Mr. Jirou!　I was worried about you. I'm glad to hear you're okay.
'I apologize for taking so long to say hello. The priest seems to be in good health.

　After the mirror was fixed and I returned to this world and the Dida-related mess was over, I showed up at my shop in Elishe, and in that vein, I also showed up at the temple.
　I heard that the priestess was also making an effort to inquire about how to fix the mirror and unravel the lore of the high shrine or something like that. I really admire her efforts.

'As for the mirror, there was a lot of lore left over. It's an old ...... record from the spirit civilization era. It said that in the past, God's attendants had migrated to this land from a mysterious mirror. And from that mirror they returned to the land of God, and after a certain time they never returned again. ...... As for the mirror itself, I wasn't sure about the important thing: ....... Could it be that Mr. Jirou is a servant ...... of those gods?

　It's pretty clearly left in the lore: .......
　Well, the people of that time probably didn't hide it either.

　According to Yumegen's story, 1000 years ago, NPCs, in other words, the locals were not yet wise. The creatures that originally existed on this planet were forcibly made into humans, so in terms of content, they may have been like primitive people who evolved all at once.
　Nevertheless, as they imitated the players and did the tasks given to them by the gods, a culture was born, and they must have gradually evolved into their current state.

　But the God's Military or .......

'Of course not. It wouldn't be a gala that I'm a member of God's family, would it?　...... And didn't it say that all of God's relatives back then were athletic?
'What!　How do you know that?　All of the god's attendants were great wizards, but they were certainly not good at physical exercise, as the lore goes.

　I heard that all future people didn't exercise and got fat. Even with super science, we couldn't get rid of obesity: ....... Or are we going to enter an era where the fat gene will win out in the future?

As it is, ...... Priestess. I hear the Knights have received applications?

　I changed the subject.
　Even if you get too much of a kick out of it, there's often no way to answer it.
　Priestess-chan seems to be a fan of the Great Mage of Dreamscape, so I'll get her an autograph from Dreamscape eventually.

''Yes, since the knights' parade, we've been receiving inquiries from women who want to join the knightly corps, albeit a little at a time. So far, eight so far.
Eight cases? That's a lot, but it's not much.
'There aren't many women who receive a knight's vocation, so it's safe to say that there are quite a few if you consider the percentage. There are even some people who have been forced to flee into exile. ......
I see.

　Come to think of it, the knighthood was something of a senior position. It's easy to forget because there are so many of them around, but it's a different kind of vocation than simple vocation such as swordsman or pikeman.

It's a good idea to get together on a date and have an interview. It's impossible for us to pay a salary that's sufficient to earn a living with our knights, so we can't hire you unless you understand that.
'Then set a date and I'll let you know from here. From what I've seen, they all look like good girls. I'm sure Jirou-san will love them.
'I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but all women in the knighthood are sincere and kind, I would expect that.

　It seems that the contact will be made by the priestess.
　Just because the priestesses are in between, the credibility of the knight squad will also go up a lot.
　I'm thankful for that.


　◇◆◆◆◇


　The day arrived in a flash.
　We had to wait almost a month because some applicants came from outside of Elishe, but in the meantime, the number of applicants increased and we ended up with 10.

　The interviews were run by Rebecca and Hetty.
　To put it bluntly, there's nothing in particular I'm going to tell you about as a Knight Squad.
　No, technically, there is. I need you to help out in the shop. Each of us will have our own family situations or lives, so you can choose whether you want to be a part-time or full-time employee, but the shop is short on manpower anyway.
　But first of all, it's a knighthood. I'll have to meet the requirements for being a knight-errant, whether or not I'll be asked to work as a shopkeeper.

　The interview venue is outdoors for some reason.
　It's also in the usual square in front of Shero's house, the usual square.
　All of our knights are wearing the same perfect equipment as in the parade.
　The dragon, Mr. Corn, is also seated, and the young ladies of the applicants have tightened their faces in nervousness.
　I wonder if this is a pressure interview, I guess.

''Nice to meet you. I'm Rebecca Roth, the captain of the Knights of Artemis. It's a new corps that just started, so it's a small unit, but I'm thinking of making it bigger from now on. So I'm really happy that you've responded to our call for members like this.

　Rebecca, who is dressed in knight armor, greets me with Kirili.
　Really, a knight captain!　I'm like, "You're so hard, Becky.

I'm not a fan of that. You can't be that scary: ...... You see, Jirou-san is watching you too, with a big smile on her face.
'Hey, Hetty, don't chuck it in. The first one is the most important: ......
But you're going to do that, aren't you?　If you don't scare me now, you'll learn soon enough.
'Yes, but ......'

　Just when I thought it was crisp, Hetty immediately intervened, and it immediately became a goofy mess. Maybe this is the freedom of the mercenary style.

''Kohon!　Um, anyway, now that you've come, we're not going to turn you guys down. We've all passed!

　Rebecca suddenly declares. We've all passed.
　Well, since you've come all the way here, there's no doubt that you all actually have a "knightly vocation".
　There's no need for us to refuse them.

　When I heard that they had all passed the test, I could see the relief on their faces.

　After that, everyone briefly introduced themselves.

''I am High Elf Deanna Luna Arbella. Alright.''

　When Deanna stepped forward to greet them, there was a groan from the applicants.
　A knight wants to be loyal to a princess. Our knights are usually loyal to Deanna as well. Only Rebecca and Hetty might be the only ones who haven't sworn an oath.

'Yes, yes, yes. You can't swear your allegiance yet. Not until after all of today's schedule is done.

　Rebecca keeps the applicants in check as they begin to show some kind of loyalty.
　Schedule. In case you were wondering, I had heard that today's interview was going to take all day.
　That's why I went out of my way to schedule it on a day when the store was closed.

'Now, get dressed in this. We'll start the first day of training!　Guys, as long as you've passed, you're on our squad, of course you're going to have to go along with the training.

　I've provided them with a change of clothes.
　We're all in civilian clothes, and they're not suitable for training.
　At Rebecca's house, the applicants return to me after changing.

Then let's get started. Marina, are you ready?
I'm ready, sir!

　In front of Marina, there were two swords stuck in the ground.
　They were practice iron swords.
　This was no way--.

So what's your ...... name at first?
'Yes!　I'm Marlone Wrinkle!
So, Marlone. "So, Marlone, pick up that sword and fight that Marina over there. Until it's over. Resist or you will die.
What, what?

　Ms. Marlone would be twenty or so years old at her age.
　She wears her fluffy hair in a single bun and by all accounts has the look of a town girl.
　Even though she was given the vocation of a knight, it's doubtful that she has any actual experience with a sword.

　However, Rebecca-san was completely unrelenting.

''Look, hurry up, pick up your sword and hold it ready!　You're going to be a knight, aren't you?
'Ha, yes!'

　A spirited shot, Marlone-san takes the sword.
　Maybe she took that as a sign, Marina let out an exuberant voice.

Then, let's begin. I've done this with Elepippi, so I'm very familiar with it.

　And the training began.

　Marrone later recalled.

'We watched the parade of Artemis and admired only its pomp and circumstance. We didn't understand what being a knight was all about. I guess that's why the captain put us through that training from day one. Yes ...... really ....... Our faintest illusions were shattered. I thought what a place I'd come to, to tell you the truth. ...... and yet, by the time it was over, I wondered, I wanted to be stronger. That was called knight baptism. ......


　◇◆◆◆◇


　Well, in fact, it's a training session in the usual way.

　This is the real-world training for rookies that was held in the mercenary group "Scarlet Wedge". It's the same one I did a lot of times against Shero-san.
　Right now, Hetty is the fourth person I'm training against.

"I'm sorry, Jiro. I'm sorry I did that.

　Rebecca, who was standing in line to watch the training with me, suddenly apologizes.
　She must have been referring to the fact that she imposed intense training on me at the outset without permission. Well, I was certainly a bit surprised, though.

No, I'll leave the basic knightly duties to Rebecca-san, so there's no problem.
'But if any of these get left out, you can go to ....... You've been taking a guess (...) right?　As an asset to the store.
''Well ...... somewhat. But the shop can hire a new apprentice, and in fact there's plenty of guesswork to go around, so it's okay.

　Basically, it's a buyer's market. There will be plenty of people who want to work for us.
　However, I have a certain amount of faith in knightly vocationals, and as long as I'm in the knightly corps, I'm killing two birds with one stone, so I'd like the applicants to stay if possible, though.

''Should I make it tougher at first, after all?''
That's just as well. 'If you're applying for a mercenary group, you'll get people who are prepared to die, but we don't really know what we're going to do, do we?　But that doesn't mean it can't be a formality, you know. Besides, we'll have the sandhill crane soon.

　Rebecca says that in Hitotsutsuzuki, the knights should also be waiting in the wings. Even if they don't actually fight, they can help with things like helping the injured and preparing meals.

The most important thing to remember is that the knights will also participate in the battle, right?

　I'm not sure that's true.
　I've had to fight monsters from time to time.

"Will you join us?　Even though it's a knight squad, I couldn't use Marina, Princess, Ion, Shamash, and Elepippi without Jirou's permission, so I refrained from doing so.
'No, because in the case of Hitotsutsuki, like what happened in Luclaera, there are a lot of monsters springing up there, right?　I was going to join in, I was.
It would be nice to hear you say that, but ......, are you sure?

　Well, I don't understand why Rebecca is hesitant about ......?
　Maybe the human treadmill is a lot worse than I think it is. Maybe it's not something I can just casually declare my participation in.
　But I don't want to run away and get my ass handed to me. The Hitotsutsuzuki is a phenomenon in which monsters sprout up from a monster spot. In other words, it's happening next door to my mansion.
　If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do it.

I mean, Shero-san asked me to help him before.
Well, I'll take care of that for you.

　They usually have a hard time securing warriors. Even though Hitotsutsuzuki is a disaster for everyone in this world, not everyone has the guts to actually stand up to it.
　Moreover, Hitotsutsuki also has powerful monsters, and there's a randomness to their strength that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to be of a scheduled strength.
　Rebecca's ...... or rather Shero's jurisdiction, the monster spots in this forest are also filled with powerful monsters that you wouldn't normally expect to see.
　I also heard that in the worst case scenario, more than 10 people could die. It's not something to be taken lightly.

　Nevertheless, if our knight squad can help, they should be able to become a good force to be reckoned with.
　Especially with Shamash-san here, that's a big deal. The summoned monster that can be used sparingly and as a wall is the most convenient.
　Furthermore, Ai-chan has outstanding attack power. Moreover, she can attack from a distance.
　Shamash-san herself can also shoot magic from a distance.
　The basis of modern warfare is long-range combat. The basis of modern warfare is long-distance combat. If you can attack from a distance where your opponent's attacks can't reach you, there's nothing better than that.
　I might as well improve my magic to a level where I can use it in actual combat while I'm still alive.


　After that, the baptisms for all the applicants continued, and they all returned to the city exhausted.
　Tomorrow, only those who came properly will be officially hired as members of our knight squad, it seems.
　Well, from the looks of it, everyone looked good at the end, so it should be fine.
　Even Elepippi looked like he was enjoying himself, even though he was training hard. All knightly vocationals have guts.


　And the next day.
　As it turned out, all of the applicants from yesterday showed up without a single person leaving.
　They were all hired immediately.

　Thus, the number of members of the Artemis Knights had increased to nearly double at once.



　◇◆◆◆◇



Yeah. Can you use this, Miss Hetty?

　Another day.
　In the midst of the usual knight training, I found Hetty and spoke to her.
　Ever since Hetty-san decided to join our squadron, I often see her and Rebecca discussing the running of the squadron and getting excited about it.
　In addition, she often comes to the mansion, wanting to take care of Aeon. It's like he's a member of the family.

Jirou-sama. Isn't that the new product called a katana?
That's right. It's a weapon, but it's a bit special in its use, and it's said to require a lot of skill to handle in our area. ...... I thought I'd let Hetty handle it a bit and see if it's actually difficult.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one for you. ...... In other words, before selling a Japanese sword as a product, I needed to test it and make sure it was sharp.
　I'm sure you'll be able to sell it as a decoration, but it won't be useful if it is useless when the time comes.
　That's why I decided to ask Hetty-san, who seems to be the most adept at fighting with weapons, to help me out.

'I'm not boasting, but there is no weapon I can't use,'

　As he says, he pulls the sword from its sheath.
　It's a battering ram made by Grand Master Dargos.
　I've tried cutting up vegetables, but I'm not sure if I can actually use it as a weapon. It's a good idea to be able to use such a steel rod, though.

Hmmm: ............

　Hetty holds the sword, raises the blade, and wields it two or three times without a sound.

What do you think?
It's a nice sword. It should be no problem. Would you like to try cutting something?
Here.

　I got out the straw that I had prepared.
　I made it myself.

'Are you sure this is what you want?'
'Yes. Apparently it's customary to use something like this for traditional test cutting.

　For all intents and purposes, the rolled straw is used for test cutting because the rolled straw is similar to the hardness of human flesh and the core material, bamboo, is similar to the hardness of human bones. ......

'Well, here we go,'
Oh, wait a minute.

　I took the trouble to roll the camera.
　This is a scene where the best swordsman in the world handles a katana trained in another world. I couldn't help but capture this scene.
　Even if I failed, it would be a charm.

''Please!''
So,

　Hetty, looking deflated, held her katana in her right hand, lifted her sword faintly, and the moment she gently held her left hand, she swung her sword in a flowing tang, tang, tang, tang.
　A beat later, the curling straw collapses and falls apart.

''Oooh-ooh ......''
That's about it. Well, it was a target that didn't move. Even Becky can do this much.

　Hetty says it coolly, but I know because I watched a few different videos of trial cutting videos when I was in the process of examining the rolled straw, but it's a tremendous skill.
　I'm really sorry ...... that I thought for a moment that I might not be able to use a sword that pulls and cuts like a katana.

''Wasn't this the first time you've used a weapon like this?''
It's my first time. But if you touch it, you can understand how to use it. I don't mean to call it the voice of the sword, but a swordsman can understand it somehow.
Is that how it works?

　Then I'm a swordsman!　I challenged him to do it, and he was really able to cut normally.
　Maybe it's because the curly straw slash is easy, or maybe it's just the training I've been putting into it.
　Either way, now I'll be able to sell my katana with the crowning achievement of being sharp.