Clang! Clang!
Swords clashed.
While the apprentice knights were dumbfounded by the sudden situation.
The vice-commander of the Starvenger Knights, Walpole, appeared and commanded.
"Everyone, step back!"
At that, whoosh—the training ground was instantly cleared and naturally transford into an arena.
Walpole said to the apprentice knights.
"Everyone, open your eyes wide and don't miss a single mont, engrave it in your eyes. When will you get another chance to see the sword of the world's strongest swordsman?"
"...!"
At that, the startled apprentice knights' eyes widened so as not to miss a single movent.
Clang! Clang!
Walpole let out a groan as he watched the red-eyed swordsman who was swinging his sword playfully.
"Ha... he's on a completely different level."
Even in simple movents, a profound principle that could not be explained in words was lted into them.
It wasn't a particularly fast or slow sword. But it seed impossible to block.
Just how many tis had he swung his sword, and how much had he contemplated?
How many tis had he crossed the line between life and death?
It was impossible to guess.
It was to that extent even though he was going easy on him.
He thought he had grown a lot, but compared to him, it was the difference between heaven and earth.
Thwack!
Hugo, who was sent flying by Ashuban's kick, rolled on the training ground, then jumped up again and rushed at Ashuban.
"Uryaa!"
A fierce smile was on his lips.
Walpole muttered as he looked at Hugo.
"...That guy isn't ordinary either."
Shushuruta, who was watching from the side, muttered.
"Is that the kid who used to get beaten up by other kids? He's grown a lot. He's all grown up."
Walpole nodded his head.
"Yes. He passed his coming-of-age a long ti ago. There was a huge change after Sir Ashuban briefly looked at his sword."
Linda asked, sucking her finger.
"A change? What change?"
"Learning the sword from Sir Ashuban beca so kind of trigger, and he grew explosively. As a result, he shed his apprentice tag and beca a full-fledged knight at the age of coming-of-age."
Walpole said as he looked at Hugo, who was recklessly charging at Ashuban.
"He was the first among his peers, and it was an overwhelmingly fast ti compared to the other preceding classes. If you exclude , he was probably the fastest. It's a record, if you will."
"Ohong..."
Shushuruta asked Linda, who was nodding her head eagerly with her finger in her mouth.
"Do you understand what he's saying?"
"No? I'm seeing him for the first ti."
"...I thought so."
Walpole smiled and said.
"He's the one I've chosen as my successor. I'm taking him around and teaching him various things to raise him properly. Sotis, he even acts as my assistant."
"Hmm."
"Originally, I was training the apprentice knights, but I heard that Sir Ashuban had co, so I passed it on to him and rushed over."
Thwack!
Hugo, who was hit in the chest by a kick again, flew into the air and rolled on the training ground.
"Hahaha!"
But instead of faltering, Hugo laughed and rushed in even more fiercely.
A hint of madness could be seen in his smile.
Seeing this, Shushuruta muttered.
"...He's learned strange things too."
"I know, right."
"Heehee. A little devil."
The sparring ended only after Hugo had rolled on the ground several more tis.
***
I helped Hugo up and said.
"Kid, you've grown a lot."
Hugo grinned and took my hand to get up.
"Thanks to you."
Then, suddenly, I kicked his leg.
"Don't let your guard down!"
But, Hugo reflexively took a backstep and dodged the attack.
"Ooh. You've really grown a lot."
"Haha."
Hugo suddenly erased his smile, straightened his posture, and looked at .
"?"
Hugo bowed deeply to .
"It's all thanks to you, mister—no, Sir Ashuban. Thank you."
I smirked and replied.
"You're welco."
It was a little disappointing that he had lost his cute side, but wasn't that all part of a boy's growth process?
"Everyone, applause!"
At Walpole's voice, the apprentice knights who were surrounding the training ground and watching clapped.
Their mouths were half-open, and they all looked sowhat dazed.
No, it wasn't just the apprentices.
Co to think of it, there were other knights of the Starvenger family who had co at so point.
The knights I had t before, who had co to watch at so point, were smiling brightly and pouring out applause.
"...Well, well."
I looked around at them, waved, and greeted them, then found a welco face.
"You're the sa as ever, Devil."
The model of a knight, as if he had jumped out of a fairy tale.
A knightly knight who looked like he would get on a white horse at any mont.
The knight commander of the Starvenger Knights.
The handso middle-aged knight, Sir Curtis.
"...Sir Curtis!"
I imdiately rushed to him and shook his hand.
"Have you been well?"
Curtis smiled.
"Of course. I was a little late because I was rushing to finish my work."
"Really? Then..."
Ting!
I flipped him a coin with the crest of the Starvenger family and said.
"Bring out a lot of expensive liquor!"
A burst of laughter erupted.
***
I had a pleasant ti at the Starvenger family.
I sparred with Walpole,
listened to Hugo's growth story,
and since Curtis stubbornly refused to point his sword at his benefactor, even in a spar, I hit him a few tis and then we just drank together.
I listened to his grievances as a knight commander,
drank with other knights, laughed, sparred, gave advice, and talked about various things.
I thought sothing would have changed since it beca a ducal family.
But I couldn't find much change in the people inside.
It felt like I had co ho.
I stayed at the Starvenger family for a while, playing and eating, then secretly slipped out at night.
Because my journey was not over yet.
After clashing swords and talking for a long ti.
Hugo was not Tina.
It was as I had guessed.
No matter how much Tina had changed after being reborn, there was no way that kind kid would rush in recklessly like a wild boar.
I imdiately headed to Valeria, the capital of the Blake Kingdom.
***
A sowhat solemn and reverent atmosphere hung over the capital, Valeria.
A huge procession of hundreds of people, led by royal knights dressed in shiny new armor, was passing through the main street of Valeria.
I watched the scene from the roof.
"...What's going on?"
Shushuruta, who was watching next to , answered.
"It seems to be a funeral."
"A funeral? Who died?"
"Judging by the grand procession, it seems the king has passed away."
"...The Black Crown Prince is already dead? That bastard, he must have died from overwork. I knew it when he was working without sleeping."
"I don't think so. Isn't the one at the very front of the procession the Black Crown Prince?"
"Ah, right. Then who is it? Was there another king I didn't know about?"
"Perhaps, it is the funeral of the forr king."
"...The forr king?"
I rembered the senile old king who had told the prophecy of Volund, the god of fire and blacksmiths.
"Ah."
Co to think of it, I rembered that the Knight of Frost, Sir Serkov, had co to help in the Maia Kingdom under his orders.
And, that he had returned as soon as the war with the Evil God was over.
"...So, that's why he returned so quickly."
At that ti, he had said that he had been waiting for a long ti to deliver Volund's prophecy to .
It seed as if he had been preserving his life force to tell that story.
Did he think that was his role?
Then, sending the Knight of Frost must have been his role as well.
And when he had fulfilled that role, he passed away peacefully.
"Hyaaam... Shushu, do you have any dried fruit? I'm hungry."
"Shh. I'll give you so, so be quiet."
With a slightly bitter heart, I looked down at the funeral procession from the roof.
From above, I could see Count—no, Duke Herman Starvenger also standing by the Black Crown Prince's side.
He had said he was away on business, but I didn't know it would be for the forr king's funeral.
Besides them, I saw other familiar faces.
Royal knights such as Lutie, Ashley, Vandyke, Victor, and Aaron.
And the Black Tiger Knights, including Smith and Wolfgang.
Suddenly, I couldn't see the Knight of Eternal Winter, Sir Serkov, so I looked around.
He was at the very front, carrying the coffin in which the forr king was sleeping.
Then...
"Hmm?"
I tilted my head because I couldn't see Fluffy.
The owner of Ophosis's last ninth sword, the red sword, Vlad, and the noble wandering knight I had t on the road.
The guy who always stuck to the Black Crown Prince like glue with Smith was nowhere to be seen for so reason.
"...Did sothing happen?"
Anyway, I put aside the thought of Fluffy for a mont and watched the funeral.
The procession reached the outskirts of the capital, Valeria, in front of the temple dedicated to Volund, the god of fire and blacksmiths.
While the royal knights of the Blake Kingdom stood in two lines on either side.
In a solemn atmosphere, the Black Crown Prince stepped forward with his sword.
Then, he knocked on the closed temple door with the scabbard.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A voice was heard from inside.
—Who seeks to enter?
The Black Crown Prince answered.
"The forr king, Eskel Millinore Blake. The leader who led the Blake Kingdom from the front, the ruler who looked down from the highest place, the protector of Blake who protected the people from other countries like hyenas, and the benevolent king who ruled over all people."
—We do not know such a person!
The Black Crown Prince knocked on the door three tis again with his scabbard.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
—Who seeks to enter?
"General Eskel Millinore. As the highest military decision-maker of the Blake Kingdom, he personally led the troops and protected the people from the northern barbarians, raised excellent royal knights with his outstanding insight, and is the owner of nurous honorable dals obtained through countless achievents in defeating the enemies who threatened the people."
—We do not know such a person!
The Black Crown Prince knocked on the door three tis for the last ti.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
—Who seeks to enter?
"Eskel, a re sinful human."
—Then enter.
The door opened, and the coffin entered the temple.
Linda pulled on my sleeve and shook it.
"Devil. How long do we have to stay here? I'm hungry."
"Didn't I give you dried fruit? Eat that."
"I ate it all."
"...You ate it all already?"
"Yeah!"
"...I have no choice. This is my ergency food..."
I watched the funeral to the end, listening to Shushuruta taking out her cherished ergency food and Linda's whining.
***
Night ca.
The Black Crown Prince, who had held the forr king's funeral, returned to his office imdiately.
Because there was work left to be done.
The Black Crown Prince plopped down in his office chair.
He said, rubbing his eyes out of habit.
"...Leave for a while. I want to be alone."
"Yes."
Smith quietly left the room.
"Hoo..."
The Black Crown Prince sighed with his eyes closed.
His mind was complicated.
The father he rembered from his childhood was definitely a wise king.
He had personally led the troops and fought bravely against the enemies, maintained various laws and systems, and ruled with benevolence.
He was respected by all people.
But, from a certain point.
He changed.
He beca indifferent to ruling, and did not lead the troops himself.
He did not attend etings with the ministers, and allowed the nobles to beco corrupt.
The kind father who always smiled benevolently disappeared, and it beca difficult to see his face.
The result was that ss.
A kingdom that was as corrupt as it could be, as rotten as it could be, on the verge of bursting from being festered.
Drastic asures were needed.
As soon as the Black Crown Prince ascended to the throne, he boldly cut off the sprouts and pulled out the roots and burned them.
Many things had changed, but it was still a long way to go.
'Why.'
The forr king—no, why did his father suddenly change?
Why did he hide away from a certain day?
No matter how much he thought about it, the Black Crown Prince could not understand the reason.
"Tsk."
The Black Crown Prince clicked his tongue softly.
'...I've beco a little sentintal.'
As the Black Crown Prince washed his face and opened his eyes, a black shadow was standing in front of him.
For a mont, his hair stood on end, and goosebumps rose all over his body.
'There was no presence at all.'
The royal knights should be guarding thoroughly, but to enter so easily?
'An incredibly strong person that even the royal knights can't handle, or an assassin whose stealth skills have reached the pinnacle. Maybe both.'
The Black Crown Prince quickly rotated his head and calmly assessed the situation.
'But if he had intended to kill , he would have already done so when my eyes were closed.'
The Black Crown Prince glared at the shadow and said in a calm voice.
"Who are you?"
The shadow answered.
"Hello? I'm a benevolent thief."
"...What?"
Then, the shadow slowly scattered, and blood-red eyes flashed in the darkness.
"Hey, Your Majesty. Have you been well? How long has it been?"
"Ha."
A hollow smile ford on the Black Crown Prince's lips.
"It's been a while, country bumpkin."
(End of Chapter)
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