This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 58

Leo climbed into the carriage, fuming. How could someone trample on another person’s goodwill like that?

“I put so much thought into what I said.”

He couldn’t forget the commander’s laughter when he had brought the matter up before heading home. He had gathered his courage and finally made the offer, only for the other side to seem completely uninterested.

“Did he really tell me to stop visiting?”

Frustrated, Leo stomped his foot. Did Lyle think he was visiting for fun? If he could beat him just once with his sword, he swore he’d never come back again.

“I’m not going back. Even if they ask me to, I won’t go back.”

Leo made a vow, swearing that he’d never step foot near the Grant mansion again.

***

“Your Grace, Lord Bonaparte has visited again.”

“…Again?”

Lyle frowned at the butler. When asked about the purpose of the visit, the butler shook his head, indicating he wasn’t sure either.

“Ha.”

Lyle sighed. Though they called themselves friends, Leo and Elaina had a few similarities. For instance, neither of them ever seemed to truly listen to what he said.

Lyle briefly thought back to his time before marriage, when Elaina was much the same. The only difference between then and now was that his dealings with Elaina had been motivated by his own interests, whereas Leo’s advice had been genuinely well-meaning.

The Bonaparte family was a renowned noble household, and Leo had lived up to that name. Lyle respected Leo. He had known from the moment their swords clashed that Leo’s promotion to deputy commander at such a young age wasn’t simply due to his family background.

That was precisely why Lyle had turned down Leo’s offer of help. Leo had nothing to gain from getting involved with someone like Lyle.

“Let him in.”

Despite this, Lyle instructed the butler to show Leo to the study.

Unlike yesterday, when Leo had left in frustration, today he entered the study with a smug expression on his face.

“Did you not understand what I told you yesterday?”

“No, I understood perfectly. But the commander asked me to pass this along.”

Leo pulled out an envelope from his jacket and handed it to Lyle. Lyle opened it and examined the contents.

The first thing he noticed was the imperial seal stamped at the bottom. His expression hardened as he read further. Seeing Lyle’s reaction, Leo couldn’t help but feel a little smug.

“I swore I’d never come near the Archduke again, but the emperor’s decree has changed things. The commander wasted no time in passing along my concerns to His Majesty, and there’s nothing I can do.”

With a shrug, Leo handed Lyle the decree. The message was brief: Leo Bonaparte is granted leave.

“There aren’t any specific details, but you understand, don’t you? I doubt His Majesty would grant me leave without reason.”

Leo conveyed the commander’s words to Lyle. “His Majesty has high expectations for the Grant Knight Order.”

Of course, those expectations were primarily focused on the subjugation of the monsters in the Mabel Mountain region, though Leo chose not to spell that out.

When the commoners who had survived the war received knighthoods, many noble circles were outraged. They didn’t want to see people without proper lineage flaunting their titles.

Leo had been aware of the push to prevent commoner knights from joining knight orders for some time. It had even been mentioned at a meeting of knight order captains, where the commander of the imperial guard had expressed his disappointment over the issue.

“I’ll be frank with you. If the Grant Knight Order fails to subjugate the monsters, the Mabel Mountain region will remain a wasteland for years to come.”

Most aspiring knights weren’t driven by noble ideals. For younger sons who wouldn’t inherit titles, becoming a knight was the logical next step.

There were many knight orders across the empire, but none had successfully eliminated the monsters in the Mabel Mountain region. The reason for this was clear.

Noble knights didn’t want to risk their lives.

From the imperial family’s perspective, having Lyle and the commoner knights resolve such an old problem would be beneficial.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just following His Majesty’s orders.”

Leo’s bright expression contrasted sharply with Lyle’s deep silence. Watching Lyle’s frustrated expression was immensely satisfying for Leo.

***

Upon hearing the news that Leo would be temporarily leading the Grant Knight Order, Elaina decided to visit the training grounds.

As soon as he spotted her, Leo shouted loudly, “Alright! Let’s do fifty horizontal strikes!”

Groans erupted from the knights.

“Oh, come on, captain!”

“The Archduchess is here. Can’t we take a break?”

“How come you get to rest while making us train? That doesn’t seem fair!”

Leo’s smile widened as he responded without turning around, “Anyone who complains will do fifty vertical strikes as well.”

In an instant, the training grounds fell silent. The only sounds that remained were the whooshing of swords through the air and the occasional groan.

“Are you doing okay?” Elaina asked.

The training grounds, once empty before the knight order had formed, were now bustling with activity.

“I’m managing.”

Leo took the water bottle Elaina offered and swept back his sweat-drenched hair. However, Elaina, having known Leo for a long time, could easily tell that he was enjoying himself immensely.

“Everyone seems to follow you well.”

“I showed them what I could do on the first day, and now they’re all falling in line.” Leo raised an eyebrow as he added, “The knights are better than I expected. With some training, they’ll make a fine order.”

Though their skills were rough, they had incredible potential. Colin, who wielded a bastard sword like Lyle, was particularly impressive.

“He’s quite sharp. I heard he became a centurion first, and his leadership abilities are excellent too.”

The Grant Knight Order was an unusual group. Every member had served as a squad leader on the battlefield, so they had a high level of understanding of group combat.

This was often the hardest thing for knights who trained individually to grasp when joining a knight order, but the Grant knights had picked it up quickly. They also had a natural talent for understanding and executing tactics.

“If we keep this up, I think we’ll be ready by the time we leave for the subjugation mission.”

The date Lyle had mentioned for the subjugation was rapidly approaching.

Monsters that thrived in darkness grew weaker as the days became longer and hotter. Summer was drawing near, and Lyle’s plan to attack when the monsters were at their weakest made perfect sense.

“The knights will miss you when you leave.”

Though they had only known each other for a short time, the twenty knights had grown close, forming a family-like bond. The imperial guard, though respectful, never forged personal relationships like this.

Leo clicked his tongue. “These guys don’t have an ounce of proper etiquette. I doubt I’ll even remember them.”

Despite his words, Leo kept glancing over his shoulder, watching the knights closely to ensure no one was slacking off. There was a warmth in his gaze that he couldn’t hide.

“And who said I’m leaving?”

Leo’s response sounded like he’d heard something ridiculous.

“Huh? Weren’t you supposed to return to the imperial guard after the subjugation?” Elaina tilted her head in confusion as she asked. “That’s what Lyle told me. He said you’d be returning in a month.”

Leo snorted. “What nonsense. I’m not just tagging along—I’m staying on as the captain.”

“What? You’re going on the subjugation mission?”

“I’m not just going—I’ll be leading the mission.”

Elaina let out a small hiss through her teeth. “That’s quite different from what Lyle told me…”

“Hmph. His opinion doesn’t matter much. His Majesty wants the subjugation mission to succeed, and I’m sure he’ll approve of my continued involvement.”

Leo, armed with the ultimate strategy to defeat Lyle’s stubbornness, replied confidently. Elaina laughed at her childhood friend’s determination.

“What?”

“I was just reminded of something we talked about before.”

“What was that?”

“Do you remember the day of Diane’s wedding?”

On the carriage ride back, they had discussed how Lyle and Leo were more alike than Leo cared to admit. At the time, Leo had protested vehemently.

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

“No, you weren’t. There’s no way someone as stubborn as him is anything like me. I still don’t think we have anything in common.”

Embarrassed, Leo dismissed Elaina’s words and waved his hand as if to shoo her away.

“Who said you could take a break? Everyone, get back to work!”

“Please, captain! We’ve already done fifty swings!”

“Seeing how you can still talk back, it seems you’ve got energy to spare. Let’s increase the training.”

Cries of despair erupted from the knights.

Why won’t he admit that they’re so similar?

Suppressing a giggle, Elaina shook her head.