The Elemental Sword Demon King
Episode 81: Invitation to Enter the Knights
"Aah?" Eve widened her eyes and was shocked.
Why did he show that expression, even he did not understand why he called out to her.
"What's the problem?"
"No, that...."
"imm?" Kaizo became worried and approached.
Eve, as if she had made a decision about something important, took a deep breath.
"Actually I wanted to ask you something, but...."
"A favor?" Kaizo frowned and asked back.
What flashed through his mind was the incident before he received the mission in Mine City two weeks ago. Eve tries to lurk Kaizo into her team.
Kaizo, who had formed a team with Victoria, clearly rejected it, but now that both of his comrades were unable to participate in the opponent's battle, he might try to scout her once more.
While Kaizo scratched his head as he was troubled, he shook his head. "Eve, I'm sorry, but I can't join you."
"Bu-not that!" Eve's face flushed red as she shouted. It seems he's coming to the wrong conclusion.
"Then?"
"Kaizo, err, do you want to join the Hybrid Knights?"
"Knight?" Kaizo spontaneously asked back at those unexpected words.
Hybrid Knight. An elite student organization that maintains public order and morale of the academy.
(For me to join him, what does this mean?)
Eve looked at Kaizo awkwardly and said, "Err, only until my comrades return, do I want you to help the Knights."
Kaizo recalled the things she talked about with Eve during an additional lecture this morning. As a result of the attack incident the other day, including Eve's two teammates, the seven knights were forced to retreat from the Hybrid Knights.
The Hybrid Knight, who had lost a third of its members, was now in a state of normal dysfunction.
Indeed, as an acquaintance and aside from being someone whose abilities as an elementalist he also understood, Kaizo could understand the reason he wanted to love her.
"Of course, I wouldn't say it's free. As a member of the Knights, you will be paid a decent salary."
"Why me? If you arrange for recruitment, won't there be a lot of girls applying?"
"We are conducting recruitment, but there are practically no applicants. We had gathered people during the period of freshmen entering, but even so, more than half immediately resigned."
"Is that so?"
It seemed that the work of the Hybrid Knights was something bigger than they had imagined.
On top of the dangers, and on top of the so-called job of maintaining the public morals of the academy, there might also be cases where they were viewed with hostility from the other academy students.
"Furthermore, due to the incident of the attack the other day, the trust in the Knights had fallen greatly. Even though we've taken out all the victims, in the end, we can't catch the assailant." Eve bit her lips looking annoyed.
"I put forward a mission to capture Noah Alnest with a plan of reversing such judgment against the Knights, but the result was miserable suffering. If you all don't help at that time, we will definitely be annihilated."
His reddish-brown pupils became wet and slightly trembled. Without hesitation, Eve held back the voice of criticism aimed at the Knights all along.
Of course he endured it alone without anyone he could ask for advice. Because it was the captain's duty, and he cursed himself.
(So, she felt insecure. He must have been scared because he felt uncomfortable with what people thought of the Hybrid Knight.)
It was the responsibility and the heavy pressure that came with the position as captain. There should have been a voice of doubt raised on him, an elementary school student, who served as captain.
He did himself strictly for the sake of maintaining the order of the academy and might even make enemies. He had also been holding back those sounds by demonstrating his abilities so far. However, that trust was starting to falter now.
Moreover, his teammates and colleagues were always supporting him. Rin and Misha are also not present right now.
(She is also a girl who is not yet seventeen years old.)
Covered by her knight's shoulder plate was the slender shoulder of the girl. How much heavy pressure he carried on his shoulders, Kaizo could see it clearly.
"Actually I'm scared," Eve looked down as she said that.
"Can I do the right thing as a knight? Am I abusing the authority of the Knights and just suppressing the people I have to protect with force?"
Her blue twintail hair swayed in the breeze. It was almost like revealing Eve's heart.
"I want help" he didn't say that. That must be the last strand of his pride.
Kaizo looked at him troubledly, he then said, "I understand. Just until they both get back, right?"
"W-is that okay? Really true?" Eve opened her reddish-brown eyes.
To be honest, he didn't think that he would be a match for things like Knights guarding public morals.
Moreover, if he were to consider about the Sword Style Festival that was coming in a few more weeks, he should have no room to use his time for such things.
However, upon seeing Eve turn into a state where she would be destroyed at any time, she wanted to help this sincere but clumsy girl knight even a little.
"Thank you. Kirigaya Kaizo's." Eve bowed with an expression like she would cry at any moment.
Kaizo made a bitter smile at Eve, who was extremely cautious even at such a time.
"Ahh, that's right. I want to ask you something."
"What's that?"
"Err, about something you just mentioned, is it possible for something like a down payment?"
****
Split with Eve, Kaizo returns to the room.
Victoria wore a cute apron and stood in the kitchen like in the morning. It smells sweet but it burns a little. He heard the sound of something boiling.
Secretly hiding his footsteps, Kaizo approached Victoria's back.
"Hn, are you making chocolate again?"
"Fuaa, Ka-Kaizo!?" Her red hair tied to a ponytail swayed.
"I-idiot, don't surprise me! I'll turn you into ashes!" Victoria's face turned crimson, and she swung her whip. Kaizo simply avoided it in confusion.
"Gosh, where have you been? Your extra school should be long over, right?"
"What, are you hungry?"
"Bu-not that's the case, you're my slave spirit, so without your master's permission, you can't walk as you please!"
"Am I a dog?"
Kaizo sighed in disappointment, and replied, "I went to Eve's place, and it made me be treated to a little food."
Victoria was terrified, she looked at Kaizo restlessly, "What was that?"
"Ah, it seemed like it was an expression of gratitude for having helped her the other day. What a cautious man."
As expected, Kaizo hid the matter about the maid uniform for Eve's honor.
"I-I understand, you're being treated well, right?" Victoria's face twitched.
"I helped too, but he just invited you, Kaizo."
"Didn't you receive a box of cookies from the Knights? A box of macaroons of all sorts. If I'm not wrong, you eat everything yourself."
"I-that's pretty good. Uh, that's not the case, what do you mean go to Eve's place? Y-don't tell me, you went to his room?"
"Yes, Eve's room has been well tidied up. You should also follow his example."
"I-I don't believe you!" Victoria's slender shoulders vibrate. She tightly bit her cherry-red lips, a slight tear appearing on her pomegranate-red pupils.
"Victoria?"
"You've managed to be seduced by things like Eve's chest and denigrated into a Knight's dog, right?"
"No, wait, what chest? Well, even so, I was invited to join the Knights."
"Huh?"
This time, Victoria actually stiffened and asked the question, "W-What is that? Whatchu mean?"
"Hn, right now, the Knights seem to lack people. I was asked to help them."
"Te-of course, you rejected it, right? You refused it, right?" Victoria tightly grabbed Kaizo's arm, and looked at him with a serious expression.
As Kaizo scratched his head, he replied, "No, I decided to help them. I also have various obligations to Eve."
While Victoria continued to hold Kaizo's arm, she was shocked and widened her eyes.
The truth is Kaizo had another reason to accept it, but it's a shame to tell Victoria that now. And that's the thing he wants to do now.
...
*Connected.....
*Note: This story is fictitious. If there is a similarity in the name of the character, the scene, or the story, it is a mere coincidence and there is no element of intentionality.