âHeup! I mean⊠Yes, the Prince went out of his way to approach Ash first.â
When Veron shen Villas heard what had happened, he threw a tantrum.
âWhat are you waiting for?â Veron yelled and shook. âTell me every detail!â
âRegarding thatâŠâ Muker recounted what heâd heard. Ash pen Frederick was roommates with the two failed students from Veronâs class when Veron wore a yellow tie instead of a red tie. He couldnât believe that Ash was accepted into the prestigious Academy to begin with. And then Ash and Prince Kaiser met upâŠ?
Veronâs face twisted and turned as Muker spoke, ultimately settling into a savage grin.
âWhat⊠is that it?â he asked.
âFrom what Iâve heard, yes.â
âAre you deaf? Didnât you just say he knows the Fourth Prince? What happened after that? Did they talk?â
Muker smiled sardonically. His master had been jittery ever since that incident.
Itâs a good thing you didnât toss me away. Nothing was more disgraceful for a knight than to be abandoned by his master.
Once chosen, it was a knightâs duty to protect their master with his life. In Avalon, backtracking on your beliefs was unthinkable, but Muker had to consider what would happen if his Master threw him away in the middle of this chaos.
âYes. The Prince supposedly whispered something in his ear, although it was only a brief momentââ
âThatâs it? Useless bastard.â
âMy sincerest apologies.â Muker bowed his head, despite being entirely faultless. Veron gave him a disgruntled glance and then spun around.
âThat bug got the chance to meet the Fourth Prince? Thereâs something elseâŠâ Veron smirked. âNo matter how hard I looked, I couldnât find anyone named Viscount Frederick. Now Iâm assuming heâs either a fallen aristocrat or a foreignerâŠâ
The plot thickened the more Veron thought about it. It was clear that Ash was not a fallen nobleâno mere fallen noblemanâs child would be able to meet the noblest blood in the Empire. So the only possibility left wasâŠ
A nobleman from another country. In addition, a family with close ties to the prince. Veron was dumbfounded.
The sons of many noble houses, including the 5 Dukes and the Twelve Families, spun through Veronâs mind. I hate to admit it, but Iâve never heard of a nobleman in my own country with such remarkable skills as that age.
âAsh pen FrederickâŠâ Veron grit his teeth.
I was over the moon when I heard heâd been accepted into the Academy. At the very least, there were endless ways Veron would be able to bully him.
However, there was an unexpected variable: the biggest variable you could possibly think of, the Prince.
âDamn it!â Veron stared down at his hands. It was Ashâs fault that the family Deon Ring hurt to wear on his finger.
Veron made a quick decision. âMuker!â
âYes, my lord,â he replied.
âFor the time being, send a request to the Moon Gate.â
âWhat kind of requestâŠ?â
âAsk them to find out where that damnable Frederick family crawled out of, even if they have to comb the entire continent.â Veronâs eyes shone. âAnd, in case you didnât realize, I also want them to tell me everything there is to know about Ash pen Frederick himself, the bastard.â
âThatâsâŠâ Muker bit his lip. âMaster, it may be a foolish suggestion, but if you break your pledge now, the entire Villas Estate will lay the blame on you.â
Veron glared murderously at Muker, but the knight didnât avert his gaze. He knew the gravity of the vow heâd made for his family. Ash had imposed a request on Veron via Muker, whoâd come in place of Baron Provalum, whoâd come in place of Veron himself.
âThe ring will be returned⊠But, on behalf of your master, apologize and pledge to the Rebrecca family to never stoop to such low behavior again.â
That Ash pen FrederickâŠÂ Muker scowled. He couldnât get the boyâs name out of his head.
Regardless, Count Rebrecca had been there as a notary to ensure that Veron kept his promise.
âMy pledge?â Veron shot a fishy smile at Muker. âWhatâs that supposed to mean? What does a promise you made with them have to do with me?â
Mukerâs eyes widened. âMy lordâ!â
âSuch flimsy pledges are made to be broken,â Veron spat. âShut your mouth and get to the Moon Gate. Incompetent fools like you should just listen like an obedient dog.â
âI understand.â Mukerâs nails dug into his palm.
âWhat? Why are you still here? Shoo. Useless scum.â
Itâd been a few days since the welcoming ceremony. Unlike Agareth, whoâd been sleeping on his stomach since morning, or Icarus, who focused on class with glittering eyes, Joshua was occupied with thoughts totally unrelated to class.
âI received your response⊠But, Young Master, I couldnât give up on you. Do you know why?â
The memory of Kaiserâs face brought a sharp smile to his face. Now I know every bit of his personality.
How many teeth did he hide behind that pretentious mask?
He requested I visit the Imperial Palace at least once before I graduated, but I was planning on it even if he hadnât asked. The Imperial Knights⊠That place held a lot of memories. Joshua needed something from there.
âAgareth kun Douglas!â Joshuaâs thoughts were interrupted by the middle-aged instructorâs irate voice. Even though he was over fifty years old and had a powerful figure, he frowned like a kid.
Since Joshua, Agareth, and Icarus were roommates, they were in the same class. The Academyâs primary curriculum was discovering the cadetsâ aptitude, but that wouldnât happen until their third year. Right now, all the first years took the same classes, regardless of their chosen department. Naturally, as the Empire of Knights, that meant everyone took swordsmanship classes.
Time for some swordplay.
The first, second, and third gradesâthe underclassmenâtook their swordsmanship class together. The Academy was worried that only fighting opponents of a similar level would twist their perception of real war.
Icarus was so focused on the course that he hadnât noticed Agareth falling asleep. Now, he urgently shook the other boy awake.
âAgareth! Young Master Agareth!â
âUh? Is it already time for dinner?â
âPfft.â A few students giggled as they watched Agareth stagger to his feet and wipe the drool off his chin. Their surroundings grew noisy with chatter.
âWhat a turd.â
âWhat is he doing? Idiot.â
âHow did the Douglas family produce such a moron?â
âHeâs a bastard.â
âAgareth kun Douglas, concentrate on your class,â the swordsmanship instructor chastised. âUnless you want to be sent home.â
âOh, yes! Iâm going to concentrate!â Agareth stared forward with his eyes wide open.
The instructor shook his head. âNow, let us continue. The sword is frequently referred to as the king of weapons and the master of death. It is the most powerful weapon in the world. That is why most knights prefer it in battle.â
The commotion faded as the instructor resumed his lecture.
âThe present emperor, who attained the highest level of mastery while also governing the entire Empire, and one of the Nine Stars, the Empireâs pride, Duke Aden von Agnus, both wield swords. The five Masters of Avalon are the same.
âSo, why is the sword said to be the best weapon?â
One of the students quietly raised their hand.
âAh, yes.â The instructor nodded and pointed at him to speak. âAmaru bron Sten. Iâm looking forward to your answer.â
Amaru stood up. My father is one of the Empireâs most powerful swordsmenâof course he expected me to speak.
âItâs simple. Every weapon except the sword is junk.â
Joshua had lost interest in the class, but Amaruâs response made his eyebrows twitch.
âAll weapons except swords are worthlessââ
âYes, no weapon can beat the sword at the same level of skill. I donât deny that, but your remarks are obviously flawed, Amaru bron Sten.â The instructor shook his head. âMost soldiers are equipped with spears, not swords; this is true in any country. Avalon outfits its soldiers with spears, as wellâare you suggesting we teach them swordsmanship instead?â
Amaru shook his head and continued without hesitation. âWhat I said pertains to people with similar abilities. Disposable soldiers are not included,â Amaru said with pride.
Amaru, a noble to the bone, had been raised to think of spearmen as disposable assets. Most of the cadets nodded along. The common soldier meant as little to Avalonâs aristocrats as sheep.
âThe ignorant will overlook the terrain⊠Those sorts of people are too blind to dodge a weapon, nor do they have the ability to do so. However, trained knights are different. Distance? Itâs not an issue with a sword, but a spear? Its length is difficult to move. So long as you attack quickly, itâs an effortless victory.
âWars arenât limited to the plains, either. A sword isnât affected by its surroundings, such as mountainous terrain or cramped environments.â Amaru vigorously powered forwards, taking the instructorâs continued silence as a license to continue.
âI may have been exaggerating a little, but I believe the swords is the finestââ
âThatâs hilarious.â A voice from the corner stopped Amaru in his tracks. It took him a moment to find the source of the voice, and it confused him.
Wasnât that the boy who hung out with those two louts?
âAre all weapons useless except the sword?â
âThatâs right, the sword isâ
Joshua cut him off. âThe sword is, in my opinion, the greatest piece of rubbish ever made...
âEspecially those rapiers the girls use.â
What did he say? Amaru was stunned. I misheard, right? Amaruâs mouth flapped wordlessly.