Interlude: The Man Holding the Key
The Landval Kingdom's Knights Order was in turmoil.
Just a few days ago, a promising young knight named Justin had been abruptly reassigned to the countryside. And now, Elina Bellows—the daughter of Vice-Commander Bellows and the object of admiration for many knights—was also being transferred to the Abbott region under the pretense of supporting Justin.
Moreover, Vice-Commander Bellows had begun questioning the legitimacy of Justin’s embezzlement case and was pushing for a reinvestigation.
This caused an uproar within the Order. It was one thing for Justin, accused of a crime, to be demoted, but why did Elina have to be sent away as well? Seeking answers, the kingdom's Council was convened to address the matter.
Meanwhile, Hank—the mastermind behind this scheme—was starting to panic.
"Damn it! Now they’ve gone and made it an issue for the Council!"
Walking down the corridor, irritated, he was seriously contemplating his next move. Originally, his plan had been simple: fabricate some evidence to frame Justin for embezzlement and have him expelled from the capital.
He had meticulously prepared everything in advance, and Justin had fallen right into the trap, getting exiled to the Abbott region just as planned. Up until that point, everything had been going smoothly.
However, Hank had made one critical miscalculation—Vice-Commander Bellows had taken an interest in the case.
He had always shown some degree of favor toward Justin, but Hank had never expected him to demand a reinvestigation, let alone push for a Council hearing.
At the same time, this move by Bellows rekindled Hank’s simmering rage.
"Not only did he win over Elina, but now even the Vice-Commander is on his side... At this rate, I’ll have to come up with a plan to destroy Justin’s reputation further, ensuring he never returns to the capital—"
"Hey, Hank."
A sudden voice interrupted his thoughts. Startled, Hank turned around.
Standing there was a muscular young man with dark skin.
"Gary… What do you want?"
The young man’s name was Gary. He was a peer of both Justin and Hank, though unlike them, he was not a Holy Knight but a regular soldier.
"What do I want? Your unit is supposed to be running a combat drill, right? The knights are already assembled at the training grounds."
"W-What?"
A mistake—one he would normally never make.
And yet, Hank blamed it all on Justin. No matter what happened, his anger always circled back to that man.
"… You okay? You don’t look so good."
"It’s nothing. I don’t have time for this—I’m leaving."
With that, Hank hastily walked away.
Gary watched him go, tilting his head in confusion.
"Something's definitely off with him… And I swear I heard him muttering Justin’s name just now."
He hadn’t caught the whole conversation, but he was sure Hank had mentioned Justin.
Like Vice-Commander Bellows, Gary had his doubts about the accusations against Justin. He had spent the past few days wondering if it was all some kind of mistake.
And now, Hank’s strange behavior only fueled his suspicions.
"Maybe I should talk to Vice-Commander Bellows about this…"
With that thought in mind, Gary turned and started walking toward the Vice-Commander’s office.
What do you think about this chapter?
