The next morning, when I showed up at the place where I had heard the Prince's Kingsguard knights were gathering, they were just having their morning assembly. Without me.

''Good morning.''
............

　I greet them, but no one returns the greeting. All the knights in the Kingsguard have decided to ignore me.

　It's funny, I'm supposed to be the boss. Is this a sign that they don't recognize me yet?

　Well, with only the connections of the prince and a push from the vizier, he's a knight-in-chief of the Kingsguard with a pompous prince. He didn't even graduate from a knight's school, didn't take any exams, and didn't have a career. He is a man who has completely dropped out of the scene. It's no wonder he's ignored. ......

'Ah.'

　The knight of the Kingsguard who was leading the morning assembly was a bearded man who told me to use respectful language. When I looked closely, I saw a few familiar faces around him. Those are the guys, as I recall, the ones that the soldiers of the 5th Platoon told me were collaborating with the fired man who tried to set me up.

　So, you're saying they're too embarrassed to face me?　Don't worry, I'm not worried about it.

"Hey, I'd like to revamp the training program for His Highness's Kingsguard today...
............

　I tried to talk to them, but they were through.

　There were a few who were observing me here and there, but basically they all ignored me. It's not just the guys, it's also the female knights who are seen here and there.

　It's a good thing ...... is going to be behind in our plans.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a bit embarrassing that it's only been three days since I said to Cigarone that I was looking forward to seeing you guys in three days.


　Well, what should I do?

　For now, I'll just take over the job from the previous Knight Commander of the Kingsguard.


''Is the former Knight Commander of the Kingsguard here?

"Huh ...... you made me quit!
Hey, man, that's enough!

　When I asked him without a second thought, he yelled at me for some reason.

　The fearless-looking, pissed-off young knight is separated from me by the restraint of his friends.

　Then again, silence.

　Did I make him quit?　Is that the guy who was fired?　I don't know, I feel like that was just a result of Wright's increased vigilance against Princess Melson, and that guy self-destructed. ......

　The men who seemed to be having a strategy meeting to set me up in the tavern with the firing man, knowing that well, had an indescribable look on their faces as they looked at the righteous young knight who had been taken away.

　Anyway, it's disappointing that that sacked man was the head of the Konoe Guard with the Prince. It seems to change from time to time due to Light's selfishness, so maybe it was a dry run.


...... It can't be helped, there's a change of plan.

　Before I knew it, the Kingsguard knights had already disbanded and were going about their business.

　They don't want to acknowledge my appointment as the head of the Kingsguard at any cost.

　I left the place alone, scratching the back of my head as I left.



　　* * *



...... d*mn it. ......

　In the Prime Minister's office, Cigarone Erebuni is staring at the papers, clicking her tongue repeatedly.

　The coffee cup on the desk is long gone, empty.

　How do you see this document (・・・・・)? Cigarone couldn't decide on that.

'Grease Dungeon Strategy Instructions' - a set of ten documents with that written on the cover.

　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. In addition, it also lists the skills that are necessary for attacking, or would be easier to attack if you could use them, and what's more amazing is that it even carefully describes how to learn those skills (・・・・).

　Seven wrote this down for as long as she could remember. The hazy parts, such as the exact numbers, were written in the form of projections, which were approximate values. And as he declared that he was going to scatter it around, he wrote it without caring about the interests of the nobility or anything else.

............ Oh shit.

　Hence, Cigarone is so troubled by this.

　It is quite easy to dismiss what is written on these ten sheets of paper as "bullshit".

　But if what is written here is true, Cigarone would be at a great, great loss.

　But even so, ...... suddenly, it's hard to believe this is true.

　Why did Seven have to suffer such a "loss" in the first place? That's the mystery.　

　For example, if there were five knights who had mastered [Spearmanship] from infantry to the Dragon King, if this document was distributed to all the knights, the five would swell to several hundred at once.
　Simply put, this would mean that the number of rivals who would be competing for superiority for a long time to come in the future to work would increase by a hundred times.

　This will only flatten the gap that currently exists, and it will do nothing for the teachers, who are supposed to be on a high horse.

　And it's too dangerous. There is a good chance that those five knights will move to eliminate the Seven to protect their own interests.

............

　Just how to learn the skills described in the instruction manual. In Cigarone's eyes, there were many things that were correct, but as for the other skills he knew, they were all "a bit lacking".

　He must have written bullshit and felt like he had done his job - it's too incongruous to conclude that. Because "a little short" means that you know the original and dare to pull out the requirements.

!

　No, no way--.

　Cigarone got up from his chair and wandered around the room while his thoughts wandered around the room.

　The method of learning the 《Long Horse Spear Technique》 that Cigarone had memorized was: "Use the Angular Jousting Jousting Technique to kill two demons at the same time, 1000 of them. The requirement was to use the Golden General spear technique to kill 300 demons that were brought down by the Angular Jousting Jousting Technique.

　Seven replied, "Use the angled spear technique to attack 2 or more demons at the same time for a total of 1,000 demons, and in the next blow, always kill them using a skill higher than the Golden General Spear Technique. Three hundred of those demons will be killed using the Golden General spear technique." .......

''...... Ah, so that's what you wanted.

　Compared to his own experience, he couldn't help but be convinced.

　Cigarone had a memory of only needing about 1280 bodies when he learned the 《Long Horse Spear Technique》. He thought it was a mis-count, but ...... that would mean that out of the 1,000 bodies, he had killed about 20 of them with the second blow with a gold general or more, and he had met the requirements without knowing it.

　The truth is that Cigarone felt that he was "missing", so to speak, because the learning requirements were written in a smarter form.

　In other words - Seven is not writing a lie.


'What does he want ......?'

　Prince Light Marvel had said that Seven was a "found object".

　However, to Cigarone, the more he thought about it, the more it looked like the prince had been picked up by the prince.

　He wasn't yet at the stage where he could see through Seven's aim, but as Prime Minister of the Marvel Empire, he needed to be constantly vigilant.


''You're causing more headaches.

　Cigarone put his hand on his broad forehead and sighed.

　First of all, he had to think about the strict and useful handling of this set of ten documents as soon as possible.

　But, having said that, his mind was already made up.

　Limited release (・・・・), this is it.

　The idea was to see how things would go by limiting the release of the information to only the prince-attached knights of the Kingsguard.

　What would happen if it was opened to the public? It is an unprecedented and first attempt in the Empire that even Cigarone cannot grasp.

　And Cigarone is no stranger to this.

　It's not just a matter of time before he's going to be able to get his hands on some of the most difficult skills he has, such as the 《Long Horse Spear Technique》, but also a great deal of damage to his rights as someone who is able to handle skills that are difficult to learn.


''Do you want me to prepare ...... priming water?

　Cigarone, however, rather enjoyed the situation.

　For the first time in a long time, someone who might be competent has appeared. He felt that way.

　A dramatic change was coming to the daily life of this shitty, boring, rotten empire - he was sure of that.


'Hey!　Go get three knights of the Kingsguard with His Highness the Prince. They should be as sociable as possible.
Ha!

　Cigarone told the squire outside the room and let out a satisfied breath, then sat back in his chair and waited for the kinsman knight to arrive.

　Seven had made up the instructions as instructed, and they were perfect, plus there was more than just the instructions.

　Good work, good reward. That was Cigarone's credo.


'Excuse me!

　As soon as the three arriving Kingsguard knights entered the room, Cigarone told them with his usual angry face.


''This memo is a copy of the instruction manual prepared by the newly appointed Knight-in-Chief of the Konoe Guard with His Royal Highness Prince Seven in one night. It is carefully and meticulously written so that even a diarrhea stool like Kisama and the others can understand and practice it immediately. Go learn as many of the skills described here as you can before the end of the day. If you can't learn any of them, you're fired. When you understand, get going.



　　* * *



　In the evening, I went out to the place where the knights of the Imperial Guard had gathered in the morning.

　Then I saw that the knights with familiar faces were just about to perform their closing ceremony.

　Okay, this is my chance.

　What I was doing all day was to give them something.

　It's another version of the "Grease Dungeon Strategy Guide". It was expanded to include not only the Grease Dungeon, but also all the major hunting grounds around the Empire. I've also expanded the variety of skills with instructions on how to learn them.

　I don't have a copy machine, so everything is handwritten. I don't know how many people there are, so I only prepared eight copies for now.

　For now, the plan is to use this Konoe Knight Squad as a test bed to spread knowledge and observe what happens.


''Hey, can I have a word?''
............

　It's still ignored as usual. As expected.

　However, I don't know what to do about this group ignoring. Well, we'll just have to take it one step at a time. ......


"Only those who want to, read this booklet. Read this booklet. It explains how to hunt demons, how to learn skills...


　Bang!　The booklet was knocked out of my hand with a sound like, "Oh, no!


　The person who knocked it off is the man who was pissed off at me this morning. He laughed like a fool and left.

　The other knights of the Kingsguard also ignored me and left, probably because they had finished their last rites.


'...... do it!'

　I pick up the booklets scattered on the ground.

　I feel like I'm taking care of a handful of children. This heightened feeling, strangely enough, is not bad.

　It's the same way that the more difficult a skill is to learn, the more exhilarating it feels when you learn it.

　But perhaps it was not a good idea to be inept. This collective ignorance, if we don't do something about it as soon as possible: .......



'Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho ......!

　As I was picking up the booklet, three kinsmen knights came running from the direction of the castle, making strange noises.

　Apparently, they were late for the final assembly. All three of them have an awesome look on their faces.

　They probably won't look at the booklet anyway, but should I call out to them anyway?


Hey, you guys--

It's true, it's true, it's true!　It was true~!

......?


　The three of them call out that it was true.

　What?


Ahh, ！！！！.

　When my eyes met mine, the three of them pointed at me and opened their mouths wide and screamed.

　Oh, they didn't ignore me. They abruptly broke the silence as I was more than a little happy for the first time.

'Se, se, se, se, Mr. Seven ......!
Master Seven!
'Thank you!　Thank you!

　What the hell are these guys?　If we hit them too hard, the wraiths will unravel, but for some reason these three are coming at us with great force. It's still not good.


It's not a good idea. Don't come near me, it's too hot.

'Ha!　I'm sorry!

　...... Great listening skills. Thank God.

　Why don't you tell me what's going on first?


What's the matter with you?

'Oh my God!

It's ...... and next time.


　They're not busy, one after the other.

　As the three of them curtsied, they seemed to notice the booklet that was still at my feet and picked it up.


''......!''

　It opened its contents on its own accord and plopped and shivered. Their eyes were bloodshot.

　Then he immediately became crisp and the three of us started some kind of meeting.

''Was it newly written?'' ''How many books are there?'' ''Why did it fall to the ground?'' ''Why did everyone ignore it like they did this morning?'' ''It's possible that he hit it out of spite.'' ''This is an inexcusable misunderstanding.''

　You got the story in a sneaky voice, they turned to me and said: ......


'I'm sorry!

　...... bowed his head in unison.


''I'm terribly disrespectful to you this morning!
"We were wrong about you, Master Seven!
I am deeply sorry!

　Maybe he's apologizing for ignoring it. That's a big change of heart for one day.


"No, but it's okay.

　I'm wondering why you decided to apologize to me.

'Can you forgive me!
After all, Master Seven is a big-hearted person!
This is something I have to tell everyone about!

　Report?


You know what? Why would I...

'Master Seven!　Surely, without fail, the three of us will be able to clear up everyone's misconceptions!
'Please wait until tomorrow's morning meeting!　We will now go round to everyone without sleep!
"I will definitely spread the word about how wonderful and awesome you are, Seven-sama, and how worthy you are as a Knight Commander of the Kingsguard!

............


　In the end, the three of us ran off without knowing what we were talking about. I'm taking three copies of my booklet with me. I don't know if they are listening to me or not, but they are just crazy guys.

　Oh well. I'm sure there's something in the morning meeting tomorrow.

　Sleep tight.







"I'm sorry, sir.

　The next morning. In front of me was a large number of kinsmen knights who never ignored me, but properly looked at me and apologized.

　I don't know what kind of magic those three men used, but they must have touched on a story that made a 180-degree change in my impression of them. That too, with evidence and with a high degree of persuasion. Otherwise, there's no way everyone's attitude would have changed so drastically.


I don't mind. I don't mind, but I want you to quickly read through this booklet. You may take notes.

　Well, I don't care why. Now the plan is moving forward.

......!

　When I said I didn't mind, the kinsmen knights were surprised with their eyes wide open.

　The reactions were especially great, the ones who tried to set me up with the fired man. They didn't think that they would be allowed to do so without any kind of punishment, or perhaps they were exposing their picture-perfectly surprised faces.

　It's true that the discipline of the squad would be better if there was a punishment, but time is running out right now, so I'll pass. Unless there's something more serious, the plan takes precedence.


'Hey, what are you apologizing for!　What do you think you're following, guys!　Are you crazy?　I don't apologize for that!　Because this guy is a senior!

　And while everyone was reading through the booklet, the young man who had been pissed off at me yesterday came out of the woodwork by himself.

'So I explained it to you!
"My senior has been relieved of his post by the wishes of His Highness!
This has nothing to do with Master Seven!

　The young man was surrounded by the three men who were making a strong case for him.

''He's the one who instigated Your Highness to do so!

No!

In the first place, if it weren't for this guy, my senior would--!


You know what?


　While the young man and the three of us are arguing, an unexpected person interrupts us.

　It was one of the guys who tried to set me up. It was a bearded man.

"What is it?

　The guy is apparently the young man's senior, and the young man instantly shrinks back.

　He snickered at such a situation and the bearded man began to speak.


The former Knight Commander of the Kingsguard. Well, that guy from my classmates. I know you adored that guy, but ...... that guy was actually planning to trap the current Konoe Knight Captain.

!

'He was already fired at that point. The direct cause was the gaffe to the prince, but I think the real reason was different. He probably suspected the spies. That's all right. What's more important is, you know, ......

　The man takes a quiet breath, stares at the young man, and opens his mouth.


'The Seventh Knight Captain knows that he, okay, he and we were trying to set up a trap. And he actually fell into the trap and came back as if nothing had happened. Got 20 guys on our side. And then I beat him in a formal duel and became a knight of the Kingsguard with His Highness the Prince of Wales, and after a personal interview with the Prime Minister, I was made a Knight Commander of the Kingsguard.

!

Do you understand?　We were thinking together with him to frame him, the dirty little bastard, the meaning of us standing here and now. All the knights in the Kingsguard with His Highness knocked down the booklet and laughed at the meaning of you standing here and now!


　Beard turned to me and bowed deeply.


''I'm sorry, Seven Knight Captain, I'm sorry!
'I'm sorry!

　Not only the beard, but all the men around me are bowing to me.


'This man is the real deal. He's a big saint. He is a saint with a great deal of skill. I want to change my mind and work for him.


　It was a declaration that touched my heart.

　That word of changing your mind, it must not be a lie. Because yesterday, they had been silent. But to declare it now means that there has been a clear change in their minds.


'If you understand, apologize. It's not too late. I'm sorry I misunderstood, I'm sorry I hit you, and I apologize with all my heart.

............


　The young man who had been admonished took a step forward.

　His fists were clenched tightly, but ...... it was probably not against me, judging by his expression.


'I'm sorry, sir.'

Don't worry about it.

!


　So I'll tell you that.

　It was a situation that could have been misunderstood, it can't be helped.


　I don't have time to be bothered with all this nonsense.

　More importantly, there is something more important right now.


"I'm the Knight Commander of the Imperial Guard, Seven.

　I greeted him again.


　And let me say what I've wanted to say since yesterday.

　I couldn't do it because I was ignored yesterday, about the 'goal' of this Kingsguard.


I'm not going to put that kind of thing aside, from now on, you are only aiming for one thing. To defeat the Imperial Guard. I want you all to be stronger than Nato Shaman...