A Knight’s Request and the Logic Elf

Saito stood in front of the armored knight, Sir Rupert, who waited at the door with perfect posture and a face carved from marble.

“You’ve been summoned by the Royal Court,” Rupert said again. “You are not under arrest, but your presence is strongly requested.”

Bran growled under his breath. “They always say ‘requested’ when they mean ‘dragged away.’”

Saito glanced at Kina, who clutched his sleeve nervously. “You’re not going to stay there forever, are you, Sensei?”

Saito gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back. I’ll just explain what I’m doing and make sure they don’t try to, you know... confiscate my laptop or burn me at the stake.”

“Try not to cause a kingdom-wide revolution,” Bran muttered.

“I make no promises,” Saito replied.

Sir Rupert escorted Saito in a beautifully polished carriage that smelled like expensive leather and dried herbs. Along the way, the knight remained mostly silent, occasionally glancing at Saito’s floating laptop as if it were a magical bomb.

“I heard rumors,” Rupert finally said. “That you turned a merchant’s daughter into a walking calculator.”

“She’s more of a cash register with cat ears,” Saito said with a grin. “And she’s doing great.”

Rupert blinked. “...What?”

“Never mind,” Saito sighed. “It’s a human world joke.”

As they neared the castle gates, the carriage came to a stop at a side road. A girl was standing in front of them, blocking the way.

She had long green hair tied in a braid, silver-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, and a long cloak covered in ink stains. A book was clutched in her arms, and several scrolls stuck out of her backpack at odd angles.

“Excuse me!” she shouted. “Are you the code mage?”

“Depends,” Saito said, peeking out the window. “Are you trying to arrest me or follow me?”

“Neither!” she said, adjusting her glasses. “I’m Liora of the Verdant Glade. Elf. Scholar. Part-time puzzle solver. I’ve heard about your logic spells and floating numbers.”

“Then yes, I’m the code mage,” Saito replied. “Also known as ‘that guy who made a catgirl a spreadsheet.’”

“I want to learn,” Liora said with bright eyes. “I want to learn this... programming.”

Rupert sighed. “You’re in the middle of a royal summons. Can’t this wait?”

“No,” Liora said. “The palace will want to use his knowledge. I want to understand it. There’s a difference.”

Saito raised an eyebrow. “You don’t trust them either?”

“I don’t trust people who wear gold armor before breakfast.”

He smiled. “Fair enough. You can ride with me. But if you’re annoying, I’ll make you debug infinite loops.”

Liora blinked. “I don’t know what that means, but I accept.”

The palace was grand—white stone halls, tall stained-glass windows, and guards who looked like they’d never blinked in their lives.

Saito and Liora were led into a small chamber where three nobles waited. Scrolls, books, and magical recording orbs floated beside them.

The middle noble, Chancellor Hadreth, leaned forward. “Saito Minoru. You’ve introduced a new kind of magic to our world. One that uses logic and numbers. We want to know how it works. And if it’s dangerous.”

Saito sat down and opened his laptop. “Sure. Let me show you something.”

He began typing.

def check_discount(price, customer_type):

if customer_type == "VIP":

return price * 0.8

else:

return price

print("Final price:", check_discount(100, "VIP"))

The code glowed. The floating screen displayed:

Final price: 80

Liora clapped quietly. “That’s... conditional logic.”

Saito nodded. “It’s how we decide things based on rules. This isn’t dangerous—it’s useful.”

One noble frowned. “But could this logic be used to control armies?”

“Yes,” Saito said. “But so can fire. You don’t ban torches, do you?”

Hadreth chuckled. “I like him. Sharp. Dangerous. Clever.”

“We just want to understand,” the other noble said. “Would you be willing to teach a royal apprentice?”

Saito blinked. “What if I picked my own?”

Liora stood up. “I’m ready. I already studied magical structures and logic puzzles.”

The nobles looked surprised, but Hadreth smiled. “Very well. You may keep your ‘apprentices.’ But know this—what you teach could change everything. And not everyone likes change.”

🧪 Back to Basics

That night, Saito sat at the guest chamber desk. Liora was beside him, eagerly taking notes. She worked fast, asked smart questions, and actually read the documentation he magically projected.

“I translated one of your if-statements into Elven flow-runes,” she said. “I think logic and magic can merge.”

Saito was impressed. “You might be the first elf who knows both SQL and spell glyphs.”

Liora blushed a little behind her glasses. “I’ve always liked logic more than lightning bolts.”

He laughed. “You’re going to get along with Kina.”

“Kina?”

“My first apprentice. She runs a shop and punches ogres.”

“Oh,” Liora said, raising an eyebrow. “So we’re collecting apprentices now?”

Saito grinned. “Only the smart ones.”

As they prepared to sleep, Sir Rupert appeared at the door.

“You’ve impressed the court,” he said. “But be careful. Some nobles fear your teachings. They fear the idea of commoners knowing too much.”

Saito nodded. “Knowledge makes people equal. That’s why they’re afraid.”

Rupert gave him a long look. “If you need protection, say the word.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Saito said. “But I’ve got a laptop, two apprentices, and a fireball function in beta.”

“…You are either a genius or a lunatic,” Rupert muttered.

Saito smirked. “Maybe both.”