Eric, a former member of the Crimson Flame Knights and now the captain of Ordo’s city guard, was not particularly fond of the life he was born into.

Born to commoner parents, Eric resented the disparity between his life and that of the nobility. While his family struggled to make ends meet, working day by day just to survive, the nobles on their high thrones enjoyed whatever they wanted, even throwing away untouched food when they grew tired of it. If Eric had dared to do such a thing, his father would have beaten him senseless.

It wasn’t just about food, though—houses, clothing, leisure time—everything the nobles had was far more abundant than what was available to commoners.

It was unfair.

But Eric knew that speaking out loud about such things would likely cost him his head, so he bottled up his frustrations. One day, he asked his father a question that had been burning in his mind.

"Father, how can I gain honor and wealth?"

"Honor and wealth? There’s no place like the Crimson Flame Knights for that! The strongest warriors in Grassis gather there, so honor is guaranteed, and they must be paid handsomely to keep them there, right?"

His father’s answer wasn’t a certainty, but rather a hopeful guess.

After all, his father, being a man who struggled to make a living, had no real knowledge of how things worked among the higher-ups. His answer was just based on old stories passed down through generations.

But Eric, captivated by his father’s words, walked straight into hell with open arms.

"Are these the so-called strongest in Grassis?"

Eric knew he had a talent for swordsmanship.

He had started learning later in life, but his ability to quickly master techniques allowed him to catch up with his peers in no time. After a few years, he even managed to defeat the retired mercenary who had taught him.

Granted, his teacher wasn’t exactly well-trained, but that didn’t stop Eric’s confidence from soaring.

His talent was exceptional enough that he easily gained entry into the Crimson Flame Knights.

Once in the order, Eric looked around at the other members.

They were all about the same level as him, or slightly better, and Eric thought to himself:

"If this is the best they’ve got, the commander can’t be all that impressive either."

With that thought in mind, Eric issued a challenge to the commander.

"...Pathetic."

But he never even got to face the commander.

Instead, he was brutally defeated by a young girl who introduced herself as the vice-commander.

Lying on the ground, thoroughly beaten, Eric looked up into a pair of indifferent pink eyes. From that day on, the pain of his defeat was forever etched into his body and his nightmares began.

"Eric, water."

"Eric, food."

"...You can’t fight anymore? Well, that’s understandable. Then fight me."

"I won’t hold back, so you’d better dodge."

"...Huff!"

Sitting in his office, Eric jolted awake, gasping as if he’d just dreamed of falling off a cliff.

Still struggling to calm his racing heart, he glanced around the familiar surroundings of his office and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

"It was just a dream..."

Of all things, he had dreamed about the first time he met the vice-commander.

There were nightmares, and then there was this.

Eric gulped down a glass of cold water, the chill spreading through his body, helping him shake off the lingering drowsiness.

That day, when he had challenged the commander, it wasn’t the commander who appeared before him, but rather a girl who introduced herself as the vice-commander. Eric had seen her around the order a few times, but he had assumed she was just an errand girl or someone’s servant.

Since joining the order, he had never been formally introduced to the vice-commander, and the idea that such a young girl could hold that rank never crossed his mind.

When he asked if the vice-commander was merely the commander’s secretary or assistant, he was told that wasn’t the case. Eric’s shock in that moment was indescribable.

Was it possible that this girl, who looked no older than ten, was stronger than him and the other knights?

He couldn’t believe it. Surely, the others were just going easy on her because she was cute.

It was unfortunate, but since Eric had ambitions of becoming the commander, he had no choice but to shatter her delusions.

I'll go easy on her so she doesn’t get hurt.

What Eric didn’t know then was that it wouldn’t be the girl’s delusions that were shattered—it would be his pride.

"If I’d known, I would never have challenged her…"

After losing to the vice-commander, Eric was treated like a dog.

All because he had arrogantly challenged the commander.

Sure, his skills improved by leaps and bounds as a result, but if he could go back in time, he swore he’d never make the same choice.

"Compared to back then, this is heaven."

Now, there was no vice-commander to bully him, no need to go to war against monsters, dimensional beasts, or imperial forces.

His days were filled with peaceful patrols to maintain public order, and he only had to fight when criminals or monsters appeared.

The old Eric who had once pursued honor and wealth was long gone.

"Another day finished~"

Stretching his stiff body, Eric lazily murmured to himself.

Beep!

"What now?"

A signal blared unexpectedly, making Eric frown.

Feeling annoyed by the interruption to his peaceful routine, he checked the signal.

"A checkpoint?"

Another disturbance?

Scratching his head, Eric answered the call from the checkpoint.

"Yeah, it’s me. What’s going on?"

"Uh, Captain..."

"Don’t stutter, just speak properly."

"Y-yes, sir! We’ve found a suspicious pair! One is an Apostle, and the other is a young girl. The item the girl presented seemed suspicious, so we detained her in the temporary jail... but I think you should come see for yourself."

"What the hell are you talking about... Did someone bribe you?"

"N-no, sir!"

"It’s a joke. Don’t take it so seriously, you’re making me feel awkward."

What was this guy’s name again... Ah, Garrett.

A diligent worker with no sense of flexibility, there was no way Garrett would take a bribe.

"Yaaawn... Alright, I’m on my way. Wait for me."

"Yes, sir!"

Disconnecting the call, Eric grabbed his equipment and headed out of his office.

On his way to the checkpoint, he lazily waved off the salutes of his subordinates, arriving to find Garrett already waiting for him.

"Captain!"

"Let’s skip the formalities. I want to finish quickly and go home, so get to the point."

"We received... this."

"...What the hell? The royal emblem of Grassis?"

Why is this here?

The sight of the small token bearing the Grassis royal family’s emblem sent a cold shiver down Eric’s spine, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him.

Something... something about this felt wrong.

He could’ve dismissed it as just a gut feeling, but Eric had survived countless battlefields by trusting his instincts.

"...Hold on. Who gave this to you?"

"The young girl."

"What did she look like?"

"She was... cute, like a noble’s daughter. She’ll definitely break some hearts when she grows up."

"...Did she have pink hair?"

"Uh, yes, she did."

"And her eyes? Were they pink as well?"

"Yes, sir, they were."

By now, Garrett had picked up on the fact that something was off.

"...Do you know her, sir?"

Garrett’s tone of respect for the girl had changed.

Eric’s face had gone completely pale.

"...Where is she now?"

"She’s in the temporary jail."

At Garrett’s words, Eric instinctively glanced over at the checkpoint.

Thankfully, the building was still intact. Nothing had been destroyed yet.

"Garrett."

"Yes, sir?"

"Tell no one about what happened today. And..."

Eric, looking like he had aged ten years in an instant, gave a final word of advice.

"Please... learn to be more flexible."

With that heartfelt plea, Eric walked into the checkpoint, his expression eerily reminiscent of the young man who had once opened the gates of hell for himself.

 
   *  *  *
   

"Kana, take this."

"...What is it?"

"If anyone ever bothers you or tries to mess with you... show them this. It’ll settle things cleanly."

"Hmm..."

...Garid, you liar.

Cleanly, my foot. This has only made things more complicated.

Or maybe I used it in a way Garid didn’t intend, and that’s why things turned out this way...

I sighed as I looked at the iron bars in front of me.

...No.

Let’s be honest here.

I was being stupid.

Trying to avoid a small hassle without thinking about the bigger consequences has only brought more trouble.

This really shows how impatient I am...

As I reflected on my past actions, I suddenly pouted in frustration.

But seriously...

Is locking me up really the right response, though?

It’s not like the people in Ordo don’t know Grannic. They could’ve at least heard me out!

I knew showing the royal emblem might cause issues, but I didn’t expect to be thrown in jail right off the bat...

I never liked going out like Garid did, so I hadn’t used the token even once since receiving it. I had no idea something like this would happen.

Usually, when the royals or nobles called for me—well, even then, only if it was absolutely necessary—I’d come out, and since they knew who I was, there was never a need to show the token.

I don’t want to cause a scene...

But staying quietly in jail? That’s even worse.

Hmm...

"As long as I don’t cause trouble for others, it should be fine."

I knocked on the iron bars to test their durability and nodded to myself.

Yeah, let’s do it that way.

Some people might be inconvenienced by me breaking out, but that’s not really my concern. After all, "health comes first" just means as long as I don’t get hurt, everything’s fine, right?

I gripped the iron bars with both hands and began to gather mana when—

Thud thud thud!

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed as someone barged through the door to the checkpoint.

Bang!

"Commander! Please wait!"

"...Commander?"

There weren’t many people who would call me by that title...

"Oof!"

The man who had called me "commander" stumbled and nearly fell as he rushed toward me, but he managed to make his way to the front of my cell.

Finally getting a clear look at him, I recognized who it was.

"Hey there, weakling."

"It’s Eric, not weakling! What are you doing in here, Commander?!"

"They locked me up, so I’m in here."

Like I’d voluntarily come here.

As I casually responded, Eric clutched his head, rummaging through his pockets to pull out a key, which he used to unlock the cell.

Creaaak.

"Are you sure you can just let me out?"

"You wouldn’t stay locked up quietly anyway, would you?"

Well, he had a point.

I stepped out of the cell and sat down in the chair Eric offered.

"Do you have any idea how shocked I was when you suddenly disappeared after the war and then showed up out of nowhere?"

"I don’t."

"...I wasn’t really asking."

Eric slumped into the chair opposite me, letting out a long sigh.

It hadn’t even been a few years since I last saw him, but his face had aged noticeably, as if a lot had happened.

As far as I knew, Eric wasn’t that old.

Pity...

"It’s all because of you, Commander!"

"...Me?"

"Yeah! You’d always make me fetch water, bring food, run errands... and if we encountered monsters, you’d kick me into the fray, telling me to fight faster. And just when I thought I could finally rest, you’d call me over just to beat me up!"

Eric, looking like he was about to cry, began pouring out all his pent-up frustrations.

I listened quietly for a while, then nodded.

"Yeah, I see."

"...That’s it?"

"What kind of reaction were you expecting?"

"...Never mind," he sighed again, realizing that expecting anything different from me was foolish.

But listening to him made me feel a bit wronged, too.

If anyone overheard this, they’d think I was some horrible, tyrannical commander.

"You agreed to the chores, didn’t you?"

When Eric challenged Garid and ended up fighting me instead, we made a deal.

If he won, I’d hand over the commander position.

But if I won, he would do whatever tasks I gave him without complaint.

He had agreed, knowing full well the stakes, so why was he bringing it up now?

"Ugh, well, yeah, but still..."

"And I kicked you because you were too scared to fight."

"..."

"And the reason I called you on your days off was because you were getting too cocky."

Even after I beat him once, he still hadn’t fully learned his place, so I had to discipline him.

After a few more rounds, he finally started to drop the attitude.

"If you hadn’t challenged Garid, I wouldn’t have bothered with you."

Why’d he have to go after a sick man?

Eric looked guilty.

"W-well, I didn’t know he was sick at the time... If I’d known, I wouldn’t have done that!"

"Sounds like something you’d do."

"Hey! I’m not that reckless!"

"Hmm..."

"I’m serious!"

Eric jumped up, waving his arms defensively as I eyed him skeptically.

Well, if you say so, I thought with a shrug.