“I wouldn’t mind.”

“Don’t be okay with that!”

He shouted so loudly that his throat hurt. Lea simply shrugged her shoulders, seemingly without a care. Normally, people should dislike having their butt looked at, right?

He really wondered what kind of life Lea had lived. Curious, yet not wanting to know, Allen spoke with a sense of resignation.

“Vice Commander, I’m just tired right now.”

“Didn’t you say earlier that something fell?”

“I lay down because something fell, but now that I’m down here, I realize I’m tired.”

“What does that even mean?”

The corner of Lea’s mouth twitched. She seemed to find his words amusing. Fair enough—even he thought what he just said made no logical sense. But why did she have to laugh again? In this situation, he noticed the small dimple on Lea’s cheek. Allen rolled his eyes and looked away from her.

“Anyway, if you’ve got what you came for, leave.”

“Yes, understood.”

Lea stood up.

And then,

“What are you two doing right now…?”

F*ck.

James, who had appeared without notice, stood at the doorway with eyes that had seen something they shouldn’t have.

The commander lying flat next to the vice commander.

Allen wished he could pretend to be dead.

“The commander says he’s tired.”

“Does that make any sense? Wait, tired? Could it be…!”

“No. It’s not like that.”

Allen quickly spoke before James could say anything. How did all the knights here think in the same perverted way?

James, with utter disrespect, looked down at Allen with eyes wide as earthquakes. He was staring precisely at Allen’s b*ttocks and hands.

「The vice commander… finally pounced on the commander.」

“It’s not like that, I said.”

Where exactly was he looking to have such an obscene thought?

Besides, if anyone would pounce, it would be him…

‘Why would I pounce on the vice commander!’

Allen removed his hand from his groin and pulled at his hair.

“Commander, what exactly isn’t it that you keep denying?”

“If it’s not, then it’s not.”

“Why are you pulling your hair? You’ll mess up your hairstyle.”

“Just… everyone please leave.”

There could be no greater humiliation in the world. Even after the two knights left, Allen couldn’t get up for several minutes.

* * *

“Vice Commander, what happened earlier?”

“What?”

Lea had returned to her expressionless state and spoke indifferently. James watched her and thumped his own chest.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know!”

“The commander said he was tired. What do you want me to do about it?”

“I’m asking why the commander was tired.”

“How would I know that?”

James was convinced. Though Lea might not have actually pounced on the commander, she must have done something. Otherwise, there was no way the commander would have been suffering with his b*ttocks slightly raised.

He thought Lea, despite her seemingly ascetic appearance, might be frighteningly aggressive. She was stronger than most male knights. She might even have a hobby of keeping men she liked under her feet.

‘I thought she viewed men as enemies… how big must the commander’s thing be?’

James stopped walking, lost in his own thoughts. Regardless, Lea yawned and headed alone to the training ground, leaving James behind. It had been quite entertaining in the office, but once outside, she felt bored again. She picked up a wooden sword at the training ground and thought of Allen.

Allen, lying face down on the floor with his head turned to the side. His face completely flushed for some reason, rolling his eyes around—honestly, he looked quite cute. Like a shy groom on his wedding night, obediently lying down and even letting out moans.

She could hear his subtle groaning sounds. This was possible because she had ears particularly good at picking up lewd noises.

Lea swung her wooden sword while imagining Allen being devoured by someone. She knew she shouldn’t think such things about her superior, but the thoughts kept coming.

‘Commander… you look too erotic.’

Yes, that was the reason. His black hair slightly covering his forehead, his moist golden eyes, his face that easily turned red. His youthful voice that cracked slightly when tired, and even the way he staggered weakly.

Everything about him was erotic, which made her want to lay him on a bed and do all sorts of things to him.

Though she had erotic fantasies every day, she had never thought about wanting to sleep with someone, but for the first time, Lea wanted to have someone beneath her. Was she crazy for wanting that someone to be the commander?

‘Imagination is free anyway.’

Her concerns didn’t last long. Lea swung her wooden sword a hundred times and ran a hundred laps around the training ground while imagining rolling around in bed with Allen.

Lea didn’t know it, but it was truly fortunate that Allen hadn’t come here.

* * *

While Allen trembled with humiliation, the knights had divided into factions and were having a heated debate about which of the two, Allen or Lea, was more suited for the position of commander.

“Our commander is a war hero.”

“The vice commander is the only knight who survived that war.”

“But in the end, she still lost to the Third Knight Division.”

“Isn’t it impressive that she held out that long against multiple opponents? It’s practically a victory!”

“Our commander would have won immediately!”

In truth, it was closer to a childish argument than a debate.

The First Knight Division had served the Emperor in the capital and had achieved great feats in war, so their pride was considerable. The sudden move to the North was nothing short of a demotion for them.

While they were happy that their commander had received the title of Grand Duke, the North was sadly far from a land flowing with milk and honey. Monsters swarmed in the Border Forest, and the cold region often faced severe winter freezes that turned everything to ice.

The thought of living in such a land from now on made them miss the naturally warm capital. Their dislike grew even stronger when the Northern Knight Division showed hostility toward accepting a new commander.

“If the vice commander had fought properly, she would have easily defeated the Third Knight Division. She only surrendered because the country was already lost.”

“People who didn’t even participate in the war sure talk a lot.”

“What did you say?”

The Northern Knight Division felt the same way about them.

A year ago, when the country fell, the Northern Knight Division had been created as a temporary measure.

After the war ended, the devastated North was overrun with criminals. Fallen nobles were busy fleeing with whatever wealth they had left. The commoners, long oppressed by the nobility, lacked the strength to rise on their own. It was then that the Emperor posted recruitment notices for knights in the North.

This was a strategy devised because no knight division wanted to go to the North while the conquest war was still raging.

The Emperor gathered people to serve temporarily as knights regardless of social status. Many applied, and after various selection processes, the current knight division was formed. Lea, who became their commander because she seemed to lack ambition, diligently protected the Northern territory and captured criminals despite her seemingly indifferent attitude.

Gradually, the Northern lands became more habitable, and the knights who had initially distrusted Lea came to respect her. They believed Lea would surely be recognized for her achievements, rise in status, and become the lord governing the North. They didn’t realize this was merely the kind of thinking commoners would have.

Now, a year later.

The Northern Knight Division had come to understand that those of high status did not easily bestow titles. A Grand Duke had come down from the capital and taken the commander position from Lea.

“You should be grateful for still being a knight at all. Temporary knights should know their place.”

At the words of a First Knight Division member, Jane, who had been part of the Northern Knight Division, trembled with anger, gripping her sword hilt.

Even if temporary, she prided herself on being more knightly than anyone. Having her pride wounded by these capital slackers was too much.

Finally, unable to contain her anger, she gritted her teeth and shouted,

“Fine, then let’s see how well you official knights fight!”

“Do you even know what a sword is? You vagabonds! Do you think all knights are the same?”

A fight was about to break out. The knights’ eyes burned with intensity as they drew their swords. This would be a battle for their pride. Even Tom, who had been fidgeting nervously, reluctantly reached for his scabbard due to the atmosphere.

James rushed in, pushed through the crowd of knights, and stood in the center. All eyes turned to him. Everyone seemed bewildered by his sudden appearance.

James, ignoring their stares, looked around at all the knights and dropped a single remark.

“There’s no need for everyone to fight.”

“Get out of the way, James. You were just as frustrated as we were. Let’s show these capital folks what the North is really like.”

Jane frowned at him. She didn’t want to back down now that things had escalated.

“Who are you to tell us what to do?”

The original First Knight Division members growled, pointing their swords at James. James looked like he had made some decision. With his most serious face ever, he opened his mouth toward the knights.