Joshua found himself in an absurd situation: a student had walked into his classroom and dragged Joshua off to an unfamiliar location. Amaru bron Sten, with his tremendously amazingly tiny eyes, appeared shortly after and bowed his head to Joshua.
âI said, âIâm sorry.ââ Joshua stared blankly at Amaru. âIn my utter ignorance, I mocked the spear. I repent.â
Did he always have this kind of personality?
A nobleâs pride was so immense as to be incomprehensible to an ordinary person. They would put their lives on the line for their pride; bowing like this was nigh impossible. It was unthinkable for the Stens, one of the most prestigious families on the continent.
âItâs doneâŠâ Joshua grinned bitterly. âI will lower myself since you are my opponent.â
âWill you forgive me?â
âIt isnât anything you should beg forgiveness for.â
âThank you!â Amaruâs face brightened as he straightened up.
âItâs fine to express gratitudeââ
âCan you teach me something?â
So that was what he wanted.
âWhat?â
âI have no idea what the point is with the stick you used⊠but before I lost consciousness, I felt a great power pushed into my gut.â
Joshua was confused enough for Amaru to see it in his expression.
âI learned that when two points are connected, the key to finishing the fight quickly is to reach the enemy as fast as possible. Itâs the easiest, fastest way.
âHowever, when I tried it with you, I felt my entire body twist as that power struck me. It seemed simple, but I feel like itâs much more complicated than that.â
He felt the magic ârevolvingâ? Joshua was astounded. I had high expectations because he comes from Arie bron Stenâs blood, but isnât he better than I thought?
The boy had been struck by an unknown force and wracked by unbearable pain. Heâd almost lost his mind, but he still wasnât ashamed of his defeat; even standing in front of Joshua, an enemy just yesterday, he felt no shame in asking Joshua to teach him martial arts.
Why didnât I know this guy in my past life? Joshua rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment, then nodded as he found an answer.
Agareth had said it: this young man had a very talented older sibling. As Joshua remembered, Arie bron Sten had one successor, and, unlike Amaru, that child didnât look anything like his father.
The Sten family didnât follow the Agnus family in their downfall. They remained fully neutral thanks to the heirâs remarkable ability to read the tides of war and rode it out through the end.
Their family was not originally nobilityâtheir renaissance came after the appearance of Arie bron Sten. After he retired from the front lines, the Sten family did not produce another genius like him for decades. After his disappearance, the Sten family pursued a simpler life.
But now⊠Sten is still a count. If this guy succeeded himâŠÂ Joshuaâs eyes sparkled as he examined the boy. The Stens would enjoy prestige comparable to the Five Dukes by his estimations.
But there was no âifâ in history. It was not for Joshuaâs hand to turn around everyoneâs life for the betterâhe had his own life to deal with.
âCan you teach me?â
Joshuaâs mouth twitched, and a giggle spilled out when he saw Amaruâs impatiently expectant face.
âIâll teach you.â
âReally?â
âOn one conditionâsomething taken, something given. I, too, have a few questions Iâd like you to answer.â
âThen⊠are we friends now?â
âFriends?â
Amaru nodded eagerly. âMutual assistanceâisnât that usually what you call friendship?â
Joshua burst out laughing. âIt doesnât matter what you think, but I doubt it will be well-received by your friends.â
âFriends?â Amaru was the one confused this time.
âI met your circle of friends at the cafeteria the other day, remember?â
âAh, them.â Amaru scowled. âI donât like them; itâs just stupid to be alone. They follow me everywhere and annoy me. I never thought of them as friends; theyâre just a bunch of foxes lusting after power.â
âThen get rid of them.â
Joshua abruptly changed topics.
âFinding euphoria isnât as easy as you believe.â Amaruâs ears pricked up as Joshua spoke. â...The fastest way to euphoria, while connecting the dots, to be precise. Essentially, it isnât a straight line. Think about that on your own.â
âYouâre not gonna tell me the whole story?â Amaru stared wide-eyed at him. âDoes that mean weâre done?â
âYou can only grow if you reach an understanding on your ownâitâs like research. Youâll get stuck for the rest of your life if you get the answer right away.â
âWellâŠâ
âNowâŠâ Joshuaâs eyes lit up. âLet me ask you something.â
Amaru nodded without hesitation. âAnything. Anything except my familyâs secret techniques.â
âThereâs no need for that.â Joshua was a little embarrassed that the Sten swordsmanship had come up.
âI have two inquiries: one is about the Academyâs cliques; the otherâŠâ Joshuaâs voice became low and muffled.
âTell me all about Shimizu kun Douglas.â
âAn urgent letter has arrived, Your Majesty.â
Emperor Marcus, pondering on his throne, raised his head. Jakan, the chief of his personal intelligence agency, bowed at the bottom of the stairs.
âSpeak.â
âA letter from Swallow has arrived.â
âSwallow⊠Must be from Draxia.â
âIt says that the plan will be executed sooner than anticipated; therefore, I request your assistance by altering Your Majestyâs commitment to meet the time frame.â
âIt seems Thranâs retaliation is stronger than expected.â Marcus laughed. âAs We said, no military support is available. Draxia would be pleased if We sent the Empireâs two lords.â
âSend Geschard and Arie, and make sure to tell them to remain discreet. Is that enough?â
âAll right.â Emperor Marcus nodded. âWe shall order it. But if it comes to light that weâre behind it, we may be accused of war crimes. Weâd be condemned across the continent. Itâs not something to be concerned about, but thereâs no harm in extra precautions.â
With that, Marcus settled back into his throne.
âIâthereâs one more thing. I have a separate report for you, Your Majesty?â
Emperor Marcus beckoned for Jaken to continue.
âJoshua von Agnus entered the Academy under the pseudonym âAsh pen Frederick.ââ
âAh⊠what a funny guy.â Emperor Marcus could discuss the strangest things and his expression would show nothing but boredom. Now, however, his eyes sparkled with amusement.
âYes⊠He and Amaru bron Sten sparred because Joshua insulted the familyâs swordsmanship. It was a fight to restore the familyâs honorâbut Amaru lost.â
âSten. Arieâs family?â
âYes, Your Majesty.â
âAmusing.â The Emperorâs lips curled into an amused grin.
Itâs like art. The Stens, one of the greatest and proudest families in the Empireâyet Joshua had so much fun after just his first day of school.
Figures⊠Even Babel von Agnus was no match for him.
âJaken.â Emperor Marcus folded his arms.
âYes, Your Majesty?â
âHave We ever expressed our concern about high-ranking aristocratsâ hasty admissions?â
Jaken quickly shook his head. âI didnât see any of what you refer to. Good things come in small packages, and His Majesty was kind to those who exhibited the smallest amount of kindness.â
âYes.â The Emperorâs smile widened. âJaken, We have a task for you.â
âName it, sire.â
âEnlist that child in the Knights Templar. We will write a letter of recommendation, if necessary.â
Jaken was shocked. Entering the Imperial Knights was hard enoughâbut a recommendation letter from the Emperor himself?
His was the highest seat in the Empire, and his word was law. No one could refuse him.
âOf course, We have considered that he defeated Our knights. How silly of Us to suggest that he needs a letter of recommendation.â
Joshua was still a child in the Emperorâs eyes. Even as a child, he claimed to have been born with the greatest talent the world had ever seen.
âThe mana test he took was ten steps behind the Imperial Admission test, however.â
The difficulty was increased because it was oriented towards real-world experience. From what the Emperor said, Joshua would be taking an informal exam rather than the official annual exam.
One must put his life on the line or else be labeled a loser and thrown from his seat. He can kiss goodbye to becoming a knightâis there a greater dishonor? The loss would be unimaginable; like unripe fruit falling from the branch, he would become no more than garbage. That was why the Emperor proposed a letter of recommendation.
However, it didnât take him long to realize that thinking about it was a waste of time.