Chapter 19

Episode 19: The Captain is Well-Loved

Riding his dragon, Leinos had apparently heard the voice of the giant man, but he flew off with the dragon, disappearing into the distance.

The distance between them had grown so far that the man appeared no larger than a speck.

The giant man, looking exasperated, turned his gaze toward them but soon returned his attention to Princess Valtlorne.

“I apologize, Your Highness. It is due to my lack of training.”

The man, who had been shouting just moments ago, was now bowing his head in apology to Princess Valtlorne, his tone unusually humble.

Considering his position, it was clear that he must hold some considerable rank. Princess Valtlorne smiled gently and said,

“Please, raise your head. It is not your fault, Lord Dortros.”

She said, placing a hand lightly on Dortros’ shoulder.

“But… sigh, abandoning the mission, such a thing is unworthy of a proud dragon knight.”

“It seems he has a poor impression of the common folk.”

“Yes, but… even if they are commoners, he should not have treated a comrade from the same unit that way. At his core, he is a serious, kind-hearted child, but… his pride is just a little too high.”

It seemed that the deeply ingrained mindset was hard to change.

Perhaps that was why the Vulkan Empire had lost its war against the Reshfelte Kingdom.

They had clung to their rigid traditions and refused to embrace the new.

The result: the death of countless officers.

The incompetent nobles who took command of the soldiers lost vast amounts of manpower, and in the end, they themselves lost their lives.

The Reshfelte Kingdom, on the other hand, gave command of the military to even commoners who showed promise. I was one of them, and I believed it was a reasonable approach.

Unless this exclusionary mindset was changed, there was no bright future for the Vulkan Empire.

In fact, if they continued to fight the Reshfelte Kingdom the way they were, defeat was inevitable.

Not only would the future be bleak, but the very path forward would be severed.

I didn’t wish for such an outcome.

This time, I would make sure we didn’t lose.

“This is not a matter exclusive to Lord Leinos. It is an issue for all the nobles of the Vulkan Empire,” I said.

“Indeed… the imperial nobility has never been fond of associating with commoners,” Lord Dortros replied.

“Yes, but. I am relieved that Lord Dortros does not seem to have been influenced by such customs,” Princess Valtlorne said with a smile.

Lord Dortros scratched his head, blushing awkwardly and looking away.

“No, I merely… prefer strength. The meritocratic system is far more appealing to me than a system that values aristocracy above all else. In fact, my Fourth Dragon Knight Battalion consists solely of elite soldiers that I personally selected, and more than half of them are from commoner backgrounds.”

The dragon knights, hearing Dortros’ words, nodded happily.

“Our captain is our pride! We’ve been mistreated just for being commoners, but the captain is different. He evaluates us fairly.”

“That’s right! I’m truly happy that I could join the Fourth Dragon Knight Battalion!”

“Lord Dortros is famous for being one of the few virtuous men among the imperial nobility!”

It seemed that Lord Dortros was well-loved by the dragon knights.

As I observed the strong sense of unity among the dragon knights, Petra, who had unknowingly moved closer to me, muttered under her breath.

“How suffocating…”

“Don’t say things like that…” I whispered in a volume low enough so they wouldn’t hear, but Petra just pouted her lips in response.

Well, from our perspective, it was only natural that it looked like some kind of farcical performance. They were just showing off how close they were. However, having experienced life a second time, I couldn’t help but feel that the respect Lord Dortros earned from his subordinates was a ray of hope for the Vulkan Empire.

“Petra might not know, but it’s actually a big deal when an imperial noble doesn’t hold prejudice against commoners,” I explained gently.

Ambros, hearing this, turned his gaze toward Petra.

“That’s right. The aura that man gives off… It’s like the purity of a saint.”

“Huh? Aura? Ambros… I don’t get what you’re saying at all,” Petra said, her head tilted.

“In a healthy body resides a healthy mind. That’s what I’m trying to say!” Ambros exclaimed.

Petra stared at Ambros, confused by his words.

Basically, Ambros was trying to say that Lord Dortros was a trustworthy man, but Petra wasn’t going to get that from such an indirect approach. He needed to come up with a more straightforward way to explain it.

“Well… let’s leave it at that for now. Your Highness, you are sending the guest to the Vulkan Empire by dragon, correct?” Lord Dortros said, bringing the praise session to a close with a timely interjection.

It seemed that Lord Dortros had been quite embarrassed.

He refused to meet Princess Valtlorne’s gaze, and Princess Valtlorne, watching his reaction, looked genuinely pleased.

“Lord Dortros, I leave it to you,” she said.

“Leave it to me. I will ensure that your guest is safely delivered to the Vulkan Empire,” Lord Dortros replied.

In the end, it seemed that we would be able to enjoy the journey through the skies on the dragon without any issues. Looking at Princess Valtlorne, we let out a relieved sigh.