Unlike Nana, who had openly exploded in anger, and Camilla, who looked barely able to contain her fury, Elias remained calm.
That cold composure only made everyone else feel even more frozen.
Sir Hugo, who had looked doomed when Camilla and Elias first appeared, now seemed almost resigned to his fate.
Standing at rigid attention, he began explaining everything that had happened as though he were delivering a military report.
“At the time, he made some harsh remarks toward the commander…”
His explanation flowed smoothly until he reached the part about what exactly the knight had said to Elias. Then it stopped abruptly, as if it had hit a stone in the road.
“Continue.”
“Well, anyway, he said something unpleasant, and that made Sir Chloe—”
“No. Report exactly what he said. We need to judge the severity of the statement as well.”
Even though he had clearly guessed that a subordinate had challenged his authority, Elias urged Hugo on without the slightest change in expression.
Sir Hugo squeezed his eyes shut and spoke.
“To be exact, he said, ‘Or perhaps you learned submission from being raised by a slave-born commander?’”
Surprisingly, he remembered every word perfectly.
Even the members of the Tenth Knight Order, who had not yet grown particularly attached to their newly appointed commander, had been enraged by the remark.
Yet Elias showed little reaction.
Watching his unexpectedly calm expression, I secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Well, it was all a long time ago, after all.
Officially, the story was that the Crown Prince, while accompanying the Emperor on an inspection tour, had discovered slave traders and rescued Elias from them.
But the truth was that I had been the one who rescued young Elias.
I could never forget what he had looked like back then.
And that scarecrow had dared to throw that insult around right in front of me.
When Elias was young, his origins had been a weakness.
But after earning remarkable achievements during three years on the borderlands, people viewed it merely as the hardship of a hero’s early years.
Still, I had worried it might hurt him.
Fortunately, it seemed Elias was no longer as soft-hearted as he had once been.
“…And so, enraged, Sir Chloe struck him in the jaw with her fist…”
Feeling much more at ease, I listened attentively to the account of my heroic deeds.
Yet Elias’s expression grew darker than it had when Dmitri had spoken of submission.
He even frowned as if he had a headache.
The moment Hugo finished speaking, Elias stated firmly,
“So both parties are at fault.”
Both parties?
Considering they had started it, that felt terribly unfair.
But before I could even protest, Elias brought the matter to a close.
“Since both sides bear responsibility, I will let this incident pass.”
The relieved smile appearing on Dmitri’s face irritated me immensely.
However, Elias didn’t even glance in my direction.
“Morning training is over. Dismissed.”
Dmitri fled first as if escaping.
The Ninth Knight Order quickly followed, flowing out of the training grounds like a receding tide.
Even the Tenth Knight Order quietly slipped away while gauging the atmosphere.
While the others dispersed, I deliberately lingered until the end and asked Elias in a disgruntled tone,
“Why are you just letting it go? Seriously, why?”
At some point, I had completely forgotten my earlier belief that it was more productive to train than waste energy in a battle of pride.
Now I was genuinely upset.
Isn’t he angry at all? I feel angrier than Elias right now.
Again, it was fortunate that Elias hadn’t been hurt by Dmitri’s words.
But not being hurt and simply letting it slide were two completely different matters.
The lingering heat of my anger refused to cool as I fumed over how everything had ended so vaguely.
Then Elias’s blue eyes turned toward me.
“And if I didn’t let it go?”
His voice was calm, as though he hadn’t been the target of the insult.
The chilly blue eyes, reminiscent of the deep sea, seemed to pour cold water over my head.
My temper cooled instantly.
Adopting a calmer tone, I argued,
“If an ordinary knight insults the commander of a knight order, isn’t that insubordination?”
Elias, are you a pushover?
The type who just endures insults?
Although I was technically speaking politely, my thoughts betrayed me, and my tone came out remarkably disrespectful.
Elias smiled faintly and replied coldly,
“And striking Sir Dmitri was also insubordination.”
I was about to argue that I hadn’t hit him unknowingly and had been prepared to accept punishment.
But Camilla sighed softly and intervened.
“Sir Chloe, you unilaterally assaulted a senior knight. Is that correct?”
I wanted to point out that I had been attacked verbally first.
But Camilla’s expression made it obvious that excuse would get me nowhere.
In the end, I quietly admitted the truth.
“Yes.”
“And Sir Chloe is currently a probationary knight.”
After saying that, Camilla looked at me as though she had given me all the clues I needed.
Ah, right.
I’m still on probation.
A probationary knight’s life was worth next to nothing.
You were essentially an intern.
Fail to achieve the required evaluation score during the probation period, and you were immediately dismissed.
Unlike that scarecrow. Even if he gets disciplined, he won’t be kicked out.
Part of the reason I had thrown those punches was because I’d assumed they wouldn’t fire me over a few hits delivered in anger.
But after calming down and thinking it through—
This wasn’t a matter of might be fired.
I would be fired.
Wait. Did he let this slide because of me?
The Elias I had just accused of being a pushover suddenly looked like the ideal commander of this era.
Even his cold expression now seemed dependable.
Filled with emotion, I gazed at him with sparkling eyes.
Just like when he used to subtly shield me from my brother’s pranks when we were children.
But Elias didn’t wait for me to drown in gratitude.
“I intervened because I didn’t want this escalating into a conflict between knight orders. That doesn’t mean I’m overlooking it.”
His face was stern.
“I believe I already said that if you caused trouble one more time, I would dismiss you using the authority of the commander.”
If you’re already helping me, couldn’t you go a little easier on me?
Startled, I hurriedly put on a remorseful expression.
“W-Well, dismissal would be a bit problematic…”
But Elias’s voice remained icy.
“Then why throw punches first?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
The version of me who had been badgering Elias moments ago for being a pushover had vanished completely.
As I awkwardly searched for excuses, a sense of injustice suddenly welled up inside me.
“I did it for you, Commander!”
To be honest, I had wanted to teach that sneering knight a lesson long before this.
Still, the decisive factor that had pushed me past my patience had been the insult directed at Elias.
I emphasized that point.
Yet Elias’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest.
I had gone out of my way to stand up for him, and this was the response?
Puffing out my lips, I grumbled,
“If you think about it, I was avenging both you and your honor! My fist was a righteous fist swung for the honor of the entire Tenth Knight Order!”
I even clenched my fist and thumped my chest proudly.
My attitude was so shamelessly confident that Elias’s stern expression finally shifted into one of disbelief.
Muttering “troublemaker” under his breath, he let out a faint sigh.
“Do you truly believe that fistfight was for the sake of the Tenth Knight Order?”
At some point, his tone had become that of a patient teacher dealing with a troublesome student.
I was about to answer yes without hesitation.
Then some instinctive sense of danger made me stop.
Fortunately, I didn’t answer.
Seeing my silence, Elias’s tone softened noticeably.
“And it wasn’t for your own sake either. Don’t do that again.”
The casually kind words slipped from him almost absentmindedly.
Then, as though seeking a promise, he quietly held my gaze.
Looking into his eyes, I felt as if I were sinking deep into a sea of icy water.
My reflection shimmered in those blue eyes.
Though my appearance had changed because of brown hair and the glasses artifact, Elias’s kindness remained exactly the same.
Memories from childhood surfaced as I looked at the Elias who had never changed.
I smiled warmly.
The deep sea reflected in his eyes seemed to grow deeper.
For a moment, we simply looked at one another.
Then Elias hesitated slightly before continuing.
“I’ll give you one last chance.”
So he’s letting me off one more time?
My eyes filled with hope.
When Elias noticed, he subtly looked away.
“Until your probation period ends, you’ll continue assisting me with my miscellaneous duties.”
Having spoken quickly, Elias left the training grounds even faster.
