“Do you also walk the path of the sword?”
The precious find was none other than the elf boy.
“Yes. You are the first swordsman I’ve seen besides myself!”
The boy answered with sparkling eyes.
“The same is true for me. Would you show me the sword you selected?”
“Ah, just a moment!”
Without hesitation, the boy drew his sword and showed Joshua its craftsmanship.
Perhaps because it had been forged from several different metals, it was remarkably light. Its blade was somewhat short, but its edge was exceptionally sharp.
“Did you choose a sword suited to your small stature?”
“Yes. It might lack destructive power, but I thought I could make better use of my speed.”
It was a sound decision for a fledgling.
‘…I should observe his skills.’
When the two oddities carrying swords joined the formation, ridicule poured in from every direction.
Joshua had grown accustomed to such treatment, but the boy lowered his head dejectedly.
“…I wish swords could be acknowledged again, like they were in the age when that Joshua lived.”
“I will make it so.”
The one who had once embodied the sword itself—
That legendary knight stood before the boy.
“Raise your head and straighten your shoulders. At the very least, we must never be ashamed of holding a sword.”
“…I’ll remember that.”
A flame was kindled within the boy’s heart.
Though it burned only faintly now, it held the seed of someone who would one day become an example to all swordsmen.
“It seems everyone is ready. We will begin the examination immediately. Maintain the formation and follow me.”
“Yes, Instructor Yukail!”
They passed through buildings that were familiar yet strangely foreign.
There were noticeably fewer servants working throughout the estate, and the luxuries that had once symbolized Galahad’s power were nowhere to be seen.
‘…Surely they did not squander all that wealth.’
It was because the Great Plains and the mithril mine had been taken by the current ducal house.
It also appeared that the talented administrators whose families had served Galahad for generations had all departed.
‘We need capable people. A great many of them.’
Joshua keenly felt the severity of the situation as they arrived at the Anton Mountain Range, where the examination would take place.
Much had changed over the course of a hundred years, but the snow-covered mountains remained exactly as he remembered them.
“The first examination is an obstacle race up the mountain. Every one of you fledglings must reach the summit as quickly as possible using your full strength.”
A large magical sphere shone brightly at the summit of the mountain.
Another instructor had likely been stationed there.
“You may use any method you wish, but you must not deliberately attack another applicant. Furthermore, the bottom ten will be eliminated from the examination, so give it everything you have!”
“Yes, Instructor!”
There appeared to be approximately fifty applicants, which meant that one-fifth of them would be eliminated.
“Then begin!”
BOOM―!
Yukail’s magic exploded, announcing the start.
“Hmm-hmm.”
At that moment, a girl who had been humming to herself disappeared.
‘…Teleportation magic?’
It was a spell that only a handful of geniuses with exceptional spatial perception could use.
And yet it had just been cast before his eyes.
Spurred on by the girl, the remaining applicants also kicked off the ground with all their strength.
“I will not lose!”
One particularly noticeable talent was a red-haired boy who propelled himself forward by detonating fire magic behind him.
‘Oh… He can imbue his magic with an element.’
Most of the mages used basic physical enhancement magic.
In other words, they acquired superior physical abilities through magic.
‘…No wonder everyone abandoned the sword.’
As everyone else reached the foot of the mountain, only the two swordsmen remained behind.
Their swords weighed twice as much as the magical staves carried by the other applicants.
Of course, Joshua could have caught up to the mages by activating the mana within his body.
However, he deliberately slowed his pace.
‘…An applicant who falls behind alone is far more likely to fail.’
The legendary knight had taken a liking to the elf boy.
He intended to remain beside him and guide him so that the boy could safely pass the examination.
BOOM―!
A powerful explosion suddenly echoed across the mountain.
It seemed that the applicants at the front had begun attempting the first obstacle.
‘They said we had to destroy five targets enchanted with flight magic.’
Serena had explained the examination format, which had been disclosed in advance.
As they entered the dense forest, countless explosions filled their ears.
Wooden blocks darted chaotically through the trees as though they were mocking the applicants.
It was a fitting obstacle for testing one’s control over magic.
“This is nothing!”
The fire-wielding boy at the front unleashed overwhelming firepower and burned all the targets at once.
He appeared to have driven the targets into the air beforehand so that the surrounding trees would not catch fire.
“Freeze.”
The silver-haired girl also stood out. She cast the 'Homing' spell upon her ice-element magic and shattered the targets.
The other applicants, however, struggled to hit the freely moving targets.
Some of the children had already begun panting heavily after reaching the limits of their mana.
‘A few of them are impressive, but there are far too few.’
While Joshua was lost in thought, targets appeared before the two swordsmen as well.
“Take this!”
The elf boy threw his sword with all his strength, but the wooden block flew away as though mocking its speed.
This examination had been designed for mages.
The conditions were overwhelmingly disadvantageous for swordsmen, but anyone who wished to earn recognition through the sword in this age had to overcome such circumstances.
“Elf boy, watch carefully. I will show you something only a swordsman can do.”
Joshua drew the steel sword from his waist.
‘The physical enhancement used by mages is merely an imitation of our techniques.’
He drew mana from his core and sent its power into his lower body, strengthening his muscles.
WHOOSH―
When Joshua kicked off the ground, he soared over a tree several meters tall.
As he closed the distance, the target changed direction and fled.
It was time to display another advantage unique to swordsmen.
Joshua spun in midair and fixed his gaze upon the target fleeing behind him.
Then he swung his sword with the full force of his rotation.
SLASH―
It was an attack too swift for the target to evade.
The target split cleanly in half and fell helplessly to the ground.
The elf boy stared in astonishment as Joshua landed in a perfectly stable stance.
“Y-You… Who are you?”
“Elf boy. It is your turn.”
Like Joshua, the boy had formed a core and entered the Beginner realm.
However, because he had no one to teach him swordsmanship, he did not know how to use its power.
“Why aren’t you going ahead? I’ll catch up soon, so….”
“I will not fall behind even if I stay a little longer. Besides, do you truly have the leisure to worry about someone else?”
Despite Joshua’s rebuke, the boy smiled.
“I was taught that a knight should think of others even when he cannot afford to look after himself.”
“…How admirable.”
Joshua saw a reflection of his younger self in the boy.
“Do not think of it as jumping. Imagine that you are pushing the ground away with your feet.”
“…Pushing the ground away. All right, I’ll try.”
As though he had immediately grasped the principle, the boy assumed his stance.
Amazingly, that single piece of advice was enough for him to spring upward as though he had grown wings.
Although he could not clear the tree, he rose high enough to reach the target.
‘The boy has talent.’
His landing remained unstable, and he fell onto his backside, but before long, he managed to destroy every target.
“Thank you. I could not have done it without you.”
“We have no time. We move immediately.”
Yukail, who had been secretly observing the pair, could hardly believe his eyes.
“…What unusual fledglings.”
The second obstacle required them to scale a sheer cliff.
They had fallen somewhat behind while Joshua watched over the boy, so they needed to hurry.
BOOM―
The fire-wielding boy destroyed portions of the cliff with exquisite control, creating handholds for himself.
CRACK-CRACK―
The ice-wielding girl rapidly chanted spells and formed footholds upon the cliff.
Once again, only the abilities of those two mages stood out.
‘Are those two the only ones capable of using elemental magic?’
A swordsman could not rely upon such tricks.
Instead, Joshua climbed the cliff tenaciously, relying upon his thoroughly trained body and indomitable will.
When he looked below, he saw that the elf boy was following closely behind.
‘Then again, if he lacked determination, he would have abandoned the sword like everyone else.’
Meanwhile, the physical enhancement spells used by several mages began to wear off, and they fell from the cliff one after another.
The instructors rescued them with flight magic, but they were still eliminated.
In that manner, Joshua and the elf boy completed the second obstacle with rankings near the middle of the group.
“How is your stamina?”
Even Joshua’s breathing had begun to grow labored.
“Haa… I’m fine.”
“Good. We will clear the next obstacle in one attempt.”
The two swordsmen encouraged one another and bumped their fists together before advancing toward the final obstacle.
Here, they had to cross a field of crevasses while evading the instructors’ magic.
However, an unusually dense snow mist covered the area that day.
‘I cannot see even a single step ahead.’
Magical spheres flew toward them from all directions while their vision remained obstructed.
The crevasses had safety measures in place, but anyone who fell into one would be unable to climb back out.
In other words, falling meant immediate elimination.
BOOM―!
Joshua instinctively avoided an attack that exploded within his blind spot.
Another step backward would have sent him falling into the crevasse.
“There is hardly anywhere to place my feet.”
“And this blizzard is too strong!”
The boy struggled against the powerful wind pressure.
“Open your eyes! You must cut through the magic! Otherwise, you cannot advance.”
“Can you… cut through magic?”
“I will show you.”
Joshua concentrated his strength into the blade and swung it toward the incoming projectile.
The well-sharpened sword cut through the raging blizzard and perfectly bisected the spell.
However, the boy lacked sufficient concentration.
“Argh!”
The force of the explosion knocked the sword from his hand and hurled him toward the crevasse.
His brief scream tore at Joshua’s ears.
Joshua did not hesitate.
He threw himself forward despite the danger and reached out his hand.
“You…!”
“Hold on tightly.”
Joshua barely managed to pull the boy back up before placing the short sword into his hands.
“Concentrate.”
“Yes… Thank you.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Joshua’s face when he saw the determination in the boy’s eyes.
Joshua took the lead, cutting through the spells and leaping over the crevasses to clear a path.
Before long, the clean whistle of a sword slicing through the air came from behind him.
“I-I did it!”
“I told you to concentrate!”
With no other choice, Joshua threw himself forward once again.
“And dodge the attacks you can avoid.”
“S-Sorry.”
The two overcame one hardship after another as they advanced through the obstacle.
When they finally approached the destination, Joshua spotted a girl collapsed upon the ground.
‘That child is….’
It was the silver-haired girl who had displayed such exceptional magical talent.
She did not appear injured, but she could not move at all.
It seemed she had used too much mana.
‘She lacks experience.’
Even as Joshua made that assessment, his body was already moving to protect her.
“Why are you… helping me?”
“How could someone who seeks to become a knight ignore a person in need?”
A life devoted to chivalry.
Actions without even the slightest trace of hypocrisy.
That was why Joshua had remained a legendary hero even after a hundred years.
“I’ll carry her on my back!”
The elf boy, who had followed behind him, naturally stepped forward to protect the girl as well.
“I leave her to you.”
The finish line was not far away.
The two swordsmen advanced with every last ounce of their strength.
However, as though intent on giving them one final trial, the instructor deliberately gathered his power and launched an enormous magical sphere.
“Do you wish to rebel against a world where magic reigns supreme? Do you wish to help one who has fallen? Then overcome an obstacle of this degree!”
The attack covered too wide an area to evade while carrying the girl.
Abandoning her never even crossed their minds.
Without hesitation, the two boys chose to face the attack head-on.
“If you attempt it alone, the force will push you into the crevasse. We must cut it apart together.”
“Can I really… do it?”
“You must. There is someone behind you who needs your help.”
“Someone who needs help… Right.”
The uncertainty in the boy’s resolve disappeared.
The two planted their feet firmly upon the ground and tightened their grips upon their swords.
They drew out the mana within their bodies and strengthened their arms.
It was the moment when the young boys began to become knights.