Chapter 11: Change (4)

At the training ground of the knight corps.

The knights, who had been training with great enthusiasm, formed a line and paid their respects upon seeing the lord's party, led by Jonathan, arrive.

Thud.

"I greet the lord."

"I greet the lord."

The House of Dmitri.

Though it is a small fief on the outskirts of the entire Kingdom of Cairo, the status of the House of Dmitri within the fief is significant.

In particular, the treatment received by the Dmitri knights is the best in the surrounding area.

The respect for Baron Romeo was evident from the way the knights formed their ranks in perfect unison.

Jonathan, the captain of the knights, stepped forward and said,

"I plan to conduct a sparring session with young Master Roman. Those who wish to participate, please step forward."

"......"

No one stepped forward.

Jonathan's words were so sudden that the knights exchanged awkward glances.

It was understandable.

Their opponent was Roman Dmitri.

Even if they won, it would be a draw, but if they lost, they would have to worry about being expelled from the knight corps.

Regardless of the respect for Baron Romeo, they did not want to be puppets in his son's show.

"If there are no volunteers, I will choose the opponent."

Jonathan's gaze swept over the knights.

The Dmitri knight corps, excluding the captain, consists of a total of 15 members.

In reality, only two, including Jonathan, have been granted the title of knight.

The remaining 14 are, on paper, commoners. Of course, they aspire to become knights, but their skills are still lacking in many areas.

The problem was from this point on.

If it were the old Roman, anyone could be called out, but the new Roman's limits were unknown.

'The Dmitri knight corps cannot lose to young Master Roman. Therefore, the opponent must be someone who can completely overpower young Master Roman. This will uphold the honor of the knight corps and verify the true strength of young Master Roman, who defeated the Blood Gang.'

In fact, he wanted to step forward himself.

However, the captain of the knight corps is not in a position to draw his sword lightly, and he had to suppress his regret.

He made his decision.

From the moment he accepted Baron Romeo's proposal, Roman's opponent was already decided.

"Chris, step forward."

"......What?"

The man called out.

The handsome blonde, Chris, grimaced at Jonathan's call.

Chris.

He doubted his own ears.

Not just any ordinary knight, but the deputy captain of the Dmitri knight corps, being called out.

"I don't think it's my place to step forward."

Disobedience is a very serious matter.

Under normal circumstances, he would have followed the order without question, but this time he could not accept it.

The reason was simple.

His opponent was Roman.

Even Chris, who genuinely loved the people of Dmitri, shuddered at the thought of Roman, the fool of Dmitri.

'If only he wasn't the lord's son.'

In the past.

Chris had an incident involving Roman.

A violent incident broke out in a pleasure district, and the main culprit was Roman Dmitri.

Roman was causing a disturbance, clearly drunk, and no one dared to touch him, given his status as the eldest son of Dmitri.

While people were wringing their hands, Chris, who was on patrol with the guards, discovered the scene. He needed to resolve the issue for the fief, and as he tried to calm Roman down politely, he suddenly felt a burning sensation on his cheek.

Slap!

He was slapped.

Roman was shouting at him, accusing him of touching his body, and Chris genuinely felt a murderous impulse.

But he held back.

Roman Dmitri.

A bastard, but a man with the Dmitri name.

Chris managed to resolve the incident with the utmost patience, but from that moment on, he detested Roman to the point of shuddering whenever he saw him.

And Jonathan, the captain of the knight corps, was also aware of this.

Chris naturally thought he would be excluded from the sparring, but when he was chosen, he could not help but voice his disobedience.

Jonathan said,

"Young Master Roman is a skilled warrior who single-handedly defeated the Blood Gang. For an equal sparring session, a skilled opponent is necessary, and the person who can represent the Dmitri knight corps is Chris."

"This Blood Gang incident......"

"Chris."

Jonathan's expression hardened.

It meant he would not accept disobedience.

Chris bowed his head.

'Damn it.'

"I understand."

This incident.

Roman's actions are well-known among the knights.

There was a debate about whether Roman truly possessed the formidable strength to defeat the Blood Gang, and Chris firmly stated that it was impossible.

He knew from personal experience.

Just two years ago, he was slapped by Roman, and that was the strength of an ordinary person who had never trained with a sword.

Win or lose?

He wasn't worried about that.

He just wanted to make sure the sparring was done properly.

"I have a condition."

"Speak."

"I was taught to conduct sparring sessions like real combat. Regardless of the opponent, I will not show any mercy when swords clash. If you allow this, I will accept the honor of facing young Master Roman Dmitri."

A glance.

Chris looked at Baron Romeo.

When the baron nodded, Jonathan confirmed Roman's consent.

However.

Chuckle.

'He's laughing?'

Roman laughed.

A silent acceptance.

It was a response that thoroughly irritated Chris.

Chris has principles.

Roman is the heir of Dmitri.

He did not intend to brutally defeat him in front of the lord he serves.

But.

With that one laugh, his rationality flew out the window.

'This brat.'

The handsome blonde.

Despite his appearance, which suggested he couldn't even wield a sword properly, he was known as the fighting dog of Dmitri.

A man who would see a fight through to the end.

People were worried about Roman's safety against such a formidable opponent.

On the sparring ground.

Two men, wooden swords in hand, faced each other.

After a moment.

Thud.

"Begin!"

The signal was given.

Chris, who had been waiting with his back foot, immediately pushed off the ground at Jonathan's signal.

Thud.

'I'll show the difference in skill.'

It was an incredible speed.

Chris quickly closed the distance with Roman and, in the time it took for the onlookers to blink, swung his sword at Roman's arm.

It was an attack that avoided vital points.

Thinking that Roman would be unable to block such a sudden and fast attack, he chose a part of the body that could be injured without serious consequences.

However.

Thud!

'...Thud?!'

The counterforce transmitted through his hand.

Roman and Chris's gazes met in mid-air.

Seeing Roman's unwavering expression despite the surprise attack, Chris felt a chill run down his spine.

Boom.

Whoosh!

A quick recovery.

Following the horizontal slash, Roman calmly blocked the attack again.

Clearly, the previous defense was not a fluke.

The counterforce transmitted through his hand and the stable defensive stance confirmed this.

'Look at this.'

It was unexpected.

He never thought Roman would have such basic skills.

Perhaps the one who defeated the Blood Gang was indeed Roman.

If that were true, Roman would be a skilled warrior on par with Jonathan, but that was not important at the moment.

The sparring had already begun.

Chris felt he needed to knock Roman down to vent his frustration.

Thud.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

He took aggressive steps and launched a series of downward strikes. The fast and powerful combo attacks drew gasps of admiration from the onlookers, and Roman, retreating, desperately blocked the attacks. It was a good defense, but when Roman took his fifth step back, Chris's eyes lit up.

'This is it.'

Whoosh!

A decisive strike.

He aimed for the opening.

He was confident that this time the attack would land, but the wooden sword grazed Roman's hair by a hair's breadth.

Flutter.

Roman's hair, fluttering in the wind.

Beneath it, his cold gaze was visible.

He didn't know why at the time.

Even though he couldn't properly track Roman's movements with his eyes, he instinctively swung his sword to block.

Thud!

'How?'

Right in front of him.

Roman's sword was already swinging towards Chris's head. If he hadn't blocked it, the match would have ended right there. Roman was not just skilled in defense. He also had excellent offensive fundamentals, and after blocking the attack, he disappeared from Chris's field of vision. A side step. He reappeared, swinging his wooden sword from below. The unconventional attack made Chris gasp.

"Huff."

Whoosh!

He was flustered.

Is this Roman's skill?

Even facing him directly, he couldn't believe it.

'Really, what a mess.'

He gritted his teeth.

He didn't want to lose.

He couldn't tolerate losing to the fool of Dmitri in front of everyone.

He would wait for the right moment.

Just like Roman had attempted a counterattack, he would look for an opening in his opponent.

Then.

Whoosh!

An open chest.

Roman's movement was large.

Thinking this was the perfect timing, he took a step forward.

Grin.

'...!'

Roman smiled.

He instinctively knew.

It was a trap.

It was a dangerous situation.

Seeing Roman effortlessly dodge his attack and immediately counter, Chris instinctively unleashed the power he had been holding back.

Boom!

Rumble.

An explosion from within.

It was the manifestation of aura.

Knights.

The standard that distinguishes them is the 1-star aura.

The power that turns humans into superhumans.

Seeing Chris manifest his aura, Jonathan, who had been watching, widened his eyes.

"No!"

It was dangerous.

The clash of aura and wooden swords.

The result was obvious.

The wooden sword would break, and the force could cause serious harm to Roman.

The fact that it wasn't a real sword was irrelevant. The power of aura could slice through a person with just a wooden sword.

His heart sank.

It was a mistake.

If he had known that Roman was a skilled warrior capable of cornering Chris, he should have stepped forward himself, regardless of his pride.

But at that moment.

Thud.

Roman lunged forward.

Despite the life-threatening strike in front of him, he did not hesitate to step forward.

Just one step.

It was a miracle.

Roman's face was slightly cut, and blood splattered as he faced Chris's shocked and horrified expression.

The match was over.

Chris, defenseless.

Even if he had withdrawn his sword, Chris would have accepted the result, but Roman did not let this situation pass.

'Those who show hostility must be dealt with decisively.'

The discipline of the Heavenly Horse.

Even if he didn't kill, he had to pay the price for risking his life to win.

Thud!

Crack!

"Ugh?!"

The wooden sword struck his face.

Hit directly, Chris's body flew up, and several teeth, along with thick blood, scattered in all directions.

People say that Chris, a disciple of the 3-star knight Jonathan, who manifested a 2-star aura at a young age, is the greatest genius of Dmitri.

He was praised for having the talent to make a name for himself in the Kingdom of Cairo and was unmatched by anyone in Dmitri except Jonathan.

Such a person.

Fell backward.

His dilated pupils proved he had lost consciousness.

Thud!

Chris, who had fallen.

And behind him.

"......What is this?"

Jonathan's shocked expression was visible.