Chapter 22

What she Wants! Doesn't Matter

All eyes in the room turned to look at Noah. He remained calm under their gaze, his eyes on the knight who said nothing, but his expression darkened.

Lady Elara's eyes wrinkled slightly as she said, "Not now, Noah, there are still more healers waiting outside. Just to be sure."

She was trying to change the subject, probably wanting the matter to disappear quietly as well. Noah had nothing to say about that, but he didn't have to.

"Why not? It's his right," declared the girl on the bed. "And I do deserve any punishment he wants me to get."

Lady Elara sighed in frustration. She looked at the old knight to decode his thoughts, but his gaze was on Noah, no emotions showing on the surface.

Noah didn't wait long to announce his thoughts. "It is indeed my right. But from my point of view, I see that you already have enough on your plate, and I certainly won't add more just to feel better about myself. I would love if we could just pretend this never happened."

Everyone looked at Noah with different emotions ranging from shock to curiosity, only the old knight maintained a neutral, unchanged expression.

After a moment of silence, the knight moved his body to face Noah directly, not just his gaze. "And why would you want such a thing? I don't see any benefit for you in it. Haven't you thought about what you could gain by incriminating an imperial knight and his apprentice?"

Noah chuckled slightly but kept his expression cold. "I also don't see any benefit for me in all of this, just a headache... given what awaits me... Even if I incriminate you and your student, the losses would be far greater than what I could gain. Think about it, of course, I could gain some pity as a victim, but I would suffer if I needed anyone, I would always be the person who tarnished the reputation of two imperial knights."

Noah looked at the knight challengingly, daring him to say otherwise. But the knight just smiled and commented, "I see you have some sense in that head of yours. Not bad, not bad at all. But, the matter isn't that simple, I'm afraid."

Noah snorted defiantly. "I don't believe you don't want the same, or why else would you delay sending a report of the incident?"

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The knight looked at his apprentice for a moment, assessing her. "I won't deny your words, but there's another reason..."

Noah interrupted him quickly. "You mean giving priority to your mission? ... Well, I say you're doing a great job removing your helmet, and discussing your mission comfortably," Noah commented sarcastically, not hiding it.

The old knight looked at his student again, this time with a questioning look. When he got nothing because she kept her eyes closed, he just sighed in defeat and added nothing.

Silence returned to cover the room again, everyone lost in thought. After long moments, a firm voice rose from the girl on the bed. "I can't accept this... I do thank you for..."

Noah interrupted her loudly. "Can you just shut up, this isn't about you, this is about what I want. Your honor means nothing to me. Why should I waste my future just to care about what you want now. Accept it and shut up."

The girl opened her mouth in shock, not expecting Noah to speak to her this way. She looked at her master, who seemed more shocked than her, but quickly controlled his expression. "What do you propose?" the old knight asked.

Noah fell into deep thought, considering what he should say. After a moment, he looked at Lady Elara and said knowingly, "Lady Elara, I think it's time for you to decide. This happened in your home, and your decision will be final. I will respect it no matter what."

Lady Elara seemed surprised by the responsibility thrown on her, but she quickly returned to her professionalism. She looked at Noah. "Is this really what you want?" Noah nodded. "In that case, I will judge based on the story Noah shared and consider it as the truth. First, the imperial knight didn't have a clear view of the entire incident to accept his testimony. And Noah's status as a commoner doesn't give him the right to insult someone of higher status. As for the knightess trainee, I don't have enough authority to punish her, so I will leave that to her master. But I will acknowledge her fault in abandoning her duty."

"Since the incident occurred on my grounds, I will punish both Noah and Eyolian as I see fit. Interference from a third party will not be accepted. Also, I will not interfere in the punishment the knightess trainee will receive only in case the punishment is unevenly distributed and harms one party regardless of the name." The woman paused, looking at everyone in the room before continuing in the same firm voice. "Does anyone have any objections?"

The old knight nodded in satisfaction while looking at his student with disappointment and also hope. The trainee said nothing but nodded to her master.

Before the situation could cool down, Noah raised his hand and said, "I have some additions." He waited until Lady Elara nodded for him to speak and spoke his mind. "I want the punishment of the knightess to be determined before the expert arrives, and I also want to know what that punishment is after the imperial knight decides it. As for my punishment, I want to know it first and privately. Of course, the knight can know it too, but after me and not from me."

Lady Elara looked at the old knight, who nodded easily, seeing no problem with Noah's request. Feeling relieved, Lady Elara announced seriously, "And that will be the end of this little conflict. And I will be the one to issue the punishment for the parties I am responsible for."

"Now, let's bring in the healers. They've waited long enough."