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“What the hell, what kind of magic did you use?”
“It’s not magic, it’s my power.”
Even Kiolle’s handsome face was dusty, so it wasn’t cool at all. Without even thinking about putting up his disheveled bangs, Yuder kindly told Kiolle who looked up at him.
“Everything pure in nature follows me. The knight’s sword, made by smelting iron from nature with fire, means that it follows me more than you.”
As he moved his hand once again, Kiolle’s sword swung into the air and went down. Kiolle opened his eyes like a man seeing a ghost on his sword.
“… Impossible.”
“You can do more impossible things.”
Yuder’s finger flicked once more. Then a flame blew over the sword held by Kiolle.
“Kiolle-nim!”
Kiolle was unable to overcome the soaring heat of the flame and abandoned the sword. A beautiful flame burned on the sword’s blade that fell on the floor and soon disappeared. But it wasn’t really burned or scorched, leaving no trace on the blade and handle.
In front of everyone, a disbelief sigh leaked out of Kiolle’s open lips, who threw the sword that resembled the knight’s life and even covered it with dirt.
Yuder sighed quietly as that person glared at him with his bloody eyes.
‘If he runs for it, it might be a bit of a headache. I was just trying to play with him.’
“You, why didn’t you go to the Sul division?”
One of the Cavalry members gathered behind asked mysteriously. When Yuder turned his head to answer it, someone else’s answer came before him.
“If you can do both, you don’t have to limit your options.”
“Commander-nim!”
Before he knew it, Kishiar stood behind the cavalry. The knights, who didn’t notice that he had come here because of the unprecedented surprise, looked alternately at the entrance and Kishiar with surprised faces.
It was a shame of the Imperial Knights that they had no idea that the duke with such a noticeable appearance and a higher position than others walked in proudly.
Training to feel sensitive was one of the things that all knights sharpened and polished from an early age.
“I was talking to Theo a little late, and you were doing pretty funny things.”
Kishiar walked slowly in front of the Cavalry. His red eyes fell off the floor, at the sword fluttering away, and then at Yuder’s face.
Yuder felt a little uneasy when he saw the smile on that man’s face looking at him.
“Yuder.”
“Yes.”
“Commander-nim, Yuder only stepped up for us!”
Ever shouted from behind when Kishiar called out Yuder’s name. Only then did the other members swallowing their breaths raised their voices one by one and sympathized with her.
“That’s right. They told us to ignore us first and leave.”
“We told them that we had to train, but they wouldn’t listen!”
“… I didn’t call Yuder to scold him. It’s not bad to see that there’s already a sense of camaraderie between you, but don’t misunderstand.”
Ever’s ears turned red when Kishiar smirked and spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you generously. Alright, then. Yuder. Why don’t you tell me why you didn’t wait for me to come? I’ve already lost my motivation and I can’t handle it.”
After joking and winking in an exaggerated way, Kishiar asked Yuder a question. The question never came with the intention of scolding or berating him. He was rather saying the opposite.
The shock spread like a tremor among the knights. Kiolle was also looking at Kishiar like a man hit in the head.
“Now, as my unit says. Why do the other knights add up to the decision that I made after talking to Theo myself? Theo generously understood all the circumstances. If you have any complaints, tell your commander directly.”
Kishiar casually called the Imperial Knights Commander Theorado van Tyne by the nickname “Theo”.
However, the knights could not believe that the esteemed commander of the Imperial Knights had given permission to use an important training ground.
“Why on earth would the commander give them such permission? This place is designed for the knights. Why do we have to cut down on our training time because of them? What kind of place is this…?”
When one of the knights shouted unbearably, Kishiar burst into laughter.
“Really? Then you can train here. It’s not like we’re short of land. You can use whatever you want.”
His low voice caught everyone’s attention incredibly.
Kishiar smiled as he looked directly at the knight who shouted at him.
“There is no compensation for all the natural disasters that may happen during training. It happens during formal training hours. Whether the sword burns, the ground turns upside down, or the tree breaks… Any member of the brave Imperial Knights can handle it. Right?
“…”
The knight’s face hardened with insult and fear.
“We’re about to start training. All those who are confident may stay here. If not, go back.”
After the silence, the Imperial Knights stepped down. Yuder saw Kiolle staring at him and rose on his own feet, shaking off the support from his servant.
“I’ll remember you, you bastard.”
But as soon as Kiolle picked up the sword and disappeared, Yuder soon forgot about him.
‘Why would I remember someone who would soon disappear?’
“Yuder, are you all right?”
When the knights disappeared, the Cavalry members standing back rushed to Yuder in unison. They mentioned Yuder’s work first thing first, swearing at the knights, and strengthening their camaraderie higher than ever before.
“Yuder… that was great. I’m sorry I should’ve stepped up.”
Yuder patted Gakane on the back with his mouth shut like a big dog.
“It’s okay.”
“But still… I don’t deserve to be your friend. I’m so ashamed.”
“I told you it’s okay.”
He wouldn’t have been much help to come forward anyway. But he thought it was amazing that Gakane gave him a chance. It was the first time someone had stepped up for Yuder.
“I always thought it was unfortunate because I didn’t talk, but I saw it again.”
When Gakane stepped down, the other member behind him held out their thumbs and laughed.
“I think I’ll have to change the training a little bit today. Learning the sword is important, but it’s more important to figure out how much strength you have. This is the only training ground here with a protective magic circle on the ground, so you don’t have to hold back. The protection magic circle engraved with the mana of the archmage Est is still functioning. I want all of you to participate with confidence.”
Only then did Yuder understand why Kishiar had to use this place as the training site.
They followed Kishiar’s instructions to properly inform each other of their abilities and trained to control them by comparing the maximum and minimum output.
Yuder succeeded without difficulty, but there were more clumsy members among them, who couldn’t project the power in the direction that they intended.
“Our ability has never been before. That is, the more you know about yourself, the more it becomes your asset. Keep that in mind.”
During the training, Kishiar used a clear and determined tone instead of his usual languid smile.
The whole ground shook with a bang as someone swung a huge transformed hand on the floor. Still, it was true that the protection magic circle was on, but the aftermath did not reach the buildings outside the training ground.
“Yuder, when you’re done with your training, come to my quarters this evening.”
Before the training was over, Kishiar came close to Yuder after watching him proceed with the training and left instructions in a voice so small that no one else could hear. Yuder looked at him and nodded slightly.
* * *
‘What is he calling me for? Is it because of that knight kid?’
After washing up after all the training, Yuder climbed the stairs alone. No matter how hard he thought about it, that was all he could guess for a reason that Kishiar would secretly call him.
‘It didn’t happen in the past… I can’t guess what’s inside of his head.’
Yuder’s reality had changed by choosing the new division. More things hadn’t been done before, and his future information had often become obsolete. It was still like that.
Standing in front of the top floor where Kishiar was staying, he grabbed the lion-shaped doorknob and tapped it twice. Soon the door opened and the person inside showed his face.
“Welcome. Are you the one who was supposed to visit this evening?”
“…”
It wasn’t a strange face. He’d seen it in the past. But it was their first time meeting now. Yuder nodded at the icy handsome man.
“The Duke left for a moment. He’ll be back soon, so please sit down.”
There was a thin scar over this unique muscle that had long been held by the sword.
The man, who had light reddish skin unique to Southerners, guided Yuder to the table with an emotionless expression and held out a teacup that seemed to have been boiled in advance.
It was ironic that a beautiful ceramic teacup didn’t fit in the big hand.
“Have a drink.”
“…”
After finishing everything he had to do, the man silently stepped back to the bookshelf and stood up. He seemed to be just standing there, but it was a place where one could always see everything in this room at a glance.
‘Is he the swordmaster?’
Yuder felt a slight push for him at heart.
He was Nathan Zuckerman, the aide and hidden swordmaster who followed Kishiar la Orr. Yuder heard that his origin was somewhere in the southern country, not the empire, but he forgot.
That man blindly followed only Kishiar. And after Kishiar’s death, he disappeared like a man who had never existed never appearing again.