sabertus expedition.

He was glaring at us.

“The participants are prohibited from fighting unless it’s part of the assessment. That includes even sparring. Anyone

who violates this rule will be disqualified without question.”

“……”

“If you want to fight, I won’t stop you. But go ahead and turn around and fight elsewhere. I have no intention of

accepting a fool who causes chaos in the crowd as a knight.”

Since Gunther was the commander of elite soldiers during the northern duke’s expedition, there was no way he

would just pass by.

It seemed he was the second examiner for this stage.

I had seen Gunther up close during the last expedition, so I knew who he was. I kept my mouth shut and lowered my

head without any argument.

Elke’s expression remained twisted, but when Gunther stared him down, he quickly lowered his gaze and retreated.

It seemed like he wasn’t someone who would pick a fight without considering the level of the other person.

“Comics and reality are so different,” I thought.

There wasn’t really any deep grudge I had against him. He and his gang just caused trouble or grumbled openly.

He reminded me of a former boss from my previous life, so I figured I’d like to hit him if the opportunity arose.

That’s why I silently cheered for him.

Let’s meet in the third assessment.

Stay healthy until then.

Once the confrontation settled, Gunther headed toward the stage to resume his duties.

And then…

He glanced toward me.

What did that mean? Although we had been near each other a few times because of Grace, we hadn’t spoken, and his

expression was unreadable.

Maybe he was disappointed that someone he had positively evaluated, like Grace, was getting involved in fights.

If that’s the case, I’d really want to go smash Elke’s head right now.

Ah, was it Elke? I got confused for a moment.

“Now, I’ll explain the second assessment. Pay attention.”

Gunther ascended the stage and began explaining the details of the second assessment, which would test leadership.

I had heard about it from Elaine, but I still wanted to listen closely in case there were any changes to the process.

“Soldiers assigned to each participant will be assigned by the examiners based on their judgment of the appropriate

numbers. Since the number of participants is even, we will divide them into two groups to compete against each other.”

“Hmm?”

They didn’t mention which type of competition it would be, but it was an intriguing piece of information.

The way the competition was structured meant that it wasn’t just about doing well individually—it would also involve

comparing performance with the opposing team.

“And another thing! As a commander, you must analyze your opponent and come up with a strategy. Therefore, I will

now reveal who each participant will be facing.”

“!”

“Pay attention!”

At Gunther’s shout, an examiner unfurled a large sheet of paper.

It displayed the names of the participants in two columns. It seemed like the names in the first column would face off

with the names in the second column.

‘Luke, Luke, Luke… Found it.’

I slowly scanned down and found it somewhere in the middle.

Who would my opponent be? I hoped it wouldn’t be Jimmy or one of the seniors from Group 3, or it’d be a hassle.

‘Alex?’

I didn’t recognize the name.

Relieved that it wasn’t one of the senior guards, I tried to figure out who Alex was.

‘Why is he looking at me?’

Elke—no, maybe it was Alex, I couldn’t tell which—gave me a sly grin as he looked my way.

It seemed like he thought he had me cornered.

Wait, could it be?

‘Is he Alex? That name sounds familiar…’

Oh, no.

Now I understood why it had felt anticlimactic. That was the setup all along.

I canceled my previous mental cheer.

It seemed like meeting in the third assessment would be tough.

Not because I had already met him, but because it didn’t seem like he’d stay healthy for long.

‘They said fighting during assessments is prohibited, right?’

Well, during the assessment itself, I could fight freely, couldn’t I?

This works out perfectly. When I fought with Rine yesterday, I was handicapped since we were using wooden swords and eggs.

For the third assessment, I should take this chance to test how well I can fight.

Elke and I smiled at each other like friendly rivals, facing off.

This was a perfect matchup.

Good things come to those who wait.

Next time, let’s see how it goes.