Chapter 11: Marathon Training with the Knight Order

“Welcome, Your Majesty. First, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Richard Izumi, Commander of the Swordia Knight Order.”

“I am Matilia, the vice commander. Today, we will be explaining the Knight Order so that Your Majesty may better understand it.”

Standing before me were two people: a towering, red-haired man so tall I had to look up just to see his face, and a serious-looking young woman—still somewhere between a girl and an adult.

These two were the highest-ranking members of the Knight Order in this country. Beneath them were the sub-commanders of the First through Third Knight Orders, and below those, the unit captains.

That said, they would likely begin with a general explanation of their duties. I still didn’t know anything, so I had no reason to object. Honestly, most of this kind of knowledge had long faded from my memory anyway—my past life wasn’t going to help me here.

“Yes, I look forward to working with you today.”

“Your Majesty. I understand you are not used to this, but please refrain from honorifics. You already stand above us all. You may address me without titles, or simply call me ‘Commander.’”

That might be true, but speaking casually to someone older than me—and someone who looked every bit the imposing knight commander—was honestly pretty difficult.

Still, I knew I would have to deal with people like this more often. It made sense to get used to it starting with Richard, who was clearly on my side. After all, it wouldn’t do for a king to be looked down upon.

“Ah, yeah… got it. Then, teach me whatever you can.”

“Understood.”

Man… he really is the embodiment of a warrior. Am I seriously going to be trained by this guy? I was already worried about whether I could survive what was coming… but I had been well-fed, so I just had to endure it.

Ah… just remembering that exchange between Richard and Matilia earlier is enough to keep me going for three days…

And if I add in what I saw this morning between Erius-kun and Clarisse-chan, I can probably push myself for another three days. That makes a full week of motivation. Honestly, my mental state might be the most fulfilled it has ever been in this life.

“By the way, what exactly does the Knight Order do? I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Well, for those of common birth, it may not be very familiar. Our primary duties involve the use of force—such as suppressing bandits. Before Your Majesty arrived, we would also participate in the ‘King’s Battles’ on a limited basis as representatives.”

Since I had mentally drifted off again, Hikari smoothly picked up the conversation. She was always good at that.

As I have mentioned before, it is not only kings who can participate in the King’s Battles. Our country’s Knight Order has taken part under the condition of team combat.

However, the kings of each nation are overwhelmingly powerful individuals, and it is generally accepted that only another king can stand against them.

Without a “Sword King” until now, the Knight Order had a history of losing most of the King’s Battles it entered. That was how significant the presence of a king was.

Just as much as the diplomats had been seeking a king—perhaps even more so—the knights themselves had been waiting for one to appear.

“Now then, Your Majesty, let us begin by running. We will assess your stamina.”

“Huh?!”

Running… wait, you mean a marathon? I hate marathons. Like, seriously hate them.

That thing where you just keep running while gasping for air, pushing yourself to the limit? Maybe that’s not entirely accurate, but still—it’s running.

And I hate running. Honestly, I hate exercise in general. The resolve I thought I had built up since coming here was already starting to crumble.

“I… no, I have accepted the duty of training Your Majesty. In doing so, I will eliminate all leniency. Otherwise, the chances of Your Majesty dying in real combat will increase.”

Yeah… I get that. I really do.

“Even if it earns your resentment, if I am to place such a burden upon you, then my duty is to train you to the utmost so you can withstand it.”

I appreciate that. I really do. But still—

“Therefore, Your Majesty, run. You will train alongside the standard knights, and we will determine your limits. Squeeze out every last drop of your stamina.”

“Excuse meee, Sebas-saaaan! Don’t I have something scheduled after this? Wouldn’t it be bad if I collapsed here??”

There was no convincing him. My only chance of survival now was outside intervention…!!

Please, Sebas! Give me the answer I’m hoping for!!!

“There are no further engagements scheduled. Today has been reserved almost entirely for physical assessment within the Knight Order.”

“GOD DAAAAAAMN!!!!!”

My knees gave out instantly. Strength drained from my body as faint, unpleasant memories from my past life resurfaced.

Back then… when I was in the kendo club. They said it was for bonding or something, and I ended up getting thrown onto mats with a massive swing.

I never got used to the pain. But since my parents had bought me armor and a shinai, I couldn’t bring myself to quit… and I ended up being “pampered” by my seniors…

“G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-gahhhhh!!!!”

“Whoa, his head’s shaking like crazy… Hey! Calm down, idiot!”

Ah! That was close—I almost got swallowed by my past life.

Snapping back to reality thanks to my childhood friend Hikari’s voice, I reluctantly got up and started stretching. There was no escaping now, so my goal was simply to get through this without injury.

“So that’s our king, huh…”

“He kinda pales compared to the others…”

“Just because he pulled out the holy sword? I’m not so sure…”

I could hear the knights muttering, but I had no intention of denying them. If anything, I agreed with them the most.

Still, ever since I pulled out the holy sword, it hasn’t left my side. When I tried to go to the bathroom at night, it literally flew toward me—I nearly had a heart attack.

I get the feeling that if I leave it somewhere out of sight, it might just teleport back to me.

Well, regardless of the reason, I did pull it out. And I understand how unpleasant it must feel for them to have someone like me above them because of that. So honestly, I don’t mind what they say.

“Toma, blow past all of them and take first place. No excuses.”

My competitive childhood friend clearly wasn’t going to accept anything less. Give me a break—I’m the one who has to run.

“Hikari, Hikari, don’t say something so unreasonable. Those guys are real knights, you know? Just keeping up with them is—”

“If you finish the run, I’ll let you use my lap as a pillow.”

“I’m in.”

By now, you’ve probably realized my childhood friend has a strong personality—sharp eyes, bold attitude, and relentless comebacks.

At the same time, she’s also incredibly shy. She hesitates even to hold hands in public, and when she does, her pale skin turns bright red like an apple.

I’ve never even experienced a lap pillow from her before. And right now, she’s wearing a maid outfit.

A lap pillow from a silver-haired, beautiful maid? That’s a reward worth fighting for. If I don’t give it everything I’ve got, I’d be lying to myself. Anyone who wouldn’t try their hardest for that clearly doesn’t have what it takes.

“Then, since Your Majesty seems motivated, we will begin the stamina test. All of you, run ten laps around the training grounds.”

I took my position, fired up with determination. My goal is first place—no, I will take first place. Anything else might as well be last.

I remembered a good quote—though I can’t recall who said it. Don’t beg. Take it. And it shall be granted. Yeah… that’s it!!!!!

“Begin!!!”

At that signal, I poured every ounce of strength into my legs and shot straight to the front of the knights. I kept running. My breathing was already getting rough, but this was nothing compared to the time I had to fetch water from the well in the middle of the night to dump on drunk old men at a tavern.

“Wow, look at him go.”

“He’s definitely gonna gas out eventually.”

“Trying to look cool in front of girls, huh?”

I could hear their voices from behind me. I had no intention of denying any of it. Most of what they said was probably true anyway, so I didn’t feel like arguing.

But there was one thing I could say.

“A man who can’t act cool in front of a cute girl isn’t a man at all!!!!!”

That’s right. The couples I loved always had men like that.

Whether it was pride, determination, conviction—or simply wanting to look good in front of the girl they liked—the reasons differed for each of them.

But they were all undeniably cool. They showed that side of themselves right in front of the girls they loved. They upheld their pride as men, faced both enemies and themselves head-on, and won what they fought for.

Their partners were drawn to them because of that. I admired those relationships so much I became a full-on supporter. I even went to distant merchandise conventions and bought DVDs with bonus extras. I was basically broke every month because of it.

In this world, my ultimate favorite couple doesn’t exist anymore. I’ve accepted that now.

As for Hikari and Alicia… I don’t know what will happen to their relationship. I hope it goes in a good direction, but in the end, it’s up to them.

Well, I got carried away thinking about all that, but there’s only one thing I really want to say to the knights behind me.

“All of you, grovel on the ground and let me take first place, because I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance to have a silver-haired, beautiful childhood-friend maid give me a lap pillow again!!!!!”

You fake knights who are getting beaten by a physically weak king!!! My desire burns beyond this world and is carved into my very soul!!!!!

Someone once said that desire is the strongest force of all!!!!!

“Hey you idiots!! What do you think you’re doing, letting His Majesty run in first place?! Even if he’s in different armor and clothing, he was a commoner until just recently! If you’re losing to him, you’re failing as knights!!!!!”

I had no idea how many laps had passed, but after running in first place for a while, the commander finally roared at the knights behind us.

“Because the king is insanely fast!!”

“How is he still running at that speed?! Was he really a commoner?!”

“Sorry! I take it back! Please forgive me!!!”

Their voices raised a question in my mind. I was running purely on desire-fuel, but I didn’t remember having this much stamina.

So why was I still running?

The holy sword at my waist felt slightly warm. Maybe… it was doing something.

I had thought it was just an ordinary sword—aside from the fact that it never left my side and gave me abnormal intuition. But maybe it also boosts stamina?

If so, I’ll gladly use that power.

“Hey, isn’t it unfair that only the king gets a reward?!”

“Yeah!! We want rewards too!!”

“If we had that, I’d definitely win!!!”

Fuhahahaha!!! This is what happens when motivation decides the outcome of battle!!!!!

Though I say that, the fact that their voices are right behind me means the gap wasn’t actually that big. I couldn’t let my guard down. Even as I ran fueled by desire, another bombshell dropped on all of us.

“U-um… if it’s a lap pillow… I don’t mind doing it myself, if that’s okay…”

Alicia, the saint who had been observing the Knight Order training with us, spoke softly.

The moment her voice reached everyone, the pressure from behind multiplied. I could feel their footsteps accelerate instantly.

In other words, every single one of them had turned into horses chasing a carrot called “Alicia’s lap pillow.” They had become beings destined to run until their stamina gave out, unable to stop.

“You filthy animals!!! So you all just want a girl’s lap pillow that badly?!”

I couldn’t help shouting. Is this really the Knight Order that protects the nation and its people? Where did all that noble spirit go?!

“You’ve got no right to say that!!”

“You’re the most desire-driven one here!!”

“And why are you speeding up even more?! That’s not normal!!”

Apparently, the holy sword increases its power based on the strength of my desire.

Huh. So maybe it’s actually perfectly compatible with someone like me.

“U-um… Toma’s face… it’s not red anymore, it’s kind of turning pale…”

“It’s not your imagination. Well, as long as he doesn’t die, it’s fine. Though we might be past the point where lap pillows matter.”

In the end, I managed to finish the run in first place thanks to the holy sword’s power.

I collapsed the moment I crossed the finish line, nearly dying on the spot.

I wouldn’t learn until much later that the holy sword was a glutton that consumed a massive amount of my magic power.