The Coral Peacock headquarters came into view as the group flew over the final stretch of forest, and Kenji had to admit—it was impressive.
The base was located on the western side of the noble realm, situated near Raque, the largest town in the district, and east of Kiten, which bordered the Witches' Forest. As Kenji thought about it, the location made strategic sense. Dorothy had come from the Witches' Forest, so stationing a captain with her background in this region might cause less conflict with the witches and allow negotiations and treaties to pass more smoothly.
The headquarters itself sat in a somewhat remote area, surrounded by dense forests. Various training fields and stone roads were scattered around the exterior, giving the place an organized yet natural feel. The building was a massive three or four-story mansion, shaded in light brown with spots decorated by various pink flowers and paintings of eccentric designs covering portions of the walls. It looked like it could easily house dozens of people comfortably.
Not bad at all, Kenji thought as they descended toward the landing area. Thinking back to the event that transpired after the tests conclusion.
Earlier that day...
Dorothy had approached the waiting area where the new recruits stood with Kirsch, her eyes still peacefully closed as she swayed slightly with each step. Kenji watched with fascination, wondering if she was actually awake or genuinely asleep.
She walked right past them without acknowledging their presence.
"Follow," Kirsch said simply, as if this was completely normal behavior.
I still don't know how he understands her while she's sleeping, but whatever, Kenji thought as they fell in line behind their captain.
They met up with three different Magic Knights of lower rank who had been helping with the exam. After some brief coordination, everyone grabbed magic brooms. Since none of the new recruits were like Asta—completely lacking mana—or like Noelle with her terrible control issues, they had no problems hopping on and taking flight toward the base.
Kenji did get a few jealous looks when he casually transformed his broom into a flying carpet again and lay down, relaxing the entire way. The others would have to suffer sore butts from sitting on wooden brooms for hours.
Haha, it sucks to be them.
Kirsch, being Kirsch, reacted in his now-established flamboyant manner. "How beautiful! What an elegant display!" He proceeded to create a bed of cherry petals beneath himself and flew the rest of the way in equal comfort, pink petals trailing behind him like a fragrant wake.
Back to present
Now they were landing in front of the main doors of the headquarters, where a line of knights stood in formation, saluting with three fingers at the arrival of their two captains—though Kenji didn't quite see the need for such ceremony considering Dorothy was still asleep and unbothered.
Kirsch dismounted with theatrical flair. "Well, welcome to our beautiful headquarters! Be in awe of your new home!" He extended his hands in dramatic fashion, presenting the base like a game show host revealing a prize.
A man approached from the formation—black hair with streaks of blue running through it, turquoise eyes, and a serious, no-nonsense demeanor that was almost intimidating.
"Welcome back, Captains," he said with a straight face, saluting Kirsch and Dorothy.
"Hellooo, Rick! Thank you, thank you!" Kirsch responded cheerfully. "We have some new recruits here, as you can see. Please take them and show them around, get them situated. My beautiful self will be taking his leave now—I leave things in your capable hands!"
With that declaration, he dashed off in a flurry of rose petals, following Dorothy deeper into the building.
The now-named Rick turned to Kenji, Ash, and Dmitri with that same serious expression. "Right. Well, as you've heard, my name is Rick, a 4th rank intermediate knight of the Peacocks. Please follow me. I'll give you a tour of the headquarters and show you your rooms."
He turned without waiting for acknowledgment, prompting the three to follow. Ash looked nonchalant, Dmitri still appeared quite nervous, and Kenji looked around curiously as they entered the building.
The foyer was impressive—a large open space with stairs leading up to the second floor and a pink chandelier hanging from the ceiling above. The décor managed to be both elegant and whimsical.
Well, I'll definitely be living comfortably. Can't say I regret my choice right now.
The tour took them through various sections of the base. The dining area was staffed by chefs from the capital who prepared meals for the squad. Training areas stretched out through the back door, along with a large garden filled with colorful flowers. A series of meeting rooms were designated for squad meetings and briefings. There was even a bar—which Kenji noted with approval—and a large open-air bath and shower area.
Finally, they arrived at the dormitories: a long hall with rooms stretched along both the left and right sides.
Rick stopped and turned to the three recruits. "This is where we part ways. I'll show you your new rooms, and you can unpack and get situated until morning, when someone will come to show you how we do things around here and explain your duties. Any questions?"
Ash and Dmitri shook their heads, looking a bit frightened by Rick's no-nonsense demeanor.
Kenji raised his hand casually. "Yeah, I got one. I haven't seen many other knights around here besides the ones who greeted us at the front. Where is everyone, or is this all of us?"
Rick's expression remained flat. "Yes, there are more of us. Right now, most of our squad is stationed on the border with the Diamond Kingdom, defending against their invasion. The rest are out on missions or on leave."
Kenji nodded. "Are we going to be stationed there anytime soon?"
Rick gave him a flat stare. "No. You're new recruits—you haven't earned that right. You'll most likely start as a team and take missions under the supervision of a senior member before anything like that."
"Well, good enough for me," Kenji replied easily. "Anyways, where's my room at? It's pretty late and today was tiring as hell. I want to take a bath and head to bed. Or maybe hit that bar you showed us—who knows."
Ash and Dmitri's eyes widened at his unbothered attitude toward a senior knight.
Rick's eyebrow twitched. "You should mind the way you speak to your senior knights and show respect."
"Oh really? Well, my bad, boss. Anyways, those rooms?"
Rick sighed deeply, looking like he was already regretting being assigned to these recruits. "This way."
He showed them their rooms—Ash and Dmitri were placed beside each other near the end of the hall, with Kenji's room directly across from them.
Grabbing his bag from the floor, Kenji turned to the other two. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Knock on the door if you need anything. See ya."
He headed inside and looked around his new quarters. The room was spacious, decorated in light brown and pink tones, with a comfortable-looking bed, a desk, and a small pink chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Not bad. Might as well get comfortable.
Snap.
His appearance changed back to his normal self—black hair, brown eyes, and regular commoner clothes. He put his bag down and sat at the desk.
"Well, now that I'm here, I should probably write a letter back to everyone at home to let them know what's happening. Maybe call Yuwei and the kids too, to check in. Let's start with the letter."
He took out paper and began writing. The first letter was for Father Orsi and Sister Lily—letting them know how he was doing, how the exam went, asking about them and if anything new had happened at the church.
Then he wrote a separate letter to Asta and Yuno, describing the exam and what had happened during it. He told them to keep training and that they needed to get stronger if they wanted to pass. Yuno would probably be fine, but some extra pressure never hurt. This is the duty of an older brother.
Wrapping up the letters, he leaned back and yawned, looking out the window. The sky had turned dark.
"Damn, it's dark already. I didn't think I took that long. I'll call Yuwei another day—she's probably fine."
He changed into sleepwear and went to bed, exhaustion finally catching up with him.
___
The next morning, a loud knock on his door jolted him awake. Looking out the window, he saw the sun had barely risen.
Groggily, he stumbled to the door and opened it to find Rick standing there, frowning.
Kenji squinted at him. "What's up? It's way too early to deal with an angry senior knight right now."
Rick's frown deepened. "Who are you? Where's Kenji?"
He began opening his grimoire in an aggressive manner, clearly ready for a confrontation.
Kenji sighed deeply and snapped his fingers, transforming into his X appearance. Not bothering to explain the mechanics of his magic, he simply said, "What is it? Did you need something?"
Rick stared at the transformation, his grimoire still open and his frown still firmly in place. Silence stretched between them as the senior knight processed what he'd just witnessed.
When Kenji was beginning to grow impatient, Rick finally spoke. "The captain wanted to see you. Follow me."
His tone suggested this wasn't a request.
___
This was a bit of a slower chapter. Things will be picking up from here, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Also going on vacation for a week an not sure how muck ill write on it, or when ill have service. Will try to upload when I can but cant promise ill be consistant this week. WIll try to make up for it when I get back the following week.