Gilan, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, looked around the room and said in dismay.

''Your Highness. It's insane to sleep in the same room with such a man of unknown identity!

Solon is a very trustworthy man.

　Filia said flatly.

'And one that has the identity of a duke and a professor at the Imperial School of Magic.

But I'm not a nobleman.

　Gillan said coldly.
　He came from a great noble family, and besides, his family is the oldest noble family in the empire. On top of that, his mother was also a member of the royal family.

　If he wasn't such a person, he wouldn't be able to become the second-in-command of the Imperial Guard, which respects formality and tradition.

　There are many different types of aristocrats, some don't take their aristocratic status to heart, while others are intensely aware of their own aristocratic status.

　Some become arrogant because they are aristocrats, while others think that because they are aristocrats they have a noble duty to save their people.

　And from what I've seen, Gillan was, for better or worse, an intensely aristocratic person, sensitive to the differences between nobles and commoners.
　Gillan says.

''Roughly, that man Solon, I heard that he was kicked out of the knightly order he was based on. 'I suppose that means he was incompetent.'

Solon is not a deadbeat.

So he may have had some behavioral problems. He was dirty with money and slutty with women. A rising commoner is a greedy man.

If you say anything worse about Solon--

　Gilan interrupted Filia's words as she was about to say this.

'Your Highness had better be careful, too. Unless you want to be raped by a lowly person and impregnate them with a child.'

　For a moment, Filia froze, as if she didn't understand what was being said.
　The next moment, her face turned bright red.
　It's fine to say bad things about me.
　But no matter how much, Gillan's attitude is too rude to the princess.
　He may not be happy with Filia, the daughter of the devil, but at any rate, there is moderation.

''Why don't you just leave it at that, Sub-Captain-dono.

　I said, and Gillan complied.

'I have no reason to take orders from you,'

'But I'm not going to sit back and let Lady Filia's mind be troubled, am I?

I think you're the one who's trying to do that, don't you?　You may have been instrumental in resolving the matter, but you can't take credit for that. But we must not let you look down on it. It is we, the Guard, who will protect the Imperial Palace.

If I could have just talked to the guards, I would have done it all along.

"I'll admit that some of us in the Guard were traitors.

Then you know why I couldn't talk to the guards about the maid's kidnapping, right?

I understand. But I disagree. Again, it is the job of our guards to maintain security in the Imperial Palace. I didn't call in the Knights of St. Sophia, or Solon the Hero, or any of the others.

I'm not trying to take your jobs away from you. It was an emergency.

'It sounds good when you say it's an emergency, but if it fails, how were you going to take responsibility for it?'

I didn't mean to fail.

''That's a lot of confidence. But they call themselves magic swordsmen, etc., but in essence, they're not confident in their sword skills, they're not confident in their magic either, so they're the ones who play around with their petty skills to fight, right?

　What Gillan says is indeed a truth.
　We magic swordsmen use a combination of skills to fight, but on the other hand, all of our skills are only halfway there.
　However.

It's not true!　Even his sword skills are much better than yours!

　Filia said emphatically.

'Ho,'

　Gillan's face twisted.
　He seems to have a lot of pride.
　It wouldn't be pleasant to have an imperial princess look at him below me.

''Among the elite Imperial Guard, you say that this man is stronger than me, who was chosen to be your second-in-command? Well, then, I'll give it a try.

"Try?

Take the copper swords over there. Two for you and one for me. We will fight with these. No magic, no treasure, no swords.

The princess is here. There's no way I'm going to be able to fight a duel in front of her.

　I said, and Filia shook her head.
　Then Filia glared hard at Gillan.

'I agree,' she said. In return, if Solon wins, won't you complain about me being there for him?

''Let's do that. On the other hand, if I win, this man will be asked to leave the Imperial Palace.

　Leaving me behind, Filia and Gillan both decided to talk.
　Weak, I think.
　I'm sure you're not going to get into any trouble for a duel if you can help it.
　But if Filia insists on doing it, there's no way around it.

What's the matter, have you lost your nerve?　I don't know if you're the second-in-command of the Empire's most powerful knights or what, but I guess that means you're no match for our guards after all.

　Gillan said mockingly.
　I silently picked up a cheap copper sword in the corner of the room.
　Then I held it up and looked back at Filia.

'Fight, Filia-sama, you say,'

Yeah. Because that's what I want.

　As she said this, Filia gently approached me and handed me a beautifully embroidered blue handkerchief.
　It was the traditional etiquette for a duel.
　The handkerchief was a sign that I was fighting for Filia and that she wanted me to win.
　Filia looked up at me and said in a beautiful, clear voice, "Solon, give me victory.　

'Solon, give me victory!