Chapter 2

A desolate plain, covered only with blood-stained dust.

Alone on the field of countless deaths, Rein Raymond knelt, struggling to lift his trembling head.

The massive body of Mammon, the demon of greed, fell like a thick, old tree.

In the dimming consciousness, like a candle flickering out, the scene of the demon spewing blood was etched in his mind.

"My blood... will soak your feet."

The flowing blood seemed to enter his ears, sounding muffled, but the demon continued to mutter something even as he was about to die.

"My mouth will devour you."

"Shut... up."

He didn't want to hear it.

He wanted to stab the demon's head with his sword and grant him eternal rest, but even if he wanted to, he couldn't muster the strength in his hands, and his sword was nowhere to be found.

"Mammon, the demon of greed. Even if I die here, you will not escape my teeth..."

That was the end.

Mammon, the demon who had ravaged the continent, met his end.

Only then did a heavy sense of relief wash over me.

"Captain!"

"There he is!"

"Medics, hurry up!"

The voices of those who were like family to me came from behind. The Silver Knights, with whom I had shared drinks and swords.

My comrades, clad in armor and shields bearing the lion's emblem, rushed over. They, too, had fought fiercely, their silver armor stained red with blood, and many were severely injured.

Some had even lost a limb.

"I told you... to be careful."

They all had families, and I had warned them not to recklessly throw themselves into danger, yet this is what happened.

Then, these grown men, sobbing, showed me faces I never wanted to see on their last journey.

Crying so easily would only tarnish the name of the Silver Lion Knights, who protect the kingdom.

From tomorrow, we should change our name to the Silver Crybaby Knights.

I felt the medics approach and use healing magic, but it was already too late.

I knew my body best.

My last instinct told me it was time to fulfill my final duty as the captain.

"Where is the vice-captain?"

I tried to turn my head to find her, but it wouldn't move, so I called out as if forcing the words out.

Then, a woman with red hair appeared among the knights.

She usually would have been by my side first, but I wondered why she was late.

"You... what's wrong with your eye?"

A long sword wound on her left eye. The bleeding had been stopped as an emergency measure, but blood was seeping through the bandages.

"I'm sorry."

She must have been trying to hide her injuries.

Despite her outstanding appearance, her reserved personality made it hard for her to meet men, and now with a scar on her eye, what would she do?

"Enough, draw your sword."

"Captain!"

The vice-captain, realizing what I was about to do, tried to protest, but I had already extended my hand.

"Since I don't have the strength to hold a sword, we'll proceed with a simplified ceremony. Vice-captain Marie Rayrose, step forward."

The other knights also tried to say something, but when I started the ceremony, they just held their tears and took their positions.

Surrounding Marie and me, the Silver Knights raised their swords in front of their chests.

Looking at them, I couldn't help but chuckle; they had their own admirable qualities.

Marie, uncharacteristically, knelt before me, tears streaming down her face.

Normally, I should have handed her my sword, but I didn't have the strength to stand or hold a sword.

Placing my hand calmly on her red hair, I declared:

"Rein Raymond, the master of the Silver Lion Knights, bestows the Sword of the Lion upon you."

The atmosphere was too heavy, so I rolled my eyes to look around.

"Find it somewhere, stuck in a corpse."

I'm sorry I couldn't properly hand it to you.

"Move forward boldly, for we are both sword and shield. While destroying the enemy, do not turn your eyes away from the precious ones you must protect."

"..."

"May infinite blessings be upon your future, young lion..."

My eyes slowly closed.

As I lost strength, my hand slipped from Marie's head.

Struggling to keep my body from collapsing, I finally closed my eyes, still kneeling.

In a state where my consciousness was about to fade, a small voice, like a tangled thread, reached my ears.

"I failed to protect the precious one I should have protected."

"Today, we, the Silver Lions, swear here that we will forever follow our honorable and noble captain, Rein Raymond."

"Forever."

* * *

Sweat-soaked hair clung to my forehead.

Thinking it was the last time, today's morning air seemed especially sweet, as if a parting gift, refreshing and cool.

"Huh."

It had been 17 years since Rein Raymond, the captain of the Silver Lion Knights, was reborn as a small boy named Ian Aynel.

The confusion of the initial reincarnation and the dizziness of realizing 300 years had passed were long gone.

Now, I had perfectly adapted to my new life.

After practicing sword skills to a certain extent, I slowly began to draw mana.

The meager amount of mana, in stark contrast to the splendid sword skills.

So little mana that anyone who saw it might laugh.

"Ugh."

Mana is fundamentally a matter of talent.

The amount of mana determined at birth is an unchanging truth, never increasing or decreasing throughout one's life.

Then, what about my mana?

When I first gauged my own mana after reincarnation, I was so shocked that I almost fell over.

A clear, transparent, and pure blue mana, vast like an ocean, exuded grandeur and enormity.

The amount of mana was so overwhelming that my body was on the verge of collapse.

The small body couldn't contain so much mana, causing the vessel, the body, to struggle.

Therefore, my post-reincarnation body was inherently very fragile.

To normalize my body enough to wield a sword, I trained tirelessly, and after 17 years of effort, I managed to recover to the level of an ordinary boy.

"Mammon, you bastard."

There was only one reason I could only handle a meager amount of mana despite having enough to collapse my body.

The curse of gluttony left by Mammon followed me even into my life 300 years later.

I didn't expect the demon to be so persistent.

The curse of gluttony devours all my mana the moment I try to use it.

The only fortunate thing is that I'm gradually understanding how to resist Mammon's curse.

To put it metaphorically, his curse is like a drain that swallows water.

I'm in the process of figuring out how to block the drain to prevent the water from flowing out.

Of course, I'm far from preserving all the water.

As I was finishing my training, a voice called out to me.

"Ian! Eat before you go!"

My mother's voice calling from a distance.

Unlike my previous life as an orphan, this time I had parents!

Unfortunately, my father passed away before I was born.

Still, my mother raised me without ever feeling inferior and faced everything with resilience.

I answered that I would go soon, took a deep breath, and gathered my mana.

Today was the day I was going to the Knight Academy, a place made for those who dream of becoming knights.

Although the commoner admission process is strict, passing the exam wasn't a big challenge for me.

300 years ago, I couldn't even imagine a knight academy.

'The world has really improved.'

After a quick wash and a meal,

I greeted my mother and headed outside.

As I descended into the village, the villagers came out as if they had been waiting and began to send me off.

"Congratulations, Ian!"

"Pride of our village! Good luck!"

"Show the strength of a mountain man!"

"Your morning efforts have finally paid off!"

"I never thought someone from our village would get into the Knight Academy!"

The villagers celebrated more enthusiastically than I imagined, giving me various items, but I didn't refuse.

They were all gestures of goodwill for me.

I couldn't reject them, so I gratefully accepted everything with a smile.

As a result, the bag on my back swelled like a balloon, and my hands were full of various foods.

With the cheers and applause behind me, I stepped out of the village to find a large carriage with a sharp sword emblem already waiting.

Even though 300 years had passed, it was a magnificent carriage I hadn't seen even when I was the captain of the knights.

"Hurry up. You're late."

The carriage driver, with many scars on his face, spoke in a cold tone.

I must have been a bit late due to the villagers' well-wishes.

"Ha ha, sorry."

I laughed and climbed into the carriage, but I didn't miss the chance to glance at the driver.

'The top-tier knight academy isn't just for show. Even the driver is top-notch.'

I was honestly surprised to see a formidable warrior driving the carriage.

Inside the carriage, I saw the students who had taken their seats.

They were pretending to look out the window, but I could tell they were secretly observing me, their future companion.

I heard that most of the noble freshmen came in their family carriages.

Therefore, those in the academy's shared carriage were mostly commoner admissions.

That's why they all looked tense.

Except for one.

A girl who crossed her arms, glanced at me for a moment, then turned her nose up and looked out the window.

"Country bumpkin."

A very unique, deep pink hair color.

A forehead that was fully exposed and long, curly hair.

Pale skin that contrasted with her pink hair.

The familiar features made me jump, and I sat across from the girl, who was grumbling.

"Hi?"

"..."

I smiled and greeted her, but she kept her gaze fixed out the window.

She even let out an annoyed huff, as if asking why I was sitting there.

While someone might see her as rude, to me, even her rudeness was cute.

"Do you want some bread? I brought some from our village. You look too thin."

I offered a freshly baked, steaming loaf of bread.

But the girl continued to look away, not giving me a glance.

She even crossed her arms, indicating she didn't want to talk to me.

"Um, how about this?"

Next, I took out a skewer. I thanked Mrs. Herit, who had worked hard to catch a chicken for me early in the morning.

When I took out the chicken skewer, her big, round eyes finally moved. It was cute to see her inner struggle.

"Please eat. I received too much food, and if I don't eat it soon, I'll have to throw it away."

Seeing my humble attitude, the girl pouted and turned her head.

"O-Okay, I'll eat it."

"Thanks, enjoy it."

Watching her devour it like a possessed person, I felt a new sense of emotion.

"Nelson used to love chicken skewers too."

"..."

The girl looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if wondering what I meant.

"From the Elaine family, right? Pink hair, curly, white skin. Definitely the Elaine family."

She was so surprised that I knew about her family that she opened her mouth in shock and stared at me.

The sauce from the chicken skewer she had eaten hastily was all over her mouth, so I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and offered it to her.

But she didn't take it, and with a stiff face, she continued to ask questions.

"Do you... know our family?"

"Of course, I couldn't not know."

A chuckle escaped my lips.

Nelson Elaine.

I used to take care of the youngest in our knight squad in the same way.

After telling him that sword skills weren't everything and giving him a good scolding, I would take him to a tavern and feed him chicken skewers, which he always enjoyed.

"Eat more."

Watching the descendant of our youngest, I couldn't help but smile continuously.