"Hmm…"
How did I end up in this situation?
"Tea? Or would you prefer coffee?"
Sitting at a desk in a fancy office…
"Hey, hey! Tell me about your style!"
With two knights hovering over me?
----------------------------------------------------------
Moments before Lev's current situation.
"Excuse me! Could I borrow your friend for a moment?!"
A strange man with a huge—and slightly intense—smile had appeared in front of Lev's crew.
"Huh… your friend, Lev?"
Alphonse was the first to react to the man's presence with a curious expression.
"No, no, I've never seen this guy before."
Lev immediately denied it without a second thought.
"Excuse me, but who are you?"
Following up, Maxwell asked the most important question.
"Ah! SORRY!"
And, almost immediately, the man feigned shock, immediately bowing forward.
"I forgot to introduce myself!"
Lev, Julie, and Maxwell, in a wordless harmony, thought exactly the same thing.
(This guy is the spitting image of Alphonse)
Meanwhile, the man in question was cleaning his ear with his pinky finger, staring into space.
Standing with his feet together, the man straightened his posture and pounded his right fist against his chest.
"My name is Laute! Laute Ernst!"
"Laute…?"
Maxwell brought his hand to his chin, looking down thoughtfully.
And, in less than a few seconds, he looked up in surprise.
"That Laute? The knight who managed to break into the top 100 in less than a few months after his graduation and official certification?!"
In response to what Maxwell was saying, Lev scratched the back of his neck, looking somewhat disinterested, and turned to Julie.
"...Julie, is that impressive?"
"I-I can't really say for sure."
She seemed confused, trying to keep up with the situation.
"What do you want with Lev?…! H-he didn't commit any crime, did he?"
"… Why was your first reaction to assume I committed a crime, Maxwell?"
Lev stared at Maxwell with a sharp gaze that sent chills down the boy's spine.
In response, he simply looked away to the side while whistling.
"You guys are a fun bunch! As for what your friend there said. I don't find it very impressive, but yes, I am that Laute."
Laute relaxed his posture, resuming his intense smile toward Lev.
"As for my business with your friend here… well, let's just say he's interesting!"
He grabbed Lev's wrist and started walking without waiting for the boy to respond.
"I'll bring him back soon!"
"H-hey, I didn't agree to go with you!"
And that was how Lev was brought to the Bleuhaven regional knights' office.
"Here you go."
And in front of him, a man who appeared to be in his fifties placed a cup of black coffee in front of the boy.
"Again, I apologize for my subordinate. Laute is someone… intense, from time to time."
"N-no problem, I was a little surprised, but it was nothing."
Lev took a sip of the coffee, visibly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Well then, allow me to introduce myself… My name is Louis, Louis Montblanc. I'm in charge of the knights stationed in the region at the moment."
Louis bowed respectfully forward.
"U-um… the pleasure is all mine? My name is Lev Cinderbane."
And Lev, following the atmosphere, bowed somewhat awkwardly to the man.
"W-well, Mr. Montblanc?"
"Yes?"
"May I ask why I was dragged out here for…?"
Lev's eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on Laute.
The man himself was kneeling on the floor, holding a sign that read: "punishment."
"Let's see… I don't even know. Laute? Why did you bring this young man here?"
"Y-yes!"
But as soon as Louis asked the question, he stood up and saluted.
"I think this young man has potential, Captain! So I wanted to recommend him for sponsorship!"
"There you go, there's your answer."
"H-haha, thanks…"
Louis, not giving the matter much thought, took a sip of his tea, while Lev smiled awkwardly.
(That didn't help a damn bit, old man!)
Although inwardly, more than his discomfort, he was already viewing the situation as a huge waste of time.
"Hmm… Lev— ah, I can call you Lev, right?"
"Go ahead."
"What do you think of the offer? The sponsorship, I mean."
Looking the boy straight in the eye, Louis asked in an almost casual tone, yet it still sounded like a line of questioning.
Even Laute seemed to tense up, and even found his captain's attitude strange, but…
"Nope, thanks. I'm good."
Without wasting a second to think about it, Lev flatly rejected the offer.
Both Laute and Louis wore expressions of shock and interest, respectively.
"And why? Lots of young people dream of becoming knights, don't they? Climbing the ranks and living a life of celebrity."
"Maybe, but I'm chill."
And even with a probing question, Lev again rejected it immediately.
"May I ask why?"
Louis brought his hand to his face, covering his mouth with an even more interested look.
"Well… I just don't think knights are all that…"
Lev crossed his arms, staring at the ceiling of the room.
"There was a time, when I was younger, that a knight came here…"
Closing his eyes, he began to search for memories in his mind.
"I got excited, asked him to teach me how to handle that thing, and he agreed. But you know…"
He half-opened his eyes, with an expression of… anger? sadness? disdain? It was hard to say for sure.
"He didn't seem like all that when I started seeing him up close."
"What do you mean?"
"There was this one time—which was also the last time I saw that guy…"
In his memories, he saw it clearly.
A fire lizard in Demonic Frenzy, his little sister with her leg trapped under a log, and the knight running away from the scene.
"When it came time to show what he was made of… he ran away. My sister almost died that day."
Laute wore an expression of indignation as he listened to the story, while Louis kept his gaze fixed on Lev.
"I managed to take him down; that's when I got a huge burn scar on my shoulder."
The young man's eyes widened; his expression, curiously, now seemed to recall a warm moment.
"She came out okay, a little injured, but she didn't suffer any serious aftereffects."
But soon, his expression returned to that same face of mixed feelings from before.
"No offense, but to me… I could only think: wow, knights… are weak, aren't they?"
He lowered his head, now staring at his hands.
"Well, this is going to offend you anyway, but it really struck me that knights aren't all that, you know?"
Returning his gaze to Louis's eyes, Lev's expression was now devoid of emotion, filled only with seriousness and honesty in his reply.
Louis took his hand away from his mouth and sat up straight in his chair.
"I see. It's understandable; first impressions do make all the difference, after all…"
And, subtly, a small smile played at the corner of his mouth.
"Right. I'm sorry to have bothered you with my subordinate's idiocy."
"No problem—"
"… Or at least that's what I'd like to say."
Lev wore an expression of confusion and mild surprise, which Laute shared as well.
"How about this? A sparring match between you and Laute. If he wins, you accept the sponsorship; if you win, we won't press the matter further. What do you think?"
Laut's eyes lit up like stars the moment he spoke.
"I'M IN! HEY, SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT!"
And after a brief pause caused by the shock, Lev scratched the back of his neck and let out a deep sigh.
"Well, if you explain to my mom why I didn't run my errands today… I'm in."
(It looks like it'll be easier to just get this over with right now, besides…)
Lev glanced discreetly at Laute.
(... This guy seems like he's going to be more trouble than that bear from yesterday… I'm actually kind of excited.)
Through his eyes, he could sense… an oppressive atmosphere emanating from that man, who was smiling like a child.
Meanwhile, Louis kept a faint smile on his lips as he watched Lev.
He was completely absorbed in what was about to happen.