“I guess I’m young and easygoing, but isn’t it too presumptuous to confront the Pope of a country?”

“… Well, then I apologize.”

I was scared. This is how mean a young lady from a powerless family can be. At that moment, the man in front of me started to laugh while brushing back the bright yellow blond hair that flowed down his shoulder. “… Huh, okay. I’ll go out alone.”

I don’t know what’s so funny. Lara thought as she walked cautiously toward the door.

“You’re talking about… … .”

A sarcastic tone came from behind her, as if she was already ready to taunt.

“Are you a woman?”

“… What’s that?”

<Aren’t you dressed up as a man as a knight?>

‘… … !!’

Only then did Lara realize that she was dressed up as a man. She said that her scalp felt a little strange while showering. Fortunately, the wig seemed to be well-covered, but it felt like she had already habitually exposed a lot.

“The way she speaks and walks, she’s like a well-bred noble lady. Oh, my! Right! Where is the way she speaks like a noble lady, and what’s with the way she walks like a noble lady!”

“Are you an idiot?”

Lara lowered her voice in anger at the sarcasm. “Don’t call me an idiot.”

“Then what should I call you? Mad?”

The voice that answered calmly seemed to have run away from home a long time ago. On the one hand, I thought, “What’s the Pope doing?” On the other hand, I thought that since he was pretty enough to make women cry, and he was the Pope, he would act like that. A man who had everything except a bladder and a personality, that was Michael.

<I have to throw out a cool word here.> ‘What?’

<Did you plan on just getting hit? That’s why extras… … . Tsk, the extra who doesn’t know how to say nice things just follows what I say.>

Can’t we just stay still, Lara thought, but Shin was stubborn.

<Just as it’s wrong for your incontinence to be made fun of.> “Just as it’s wrong for your incontinence to be made fun of… … .”

<My intelligence isn’t made fun of either.> ‘That’s admitting that I’m completely stupid!’

Despite Lara’s objection, Shin remained silent as if it wasn’t a big deal. During that time, Michael seemed to be taking a deep breath, but he slowly closed his eyes and opened them.

“It’s wrong for you to be made fun of, so what’s the backstory?”

“T-That’s right, it’s wrong for you to make fun of me.”

“Kuk-kuk, what book are you reading when you say that? It’s not like you have a separate script.”

“Don’t tease me!”

He thought that further conversation was meaningless. As Lara quietly kept her mouth shut, he suddenly put down his teacup and got up. He went into the bathroom, brought the uniform that had been hanging out, and threw it into Lara’s arms.

“Follow me, I’ll take you to the garden exit.”

He seemed to know this and that, but for a moment, he seemed suspicious. She felt suspicious for no reason, but when Michael went out the door first, Lara had no choice but to hurry after him, holding onto her wet uniform.

After walking silently through the deep garden covered with large leaves for a while, a path made of white pebbles appeared.

“If you keep walking along this path, you’ll reach the garden exit. You’ll see the passage from there, so unless you’re an idiot, you’ll probably find it. If you get lost again, just ask anyone.”

She was an idiot for expecting a friendly explanation. As I was about to pass him by, Michael turned his head to me. His light golden hair sparkled white as if it would shimmer in the wind.

“Come give me back those clothes?”

“… I will.”

Who said I wouldn’t give them back? Lara pouted her lips. “Then that’s fine.”

Contrary to his calm tone of voice, which said he didn’t care, his eyes were persistently unable to let go of her. Lara felt burdened and hurried her steps. For a while, she felt eyes following her back, but when she turned around belatedly, there was no one there.

After returning to the mansion, Lara wrote a letter to Elina5. She said that she had returned to the mansion first because she was not feeling well, and apologized if she had felt rude. Two hours later, Elina5 replied, saying that she didn’t have to feel sorry and that she should get some rest.

‘Whew… … . Did I do a good job?’

She felt a little dizzy. Now that I think about it, Elina5 probably didn’t mean to hurt me, but I felt like I was overreacting.

In the first place, isn’t divine power a power that can save or kill people? The power she was trying to use on herself wasn’t a destructive beam, but a power that healed someone she had shot before.

‘It came from my fingers back then.’

Could she release divine power anywhere on her body, or did the divine power come from different places depending on how it was used? Lara closed her eyes and thought deeply, and before she knew it, she felt sleep creeping over her.

Anyway, it was a chance to realize once again that Elina3 was a really good friend, and that the Knights were really a symbol of peace.

* * *

The ceremony that started at the parade ground was full of energy from the morning.

“Gentlemen, are you preparing well for the promotion exam next week?” “Yes!!”

At the loud shouts of military discipline, Lara alone looked half-asleep and bewildered. Elina3, standing next to her, put strength into her sword grip as if she was making a determined determination.

“The knight with the highest score will be given an automatic opportunity to participate in the swordsmanship competition next month, so everyone, do your best!”

“Yes!!”

“The one who fails will be discharged or demoted, so I want every single one of you to pass! You rookies over there—!”

The company commander called out Lara’s name among the many people gathered. When Lara flinched in surprise, saying “Yes, yes… …?”, a harsher command than the thunder was given.

“Don’t look so dumb!! You’re in special training starting today!” ‘That, that… … !’

Did she get caught thinking, ‘I should just fail moderately and get kicked out.’ Lara felt hopeless. She looked back at Elina3 to ask for help, but she only muttered, “I envy you, special training.”

“Everyone except the new recruits, disperse—!”

Without even the slightest thought of running away, Lara had to be dragged by the commander’s hand. As she stood at the corner of the parade ground, a heavy sword was immediately thrown in front of her. As Lara was startled by the dust rising up, the commander shouted.

“Can’t you hold it properly!!”

“Eek… … .”

“Even that ek sound is forbidden! Now, hold it and swing it. I’ll tear you to pieces.”

“I’m just fine with it like this… … .”

“I don’t know why you disguised yourself as a man and joined the Knights, but I will never kick out a guy who has been my subordinate!”

At first glance, it was a touching situation, but Lara felt nothing. She wished he would kick her out, but life doesn’t always go as planned.

“Swing 200 times!!”

He swung his sword and cursed her, calling her a helpless bastard, but Lara had to shake it up and down, even if it was just out of fear. She swung it five times and put it down, swung it five times and put it down, and that was the moment when she finally reached 105 with all her might.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Her shoulder was throbbing as if it had been burned, and then suddenly she heard a loud thud.

“Don’t joke around after only swinging it 105 times!!”

“Ugh, ugh, my arm… it hurts ugh ugh. Ouch… ugh.”

As Lara put down her sword and shed tears, the summoned medic came running. It was the moment when he put his hand on Lara’s shoulder to check her condition. The medic’s eyes shook wildly as if he couldn’t believe it.

“… No way, you woman… …?” ‘I want to get out of this damn knighthood.’

“It’s a ruptured shoulder ligament.”

Lara didn’t even curse. She turned her dry eyes and looked out the window. She could see a cloudless blue sky, but she felt like a beggar. It seemed like nothing had gone right since she came to this knighthood.

“Avoid any exercise that would strain your shoulder and let it recover for at least a month.”

“I won’t stay still this time.” “Huh? What did you just say… …?”

Lara stood up and left the infirmary as if she had been possessed by something. She crossed the hallway using the Lady’s method and headed to the parade ground. She saw the commander training the knights.

Lara shrugged her shoulders and approached the captain. Then she elegantly raised her hand, which had not torn its ligaments, and patted his broad back.

“Hey.”

“Hey… … ? You didn’t call me, the captain, did you?”

The captain turned to Lara with the corners of his eyes raised fiercely. He gritted his teeth roughly, as if he was planning how to beat up the small knight in disguise.

Lara also opened her eyes as wide as she could. The captain’s face changed into an expression that said, “Look at this?” with a sharp gaze that had the same effect as refund makeup.

“My arm won’t go up.”

“Oh, really. My arm won’t go up?! You can’t see anything right now? My discipline is lacking… … .”

“My arm won’t go up! Bite my arm off! Bite it off!!”

The knights who were training put down their swords one by one at the sound of the crackling voice that pierced their eardrums. Elina 3 was among them. As the chaotic atmosphere spread, the company commander wiggled his thick eyebrows.

“I can’t be quiet!”

“I can’t be quiet!! What are you going to do with my arm? Yes!! I’m really angry! In this dirty place, I just followed the orders of my oppressive superior and now my arm looks like this. How… How! Calm down?!! Am I calm right now?! Tell me!”

Lara, who approached with her small body, glared at the commander with her eyes wide enough to show the whites of her eyes. It was the moment when she was about to laugh out loud at how funny it was that she couldn’t even make a fist. The company commander felt an eerie feeling as the tremendous energy that was squeezing his body.

‘… To live?’

Could it be that Laan^[1]at some places it is written as Raan, that small male knight is expressing it? “How!! Are you going to take responsibility!!”

“First… Calm down. Newbie.”

“Your arm is like this now, is it really real? You can’t even apply nail polish on your left hand like this!!”

“Why is a knight applying nail polish? I get it! I get it! Okay, I’ll give you half a day off, so go to the main temple and get treatment. I’ll charge the treatment fee to our knights.”

“Huh, you should come out like that.”