Chapter 28

This is the story of Matthias's past.

Matthias's father is the king's brother, and his mother is a duchess.

While the detailed family background and information about his father are not mentioned in the story posted on Narou, I will omit them here.

---

At the age of seven, Matthias, who was raised freely under the teachings of his freedom-loving father, came from a family with a high status second only to the royal family.

He was taller than most children his age, with golden hair and blue eyes inherited from his father, and a beautiful face.

He was a high-spec boy, excelling in both academics and martial arts, with impeccable manners.

Since he could do most things better than others after a short period of study, he grew up into a cocky child who looked down on others.

However, Matthias deeply respected and admired his father.

"Hey, today I'm going to look for a mythical creature that appeared in the forest of the neighboring town. Do you want to come with me?"

"Really? I'd love to come along!"

Matthias answered without hesitation to his father's invitation.

His father, who was often bedridden due to illness, seemed to be in particularly good spirits today.

Wearing long boots and gloves, fully prepared for a forest walk, he held a bug cage and a butterfly net in his hands. He called out to Matthias with a bright smile in the morning.

Matthias quickly changed his clothes and headed to the salon where his father was waiting.

"Father, I'm ready. Let's go."

"Great, let's go then."

The two of them, with their golden hair and blue eyes, were clearly father and son even from a distance. They walked down the corridor side by side, exuding an aura of nobility that couldn't be hidden even in their forest-walking attire.

Three knights followed them as guards.

They were elite warriors skilled not only in swordsmanship but also in offensive and healing magic.

When they noticed a woman approaching from behind, the three knights immediately moved to the side of the corridor to make way for her.

She was the head of the household and Matthias's mother, exuding a noble aura.

With her long red hair tied back and a dignified dress in a calm color, she looked every bit the lady.

Upon spotting Matthias, she narrowed her eyes sharply and took a deep breath.

"Matthias, where are you going? You have classes in the morning, don't you?"

The beautiful yet intimidating voice came from behind.

Matthias was startled and narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction as he turned around.

"…That's right. But the teacher just follows the textbook, and to be honest, I don't think it's necessary anymore…"

Matthias could understand most books with a single concentrated reading.

He found the lessons from the tutor, who merely reviewed the textbook, meaningless and a waste of time.

"Even if it's not necessary, they have come to teach you as per the contract, so you should be polite."

"But I didn't ask for it, and Father seems to be in a good mood today…"

Matthias looked up at his father with a wistful expression.

His father, sensing the sentiment in his gaze, smiled.

"If they haven't left yet, we can cancel now. As long as we pay the lesson fees, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"You always say such things and spoil him."

"Hehe, sorry. But please let me today. We might not get another chance to enter the forest. There's no guarantee we'll be alive tomorrow, so I want to do what we can today."

His father said this with a smile, and then laughed heartily.

It sounded like a joke, but it wasn't, and it was hard to argue against such a statement.

"…Fine. Do as you please."

Matthias's mother said coldly and turned on her heel.

The father and son looked at each other.

"Well, since Mother has given her permission, let's go."

"Yes!"

With the permission of his nagging mother, Matthias also smiled like his father.

---

Thus, they arrived at the forest in the neighboring town in their private carriage.

From here, they would walk.

The three guards followed behind, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

The leaves of the trees were already sparse, and they fell continuously.

The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and Matthias happily stepped on them, making a light sound.

His father, who was looking at the scenery and his beloved son, occasionally pointed out things he noticed.

"That mushroom over there is used in various medicines after being dried, but you shouldn't touch it with your bare hands."

"Understood!"

His father had extensive knowledge and was well-versed in animals and plants.

He taught Matthias about the things he noticed in the forest.

Several times, monsters jumped out from the bushes, but there was no need to fear with the guards around.

A magical barrier was cast around Matthias and his father, and countless earth spears emerged from the magic circle drawn at the monsters' feet.

The immobilized monsters were then slain with swords.

The knights' magic, which instantly protected their charges and neutralized the monsters, was always impressive and a source of admiration for Matthias.

Despite his talent in many areas, Matthias had struggled to master magic.

Memorizing complex magical formulas was one thing, but controlling magic power was particularly difficult.

He could only produce a small wind from his palm.

---

They spent about three hours walking in the forest and returned.

They didn't find the mythical creature, but they were satisfied with the chestnuts and wild vegetables they collected in the bug cage.

---

A few days later, a guest visited Matthias's house.

It was a woman, a friend of his mother, and her daughter, Reila.

Matthias, who was asked by his mother to join them, reluctantly did so.

Of course, he didn't show his dissatisfaction and pasted a bright smile on his face.

Influenced by his freedom-loving father, Matthias also enjoyed doing as he pleased.

He always had various complaints but acted like a well-behaved and serious child on the surface.

At first, he sighed inwardly, finding the conversation between the mothers boring and wishing to be freed quickly.

However, when the topic turned to Reila's magic, he suddenly became interested.

Reila, who was five years older than Matthias, could use multiple types of magic to some extent.

"Reila, that's amazing. Can you show us a little?"

"Of course."

With a proud expression, Reila held out her right palm.

She immediately produced several small water spheres and then a small tornado. They flew around the living room freely.

Matthias watched with shining eyes.

As the guests were leaving, Matthias approached Reila with a serious face.

"Can you teach me magic!?"

Leaning forward, he made his request, and Reila smiled.

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

"Great!! Thank you so much."

Matthias expressed his gratitude with a full smile and bowed.

It was the first time he had shown respect to someone other than his father.

Thus, Matthias began learning magic from Reila, visiting her house twice a week.

Reila was skilled in the wind magic that Matthias could use to some extent.

Her teaching method was precise and easy to understand, and he began to successfully cast the complex magical formulas and combine magic power, which he had struggled with before.

His wind magic, which could only produce a slight breeze from his palm, improved rapidly.

Reila was generally kind and gentle, but she was serious and strict, and her smile could be intimidating.

She had many similarities to Matthias's mother, a type he usually found difficult to handle.

However, her teaching method was the best he had ever received, and he could sincerely respect someone who was skilled in something he found difficult.

He listened to her teachings with great seriousness.

---

When Matthias was eight, his father passed away.

He had been told he wouldn't live long, but he remained free and did as he pleased until a week before his death, and he was smiling until the end.

To distract himself from the loss of his father, who was more like a close friend, Matthias devoted himself to practicing wind magic.

He also tried to learn other types of magic, but the differences in formulas and magic power control were too great for each attribute.

He decided to focus on one type instead of half-heartedly trying different attributes.

---

Matthias's mother quickly arranged a match and remarried after the mourning period, and the following year, she gave birth to a boy.

The new father was timid but gentle and kind, and Matthias quickly grew to like him. He also found his much younger brother adorable.

---

When Matthias turned ten, he underwent a test to determine his suitability for the kingdom's artifacts.

He was chosen for the blue sword artifact.

Since he had been learning swordsmanship at home, he decided to become a knight without hesitation.

He had exceptional athletic ability and outstanding talent with the sword.

While he admired magicians, knights could also use magic in battle. Titles were irrelevant to him.

He immediately joined the knight corps as an apprentice, performing odd jobs while participating in training.

Here, nobles and commoners were all equal, and strength was everything.

There was no need to show respect to the nobility.

Having been tired of the noble customs, the knight corps, where he only needed to follow basic discipline, was a comfortable environment for him.

Matthias, who found commuting from home troublesome, moved into the knight dormitory after two months.

(So… I don't have to inherit the family name. My younger brother can do it.)

He had vaguely thought that he had to inherit the family name just because he was the eldest son, but now he realized that his mother's current husband's son could inherit it.

He was chosen as an artifact wielder.

To serve the country as a knight and fully utilize his power, it was better not to have unnecessary titles.

There was a possibility of dying in battle.

With this in mind, he decided to renounce his right to the throne as well.

He wasn't a member of the royal family by blood, so he didn't need the rights given by blood alone.

When he went to the king to renounce his rights, he was predictably rejected, but Matthias persisted.

"If you don't recognize it, I will renounce being an artifact wielder. Carrying so many heavy titles is a joke. It's too stifling."

The king recalled his childhood memories of being constantly troubled by Matthias's father.

He felt that the outwardly well-behaved Matthias had become more like his free-spirited father.

It was a complex feeling, unsure whether to be happy or not.

Feeling the strong will of Matthias, the king relented and agreed to formalize the process later.

With the burden of the throne lifted, Matthias trained even harder and became stronger.

He completed his tasks diligently and achieved significant results one after another.

He was recognized for not inheriting the family name and was becoming more unencumbered.

The only thing left was to be removed from the family register upon reaching adulthood, which would free him from his noble status.

However, this was rejected.

He was told that it was his duty as an older brother to support his younger brother until he came of age.

Matthias was weak against pressure from his mother and had to give up.

---

A few months later.

Thanks to his mother's behind-the-scenes activities, he was unexpectedly granted a noble title as an artifact wielder.

Matthias was shocked to gain power second only to the king.

(Why…?)

It was incredibly troublesome.

However, he decided to ignore it and focus on training, thinking that the power was meaningless if he didn't actively use it.

---

By the time he turned nineteen, he had become the strongest in the knight corps, even without the artifact.

"The next captain will be you!"

"I respectfully decline."

He firmly rejected the offer from the captain of the First Knight Corps.

He had just become unencumbered and didn't want to take on a new title.

However, he was given the same authority as the captain.

It was said that it wouldn't be fair to treat him like a regular knight given his strength and status as an artifact wielder, and he reluctantly agreed.

(Damn, this is troublesome. But if I think about it, being able to move freely without anyone giving me orders… it's not so bad.)

He accepted it in a way that suited him and began wearing the black knight uniform from that day on.

---

A few years later, the Galjudo Empire began raiding the Elsida Kingdom.

As usual, Matthias headed to the battlefield to repel the invaders.

There, he met a magician.

The dignified woman with sky-blue hair calmly cast several large-scale spells.

Her performance was spectacular, and Matthias was captivated.

(That's amazing… Even with an artifact, it must require extraordinary magic control skills.)

He was impressed by the magnificent magic, even though she was the enemy.

He fought with admiration and, before he knew it, had fallen in love.

"I intend to bring that girl here as a companion. I won't let anyone interfere. If you have any complaints, I'll take you on, whoever you are. Be prepared."

He declared this boldly in front of the king and began preparing to bring her back to the kingdom.

Just a little more, and he would catch her as she fell, bring her back to the country, and take care of her protectively.