“Damn it.”
Why were there so many heretics in this mad world?
“Ah...... ah......”
The man who had once been an evil god worshiper was staring at the result he had created.
“Regret it.”
Repent with all your heart. And receive the punishment for your sins.
“What have I...... done......?”
Live the rest of your life in the hell called guilt. That is your sin......
[Are you insane?]
‘About what.’
[You may have forgiven him.]
The mace in my hand, Kalla, ignored my will and began moving on its own.
[But I can’t forgive this bastard!!!]
A moment later, Kalla’s massive mace came down on the heretic’s head.
“Huh?”
He died. Cleanly, right there.
“Captain? What are you doing......?”
How do I explain this?
[Haha! Now that feels refreshing!]
You shut up! Don’t make my head spin for no reason!
“Captain? You clearly said you would forgive him......?”
“......I did forgive him.”
It’s true. I was going to give him another chance to live. I really was.
“But.”
How do I explain this?
“This mace......”
I couldn’t say that either, could I? How was I supposed to say it? That there was a mace imbued with an evil god in my hand! When I was a holy knight?!
“The mace?”
“......Will this mace forgive him?”
“......Pardon?”
Guys. I didn’t say anything wrong.
[That’s right! I’m telling you, I absolutely cannot forgive him!]
Seriously.
***
There was a famous saying left behind by the most famous sword master in the world.
“Listen to the sword’s voice. Become one with the sword.”
But how are you supposed to do that?
CLANG—
“Ah, damn it.”
What sword’s voice? Bullshit.
“Haa......”
How many swords had I wrecked this month alone?
I started counting on my fingers while thinking that. Once all ten fingers were out and still not enough, I decided to just give up.
“What’s this, Karix? Did you break another sword?”
“......Get lost.”
“You really are a stupid bastard.”
The bastard jeered and snickered as he said that.
“I said piss off.”
Where did he get the confidence to act up in front of me?
“You’re speaking awfully casually for a mere apprentice holy knight. I’m a full-fledged holy knight now, so show some respect!”
That bastard. Was he mocking me?
“Want to fight?”
At my words, the bastard flinched visibly and started sweating bullets.
“......I’ll let it slide this once.”
Why pick a fight when he was going to get scared anyway?
“Haa......”
I flopped down on the training ground floor and started thinking.
How many years had it been already? Since I’d started this damned apprentice holy knight life.
“One, two......”
I couldn’t count it on one hand.
“It’s been eight years.”
Damn. An apprentice holy knight was usually one for four years, and I’d already done twice that?
“Karix.”
Another person’s face appeared over mine as I lay there.
“......What is it?”
Why was Grandpa Harkan here? Had I messed something up again?
‘What is it?’
Too many thoughts rushed through my head.
‘Was the sword I broke this time insanely expensive?’
The many incidents I’d caused circled through my mind.
‘Ah. Did he find out I tore a book in the archive a few months ago? Or is it because of what happened during the apprentice mission......?’
There were way too many accidents coming to mind.
“Are you confident about this exam?”
“Ah.”
I forgot......
“Don’t tell me you forgot. If you’ve been an apprentice for eight years, please, become a full-fledged holy knight already.”
Grandpa Harkan said it in an utterly desperate voice.
“And stop pointlessly beating up the other apprentices and the newly promoted recruits.”
“......They picked fights first.”
That was a little unfair. They were the ones who threw the first punch. And anyway, how much did I even hit them?
“Besides, it’s not like I can become a full knight just because I want to. The weapon won’t listen to me.”
If it weren’t for the weapon-use test in the full holy knight course, I would have passed twenty-one times over with room to spare.
“It’s not my fault the weapons can’t withstand my strength.”
They should have bought some expensive weapons, then. This damn broke Order.
“No, in the first place, why does a holy knight have to handle weapons that well? Can’t I just use fist arts?”
“You little rascal. Those who handle weapons well also know how to handle people well. And a holy knight must handle people too.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Harkan drew the cherished sword from his breast and slowly ran his hand along its blade.
“You listen to the weapon’s voice and move together with the weapon according to that voice. Naturally, you also become good at listening to people’s voices.”
‘No, how is a lump of iron supposed to talk, logically speaking?’
I swallowed that question and gave a vague nod.
“Don’t just nod.”
Ah, damn it. He knew again. This ghost of an old man.
“I understand.”
Still, I had to listen to this old man.
“That’s right, you rascal. Now stop rotting my insides and start standing on your own.”
“Even if I stand on my own, I’ll still be in the same Holy Knight Order, won’t I?”
“Bah, you rascal. When did I say I’d accept you into our Holy Knight Order?”
“With my skill, shouldn’t I be able to enter the First Holy Knight Order?”
“I’ll refuse you.”
Harkan was firm.
“Just imagining a wild colt like you becoming part of the First Holy Knight Order is horrifying.”
“That’s harsh.”
Where else would he find a well-behaved, handsome, adorable holy knight young enough to be his grandson?
“Hoo...... In any case, the exam is tomorrow, so do well.”
“Please remove the weapon test.”
“You know I can’t remove it.”
Tch. This was already my eighteenth time asking. Couldn’t he remove it just once?
“Haa...... I’ll try to lower the difficulty of the weapon test somehow. For you only, though.”
“What? Is that allowed?”
For our holy knights, who valued principles and rules every single time, this was rather unusual.
“That’s how badly I want you to become a full knight. I’ve already handled the matter of principle somehow, so...... just try not to break it.”
“......I’ll at least try.”
It was truly strange. The standard-issue weapons of this mad Holy Kingdom certainly weren’t weak.
“But at this point, isn’t the captain of the First Holy Knight Order giving me only defective weapons?”
“That’s why you once brought your own weapon, didn’t you?”
“......The one I bought must have been defective too.”
I must have just been unlucky.
“Just admit how strong you are.”
I’m telling you, I’m not strong. The weapons are weak. What am I supposed to do if they give me weapons that break even in my bare hands?!
“Haa...... In any case, the captain of the First Holy Knight Order said he would accommodate you as much as possible.”
Oh, he did?
“Do. Not. Break. It. Please.”
***
Of course.
“......Karix......!”
That wasn’t something I could control.
“Hoo. Karix. Did you fail again?”
Slan, captain of the First Holy Knight Order, clenched the assessment sheet in his hand. Because of that, the assessment sheet was completely crumpled, and Slan’s face was crumpled just as completely.
“When are you going to become a full knight?”
Good question.
“Then remove weapon-handling from the test.”
Or bring in a better weapon. Something artifact-grade.
“You know weapon use is mandatory, don’t you?”
“I got perfect scores in everything else.”
Not just perfect scores. Overwhelming perfect scores.
“Yes. The problem is that destroying the weapon during the weapon-use test results in immediate disqualification.”
What kind of wicked rule was that? Huh? If the weapon was defective, then I’d be disqualified unfairly.
“Don’t make that face. You’re the only one who keeps failing to become a full knight because the weapons are destroyed in the first place.”
“Tch.”
It was sad, but he was right.
“So if you want me to pass, get me better weapons......”
“Harkan. Recite the total cost of all the weapons Karix has broken so far.”
“Yes.”
Harkan pulled a scroll from his breast.
“Now......”
When he opened the scroll, it dropped straight down to the floor, and even that wasn’t enough. It rolled another three meters before finally stopping.
“Should I read it out for you?”
Seeing that paper seemed to anger Harkan again, and his face had turned red.
“Karix.”
The sight of Slan smiling coldly was chilling.
“If we add up every weapon you’ve broken over the past eight years, it comes out to nearly half a year of the Order’s operating budget.”
......? Was it really that much?
“You used to break two or three a day, and now you break one or two a day.”
“At that rate, couldn’t you say I’ve improved?”
Wasn’t that right? I’d reduced it by one whole weapon.
“Hoo...... Yes. You’ve improved. Since you reduced it by one over eight years, does that mean if another eight to sixteen years pass, you’ll be able to stop breaking weapons?”
Slan’s face was red. What was with him? Was it hot in here?
“Probably?”
“Get out, you bastard!!!!”
What was with him? Was he going through menopause?
“Yes. In that case.”
“Sir Harkan! That bastard is hopeless! That’s the kind of bastard who must never become a holy knight!”
“Captain......”
“Ah, Sir Slan.”
I was worried, so I decided to add just one more thing.
“If you get that angry, the little hair you have left is going to fall out even faster, you know?”
“Th...... that!!!”
Slan collapsed right out of his chair.
“Sir Slan? Sir Slan!”
When I stepped outside a moment later.
“What are you doing?”
“......You botched it spectacularly, huh.”
“You know it.”
Pell was waiting there with a firecracker in hand. As expected, he didn’t set it off the moment I came out this time either.
“I thought you’d make it this time.”
Pell drooped, crumpled the firecracker he was holding, and stuffed it into his pocket.
“I’ll make it in three months.”
The full holy knight promotion exam was held once every quarter, after all.
“At this point, aren’t you deliberately refusing to become a full knight?”
“There’s no way.”
“No, I mean, you’re already strong enough to fight Sir Harkan to a draw.”
And what good did that do?
“What’s the point when my weapon breaks and I lose in the end?”
“Right. That giant hammer made of plain iron broke last time too.”
It shattered into pieces. That hammer had a nice heft to it.
“The world’s started turning upside down because of you.”
“How is that because of me?”
“What full-fledged holy knight in the world has to walk on eggshells around an apprentice?”
Walk on eggshells? Who? Around me?
“Though now that I say it, one guy this morning didn’t.”
“Maybe you hadn’t beaten him enough.”
Was that it? No, but why did both Grandpa Harkan and Pell keep talking about that?
“......Did I beat people up that much?”
“Yeah.”
Maybe there was something I needed to reflect on after all.
“It’s a shame you failed again. I told you to develop an eye for weapons.”
Easier said than done. If I had a good eye for weapons, I would have already taken the captain’s seat of the Fourth Holy Knight Order.
“I was called a genius too, but you were twice the genius I was.”
“So?”
“I mean it’s a waste.”
“That’s why I keep asking Harkan to remove the weapon test.”
He wasn’t doing it, saying that if they made an exception to the rules, everyone else would ask for one too.
“Hmm? But......”
Why was he here?
“Aren’t you busy?”
“Not really.”
Not busy? The captain of the Seventh Holy Knight Order?
“......You dumped all your work on your aide again, didn’t you?”
“Ahem......”
Poor Helin.
“Treat Helin better.”
“I care, and that’s why I work Helin so hard.”
“Are you two even really dating?”
How could anyone work a lover that hard?
“No, I only left the work for today, all right?”
Pell put on an aggrieved expression.
“Oh, really? I know you leave work to Helin every time you meet me.”
“How many times a year do I even meet you?”
“Three?”
“Other than those times, I do almost all the work myself.”
Then I would grant him some leniency.
“And there hasn’t been much work lately.”
“......?”
There was no work? The Seventh Holy Knight Order, busy enough to rank among the top three of all the Holy Knight Orders, had no work?
“Don’t lie.”
By the nature of the Holy Knight Orders, where the lower the number, the stronger the people stationed there were, the Seventh Holy Knight Order, being the lowest, usually handled things like public security in the capital.
In other words, they were in charge of odd jobs, so they had mountains of work.
“Surprisingly.”
“Is the Holy Kingdom’s public order that good lately?”
“It’s always been on the good side. It’s not like public order was bad in the first place.”
Even taking that into account, it was strange.
“So, where are you going today?”
At Pell’s words, I answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“To the smithy.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“Ah.”
Only then did Pell understand what I meant. He nodded and grabbed my shoulder.
“......Bring back a proper, good weapon this time.”
I’m telling you, that’s not up to me.
“And try listening to the weapon’s voice.”
Bullshit.
If you could hear that, it just meant you were insane.