I Became the Second-in-Command in a Romance Fantasy Novel

The continent was turned upside down.

Partly because the reforms in the Holy Kingdom began spreading throughout the world,
but more so because the miracles that happened in the Holy Kingdom passed from person to person, becoming a single myth.
And the aftermath even reached the Leon Kingdom, which was quite far away from the Holy Kingdom.
The speed at which the rumors spread was faster than in any other nation.
No wonder...
“The saint swung a giant sword of light that reached up to the heavens?”
“That’s fucking cool...”
“Should I switch to becoming a paladin now?”
“Can’t magic do something about it?”

The saint wielded a towering pillar of light made by divine power that reached the sky.
It was a phrase that ignited the hearts of the people of Leon, known as the kingdom of knights.
Even knights with a considerable amount of magic could barely create a sword energy over 3 meters long.
No one had seen it directly, but it was said that only a sword master could create one near 10 meters.
But to create one as thick as a tower, that even reached the sky!
In Leon, where the sword is revered as much as or even more than the goddess,
the rumor that the saint’s large and beautiful sword restored the Holy Kingdom made the hearts of Leon’s people beat faster.
And such thoughts were not just limited to commoners.
The nobility of Leon, who revered swords more than commoners, and even the royal family, were no different.
Because of that impact...

“Maybe it’s time to stop now...”
“This isn’t enough!”
“Ugh...”
I was struggling terribly too.
“Let’s go, Adam!”
“Please stop coming over here...”

Even Violet, who experienced the scene firsthand, or rather witnessed it right next to Daisy and the pope, described it as a scene from a myth.
Those miracles were exaggerated by the bards of the Holy Kingdom.
Then the bards of neighboring countries added their own embellishments,
and the bards of the countries next to those bards did the same...
Exaggeration after exaggeration piled up until it reached faraway Leon,
turning that mythic scene into a whole book’s worth of legend.
Because of those rumors, Prince Ellen, upon hearing them, arrogantly swore to become a man worthy of Daisy and kept beating me up.
From morning till night, as if one day wasn’t enough!
Hey, even a punching bag bursts if you keep hitting it nonstop!

“It’s Adam’s fault!”
While I was living such a miserable working life, the son of the chairman who kept hitting me was blaming me instead.
I was dirty and petty, so I might retire... well, not retire but maybe apply for vacation later.
Most likely it would end like senior Lucia’s resignation, but I had to try at least.
“What do you mean?”

Of course, I couldn’t openly show that.
A good employee can smile even in front of a boss forcing unfair things.
“I would’ve gone and fought alongside you!”
“What kind of crazy talk is that...”
But with the next words from Prince Ellen, I couldn’t help but blurt out the truth.
Though the Holy Kingdom was different from a normal country, it was still recognized as a country.

In other words, the revolution that happened was essentially a civil war.
When foreign royalty interfere in a civil war, things get incredibly complicated.
“Everyone except me went!”
But Ellen seemed to envy those crazy friends who pulled that stunt.
“Those bastards are crazy bastards...”

Since I already said it, I decided to be even more honest.
Any sane person would side with me.
Crazy guys obsessed with women...
No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t understand the romance fantasy mindset.
“……”
“Why? You curse the king behind his back too, don’t you? You can gossip about academy friends.”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me awkwardly, so I said confidently,
but Ellen shook his head as if to say no, and after a long pause, cautiously spoke.

“Even when I’m not around... no, that’s not right?”
“……”
“That’s not right?”
“……”

That guy Ellen... uncharacteristically for a romance fantasy male lead, had become really perceptive.
“Emergency.”

I was suddenly called and came running, only for the commander to mutter something trivial.
It was my long-awaited punching bag maintenance time.
“That’s always been there.”
Back in the day, that would mean an emergency.
But after entering the academy, it became something said every time.
Seeing my dissatisfied expression, the commander hesitated a moment, then muttered again.

“It’s a super emergency.”
But the commander sounded as if he had a reason for the sudden call.
He even used the word I usually use to indicate an emergency, letting me know the gravity of the situation.
A super emergency—that’s the real deal.
“What is it?”
“The damn king has lost his mind.”
“The king?”

That’s really bad.
But he’s not old enough for dementia yet, right?
“Yeah, you know what that crazy bastard said?”
I knew that the commander and the king were in the same circle as me and Ellen.
Still, the king was the king, so I usually showed respect.
But apparently, he really messed up big time.
Calling someone a crazy bastard outright.

“Don’t know.”
“Dyke, that crazy bastard is going on about wanting to meet the saint.”
Dyke.
A name that might be among the first years at the academy, but rare in Leon.
Usually, no one crazy enough to use the same name as the country’s king.
“Uh...”

Information from the instructors passed through the commander to the queen.
And naturally, the king also became aware of it.
In other words, our king knew about the romance fantasy love drama centered on the saint.
And that Prince Ellen was involved too.
“Did the queen try to block the information?”
I wondered if the queen deliberately hid her son’s blunders.

“No. She knows everything.”
I wished she didn’t know, but apparently not.
“She knows everything and still says he wants to meet?”
“Seems like she’s pushing him forward.”

It was a super emergency.
My biggest justification was that the kingdom hoped Ellen and Daisy wouldn’t get together.
But if the king, the kingdom’s leader, began supporting them, I’d have to support their romance too.
Which meant I’d have to be part of that damn romance fantasy plot...
“Luckily the queen stopped it, but the mood is tense.”
An unexpected variable.
The impact Daisy’s large, beautiful pillar of light had on Leon far exceeded my expectations.

“Our intelligence agency is also saying the saint is a good match.”
“Even after seeing those twisted men?”
“That’s the problem. Since there’s no overwhelming enemy, there’s an opinion that with our prince’s info, it’s worth a shot.”
“……”
It was true.
According to Boradol, the avid reader, the original story had gone on for hundreds of chapters but had no main male lead.
The novel itself was based on turn-based fights between multiple male leads, focusing on a balancing act.
The male leads here all had mediocre power and only excelled in their own talents.
Since they hadn’t fully bloomed yet, outsiders saw them all as mediocre guys.

Even in the empire, when I was a rural village noblewoman, it wasn’t a merit.
When I first awakened as a saint, conditions were better, but was there really a need for our prince to get involved in that mess, risking religious danger?
But now that religion was pacified and word spread that she used a killer sword of light reaching the sky, some people’s eyes rolled.
“Commander, right?”
“I trust your assessment. Unless you’ve changed, I still think the same.”
“Yes. Daisy is dangerous.”
One soldier, no—a saint might not seem so dangerous.
But Daisy was the heroine of the romance fantasy before she was a saint.
The center of all slanders against her in this world.
Though she kept growing,

her growth was so significant that even Violet, a proud originalist, said, “The demon king will be defeated by Daisy...”

“There’s no need to be hostile, but no need to embrace her either.”
Even disregarding that she was a romance fantasy heroine, Daisy was like a poisoned chalice.
So there was still no reason to get close.
“Alright. Then I’ll block that Dyke guy.”

Maybe because I’d been working hard, the commander nodded with full trust.
Honestly, I was moved.
To think that one word from a subordinate could bend the will of a king at the pinnacle of power.
“So, you continue as usual.”
“Yes.”
“Handle Prince Ellen well.”
“Ah...”
As soon as the commander finished speaking, I heard Lucia’s excited voice on the comm.

“Adam! Prince Ellen is looking for you~”
With that rare nasal tone, I promised myself I’d have a duel with Princess Hestia once the schedule ended.
The end of the two-month vacation was just around the corner.
During that relatively short time, two swords were broken.
Not ordinary swords, but two sturdy dwarven-made swords—Prince Ellen’s petty revenge was fierce, but it was coming to an end.

“The academy is dead.”
Though called revenge, it was really training for growth.
Even if left alone, the guy was scheduled to be the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ strongest swordsman in the world.
Training like secluded practice, his growth amazed even the sword master commander.
Even I, who endured being a punching bag since childhood, was about to burst as a punching bag.
Now the academy, not just me, had to handle the monster he became.

Bring it on, academy.
Bring it on, academy terrorists!
The walking tactical nuke, Ellen Leon, is coming!
“Let’s depart.”
“Yeah, suffer three and a half more years.”
“It was fun, but a shame.”
“Please go already.”
“You’re coming back during winter break anyway, right?”
“Hey! The empire’s wine is famous. Bring some as a gift next time.”
I boarded the carriage headed for the academy, seeing off seniors including the commander at the palace.
After some time, Prince Ellen, having finished greetings with his family, arrived.
The carriage soon departed, leaving the palace.

Day 1.
The well-paved palace road allowed for fast travel.
Day 2.
Thanks to following the schedule, we reached a nearby territory.
Welcomed by the lord, we spent a comfortable day.
Day 3.
Unexpected rain forced us to sleep outdoors, but as a prince of a great nation, we had many convenient magical items, making the day fairly comfortable.

Day 4.
Due to the muddy roads from the previous day’s rain, our speed slowed a bit.
But since we had planned to rest that day, as long as no accident happened, we would arrive at the next territory with plenty of time.
Yeah, as long as no accident happened.
“Wow...”
But an accident did happen.
And surprisingly...

“Bandits?”
As soon as I got off the carriage, I checked the flag on it.
Though it hadn’t rained much the day before, there was heavy rain while we slept, so maybe the flag blew off.
“It’s still there?”

I saw the kingdom’s flag fluttering.
A huge greatsword planted between two crossed swords.
Unlike other countries, there were no animals—just three swords.
Anyone could tell it was the flag of the Leon Kingdom.
But bandits blocked the road even after seeing that?
Were they idiots who didn’t know the kingdom’s flag? Or were they truly crazy?
Or maybe...
“We’ve committed a grave sin.”

Seeing the bandits, who clearly had some story behind their situation,
I was full of the urge to say, “Then die.”
“What’s the matter?”
Prince Ellen, who had already accepted the side quest, forced me with tears in my eyes to continue the quest.

Bonus 1. Poorly drawn cover of Daisy holding a rose, drawn by the illustrator
Bonus 2. Author pick. Daisy holding crown daisy