"What magic have you used?"
"It's not magic. It's my power."
His handsome face was no longer attractive, covered in dirt. Yuder explained kindly to Kiolle, who was looking up at him without even considering fixing his disheveled hair.
"Everything pure that comes from nature follows me. This includes the sword of the knight, made by refining iron from nature with fire. It means it follows me, not you."
He moved his hand once again and Kiolle's sword seemed to rise into the air before settling back down. Kiolle's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost enter his sword.
"...That's impossible."
"There are more impossible things I can do."
Yuder flicked his finger again, and flames burst over the sword in Kiolle's grip.
"Lord Kiolle!"
Kiolle couldn't withstand the heat of the rising flame and dropped his sword. Beautiful flames flickered and danced over the fallen blade before quickly disappearing. However, since it hadn't actually burned or charred, there was no trace left on the blade or handle.
Kiolle, who had disgracefully discarded his sword, which was as precious as a knight's life, in front of everyone, and was covered in dust, was gasping for air in disbelief.
Yuder sighed softly, seeing him glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.
'If he attacks to kill, it might be a bit of a headache. I only meant to break his arrogance a bit.'
"Why didn't you go into Sul Division?"
One of the Cavalry members gathered behind him asked curiously. As Yuder turned his head to answer, someone else answered before him.
"There's no need to limit the options if one can do both."
"Commander!"
Kishiar had been standing behind the Cavalry members unnoticed. The knights, who hadn't realized he'd come because of the unprecedented surprising situation, alternated between surprised looks at the entrance and Kishiar.
Not noticing the tall Duke, who stood a head taller than the others with his remarkable appearance, walking in was almost a disgrace to the Imperial Knights.
Sensing a presence was part of the training all knights honed from childhood.
"I see you've been having quite some fun while I was talking to Theo."
Kishiar slowly walked forward in front of the Cavalry. His red eyes took in the fallen Kiolle da Diarca, his abandoned sword, and Yuder's face.
Yuder felt a slight unease looking at the smile on Kishiar's face as he looked at him.
"Yuder."
"Yes."
"Commander, Yuder only stepped in for us!"
When Kishiar called Yuder's name, Ever shouted from behind him. The other members, who had been holding their breath, also began to raise their voices one by one in agreement with her.
"That's right. They were the ones who disrespected us and told us to leave first."
"They refused to listen even when we said we needed to train!"
"...I didn't call Yuder to scold him. It's not bad to see camaraderie forming already, but let's avoid misunderstandings."
When Kishiar spoke with a chuckle, Ever, who had stepped forward, blushed.
"I'm sorry."
"Forgive generously. Now, Yuder. Why didn't you wait for me before you acted? You've already sapped your opponent's will, haven't you? There's nothing left for me to handle."
Kishiar, with an exaggerated wink, asked Yuder in a teasing tone. His question was not meant to chastise or reprimand him; rather, he was implying the opposite.
Shock spread through the knights like a shiver. Even Kiolle stared at Kishiar as though he had been struck on the head.
"Just as my unit has said. Why do others need to intervene in the matter I have concluded with Theo? Theo understood all circumstances generously. If you have any complaints, relay them directly to your commander."
Kishiar casually referred to the commander of the Imperial Knights, Theo, as if he were an acquaintance.
However, the knights could not believe that their respected commander had willingly conceded the crucial training ground.
"Why on earth would the commander allow such a thing? This place is reserved for knights. Why should our training time be reduced for those men? What kind of place is this..."
When one of the knights couldn't hold back his outcry, a gleam of amusement lit up Kishiar's eyes.
"Is that so? Then you can train here as well. There's no shortage of land, feel free to use any area you want."
Just then, his low voice, which continued, captured everyone's attention incredulously.
Kishiar gazed directly at the knight who had yelled at him, a smile playing on his lips.
"However, there will be no compensation for any potential catastrophes that may occur during training. They occur during official training hours. Whether the sword burns, the earth turns over, or trees shatter... A courageous member of the Imperial Knights should be able to handle it all. Right?"
"..."
The knight's face hardened with a mix of insult and terror.
"We're about to start training soon. Those who are confident, stay here. If not, you may leave."
After a moment of silence, the Imperial Knights retreated. Yuder saw Kiolle, who had been glaring at him, push off the support of a comrade and stand on his own.
"I'll remember you."
But as soon as Kiolle picked up his sword and disappeared, Yuder quickly forgot about him.
'What's the point of remembering someone who will soon be gone?'
"Yuder, are you okay?"
As the knights vanished, the Cavalry members who had retreated to the back all rushed to Yuder at once. They were as upset about what had happened to Yuder as if it had happened to them, cursing the knights and feeling a stronger camaraderie than before.
"Yuder... You were amazing. I should have stepped in more, I'm sorry."
Yuder patted the back of Gakane, who was holding his mouth shut like a beaten dog.
"It's okay."
"But still... I don't deserve to be your friend. I'm really ashamed."
"It's okay, really."
Even if Gakane had stepped in, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. But the fact that he had stepped in at all was a miracle in itself. It was the first time someone had stepped forward for Yuder.
"I always thought you were a bit of a downer because you never talk, but I see you in a new light."
When Gakane stepped back, another member who had been behind him gave a thumbs-up with a smile.
"I guess I'll have to change today's training content slightly. Learning to wield a sword is important, but understanding your own abilities is even more so. This is the only training ground in the area that's shielded by protective magic, so you don't have to hold back. The protective sigil etched here by the Archmage Est still breathes. Feel free to participate."
Only then did Yuder understand why Kishiar had chosen this place for training.
They followed Kishiar's instructions, revealing their true abilities to each other, and trained to regulate their powers by comparing their maximum and minimum outputs.
Yuder succeeded without much difficulty, but among the members, there were more who were awkward because the training was not as they had anticipated.
"Our power is unprecedented. In other words, the more you know about yourself, the more it becomes your asset. Keep that in mind."
When conducting the training, Kishiar replaced his usual languid smile with a clear and firm tone.
As someone swung a massively transformed hand onto the ground, the whole area shook with a thunderous noise. Yet, the fact that protective magic was cast proved true as the impact didn't reach the buildings outside the training ground.
"Yuder. Come to my quarters for a moment after all the training is over."
Before the training ended, Kishiar came closer, under the pretext of checking Yuder's progress, and left him instructions in a voice so soft that nobody else could hear. Yuder looked at him and slightly nodded his head.
'I wonder why he called me. Is it about that novice knight matter?'
After all the training was over and he had bathed, Yuder climbed the stairs alone. As much as he thought about it, the only reason he could guess for Kishiar to secretly call him was that.
'An unprecedented event... I can't guess.'
Yuder's reality had changed since he chose the Shin Division. Things that hadn't happened before were increasing, and occasionally, the future information he had became useless. It was the same now.
He knocked twice on the lion-headed door knocker in front of the top floor where Kishiar would be staying. The door opened immediately, and the person inside poked his head out.
"Welcome. Are you the one who was supposed to visit tonight?"
"..."
It was a familiar face because he had seen it before. But it was the first time he met him now. Yuder nodded his head toward the handsome man with an icy expression.
"The Duke has gone out on a brief errand. He will be back soon, so please have a seat in the meantime."
His body, accustomed to wielding a sword for a long time, was full of thin scars over strong muscles.
The man with the distinctive light red skin of the southern countries guided Yuder to a table with an emotionless expression and offered him a teacup that seemed to have been prepared in advance. The beautiful porcelain teacup looked ironic in his large hand.
"Please have some."
"..."
After finishing his tasks, he quietly retreated to the bookshelf and stood. It seemed like he was just standing, but it was a position where he could perceive everything in the room at a glance.
'Is this what they call a Swordmaster.'
Yuder felt a subtle admiration for him.
He was none other than Nathan Zuckerman, the hidden Swordmaster who served as an adjutant following Kishiar La Orr. He had heard that he was not from the Empire, but somewhere in the southern countries, but he had forgotten.
He blindly followed only Kishiar, and after Kishiar's death, he disappeared as if he had never existed and never reappeared.
