CH 363

Test of Skill

Ignoring Gautier whose head was still stuck to the floor, we went and sat down in front of the sofa Charlotte was sitting on.

Standing behind the sofa Charlotte sat down, there was Mielle and two more people who I didn’t know.

“Once again, my apologies for suddenly attacking you.”

“Don’t bother apologizing when you don’t actually mean it.”

“Fine, then I’ll retract the apology as you asked. You are right, I don’t actually think badly of it. Not one bit.”

Narrowing her eyes and clasping her hands, Charlotte spoke so.

Her unapologetic attitude annoyed me but, if I knew she would be this flippant, maybe I should have taken the fake apology at least.

“But, I did have a legit reason to do so, so please don’t get too angry with me.”

“For self-protection right? You’d be in deep shit if it was Klaus’ subordinate that had entered there after all.”

“That’s part of it but………there was an even more important reason behind it.”

Saying that, she pointed at the two unknown people standing behind her.

“I see. So it was a test of skill for whether I was really worth joining forces with, eh?”

“Precisely. Of course I explained to them again and again that your ability was not in doubt but, sometimes there are things that people won’t believe until they actually see with their own eyes after all.”

“So, I’m taking I passed?”

I talked to the two people who were standing there quietly.

They hadn’t even greeted themselves, and I’d prefer if they’d at least tell me their names if they are going as far as to launch a surprise attack at me.

“My apologies for the late introduction. I am the commander of the 3rd squad of the royal knights, Alexandra is my name. seeing your little battle with Gilmour just now, there are no doubts in regards to your ability any more. Do forgive us for the rudeness shown.”

The knight named Alexandra gave a proper bow at the waist as she gave her apologies.

The room was dark and she was wearing a helmet but I could tell from her voice, that it was a woman.

Alexandra then tapped the back of the person beside her, urging the knight to introduce himself as well.

“……….My name is Bruce. A fellow knight of the 3rd squad as well. And let me tell you, I have not acknowledged——-OW!?”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Alexandra who was bowing politely kicked him in the back and set him crashing.

Since they were in knight armours, a large sound echoed inside the room. She must’ve really kicked him hard.

“Well, if Asha says that, then it seems as there are no more issues in regards to your ability anymore.”

“That’s good to know. But, I’ll say this advance, if something like this happens again, I won’t stop like I did today.”

“I know. But all that aside, let’s get to the main topic at hand shall we? If we keep chatting away, the sun will rise again before we know it.”

Some way of saying it when she’s the one who caused this nonsense in the first place, but yes, I’d like to get to the point as well.

I was a bit curious as to the nickname Asha she used for Alexandra but………before I begin talking, I’d like to hear everything Charlotte has to tell me first.

“You can start first. I’m sure Mielle already informed you on everything right? I’d like to hear your answer as well.”

“Understood. First of all, as for the talk about crushing [Under Eye]……..I agree with your suggestion. I don’t know if it’s on Klaus’ orders but they have been trying to keep tabs on my movements as well which is quite annoying, plus if we’re after Klaus’ head, then Milworc will certainly get in the way regardless, so this is unavoidable really.”

“I’m surprised you actually agreed. Guess I didn’t have to waste time thinking up ways to convince you.”

“From my perspective, as long as Klaus disappears, I don’t care about anything else, and I’d prefer not to cause too big of a commotion so honestly speaking, I was against it. But I also understand that with the situation being what it is, this simply cannot be helped.”

“Well, your reasons don’t matter as long as you’re in favour of it. So, did you find any info on [Under Eye] like I asked?”

“Nope, not much. All we know is that their base somewhere in the black market, nothing more.”

I was a bit surprised, I was expecting a bit more from Charlotte’s side when it came to info on [Under Eye].

Looks like it was the right decision to do our own info gathering in these last three days.

“Well, that’s a disappointment.”

“Unfortunately so. However, you can raise your expectations when it comes to the actual fighting. I have already negotiated with Father as well, and I have permission to lend you the entire 3rd squad led by Asha here, to face [Under Eye].”

So that’s why the commander and vice commander of the 3rd squad showed up here.

Well, if Gilmour is the standard, I don’t know how much I could really expect from them to be honest but……..

Having the royal knights with me will allow me to move more freely at least.

I had already readied myself to live the life of a villain, the moment I decided to kill Klaus anyway.

“Well, having the knights with me will certainly help. I don’t expect much in terms of actual strength but at least it’ll give me an actual justification to attack [Under Eye] directly.”

“The hell you said! Just because you got one on the vice commander, doesn’t mean you can act so cocky!”

“Even I know they won’t be much of your help in the actual battle. I mean, I’ve seen them in training. It’s only these three here that will actually be able to hold their own against [Under Eye]. Which is why I brought them here.”

“Ueghh!? Even the Princess is saying such things………”

It’s good that Charlotte is actually a fighter herself so she has better understanding of such things.

I don’t know how many people they have in the 3rd squad but, knowing that only these three are actually worthwhile fighters is not very reassuring but……..

Well, from the very start, I intended to crush [Under Eye] by ourselves anyway.

Having even just three more fighters will be a boost to our overall strength, and more than that, like I said, having legal justification to launch an attack is everything.

But still……..I’m shocked to learn that this Bruce guy who’s been yapping from the start is actually a decent fighter as well supposedly.