Chapter 37 : Want me to throw a damn blanket over you?!

“Ugh, I’m dying.”
Sir Reiner, leader of Team 2 of the Red Rose Knights, groaned again today, clutching his head. Not just today, but again today—meaning this happened every single day.
“All I do is sigh, seriously.”

Slumping back in his chair and staring at the desk, his chest felt tight, like he was trapped in a narrow cave, unable to breathe. It was because of the tower of documents piled up—a peculiar aspect of the Red Rose Knights. The knight order managed the castle’s administration. Carvalon Castle itself was the manor granted to them, and while they administratively belonged to their lord, a noble, the knights were the actual managers.

It wasn’t a problem in the old days. They were the vanguard holding back the Great Forest, and the castle was small with no residents, making it easy for the knights to manage amongst themselves. Supplies were provided at the imperial level, so they lacked nothing. When people flocked to the desolate plains, calling it the safest land, setting up markets and building villages, they managed. The Empire even lent manpower to build the walls higher and add an outer castle beyond the inner one.

Then times changed. The renowned name of the Red Rose Knights faded. They were grateful if supplies arrived at all. The number of knights decreased, but the castle remained as large as in its heyday. Naturally, the responsibility of managing its administration became immense—a disaster. Knights, in the public eye, are noble and proud protectors, but in reality, they’re physical types, good with their bodies, terrible with their heads. The administration was a mess. That’s why trash like George’s Crew—or George’s Family, as they called themselves—who wouldn’t have dared show their faces before, were now running rampant. Even this improved situation only came after Reiner, who had a knack for administration, took charge.

“Waiting a fortnight for the rookie who went missing during the initiation ceremony really cost us.”
He usually wasn’t buried under this many documents, but the paperwork had piled up during the fortnight he was away—the pitfall of an organization overly reliant on its ace. This is why hero parties that expel their porters face consequences later.
Should I quit the knight order too? The impulse arose, but Reiner resisted. This wasn’t like those “expelled from the hero party” stories. He was treated according to his work—just with documents funneled to him.

“Right, no time to rest.” Just as Reiner gathered his resolve and lifted his pen again—
“Secretary Sir!”
“Call me Sir Reiner!”

The person bursting through the door was an administrator the Knight Commander had begged the Lord to assign exclusively to Reiner, hoping to ease his burden. His title was Deputy Secretary. Reiner appreciated the help with the workload but disliked the title the man used. I’m a noble knight, definitely not a secretary…
“What is it now? Did George’s Crew stir up trouble? Or did our esteemed knights lose their minds and break something again?”
“There’s trouble at the castle gate!”
“What? Tell the guards to handle something like that themselves. I’m busy. Can’t you see these documents? It’ll take a week of all-nighters to process this.”
“Well… it’s beyond what the guards can handle. A knight is apparently causing a scene after being denied entry.”
“A knight?”

That was unexpected—but maybe not. Not all knights were the same. There were Free Knights, half-thugs who were still knights nonetheless. Did some of those guys show up? Even a rotten fish is still a fish; a knight is a knight. The guards couldn’t handle them.
“Go out right now and tell one of the guys slacking off to head to the main gate.” A knight had to deal with a knight—whether persuading with words or driving them off with force.
“Well… the person is claiming to be a new recruit of the Red Rose Knights.”
“What?”
“And apparently, they have some girl and a wolf that feels like a monster with them.”
“?”

That was reason enough for Reiner to toss aside the documents and go himself.

“Please allow passage.”
“Well, you see, Knight…”

The guards were flustered. When Celine stood still with her mouth shut, she was a beauty with a cool impression. Just her approach was intimidating, and her tone was chilly—not because she was upset, just her natural way of speaking. But how would strangers like the guards know that? They were simply bewildered.

“I’m a new recruit of the Red Rose Knights. You saw my identification tag. I wish to be granted passage to report my return.”
“Yes, that’s right. We confirmed the tag—it’s authentic.”
“Then why is it not allowed?”
“Well…”

Celine frowned at the guards. She’d asked several times, but they kept mumbling instead of giving a straight answer. Could it be that because I went missing during the initiation, I’ve been classified as deceased? A dead person returned alive—the identification tag might be meaningless. The guards must be wondering how to handle this. She hadn’t considered that possibility. I should’ve waited in line. But going back now, she wouldn’t be able to face Lena…

“Well, you see…” As the furrow between Celine’s brows deepened, one guard finally mustered the courage.
“You’re fine, Knight.”
“Yes? Then there’s no problem.”
“The problem is behind you.”
“…Ah.”

Celine turned around and realized the real reason for the denial.
“That wolf is a bit… It could be dangerous to people.”

Badugi was the problem. Unless you were blind, you could tell at a glance—that was a monster. They might’ve gotten away with the excuse with the caravan, but there was no way it’d work on the guards. If Celine’s knight status hadn’t been confirmed, they’d have blown the emergency whistle already.

“What is it? Are pets forbidden here?”
“…Yes, apparently so.”

Celine couldn’t bring herself to tell Lena the truth—because Lena genuinely believed Badugi was a dog.
“They let pets in over there just fine. Pigs and horses are okay, but dogs aren’t? What’s the standard?” Lena grumbled, while the guards muttered:
“Dog? That’s a wolf.”
“Making excuses when it looks so vicious.”

“He is a dog. Our Badugi is well-trained and gentle.” Lena often scolded Badugi, but she did it because he was hers—she couldn’t stand hearing others badmouth him. Indignant, she used her ultimate move.
“Badugi! Paw! Spin! Sit! Nose! Down! Bang!”
Woof!

It was the hidden talent show. His movements were sharp, without a single error. Not just the guards, but even Celine was dumbfounded. She knew how strong a monster Badugi was, which made it even more surprising—to perform tricks like that, panting happily with his tongue out.
Grrrr!
But when Badugi met Celine’s eyes, his expression turned serious, and he growled—his way of saying, What’s your problem? Got an issue?
Why me? I was just watching…

Lena spoke up for the crestfallen Celine. “Our Badugi doesn’t bite people. If you’re really worried, I’ll put a muzzle on him. Okay?”
“So, the muzzle isn’t the issue…”
“You there! I’ll handle this from now on—step back!”

That was when Reiner arrived. Celine’s face lit up.
“Sir Reiner!”
“…It really was the rookie.”

Upon confirming Celine’s face, Reiner was stunned but showed clear joy.
“How did you survive? It’s been over a month since the initiation ended—you shouldn’t be alive.”
“I was lucky. I also received help. I’ll explain the details when I report my return.”
“Right, it must be a long story to tell here. Setting that aside, what’s going on now?”

After hearing the situation from the guards, Reiner’s reaction was no different from theirs.
“Passage denied.”
“Kuh.”
“Damn it.”

Celine bit her lip, and Lena fumed. She’d thought things might change with the person in charge here. People need to be flexible. Why did he even come out if he was just going to say no?
“Rookie, don’t you think this is unreasonable too? How can we let that thing into the castle?”

Reiner’s point was logical. A knight could sense it—that thing radiated ominousness. He was only letting it be because it was quiet and with Celine’s group. Even now, restraining the urge to draw his sword was an ordeal.
“Give it up. Wild animals belong in the wild. Don’t keep it tied up out of human greed.”
“Using sound reasoning here is dirty pool.”

Lena wore a look of dismay, as if she’d been checkmated. Don’t pick up wild animals. She agreed with that argument herself. But to Reiner, it was bizarre. Sound reasoning aside, how did you even bring a monster like that here? Just let it go before something terrible happens.
“But letting our Badugi loose in the wild is the bigger problem. You know how ferocious stray dogs can be.”

Lena didn’t yield to sound reasoning. She’d hesitated to take Badugi in at first, but she’d resolved to accept him—now he was family. People need to take responsibility. How can I release this weak creature into the wild? He’s not even fully grown yet. She couldn’t do it out of worry.

“So, how is that thing a dog…”
“…Dog.”

Celine jumped in with supporting fire.
“It is a dog.” Her eyes were squeezed shut, her face flushed with shame, but her tone was firm, leaving no room for compromise.
“What the—”

Reiner, the sane one, was speechless. Did she get brainwashed by the monster? What’s wrong with everyone?
“I’ll take responsibility.”
“Haaah.”

What responsibility could a mere rookie knight take? …But criticizing her was tricky, considering Celine’s family was, well, her family. And while it looked like a monster, it wasn’t biting people and was staying quiet. He could’ve processed several documents in the time spent arguing. Reiner raised the white flag.
“You really take responsibility.”
“Yes.”
“Fine, pass!”
“Hooray!”

Lena rejoiced. She wasn’t just being difficult—this was defeating a stubborn old fool who was lenient with others but strict only with the wrong person!
“But.” There was still a condition. “Cover it with some rags or something. So people can’t see it.”