Creon, the Deputy Commander of the Knights of St. Sophia, sighed deeply.

　This was the deputy commander's office in the Knights' headquarters.
　Except for the large number of books on the bookshelves by the wall, it was a simple and drab room.

　The condition of the room reflected the personality of the previous person, or Solon.
　Creon remembered Solon's words.
　In Solon's opinion, flamboyant décor was a waste of money; a desk and a chair would be enough.

　Instead, Solon had purchased a large number of books.
　Research reports on various ruins and encyclopedias on the habits of the demon race would naturally be useful in his adventures in the ruins.

　But there were also specialized books on medicine and pharmacology, commentaries on imperial law, readings on the folk cultural customs of the various regions of the empire, and also recipes for cooking.
　What good is it, Creon wondered at first, but Solon laughed and said.

'It's all useful, I'm sure. No doubt about it.'

　And Solon was right.

　First aid for wounds that couldn't be fixed by recovery magic required knowledge of medical pharmacy.
　The law books were useful for negotiating with officials when obtaining permission to explore ruins in various places, and for contracts when hiring people or selling treasures.

　Because the empire was so large, the customs around the imperial capital were different from those on the frontier, and there were times when it was difficult to get the cooperation of the local people without knowing their customs.

　Solon used the knowledge he gained from the books to smoothly perform all sorts of miscellaneous tasks.
　He was really good at it, Creon thinks.

　But there was no such thing as natural talent or great strength in Solon.
　He was not the type of person to be an adventurer, sorcerer or hero, in Creon's opinion.
　Solon deserved to be an entrepreneur or otherwise a pastor who led people.

　Even now, Creon can vividly recall the day he first met Solon.
　It was when he was a first year at the School of Magic.
　Creon was twelve years old, and Solon, who had entered the school later than the standard entrance age, was two years older than him.

　At the time, Creon had a good family background, but he was feeble and had no power. And he was always bullied by his classmates.

　Even that day, Creon was beaten, kicked and despised, and then Solon appeared in front of him.
　He was an inconspicuous, unassuming boy, but there was a strange power about him.
　When Solon said something short, the guys who had been violating Creon turned pale and ran away.
　Solon held out his hand to Creon.

'What kind of magic did you use on them?'

　Creon asked, and Solon smiled.

'It's not magic. It's just a negotiation. Every human being has a weakness. Well, in terms of magic, I'm not as talented as you are.

Do I have a talent?

'Yes. I'm a good judge of character, you know.

I don't have any talent.

No, it's just that you don't have a knack for it. If anything, Creon, you could be the greatest holy knight in the Empire.

　Solon said jokingly.
　I don't know how serious Solon meant it at this moment.
　However, Creon replied to his words.

''If I can really be the strongest knight in the empire, then what would you be?''

I'm a hypochondriac. I'm a hero who fights for the holy knights and saints.

　Solon chuckled.

　From that day on, Creon began to follow Solon around all the time.
　The fact that he was older made Solon dependable.
　When he was around, he didn't get bullied anymore, and he taught me a lot of things.

　How to study, how to use magic efficiently, and how to treat people were all things that Solon taught Creon.
　Solon said that Creon was more talented than he was.
　But Creon couldn't imagine a day when he would surpass Solon.
　Dependence on Solon and a strong sense of inferiority to him had been a big part of Creon's mind when he was at school.

　But now it was different.
　Now, looking at this room with Solon gone, Creon's heart was a dark joy.

　Maybe he had finally surpassed Solon.
　At least there was no longer a feeble boy anywhere to follow Solon around.　
　Now, Creon was truly the strongest holy knight in the Empire.
　Just like Solon's prophecy.

　Once that happened, Creon's existence was becoming a smoking gun for Creon.
　He couldn't stand the idea of Solon acting as if he was his brother forever.
　And it was obvious that Saint Sophia had more fondness for Solon than Creon, and that also hurt Creon's pride.

　However, that didn't mean that Creon's hostility towards Solon was the only thing that drove him away.
　If it was essentially a good idea to get rid of Solon, it was not a good idea.
　Solon still had some use for her.
　After all, he was handy. In his absence, all the chores would be slowed down, and we knew that there would be trouble.
　I could have given Solon a role as office manager. The good-natured Solon would have quit being an adventurer and settled for being an office clerk.

　So.
　If Creon had asked, Solon would not have refused. Solon was always concerned about Creon.
　A tingle of guilt crossed his chest, but Creon made an effort to forget it.

　The main reason for getting rid of Solon was that if only he wasn't there, Creon could take control of the Order.
　He would be able to use the Order for his own purposes.

　A person with good instincts like Solon would eventually realize Creon's true purpose.
　And once he realized that, Solon must have vehemently opposed Creon.
　So it was necessary to expel Solon before that happened.

　Creon thinks to himself.
　Creon thinks to himself, no one has ever called him weak.
　On the contrary, there are now countless members of the group who are fascinated by Creon.
　But Creon's heart is not satisfied.

　This is because there is not a single girl by his side.
　The girl who told him that it was okay to be weak when Creon was not the strongest knight or anything like that. She told him she loved the kind Creon.

　And then she died.

'Shea.'

　Creon murmured the name of a fellow girl he had once lost.

　Solon and Creon shared the bitter truth that the dead do not rise.
　Unlike Solon, however, Creon could not accept that truth.

　There is magic in this world. How could it be said that magic to raise the dead did not exist?

　There was a knock at the door.

'Come in.'

　As Creon said, the door to the Vice Commander's office opened and three members of the group appeared.
　Leading the way is the summoner Notaras.
　He is a cheat among the leaders of the Order of the Habitual Order.

The first thing that comes to my mind is the fact that I'm not going to be able to get a job. Our new deputy commander sir.

'That call is sarcastic. I know you're trying to call Solon back.

Does that mean you're on call about it?

　Notaras pushed up his round glasses and looked at me as if he were assessing me.
　Creon shook his head.

'No, I won't interfere with the inner workings of the group members. More importantly, Notaras. You're very capable.'

What are you trying to do to curry favor with me?

You're a hard-learned ex-military man who graduated from the military academy, aren't you? It's a very unusual background for us. To be honest, I think you know the world much better than Arte, and I think you're more qualified to be the deputy commander.

"Law.

　Notaras smiled as if he wasn't full of it.
　He has a personal feud with Arte.
　If he is said to be more competent than that Arte, Notaras won't feel bad about it.

　It was required of the deputy commander to be aware of the situation between the members of the group as well.
　Creon smiled.

''I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to bring that person back from the imperial capital. I don't mind if you have to do it by force.''

Did a woman run off with you?

　Creon nodded at the flippant comment Notaras had struck.

'Exactly. The person I want you to take back is Saint Sophia. She is my fiancée and our Commander.