Chapter 5

When Bernard burst into the kidnappers' hideout, he was extracting information from them.

As Bernard had said at first, they were trained professionals. They were a group of assassins who carried out killings as a job. The group that had been involved in this incident was only a part of their organization, and their main base was elsewhere.

Originally, they were a group of assassins who had been active in a southern country. Recently, they had been expanding their influence into our country. The assassination of the princess was also an excellent opportunity for them to make a name for themselves.

The reason why these trained assassins spoke so freely was that, as Bernard was destroying the hideout, they began to shout things like "Lilysieu...!" "Oh, Lilysieu has descended upon us!" "Please forgive us, please forgive us!"

According to the well-informed deputy captain Chester, "Lilysieu is indeed the name of a raging god worshipped in the south. They must have realized that our captain is not human."

By the way, Bernard said, "What impolite fellows, I'm just an ordinary person," and received boos from the rest of the team.

***

"If it becomes clear that the assassination of the princess has failed, those people will disappear. If they go into hiding, it will be difficult to find them. If we are to strike them, it must be now. With their main base identified, we must attack. We cannot allow an assassin group to run rampant in our country."

Bernard had a grim look on his face.

The look I gave him and Bernard's expression made the deputy captain Chester look troubled, and he tried to mediate with a light tone.

"Even the captain must think this is too dangerous, right? An assassin group is a troublesome thing. You must be worried about the princess's safety, aren't you?"

"I'm not worried."

"Why do you always dismiss people's concerns?"

"I am the princess's guard. I will protect her no matter what."

"Ha, I'm surprised the captain has a sense of duty as a knight."

Chester let out a dry laugh.

I stared at the strongest knight and asked.

"Then, what are you worried about, Bernard?"

Bernard glared at me with dissatisfaction.

"You must be tired, Your Highness."

"…? Well, I can't say I'm not tired."

"It's natural to be tired. You've been riding without rest and then fought with the villains."

"But you fought, and I did nothing."

"Your Highness should rest. Take a few days to relax."

"Bernard, we should act immediately."

"I think you should rest."

"Bernard."

"You should rest."

"…, what about you? Do you need rest, Bernard?"

"Me? Why? …No, Your Highness. If you want me to handle it alone, I can. But I won't. If I leave, there will be no one to guard you."

"Then, let's go together, Bernard."

"Did you hear what I said, Your Highness?"

"Yes, I heard."

I smiled there.

"But, Bernard, I've already decided to go."

Bernard looked up to the sky and cursed.

"This is the worst. You are really, sometimes, the worst, Your Highness."

***

And so, we stormed the assassins' main base, and Bernard destroyed them.

After returning to the capital, we reported to the king. After finishing the report, when I tried to plead for leniency for the noble family, my brother waved his hand tiredly.

"Alright, I understand. No severe punishment. No more deaths. …You don't know, but it was a mess afterward… I had to work hard to calm everyone down and resolve the situation. The social scene of our country was completely filled with fear because of that mad warrior. If we shed more blood, my influence would also decline. …I will treat the Cesnik family with leniency. Is that fine, Amelia?"

"Yes, I am truly grateful, brother."

"…Tell that mad warrior never to do it again…"

My brother groaned, exhausted.

***

After that, Bernard's behavior at the ball was criticized, and a court-martial was held.

In a room in the palace, Bernard stood at the center of a round table, surrounded by high-ranking officials.

In this incident, his achievements were great. He should be rewarded, not punished.

I argued this, but the officials did not hide their bitter expressions.

In particular, an elderly noble related to the marquis who had caught the severed head argued that Bernard should be imprisoned.

"This man beheaded someone without any evidence! Your Majesty, it is not right to let such a terrifying man go free!"

My brother frowned and pressed his forehead.

The head of the royal guard spoke with a heavy heart.

"His argument is valid… but most people here know that imprisonment would be meaningless."

"Then, why not execute him! Your Majesty, keeping such a man alive will bring disaster to our country!"

"Execution, huh. Who will carry it out? Elder, will you do it with your own hands?"

"What nonsense. The executioner will do it, of course!"

"That would be a death sentence for the executioner."

The head of the royal guard said this with a tired face.

The commander of the royal knights also looked at Bernard with disgust.

"You, why do you always act like this? Why can't you first restrain them and take a peaceful approach? It's proper to restrain, interrogate, and gather evidence before handing down a punishment. This time, your suspicions were correct, but what if you were wrong?"

Bernard laughed and replied.

"Whether someone is an assassin or not is obvious. I would rather ask the knights why they let an assassin get so close. What kind of sloppy security were they providing?"

"You…!"

"How could you let an assassin get so close that it was obvious at that distance? You are all useless. Are your eyes blind?"

The commander of the knights stood up in anger.

I interjected, pressing my forehead.

"I didn't realize it either, Bernard. I also couldn't see through it. I believed the impostor was the real first son of the Cesnik family."

"That's natural. Your job is not to fight. It's only natural that you didn't notice. Your Highness has no fault at all."

Silence fell.

Everyone in the room looked solemn.

The commander of the knights also sat back down, looking tired.

My brother groaned and said half-heartedly.

"Knight Bernard, your behavior at the ball is not acceptable. …However, the assassin group you destroyed was a threatening presence in the southern country. The king of that great nation thanked us deeply. It seems there were suspicions that the group was involved in the death of the previous king. The king of the southern country came to thank me personally for avenging his father. He also promised future friendship and support for our country. …Your mistake is significant, but your achievements cannot be ignored. Therefore, the punishment for this incident is ─── a three-month reduction in pay!"

The elderly noble cried out, "Too lenient!" but the other officials sighed and showed their agreement.

"This is a reasonable resolution," the head of the royal guard said, stroking his beard.

Bernard nodded without any particular concern, saying, "Understood."

***

I was not satisfied that he had performed heroically to save the country, but the royal guards whispered to each other.

"The maximum leniency for a man who suddenly beheaded someone at a ball."

"The only punishment left after balancing the mistake and the achievement."

"Well, the captain will properly accept the pay cut."

"Imprisonment is meaningless since he can escape on his own."

"Execution would be too cruel for the executioner, who is innocent unlike the captain."

***

I secretly tried to give him a reward from the assets I could control, but Bernard declined.

"I don't need a reward. You should rest properly. If you don't take a break now, even I, who am usually mild-tempered, will get angry."

The deputy captain Chester, who was listening, muttered, "You've never been mild-tempered…"

***