Chapter 12 TIKR Vol. 1 Chapter 2 Part 5

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The assault on the ruin by the other two organizations had worked perfectly as a diversion.

Sometime after returning to the <Fenrir> estate with the rescued maids, Arl found himself in the room prepared for him, listening to Prima’s formal apology.

“——Master. I am so truly sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. My failure put not only my comrades, but you yourself in danger…”

“Don’t worry about it, Prima.”

Arl replied gently, his eyes still fixed on the documents in his hands.

“We got out of a trap. Your squad is back with only minor injuries. That’s what matters. You must be exhausted. Go get some rest.”

“If that’s the case, then you must rest as well, Master.”

Prima’s worried gaze was fixed on the mountain of paperwork spread across his desk. At his request, she had brought him all of the Knights’ case files on the Serpents of the Sordid Garden from the order’s archives.

“The records are vast. Please, let us help you.”

“Ah, thanks. Maybe you can lend me a hand tomorrow.”

Even as he spoke, he didn’t stop turning the pages. His heart was filled with a single, driving emotion: urgency.

“Master…”

“I’ll be fine. Right now, I need clues. If the Serpents are planning something on the scale of the Great Collapse, I can’t just ignore it.”

“——Is that… because you were once an Imperial Knight?”

Arl’s hand froze.

He looked up. Prima was watching him, her expression serious.

“The 12th Seat of the Imperial Knights, ‘Scorpion Hunt’—the youngest knight in history. The famed ‘Boy Knight,’ vanguard of the Empire.”

“…That’s the sugar-coated version, anyway.”

He knew he couldn’t dodge this. That damn Black Knight, he thought, shouting my old name for everyone to hear.

“‘Scorpion’ was just a label for anyone who stood against the Empire,” Arl explained, his voice flat. “It wasn’t just for criminals. If someone became inconvenient for the state, they were labeled a ‘scorpion’ and hunted down, regardless of whether they were good or evil. That… was ‘Scorpion Hunt.'”

Arl had said the Imperial Knights were ‘pitch black,’ and it wasn’t just because they were overworked. They were the nation’s sword, meant to cut down any enemy. And more than a few times, that blade had been stained with the blood of good people.

“Even as the ‘Empire’s Strongest,’ each of the Imperial Knights had a role,” Arl continued.

“For symbolic military power, you had the 2nd Seat, the mage known as 【Whale Caller】, the 4th Seat, the Sword Emperor 【Lion Eater】, and the 7th Seat, ‘Hawk Eye’ 【Magic Bowstring】… “

“Then there were the ones who didn’t stand in the spotlight, like the 5th Seat, 【Golden Sheep’s Fleece】, who handled logistics, or the 8th Seat, 【Shear Sharpener】… “

“Among all of them, ‘Scorpion Hunt’ was just… a convenient ‘cleaner.’ …Not exactly a shining, heroic presence like the others.”

He wasn’t being self-deprecating; he was just stating the facts. But Prima continued to watch him with concern.

“…Master, I’ve been wondering ever since you returned,” she said, her voice hesitant, as if she knew she was treading on dangerous ground. “You say you ‘retired’… but that can’t be the right word, can it?”

“The official story… is that all twelve Imperial Knights… died five years ago, protecting the nation during the Great Collapse.”

A heavy silence filled the room. Finally, Arl sighed.

“…You knew. And you stayed quiet.”

“I assumed you had your reasons… But after hearing that Black Knight… I have to ask. The hero who saved the country is alive, but hiding… The only explanation… Were you… cast aside by the Empire?”

“…There were circumstances.”

He didn’t deny it.

“The Empire didn’t want to lose its strongest knights.”

“That doesn’t make it right! Don’t you… want revenge? <Fenrir> is your fang. We will tear out the throat of any enemy you name. Even if it means turning against the Empire itself—”

“——Prima.”

Arl’s voice was firm, cutting through the dangerous glint in her eyes.

“There’s no need for that. The Imperial Knights’ role is over.”

It was a bit of a lie; he did feel something when he lost his title, but he’d buried those feelings.

“I don’t want revenge. I’ve accepted who I am now.”

“I can’t accept that!”

It was a powerful rejection, one that made Arl flinch. Prima slammed her hands on the table, scattering the papers.

“You gave everything to this country! You took on their dirty work! And this is how they repay you? By treating you like you’re dead, with no honor? It’s just… it’s just wrong!”

Tears streamed down her face. Her grief seemed even more painful than Arl’s.

“…I saved your life, yes,” Arl said, “but that was five years ago. It’s… just something that happened.”

“You didn’t just save my life, Master. You saved me.”

A small, sad smile touched her lips as a tear escaped and traced a path down her cheek.

“Master. Do you remember the day we first met?”

He did.

“I should have died that day. I… was an assassin… and you were my target. I failed, and you defeated me.”

Arl remembered: a 10-year-old girl with a blade. He’d disarmed her in an instant. She’d fallen to the ground, her eyes not with fear, but just… empty.

“You could have executed me on the spot. But you showed me mercy.”

“…I had my reasons. I needed to know who sent you. It wasn’t kindness.”

She was a tool, raised by the Serpents of the Sordid Garden. A human-shaped weapon. When she failed, she just… stopped. Like a puppet with its strings cut. But to Arl, she looked like a lost child.

“You should have turned me over to the guards. But you didn’t. You… you showed me the world.”

“That’s an exaggeration. We just walked around town for a bit.”

“To me… that was salvation. Holding your hand… I learned so much. About society, about people. Culture, art, joy. What was good, what was bad… You taught me how to be human. …The frozen treat you bought me from a street stall was so sweet. I never knew something so delicious could cost so little.”

“Ah… I remember that.”

“And when I tried to cut off that pickpocket’s hand in the crowd… you stopped me. That’s a good memory, too. I learned you can’t just… do that. I thought he deserved it. The law is so restrictive.”

“…Right. ‘Good memory,’ huh.”

Arl looked a bit uncomfortable.

“If I had stayed a tool… I never would have known the world was so full of light. And I… I saw you protecting it all. I wanted to be like you. You gave a simple assassin… a dream.”

She looked at him as if he were the sun.

“That’s why I started <Fenrir>… to atone for the lives I took… to protect the capital… and to one day welcome you home as your maid. That was my way of repaying you.”

“…So that’s how it was.”

Arl hadn’t punished her. He couldn’t condemn a child who had been forced into that life.

“After we parted… the Great Collapse happened. And from that chaos, <Fenrir> grew. We’ve saved many people. We’ve been thanked by many.”

“You should be proud. You’re one of the Three Great Organizations.”

“Thank you, Master. …But… you’re the one who made me who I am.”

Prima beamed, her eyes still red from crying.

“Hey, Master. Do I… do I look like the ‘me’ I wanted to be?”

A memory surfaced. The opera house. A young girl, mesmerized by the Prima Donna. That’s why he gave her the name…

“‘You can be the star. You can be anything.’ …That’s what you said when you gave me my name.”

Prima, the star. She placed a hand over her heart.

“Because of you, I can be a knight. So when I hear my savior’s honor was stolen… of course I want to take it back! …You’re so selfless… so strong, yet so fragile… so… lovable. That’s why I wanted to be the one to support you… And that’s why I decided to become the perfect, bright, a-little-bit-ditzy, super-affectionate-puppy-girl-maid… which I know is totally your type!“

“……..Huh?”

The heavy, emotional atmosphere evaporated. Arl was deadpan.

“…Why… would you think… that’s my ‘type’?”

“I analyzed your reactions back then! You’re weak to innocent, energetic-younger-sister-types who show you unfiltered affection, get in your personal space, and look up at you like this!”

“Ghk!?“

Arl choked. Prima panicked.

“O-Oh no, did your tastes change? Do you want a ‘cool’ type? A ‘cat’ instead of a ‘dog’!? No, wait, your preference for being doted on by a younger subordinate… that’s a core kink, it can’t have changed… Ah, but maybe you’re into being the one who’s seduced now—”

“Wait, wait! Why do you know my ‘kinks’ in that level of terrifying detail!?”

“Because I know you, Master!”

Prima was, in her own way, a terrifying genius. Her observation skills, honed as an assassin, were now being used to perfectly emulate her master’s ideal girl. Arl was stunned. He did think she seemed different…

“S-So… the ‘Prima’ you are now is…”

“A curated ‘greatest hits’ package, designed to stimulate your preferences! Just as you taught me… ‘Be the me I want to be!'”

Her eyes sparkled. The hollow-eyed assassin was long gone.

“——Pfft… hahaha!”

He couldn’t help it. She was just… so earnest. And so adorable.

“M-Master’s… smiling!? That’s so rare! What happened!? Was my analysis that far off!?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it. …Though, denying it is kind of embarrassing, too…”

He implicitly confirmed her analysis.

“I was just… struck by how… adorable you are.”

“Uhehh… A-A surprise attack like that isn’t fair…”

Prima muttered to herself. Arl’s laughter faded. He stood and bowed his head deeply.

“—Prima. I have a request.”

“M-Master!? Please, raise your head!”

Arl continued, his voice serious.

“I know I have no right to ask. I’ve been away so long… and now I’m just showing up, asking to use the organization you built. …But I have to stop the Serpents. That Black Knight… I think he’s connected to my past. To what happened five years ago.”

She believed in him. Her faith… it was relighting a fire in him. His role wasn’t over.

“I… I want to be a master you can be proud of. I want to be your Master. …<Fenrir>… will you lend me your strength?”

If this was his ‘responsibility,’ he would gladly take it.

“…There is no need to ask.”

Prima sank into a perfect, graceful curtsy.

“We are your fangs and your sword. Forever. My beloved, Master.”

A single tear of joy rolled down her cheek.

“—Thank you, Prima.”

“Yes! Fufu, now that I have my orders… let’s organize this info… and… wait… AAAAAH, THAT’S RIGHT! I CAME BACK WITH NOTHING! THE GUILD AND THE ACADEMY STOLE ALL THE CREDIT!”

“…Right. That.”

The tender atmosphere vanished. Prima was holding her head. Arl remembered: by using the other two as a diversion, <Fenrir> got… nothing.

“Uuuu… I was so happy I forgot… I’m so sorry, Master…”

“It’s fine. Like I said, you’re all safe.”

“B-But… you finally asked me for something…”

Prima was visibly dejected. Her phantom dog ears were drooping. She groaned… then her head snapped up.

“Master! You must punish me!”

“Huh? A… punishment?”

“It’s my fault for going off on my own. I wasn’t being a good ‘dog.’ Please, give me a punishment that will remind me of my place!”

“…Just for reference… what kind of punishment?”

“Put a collar on me.”

Prima pulled a leather collar, complete with a leash, out of nowhere.

“…Did you hit your head in that fight? Right. You need rest. Let’s do that.”

“I’m perfectly healthy!”

“You’re clearly not!?”

Prima shoved the collar at him, huffing.

“I am your dog! Make me feel like your dog! A bad dog needs to be disciplined! Please! Fulfill your responsibility as my owner!”

“Responsibility…!?”

The fatal word. He was cornered. He didn’t notice the ‘mission complete’ glint in her eyes.

“…F-Fine.”

He made his decision. The wrong one. He fastened the collar around her neck. A small, breathy sound.

“…There. So… what am I supposed to—”

“—Woof.”

A… bark? Prima was on all fours, looking up at him, blushing.

“…Prima?”

“Woof! Woof!”

Oh god. She’s forgotten human speech. She crawled over and nuzzled his leg.

“Kuuun…“

“Wh-What? What is it, Prima!?”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“W-Wait, why is your tongue out!? Are you going to lick me!? No! Stop!”

She was about to pounce, but Arl was panicking.

“Bad dogs don’t listen to human words! Woof!”

“PICK ONE! HUMAN OR DOG!”

“Both! Woof!”

Arl was lost, but then… he noticed. She kept glancing at the leash in his hand. ‘Discipline me,’ she’d said. …Oh. That’s what she wanted. Arl’s brain finally caught up. Is this… her weird, roundabout way of… being affectionate?

“…You’re… surprisingly devious, you know that?”

“W-Woof?”

Her eyes darting away was a dead giveaway. This is not how he planned to be a ‘worthy master.’ He gave the leash a short, sharp, ‘scolding’ tug.

A high-pitched, ecstatic…

“Woof—!”

…echoed through the room.