You talk a lot, don't you? I'm just saying.
I'm sorry, I guess I overstayed my welcome.
I don't care if it's business. Just get it over with and let's go take a bath.

　After Noir and Alexia got home.
　In addition to my normal routine after closing, I decided to ask Garnett to take some time to study before getting ready for bedtime.

　The content, of course, is regarding the basic knowledge of being a knight.

But I never thought I'd end up imitating a tutor.
Good luck with that, Dr. Garnett.
...... Seriously, don't do that. It's kind of mushy.

　Placing two chairs on the office desk, they set to study shoulder to shoulder.

　In my hand is a single instructional book that I borrowed from Felix for teaching new knights.

'Ooh, I miss this one too. It was revised the year before last. I hope it's better than when I was taught.
'This instructional book was around when you were a rookie: ...... No, wait a minute. How long ago was that?
Four or five years, right?

　Naturally, there existed a time when this guy was a rookie knight as well.

　As I recall, it's fifteen now, and then five years ago, which means that he started receiving knight's training when he was ten years old or so.

　...... It really is still a child.

I'm not going to be the only one. It's normal for a brat born into a knight's family to start knight training around that time. At first, though, it's just a matter of learning the knowledge and culture, or becoming an older knight's valet and being taught in the field.

　Garnett chuckled, as if he knew what I was thinking.

Then let's get right to it. If you teach them all at once, they won't be able to remember everything, so let's start with the basics, a little at a time.

　Garnett prompts me to open the first page of the instructional book.

　--The position and role of a knight since the Westland Kingdom almost unified the continent has changed in many ways from that before the unification.

　The textbook also described the traditional way of being a knight, but Garnett instructed me to skip over it as it wasn't very important and proceeded to describe the current role of a knight on the page.

'A modern knight is basically supposed to belong to one of the twelve types of knightly orders. The royal palace assigns official duties and fiefdoms to the knights, and individual knights are assigned duties and fiefdoms from the Order ...... That's the basic system.

　In the process of unifying the continent, His Majesty had turned over entire groups of knights belonging to enemy nations in order to cut down their forces on the condition that they were given enough power to relieve them of their territories.

　Of course, they did not do the same thing to all the countries, some wanted to annex them voluntarily, and some did not surrender until they were attacked and destroyed.

　Anyway, there were ten(⋅)one(⋅)groups of knights taken in like that, and they were given the generic name of 'Knights' and entrusted with a part of the kingdom's public affairs as promised.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it. Your knights will be the thirteenth after these.
'You'd better remember all the names and roles of the Order, right?
Hmm ...... Well, eventually. You don't have to learn it right now. Just get to the point for now.

　The Twelve Knights are divided into two main categories.
　The so-called ordinary knights and advanced knights.

　There are four senior knighthoods.
　Commander of the Kingsguard, Knights of the Dragon King.
　Military Leader, Golden Fang Knights.
　Overseer of Security, Order of the Silver Winged Knight.
　Overseeing the Temple, Knights of the Rainbow Rings.

　The fourth one is the knights who guarded 10,000 temples in the capital, also known as the Knights of the Temple and the Oracle Knights ......, or rather, their official name is close to their documented name, and seems to be called only by their alias in the general public.

　The official name didn't ring a bell for me either, but as soon as I heard the name of the Temple Knights, I understood that it was that one.

　Its role is to guard temples around the country and to assist in the mediation between temples.
　It's not flashy, but it's an indispensable mediator in the Westland Kingdom where countless faiths exist.

　Almost all of the knights guarding the temples belong to this place, and although everyone sees them on a regular basis, their official name is surprisingly unknown, which is a rather strange positioning for a knightly order.

It's a good thing that they're sent to the temples in Green Hollow, too. There are one or two of them per temple, though.
'...... I didn't know that. I don't usually go to the temple or anything like that. ......

　This is how someone with little faith like me would perceive it.

''It's like the Senior Knights Order, with the exception of the Dragon King, is a nationwide job, and the other eight are subcontractors in areas where there's a lot of work to do especially. In the case of the Silver Wing, they delegate the maintenance of security on the main trade routes to the lower knights.

　So I was told that I would have to learn the remaining eight names little by little.

　Garnett taught me the basics one by one, and I asked him some questions I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

I'm going to have to check until ...... is open, but I'm still going to be forced to take on official duties and territory too, right?
That depends on His Majesty. I think it's quite possible that they're both just a small organization that has just been established, so there's a good chance they'll both be sorry. That's probably what they'll do.

　It would be nice if it was. You can't just ask me to do something like Silver Wings or Golden Fang out of the blue.

''I'll put aside the management of the territory as a leader, the allocation to the knights under my command, and ...... other small and complicated things for now. There will be a specialist assigned to you anyway, so just throw it all in there.
Roundup: ...... That's it?
It's okay. An organization where the chief executive has to do everything from one to ten is outdated. Even in this shop, they've entrusted their expertise to Noir and Alexia.

　Then Garnett's lips lifted up in a funny way from the bottom of his stomach.

'You know, I'm a landowner, too.　The contents of a knight's purse are the tax revenues that come from the territory. The activities of official business are also funded from this: ...... Actually, I've only been to the territory twice since I was decorated.
You don't mind, really?
That's just the way it is with the knights of today. You have to hire a relative or a professional agent to manage the estate. I'm guessing at most half of the people who run it by themselves. That's why you can go to ......

　Garnett lightly lifted his hips from the chair next to me and put one arm around my shoulders and gingerly put some pressure on it.

You don't have to be so stubborn," he said. Let the people who can do the work do the work that's out of their hands. It's not necessary for you to do everything, that's why I thought it would be okay for you to entrust the knights.
...... If you say so, maybe I should take it more comfortably.

　After all, it seems that Garnett knew my inner thoughts.
　In fact, I think he understands me better than I do myself.

　I've never experienced a turning point in my life, such as being knighted or establishing a new order, and I was needlessly tense and stiff.

　The reason I felt so strongly that I had to learn to be a knight is probably because I was too overwhelmed by the fact that I felt so strongly at Theodore and Felix's place.

'Thanks. I'm glad I asked you after all.

　When I turned my head towards Garnett, a pretty, well-groomed face almost touching the tip of her nose, her mouth broke out in a smile.

'Then you'll have to buy me dinner tonight for my thanks.
'Cream cake set?　...... ouch.

　Was he too close to the ground for his usual kick to hit him?
　This time he had been poked in the chin with his forehead.