A tense air spread across the faces of those imprisoned.

“...Officially, it wasn’t for stopping fights. We were locked up on charges of insubordination—disobeying orders.”

“I don’t get it. Why would that be considered insubordination?”

Kiole wasn’t asking with some hidden intent—he genuinely didn’t understand. Why would you imprison the people who tried to break up fights? Wouldn’t that just make managing the troops even more of a hassle?

But the people in front of him misunderstood and were visibly surprised.

“Y-You’re absolutely right, Young Master. So you do understand what we’re trying to do...”

“Understand what? Anyway, if it’s true you got locked up for trying to stop fights, just tell me what happened already. I need to know what I’m dealing with to fix it and go home.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll explain everything!”

They looked at Kiole with moved expressions and began explaining earnestly.

“The Awakened soldiers were treated as special recruits from the start, and the existing soldiers were intensely jealous of that. On the other hand, the Awakened recruits were fed up with the constant bullying from the veterans.”

It was mostly the veteran soldiers who picked fights first. The Awakened soldiers weren’t exactly mild-tempered either, so they resisted immediately. But the manager always punished only the new Awakened ones.

“The manager hates Awakeners. Still, if someone happens to have a useful ability, he privately exploits them and gives them special treatment. Otherwise, he treats them worse than livestock. That boy attending you—he was only accepted as the manager’s servant because of a convenient ability he has.”

Kiole’s eyes widened in surprise, and he turned his head. The young boy who had been quietly standing beside him had gone pale.

“He’s an Awakener too?”

“He can hear extremely well. The manager mutters tasks from far away, and he’s able to carry them out—perfect for a servant. So the manager excluded him from regular soldier duties.”

“Is that true?”

When Kiole asked, the boy raised his eyes with a sorrowful expression and slowly nodded.

“So... you applied to become a soldier, but got made into a servant instead?”

“Technically... I am registered as a soldier. But I’m not allowed to participate in training.”

“Tch.”

“Awakeners are told they should ‘work harder because they’re paid more.’ So they end up being treated like slaves by managers and veteran soldiers alike. One of them even died, and things got worse after that.”

“Someone died?!”

“Yes.”

The men locked up here had known Awakeners personally—or had gotten close to them without discrimination. When they protested the unfair treatment, they were told, “You’re getting paid enough, what’s the problem?” and pushed aside.

Even after that, they kept trying to reason with their comrades and break up the fights, but the manager soon turned on them as well.

“It’s true that Awakeners are paid more than we were as new recruits. But that doesn’t make this kind of abuse acceptable. Frankly, seeing the kind of hell they go through, I think that money’s just blood money. That’s why we got together and tried to lodge a formal complaint...”

“And that’s when you got locked up?”

“Yes, sir.”

“......”

Kiole thought back to when the Cavalry had first been formed—back to the early days of the Imperial Guard. Back then, he and the other knights weren’t all that different from these non-Awakener soldiers.

They felt insulted that low-born commoners with a bit of power dared set foot on Imperial Guard grounds. It didn’t matter who the Cavalry members actually were—they were treated with scorn and contempt. Kiole had joined in as well, looking down on those “uppity commoners” just for breathing the same air.

That perspective only changed because of Yuder Aile. He still thought Yuder was a monster, but Kiole could no longer deny that Yuder was an incredible asset to the Empire.

Despite being a commoner, Yuder—and the Cavalry—lived more honorably, more like knights, than most Imperial Guards. After being saved by them in the southern hailstorm, Kiole had realized that beyond a doubt.

If it were the old Kiole, he might have responded to this situation the same way the manager did. But now? He was no longer the petulant brat who had gotten scolded by his father for grumbling about Awakened soldiers joining House Diarca.

Kiole came to a conclusion and clicked his tongue.

“This is simple.”

“Pardon?”

“You there. Open this prison and let them out.”

He gave a firm order to the young servant beside him. After a moment of hesitation, he continued:

“And bring in the manager—and the ones who started harassing the new recruits in the first place. If anyone should be locked up, it’s them!”

The boy gawked, then bowed with a flushed face.

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The imprisoned men were freed. Following Kiole’s command, they brought in the manager and the main instigators who had been tormenting the Awakened recruits.

“W-Wait, Young Master. Why am I—?”

“How have you been running this place?”

Kiole barked at the confused manager.

“Before I came, I thought morale was down because of bad weather or something. But turns out, the ones who deserve a reward are the ones you’ve been punishing! It’s your job to manage House Diarca’s soldiers, and you’ve completely failed! You made a mess and expect sympathy?!”

“Y-Young Master... there’s a misunderstanding. I’ve been doing my job. There were no problems all these years under my supervision until the new recruits arrived. Why is it my fault that they’re causing trouble?”

The manager tried to defend himself, distressed.

“You have no idea how much has happened here! You’re blaming me after only hearing one side?! Lord Kiorne understood the situation and approved everything! This isn’t your place to interfere!”

“Hah. So none of this is your fault, and since it’s Big Brother’s responsibility, I should just shut up and get lost?”

Kiole snorted and ran his hand through his hair. People flinched when they saw the fury in his eyes.

“Arrogant bastard. You think Kiorne is the only Diarca, and I’m not one of you? I’ll have you punished and report this to Father myself. Let’s see if you can still spew that nonsense then!”

“You’d punish me over a bunch of low-born Awakeners?! I’ve served House Diarca for years!”

“And those ‘low-born Awakeners’ seem to have a far better sense of loyalty—they recognize that I am a Diarca, unlike you!”

“This kind of friction exists everywhere! Stirring up trouble will solve nothing!”

“Everywhere? Hah! Since I joined the Imperial Guard, I’ve never once let anything like this happen!”

“...!”

Kiole pounded his chest and glared. The manager, stunned by how stupid that # Nоvеlight # sounded, was momentarily speechless. Kiole took that silence as victory and straightened proudly.

“Lock him up! And investigate everything that’s happened here! That man is the real problem!”

“Yes, sir!”

“W-Wait, Young Master, please! I understand! I admit I made mistakes. I’ll fix them! Please, just this once—”

“No. Why should I?”

His tone was so childishly petty that it chilled the air. The manager clenched his eyes shut and dropped to his knees.

“T-There’s something only I know! If you leave now, you’ll be in danger! Let me go, and I’ll tell you—!” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He didn’t get to finish. Kiole, fuming, kicked him.

“How dare you threaten and insult me—the one and only knight of House Diarca!”

“......”

“Lock him up! And make sure Father hears about this attempted blackmail!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

“Oh, and the reward Big Brother was going to hand out...”

They’d prepared it in advance, so he might as well give it out. Ugh. Such a pain. Who should he give it to?

Kiole turned his head and spotted the young servant standing at a distance.

Yeah. That kid’ll do.

“You guided me bravely and helped resolve this mess. So I’m giving it to you.”

“M-Me? You mean me, sir?”

“Yeah.”

“I think the reward was meant for ten people... Isn’t it too much for just me—?”

“Then divide it however you want! And from now on, start training like a proper soldier. Anyone who wants to wield a sword should get to wield one!”

Kiole declared boldly and walked out. He had no idea that the boy would collapse in tears the moment he left—or that the Diarca soldier garrison was about to be thrown into total upheaval.

It was all going so well—up to that point.

Yes, up to that point, things had gone well.

But as Kiole passed back inside the seventh wall of the capital... he ran into something entirely unexpected.