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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 31: Knight of the Moonlight『Azelle』
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Imperial family.
First an ‘assassin,’ and now a ‘kingslayer’? Is this just a coincidence?
What if those two royal siblings actually ‘get along’—scheming in secret just to screw with me, laughing it up while they send walking disasters my way?
I’ve really been spiraling over this.
“Lord, are you all right?”
GAH! Holy—!
Rikain’s rugged face popped up right in front of me out of nowhere.
Yeah, he’s my ever-loyal right-hand man, but that doesn’t make his face any less intense first thing in the morning.
I quickly pulled my expression back into something resembling composure and said—
“Mm… I’m fine. Just lost in thought for a second.”
“Seems like you have a lot on your mind. If it’s too much, we can postpone the sparring match.”
“No need. I want to see the skills of the royal guard sent by His Highness with my own eyes.”
“Understood. Then we’ll begin.”
We were in the training yard next to the castle.
At my signal, Rikain glanced toward the three people standing in the arena.
There was the so-called justice-obsessed lunatic knight—or rather, the Knight of Moonlight『Azelle』, sent by the prince.
And the other two were our very own elites, brothers Ark and Mark, who usually served as my personal guards.
Rikain called out to the three, who were already holding wooden swords and readying themselves.
“All right! Let the sparring begin! Treat this like real combat—no holding back!”
“I’ll humbly learn from my seniors!”
Azelle raised her wooden sword with elegance and grace, adopting her stance.
Seeing that, the brothers Ark and Mark lifted their swords like angry Scottish warriors built like brick walls.
“Hah! So what if you're from the Golden Knights?”
“You really think you can take both of us at once? Isn’t your ego a little overinflated, rookie?!”
Yeah, the musclehead bros were definitely pissed.
And honestly, I get it.
Since Rikain didn’t trust Azelle’s skills yet, she offered to prove herself through a duel.
At first, I thought she’d spar one-on-one with either Ark or Mark, like Lana did before.
But nope—she told ‘both’ of them to come at her at the same time.
Which, to be fair, was basically her saying—’Your skills are trash, so just come at me together, you weaklings.’
Understandably, Ark and Mark gripped their swords like they were about to kill.
And then...
“WAAAAAGHHH!!!”
“Don’t underestimate the Cron Knights!!”
They let out war cries and charged in.
At that moment, I could already see where this was headed. I just couldn’t bear to watch.
Whoosh—Thwack!!
“Guhk!”
“AGH!!”
One exchange. Technically two—one each. That’s all it took.
In just two moves, Azelle took them both down.
So fast I could barely even track her sword.
She slammed her wooden sword down on Ark’s head, then spun on her heel and drove it straight into Mark’s throat.
If mages use mana to cast spells, knights use it to enhance their bodies.
It’s a basic skill for them, but obviously, not everyone can do it.
To move with that kind of speed and precision like Azelle? That’s SSR-tier.
Only top-tier knights could pull that off.
Even Rikain was watching, visibly impressed.
“Incredible. She took both of them down so effortlessly.”
“Yes… she’s truly something else. Honestly, I don't even know if I could beat her one-on-one.”
For a second there, Rikain sounded exactly like one of those anime mentors—the kind who solemnly mutters, ‘She might be stronger than me…’ right before things get real.
Azelle wasn’t just any SSR-ranked knight—she was one of the best in combat, and her blessing was hyper-aggressive.
Rikain’s own skills and blessing were more suited to large-scale battles, so in a one-on-one? Yeah... he probably wouldn’t stand a chance.
But for the sake of my loyal knight’s pride, I kept that little detail to myself.
While I was busy being emotionally considerate, Azelle had finished the match like it was nothing and walked over to me, kneeling on one knee.
“I dedicate this victory to the righteous Lord of Cron!”
“Uh… Y-Yeah. Thanks.”
I mean, cool, thanks for the win and all...
But seriously, someone ‘please’ do something about those manic eyes of hers.
Like, I swear—one misstep and I’m gonna end up with a hole in my gut the size of a watermelon.
＊ ＊ ＊
After silencing all complaints with that display, Azelle officially became my bodyguard that very day—and began following me around everywhere.
Having a beautiful woman like Azelle at my side was, of course, a great perk.
But the problem was... her ‘sense of justice’—and her ‘obsession with me’—went far beyond what I ever expected.
“When I heard how you liberated the slaves in Dreihart, I was so moved I got goosebumps!”
“…I-I see?”
“Yes! Fighting on such righteous, honorable battlefields has been my dream since I was a child! Please, if there’s ever another mission for justice—take me with you! I, Azelle, Knight of the Moonlight, will charge into battle at the vanguard, wielding my sword for you and for justice!”
From the sound of it, she’d heard about me from a traveling bard or minstrel.
The Dreihart slave liberation, in particular, must have struck a chord with her ideals—it aligned perfectly with her brand of righteousness.
She even said that if she hadn’t been ‘chosen’ by the prince for this assignment, she would’ve come ‘voluntarily.’
One look into those big, sparkling eyes of hers—burning with the flames of justice—and I felt a little scared, honestly.
When I first heard about her, I’ll admit, I thought it was a joke.
I mean, come on.
There can’t ‘actually’ be knights out there who’d stab their own lord just because he did something ‘unjust,’ right?
But after meeting her and seeing the look in her eyes—I understood.
She was real.
The kind of maniac who’d throw her life away for justice—and wouldn’t hesitate to knife her boss in the name of it.
And that madness? It only got worse the longer she was around me.
⋮
“My lord! When will we next have a righteous mission like the Dreihart Rebellion suppression?”
“My lord! Shall I go hunt down some bandits for justice?”
“My lord! I’m ready to lay down my life at any time for the sake of justice—just give the order!!”
⋮
This crazy ‘justice freak’ wouldn’t stop pestering me—even for a second—asking for ‘righteous missions.’
Like—girl!
You’re my ‘bodyguard,’ right?
Why are you always trying to run off instead of staying here to ‘guard me’?
…is what I ‘wanted’ to say.
But if I pissed her off, I was pretty sure I’d get stabbed.
So, I didn’t say it.
Even Hart, who had just been watching from the sidelines, finally said something—
“My lord, I believe something needs to be done about Lady Azelle.”
Her intensity was clearly worrying everyone.
Sure, she was competent—but a knight ‘demanding’ assignments from her lord? Yeah, that’s… not normal.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan. I’ll take care of it.”
“Understood, my lord.”
More than just a bodyguard sent by the prince, Azelle was a ‘very’ capable knight—especially suited for certain types of enemies.
Rather than getting rid of her, I decided to ‘fix’ her—and keep her.
The next day, I told her I had a mission.
Her eyes lit up like a kid on their birthday.
“My lord! At last—are we embarking on a righteous mission?!”
“Yes. The day has finally come.”
She looked like she was ‘shaking’ with joy, nearly out of breath from the excitement.
So I asked—
“Azelle, are you truly ready to act in the name of justice?”
“Yes! Absolutely!!”
“Good. Then from now on—dress light, and follow me!”
“Yes, my lord!! …But wait—light clothing? If we’re going into battle, shouldn’t I be in full armor?”
“Who said anything about battle?”
I told her we were going on a righteous mission—
‘Not’ that we were going to fight.
“The place we’re headed to now… is the ‘fields and rice paddies’.”
“…What!?”
And with that, I led her off… straight into the countryside.
＊ ＊ ＊
The fields had been newly cultivated through the strength of the migrants and Sharon’s magic.
At that moment, we were in the thick of planting crops.
“Everyone—one!”
[ “One!!” ]
“Two!”
[ “Two!!” ]
Dozens of people were planting row by row, moving in sync with my calls.
And among them—like a sore thumb in a garden—was Azelle, who looked like she belonged at a royal ball, not ankle-deep in dirt.
Clearly, this was her first time doing anything like this. She was dripping sweat and floundering, completely out of her depth.
“Azelle! You’re off beat!”
“Y-Yes, my lord!”
“Don’t forget—this is a ‘righteous mission’!”
“Understood!!”
…She said that, but let’s be honest—she had ‘no idea’ what she was doing.
Her face couldn’t hide the confusion and sheer ‘WTF’ radiating off her.
It was written all over her—
‘I’m a knight. I should be doing noble, righteous things with a sword… What the hell is this?!’
She was so rattled, she couldn’t even plant crops as well as someone like me—a total amateur.
Still, I ignored the existential meltdown she was having and kept working.
By the time the sun dipped low and stained the sky with orange, the day’s planting finally came to an end.
“My lord, thank you for your hard work.”
“Thanks, Lana.”
“Lady Azelle, you should drink something too.”
“Th-Thank you, Lady Lana…”
I gulped down the cold water Lana handed me.
Nothing hits like ice water after farm work. Peak satisfaction.
Afterward, I shared dinner with the farmers and knights. We grilled wild boar we’d hunted in the mountains.
Now, it’s not like my personal involvement made the entire farming process way more efficient or anything—I’m not a miracle worker, I’m a noble.
And I’m too busy to do this kind of thing often.
But whenever I ‘do’ make time for this kind of PR farming session, the people love it.
Kind of like a politician showing up at a local market—it boosts your image.
Also, to be real with you, food and booze after a hard day’s work?
Unmatched. Top-tier. God-tier, even.
As the night went on and people got lost in laughter and drinks, I looked around for the real star of today’s show— the Justice Psycho™.
I spotted her nearby—sitting on the ground, completely drained, staring blankly into space.
I walked over and sat down beside her.
“You alright, Azelle?”
“M-My lord! Yes, I’m perfectly fine! No issues at all!!”
Oh, please.
You’re practically radiating ‘suffering.’
Drawing on an old guidebook I once read—yes, there was a ‘strategy guide’ for this—I started working my version of her route.
“Azelle, what does justice mean to you?”
“Justice… is wielding my sword for the sake of my lord, and doing what is right!!”
From what I remembered, Azelle had become obsessed with justice because of something in her past.
She threw herself into the idea of becoming a righteous knight—and whenever she ‘wasn’t’ on some justice-fueled mission, she would spiral into intense stress.
So then...
What ‘is’ justice, really?
Is swinging a sword the ‘only’ way to serve justice?
“Then what about what we did today? Was that not justice?”
“I… I’m not sure.”
According to the guidebook, the ‘first step’ in winning her over was showing her that justice isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.
So I said—
“Fighting off bandits to protect our people—yes, of course that’s justice. In a world full of thieves, tyrants, and even corrupted Bloodkins, there’s no denying the value in wielding a sword for righteousness.”
I paused, before continuing.
“But that’s only a method—a means to an end. The ‘goal’ is more important than the method.
And growing food to feed our people, hunting so they can eat meat, building a place where ordinary folks can live happily without fear—I think ‘that,’ too, is justice.”
“Ordinary life… as justice…”
Around us, the farmers laughed and joked as they shared meat and wine, enjoying the peaceful joy of a day’s honest labor.
Protecting the simple happiness of normal people—
To me, ‘that’ was what justice looked like.
“At least, that’s what ‘my’ justice is. That’s why I need your sword—not ‘for’ the sake of swinging it, but for what it can protect.”
“My lord…”
“So let me ask you again, Azelle—what is your justice?”
The guidebook said that when you hit this line, it triggers Azelle’s character growth.
She rethinks her values and breaks out of her justice-obsessed tunnel vision.
…Or so I thought.
Azelle’s eyes lit up. Sparkling. Practically glowing.
“I was so short-sighted. I’ve never thought about justice that deeply before. Thank you for opening my eyes, my lord!”
“R-Right. As long as you’ve opened your eyes…”
But something was… off.
Her eyes burned even brighter than before—like, ‘cult member’ intensity.
I got goosebumps.
“So until I discover my true justice… I’ll consider you to be my justice, my lord!!”
“Wait—WHAT!?”
And from that day on, Azelle’s obsession with justice finally ‘softened’…
…but her obsession with ‘me’ skyrocketed.
Uh…
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
I think I broke something.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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