Her golden eyes turned cold. Klaus held out the paper sealed with the Emperor’s large stamp, and Alex accepted it with proper courtesy. 

Then she tore the seal without hesitation. While everyone else carefully tried to remove seals intact, she boldly ripped them open. Klaus lowered his head to manage his expression.

Ian carefully observed the golden eyes rapidly scanning the contents. He didn’t have to wait long to see her reaction. Her gradually furrowing brow completely twisted after seeing the imperial command’s final period.

“…I accept the imperial command. Please also tell His Majesty I’m sorry I couldn’t meet him directly and speak with him due to lack of time.”

“Understood.”

Chief Chamberlain Klaus nodded at Alex’s words and quietly withdrew just like he’d arrived. 

Alex immediately turned to Ian. Her slightly raised eyebrow represented her uncomfortable mood.

“What’s going on?”

“Looks like I’m about to get one h*ll of an initiation.”

At Ian’s question, Alex grumbled and handed over the paper containing the imperial command. Ian furrowed his brow just like she had moments ago.

Ian immediately left the office. Alex clicked her tongue and began putting her armor back on. She’d taken it off for nothing.

The Emperor she’d seen at the Knight Order appointment and inauguration ceremony just moments ago had issued an imperial command to the Knight Commander through the chief chamberlain. It was the first order given to her as commander.

After putting on all her armor, she fastened her ivory sword—a gift from her father—at her waist. The ivory hilt and scabbard, and the golden guard with its delicately crafted symbols, glowed softly.

Then she entered the vice commander’s office right next door. He too was putting his armor back on, just like she had done moments ago. 

Unlike her, he moved quickly without any sign of annoyance. Alex, who’d entered without knocking, naturally perched on the desk. That attitude was so familiar to Ian now that there was no reason to point it out.

Alex casually glanced at the documents on the desk, then looked at Ian fastening his dark blue sword.

His shoulders seemed twice as broad as most men’s. 

The muscles visible through the fabric of his upper garment looked thick and hard like stone, forged through harsh training. The subtle platinum and blue colors were cool yet warm, matching well with the ivory armor.

The only things unchanged from childhood were his hair color and eye color. Back then he at least had some cuteness. 

He grew upward like crazy, then after changing his mind about joining the Imperial Knight Order, he thickened sideways too. No matter what he’d done before, he really did join after just one year of serious preparation.

‘He’s not normal either.’

She was a monster, but he was a monster too. Ian’s blue eyes narrowed slightly, perhaps noticing her blatant stare.

“Why do you keep staring?”

Alex looked at Ian’s face with an indifferent gaze, pausing for a moment before speaking.

“Because you’re handsome.”

Ian, who had been moving smoothly, hesitated. Alex, not noticing even that small change in his state of mind, tilted her head slightly and admired his face from another angle.

“You really are handsome.”

You’d think she’d be used to it after looking this long, but it still felt fresh. Good looks didn’t change with time. The feeling of her vision brightening and her eyesight improving. Should she say he bloomed more with each passing day? 

He didn’t even seem to be in full bloom yet.

The man faced with pure admiration felt like time was flowing slowly for a moment. Then he soon clicked his tongue with his usual expression.

“I’d appreciate it if you remembered that you received an imperial command on your first day.”

It meant this wasn’t the time to fool around. Alex ran her hand through her hair once. The imperial command, it’s important… 

Annoying, but anyway, from today she was the head of the Imperial Knight Order. Her mind spun quickly.

“How long does it take to get to Watton Castle?”

“About three days.”

Most supplies were already at Watton anyway. 

Ian judged they could definitely arrive within three days if they packed only minimal luggage and personal weap*ns and went as quickly as possible. However, Alex’s thinking was different.

“Two days. Let’s finish it within two days.”

“……”

Within two days meant the same thing as a day and a half. However, the vice commander had nothing to say even with a mouth.

* * *

The newly appointed commander and vice commander of the Aiden Empire’s Knight Order set out for the border region on a spring day of blooming flowers, having received an imperial command from their very first day of appointment in a blizzard.

The Kosten Kingdom. They said if you traced back far enough, there was a time when it and the empire had been one country. 

Even now, their languages and writing systems were mutually intelligible. Though they’d become somewhat different over time, it could be considered dialect-level differences. 

However, though their roots were the same, the two countries that had split at some point walked very different paths. What had been minor friction was now an uncontrollably large conflict where they recognized each other as “enemy nations.”

The Aiden Empire always had severe friction with the Kosten Kingdom, which shared a border along the deep northwestern mountain range. The places Kosten invaded were always similar. With high mountains and deep forests, there were only two gates to pound on.

Count Watton’s territory, or Count Raymer’s territory.

Small battles with the Kosten Kingdom, which had a very belligerent national character, were routine, and there was a fairly large battle once every two to three years. And today seemed to be one of those days that came once every two to three years.

The Aiden Empire’s Knight Order, which protected the imperial capital and palace, provided support in such cases with the qualification of imperial regular army commander. 

The regular forces stationed throughout the empire were famous for their extremely harsh training, and thanks to that, they were well-prepared for such situations. 

This time too, the regular army had arrived at Watton territory first and was defending. Alex expected them to hold out well until she arrived.

“We can get in before tomorrow morning, right?”

“No. Afternoon, past noon.”

“Tch.”

Ian flatly cut down the impatient commander’s impossible hope. 

Thanks to riding a full day until the horses were exhausted and drooling, if they left early tomorrow morning, they could probably enter Watton Castle in the afternoon. 

Either way, tonight they had to camp in the mountains.

“Commander.”

Someone carefully entered the temporary tent that was just canvas over a frame. The gazes of Alex and Ian, who had been checking the route while looking at a map, fixed on him simultaneously. 

True to being someone who handled a poleaxe, his build was large. His light brown hair and similarly colored eyes were gentle and cheerful. He had a handsomely masculine face.

Alex grinned and welcomed him.

“You’re here?”

It was Jake, Ian’s fellow recruit, longtime friend, and Second Vice Commander. Because of work, he’d missed the commander’s inauguration ceremony and left for Watton later than the rest of the group. He’d diligently caught up and had just arrived.

“Just got here. Ah, I just arrived. Perimeter security is clear… Ma’am.”

Jake, who looked slick but was surprisingly diligent and sincere, seemed to have checked the perimeter security first without even catching his breath. Alex asked quietly with a low laugh.

“Yeah. How are the guys doing?”

Jake shook his head weakly.

“They’re begging to be killed… well. Everyone’s making a huge fuss about sore butts… Ma’am.”

“Ah, just speak casually.”

Alex, who found the speech pattern extremely uncomfortable to hear, frowned. 

At the commander’s refreshing permission, Jake put his hand on his solar plexus and smiled brightly like someone who had indigestion after two days. 

Until yesterday, the three of them had been vice commanders on good terms. Jake had tried to change his speech since Alex was promoted to commander, but it just wouldn’t stick.

“I thought I’d throw up. Anyway, the guys are making a fuss about how hard it is.”

“They’re exaggerating a lot.”

When Alex didn’t bat an eye, Jake looked at her with an incredulous expression.

“Look, from Logia to Watton is normally four days, you know?”

“We’re the Imperial Knight Order. We should be different from others.”

He had nothing to say. Right. We’re the great and brave Aiden Empire’s Knight Order…

Actually, it was somewhat of an exaggeration. People who claimed to handle swords dreamed of the Aiden Empire’s Knight Order, and the entrance exam was insanely difficult and hard, seemingly designed for failure from the start to crush those dreams. 

They were skilled individuals who’d passed through that. Their bodies and minds were both excellent enough to master not only physical training that was torturous and harsh enough to make you vomit, but also swordsmanship training and even legal knowledge.

The knights who came along this time were especially the top 100 knights including the chief knight. So actually they could have gone a bit further, but the horses needed rest too, and moving further in the pitch-black mountains after sunset was unreasonable. Resting here was right.

But even so.

“Brutal, just brutal.”

The new commander clearly showed she wanted to push harder but was letting them off. Jake, who’d been cursing with his eyes while looking at the commander with an expression that said “what do you want me to do about it,” just shut his mouth. 

Through long experience, he knew well that the scarier thing than the Knight Order’s regular survival training, scarier than his own wife, was that red-haired woman right in front of him. Was she just scary? 

She was brutal and fierce too.

Jake glanced at Ian.

When consciousness flowed like this, Ian always finished it. How could he stick by her side like that? For over twenty years.

Alex, who caught on like a ghost to his wandering attention, casually threw out her closing words.

“You’ll all handle guard duty well on your own, and we’re leaving before sunrise tomorrow, so tell them to sleep well.”

“…Yes. Understood.”

He’d subtly conveyed the subordinate knights’ hardships and timidly raised objections about the schedule, but there were no changes. As expected, exaggeration and such didn’t work on Alex. 

Jake struck his chest once with his fist with a gloomy expression and left the tent.

“Aren’t you pushing too hard on the first day?”

At Ian’s words, Alex raised an eyebrow. Fierce eyes shot toward Ian.

“Go tell Kosten. Ask them why they had to crawl in today of all days.”

“I’ll talk to them tomorrow.”

Ian nodded. At his calm words, Alex burst out laughing. Her golden eyes crinkled shut, and the corners of her smiling mouth rose refreshingly.

“By ‘talk’ you mean flying off their heads without warning?”

“I’m not the only one who does that.”

“Who, me?”

“There are people like that.”

Ian gathered up the map and documents. Ian stretched his arms up over his head and yawned, then gave a brief glance at Alex, who was looking at the map again. 

Feeling his gaze, Alex immediately raised her head. Though he hid it with a plain expression, his face looked like he had something to say. Watching him not open his mouth, Alex asked.

“What?”

“…Sleep well.”

Ian’s white hair disappeared through the opening tent flap.