“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, answer me.”

Being late is something she shouldn’t have done, but at this rate, she was about to be chewed out like a squid by Deschamps all day long.

Giryu decided to moderately intervene and asked for an answer.

Judith hesitated for a moment, but soon answered obediently.

“..the uniform..”

“A uniform?”

“The Red Knight’s uniform was so impressive, I kept touching it and it got late. I’m really sorry.”

“....”

“....”

Prepared for her punishment, she bowed her head deeply.

It was an answer that he had never imagined.

Giryu, who thought of obvious excuses like oversleeping or mistaking the time, was at a loss for words.

In the awkward silence, Giryu and Deschamps had a conversation with their eyes.

‘Isn’t that reason so cute?’

‘Are you crazy?’

Not knowing that the commander and lieutenant were experiencing an intense internal conflict, only Judith, who was embarrassed by the ensuing silence, repeatedly apologized.

“Next time, don’t be late. Raise your head.”

The end of this internal conflict was the triumph of the commander who could mistakenly pass over the mistake of his subordinates.

Deschamps was annoyed and did not even make eye contact with Judith.

He wanted to be taken firmly from the first day.

Giryu clicked his tongue.

“Let’s go around lightly. Follow me.”

Giryu left his commander’s office.

Judith glanced at Deschamps face full of complaints and followed.

As soon as they left the commander’s office, Giryu said.

“His personality is a bit rude. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I don’t mind it. It’s my fault.”

What a sharp-like answer that does not deviate at all from expectations!

Giryu laughed inwardly.

Deschamps and Judith seemed to be similar, but they were a little different if you looked closely.

‘I still don’t know how and where it’s different yet.’

Giryu looked at Judith. Inside her uniform, a bandage wrapped around her neck caught his eye.

“Is your wound okay?”

“Yes. It’s getting better.”

“That’s a relief. Tell me if you’re feeling sick.”

Being a new knight was usually a time when you had to combine your assigned duties with training.

However, Judith had not yet healed the wound on her neck due to the aftermath of the last battle.

Considering the intensity of training and missions, it was almost certain that there would be injuries on the road.

Giryu fully showed the aspect of a commander and excluded new knights from the commander’s office. (pg 6)

It was a privilege that he couldn’t say he didn’t feel sorry at all.

“Then, let’s walk a little, and from now on, put your strength on your shoulders.”

Giryu strode out.

Strengthen her shoulders?

Judith didn’t understand what it meant, but she soon understood.

This is because when Giryu left the commander’s office and started walking, almost all the knights bowed their heads and greeted.

“Leader!”

“Good morning!”

“Good job”.

“Hello!”

Was the knight commander supposed to get this much attention?

“You look great with red hair today too!”

“I told you not to say that. Why do you have the same repertoire?”

Judith, who only knew Jermel, was quite bewildered. Then she realized one fact.

Giryu was receiving almost all greetings.

She can’t believe the commander was greeting them!

This is an unimaginable sight in the Black Knights.

Even when the commander and lieutenant walked leisurely in front of her, no one seemed uncomfortable.

She opened her mouth wide inside.

Some of them who greeted Giryu stared at Judith, wondering if she was interesting.

“Hello, I’m Haley Matisse.”

“I’m Judith, a new knight. Nice to meet you.”

Judith courageously greeted a few friendly people.

However, the hard expression on her face, which had become hardened like a habit, could not be easily resolved. Her face was stiff.

After her greetings, she asked on the way out of her building.

“Are you usually greeted like this?”

“Of course. You can’t ignore it, can you?”

Giryu burst into laughter.

Although we need to be straightforward, we always want to control our weaknesses. You have to say hello before leaving.. If you’re out on a mission anyway, you won’t have time to look at faces properly.”1

At times like this, he said, we should share a word or two, and Giryu smiled softly.

It was kind of a strange feeling.

Judith followed her seniors when she joined the team.

However, the atmosphere was not as light as it is now.

Each knight has a different atmosphere, but she didn’t know it would be this much.

“If you greet them well today, many people will recognize you.”

Why not?

A newcomer is someone who should say a greeting wherever they go.

Judith said as if she were determined.

“I’ll do my best.”

They wandered around for a while.

Accommodations, restaurants, stables, the road outside the imperial castle, the royal palace and the side road leading to the imperial palace.

It was a light walk, so they didn’t go all the way to the imperial palace.

It was a thankful thing for Judith, who was already overflowing with people to greet.

She didn’t know how many people she went around saying, ‘Hello, I’m Judith’. It was the first time in her life that she greeted so many people.

Among them, there were faces that she knew.

He was the artisan of the workshop of the imperial palace blacksmith.

“Orion, I’m here to watch! Are you making my sword well?”

“Giryu-nim....?”2

A boy with dark skin wiped his sweat.

“Wa- wait a minute. It’ll be over soon!””

“Do what you were doing slowly.” I’ll wait.”

The boy smiled brightly. His hammering lasted a long time.

Even though no one ordered Giryu, he watched the work process nearby.

Throughout the entire process, the boy did not show any signs of exhaustion.

After a while, he took off his hood and approached him.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“I’m here to monitor you. I was wondering if you were making my sword well.”

“Don’t even say it.””

Orion smiled bitterly.

“I heard someone sold off all of the practice swords. My teacher was furious and it was a mess. He said he would catch all those crazy guys.”

Judith wished to become invisible for a while.

“I feel like I’m going to die because my work only increases. I’m getting busier day by day.”

“The chief craftsman is having a hard time making practice swords. Of course, I hope you’re making my sword well?”

“Giryu, you have a fine sword, so why do you keep talking about new ones?”

“There’s no end to greed.”

Orion pretended not to hear, but his eyes met Judith’s.

It seems that becoming an invisible person has failed.

“This person is....?”

“She’s a new knight I got out of my lieutenant’s sight. I thought Deschamps would hate her, so I brought her out.”

“I see. Hello. My name is Orion.”

“I’m Judith. Please take care of me in the future.”3

Judith asked for a handshake.

Giryu looked at her as if in surprise.

Judith, who had been greeting only with words the whole time, was strangely polite and active. If it wasn’t an illusion, she seemed to be particularly pleased with Orion.

Do they know each other?

Giryu’s gaze continued until Judith shook Orion’s hand hard.

‘..it must be an illusion. There’s nothing to lose if you look well in front of the chief craftsman.’

It was a tentative conclusion, but in fact, his guess was not wrong.

Judith calmed down her excitement and let go of Orion’s hand.

‘Orion.. the person who made the dragon’s sword!’

Before returning, Judith chased him unilaterally.

This is because he was the best blacksmith in the empire who made the sword that killed the dragon.

Orion was the man who made a sword that could pierce even the scales of a dragon.

Just once, Judith was really lucky to use the sword he made. It was when she borrowed Jermel’s sword.

It is nonsense that a masterpiece does not care about a brush.4

She had only used it once, but Judith inquired in order to somehow obtain a sword that Orion had made.

However, buying Orion’s sword with money was the same as picking stars from the sky.

When it became known that the sword made by Orion killed the dragon, starting with the emperor, the prince and the commanders of the knights took the made sword one after another.

Judith couldn’t get Orion’s sword in the end.

It was like that..

‘I didn’t know we’d meet here.’

She asked Giryu, her eyes bright.

“You two seem to be close.”

“Then. After using Orion’s sword, you’ll stop by the smithy often, right?”

Giryu replied with a smile.

The boy’s face flushed red at the compliments coming and going in front of him.

“That’s too much. I was just born with a humble talent.”

“Nonsense. There are only a few days left to line up enough to go around the Imperial Castle to look at the sword.”

“A commoner like me..”

“There’s no status in front of skills. Talented people come and go.”

Giryu pointed at Judith.

“Judith is also a commoner, but she’s an ether master. She’ll probably go soon.”

“.... Ether master?!”

Orion opened his mouth in amazement.

“Really? Are you really an ether master?”

She did not appear like a knight of such a skill.

Judith’s face hardened slightly, and Orion jumped up.

“I don’t doubt it!” S, Sorry!”

“You still haven’t fixed your habit of judging people with a sword?”

“... uh, I’m so sorry..”

“No, it’s okay.”

Judith loosened her expression.

Giryu said as he looked at Judith’s waist, which looked particularly empty.

“By the way, I don’t think the dame has a separate sword? Is there anything else we can use?”

“It’s fine. My sword is expendable.”

Judith answered.

“I don’t have enough money to afford expensive swords.”

“Still, I think you did a good job of cleaning it, right?”

Orion glanced at her sword.

“If you neglect to sharpen your sword, it will cost you that much.”

Judith said, pulling out a sword. And 3 seconds later, she realized she made a mistake.

Fortunately, she was the only one who cared about the expression ‘It costs money.’

Giryu and Orion were side by side regretting her dull sword.

“How about carrying one more in the bag?”

Giryu said.

“Ether masters sometimes break their swords while using ether. I guess you’ve never experienced it.”

“Not yet.”

“You don’t know in the future, it’s a matter that could be directly related to your life, so think about it.”

“That’s right. There’s a limit to the quality of practice swords.”

It was a funny situation. Orion, who made a sword that she couldn’t get even if she had money, said that.

Judith said with a smile.

“I have to say I’ll think about it at this time, but.. a good sword like that is expensive.It’s a burden for me.”

Swords are an asset that fall in value over time.

She couldn’t give several months’ worth of wages for one sword, which she wouldn’t even get half of when she sold it.

Besides, she was an ether master anyway.

She didn’t have to stick with a sword, as she could even wield an ether around with a fork if she wanted to.

Judith’s idea was that if she had the money to buy a sword, she would rather pay back the debt.

“If you’re greedy for something that doesn’t fit your style, you’ll ruin your life. Thank you for the offer.”

It was such a light answer that neither Giryu nor Orion could refute.

Judith smiled calmly. However, as soon as her compulsive words ended, her smiling face hardened cold like a habit.

————

TL notes ( ′ ? ` )

reread the manhwa and Deschamps is a Lieutenant. I’m sorry if you see me mess up and call him vice commander or vice-captain.