Chapter 27

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The Dark Knight was both a unique skill and a unique job of the Dullahan. Although they were monsters, they could communicate with humans and had a combat maniac personality that preferred one-on-one battles.

The reason they became extinct lies in their method of birth. Dullahans could not produce offspring through the mating of monsters; they could only be born through evolution.

Therefore, every Dullahan that was born was exceptionally powerful and dangerous.

In the past, when the demon king was defeated in Ishtalica, he had two subordinates, one of whom was a Dullahan.

If you were to fight them, you must never accept a one-on-one battle.

If you were to fight them, you must never fight on their terms.

In close combat, no one could stand up to them. The Dullahan, a monster that even the demon king trusted, was indeed formidable.

*

“I understand it’s work, but whether the other party is convinced is a different matter.”

“Did you say something, boy? ... If you have time to complain, ...”

Ain has yet to fully master the abilities of the Dark Knight. The only thing he could do was "Phantom Hand." For the Dark Knight, it was a basic technique. Just as a Dryad can use absorption from birth, for the Dark Knight, it was "Phantom Hand."

A third arm activated with magic power. It was more like feeding magic power to make it work. The strength of this hand could be freely adjusted, but it was a magic power eater.

It could be made as strong and hard as desired, and if fed magic power in anger, it would endlessly seek more strength.

It must never lead to a major accident. Ain understood this. It was just to intimidate, to make the other party regret their words. With this in mind, he activated the Dark Knight ability, which he had not planned to use.

“What are you doing, boy!?”

The magic power recorded in the status is about 200 for a person who does no training, and about 500 for a competent magician. Among them, Ain's magic power exceeds 2500, so he has five times the amount.

The examiner questioned what Ain was doing, seeing the black aura leaking from his body. But Ain did not respond.

“If this is going to happen, I should have checked the power properly. Well, I’ll just increase it gradually.”

The magic power Ain poured in was about 200. Once the magic power was poured in, there was no need for more output. The Phantom Hand did not require more until it was destroyed or the given magic power was used up.

Thus, he fed the magic power and made the Phantom Hand appear. It was black and tentacle-like, but its muscular appearance was indeed intimidating. Since he did not plan to use the Dark Straw, he created two of them from the shoulder blade area on the spot.

The Phantom Hand he created was about 1.5 meters long. With the magic power of one person, one arm was created, and Ain was a little excited to see how strong it would be.

“What is that...! What are you doing!?”

“I’m not doing anything like shooting flames, so it’s fine, right?”

“I’m telling you to explain!”

“There’s no rule that says I have to. If you’re scared, just stop and give me a pass quickly.”

Provoking back. As someone being examined, this was something he shouldn’t do. But Ain was already at his limit, so he was more assertive than usual.

“Hahaha! Still being cheeky, huh? I don’t know what skill it is, but it’s fine. Just because you have more arms, it doesn’t make you stronger. Even insects are stronger than you...!”

The examiner, who said this, ran towards Ain. The examiner, who put more effort into it, accelerated and quickly entered Ain’s range, swinging the sword at his head.

“!?! Quite a skilled arm! Tch!”

Ain used one of the Phantom Hands to grab and suppress the wooden sword swung by the examiner. Ain still had three hands left to use. This time, he used his own two arms to swing the wooden sword at the examiner.

“Hmph! Even with more arms, it’s just more trouble.”

The examiner was strong. At least stronger than the knights Ain usually faced. Ain’s attack was blocked by the examiner’s skillful use of the gauntlet.

“That’s different from what you said earlier. Haah!!”

Ain used the other Phantom Hand to punch the examiner, aiming for the torso, but the examiner curled up and shielded it with his arm, so it didn’t hit cleanly.

“Guh... Nn. That’s heavy, damn it!”

The Phantom Hand, created with 200 magic power, had enough strength to damage the examiner, even from above the guard. But Ain thought it should have been stronger.

“No. Just a little more, this isn’t enough.”

Hearing these words, the examiner was thinking. More power? What is he talking about?

In the examiner’s mind, Ain had already passed the initial attack and defense.

Thus, Ain poured in more magic power. He decided to double it and poured in 200 more magic power into each.

The magic power used for these two Phantom Hands was now double the previous amount.

(What is that? He probably strengthened it just now. The strange arm, like a vein sucking up blood, pulsed and glowed blue...!)

After the sucking motion, the Phantom Hand appeared to become even darker.

“This time, I’ll take the initiative.”

Ain closed the distance with the examiner, who had moved away. Ain was not particularly agile. In fact, compared to the knights of Ishtalica, his agility was lower. Normally, the Dark Knight uses their skill to strengthen their body and fight, so their original agility is not high.

“Using a strange skill, but your movements are slow, which is a relief... Huh!”

Ain’s sword, swung with both hands, was easily blocked. But the sword, swung with both hands and momentum, forced the examiner to use both hands and put strength into his waist to block it horizontally.

“Is that okay?”

The examiner, who felt a chill, saw the black arm behind him. The black arm, after the examiner blocked Ain’s attack, started to move.

Even in such a critical situation, the examiner somehow rotated his body and used his gauntleted hand as a shield to block again. To an outsider, the examiner’s movements were superhuman.

But the enhanced Dark Knight’s arm did not care about the guard. With a crack, the examiner’s equipment broke, and he was blown back several meters.

Ain’s Phantom Hand, after feinting an attack, attacked from the opposite side. It was a feint. But the examiner, reacting to the feint, moved his guard. Ain felt that the examiner’s movement was purely amazing.

The examiner, who was blown back, got up and looked at Ain.

“Haa... Haa... What the hell. This is the first time I’ve seen a kid like this.”

“That’s an honor. Let’s continue, shall we?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I lost, and an examiner losing in an entrance exam is unprecedented... You’re qualified.”

At the end of the battle, Ain had forgotten he was taking an entrance exam. At the same time, he regretted using the Dark Knight and his attitude towards the examiner.

“I apologize for my poor attitude during the exam.”

He decided to apologize. He couldn’t forgive the insult to his parents, but he knew it was said for the sake of the exam.

“It’s mutual. Damn, I still have exams to conduct, so I need to find a replacement. You’re qualified, go through the procedures and leave.”

The goal was to get into the Royal Kingsland Academy. Ain achieved it, but he didn’t expect to use the Phantom Hand, so his body was exhausted.

“Yeah, I understand. Thank you for the exam.”

When it was over, the adrenaline and heat from his body dissipated like a wave. All that remained was pure fatigue and a little regret for getting so angry.

*

“Mr. Ain, congratulations on your qualification.”

The exam ended when he submitted the number tag given to examinees. Detailed information for qualified candidates would be sent to their homes, and in Ain’s case, it would be sent to the castle.

Among them, Chris was standing at the entrance of the room where the chaperones were waiting, just outside the venue.

“Yes, thank you. By the way, Chris, you knew I was coming back well.”

“Yes, of course. And I’m sorry, but you must be tired. I have something to tell you, Mr. Ain, so is it okay?”

“...Yes.”

This was why Chris was waiting at the entrance and knew Ain had qualified. Chris knew Ain had used the Dark Knight. She could sense it even from a distance. Ain thought she was probably angry, even though he couldn’t see her face under the helmet.

“Hey, Chris?”

“Yes, what is it?”

Chris, who was walking, replied with a slightly colder voice than usual.

“Are you just pouting or are you really angry?”

“Both.”

Ain thought it was okay. If she was just pouting, there was still a chance.

“I knew I was making the other person angry for the sake of the exam. But when you, Chris, who taught me swordsmanship, and Lloyd were called bad teachers, I couldn’t help but get angry.”

It was true, though the words that followed were the trigger. He was indeed irritated when Chris and the others were belittled.

“Mm... Mm... But even so, it’s not acceptable! You shouldn’t have shown a skill you weren’t supposed to... No matter how you felt.”

Ain felt it was almost there. He understood he had done something wrong, but he was too tired for a lecture.

“I really look up to you, Chris, like a real sister. So I can’t help but get angry sometimes.”

This was also true. Chris, who had been his guard and trained with him for so long, was someone Ain cherished.

“...Sigh. His Majesty will probably hear the details through the school.”

“I guess that can’t be helped. By the way, did you hurt the examiner? Is he okay?”

“The examiner wasn’t supposed to get hurt. But there are people in the school who specialize in healing, so he should be fine.”

Chris seemed to have decided not to lecture Ain, and he felt a little relieved.

The lecture would be too much for his tired body.

What kind of reaction his grandfather Silvardo would have. He felt a bit gloomy, but he just wanted to go back to the castle and rest.

(I wonder if I can make friends. I don’t have any acquaintances of my own age... When will Cronne come?)

Thinking about his future school life after qualifying, Ain was looking forward to it. He had never had friends of his own age, and thinking about Cronne coming to Ishtalica made him feel strangely excited.

*

When it got a little chilly after October, about a month and a bit after Ain’s problematic entrance exam, the official notice of qualification arrived.

With the arrival of the notice, Silvardo and the others were talking about Ain.

“Regardless, it’s good that he qualified. I don’t deny that there was problematic behavior, though.”

This was said by Ain’s grandfather, Silvardo. Of course, the incident on the exam day was reported to Silvardo.

A certain examinee number had black arms and defeated the examiner, who suffered a bone injury.

Although there were no issues with the exam rules, the decision was to qualify him, but it was a headache for Silvardo.

Ain, who returned home with a tired face, was healing his fatigue with a few Ripl Modoki magic stones.

Olivia, who heard the news of his qualification, thought it was expected, but gently scolded him for using the Dark Knight.

“Haha. Well, there were reasons Mr. Ain couldn’t bear, but it’s not a commendable act.”

“As a teacher, it’s a happy story that a student gets angry for the teacher. So I can’t say much as this person...”

Warren said it was not a commendable act, but Lloyd couldn’t strongly scold him. After all, he was angry for Lloyd, so he felt a mix of happiness and difficulty.

“Fortunately, there are many skills. So it’s not clear what was used, and it hasn’t reached a specific situation.”

“That’s a relief.”

“By the way, what about the examiner’s injury?”

“He was treated by someone who can heal. I heard he is back to normal.”

Lloyd was concerned about the injured examiner and asked Silvardo about the extent of the injury.

“However, as someone who teaches martial arts, the injury is the examiner’s responsibility. In the end, it’s just a fact that he lost.”

His thoughts were strict. As the Marshal of the knights and the leader of the Royal Guard, it was a matter of concern that someone in a position to teach and examine had shown such a disgraceful performance.

“Lord Lloyd. But in this case, wasn’t it inevitable? After all, Mr. Ain used the Dark Knight, a legendary Dullahan skill... It’s just too much for the examiner.”

“I also agree with that. However, I understand what Lloyd is saying, but with Chris and the others, our top-tier experts, as his teachers, it’s a natural result, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Lloyd was convinced. In fact, Ain’s efforts were more significant than his skills. He felt like he was seeing his younger self.

“By the way, Lord Lloyd. You are recommending your son, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s the topic. But he is still inexperienced, so it’s only for inside the school and in emergencies.”

“I see. Then how about the transportation to and from the school?”

“Regarding transportation, I don’t have that much trust yet. I think Chris should take over.”

“That’s reasonable. I will recognize it if that’s the case.”

They were talking about Ain’s dedicated knight. Lloyd also recommended his son for the school. From the Marshal’s perspective, he was not yet capable of guarding outside the school. Therefore, he would only guard inside the school, and Chris would continue to guard outside.

His son was, in a sense, a dedicated knight apprentice.

“Then I will discuss it with the princess. I will talk to Mr. Ain later.”

“Yes, Lord Warren. I leave it to you.”

“But it’s getting colder outside. I like the heat, but I can’t stand the cold.”

“Yes, indeed. Speaking of getting colder... It’s about time, Your Majesty.”

“Mm? Yes, indeed. The long-awaited first shipment will arrive soon.”

What Warren meant by “it’s about time” was the much-anticipated sea crystals from Ishtalica.

The first shipment from the mining with Euru was scheduled to arrive in Ishtalica.

“I can hardly wait. The mining volume exceeds expectations, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. Thanks to that, we won’t have to worry about depletion for a while.”

“That’s good. It’s truly a royal affair.”

The trade with Heim was cheaper and in larger quantities.

Therefore, Ishtalica could secure a large amount of what was needed, and the worry of depletion was gone.

And the first shipment would arrive soon, carrying many sea crystals and guests from Heim.

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