............ Yes?


　As soon as I told them to be stronger than Nato Shaman--as soon as I told them that, the knights of the Konoe Guard, who had been making serious expressions until then, froze with their eyes darting.

　Only the three from yesterday had let out a numbing roar of 'oh', but the rest of their reactions were admirably poor.

　Oh well. I guess it's just that they're no longer ignoring me. So I'm finally at the starting line.


For now, I want you to learn all the skills in the booklet. And then I'll hunt monsters to gain experience. That's right, I want to learn all the sword and spear techniques by tomorrow afternoon.
Oh, wait. We have the protection of His Highness the Light.
Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it on my own.
............?

　Everyone seems confused.

'Just fill in the blanks and don't worry about anything else. Look, we don't have time for this. Hurry up and go!

　When I clapped my hands and gave the order, the members of the Konoe Guards with the prince started to walk away as if they were half in doubt.

　Naturally, eight groups were formed around the eight-part booklet.

　Now, what will they be like this evening? I'm really looking forward to it...



　　* * * *



　I'm in trouble.

　That new knight-in-chief of the Kingsguard, that new knight-in-chief of the Kingsguard, does a hell of a lot of stupid things.

　Yes, I was really in trouble - it was true (・・・・・).

　The skill acquisition method written in that booklet, that wasn't a lie.

　If all of the skills that were written in the booklet over there were not lies, then ...... the Konoe Knight Squadron with His Imperial Highness would be a mess.

　The value of the skills would plummet and the moderate disparity that exists now would collapse as everyone learns the high-level mastery skills.

　This position, honor, and ability that I have built up through my blood-soaked efforts will be blown away.

　There are five people, including me, who can use [Spear Technique] up to the [Dragon King Spear Technique], and three people, including me, who can use it up to the [Dragon King Spear Technique]. How many people would that be?　Twenty?　Thirty?　I feel dizzy.

'Shit!'

　At one point, he had become a Knight of the Kingsguard, the most elite of the elite, and he was able to play an active role in that!

　You can't be more powerful than General Nato Shaman!　What about you in the first place?　You who became a Knight Commander of the Kingsguard without any trouble!　There's no way I'm stronger than the General, who has risen to the top with unwavering talent and hard work!

　d*mn you, Seven, you've ruined all my previous efforts: ......!


'Great, great, great!　I could really remember!
'It's true!　Knight Knight Seven, I knew he meant it!
This might get you a little closer to the General!


　...... is unacceptable. This situation where that man is valued. A situation in which we are the only ones who have worked hard to lose.

　I clenched my fists as I looked at my colleagues who were making fools of themselves for having mastered the skill.

　I felt like a fish being fed. Oh foolishness. You're not frustrated, are you?

　No, you don't regret it. You are lazy. You don't feel remorse because you didn't try as hard as I did. So you can be that much happier with what you've just done.

　And then you can open your mouth again, look up, and wait in the water. Then the idiot will sow the bait.

　Ha...... Totally, you're in good company.

　This situation cannot be overlooked in the slightest. I'm a firm believer in protesting.

　Yeah, let's recruit some friends. There are four more in the Kingsguard who are in my shoes. They must be suffering from resentment.

　If five of us protest, we might be able to stop that idiot knight commander's folly.

''............''

　Wait, are you sure you only want to protest?

　Wouldn't it be better to let him know?

　I don't know how much skill the man can use, but there's no way he can take on five knights at a time and be safe.

　...... Yes, this is a legitimate protest.

　Since they won't listen to you even if you say so anyway, you can't complain if they go out to use force.

　Good. Once we decide, we need to gather our people.

　I'll need to get the people I need to bring him the ultimate in pain: ......





　That's what I was thinking about at lunchtime today.

　After the closing ceremony, the five of us were summoned by Knight Commander Seven. The five of us were the five who originally remembered the Dragon Horse and Dragon King.

　Apparently, before I started to gather my friends, one of the five of us spoke directly to Knight Captain Seven, saying, "It's not fair. "It's not fair," he said.

　Hearing this, Knight Commander Seven thought for a while and said. He said, "Well, today I'm going to teach you a special lesson just for you.



''--Seven Knight Captain!　Thank you for this opportunity!


　As a result, I don't care anymore about ...... frustration or pain.

　Because!　He was able to teach me how to master the Dragon Horse Archery and the Dragon King Archery, which are said to be monopolized by the elven nobles!


　This tremendous sense of fulfillment, a numbness that penetrates the brain ...... that is confusingly similar to a drug.

　Oh, everything doesn't matter anymore. A happiness that I would even die if I could master it.

　My heartfelt apologies and thanks to Chief Knight Seven. I have decided to follow Chief Knight Seven for the rest of my life.


　That man is a true saint who has no selfish interests at all. He thinks for the Marvel Empire, for the Prince, for us, and for himself is secondary and third. He reveals all of the knowledge that he would have obtained through the end of his experience to the point where even the word "bloody effort" is ridiculous, but he reveals it all with aplomb.

　This is not something that can be done with ordinary thinking. It's impossible without transcending right and wrong, profit and loss, and everything else.

　He has forgiven our folly of ignoring him with a single word. The fool who shouted and slammed the booklet was forgiven as well. Even those who plotted to frame us were forgiven.

　And then He gave us this valuable knowledge.

　Where is such an open-minded One!　You couldn't find him in the whole Empire. He is the only one. It is fate and inevitability that he has become the Knight-in-Chief of the Kingsguard with His Imperial Highness.


　Overthrow, His Excellency General Nato Shaman...... No, it may not be a dream.

　I had just snubbed those knights of the Kingsguard with His Royal Highness, too.

　We will make the name of our Prince's Royal Highness Kinsmen Guard roar within the Marvel Empire - I see, the more real it is, the more wonderful it is.


''Well,''

　Once you know how to learn it, this is the one for you.

　Surprisingly, the 《Long Horse Archery》 and 《Long King Archery》 have almost the same conditions as the 《Long Horse Sword Art》 and 《Long King Sword Art》. There was no way to notice this. Swords and bows are so far apart from each other.

　When it comes to dragons, it would take an hour and a half to get there one way. Well, it's not much of a hardship.

　I am the Knight of the Kingsguard to His Highness Prince Light Marvel, First Prince of the proud Marvel Empire. I'll be up all night hunting dragons and I'll be a piece of cake.

"...... Ah, so you are too.

　As I got ready and left my room, I ran into a colleague in the hallway.

'I couldn't stay,'
I'm too d*mn excited to sleep.

　I'm not the only one who seems to think similarly, but everyone else.

　I know how to learn. In other words, all you have to do is put your hand on the door and open it. I already know that behind that door is the treasure I'm looking for. If there is a knight who can sleep quietly with this, I'd like to see his face.

　Chief Knight Seven seemed to be in some kind of hurry. At the end of the meeting, he was worried about tomorrow.

　Tomorrow, something will happen. I can't help but think that something will happen tomorrow.

　If that was the case, we, his subordinates, should do whatever we could to make it up to tomorrow. Since we have been taught, it is polite to learn as quickly as possible.

　We had accumulated a bit of experience from today's daytime hunt. They could each be raised to about 12th level.

　Let's hunt the dragons and learn them quickly. I can't wait to use them already.

　And I have to prepare for tomorrow: .......



　　* * * *



Today at 2:00 p.m., I'll be conducting a 30-30 drill with the knights of the Kingsguard with the queen.

　The morning of the third day. The first thing I said in the morning meeting was, "I'm not listening!

'I'm not listening!'
I didn't tell you.

　It's been a long time since we've had any kind of exchange.

　Yesterday, while everyone was busy learning skills, I was moving quietly as well.

　Specifically, I took Light and stormed over to Cigarone's place and worshipped him, asking him to somehow set up an exercise with Nato Shaman and the others. The strategy was that it would be hard to refuse a request from the prince.

　As a result, we were able to obtain permission from the Prime Minister in person to use the crown to conduct exercises.

　I heard that General Nato Shaman was happy to oblige when Mr. Cigarone spoke to him. I haven't met him yet, but he's quite a nice guy, isn't he, General?


''Knight Commander!''

　One young man stepped out of everyone's buzzing room with a raised hand. 'He's the one who slammed my booklet, isn't he?

'What's up,'
''I don't think we can win. We've certainly been able to learn some of the more difficult skills thanks to our Knight Captain, but we haven't improved our ranks at all yet, and it's frustrating, but our skill level as a squad is better than theirs.
Yeah, we'll win the war if we sneak in. Don't worry about it.
...... Yes!

　He didn't seem to understand what he was saying.

'They don't expect almost all of us to remember Ryoma/Long King. Hence, the surprise attack will only succeed on the first shot.
I didn't expect it to work out so well: ......!
'It works. I've seen it work over and over and over and over again. A surprise attack is 99% of the time, the first shot is 99% of the time. Instead, expect the second shot to be 1%.

　But it has to be a sophisticated surprise attack. If you simply take them by surprise, they will be recovered by improvising.

''Place the seven in the front row with those who have yet to learn the Dragon Horse and Dragon King in the center, and assault them with the flying car jousting technique. If it becomes a pushover, leave when it's time to leave. The seventeen in the middle row should be ready in the time the front row has earned and all activate the dragon jousting technique at the same time. The five in the back row will support with their bows. Just repeat this.

　However, this case is special.

　There's a power gap that can be reclaimed by firepower, so it's better to do a simple force push instead of trying to do a lot of new and difficult things.

　The reason why I can assert such a thing is that ...... team matches are so important for the Ryoma/Long King.

　It's not very useful in one-on-one matches, but in multi-on-one team matches, it's the main firepower.

''Well, in the morning, it's demon hunting. Work on improving your skills until the last minute. Then, after lunch, we'll do a few rehearsals and then we'll go to work right away.
Wait a minute!　Everything is so fast. ......!
It's in your head. That's it. Any questions?

　When I asked ...... surprisingly, the raised hands were counted.

　One of them was a handsome man who came to me yesterday with hostility and left with a radiant smile after finally learning how to master the 《Long Horse Archery》 and 《Long King Archery》.

''You.''
Ha. How high should I go with the skills in the example?
You already know?
''Yes. Dragon King only, but .......

　Oh!　You're doing it.

......?

　As I was impressed, I noticed that all five of the people I taught yesterday had raised their hands. No way.

'Have you guys learned it already?

　I ask, and all five men nod. 'We've been up all night,' he says. Seriously!　They all said they couldn't remember Ryoma, but enough is enough.

'Good, best.'

　All nighter: ...... Hey, hey, you're so motivated! I love it.

"Dragon King, if you can make it there, make sure you get to 4th grade in the morning. You'll have a little less cool time there. If you can't make it, you should pass the 9th kyu level anyway. We won't be using the Dragon Horse in this team competition, so don't worry about it.
Ha!

　When I gave them advice, they responded with a big salute.

　It's a change from the guys who had been staring at me like I was the avenger of their parents until yesterday evening.

　At worst, they're cashmere guys, but at best, they're easy to deal with.

Then go ahead. The way to hunt is exactly as it is written in the booklet.


　Now, let's see what happens.

　I chuckled as I watched their backs as they went out to hunt the demons.





''--Lord Seven, rumor has it,''

2pm. I was facing General Nato Shaman on the training ground.

　General Nato Shaman, General Nato Shaman and Knight-in-Chief of the Kingsguard with the Emperor, a beautiful man, just over six feet tall, brown skin, permed gray hair, and round glasses.

　And most surprisingly, his pointed ears ...... he was a dark elf.

　The quintessential Marvel Empire. A diversity that lives up to the name of meritocracy. In a kingdom, any attempt to place a dark elf in an executive position in the country would surely be met with opposition from people. Even the titleholder was discriminated against.


''Thank you, General. Good day to you.

　I ignore the hand offered to me for a handshake and bow.

　I'm sorry, but it's not a good idea to get into a typical grip battle because it would unravel my change.

'...... You are a rude man, aren't you? Not only do you refuse to shake hands with me, you have no manners or language.
His counterpart, the general, is a very kind man. He points out all the things I've done wrong, right out loud. He's like a nagging mother.
'I can see why you wanted to use the Prime Minister for the exercise, sir.
Can I ask you something?
You are going to take my place?
Massive.

　Figure.


　At my series of provocations, Nato Shaman's eyes sharpened and then he stepped away.

　Then, in silence, we checked each other's game crowns, and then the exercise began.

　The rules are "anything goes. It is natural since this is assumed to be a real game.





　I'll tell you the result at .............

　It was a terrible mess.

　The 29 men, led by Nato Shaman, came at it head on, as expected. They are known for their ability to break through, and it seems that they have often used such strategies in past exercises. I have an idea why. Probably because of the difference in skill level between our team and them. A team without strength is vulnerable to an assault. That's probably why it was easier for them to win with a frontal assault.

　But this time, it was a different story. Immediately after the frontal collision, they were overwhelmed by the overwhelming firepower of the Nato Shaman and the Dragon King Archery, the formation was thrown into chaos by the Dragon King Archery falling from the heavens, and then the second assault of the Flying Wheel Javelin came, it was a picture of hell.

　This one had a few people down with some friendly fire, but they were mostly unharmed. I was just watching from the farthest back with my arms crossed.


　By all accounts, we had won, completely and utterly.

　We had beaten them so completely that there was no longer any excuse.


　When the game was over and the virtualization was lifted, Nato Shaman and his friends were stunned, expressionless and stunned.

''Look at that frustrated face!
'Haha!　It's heartbreaking to see those guys perched so high up on the ground looking like that!
There's no excuse for losing so loudly, isn't there?
'Yeah, they've definitely proven that we're better than that.

　In contrast, all of our kinsmen knights were laughing.

　Perhaps this one time, but a victory is a victory. Next time, they would be able to take countermeasures. However, it's not a measure that can be made so quickly. It's not a problem that can be solved in a day or two, unless you're like me and you want to show all your guys how to learn a skill.


''Thank you, that was a good match. It was quite comical, especially when you couldn't do anything but blow up your general with a dragon horse.

　We turned to face each other in a line and curtsied to each other.

　I uttered this as I looked into Nato Shaman's eyes, smiling as disgustingly as possible.


　Yes, I had one more purpose in mind.

　The reason why I dared to watch with my arms crossed in the last row. Why I dared to provoke Nato Shaman more than necessary. Why he dared to give a hint that he wanted to become a general.

　Come on, come on. Come on, come on, come on. Come on, come on. ......!


............ Lord Seven. It appears to me that you, too, have done nothing of the sort?


　They're here!


Me?　You didn't do anything?　You were in command, though?

Is it your command to stand in the back row, arms crossed, posing a threat to all your men?

You know what I mean. What happens if your commander dies?

No, sir. No, I don't mean to criticize your being in the last row. The fact that you were slumped over with your arms crossed...

You're a pain in the ass, man. What's your point?　Hey. Keep it simple. Speak your mind, your purpose.


　As I gave my final challenge, Nato Shaman's icy eyes widened and he quietly opened his mouth.



'This is a duel ......!'


I'll take it. "Ten more steps."


　I've been waiting for you!


　We've decided that we're going to go ahead of the pack, with absolutely no excuses.

　Now, let's make it clear who's the better man--!