-- a few days after the one incident with the High Elf Ail.

　As they were preparing to open the store as usual, the sound of banging on the front door, which was still unlocked, echoed through the store from outside.

'Yuck. There are some fast-talking guys.

　Garnett scowls and heads for the front door.

　It's not quite opening time yet, but every once in a while a quick-witted customer comes in this way.

It's still in the process of being prepared. Wait there a little longer: ......

　Garnett's mood changed as he headed to respond, and for some reason he was no longer in the mood to deal with guests.

　The person at the doorway was neither an adventurer nor a town person.
　It was a person wearing a jacket (coat) like a knight would wear.

　It was hard to hear the conversation well from the checkout counter, but the man handed Garnett something and walked away without a second glance into the store.

'...... Garnett, what was that all about?'
The letter is for you. It's a letter for you. You can read it in the mail.

　Saying that, Garnett showed me a sealed envelope with a two-headed dragon crest, the emblem of the royal palace.

　It's true that you can understand the business at a glance.
　I'm sure that was a follow-up report on the knighthood.

　As soon as I received the envelope from Garnett, everyone who was preparing to open the store gathered around.

''Luke-kun!　That could be anything!　Ta-ha!　It's finally here!
The ...... knight's ...... thing?
'Yeah!　Hey, can I see a little bit of ......!
You shouldn't be in such a hurry to get these papers.

　Alexia easily overtook Noir, who happened to be the closest and reacted immediately, and crowded in on her.

　And next to Erica, who came a little later, standing tall behind Alexia, Leila was the only one who looked calm and chided her.

　What a reaction that shows everyone's individuality.

　Noir's reflexes are not as good as those of Alexia, who is also an adventurer, and whose bite for the latest news of this kind is good.

　Erica is also curious about gossip and gossip like a young girl of her age, but she doesn't seem to be as forward-thinking as the noisiest of them all.

　The remaining Leila, perhaps because she comes from a knight's family, seems to be the only one of the four who hasn't revealed her curiosity about knighthood, as notifications about knightly orders are not uncommon.

　...... and, well, as I was thinking about such things and receiving pressure from three sides, Garnett grabbed Alexia and Noir's shoulders from behind and pulled them heavily off my side.

It's a very official document, so don't let anyone other than yourself peek into it out of the blue. We'll see you later.
God, they're so guarded.

　Thanks to Garnett, I was freed from the densely packed situation of being one step ahead, so I opened the sealed envelope again to check the contents.

　What was spelled out in it was--










Is it an investiture ceremony?

　Since Garnett and I visited the Spring Wakaba-Tei for lunch that day, I decided to tell Sylvia and Sakura - who were there for lunch between requests - about this morning's sealed letter. It was.

Yes. I heard there's a big knight-errors ceremony in the capital at the beginning of next month. I heard that they're going to take my case on that occasion as well.

　In essence, the ceremony is to do the ordination of each knight's new knight at one time.

　All modern knights have to be commissioned directly by His Majesty the King.

　However, since His Majesty is busy and is always moving from place to place on the continent to the east, it would be more efficient for him to be appointed at a time when he is staying in the King's capital in batches.

　Garnett and Leila say that, of course, there are cases where people are appointed individually, but the majority of those who became knights after unification were apparently appointed in a joint investiture ceremony.

''But it's quite sudden. I didn't know that the notification for the ceremony to be held next month is today.
I heard they were planning to do it a little later, but they decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

　While answering Sakura's question, I choked up imagining the unknown ceremony of knighthood ordination.

　I suppose they wanted to unveil it in front of a large number of people anyway, but how many people will really be gathered?

　Maybe it's because of the incessant chattering, or maybe it's because it's right after hearing an important report, but the food placed in front of me isn't much less than usual.

''Huh?　The white wolf, he's so f*cking nervous, man.
I don't want to be ignored.

　Garnett, seated next to me, is smirking and gathering the sauce from his own empty plate with a spoon.

　As Garnett points out, I'm getting nervous now, that's a fact.

　For now, I decide to change my mood and throw out an important suggestion to Sylvia and Sakura.

I've been told that I can invite guests to the investiture ceremony at my discretion. It's a good idea to invite them too.

　Sylvia and Sakura looked at each other, and then they both exclaimed in surprise.

''Is it okay!　We can't even bother you!
As for me, aside from Sylvia, I'm not even a subject of the kingdom: ......!
'Of course it's good, of course it's good. This was just the beginning. I'd like to have you come down here with your head down.

　There are all sorts of faces that come to mind when you're told you can invite anyone.

　Not to mention my relatives back home, the adventurers I've known for a long time, and everyone in the White Wolf store.

　However, the first thing that came to mind was Sylvia and Sakura.

　It's honestly strange to me that it was sooner than I thought about calling my parents and siblings.

　My immediate family is too obvious, so apart from that, maybe the psychology of ...... was subconscious.

　It's not just the fact that you can't get away with it, it's also the fact that you can't get away with it.

You can't say no to that. Thank you, Mr. Luke.
"I'm not familiar with our rituals, and I'm afraid I'll be rude to you, but I'll do my best to be present at ...... with all my heart.

　Sylvia exchanged a cheery smile with Sakura, then leaned forward on the table with a look on her face as if she remembered something, and whispered to Garnett, stifling her voice.

'...... Garnett, will your sister be in attendance by any chance?　If so, I'd like to at least say hello once: ......
'Oh?　......Oh, oh, ......Well, at least you're going to show your face at the ceremony, right?　The position of the house and all that, you know, stuff.

　Garnett gingerly held back her gaze that almost swam, and with the spoon that was still in her hand, she scraped the mash of mashed monkey potatoes off my plate with a gusto, then threw it in at once and closed her mouth.

　Speaking of which, Sylvia and Marida, the tavern and guild house, knew the ostensible story that Garnett had a sister named Alma.

　In addition, Sylvia also knows that Garnet is a knight, so she would naturally be curious about the topic in that direction as well.

　Next to Sylvia, who still seemed to have not heard enough, Sakura abruptly changed the subject next to Sylvia.

'That's right, Sylvia. In this case, how about this case also serve as a prelude to the knighthood?
Oh, that's a good one!　We need to make it more gorgeous!
The case: ......?

　It's a topic I don't remember at all.

　Sylvia smiled confidently and put her hand to her chest as if to tell me to expect it.

'For what it's worth, we were planning a party to celebrate Luke's first anniversary of moving to Green Hollow. I was actually going to tell you about it after the meal.

　A year - should I say it's been that long already, or should I say it's only been that long?

　I feel like the time has gone by in a flash, and I feel like too much has happened in a short period of time.

　But anyway, I've had a great time.
　That much I can say with confidence.

'Thanks ....... Really, this past year has changed my life.

　A smile came naturally from the bottom of my heart.

　Before I knew it, the tension that had been hanging over me had disappeared.