0 The female knight who gave up everything is too cute.

"Funya--! ???"

Such a crazy scream echoed through the castle at night.

I already knew that there was no one around. The location was underground, so it would not reach the ears of those sleeping peacefully on the upper floors of the castle.

"...... Um, I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't expect you to be so surprised."

"Ba, ba, ba, ba..."

In front of me was a strange young woman, with a face so red, it looked like it was about to explode. Her shiny black armor made a rattling sound as she trembled slightly.

"You fool!! If a frog is suddenly said that "I want to do it with you" in front of someone at midnight when he has slept, how will anyone not make such a voice!?"

Her name is Karen. Although she is a woman, she is the captain of the fourth knight squadron of the Knight Squad of the Imperial Guard Knights, commonly known as "Black Hawk". In this country's knightly society, which is said to be male-dominated, she has both the sword skills and leadership skills to match. She is twenty-nine years old, the youngest among the managers.

I've been training every day to become a full-fledged knight under her, but...

Oh, I'm sorry I'm late. My name is Hal. I'm a rookie knight who graduated from the knight training school at the top of my class and was assigned to the Blackhawk this year.

"What? Is that so? I'm sure you've had a lot of daytime encounters with various people."(/I think you've been having sex with a lot of people during the day.)

"Oh yeah, you used your authority as a captain to switch your subordinate knights around so that you could enjoy my well-trained bodies as much as you could... how could that be? You're mistaking me for some sort of power and sexual harassment king!"

This is Ms. Karen, who is writing a daily report that must be submitted by the end of the day flippantly, with black ink splattered all over it. Normally, Karen is very calm and dignified, but once she gets into this state of mind, she goes crazy.

Well, I'm trying to make that happen.

"Well, Captain. I think you may have misunderstood something."

"? What?"

"I've always said, 'Captain, I want to train with you in sword fighting,' but..."

"......!!?"

Of course, I intentionally left out the phrase (sword training).

That way, you can see the cute Karen.

"Well, Captain Karen, I don't think I'm going to imagine anything that's that 'unpleasant'- Wow!?"(acting as if he just understood what Karen thought of)

Just as I was about to tease her a little more, a flash of light passed through my cheek.

A few strands of my hair fall to the floor.

"What? ! For a rookie, to mock me over and over and over again! Get back in there! Today's the day I'm going to beat your guts out of you! (aka beat the shit out of you)

Oh no, apparently I've overdone it today.

"I just remembered that I have to feed my Pomeranian at home, so I'm going. Thank you for your hard work."

"Pets are not allowed in the knight corps where you live! Wait!"

With a magical buff that enhances speed, I ran away like a rabbit to shake off Karen's pursuit. For the time being, I am also the chief graduate of the school, so this is a piece of cake for me.

"Fufu ... After all, Karen was cute today too."

I muttered to myself as I ran home as fast as I could, running through the highlights of the day in my mind.

Oh, how will I enjoy Karen-san's cuteness tomorrow - the "female knight who gave up on everything" who is falling behind because she's been working too hard?

Warning: This is machine translated, so there might be some parts that don't make complete sense. I'll try my best to write it in the way it's supposed to be and I'll try to make them readable at the same time.

1 The female knight who is drinking too much because her peers are all married is too cute.

This is a bar.

It's a place where men who have finished their work can chat cheerfully over drinks, complaining about work and family, and talking about their relationships. For the most part.

"Ppuha~! After all, sake is the best! Hey Master, another cup!"

However, in the midst of all this, it was my boss, Karen, the female knight, who was drinking more vigorously than any of the men present.

The table was already filled with large mugs, indicating that they had already drunk a lot. At the drinking party at work, I just drink quietly and indifferently, so you don't see me like this very often.

Oh, by the way, I am now blending into this place with a magical disguise. Right now I'm a nice middle-aged romantic guy. I'm underage, so I drink hot milk.

No, but the disguise is one of the essential skills for eavesdropping, isn't it? Well, thank God I had learned this in school.

"Damn it, ......, you're working tomorrow, aren't you? Are you sure? You can't drink this much, it'll ruin your day."

"Ugh, shut up. Is Madeleine giving me a lecture too? If I don't drink on days like this, when am I supposed to drink?"

The person sitting at the table for two, directly across from Karen, who seemed to be worried about her, seemed to be Madeleine.

From the look of her dark-red magic robe, she seemed to be a mage.

Judging from the casual way they talk, I'd say they're probably friends from the knight school days.

"Well, I don't know how you feel, so I'm not going to stop you......."

She then took out a letter from her own pocket. It was decorated with a lot of flair for a letter. It seemed to be an invitation to a celebration of some kind.

"If I were you, I would say, 'Ugh, ......, I'm absent, you bastard!' I'd like to slam him to the floor or something, but I'm a knight captain and I've got a reputation to uphold......."

Karen picked up a similar item and gave it a resentful look. She seems to hate it very much.

"No, I never thought that I would be the last to get married from the same period. When I was a student, I was called the 'Sword Fairy' and the 'Silver Princess'. I was very popular, wasn't I? And yet, at my age, I've never had a relationship with anyone, and I'm a hundred percent pure and unadulterated.

(I over-edited the above para since it wasn't making sense. Here's the original translation was: "No, I never thought that Karen would be the last to get married from the same period. When I was a student, I was called the "Sword Fairy" and the "Silver Princess". You were very popular, weren't you? And yet, at my age, I've never had a relationship with anyone, and I'm a hundred percent pure and unadulterated.")

"Don't speak more! If you say more at this place, no matter how close your best friend you are, I'll cut it you off!"

Karen-san excitedly held up her sword, but Madeleine-san, on the other hand, didn't seem to be fazed at all and just brushed her off with an "Oh, yeah, yeah." Perhaps Karen has been in this situation more than once or twice.

"...... At that time, I wasn't interested in so-called male-female relationships. I was only trying my best to train my sword so that other men would not lick me and say that I was inferior as a knight just because I was a woman."(basically, look down on her)

"No, but a ****** at twenty-nine is a bad idea, isn't it?"

"But ... that's why I'm telling you not to say it !?"

Karen looked impatient and shouted her protest to Madeleine. Her eyes scanned the room, wondering if anyone could hear her. It seems that the other customers didn't hear her because they were all talking about themselves - sorry, I heard it all.

Well, I kind of expected it. It's not something I can say myself.

"Hey, Madeleine, what should I do? I don't want to go to the wedding! If I go to the wedding, I'm going to be talked about behind my back like, 'Oh, look, she's a knight who's still single even though she's in her late 20s,' and I'm going to be mounted by my fellow enemy women."

Karen, who has suddenly turned into a weepy mess, lies down on the table and sobs. Of course, there is no vestige of the Karen who was always calm and collected even when she was drinking.

"Then why don't you take someone with you to suppress voice for now? I'm also going with my husband. You're a knight captain, you can at least force one or two of your men to go with you, can't you?"

You're right, Madeleine. In the meantime, if you want to get out of this situation, you can take me with you, for example, and the problem will be solved. I'm also willing to be Karen's boyfriend. If you want, you can go ahead and really do that.

But at Madeleine's suggestion, Karen's mouth gaped.

"That's not ...... good."

That's what I say.

"What? It's fine. I'm sure they won't notice if you ask them to talk to you properly. Even your muscle-brained subordinates can do that, right?"

"...... Sure, I'm sure they'll come with us if we ask. It's my order. I'm sure he's good at that too. But~"

"But what?"

"I don't want to be rumored to be that ...... 'Yo...Con' or 'Ha...... Sha~' "

"......, what kind of people are you expecting to come with?"

Hmm? Damn it, I couldn't catch the important part because Karen was talking so softly. Hmmm, so frustrating. I guess I need to polish my skills more.

"And anyway! You can't have a partner who is softer than you, even if it's only pretending, even if it's a lie! If any of my current men were stronger than me, ...... Well, I wouldn't even think twice about it. ......"

"Ahhhhhhh, what's with this dried-up woman? That's enough. I don't care anymore. I hope she just talks about her ideals and dies a lonely old woman. I'm going home now. Well, good luck with trying not to look like a fool.

"Ah !? Madeleine, we're best friends, remember? Please don't abandon us."Don't abandon me.

Karen's pleading as she clutched Madeleine around the waist with a big sigh echoed in the night sky, And so it was morning.

However, there is one last thing that bothers me.

Who on earth was Karen thinking of asking to play the role of her partner at the wedding? Again, I, for one, am curious!

2 A case where a female knight who is upset to death at the inn at the destination of the expedition is too cute (******Meeting at a mixed bath******)

The 'Blackhawk' team that I belong to is mostly in charge of the front lines on the battlefield. If we hear that a magical beast is appearing in the west, we send out an elite team to kill it, and if there is a skirmish with another country in the east, the whole unit acts as a deterrent to prevent unnecessary combat.

In other words, they are positioned as handymen. In other words, they are regarded as handymen, as if to say, "If anything were to happen, let them go."

This time, Karen and I went to a farming village located in the northern part of the kingdom's territory. The mission was to exterminate a magical beast that had nested in a nearby cave.

"Hmm, I guess that's all taken care of."

I fought off the last of the monsters and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was so easy that I didn't need to wipe the sweat off my forehead. Since I was only sent there originally as part of the training for the new recruits, I was also told not to put my life in danger.

Karen, who followed me, is just that. Just in case, she said.

"Captain, it's all done."

"~~"

When I called out to Karen-san, who was waiting at the entrance of the cave, she nodded and looked down at her watch, writing something down. It was a document to report to Karen-san's 'higher-ups'. (I swear it translated to watch)

"Hmm, okay. You've passed. When you're a rookie, sometimes you may forget to put a stop to it and get hit when you're not careful......."

No. That's never going to happen. I'm not the one who would screw up like that.

If this happens and you lose your life, or even if you don't lose your life, if you are crippled in your daily life, there is nothing more lamentable than that.

Because if that happens, I won't be able to see Karen-san up close.

That is the only thing that must be avoided.

So I'm definitely not the one to screw up on something like this.

But even after all that, Karen gave me a piercing look, as if to chastise me for completing the mission alone.

"It's a fine job. But you need to pick it up a little faster. It's too slow, no matter what. The other members of the group can do it more efficiently in half the time you can. I can do it in half that time. Otherwise, you'll be thrown out of the force."

"... Yes. I'm sorry."

The word 'fired' was uttered in an exceptionally composed tone of voice, and my elated feelings were immediately brought back to reality.

If I couldn't stay at Blackhawk, I wouldn't be able to live anymore. If I couldn't work with Ms. Karen anymore, I would probably quit even being a knight.

I don't want to do that.

"What a facial expression you have. If you don't want to get sacked, try harder next time. You weakling. Blackhawk doesn't need a wage-robbing gobbler like you."

In contrast to when I was away from the paperwork and work, Karen is a really strict person on missions. There are no such things as kind words. She only wants results without compromise, and if she can't get them all the time, she will simply cut you off.

This is the reason why Blackhawk's members are primarily in their thirties and forties, who are in the prime of their careers and have been serving as knights in the past. Most of the younger members were either fired or quit on their own because they didn't meet Karen's standards.

Because she is so demanding, people around her secretly refer to her as 'Demon Princess'.

"I understand, Captain ......, I'll keep that in mind."

"~Hmm, that's the end of the mission for the time being. If I had to, I would go back to the royal capital now and do some more work, but it's getting late. We'll just stay here in the village for the night."

Without even giving me a second look, Karen proceeded to the village where we would be staying.

"Ah……"

I stare at her back, which was getting smaller and smaller, carrying a special large sword that was my height. (sorry this wasn't translated properly)

"Huh ... huh ... the usual Karen-san is cute and nice, but the excessively cold Karen-san at work is also very nice....... I want you to tease me more, I want you to abuse me."(pervert)

I was in a state of light ecstasy.

Oh, of course, I'm self-aware of the fact that I'm a pervert. Of course, if someone other than Karen-san does this to me, I'll have to deal with a bit of pain.

×　　×　　×

The farming village where we went on this expedition is actually well known as a bit of a tourist destination.

The reason for this is the hot springs spewing out from various parts of the village~.

"Fluffy~...... I have come back to life ..."

On the recommendation of the innkeeper, I took a shoulder-deep soak in the outdoor bath.

As we are in the north of the country, white snow is gently falling from the dimly lit sky. It is a magical sight.

At this time, I was the only one in the hot spring. So I felt a little bad, but I was determined to enjoy it without hesitation.

I think it might be a bit extravagant, but it is my job as a knight to restore my tired body and soul. Basically, I have to work every day, so I can't overlook this kind of opportunity.

"But if you take too long a bath, Karen will be furious with you, saying, 'How long are you going to take a bath, you lazy bastard?' ...... Well, I'm all warmed up now."

As I turned away from the hot spring, I thought to myself, "I'll come back next time I get a big vacation (I'm not saying I will).

From the thick clouds of hot water, an unpredictable sight met my eyes.

"Fufu ... I can't tell him, but I was really looking forward to going to the hot springs here ...I feel awkward because I didn't do anything on this mission, but~"

"...... Huh? Captain?"

It was Karen who was exposed with skin as white as the snow there.

I couldn't see the important part because of the hand towel she was holding and the thick steam, but she was probably *****. Since she was about to enter the hot spring, well, it was only natural.

"Huh!? No way, that voice, Haru !?"

"Yes, this is Haru. Are you going to take a dip now, Captain?"

"Well, that's true... but more importantly, why are you here?"

"Eh? That's because there is only one hot spring in this inn."

"I know what you're referring to! I know that, but that's not what I'm implying......."

　Yes. Perhaps what Karen wants to ask is technically, 'why am I there at a time when women are supposed to use it?'

　However, I also have my reasons. I was told by the owner, an old lady, that this time of day is the 'men's time'. Since there is only one hot spring, they categorize the baths into 'men only,' 'women only,' and 'mixed bathing,' so I was careful and chose the 'men only' time slot.

"That means the old lady who owns the inn is ......!　Damn, I thought she was gawking at us......."

　Oh, so the perp was the innkeeper, after all.

　Maybe the grandmother lied to me telling me that it was "men's time" and to Karen that it was "women's time" while it was originally the time of "mixed bathing" and planned to let us together here.

　What a meddler. I suppose the old lady had a hunch about the relationship between the two of us who had come on a mission.

　Old lady. That's a GJ, in my opinion. (Good Job. It was written like that)

"Ugh. ......!"

"Huh? Captain, where are you going?"

"Of course, I' m going to get out of here, you imbecile! Oh ... how can I do such a shameful maneuver, such as taking a bath with a man? "

　Karen-san, who is clearly upset, turns on her heel and scurries away from me - a complete change unlike when she's on duty.

"Oh, Captain, if you keep running so fast..."

"! Hyan-- !?"

　Just as her footing became negligent, Karen's foot got caught on the wet and slippery cobblestone pavement and she fell with a resounding thud.

　Because of her over-tense mission, once Karen loosens the strings of tension in a situation like this, she turns into a klutz.

"Captain, are you okay?"

"Haru!? Hey ... I'm okay~"

"No. Let me see. It's always the slightest tear that causes a breakdown - that's what the captain has taught me. I'll make certain you're not hurt."

　I rushed over and gently touched Karen's ankle. It was silky smooth, but I didn't have time to dwell on that right now.

"You don't seem to have ...... sprained it. Captain, I'm going to have to move you around a bit."

"No, I mean, Haru, no, ......!"

　The moment I grasped her ankle a little harder, I heard a slightly elevated voice from Karen.

"Does it hurt? Then I'll heel you right now. ......"

"No, it doesn't. There's no problem with injuries. Just ......"

　Karen's gaze went directly to my lower body.

"We're both ***** ... this is embarrassing ..."

"......"

"Oh, hey, don't gawk at me.......!"

　Oh, God.

　How pure-minded is this person?

　She's so cute. She's adorable.

　So, that's how the little mishap in the bath ended for the moment.

　But the meddling of the old lady who staged this incident did not stop there.

(Was this chapter better? The way I upped the quality of the translation and how I kept the original format?)