“Hey, civilian officer there.”

Roa feels a chill run down their spin at the sharp voice calling from behind.

“You in the middle, just now, what was that you said?”

Timidly turning around, Roa see a man at the prime of his life dressed in high-ranking, black, garments. Escorting him at his side are 2 knights in light armor. One of them is a petite young woman.

In that country, no one would mistake the identity of the person in those black garments.

[The Eyes of the King], [The Twin Head of the Rudek Kingdom], those were some of the various alias belonging to the 10^th Chivalric Order’s Deputy Knight Commander, Reiz Stein.

At Reiz’s sides were his well-known sword and shield, Lapillia Zodiac and Glantz Survey.

These three generals are the eiyuu of the country, gazing upon a single one of them is said to be awe-inspiring.

The Rudek Kingdom has 10 chivalric orders. Although there is no connection between an order’s number and its abilities, the 10^th Chivalric Order is a special existence. While most orders have a general at their head, that one is different. The leader of that order is the king of the country.

The 1^st Chivalric Order is the king’s elite guard. All of the orders from the 1^st to the 9^th have basic posts, but the 10^th Chivalric Order is allowed freedom of movement. In other words, it’s a reserved corps.

Reiz-sama is the man who truly holds the full authority of the 10^th Chivalric Order. That alone reveals how deep the confidence the king has in him runs.

“Hey, didn’t you hear? You with the black hair, I asked what it was you said just now.”

Once more being designated by Reiz-sama, I finally realize I had said something I should have.

I’m certain that the bandit suppression failed at first. The reason was because the bandits were taken lightly and a sufficient military force wasn’t deployed.

The 10^th Chivalric Order was then called upon and Reiz-sama felt something was off about the supplies being brought in and out of the village. During the investigation he had carried out, he learned the village’s lord was supporting the bandits. Using that information to his advantage, he set up a trap to catch both the bandits and the lord.

In other words, no one should know of the connection between the lord and bandits at this stage. While Derrick and Jord would have simply gone, “Fu—n,” without bothering to look into it, this is the worst person to have overheard me.

Should I disclose the connection between the two, I may be seen as being a traitor complicit with the lord and imprisoned, or even worse, executed.

Should that happen, forget talking about avoiding the country’s ruin. I need to come up with an excuse… now!

“Hey, do you have no intention of answering Reiz-sama’s inquiry?” Lapillia-sama takes an unsettling step forward, her hand reaching for the hilt of her sword.

“…the flow of materials… felt strange to me!” The words I utter without thinking is the discomfort Reiz-sama should have originally noticed. I couldn’t come up with anything else, so it can’t be helped.

I frantically search my memory. If I am not mistaken, his sense of discomfort should have first occurred when examining the trade records managed by the royal capital.

From the reports of the merchants, the village in question had slightly more purchases than villages of similar size. Despite all that, the village’s reports were the same as usual.

This had apparently been continuing monthly for 3 years. While a sudden jump in purchases would have been strange, their slow padding of the numbers over that time frame allowed them to slip under the eyes of auditors.

“The flow of materials? Continue.”

“Understood. According to the tax declarations from the merchants, that village always buys a bit more than other villages. The declarations of purchases from the village, however, are normal. This is strange, isn’t it? Buying up materials while lying about the costs for town maintenance makes sense from a tax perspective, but that would make it a false report for the sake of a tax cut. Doing the opposite for less is strange. I just happened to chance upon some of those documents and wondered if something was going on behind the scenes…”

“You’re claiming a mere civilian officer noticed something like that?”

A cold gaze that exceeds freezing pierces me. Unable to endure it, I involuntarily swallow. Derrick is who helps me by sending me a lifeboat.

“With all due respect, allow me to speak! This man, Roa, possesses an unusually good memory! He is a priceless human dictionary among his peers! It’s quite likely he just happened to see those documents, memorized them, and became curious…”

Reiz-sama doesn’t even glance at Derrick, he just continues staring at me.

“Is that true?” His question is precise.

“…Yes. For what it is worth, I am confident in my memory.”

Reiz-sama thinks for a moment upon hearing my words.

“…In that case, can you tell me what happened last year on the 10^th day of 5^th month?”

It is a tremendously simple question for me.

[Understood. On that day, due to imperial soldiers of the Lifrea suddenly dispatching for the boarder, our country immediately made way for a precautionary force. The 2^nd, 5^th, 7^th, and 10^th Chivalric Orders were arranged to deploy, but in the end only the 5^th order was sent out due to the empire’s troops pulling back.”

The corners of Reiz-sama’s mouth rise at my answer.

“I see, your memory certainly is good. Understood, you said your name is Roa?  I cannot overlook your suspicions, and will have this investigated. However, from now on, if you notice anything like this, report it to your superior immediately.”

“Un- understood! Please excuse me.”

With those words, he signals that we can leave.

After seeing the 3 gallantly set off in the opposite direction, we hurry to our workplace almost as if we are fleeing from that place.

“That was so terrifying. I thought my heart was going to stop.” Jord speaks to us in a soft voice. Derrick on the other hand is crying out from excitement. “Hey, that was the actual Warrior Princess! I knew she was cute! Lapillia-sama!”

Lapillia-sama has the title of Warrior Princess. Although it is unusual for a young girl to be deployed to the battlefield, her grandfather was once our most brilliant commander-in-chief and was highly trusted by the king. Thus, his granddaughter who had devoted herself to the art of war, was able to run around the battlefield.

At first, the soldiers thought her a ridiculous young girl who was only playing around, but they one-by-one came to both know her strength and brilliance as a commanding officer. Thus, because of her physical appearance, they began to revere her as the “Warrior Princess.”

Rumor has it that she dislikes the nickname on the grounds of, “It’s disrespectful to the royal family,” but her grandfather’s wife was a member of the royal family. She, as a distant relative of the king, is worthy of being crowned a “princess.”

I, who could have been cut down at a single wrong move, can only see her as terrifyingly dreadful opponent.

Like I thought, these sorts of things are best heard of from far away as glorifying stories.

I arrive at work with such thoughts in mind. Somehow or another, a way we can all survive…is what I think about. Due to my inattention, I make several mistakes on my documents and the morning ends with my superior getting angry at me.

Alright, time for afternoon work! Just as I have that thought, I am summoned by my superior.

Did I make another mistake? I head to my superior’s office with the intention of apologizing but am met with a somewhat pale face.

“Roa, your shift for the afternoon is covered. You are to report to this place.”

I am given a decree with those words. Written down on it is a room address in the center of the royal palace.

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T/N: This is the last of the pre made chapters.  Well, if demand is high enough, I ill try to update it.

~Gandire Alea

<1. Survival, to the Past