Chapter 1

“Captain!”

“Ahhh!!!”

The place I jolted up from was a hard bed.

But there was a strange sense of familiarity in that hardness.

I was sitting on the very bed I slept on every day.

“What, what’s going on? What happened? Am I alive?”

“Of course, you’re alive, Captain. Though it’s a mystery how the great Captain Kairon ended up oversleeping.”

“This voice…?”

A subordinate who dared to enter my bedroom without permission, boldly shaking me awake even though I was oversleeping.

The most trusted and reliable aide, who had left this world long before me, making me miss them the most.

“Plymus!”

“Yes, Captain Kairon. It’s me, Plymus. Huh? Why are you making that face? Are you feeling unwell…? Ugh!”

The joy I felt was so overwhelming that I couldn’t help but tightly hug Plymus.

“Why are you doing this? This is embarrassing and awkward! Captain, let go right now!”

“Just stay still for a moment! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, let me hug you!”

“What do you mean ‘so long’? We just saw each other a few hours ago!”

“A few hours ago…? Wait.”

I let go of the struggling Plymus and asked seriously.

“Plymus, what’s the date right now?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“What year, month, and day is it?”

“It’s July 10th, Year 38 of Aurelius.”

“……”

I remembered the day the Great Demon of Wrath appeared, just before I lost consciousness.

Back then, Emperor Aurelius had died, and it was July 10th, Year 3 of Charlotte, named after his daughter who succeeded him.

It seemed impossible, but the firm muscle texture of Plymus I felt was exactly as I remembered.

As unbelievable as it was, I was certain I had returned to the past.

And I became even more convinced as I enjoyed the feel of Plymus’ arm muscles.

“I missed you so much. These soft yet firm muscles of yours…!”

“You’ve completely lost it. Did you secretly drink alone last night? Anyway, get up quickly. It’s an important day today, and it’s troublesome if you’re like this.”

Plymus sat me upright and started stripping off my clothes to dress me in armor.

As expected of the most capable aide I’ve ever had, his hands were gentle and skilled.

But still dazed, I kept asking questions while letting Plymus handle me.

“Plymus, why is today important?”

“Goodness, how could you forget? Today’s the day our Black Iron Vanguard is supposed to have a mock battle with the Silver Guards.”

“Our Vanguard against the Silver Guards? Wait. That means…”

As I tried to recall who the commander of the Silver Guards was, I heard someone stomping angrily towards my room.

If my memory served me right, even in anger, this person’s steps were dignified…

Bang-

“Kairon!”

The owner of the voice kicked open my door and stormed in.

And my eyes widened as I saw her.

“Kairon! What is this rudeness? How long do you plan to keep me and my guards waiting…? Ah!”

Abelin, who had been shouting with an angry face, froze and then turned bright red.

“Why are you undressed? You have no manners and are utterly shameless!”

“This isn’t my fault. You’re the one who barged in after breaking the door.”

“If you had been ready on time, I wouldn’t have had to barge in! Really, you’re impossible…!”

Yes, this was natural.

On the day the Great Demon of Wrath appeared, just before leading our troops into battle, we had been bickering like this, hating each other to death.

From the day we first met until then, it had always been like this, yet this eccentric woman had returned alone to save me, sacrificing her own life.

‘I guess you never know how things will turn out.’

Though I had returned to the past for some unknown reason, I still couldn’t believe it.

Moreover, back then, this eccentric woman had definitely…

Slap-

“Ah…?”

I slapped my own cheek hard, making a loud sound, and Abelin flinched in surprise.

“W-why are you doing that?!”

“I had to. To check if this is a dream or not.”

The last thing I remembered was the soft touch of Abelin’s lips on my cheek.

“If that was your goal, you could’ve just pinched yourself lightly. Why did you have to slap so hard…?”

“But hey.”

I cut Abelin off and stared at her intently.

“W-why are you looking at me like that? It’s making me uncomfortable!”

“Why are you still standing there?”

“What do you mean…?”

“You called me shameless and mannerless. So why are you still staring at my bare chest?”

“…… Ugh.”

Abelin’s face, which had cooled down slightly, turned bright red again.

Only then did Abelin realize she had been staring at my bare chest and quickly turned her head away.

“I wasn’t looking!”

“You were.”

“I wasn’t!”

“Well, it’s not like it’ll wear out if you look. You can keep looking if you want.”

“How can you say such shameless things so casually…? You’re no different from a beast!”

You’ve already seen everything anyway.

The time Abelin spent staring at me was long enough to examine every muscle on my body.

Moreover, Abelin was trembling but didn’t leave the room.

“Hurry up and put on your armor. That way, I can beat you to my heart’s content!”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Abelin always said she hated me more than anyone in the world, but maybe that wasn’t true?

If so, when did those feelings start…?

Maybe.

Just maybe…

“Hey, Abelin.”

“What?!”

“Hmm…”

Steeling my resolve.

I boldly asked.

“Do you… like me?”

“……”

Abelin’s trembling shoulders calmed down.

And as she slowly turned around, her gaze was the most terrifying I had ever seen.

It was more than enough to realize I had made a mistake.

Even Plymus, who had been helping me into my armor, stepped back and looked at me in shock.

I needed to apologize as quickly as possible before things got worse.

“Sorry, I take it back. Forget what I just said.”

“I’ll never forgive you.”

“…… Ah.”

Too late, huh?

Abelin bit her lip tightly and, without hesitation, drew her sword.

“Not only did you dirty my eyes, but you also insulted my pride. Apologize with your death!!”

The momentum with which Abelin charged at me was even more agile and terrifying than when she had sacrificed her life to save me.

“Yikes…!”

I threw myself backward to dodge, but the bed I had been sitting on was cleanly sliced in two by Abelin’s sword.

“My bed!”

“Where do you think you’re running? Come here, Kairon. I’ll make you just like this bed!”

Though it was amusing to see the eccentric Abelin like this, it was genuinely dangerous.

My room was already sparsely furnished due to my frugal lifestyle, and now Abelin was about to split everything in two.

I had no choice but to…

Whoosh-

I quickly grabbed whatever outer garment was nearby to cover myself and, without hesitation, jumped out the window.

“Ah, out the window! Aren’t you ashamed as a knight?”

“I’m not a knight, I’m a vanguard! I’ll run away, so you, as an honorable knight, take the stairs…”

I stopped mid-sentence, sensing an icy atmosphere.

I had jumped out the window in a hurry, but…

All I could see around me were silver armors.

“What are you doing, Captain?”

Plymus shouted from the window, looking out at me.

“Our Black Iron Vanguard is gathered over there! Not here!”

Which meant…

“It’s Kairon! The guy Lady Abelin hates the most in the world!”

“We’ve got him now! Let’s capture him and present him to Lady Abelin!”

I had jumped right into the midst of Abelin’s fervent followers, the Silver Guards.

Surrounded on all sides, even I couldn’t easily escape.

Just when I thought it was over.

“Step aside, you fools!”

“We’ll take our Captain back!”

The Black Iron Vanguard, gathered in the distance, charged fiercely towards us.

“Defeat those pale-faced fools and save our Captain! Charge!!”

“The black ones are coming! All Silver Guards, prepare for battle!!”

Regardless, the mock battle between my Black Iron Vanguard and Abelin’s Silver Guards had begun.

My subordinates and the Silver Guards each grabbed one of my arms, pulling with all their might.

“Give us back our Captain! Even if he’s shirtless and embarrassing, he’s our proud Captain!”

“No way! We’ll present this guy to Lady Abelin and earn her favor!”

Amidst the tug-of-war.

Thud-

The sound of a heavy footstep made everyone stop fighting.

“…… Kairon.”

Abelin, who had finally arrived, called my name in a low voice.

A voice that sent chills down my spine.

It was definitely not the voice of someone who liked me.

Abelin glared at me with eyes more terrifying than a demon’s and asked.

“Are you ready?”

“R-ready for what?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

Abelin laughed incredulously and muttered to herself.

“Do I like you? Me, like you? Ha…”

Then, gripping her sword tightly, she declared.

“The mock battle is canceled. Today, I will definitely kill you!!”