"The Knights' speculation”
"So, what do you have to say for yourself, Julius the Knight?
In the darkened room with no sunlight, that low-pitch voice sounded rather heavy.
The place is the barracks of the knight's order adjacent to the royal castle. It is a room that is far away from the main facilities such as the chambers, and the smell of ink is more prominent than the smell of iron - the commander's office at the far end of the building.
The number of furnishings in the room is minimal, reflecting the temperament of the room's owner, and despite its martial appearance, books occupy a somewhat larger percentage of the shelves.
"No, there's nothing. Everything is as you reported it."
In the center of the large room, on the desk used for office work, a young man stood upright in front of the desk and responded to the question while running his quill over a document.
The beautiful man with carefully arranged pale bluish purple hair stretched out the sleeves of his white attire, which showed no trace of the incident, and lightly snapped the hilt of the knight's sword at his waist.
"I will not complain if I am judged to have behaved in a manner unbecoming of a knight of the Kingsguard. Please do as you wish, Commander."
Removing the sword from his waist, Julius held it out in front of him as if to offer it.
The middle-aged man who sits in the chair with the attitude as strong as a rock - Marcos, closes one eye at the neatness of the situation and said “You can keep it”
"You detained one of the people involved in the discussion of the royal election to determine the throne of the kingdom. Then you took them out to the battlefield, beat them up, and sent them to a sanitarium. If you see it that way, it is not an ordinary punishment”
Marcos shrugs his shoulders as he recounts the actions of the man in front of him, the knight who was called “The Finest Knight”
--A mock battle between the knight Julius and Emilia's attendant, Natsuki Subaru.
The actual content may or may not have been in accordance with that, but the general outline was known to Marcos. If you want to talk about it in a simplified way, it's exactly as he said before, and Marcos is smart enough to be able to guess other factors.
"There is room for extenuating circumstances. Even the other knights in the barracks have come up with several petitions in defense of your actions."
"What a waste."
"I see what I need to see, that's all. But you've gone a little overboard."
He threw the stack of petitions on the desk, tapped the cover, and stared at Julius with his gray eyes.
"A shattered right wrist, ruptured internal organs. Multiple broken ribs, a crushed throat, a split forehead, and several missing front teeth - if it weren't for a good water magic user, this would be a disaster. It is not a behavior that can be tolerated by a follower of His Eminence.”
Marcos arrived at the scene at the same time as the candidates, and he only witnessed the last round.
But even with all that, the boy was still wounded, and it was Marcos himself who ordered the unconscious boy to be taken to the sanitarium and ordered Ferris to make the utmost effort.
Seeing the extent of the boy's injuries up close, it was easy to see whether it was at the level of a mock battle or beyond it.
"Was it so hard to forgive something that disgraced a knight's pride?"
"No matter how you put it, it's just a personal grudge. It's all my own fault. Please, Commander, don't say any more."
Julius blocked his own escape route and was determined to take his punishment.
Marcos' gaze wandered in the air as if he was slightly pondering what to say to this stubborn stance.
And that's when it happened.
"Here I am. Ferri-chan's back!."
A chestnut-colored maidenly breeze entered the room with a lighthearted attitude that did not follow the mood of the place in a good or bad way.
It was a visit from Ferris, a beautiful boy with semi-long hair and bright white ribbons, and even brighter furry cat ears.
He entered the room in a casual manner, and when he saw Julius and Marcos staring at each other, he put his hand over his mouth and smiled bewitchingly.
"Well, well, well... did Ferri-chan interrupt something? Did I misread the atmosphere and interrupt a passionate session?
"Stop talking nonsense and make your report. You're an idiot."
"Oh, Commander. What was that?"
Marcos muttered with his hand on his forehead, and he looked bitter at that attention from Ferris.
Ferris' overly normal demeanor distracted him and he couldn't help but show his true colors.
Ferris loosened his cheeks in amusement as he saw the reluctance run across his sturdy, rock-like face.
"It's nice to have a Commander who's a little rough around the edges like that, isn't it? You're so polite in public, you should at least show yourself when you can take off the mask of a public figure."
"In front of subordinates, you should normally be a public figure. ...... Ah, it sounds ridiculous now. Anyway, report.”
He waved his hand curtly in encouragement, and Ferris finally complied with a "yes He lined up next to Julius, who stood upright, his shoulders relaxed naturally, unlike him who straightened his back.
"As per the Commander's order, I've given Subaru-kyun the full treatment he deserves. The bones have been grafted and the wound has been closed, and the missing parts have been put back, I diagnose that he will be fine. Oh, I'll bring back the blood by alternative means, though."
"Good work. No wounds, right?"
"If Ferri-chan can overlook it, no one in King's Landing will be able to find it. The wounds on the body are not a problem. I don't know about his heart, though."
Shaking his cat ears, Ferris looked across at Julius' face as he said this. He saw that there was no emotional turmoil there at all, and nodded in satisfaction.
"But Julius is really kind. How many girls' hearts have you captured with your care and thoughtfulness? Felli-chan is going to get jealous."
"I don't understand the intent of your statement, Ferris. And as for the second half of what you just said, I respectfully refrain."
The chuckling Ferris puckered his lips and said, "Don’t be mean" Julius, who closed his eyes, kept his initial attitude.
Marcos liked this attitude, but he couldn't help but think that it was also a dangerous way to behave.
As if to give voice to Marcos' thoughts.
"It's not that hard, but the girls who have good instincts have noticed, and the ones who haven’t were amazed too. And also..."
Playing with the pure white ribbon with his fingertips, Ferris seductively licked his lips with his red tongue.
"It's a shame that Ferri-chan and the Commander seem to be such airheads that they don't realize the true meaning of Julius' actions.”
"I can't get over how thoughtful you are, ....... It makes me feel like a fool for trying so hard."
In response to Ferris' question, Julius's expression finally broke the ice. There was a helpless smile on his face, as if he were a child whose scheme was discovered, but it soon disappeared.
"I just want you to be careful with your words. The way you are talking, you might end up hurting my friend's reputation.”
"Ferri-chan thinks you're being too overprotective. Children need to be exposed to a little pain to grow up.”
"His straightforwardness is not wrong. There will come a day when the sword will play a role in his back as a guide. When you think about that, you shouldn't do anything unnecessary.”
"Ferri-chan thinks that's overprotective”
"But there's nothing we can do about it,"
Ferris smiled at Julius, who didn't budge on his theory, and with a leisurely movement, threw himself onto the parlor couch.
Julius raised an eyebrow at his disheveled sitting gesture, but even that small reaction was enough to spice up his teasing
"Julius is the kind of person who would go out of your way to help a boy he just met for the first time today. That's why you're so lenient with your relatives, isn't it?
"I wasn’t being nice to him. In fact, I've been harsher than usual."
“Yes, yes, everyone in the audience was quite scared. Julius beat him so hard...... thanks to you we don’t have to worry about keeping everyone under control”
Julius chuckled at Ferris, who closed one eye and smiled a nasty smile.
Marcos, who had been silently listening to their conversation, pulled his chin up.
"I'm sure the younger knights were pretty tense about that kid who insulted the status of the knights in the hall. The knights of the Kingsguard are all guaranteed to be very prideful."
The fact that it was a royal election, an occasion that shook up the national government, saved the knights from exploding with the frustration that had built up in their hearts.
But that means that when they leave, there is always the risk that it could explode again at any moment.
"If the bloodthirsty knights had demanded an apology, I don't think the young man would have accepted it. At worst, he could have been executed for his rudeness”
"That's why Subaru-kyun needed to be beaten by a knight earlier."
Ferris, who had taken over Marcos' words and concluded, pointed at Julius.
Then he used the same finger to point to the ceiling , as if to show his appreciation.
"In fact, I was thinking that if Julius didn't do it, then I would have to.”
"I was just the right person in the right place, you know?. You can't just appoint yourself as a witness, can you? And I had a good reason to do it."
He is referring to the petty arguments at the king's election.
As much as there was a feud, no one would question that Julius would invite the boy to the training ground in the form of a personal grudge.
"And, if I may say so, I was confident that I could do it best.”
"Oh, Ferri-chan agrees with you on that. In my case, I wouldn’t have been able to do much”
When it came to the topic of sword skills, Ferris stuck out his tongue and laughed, as if he was trying to hide his embarrassment.
He has unrivalled skills in magic, especially water, and he was given the nickname of “Blue” because of them. But on the other hand, in actual combat, he is one of the weakest in the Kingsguard. It is possible that he is the weakest of them all.
Julius, who bears the name of "Finest Knight", is the highest rank even among the knights as long as sword skill is accounted for. There are other superhumans whose fighting prowess is ridiculous by comparison, and there are those around him who are concerned that his prowess is not being given the recognition it deserves.
"I think Julius is right when it comes to taking care of lowly people. That's why I usually tell you to swing your sword more."
“What if I sweat so much swinging my sword that I get blisters on Ferri-chan's white, translucent palms? Will you take responsibility?"
"Don't worry about that when you're a knight who makes his living with a sword."
Marcos sighed in amazement and Ferris’ attitude . Then he looked at Julius with wrinkles on his face, which was without emotion.
“I know what your way of thinking is, and I’m not blind to the fact that it was necessary. But what's done is done.”
Marcos tells him crisply, despite agreeing with him.
Julius stared respectfully at this attitude of not mixing private and public life, and tightened his thin face as if to warn himself of his slight laxity.
"Knight Julius Juukulius, I sentence you to be punished.”
"I respectfully submit."
"You are under house arrest for five days and are forbidden to go to the barracks or the royal castle. During this time, I will keep your sword. As soon as your house arrest is lifted, go and pick it up at the Deputy Commander's."
"…I'll take care of it.”
He meditated as if examining what he had been told, and then, with a fluid motion, Julius reverently offered his removed knight's sword and handed it to Marcos, who held out his hand.
Receiving the knight's sword, the pride of a knight himself, Marcos slid his fingers over the black-painted scabbard to check its weight.
"I'm sorry. I'm putting you in a position you shouldn't be in.
His expression did not change. However, there was a definite note of concern in his voice.
In response, Julius gives a small shake of his head.
"The Commander is doing the best he can. The Order of the Kingsguard, which once fell apart, is still strong and valiant today because of the Commander."
"I can’t even keep my men in line. It's shallow to think I could do something like that."
"That's not true, Commander."
Marcos continued to sound angry at himself, and it was Ferris, who had been silently watching the proceedings, who countered.
He spun himself around on the couch and sat back down, his cat eyes and ears flicking happily.
"It's not possible for everyone to get along, and the leader has a firm grip on the reins. And then, at the end of the reins held by the leader, Ferri-chan and Julius struggle, and at the end of the reins held by Ferri-chan and the others, someone else struggles.”
"Isn't that how it is?" Ferris tilted his head to look up at Marcos. At the words of praise and encouragement from his men, Marcos closed one eye, then bared his teeth in a coarse smile worthy of a roughneck.
"I can’t keep my men in line, I mean, you don't even dress properly, do you?”
"It's not the first time Ferri-chan has been dressed like this.”
Snickering at Ferris' tongue-in-cheek antics, Marcos politely laid Julius' knight's sword on the desk and sat back in his chair.
"That's all I have to say. I also have many miscellaneous matters to take care of in preparation for the election of the king. I order you to leave the room."
The change of tone signaled the end of the time that Marcos could spare.
Sensing this, Julius reverently and Ferris briefly, but both with equal respect, saluted their superiors.
They both turned away and walked out of the Commander's office, leaving Marcos to watch them with a silent chuckle.
The door closes and Marcos is left alone in the tranquil space. His lips pursed.
"This can’t go on like this.”
Those words did not reach the two of them as they left the room.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After leaving the commander's office, the young man and the beautiful boy wind up side by side in the hallway of the office.
The two beautiful figures standing side by side looked like a piece of art, and the fact that one of them appeared to be a girl dressed as a man was a meaningful factor that stirred the imagination of the viewer.
Anyway.
"The Commander is so inflexible. If he could see what's going on behind the scenes, you should be acquitted, right?"
“It doesn't work that way for me or the Commander. I was expecting a more serious punishment, and I was rather warmly received by the Commander."
Soothing the disgruntled Ferris, Julius thought about the punishment that had been meted out to him. But a faint tinge of reluctance crept into his neat face.
"Although I'm a little nervous about having to meet the Deputy Commander.”
"Oh, that was really scary, wasn't it? When Ferri-chan heard about it, he was so shocked. I thought it was amazing that Julius didn't show it on his face.”
Without so much as a whisper, the two men talk about their boss, the vice commander. Julius, who would normally be on the side of condemning Ferris' words and actions, now only smiles wryly and does not try to correct him.
That's all you need to know of the man - or rather, the Kingsguard's Deputy commander.
"So, what's Julius going to do now?"
"Naturally, I'll follow the Commander's orders and stay at the mansion. I've explained the situation to Anastasia-sama, and ...... I'm concerned about what she’s got to say about it.”
“I know how you feel. Ferri-chan's place is also always nervous because he doesn't know what kind of things Crusch-sama will do. But that kind of unpredictability is the dangerous charm of Crush-sama..."
Ferris' cheeks are stained with love in the latter half of the sentence, in sympathy with the languid Julius. He thrusts his fingers into Julius' chest with an enraptured face and makes a circular motion.
While listening to Ferris' love story, Julius suddenly realized that he had been letting Ferris do whatever he wanted to do.
"By the way, Ferris, about him earlier..."
"Lady Emilia is with us now. It’s just for a while but...... they will stay at the Karsten family mansion."
Before all the questions were asked, Ferris' reply came out of his mouth with the warmth gone from his voice.
Ferris looked up closely at Julius, who kept his mouth shut, and laughed,
"Julius is really kind, isn't he? Or should I say, knightly?"
"It's a great honor to be called that. Why is he staying with the Karsten family?"
"Ferri-chan thinks it's not a good idea to divulge too much of a patient's personal information.”
Ferris dodged the question with a teasing gesture. However, Julius found something in his casual reply that convinced him, and muttered, "I knew it.”
"I knew there were too many suspicious things going on, but it seems his gate is quite exhausted."
"...... I haven’t told you anything though.”
At Ferris' attitude, Julius nods in affirmation.
In fact, if he combines Ferris' word "patient" with the uncomfortable feeling Julius himself had for Subaru, he can easily imagine the background.
And the conclusion that the brilliant Julius came up with was.
"Lady Emilia really does have a tendency to take a loss."
There must be a better way to live, Julius thought.
There must be a more obvious way to reward and show it. But she did not know it, and it was not her day to know it.
And it is a dangerous and fragile way of walking that can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication, both for the giver and the receiver.
"I wish I could live in a smarter way. ......, don’t you agree?"
At Julius' monologue, Ferris asks a testing question.
In response, Julius pondered for a moment and then shook his head, "No.
"Because you live this way, you can stay as precious and beautiful as you are. I don't think you want it to change. That’s why.......”
He was about to continue, but Julius shut his mouth, saying that would be tactless.
Some things don't need to be said. And that was probably what Ferris was getting at. He understood Julius' hesitation and touched his own cat ears.
"What do you think will happen?"
"We don't know what the future holds. All we can do is hope that everyone can live rightly and unashamedly."
Looking up and forward, Julius resumes his march.
He lagged behind, following half a step behind next to him, while Ferris leaned forward with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Is she in there too?"
"Everyone is, Ferris. For it is for this that we carry our swords."
Will it break, Julius wondered.
If it's going to break, he thinks it would be better if it broke here.
But if it doesn’t
"It's not bad to cross swords with an idealistic fool like that every once in a while."
Taking in Julius' words, Ferris gave a small chuckle.
Julius raised his eyebrows at the reaction and made a quizzical expression. Ferris made a face as if he had seen something even more interesting in Julius' face.
"Even if Julius thinks that way, I think Subaru is thinking that he doesn't want to go through this again. When he was beaten up so openly..."
He put his hand over his mouth, but he couldn't hide his smile.
"I know you had a lot on your mind, but were you still a little pissed off?"
Julius was about to reflexively say, "That's outrageous," when he suddenly thought back to his own mind.
The behavior in the hall that was out of respect for the occasion, and the numerous outbursts in the drill hall. He could see the results of these actions, and the faces of the people who were forced to bear the brunt of them.
"That's outrageous, Ferris. I'm a knight, and I've taken it upon myself to be one."
With a graceful shake of his head and his palm to his chest, Julius looked straight into Ferris' eyes as they stood side by side, saying that there was no shame in what he had done.
"I was only slightly irritated."
"Ferri-chan did a lot of that, though.”
They both exchange a smile, as if we had just exchanged the biggest joke of all.
Then, as they approached the entrance of the office, they faced each other again and held out their hands to each other, shaking them firmly
"Well, it will be a while. I sincerely hope that you and your Lord are in good health."
"Julius, Anastasia will probably give you a hard time, but good luck. The rest of what Julius has done…well, I’ll take it over from here”
Unwinding his handshake, Ferris shook his hand with a fluttering motion and walked comfortably out of the chambers.
As Julius watched him go, he looked at his friend - and enemy - in the distance
"The throne will be taken by Lady Anastasia."
"Hmm, Master Crusch is the one who deserves the throne."
After exchanging such declarations of war, the knights returned to their respective masters
The red sunlight pouring down from the evening sky offered equal color to the two people who were parting, and to all the people living in the royal capital
--The king's election was about to begin.