The footsteps of both men came to a grinding halt as if by synchronized command.
Chester was panicking internally because words he’d meant to keep to himself had slipped out, while Ruite was in a state of disbelief, wondering if he had actually heard correctly.
“What did you just say? My hands are curling into fists from the cringe right now, you know?”
“…I didn’t say anything wrong. That’s what I intend to do once we are married.”
Chester chose to double down with a brazen face to mask his embarrassment.
Ruite’s lips parted and closed.
Between the things this guy had been saying since earlier, Ruite’s head and heart were becoming so noisy he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
That was why he had tripped earlier.
His face kept heating up and his heart was racing so erratically because of Chester’s words that his feet had literally tangled together in a ridiculous stumble.
“You… seriously, stop saying such weird things.”
Ruite ruffled the back of his hair roughly and pointedly turned his head away from Chester.
Ruite’s face was slightly flushed.
Whether it was because of the orange glow of the sunset or some other reason, he couldn’t quite tell himself.
After parting ways with Chester and returning to the mansion, Ruite lay on his bed, lost in thought.
He kept chewing over the proposal Vilter had made.
To be honest, since realizing he had been reincarnated into this world, he had been so focused on changing the future where he dies that he had never once acted proactively to build a future for himself.
During his Academy days, his only motivation was using the breakup as an excuse to study, but now he had completely veered off the original plot.
He couldn’t predict what Chester was thinking or what would happen next.
He didn’t even have a solid plan.
“Maybe I should change my environment,” Ruite muttered softly.
Yes, if he actually joined the Knight Order, his family’s prestige would rise at least a little compared to before, and he could also delay the marriage.
Joining the Knights seemed beneficial in many ways.
Unless he planned to live his whole life as a thoughtless noble son, having a job would allow him to carve out a future.
And if the wedding schedule got pushed back, wasn’t it possible that Chester might suddenly come to his senses and change his mind in the meantime?
Of course, these thoughts were mostly wishful thinking.
Deep down, Ruite suspected that he was just making up excuses because he genuinely wanted to accept Vilter’s offer.
He suddenly remembered the expressions of relief on the faces of the villagers in the mountains the moment they heard Chester was a knight.
“Ah, my parents.”
Ruite went downstairs and immediately asked to speak with them.
Teian and Reina listened silently until Ruite finished explaining everything that happened that day, including his desire to join the Knight Order.
“The Knight Order… I see. Is this a decision you’ve thought through sufficiently?”
Teian’s face was uncharacteristically solemn, replacing his usual gentle indulgence.
“Yes.”
Though it had only taken him an hour to decide, he knew that even if he took more time, there would only be one answer.
“If it’s something you want to do, Ruite, we have no intention of opposing it.”
“I’m worried you’ll get hurt, but if it’s the path you want, I want to support you,” Reina added.
It was a truly warm blessing.
In fact, Ruite had a faint feeling they would react this way.
“Thank you.”
At this stage, he hadn’t even entered the Order—he’d only secured the chance to take the entrance exam—but having their trust and support made him feel even more motivated.
“If Ruite enters the Order and needs time to adjust, I suppose the wedding will have to be delayed further?” Reina asked Teian.
Ruite held back his guilty conscience and maintained a calm facade.
That was, in fact, one of his main goals for joining.
“Hmm, I suppose so. It would be best to arrange a meeting with Duke Callaway to discuss it.”
“It’ll be okay, right?” Reina looked at Teian with a slightly cautious expression. After all, the Everharts naturally had to be mindful of the Callaway family.
“Pushing it back a few more months now shouldn’t be a problem. The Duke’s family delayed the wedding once themselves, so they should understand our situation. And…”
Teian trailed off, glancing at Ruite.
Ruite only laughed awkwardly at his father’s meaningful expression.
“Well, seeing Ruite and Chester together lately, I don’t think the marriage itself will be an issue.”
The face Chester had shown when he visited the mansion previously, saying he would send the formal proposal soon, had been reliable.
Furthermore, having seen the two of them bickering but getting along well over the past few days, Teian didn’t think a delay would jeopardize the union itself.
Ruite, unaware of his father’s inner thoughts, simply tilted his head.
From then on, everything moved like clockwork.
Following Vilter’s instructions, Ruite expressed his intent to join and stepped foot into the Knight Order headquarters for the first time.
The headquarters was several times larger than the Northern Branch he had visited during the Academy camp.
That day, he received a brief explanation from Vilter.
A special entrance exam was to be held under Vilter’s authority as Vice-Captain, and Ruite reaffirmed his intent to take it.
After hearing the details about the schedule, he walked back outside.
He caught glimpses of knights training or moving about the grounds, and Ruite found himself unconsciously searching for Chester among them.
But the headquarters was vast, and with so many members, the idea of bumping into Chester immediately was unrealistic.
“Um…”
“Hmm? Do you have a question?” Vilter asked.
“Not exactly, but… do you know where Chester is?”
“Commander Chester? Unless something special is happening, he’s probably out on a beast subjugation mission.”
Ruite nodded.
‘Of course, he’s working.’
“But Ruite, you seem quite close with Chester.”
“Pardon? No, not particularly.”
“Really? It didn’t seem that way to me. You were hanging out together during his vacation.”
Ruite’s lips thinned.
Now that he thought about it, saying they weren’t close after spending his entire vacation together was a bit contradictory.
“Actually, it was surprising to me because it’s the first time I’ve seen Chester be so informal and friendly with someone.”
“What? Does Chester act like a complete jerk here too?”
‘Like he did at the Academy?’
Ruite felt a sudden wave of concern.
This was a workplace, not a school.
He wondered if Chester was being prickly and difficult here as well.
“Hmm? Haha, no, it’s not quite like that. He just doesn’t really mingle with others. From what I’ve seen, he tends to draw a very clear line.”
Ruite felt relieved by Vilter’s answer.
It seemed Chester had matured enough not to be as sensitive and sharp as he was during their Academy days.
“Then I’ll see you at the entrance exam.”
“Right.”
The entrance exam took place a week after Ruite’s meeting with Vilter.
It was divided into a written and a practical portion.
The written part overlapped significantly with what he had learned at the Academy, so despite his lack of confidence, he managed to get through it reasonably well.
The practical exam, as expected of a knight selection process, focused on beast subjugation.
It was similar to the Academy exams, but the difficulty level was worlds apart.
Ruite gave it his all, squeezing out every bit of strength and knowledge he possessed.
After a full day of testing, he was utterly exhausted.
Rather than worrying about the results, his only thought was that he wanted to rest immediately.
He had heard that many people fail or give up because the process is so grueling, even if they want to join, and after experiencing it firsthand, he understood why.
The results came out a few days later.
Fortunately, Ruite passed. His mother and father embraced him, rejoicing together.
Luckily, from what he heard, while Duke Callaway showed a bit of annoyance when the Everharts mentioned delaying the wedding again, a deal was struck since the Callaways had a history of delaying it themselves.
After passing, everything became a blur.
Since he had to live, eat, and breathe inside the Order for the next six months, he spent his days hectically preparing his things and processing the Ferwin enlistment paperwork.
Ruite wanted to share the news with Chester, but he didn’t know how to contact someone living inside the Knight Order.
If he had seen him when he went to meet Vilter, he would have said he was planning to join, but they hadn’t crossed paths.
However, since the intent to delay the marriage had already been sent to the Duke, and Chester was a member of the Order, it was possible Vilter had already told him.
And so, Ruite ended up entering the knight dormitories without having personally told Chester.
“The dorms are roomier than I thought,” Ruite muttered as he set down his luggage.
His life here officially begins today.
Although things had worked out better than he’d feared, the feeling that he’d made an impulsive decision still lingered.
Nevertheless, Ruite was savoring a sense of pride.
Thanks to this, the marriage was delayed, relieving a huge chunk of his immediate worry.
He felt a flutter of anticipation at the thought of a new life starting, though it was accompanied by a small worry about whether he’d fit in.
“Should I head out for a bit?”
Ruite took out the knight uniform he had received and changed into it.
The first thing he had done after passing was to get fitted for his uniform.
It was surprising that they had a dedicated tailor, and the expert craftsmanship ensured it fit his body perfectly.
Ruite moved quickly so as not to be late.
Today was the day he would meet the Grand Commander.
If he had been recruited during the official window, he would have entered through a massive ceremony, but since he was a Special Recruit, he was an exception.
Consequently, there was no ceremony, and it was replaced by an interview with the Grand Commander.
“That’s actually more nerve-wracking.”
Ruite let out a short sigh and pushed open his dormitory door.
Just as he stepped out, his eyes locked with someone who was about to enter the room next door.
