Chapter 5

Nelson Elaine.

The youngest member to join the Silver Lion Knights most recently.

His combat prowess was not particularly high.

Still, he was a young knight who always sought guidance, learned, and grew.

He joined the Silver Lions to revive his crumbling family, ambitious but not cunning, a diligent and straightforward individual.

Whenever the other members treated him like a younger brother, he would grumble, insisting that he was a knight officially appointed and should be treated as a proper knight...

"R-really the youngest?"

He jumped up, demanding to see his face, but the boy only bowed his head and remained silent.

Then I noticed his pink pigtails poking out from behind his helmet.

It's Nelson!

Our youngest has really come!

I was about to take off his helmet, but he quickly pressed it down with his hands.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I am Nelson Elaine."

"Huh? Yeah, Nelson. Our youngest. What's the problem?"

His voice was unmistakably Nelson's. No matter how much time had passed, I couldn't forget the voices of the guys who were like family to me.

"Can't you call me Nelson instead of the youngest?"

"Ha."

Seeing him pout, I couldn't help but chuckle.

It's really him.

Our youngest was really here.

I immediately wrapped my arm around his neck, bent him down, and took off his helmet.

"I wanted to make a cool entrance."

A handsome man with pink hair stood before me, scratching the back of his head. It was Nelson.

"Hey... Hey!"

"Yeah, Captain. I missed you so much, I followed you here."

"Wow, man."

"Huh? Is the Captain crying?"

"Shut up, man."

My eyes started to well up, so I lifted my head to hide it.

I kicked him in frustration because he was grinning, but the armor made my foot hurt.

"Captain, I've never seen you cry before. Wow, if I tell the seniors, they'll be envious and call it a lifetime achievement."

"Seniors? Are there other guys too?"

When I asked, Nelson nodded with a smile.

"Of course. I didn't come alone. From the lowest rank to the vice-captain, everyone is waiting for the Captain."

"Even Rayrose..."

Today, his red hair is especially nostalgic. How is the scar on his eye?

A sudden sense of strangeness mixed with nostalgia.

The fact that I could meet these guys again was incredibly happy, but a strange sense of unease naturally followed.

"But how did I summon you guys?"

"That... I can't tell you yet."

"Huh?"

Nelson made a strange expression and answered in a slightly lower voice.

"Because we are bound by a contract. To tell the Captain everything, all of us in the knight order must be in this world."

"Contract? Conditions? You guys didn't do anything strange while I was gone, did you?"

The first thing that came to mind was the great demon Mamon I faced before I died.

Thinking that Mamon's curse continued even after my reincarnation, I was a bit worried that they might have made a contract with another demon, but Nelson shook his head.

"Vice-captain Rayrose is here too. You know, there's no one as calm as him."

"Yeah, that's true."

If I had to pick the most trustworthy person in our knight order, I would choose Rayrose without hesitation.

She was a woman with both character and ability, which is why I put her in the vice-captain position.

"Everyone is eagerly waiting. We've even decided the order in which we'll appear."

"Who are you to decide the order? I call who I want."

"That's also part of the contract..."

"..."

It felt like he was trying to brush things off with the word "contract," but I reluctantly accepted it, though I regretted my decision.

Almost all the mana I had available was used to summon Nelson.

To summon the other members, I would need to increase my available mana.

"Should I have gone to the Mage Academy instead?"

If I had gone to the Mage Academy, I would have received more hints on how to handle mana compared to the Knight Academy.

Of course, I didn't have the qualifications to enter the Mage Academy, but considering Professor Alfredo's reaction, I might have found a way in.

'No, there must be a way.'

Professor Alfredo's determination towards me was beyond imagination.

The old man, who seemed so dignified, was making such a fuss.

'Whether it works or not, I'll meet him.'

I didn't have much usable mana at the moment, but the fact that I had an abundance of mana was undeniable.

It felt a bit wrong to deceive an old man, but honestly, the most important thing right now was to see my guys.

"For now, I need to study about mana. The way mana is used in swordsmanship is a bit different from this."

As I muttered, thinking about how to approach Professor Alfredo, Nelson nodded vigorously, making his pigtails shake.

"That's right. From what I've heard, learning summoning magic will make summoning much easier."

'From what I've heard?'

It was a strange and annoying phrase, but I let it slide for now.

"Summoning magic is a rather difficult field, so it will be a bit tough to learn."

There are magicians with the title of Master in various attributes or fields.

In my previous life, the great magician Hilda mastered a total of six attributes.

'300 years ago, no one reached the level of a great magician through summoning magic.'

This was proof of how difficult and rare summoning magic was.

From my perspective, having spent my entire life swinging a sword, it was a headache to have to learn such an unexpected field.

'Furthermore, considering the amount of mana required to maintain a summon, I probably won't be able to use much mana while in a summoned state.'

I sighed involuntarily.

I had an abundance of mana, but the restriction of not being able to use it due to Mamon's curse felt even more significant.

As if understanding my feelings, Nelson smiled and said,

"It's okay. Whether it's mana or Mamon's brand, everything will be resolved once you summon us."

"What do you mean?"

Nelson knows something.

When I pressed him a bit, he pointed to my hand.

"Can you try using some mana?"

"Hmm?"

I was using almost all the available mana to maintain Nelson's summon.

I thought a weak blue light wouldn't even appear.

"Huh?"

A similar amount of mana, or even a bit more, moved according to my will.

It wasn't the mana I used to summon Nelson returning.

"Did it increase?"

The total amount of mana I could use had increased. It felt like a small shield protecting me from Mamon's curse had been added.

"Although I can't explain it in detail, the more you summon us, the more mana you can use."

Nelson patted his chest and declared,

"This time, we will be the Captain's shield."

* * *

The next day, morning.

After finishing breakfast, the freshmen were on the field in the sports uniforms provided by the academy.

Unlike the Mage Academy, which selected five gems before admission, the Knight Academy does not rank freshmen based on their mana.

A knight's strength is not determined by mana alone.

Nor can it be measured by muscle mass.

So today...

"It's a class placement test! In simpler terms, we will assess your skills through sparring."

Many professors in charge of the freshmen held score sheets and looked at them with cold eyes.

Some students were excited by the word "sparring," while others trembled, lacking confidence.

"Then I will call out the sparring partners. When called, come to the sparring area."

The sparring started with the female students, and their names were called one by one.

I was watching with interest when...

"Huh?"

A familiar face and hair color caught my eye as a girl climbed onto the third sparring area.

Charlotte Elaine, who was looking around nervously, took a deep breath and held a one-handed sword.

She seemed quite nervous, and her breathing was a bit rough.

On the other hand, her opponent casually rested a longsword on her shoulder, displaying a relaxed demeanor.

Her fierce face was slightly softened by her short black hair.

Although she was on the shorter side, she wielded a longsword, which didn't seem to suit her.

The sword was a bit long for a petite woman, but she looked completely at ease.

'This...'

Realizing something, I unconsciously turned my gaze towards the dormitory.

From my room's window, I could see the field...

"Oh."

Seeing Nelson standing at my window, I couldn't help but sigh.

After telling him about Charlotte Elaine, his descendant, he got overly excited and begged to see her, so I left him there without recalling him...

Now, he was leaning out of the window, waving his fist and cheering for Charlotte.