My Ex-Girlfriend Was Appointed as a Knight Commander. - Chapter 4

That’s how the Commander left. Whether he was there or not didn’t make much difference. Maxim could feel as if his clogged insides had cleared up. With time to spend as he pleased, he quickly grabbed a wooden sword and headed to the training ground.

“Vice Commander… You seem to be in a good mood again today.”
“The Commander left.”
“Yes… Well.”

Maxim, who no longer had to take over the Commander’s duties, was swinging the wooden sword with a carefree expression. Even if the person who succeeded that Commander was his ex-girlfriend, for now, he just wanted to savor the fact that the Commander, who had been nothing but a nuisance, was gone.

Christine was sitting on a bench set up in the corner of the training ground, quietly watching Maxim’s training. Her head moved slightly along with the sword path drawn by the tip of his sword. She had been watching for over an hour, but Maxim was moving his body without taking a break.

“It’s been a while since you’ve swung a sword, right? But you’re doing it for a long time.”
“You’re right… Well, it doesn’t feel like I’ve been swinging it for that long.”
“You were swinging it to the point where it would look like a kid who just got gifted a sword.”
“It’s fun to do it after a long time.”

Maxim briefly stopped the wooden sword and looked at his hand gripping the hilt. His hands, which never had a day for wounds to heal, had already healed, leaving only a few unsightly scars. After coming to the Raven Knight Order, he couldn’t experience real battles. He couldn’t swing his sword until the calluses on his hands burst.

It’s definitely been a while.

Maxim soon grinned and swung his sword again. For now, it was enough just to get the feel of it.

“But why did you suddenly take out the sword?”

Christine asked as if puzzled.

“Are you doing it to look good in front of the new Commander?”

At the words following the question, Maxim flinched.

“Oh, he reacted.”
“No, that’s not it. I have a separate reason. You’ll find out on your own later.”

Maxim quickly stopped Christine, who started teasing him, thinking it was the right time. Christine stroked her chin, saying, “Hmm,” but didn’t pry further about the reason. Maxim began swinging his sword again with concentration. However, that concentration was shattered not long after.

“Uh, Vice Commander.”

A clumsy voice was heard. When Maxim turned his head, he saw a member approaching sluggishly.

The Raven Knight Order members can be divided into two groups: those who are always angry because they can’t accept the reality that they’ve been demoted to this kind of knight order and those who live without any thoughts or concerns.

Usually, the former often becomes the latter after eating some salt in the knight order. Another common point is that both sides are always drunk.

At a glance, the member looked at least five years older than Maxim. He was the type who had no thoughts.

“What is it?”
“The new Commander is coming today, right?”
“Yeah. She’s coming.”

Maxim nodded.

“Is the rumor really true?”
“What rumor?”
“There’s a rumor spreading among the members right now. They say the new Commander is a famous rising star in the Empire…”

The member looked anxious. Maxim hid his desire to click his tongue. He turned the wooden sword and stabbed the tip into the ground.

“It’s true. It seems they’re planning to reorganize the Raven Knight Order this time.”

The member asked in a voice filled with bewilderment.

“But then, what about us who were here before… Are you saying they’ll just discard us?”
“That’s not it.”

Hope glimmered in the member’s expression.

“Then…”
“They’ll probably take the useful ones with them.”

After saying that, Maxim pulled out the wooden sword he had stuck in the ground. The member blankly stared at Maxim, lost for words. Then, he came to his senses and clung to Maxim.

“Uh… Vice Commander, can’t you say something about it?”

Maxim’s face crumpled. The member seemed like someone who had truly lost all pride and dignity. Maxim, who had gotten used to the members’ behavior to the point where he didn’t even get angry at most things, found the member’s remark successfully approaching his ignition point.

“What am I supposed to say? To take all of you with them?”

As Maxim spoke sharply, the member shrank his shoulders and answered.

“They can’t commit such tyranny. Suddenly, to a knight order that was functioning fine…”

Maxim just shrugged his shoulders.

“If you appear useful, that should be enough.”

The member mumbled and tried to protest but gave up. Maxim watched the back of the member as he sluggishly walked away.

“Vice Commander!”

What is it this time? Maxim looked at the member running towards him, out of breath. This guy must be the type who’s always angry.

“Is it true that the knight order is being reorganized this time?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s true.”

The member asked with eyes filled with hope.

“Then…”
“Just swing your sword. Nothing has been decided yet.”

Maxim said that and sent the member back. With the inauguration ceremony, they’ll find out everything soon anyway, so what’s the rush? He could understand their reaction since it was related to their lives as knights, but a cynical feeling took precedence.

‘I’m the same anyway.’

Maxim was self-deprecating. The thought that he was different from those members was ridiculous in itself. Because regardless of any circumstances, it was a fact that he was floundering in the Raven Knight Order just like them.

“Vice Commander, you’re popular today.”

Well, someone like Christine could be considered truly different. Maxim turned his gaze to her. Her deep blonde hair was fluttering in the blowing wind.

“That popularity will only last until today.”

Whoosh.

The wooden sword Maxim was holding cut through the air. An extremely concise downward slash. He narrowed his brows as if dissatisfied and traced the trajectory of the wooden sword in his mind. The sharpness had dulled a lot, Maxim internally evaluated.

It’s ridiculous to stand up now and say he’ll properly act as a knight again. But the embers in his heart were aflame. He thought he had half given up on himself as a knight, but the human heart also held contradictions.

Maxim pondered deeply and suddenly asked Christine, who had been sitting in that spot since he started training and continuously watching him.

“Christine,”
“Yes, Vice Commander?”
“Aren’t you going to train?”

Christine slowly avoided Maxim’s eyes and turned her head.

“Christine doesn’t know such things.”

…Maybe that girl is no different from the other members. Maxim internally revised his evaluation of Christine.

==

The scorching sun was burning the training ground. It was weather signaling the start of full-fledged summer. The thirty members of the Raven Knight Order gathered in the training ground, wearing pitch-black uniforms like the name of the knight order. Of course, only a few had properly worn the outfit according to the regulations. Most of them were standing crookedly with indifferent expressions or unable to hide their anxiety.

Maxim, who stepped forward as the unit commander, didn’t point out their behavior. As the inauguration ceremony approached, the headquarters door behind the training ground opened, and Theodora walked out.

Intimidation.

Maxim realized that Theodora was deliberately emitting her aura. Thanks to that, the volume of the noisy training ground slowly died down.

As always, Theodora was noble. Standing on the podium, she looked around at the thirty knights filling the training ground. Maxim raised his voice and shouted.

“All members, attention!”

The members sloppily assumed the attention posture. Theodora said, “At ease,” and took a step back.

The members stood with their hands behind their backs in a way that showed no unity. Theodora didn’t mind. Her voice, amplified by mana, echoed through the training ground.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Theodora Bening, the newly appointed commander of the Raven Knight Order.”

The members were strangely quiet. The presence Theodora was emitting could shut the mouths of even those rascals.

“The Raven Knight Order was once the sharpest sword of the Empire.”

The members stirred when the “taboo” topic of the Imperial Era was mentioned. Theodora emitted her aura even more, and the members closed their mouths again.

“Now it has fallen into a miserable state… But I believe no one here doesn’t know the glory that the Raven Knight Order once enjoyed.”

Theodora paused for a moment. It was her habit of warning before saying something important.

“The Empire will change the Raven Knight Order. To seize the glory of that time.”

The members who had given up on being true knights and were satisfied with just the given title and drinking, the members who couldn’t control their arrogant nature and caused accidents, and the members who lacked skills, talent, and will all fixed their gazes at once.

“The knight order headquarters will be moved to the frontline, and all personnel will be reassigned.”

As if they had been waiting, the rascals became noisy. Theodora didn’t silence them.

“However,”

She knew the commotion would subside at the next words.

“The existing members also have a chance.”

At the mention of a chance, the members lowered their voices. However, some seemed to have already given up on the mention of moving to the frontline.

“For those who wish, we will hold a selection test.”

It was a cruel thing to say to the dull knights. However, if they didn’t seize this opportunity, they would have no choice but to become adventurers after being expelled from the knight order.

“The test is scheduled to be held tomorrow. Those who do not show up at the headquarters tomorrow morning will be considered to have given up the test.”

Theodora’s unwavering voice was nailed into the ears of all the members like a stake. After scanning them one last time, she finished her inauguration speech.

“That is all. I wish all members the best of luck.”
“…”
“All members, attention!”

The knights clumsily corrected their posture. The inauguration ceremony felt more like reading a verdict than an inauguration speech.

Theodora finished speaking and slowly descended from the podium. The sound of her boots stomping echoed. Maxim was watching her coming down from the podium when their eyes met. He couldn’t even guess what she was thinking right now.

Theodora opened the main gate of the headquarters and went back inside. As the main gate closed with a creaking sound from the hinges, a commotion immediately arose among the members.

“No, damn it, what the hell is this?!”
“Moving the knight order headquarters to the frontline?! Where the hell are we going?”
“It can’t be the uninhabited area, right? If so, I’d rather quit being a knight.”

Maxim immediately ordered the dismissal and changing of clothes, then slipped behind the members who were making a fuss. For the time being, the training ground would become a bustling market. It was obvious that they would annoy him with all kinds of questions.

But they couldn’t find him unless he wished for it.

Maxim turned his steps towards the main building. Even though they were the current Commander and Vice Commander, their relationship was uncomfortable. There was no need to run into each other deliberately. Maxim tried to open the headquarters door, ignoring the roughness he felt inside.

“Vice Commander.”

Maxim’s hand reached for the door leaf, but it stopped. He turned his head toward the direction of the voice that called him.

“Can we talk for a bit?”

Christine’s expression and voice were different from her usual bright appearance. Maxim pretended not to notice her attitude and responded as normal.

“What is it again? If it’s something unnecessary…”
“Vice Commander.”

However, when faced with Christine’s expression, Maxim couldn’t keep a straight face. He let out a long sigh.

“Shall we move to a quieter place?”

Maxim and Christine moved to the backyard.

Christine, who had practically dragged Maxim there, stood still, facing him. He asked her, who was looking at him with a stiff expression. He was determined to play dumb until the end.

“What’s the matter?”

Christine, who shook her head at Maxim, opened her mouth.

“I don’t know if you’ll listen to me even if I say it, Vice Commander.”

After saying that, Christine took a deep breath. As if she was about to say something uncomfortable. Her eyes closed for a moment and then opened.

“The selection test that the Commander just mentioned…”

Christine’s green eyes met Maxim’s golden eyes.

“Just don’t take it.”