It’s okay because it’s not human

Chapter 11: The Knight Says Female Knights Are the Best (03)

The female knights I saw last time were definitely human, but they were nowhere to be seen among the trainee knights.

"Where could they have gone? Those two seemed perfectly fine..."

Just then, I spotted two female knights approaching from afar.

They walked confidently, proudly wearing the badge of a senior knight, something only full-fledged knights are allowed to have.

"So, these are the new recruits?"

"...Gasp!"

They were the same female knights Dane and I had encountered through the wall earlier.

"Senior knights, you're here?"

"Yeah, and you're leading this time? You've grown up quite a bit."

As they laughed cheerfully, Dane and I rolled our eyes, trying to make sense of the situation.

'Damn it! They were senior knights from the female knight training division!'

Through that tiny hole in the wall, we could only see parts of their hands or faces, so we assumed they were trainee knights. But now, it turns out they were senior knights.

It seemed they had come directly to inspect the hole we used, probably suspecting that the male trainees might cause trouble, just like we had.

"..."

While I could deal with this, Dane's face had turned pale as a sheet—understandable, since he'd written a love letter addressed to one of those senior knights.

"Hmm..."

One of the senior knights approached us with a curious expression, then whispered in a voice only we could hear.

"Oh, and... the letter was delivered, by the way."

"Excuse me?"

She gave us a sly wink as she spoke, and Dane and I snapped to attention.

'A love letter… delivered to 'them'?!'

"By the way, did you submit your paperwork? It didn't have the proper stamp."

"They're bringing it later today."

"And who does that? You should have submitted it before training started."

The senior female knights dragged our supervising senior knight into a building, leaving behind 150 male trainees and 34 female trainees in the training ground.

But it wasn't anything to worry about. The male trainees were all busy avoiding eye contact, staring at the ground, or nervously inspecting their weapons.

It wasn't just because the female knights weren't humans but hybrids or monsters...

'Of course, this is only natural.'

Dane might be full of crude jokes when no one's around, but he couldn't even talk properly in front of women. The same went for the rest of the trainees.

If they had no experience dating, how could they possibly make a move on a female knight? The moment they stood before one, they froze.

'Pathetic virgins.'

Not that I wasn't one myself, but mentally, I wasn't. I was ready for anything, prepared to act the moment the opportunity arose. My body may have been untouched, but my heart had already conquered countless women in my imagination.

Clang! Clang, clang, clang!

While the male trainees awkwardly passed the time, a metallic sound echoed from the direction of the female trainees.

One of them was purposefully banging her gauntlets against her armor as if to provoke us—a move typically used to taunt enemies on the battlefield. My fellow trainees began to scowl.

"What's that about?"

"How cocky..."

Blending in with the female trainees, she was armored in a way that made it hard to tell if she was a knight or one of us. The only hint was her slightly thinner waist visible between the plates. Even her face was hidden behind a full-face helm, leaving us clueless about her appearance.

Clunk!

She struck the ground with her massive battle axe and shouted.

"I got your letter."

At the mention of the letter, everyone looked puzzled, except Dane and me, who whipped our heads around toward her in alarm.

"A duel challenge, as written in the letter. Who's your representative?"

'A duel... challenge?!'

There was no way we sent that. At most, we'd have tried to hit on the female knights, not provoke them into a fight.

"Don't tell me you're going to pretend you don't know after sending this?"

She held up the letter Dane had poured his heart into all night.

"I'm the tallest among the trainee knights. My friends are strong too. I want to protect the female knights. I hope to have the chance to protect you in the future..."

"Hey, you idiot..."

Letting him write that letter after I only skimmed the first three lines was a mistake.

He wanted to act like a proper knight, promising to protect someone. But the problem was the recipients weren't ordinary ladies—they were female knights.

When a knight says they'll protect another knight, it implies, 'You're too weak to defend yourself without me.'

"You absolute moron!"

"I didn't mean it like that! How does that turn into a duel challenge?"

"It wouldn't be bad if it was to an ordinary lady. But saying that to fellow knights? What if the Holy Knight Order said they'd protect us trainees?"

"I'd beat them senseless and chase them off!"

"Exactly! That's what you just did, you idiot!"

As I smacked Dane on the head, the armored female knight, growing impatient, slammed her battle axe into the ground again.

"Enough chatter. The bear-like one over there—are you going to fight?"

"Personal duels are prohibited."

"Think about who would've received that ridiculous letter."

Hearing that, I finally understood why the senior knights had taken our supervising knight away. They must have seen Dane's letter and decided to let their trainees put us in our place.

"So, are you going to run like cowards after sending a duel challenge?"

Holding her massive battle axe, the armored female knight taunted us further. No knight could stand such provocation.

"Send out your representative. I'll be ours."

Obviously, Dane had to step up and fix his own mess. A male vs. female knight duel of brute strength—it might even be entertaining.

"Alright, then Ban will do it."

"Wait, you made the mess—"

"You know I'm bad at duels!"

Dane specialized in defense, holding his shield against monsters, but he wasn't suited for one-on-one fights against other knights.

"Ban's better for dealing with women anyway."

Nods all around. The other trainees didn't want to get involved and shoved me forward.

Thunk!

The female knight, eager to get started, struck her axe against the ground again. With no other choice, I stepped up.

"Let's finish quickly before the senior knights return."

"Agreed."

Seeing how effortlessly she wielded her massive battle axe, it became clear: she wasn't human either, just like the others.

The equipment she wielded was something no ordinary human strength could lift without auxiliary devices, yet there was no visible strength-enhancing mechanism. I raised my mana saber and prepared my stance.

"Begin!"

With the shout of another trainee knightess, she charged at me, swinging her massive battle axe.

Though I was wearing armor, and the battle axe wasn't sharpened, a hit from it could easily break a few ribs. However…

Clang!

Moments later, the head of her battle axe was severed and lay on the ground, while my mana saber was pointed through the eye slit of her helmet.

"As expected of Ban! I knew you'd win!!"

'Yeah, sure, like you believed in me a minute ago.'

"I won, right?"

At this point, if I pressed the mana saber's blade further, it would pierce through her helmet and kill her. It was a perfect victory, and I thought she would accept the result. But instead, she tightly shut her eyes and swung the broken axe handle at me.

'Did she assume I wouldn't go all out, fearing I'd injure her and get expelled? Or… is she ready to lose an eye if it means hitting me?'

Regardless of her reasoning, I was prepared. I stepped back two paces and swung my mana saber a few more times.

"The match is over."

"What? Get back here and fight properly!"

"I've already disarmed you. It's done."

The seams of her full-body armor were severed and began falling apart. The locking mechanisms of her gauntlets had been sliced, causing them to slide off her arms, and her chestplate and shoulder guards followed suit.

With all the belts holding her armor together cut, it collapsed into a heap, leaving her wearing only her helmet and boots.

"You…!"

As her furious eyes burned blue, the helmet split in half and fell away, revealing her face.

"Oh… you're beautiful."

Her revealed face was striking: short black hair, vivid blue eyes, and a small horn in the center of her forehead. While she wasn't fully human, her appearance was otherwise petite and delicate.

"Urgh… my face!"

She hastily tried to cover her face, but I had already seen everything, including her figure, drenched in sweat under the armor.

'Full-body armor is hot. That's why her clothes are sticking to her… oh, so that's how it is. For her height, she's surprisingly…'

Her attempts to hide her face left her body exposed. Beneath her armor, she wore only a thin, sweat-soaked garment, through which her black undergarments were visible. Her lower body was no different, with her underwear line clearly visible through the damp fabric.

"Where are you looking…?!"

As my gaze unabashedly wandered over her, she finally realized the situation, becoming angry and attempting to cover herself. But with one hand covering her face and the other trying to hide her body, she couldn't block my view entirely.

In a panic, the horned knightess retreated, using her comrades to shield her from further humiliation. Thus, the duel came to an anticlimactic end.

"Alright, that's enough."

"Yes, ma'am."

Since my opponent was already incapacitated, and a senior knight had arrived, there was no need to continue.

"Our girl lost?"

The senior knightesses seemed surprised their junior had been defeated.

"Erin's a half-ogre. She's tough even for most knights to handle."

Ogres are known to be stronger than humans, but half-ogres are even more formidable. It's practically a different species in terms of raw power. It explained how she could swing such a massive battle axe and wear full-body armor effortlessly.

'But aren't half-ogres supposed to be large? She's surprisingly petite.'

Aside from her horn and strength, she didn't match the typical image of a half-ogre. Her size was more comparable to the other knightesses, even leaning toward petite.

"Well, that's enough for the initiation. Let's move on to real training."

"Yes…"

Unlike me, the other male trainees, disillusioned by the reality of the knightesses, responded in dispirited tones. For me, however… Erin, the half-ogre knightess, had left an impression.

'I'll see her again, right?'

Over the following days, we began grueling marches and rigorous training alongside the knightesses. While we maintained a respectful distance, we shared meals and trained in close proximity.

This exercise's purpose became increasingly clear.

'It's meant to demystify the knightesses and make us see them as just knights.'

Living, eating, and training together, without proper hygiene and in harsh conditions, forced us to see each other's unvarnished reality. The goal was likely to strip away any romanticized notions and reinforce that knightesses were no different from us, aside from being women.

It was a clever tactic, ensuring that in future assignments, male and female knights would work together seamlessly without unnecessary tension.

However, the senior knights overlooked one crucial detail…

"Hey, but isn't that ogre kinda hot?"

Their tastes were far more eclectic than expected.

8 Advance Chapters on my Patreon: patreon.com/UltimateHaremfan

A Special Thank You!:

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to [Keenan Davis], for supporting me on Patreon!