Chapter 10

"Your Excellency, it's time. Please come with me."

"Ah, I understand."

While this was happening, Grail came to call, and Leonardo stood up. Today was the day when the Imperial Capital Knights welcomed new members once a year.

The Imperial Capital Knights were an elite group, distinct from other knight orders. Only those who achieved excellent results in the knight exams held in various regions or those from prestigious knight families could join.

"What's the feeling this year?"

"Well, it's the same as usual. However, there is one person who is a bit worrying. He's small and thin, and looks like a girl."

"Surprising that he could join, isn't it?"

"He seems to be from the Costa family."

"Costa family? I see."

The Costa family was a well-known knight lineage in the Highland Empire, and if one came from a knight family, joining the Imperial Capital Knights was relatively easy. The previous Viscount Costa, who was the captain of the Royal Guard, was a man of great renown, and Leonardo had a memory of receiving guidance from him when he was young.

—The Costa family...

A tall, well-built man came to mind. The Viscount Costa that Leonardo knew was a robust and military-like figure.

It was surprising that his son was small and thin. Unfortunately, he might have taken after his mother.

When they arrived at the training ground, the new members were gathered, dressed in brand new black uniforms. They stood in perfect formation, with equal spacing in all directions, and all were focused on the division commander who was giving instructions.

Leonardo, standing in a corner of the training ground, scanned the new members and suddenly his eyes caught one of them. He saw someone who shouldn't have been there.

"That guy..."

"Huh? Who is it?"

"The one at the far end of the fourth row. Who is that?"

"Oh, he does stand out, doesn't he? That's the guy from the Costa family. What was his name again? Ah, Dean Costa."

Grail answered while flipping through the new member roster.

Leonardo looked at the member—Dean—in disbelief. There, with her hair tied back, was the girl he had met in town earlier.

—He's a guy!?

What a shock.

The young lady at the ball and the girl he had just met were not only different people but also not a girl at all, but a boy!

Thus, the interest in the opposite sex of the stern military man—Leonardo—ended in just a few hours.

◇ ◇ ◇

After observing the debut match of the newly assigned Imperial Capital Knights, Leonardo returned to his office and reviewed the new member roster, which the division commanders had tentatively decided.

"Remember the thin one I saw earlier?"

"By 'thin,' you mean Dean? He was the heir of the Costa family, so we had high hopes, but he was a disappointment."

Grail shrugged, raising his hands.

The Costa family of the Highland Empire was a prestigious knight lineage that had protected the emperor for generations. The previous head of the family was the captain of the Royal Guard, so expectations were high.

However, the person who appeared was a thin, feminine-looking man, and he was dominated in the match earlier.

"I was thinking of assigning him to the Second Division—"

Grail explained the planned assignment. The Second Division was responsible for guarding the inner walls of the palace. The palace had two walls—the inner and outer walls. The Second Division's role was to keep a watchful eye to prevent intruders from entering the inner city where the emperor lived.

"No, he should be in the Fifth Division."

"Fifth Division?"

Grail furrowed his brow in confusion.

The Fifth Division was responsible for town security and often dealt with outlaws, making it an unpopular choice for new knights. However, it was the division with the most practical combat experience, and only those with solid sword skills were assigned there.

"Is that okay?"

"He may seem to be pushed back without resistance, but he's always looking for an opening. He knows his own limitations, which is better than overconfident fools. Besides, his small size will allow him to be more agile."

Leonardo paused and looked at Grail.

"Also, he has a good heart."

"Is that so? If you say so, I'll change it."

Grail seemed somewhat unconvinced but did not object. He trusted Leonardo's judgment of his subordinates.

To inform the division commanders of the change in assignments, he headed to their waiting room. After he left, Leonardo reviewed the new member roster again.

"That guy is the son of the Costa family..."

About six years ago, the head of the Costa family, Dean's father, was an excellent knight who lost his life in a failed coup. Leonardo could vividly recall the times he received training from him as a young boy.

Dean was indeed, as Grail said, a thin man. At seventeen, he was quite frail, short, and had a doll-like face.

So much so that Leonardo had mistaken him for a girl.

However, his eyes were sharp when trying to gauge sword movements, and his movements were light. Moreover, he had the agility to chase down bandits and the composure to remain unflustered even when the odds were against him.

In other words, Leonardo judged that he had good potential as a knight.

"An interesting one has joined..."

Leonardo looked at the roster and smiled to himself.