"Okay... it's time to go."

Eric, who checked the clock in the hallway, once again corrected his position and turned his heel back.

Around the palace where the prides live, in the king's residence.That was the job that was entrusted to him and the column during the top-secret inspection.

He is the guardian of Pride in the palace, but there is no escort here.And I'm supposed to pick up "Alan's family", and the column leaves King's Residence only for the in-school lecturer, but otherwise I'm supposed to be with her.

Instead of returning to the Knights' Exercise Ground after returning to the castle, you are not even allowed to easily navigate the castle.If they are witnessed elsewhere during her Melee mission, they will become aware of the top-secret mission.For this reason, it was routine to go around with other guards in the palace where she was supposed to be during the time of the nearby guard.

However, the security system is also fully organized by the guards so that they can move around even without themselves.For this reason, Roderick, the Knight Commander, was also given permission to return to the castle that dared to travel around the castle in the form of a tour of the castle, a temporary home break as a consideration for them who could no longer take a wrapped rest day, and permission from Pride to use the rooms in the palace as a dorm room.Especially on days off, Eric, who is actually forced to work with Pride's escort just like Arthur, is careful to take a rest in hiding around him.

However, he is not so tired that Pride's schools are allowed to take home medical treatment in the form of "walking around the castle" on holidays.Originally, as a knight, it was sufficient for the body to endure insomnia and restlessness to be given a fine break.

Resting in a room in a palace where only the royal family is allowed to live, even if it is untreated at home, is too distracting for Eric, a commoner.I was used to the luxurious room as a guardian of pride, but when I thought it was my own room, it would shrink.

For this reason, it was a routine task to help tour the palace and assist the maid in her hard work, rather than rest in the guest room, unless her body really wanted to rest.After helping the maid move the furniture for cleaning, changing the decorative paintings, and carrying the laundry to the entrance of the palace.

Normally, the maids would be reluctant to ask the Knights of the Kingdom's deputy captain to help them, but it was quick to accept them because they had already become acquainted with the maids in the palace as the guardian knights of pride.

So it was time to pick up Pride and the others today, and Eric left the palace early.Through the garden of the royal palace, pass through the gate, and grasp the castle gate further from the castle.It is the only gateway through which people who live in the castle pass to and from the castle.

As the guards of the gate noticed themselves from afar saluted, Eric returned to it with his right hand.

I noticed a shadow of one person.

"Norman!"

It was Eric who first noticed the knight in his white troupe.

Arriving early from the Knights' Exercise Stadium, a direction away from the King's Residence, he was also heading for the castle gate.Eric knows the reason.

Norman, the Eighth Knight, immediately turned to his call and bowed his head regularly, saying, "Good work."As soon as he raised his face again, he repositioned his round glasses with his middle finger, staring back at Eric, taller than himself, at an angle closer to the top with his light blue eyes.

"Is Lieutenant Eric coming?You've been picking me up a lot earlier. "

"Oh, I got an early break today.Norman will welcome your sister, won't he? "

"I was given breaks earlier today.And then, instead of picking him up, he just goes to see how he's doing.As I told you before, my sister lives in a dormitory on campus.I don't have a single knight who can push me home like Captain Alan. "

"That's why they're not pressing me."

Eric waves his hand and laughs, but he doesn't point out anything further based on what he said wrong.

Knights like Norman are not uncommon in the Eighth Squadron, which hates human interaction and collaboration.Rather, Arthur likes to interact with people in the Eighth Corps, and is familiar with knights in other Corps.It is no exaggeration to say that the knights of other squads have given up on exchanges simply by saying that they belong to the 8th squad.

And Norman was just like that.

Looking at Eric with a grumpy expression on the top of the Buddha, he mimics the senpai knight who stopped his feet and stops himself.It was a courtesy gesture to see Eric and his eyes straight out on the silhouette alone.

By the way, if you'll excuse me, may I ask?

"What's wrong?"

Having cut the subject out before Eric, he stares at him with a gaze that he caught.

Eric was a little surprised that Norman had spoken to him as soon as he thought he was leaving.I never had a conversation with him unless he was in a Knights' practice hall or an exercise or a report.The longest conversation was in front of the school gate a few weeks ago.

"Captain Alan's. … How are your relatives' children?"

"?! Ah,...... ahh"

Thanks to you, Eric's heart clanked back with words.

Norman, who rarely shows interest in others even in the Knights, has a bad feeling if he shows interest in pride.I wonder if Arthur, his immediate superior, accidentally dug the grave.

Arthur, who has a strong tone of voice and is not good at lying, can be seen to be a tough match if he is seriously stepped in.

Right, and briefly returning to Eric's words, Norman closed his mouth there once.His face turned to the outside of the castle gate, and swallowed the inside of his mouth once before opening it small.

"... Lyla's, no.... about my sister and myself.... did you complain about anything? "

"... eh?"

In the unusual words of Norman, who spoke to him, Eric unexpectedly sounded out in between.

And now I don't look straight at myself, just doubt Norman who looks away from me like a hard word to say.If Norman is concerned about the three Burners, I know why he cares about Pride's assessment.

After all, Eric realized the identity of the three and wondered if he was interested in appreciating pride in the distance, and Norman spinned it out so that he couldn't stand the silence.

"Before... Lyla seemed to take care of them a little.Some of the kids escaped from me, and I just wanted to ask them for my sister.I don't want my sister to be seen badly because of me.They are senior students for the junior sister, and I don't think that's true only for Captain Alan's relatives, but even if they don't develop into bullying and harassment.... "

After all, Eric opens his mouth to Norman, who slowly starts talking.

As far as I'm concerned, I don't seem to have noticed who I am. First of all, I look down in my heart.In other words, Eric exhaled shortly after deciding that his sister was worried that "Jeanne" and the others were not looking bad because of her."No," waved his hand, and he was curious that there was something like that.

Instead of synchronizing with the Knights, I understand that he is caring about his sister even though he says to his superiors that he cannot wear his teeth.

His rhetoric is basically correct, but his rhetoric could create too many enemies in a straight line.There is no one in the Knights to smoke him at the moment, but it is only natural that the Knights should shy away from him so that he does not bite them.However, if I had enough room to think of my sister, I was hoping that someone would open my mind.

If you can, I'd appreciate it if you could just talk to Arthur, his immediate supervisor, but as far as Eric knows, it's hard.It was also a well-known fact in the Knights that Norman bites Arthur in sharp terms, and that Arthur who receives it does not have to say that he is a bit distant, but he does not like Norman.

"It's okay, Jeanne and the others didn't say anything bad about Lyla or you.... or did you have something to worry about your sister? "

"No, not at all. My sister is sociable, both in front and back."

Unlike me. Even though Eric didn't say the word, it felt like Norman included it, so there was no choice.

I was worried that Eric might have suffered from a defective high school student, one of Pride's problems right now, but I was uncomfortable with Norman, who categorically denied it.Then I wondered if I really cared about my younger sister's position, but I think it's natural to worry about it if my younger sister is away from me.

"If it's okay, it's fine. Excuse me.I'll do it now. "

Norman, with his hands behind his back and his head down as if measured by a calibrator, walked out of the castle this time.

Eric laughs at himself for having ended up in too one-sided a conversation.It's only polite of you to stop to suit yourself, but it seems that he is the one who unilaterally cuts the conversation.And even though you're going to the same school as yourself,

"Would you like to come with me?School is closer. "

"No thanks, I have a shop I'd like to drop by in King's Landing.That's why I gave you an early break.Not to be with Lieutenant Eric, who is by no means your direct supervisor. "

They refuse to whip me!!.

As Eric would have expected, I still think it's as usual for Norman to stare at himself with a tough look from behind his round rimmed glasses.I'm glad you told me a little bit about yourself, but that's it.Without at least saying what kind of shop I wanted to visit, I lowered my head and left Norman standing on his back early enough.

I'll see him off on the way to the castle.The back was smaller, and the road opposite to the one you were heading towards was certainly the King's City, not the school set up close to the lower classes.

Eric, who had a slight "don't follow me" intention, understood that it would be kinder not to say that he would go shopping here as well.

"Arthur's in trouble too...."

Hmm, after exhaling a thin sigh, Eric finally moved his feet outside the castle.

I seldom engage with the knights of the Eighth Corps, including Norman, except in exercises.But Arthur, the same 8th squadron, does daily exercises with knights like Norman, including Harrison.And even Arthur still hasn't figured it out with the Eighth Knight.I think it would be a carefree column if the knights of the Eighth Squad and the other Squads were watching closely.He has been watching every one of his juniors since he was a recruit.... and the Eighth Knight, who couldn't even figure out such a column, was a very wealthy man.

"... no, but maybe Arthur doesn't hate you.... because even then... "

Eric remembers nearly three months ago, whispering to sort out his bumps and head.

I remember that time very well.But I can't grasp Norman's attitude right now.At least I feel Arthur's atrophy against Norman has increased recently.Norman doesn't know who he is, but from Arthur, he hides his identity, engages with his sister Lyla, and desperately runs around when he's a student so he doesn't know who he is.

Arthur would never hate Norman himself, but I think it's a tough time.Not only because Arthur is on a top-secret mission, but Eric expected Norman to be afraid of embarrassing him again in a harsh tone if he accidentally finds out.Unlike Norman, Arthur is quite straightforward.

After thinking so much, Eric shook one person's head sideways.

I have more to think about than Norman right now.Today is a boy named "Nate" who was working with and pride to make contact.Eric and Arthur have shared the details.I can't confirm myself directly without being on campus, but I would like to cooperate in what I can do as a Kintetsu Knight.But now all I had to do was hope that Pride and Nate had made contact as planned.

"I hope I don't have to make a lot of noise like the Farnum family again...."

That's good, but I realize that I'm giving up half of it.

No matter how calm she wishes, no matter how calm she wishes herself, if she needs help, she does not get lost.

Because that's the kind of person the princess decided to defend and support with her life.