Chapter 3

Translated by KuroNeko Edited by Editor

In front of the castle gates of Candace, there is a filling station and training area for the Knights of Belironite.

In the backyard of the training ground, a crowd of about twenty people had gathered. They were all dressed in the scarlet uniforms of the Order, so from a distance they looked like bright red mountains. Some were watching with serious eyes, while others crossed their arms with interest.

The focus of attention was the match between Matthew, a mid-level knight, and Evan, a young knight.

“Tae yaah!”

As Evan rushed forward, he swung his saber to take a swipe, but Matthew parried the slash with the dagger in his left hand.

He twisted his body, sliding the blade, and plunged his right rapier at Evan’s throat – at the same moment, the young man turned back and met the thrust.

Several strands of cut red hair flew through the air, but the unharmed person himself took a step forward with his right foot and regained his stance, swinging his sword again. Matthew took a quick step back and took a defensive stance.

“How do you do that against a two-faced opponent…… Evan?”

A knight with brown hair that billowed like a bird’s nest, who had been watching with bated breath, muttered to himself. His long, pointed ears twitched with each clang of the sword fight.

The dark-skinned knight next to him nodded. Sweat runs from the temple where the left half of his head hair is slicked back to the tendrils of his square black-rimmed glasses.

“Yes. Vice Commander Matthew, at your age, you’ve got a way with that body.”

The Order of the Belironite is an order of knights owned by the king. Unlike the military police in towns, gatekeepers in government offices, and other organizations to maintain public order, the Knights were established to protect the Royal family. However, during the war, they were sent to fight in the White Army and fought to the death against the Arcanet army.

Matthew, the second-in-command, was a fierce warrior who had survived the last war. At 56 years of age, he holds a rapier in his right hand and a dagger, Mangochi, in his left, and skillfully uses them in both offense and defense. He is a middle-aged man of medium height and medium build, with a slightly thin gray hairline and a red face with laugh lines.

However, he demonstrates a superb sword judgement that cannot be anticipated just on its look.

Evan, on the other hand, had been training with a sword since he was a child, and although his experience as a knight was limited, his abilities were solid.

“…… Let’s end this now. You can’t get rid of it if you’re slumped in practice.”

Matthew smiled, showing his yellowed front teeth as he caught his breath.

“No…… not yet”

Evan closed in on Matthew with the sharpness of a bird of prey, not lowering his sword.

Matthew grinned furiously under the naked scuffle.

As soon as the morning meeting of the Order was over, Evan offered Matthew a handfasting. The Commander was escorting His Majesty the King to Arcanet, and he figured there was no one to stop him.

Matthew knew that this subordinate did not think well of him on a regular basis, so he was not particularly surprised and agreed, saying, “Good.” Then Evan continued with a terribly serious look on his face.

“Please give me…… the Vice Commander’s rapier if I win.”

Matthew took a step forward and at the same time thrust his mangochi at him. Evan swings the blade and parries it this time. Evan slapped the mangosteen off Matthew’s left hand as he reamed it out with a sharp, squeaky sound.

The mangochi’s handle fell to the ground and rolled to a distance that could not be reached immediately.

“That Evan guy just blocked the Vice Commander’s two swords with force!”

The surroundings begin to throb. From here, it’s saber versus rapier.

When he let go of the mangochi, Matthew kept an unconcerned face and switched his rapier to his left hand. However, the rapier is a stabbing wepon, whereas the saber is a curved blade that can slash, and Matthew is constantly dodging and defending himself against Evan’s onslaught.

A few moments ago, the two had seemed to be evenly matched in strength, but now Evan had the upper hand due to the reach of his weapon and the fact that he was young enough to use his physical strength to his advantage. Most of the people present were convinced that Evan would win.

“I don’t think he’s aware of…”

A dark-skinned knight with glasses crossed his arms and muttered quietly.

“Hmm? Victor, what do you mean?”

A brown-haired knight with pointed ears tilted his head and asked. Victor, the knight who had just muttered, smiled in annoyance and pointed at Evan’s feet as he hunted down Matthew.

“…… Uh-oh.”

The brown-haired knight also sensed something and nodded regretfully with the corners of his mouth curved into a heap.

“Hah!”

After an exchange of sword fights, Evan raised his sword to Matthew, saying that this was the end. Matthew didn’t miss the momentary gap.

The old soldier kicked Evan in the shin with his right foot, and as soon as he was out of his stance, he poked him in the tail with the pommel of his sword. Evan collapsed to the ground on his knees, nauseous from stomach acid.

Even so, the moment the young man endured the pain and raised his head in defeat.

With his right foot, Matthew stepped on the hilt of the mangochi that had fallen to the ground and held the blade, which was pointed upward by the principle of leverage, to Evan’s throat.

“That was close. I got a little carried away.”

Matthew bent down and narrowed his eyes, smiling shyly at him.

“!”

Evan had nothing to say back. He swallowed his spit, and a drop of sweat dripped from his chin, falling and splattering on the tip of the mangochi’s blade.

“The vice commander has won in a landslide!”

“I thought Evan was pushing me, but you were guiding me to the location of the dagger that I dropped!”

The surrounding knights cheered. Matthew stood up and placed his two swords in their sheaths on either side of his waist, then coughed lightly and ordered them to be quiet.

“In this way, even if the enemy drops the weapon from your hand, there is a risk that he will counterattack by surprise. In such a case, take the weapon, or if you can’t get to it in time, blind them or slash their limbs, so as not to give them an opportunity to counterattack!”

“Understand!”

All at once, the knights held the back of their left hand in front of their chest and raised their right fist at an angle of 45 degrees. This is the salute of this country.

“This concludes today’s lesson, line up!”

At Matthew’s command, the knights quickly lined up in a horizontal line. Everyone was inwardly happy that it was over so quickly.

“As you all know, His Majesty and the Commander will be returning from Arcanet tomorrow, and there will be a party to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Amity. Each of you should rejuvenate yourselves for tomorrow.”

Don’t drink yourself into a stupor, Matthew added jokingly.

“Understand!”

The knights saluted again and disbanded.

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