"Ah, it's already this time."
Just as knights were compared to Major League Baseball players, when there are no games (battles), the players (knights) are idle.
Unless there was a war, rebellion, or support for an allied nation, they had no real work to do.
If there was anything they absolutely had to do, it would be improving their skills to prepare for any emergency—that was their duty.
Therefore, the act of going to work itself was nothing more than a show, a kind of performance to demonstrate loyalty to the king.
In other words—
"I'm clocking out."
"Already?"
"I have things to do."
"...Ah, going to the construction site."
"Well, yeah. Unlike nobles with too much money and time, a penniless commoner has to work a second job, right?"
"Haha..."
If there was one difference between the knight order and the Major League, it might be that the salary was slightly higher than regular soldiers?
In the first place, if the physically strong wanted to earn money, becoming a mercenary would be more profitable, but knights were the type who joined to gain "honor" and "authority" instead of money.
When even their salary was nothing more than a dignity maintenance fee, from a commoner's perspective, it was endlessly insufficient.
However.
"You're not going to the construction site particularly for money either."
"That's a misunderstanding."
He turned away and walked off, casually waving his hand as a substitute for a greeting.
"...That guy who can make money whenever he wants."
Jake shrugged, muttering the thoughts he couldn't bring himself to say outright.
At that moment.
"—Where is Senior Rihan heading?"
"Hmm?"
The new knight who had just been beaten by Rihan, Yord, approached offering a greeting.
"Greetings, Sir Farman. My apologies for speaking first."
"Hmm."
Perhaps because he had only dealt with Rihan and gotten used to informal speech, such etiquette was a rare occurrence.
Especially in the 3rd Knight Order where many from humble families gathered.
"...Could you just speak comfortably? It's embarrassing when you're so formal."
"But..."
"It's fine. And instead of calling me 'Sir,' just call me Senior like Rihan does. I think I'd prefer that."
"Ah, I understand, Senior Jake."
"Phew, that's much more comfortable to hear."
"......"
"Haha, it's because I've been hanging around Rihan too much."
Jake Farman made an excuse that wasn't really an excuse, and Yord smiled awkwardly, humoring him.
Still, he seemed concerned about Rihan, looking in the direction he had disappeared, his hand appearing itchy.
Seeing this, Jake's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Oh ho, your competitive spirit hasn't died at all."
"...Even if I can't surpass him now, isn't it fine to have the resolve to surpass him in the future? O-Of course, I don't mean to spar like just now. After being so completely helpless, I just wanted to have a discussion with him."
"...So this kind of case exists too."
A rare case. A nobleman's son showing favor toward Rihan.
Was today's sparring that impressive?
'Not bad.'
It was sad that the guy he considered a friend always only had enemies, so having a junior follow him should be welcomed.
Jake didn't hold back his kindness toward the junior who was trying to get closer to Rihan.
"Rihan went to work his side job. He called it a 'second job' himself."
"A, a side job? ...Does he not have a sponsor?"
Yord tilted his head with an expression of hearing something bizarre.
Even though he was of commoner origin, Rihan was a knight.
Moreover, he belonged to the White Silver Lion, the royal knight order and the strongest in the kingdom.
Someone of his caliber would be a prime investment target for merchants, and clearly someone they'd want to build connections with.
Even Yord, despite being from a humble family with no proper wealth, had a sponsorship contract with a merchant.
The contract didn't mean the merchant would help with force; it was more of a formality allowing them to use his name, but this too was said to be an important point for merchants.
In any case, there were plenty of people offering sponsorships to members of the White Silver Lion, so for such a knight to say he has no money and works a side job...
...It was a bizarre case.
"Right, that's the normal reaction."
Jake didn't hesitate to nod, understanding Yord's reaction.
And he was a good senior who solved his junior's curiosity.
"That guy intentionally doesn't accept sponsorships. Even though there are many merchants who want to contract with him."
"Th-There's such a case?"
"That guy is like that. What did he say. 'If I take a sponsorship contract, it'll be uncomfortable when I retire later'—or something like that?"
"......?"
"Haha, don't try to understand. Because that's the normal reaction."
In the honorable White Silver Lion Knight Order, while there could be dishonorable discharges, it was naturally assumed there would be no retirees.
But hoping to retire and refusing to accept anything?
Anyway.
'Whether he's earnest or just strange, geez.'
They had known each other for quite some time, but he couldn't help being someone he still couldn't understand.
* * *
Rihan picked up the axe.
Crack!
As it sliced through the wind and struck the tree precisely, a crack already formed in the log.
Even skilled workers needed to drive several large nails with a hammer before they could split it cleanly, but Rihan brought down the log with just a single felling axe.
"Wow, as expected of Rihan hyung."
"Clean work."
"I keep saying I want that skill. Why not just come over to this side instead of being a soldier?"
When working at this logging company, Rihan had changed his name(?) to 'Rihan,' and listed his main job not as a knight but as a soldier.
Knowing that saying he was a knight would only complicate things, it was Rihan's little trick.
However, despite the trick, he worked truly diligently. He was even treated as an ace among the lumberjacks.
"I won't quit my main job. And stop chattering and just work. Why so much talking, geez."
"You rascal. When doing this kind of work, chatting makes it less exhausting."
"Of course, you're still young so you don't know."
"You should at least have a drink!"
"...Whatever."
If there was one thing common to any manual labor site, it was that working with the buzz of alcohol was frequent.
He wondered what would happen if there was an accident, but Rihan didn't enforce strict rules.
If they got hurt, it was their responsibility, not his, right?
Rihan just silently did his work, and had to hear that he was a young man who lived boringly.
However.
'What's so boring about it?'
If there was one thing he'd deny, while Rihan chopped wood as a side job, he found great appeal in this work.
'Muscles pulling tight, this is it.'
Perhaps it was obvious in a way.
What was the reason he chose to be a lumberjack out of many jobs?
Wasn't it something he found while looking for work that could earn money and also serve as good training?
In that sense, logging was truly good work.
Swoosh!
Every time he chopped wood, starting from his back, muscles all over his body were stimulated.
Latissimus dorsi and erector spinae were a given, but including micro-muscles, as well as arms and fingers, there were no unused muscles.
Pondering how muscles tremble and how impact was absorbed and dispersed when force was applied—this was truly such an interesting and fun time that he didn't know when it passed.
'And this is also a skill.'
Especially, swinging an axe wasn't something you could use well just by applying force mindlessly; it was a tool that required high-level technique.
Just as you realize nailing isn't easy the first time you try it in your life.
Axe-swinging also wasn't easy, and he realized it required quite delicate yet clean posture and technique, experience, and other know-how.
So sometimes an idea would pop up—what if he could use a sword like an axe?
'Is this what they call wisdom in daily life?'
Through the work of dismembering trees, Rihan got good training and felt an indescribable subtleness, as if he was becoming the master he had seen on TV in his past life.
'My past life and current life are too different.'
In his past life, he wasn't this passionate about anything, nor did he feel great joy in moving his body.
'The environment of life changes a person this much.'
In his past life, Rihan lost his parents early and grew up under his grandfather.
Being ostracized by peers for being a parentless child and always feeling intimidated, he became a timid and quiet child, but after his grandfather also left his side during high school, he immediately turned his path to becoming a soldier to survive on his own.
He walked the path of a non-commissioned officer; the reason for becoming a soldier was nothing special.
With no money and no ability, the things he could do were limited, and among the things he could do with just perseverance and effort, being a soldier seemed decent—so he became a soldier.
Of course, seeing all sorts of dirty situations during military life, he regretted it within a year, but what could he do.
You gotta do it to make a living.
Then, while on leave, he got caught up in an incident and died, but even if he hadn't been caught up in the incident, he guessed he might have died from overwork and stress.
In that sense, his current life was dirty at first but was now somewhat rewarding.
Although he still belonged to the knight order, he was diligent and lived without worrying about others' opinions.
Perhaps because his past life of only living while watching others' reactions was so pitiful, he might have a somewhat twisted tendency.
'Still, being a soldier in my past life and a soldier now, what a bizarre life.'
Just as Rihan was comparing his past and present, about to let out a sudden hollow laugh—
Sniff sniff.
"Hmm?"
He smelled a high-end perfume scent that shouldn't be detectable in a place full of sweat.
And unfortunately, Rihan remembered the owner of that perfume scent.
"...They came again."
It seemed that an 'annoying friend' he didn't want to meet, no less than the commander ajussi, had come to visit.