Chapter 43: Impact

I was given a room to stay in a separate residence located within the grounds owned by the ducal house.
Richard was provided with a room in the lodgings for knight order members.

It had only been a few days since I began spending time under the duchess’s wing.
I wonder if Richard is settling in well.

“Electra, this is the knight order’s training ground.”
“Yes, Lady Katalina.”

Even though this was a knight order owned by a ducal house, only those responsible for guarding the residence and protecting the duke and duchess were stationed in the capital.
Most of the knights should normally be in the ducal territory itself.

The Kingdom of Lance, while not as extreme as the forests of Grandra, is still a land where magical beasts appear deep within the woods.
The same is true for neighboring countries.
Because of that, each lord is permitted to maintain an appropriate fighting force—in other words, knights.
However, the scale of that force is generally proportional to the rank of the title.
A baronial house can only maintain, at most, a handful of knights.
A ducal house, on the other hand, has enough numbers to form units and still have surplus even after dispatching them to several locations.
Incidentally, the margrave’s house occupies a special position, so there is no limit on the number of knights it may maintain.

Even if there is no formal limit, knights are still human beings, and maintaining them costs money.
That means excess is still impossible.

“It feels very lively.”
“Does it still look that way to you, even after seeing the frontier knight orders?”
“Yes.
They seem full of motivation.”

I searched for Richard among those participating in the training.
I found him almost immediately.
His presence just feels different.
An aura, an aura.
Is this just my bias as his fiancée?
Fufu.

As I watched Richard throwing himself earnestly into training, my heart danced, even as I kept my outward appearance properly composed.
After all, I think he looks the strongest and most dependable of them all.

I ended up watching the training for a while together with Lady Katalina.
One of her maids held a parasol for us, but… well.
I am indeed of viscountial birth and technically a noble, but lately I have been acting as a sister.
Given all those circumstances, being treated so respectfully by a ducal maid makes me feel rather self-conscious.

“…Very well.
Shall we have Sir Claudius show us his ability?”
“His ability?”
“Yes.
Call Ronan.”

When Lady Katalina instructed her maid, a man named Ronan came over.
Since he had been directing the training, he was probably the knight order’s commander.
That assumption turned out to be correct.

“Electra, this is Sir Ronan Fanburg.
He is a senior knight and serves as the ducal house’s knight commander.
Ronan, this is my friend, Electra Vent, a viscount’s daughter.
She is Sir Claudius’s fiancée.”
“I am Ronan Fanburg, Lady Vent.
I serve as knight commander.”
“I am Electra Vent, Sir Fanburg.
It is an honor to meet you.”

As we exchanged greetings, Lady Katalina conveyed her request.
As a result, a special mock battle was arranged to assess Richard’s strength.

“You may choose the opponent as you see fit, Ronan.
If the difference is too great, someone might get hurt.”
“…In that case, I suppose I should take the field myself.”
“Oh my.”

For someone serving as the ducal house’s knight commander to make that judgment of Richard spoke volumes.
Those who understand, understand.
Unlike a certain other house’s knight commander.
Well, perhaps that one recognized Richard’s ability as well.
Which was why jealousy led him to deliberately cause an injury… though I do not know the full truth.

“Then let it be a duel between Ronan and Sir Claudius.
I want you to show as much of your true ability as possible.
Of course, with no injuries on either side.”

Preparations for their match began.
I approached Richard while he was getting ready and spoke to him.
Instead of his usual sword, he seemed to be borrowing two wooden swords for the fight.

“Richard, please don’t get hurt.”
“Yes.
Thank you, Ellen.
I will show my ability here.”
“Do your best.”

When I cheered him on, he smiled and accepted it.
It was far more reassuring to watch than when he went off to fight magical beasts.

And then the match began.

Sir Fanburg made the first move.
He raised his wooden sword and struck at Richard.
Rather than blocking it head-on, Richard deflected the attack.
His fighting style used two swords.
Against a two-handed opponent, he avoided direct clashes of strength, dodging or redirecting attacks before transitioning into his own offense.
That flowed into consecutive strikes from his dual-wielding style.

…The sight of it was like watching a dance.
A sword dance combining power, elegance, and fluid grace, leaving the opponent thrown off by its irregularity.

It might be even more effective against humans than against magical beasts.
Few knights fight that way.

The knights themselves may not think about it much, but even a single sword is quite heavy.
Wielding two requires considerable strength.

Richard did it effortlessly.
His build is sturdy, but not dramatically different from the other knights.
Where does all that power come from… well, he is sturdy, yes, but still.

I have already proven that magic can be used to strengthen the body.
Magical power is not something only healers possess.
There are no people in this country who can use the sort of offensive magic found in storybooks, but still.

Come to think of it, perhaps knights unconsciously reinforce their bodies with magic.
Maybe Richard excels at that as well.

“Hah!”
“Ghk!”

The match tilted in Richard’s favor.
It had been the same with the margrave’s knight order.
Could it be that Richard is the strongest knight in the kingdom…?

The rumors make it sound as if I am the central figure, but Richard alone is already worthy of the title “Holy Knight,” is he not…?

Well, my fiancé might simply be too strong.

“Haaaaah!”

With a sharp cry, the wooden sword swung down and knocked Sir Fanburg’s weapon from his hands.
Richard’s victory.
While I was overjoyed inside, I restrained myself to polite applause in consideration of Lady Katalina and the ducal knights.

Judging from the expressions of the knight order members, they did not seem resentful that their commander had lost.
They appeared genuinely impressed and full of admiration.

It had been the same with the margrave’s knights.
This knight order has a good atmosphere as well.

“Splendid.
…An ability beyond reproach, Sir Claudius.”
“Thank you, Commander Fanburg.”

After the match, the two shook hands firmly.
It had been a refreshing bout.
Then, after returning their wooden swords, they came back to us.

“His ability is more than sufficient, milady.”
“So it seems.
And as for his character, the Margrave of Grandra already guarantees that.”

I nearly smiled too broadly at the high praise Richard was receiving, but I held it in.
Still, we exchanged quick glances, silently communicating.
‘Might this work?’
‘Not yet,’ and so on.

“If he has fought on the frontier, that alone counts as experience against magical beasts.
If the margrave recommends him, there is little need to test him further.”
“Yes, I understand.
That was my intention from the beginning.”

One cannot casually grant a title equivalent to a count.
Caution is only natural, yet Lady Katalina and Sir Fanburg were quite favorable.

“…However.”

At Lady Katalina’s pause, we both listened closely.

“There’s just one thing lacking… impact.”
“…Excuse me?”

What did she just say?

“Of course, with ability, character, and backing, he can become a senior knight.
But he’s someone already being called a ‘Holy Knight,’ you know?
In that case, wouldn’t it be better for him to accomplish something big and flashy, to really give him prestige?
If he simply becomes a senior knight quietly, society will just go, ‘Oh, I see,’ and that will be the end of it.
Isn’t there something with better publicity value…?”

Lady Katalina’s line of thinking went far beyond what we had anticipated.