Chapter 48

"…Then, the match begins!"

At the sound of the referee's words, I moved, and with all my might, I swung the sword that had been crushed, aiming it at the man named Ryl. The soldier who was supposed to be my opponent simultaneously directed his sword at a man named Dida. We had agreed that with our makeshift pair, it would be impossible to coordinate, so we aimed to fight one-on-one.

Ryl blocked my attack with his sword. The sound of metal clashing echoed. No matter how hard I tried to overpower him, he didn't budge. His calm and composed demeanor as he effortlessly defended made me feel a bit frustrated.

...At this rate, I can't finish the attack.

Feeling this, I pulled back, intending to launch another attack. But just as I did, my sword was knocked away, and a torrent of attacks came at me. Each strike was heavy, and I was barely able to defend.

"…Damn."

Even as I tried to find a way to break through, moving my body, there was no opening. I was being attacked relentlessly, unable to counter. ...Being dominated like this was a rare occurrence. Given the environment I had grown up in, I had never lost in matches against peers. Since joining the knight corps, I had also accumulated a fair number of victories. ...Yet, now, I could barely defend. My opponent looked completely at ease. I couldn't see any way to win. Honestly, I was stunned by the gap between them and me.

With a metallic clang, I saw a sword flying through the corner of my vision. ...It seemed the match between Dida and the soldier had ended quickly. The winner was Dida. At the same time, the force behind Ryl's sword increased. He had been holding back until now... I was overpowered and my sword was easily knocked away.

I lost... I was about to say "I surrender," but before I could, Ryl continued to swing his sword at me without pausing.

"Wha…!"

Normally, when an opponent's sword is knocked away, they would stop attacking! Before I could voice this, I was busy dodging. Despite the heavy attacks, the speed was incredible...

"Stop! The match is over."

At the referee's words, Ryl immediately stopped his sword. It had been aimed at my throat, and I was saved at the last moment...

"……"

Ryl silently lowered his sword, looking dissatisfied. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"…Why aren't the two of you part of the military or the knight corps?"

Relieved, I didn't even protest the final attack. Instead, I asked a question that had been on my mind. They could be well-received by either side, yet I had never heard their names.

"Because we have a master to serve."

"But... with that power..."

"But what? We never thought about serving the country. We are content as long as we can protect the princess."

"…Dida, you don't need to say that much here."

Dida's statement made Ryl sigh and place his hand on his temple.

"But, Ryl, wouldn't you feel the same? What has the country ever done for us? It was the princess who took us in, wasn't it?"

"…That's true."

"That's why we have no intention of joining the military or the knight corps."

With that, they left the arena. General Gazel stepped up, standing between the military and the knight corps.

"Everyone, well done! We have set up a place for conversation, so let's relax and have a drink today."

General Gazel concluded the mock match with those words, and the area became noisy. I left to wash off the sweat, heading to a water source near the training ground.

"Good job."

A pat on the shoulder made me turn around to see a senior. He was the closest in age to me and often took care of me.

"That match was amazing."

"…Not at all. I couldn't even handle them."

"Of course not. If anyone could match swords with those two, it would be General Gazel or, in the knight corps, Captain Malcolm."

Captain Malcolm was the ace of the knight corps. To be able to fight on equal terms with him, they were indeed worthy of being General Gazel's disciples.

"Really, why don't the two of them come to the capital? They would be welcomed with open arms by either the knight corps or the military."

"They said it already."

"But..."

"When you tried to argue with them, I was worried. If you had said more, they would have drawn their swords."

"Really...?"

I looked at my senior, who was smiling wryly.

"Like you, both the knight corps and the military tried to recruit them. But they firmly refused. The persistent attempts led to a duel. They were insulted, and the recruitment words were inappropriate. They won the duel."

I was stunned. Knights value honor and would draw their swords if their master was insulted. But to actually do it...

The word "mad dog" flashed in my mind. They sought their master like mad dogs and directed their mad blades at their enemies. Who was the master who could recognize and embrace such mad dogs...

"…That duel was spectacular. Not like today's play. If General Gazel hadn't stopped it, it could have been fatal."

"Really...?"

"Yes. They have the solid foundation of a knight and the flexible, unpredictable responses of the military. Dida's movements are too fast to follow, and Ryl's strikes are too heavy to match. I can't forget that match. By the way, you were attacked quite a bit by Ryl at the end. It was lucky the referee stopped it."

"Why?"

"Because their master is the Duchess Iris's daughter. I felt sorry for your bad luck. Probably, they were called in by General Gazel to balance the scores between the military and the knight corps. In the worst case, it might have been the military and the knight corps against the two of them. ...Anyway, the final match was yours, and as expected, the two of them appeared. By this point, I was worried you would be beaten up, considering the incident at the academy."

"That's..."

Their master is the Duchess Iris's daughter... The realization hit me like a blow to the head. Could it be that she... She is the one who recognized and embraced them...

"That's why I said 'amazing' because you survived."

I really think so. It was fortunate that today was just a "mock" match. It was fortunate that my opponent was Ryl. Otherwise, I might not be standing here now... I felt a chill.

"…Senior."

"What?"

"Senior, what do you think of the Duchess Iris's daughter?"

"Don't ask me. I've never even met her, let alone spoken to her."

His words pierced my heart. Before taking that action, I had met her but never spoken to her.

"But... seeing how they are with her, I think she must be a very open-hearted person."

"…That's true..."

Really, it was fortunate. It was fortunate that today was just a mock match. It was fortunate that my opponent was Ryl. Otherwise, I might not be standing here now... I felt a chill.