After the Measurement Ceremony ended,
I entered Ianus's office together with my father, Kurt.
“Kurt, you raised your son very well. Since you never once brought the boy to see me, I wondered if he might be a little lacking, but it was quite the opposite.”
“I apologize, Father. I wanted him to greet you after he had grown a little more…….”
“That is enough. You raised him this well, so there is no reason for you to apologize. If anything, you deserve praise.”
“Father, to be honest, Sion grew up on his own. I did very little.”
“Is that so?”
While Kurt and Ianus talked, I stood quietly beside them.
“I also knew Sion was a genius. But I thought it would put him in danger if his talent became known too early.”
“You thought he would become the target of envy and jealousy?”
“I believed there would be physical danger as well.”
“You worry too much.”
“Sion is still far too young. No matter how much mana he has…… he would still be in danger if he were attacked.”
“Hmm…… then what do you want to do with the boy? Lock him inside the house so no one can attack him?”
“To be honest, yes. I would like to keep him inside the estate just as we have until now, and once he is a little older…….”
This was getting suffocating.
So I subtly cut into the conversation.
“But.”
“Sion, what is it?”
“Why is it a problem if someone attacks me?”
“What?”
“If I'm attacked, I can simply fight them off.”
“…….”
“And if I'm lucky, I might even capture the attacker alive and find out who sent them. Wouldn't that let me identify whoever is targeting me more quickly?”
Neither Ianus nor Kurt said anything for a while.
A moment later, Ianus burst into hearty laughter and addressed Kurt.
“Listen, Kurt.”
“Yes, Father…….”
“He is worlds apart from timid little you. He has a completely different kind of nerve.”
“H-he is only fearless because he is still a child.”
“No. This boy's entire way of thinking is different.”
Ianus no longer seemed interested in listening to Kurt's objections.
He simply wanted to let his adorable grandson do as he pleased.
“Sion, what did you say you wanted to do from now on?”
“I said I wanted to lead an Independent Knight Unit in the provinces.”
“Right. With power on the level of a 3-Star Knight, you are qualified to command a Knight Unit.”
“F-Father……!”
Kurt raised his voice, but Ianus lifted a hand and stopped him.
“However, there are not many knights who would accept the command of a twelve-year-old child.”
“I suppose not.”
“And even if you joined the Holy Knight Order right now, you would begin as an Apprentice Knight. It would take quite some time to be promoted to Second-Class Knight and then First-Class Knight.”
That was probably true.
I had heard that even Sena had needed several years to rise to First-Class Knight.
“On top of that, starting as an Apprentice Knight means enduring a great deal of hardship. Sion, do you think you can handle that?”
“Hardship…… what kind?”
“For one thing, you would have to endure harsh treatment from your seniors. Even though you are my grandson, it would not make much difference.”
“…….”
The Holy Knight Order maintained strict discipline.
If I tried to defy my seniors……
I would be punished immediately.
“Exactly. At your age, life as an Apprentice Knight would be too difficult.”
Kurt spoke from beside me.
“Let us put off joining the Holy Knight Order for a few years. Sena joined at sixteen. Cain has not even enlisted yet, so……”
“Sion.”
Ianus cut Kurt off.
“There is an entrance examination in six months.”
“F-Father!”
“You will enter the Holy Knight Order through that examination. Normally, they would not accept a twelve-year-old, but I will issue special instructions.”
The entrance examination!
It was a public examination through which the Holy Knight Order recruited new knights.
Members of House Ares and other families connected to the Holy Knight Order could enter without taking the examination, but outsiders had to pass it if they wanted to join.
“As I said earlier, if you enter the Holy Knight Order without taking the examination, you begin as an Apprentice Knight.”
“…….”
“Of course, even if you join through the entrance examination, you normally begin as an Apprentice Knight. But if you achieve excellent results, you can start as a Second-Class Knight. And if you earn the highest score among them……”
Ianus smiled.
“You can begin as a First-Class Knight from the very start.”
“Wow…….”
I deliberately let out a childlike exclamation.
“Once you are a First-Class Knight, you can lead a small Knight Unit. What do you think? If your goal is to become a Knight Unit Commander and lead a unit as you wish, is this not the shortest route?”
“I think so too.”
“F-Father!”
Kurt cut in again from beside me.
“D-do you truly intend to arrange a Knight Unit Commander position for Sion?”
“Do not misunderstand. I am only giving him an opportunity.”
“B-but…….”
“And you know the entrance examination does not end in a single day. Even if Sion becomes a First-Class Knight and earns a Knight Unit Commander position…… by then, he will probably be fourteen or fifteen.”
“That is true, but…….”
Just as Ianus said, the entrance examination was not something that ended after a day or two of testing.
Knight candidates lived together in a training camp for an extended period while their abilities were evaluated.
They were then assigned grades and placed in positions suited to them.
If I achieved the highest results there, I could become a First-Class Knight.
With some luck, I might even secure command of a suitable Knight Unit.
“So, Sion, take the entrance examination and earn the qualification of a First-Class Knight. Understood?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Pass the entrance examination and become a First-Class Knight.
That was the first objective given to me.
“But Grandfather.”
“What is it?”
“First-Class Knight isn't the end, is it?”
“Haha. Of course not.”
Apprentice Knight, Second-Class Knight, and First-Class Knight were essentially administrative grades.
Truly distinguished holy knights were granted a ‘Knightly Rank.’
“You should aim to earn a Knightly Rank.”
“A Knightly Rank…….”
“Do not settle for Iron-Rank or Martial-Rank. Aim to become a Heaven-Rank Knight like your father…… no, a Void-Rank Knight like your grandfather!”
Void-Rank.
It was the highest honor a holy knight could attain.
Heaven-Rank could be granted to several people, but only one person was recognized as Void-Rank.
Because of that, the Void-Rank was almost always held by the Knight Commander.
“Father, what you mean is…….”
Kurt swallowed dryly with a tense expression.
Telling me to aim for Void-Rank was practically the same as telling me to aim for the position of Knight Commander after next.
And if I became the Knight Commander after next……
that would mean my father, Kurt, became the next Knight Commander.
“Kurt, you have been far too cautious all this time.”
“Father…….”
“I understand that you find it difficult to deal with your brother and sisters because of their strong desire for power. But how long do you intend to keep living quietly in the provinces like this?”
“…….”
Kurt bit his lip.
Just as Ianus had pointed out, it was true that Kurt had been passive in his activities until now.
It was probably because he wanted to protect me, but Kurt needed to graduate from being an overprotective father too.
“Kurt, I want all of you to compete with one another and reach greater heights. Through your competition, the Holy Knight Order can develop even further.”
“I understand…….”
As though he had made up his mind, Kurt nodded with a resolute expression.
“Good. Then……”
Ianus turned his gaze back to me.
“Sion, I am sorry, but as Knight Commander, your grandfather has a great deal of work to do. I think we will have to end our meeting here.”
“That's all right. Thank you for making time for me even though you're busy.”
“What a thoughtful boy…….”
“When will I be able to see you again?”
“At next year's Family Council…… you will probably be in the middle of the entrance examination, so it may be difficult to see you then. I do not know when it will be.”
“I see…….”
“Hmm…….”
At that moment, Ianus slapped a hand on the desk as though a good idea had occurred to him.
“Right. Let your grandfather give you one last present.”
“A present? Haven't you already given me a lot?”
“Tsk, tsk. Those were not presents. Your grandfather simply wants to give his grandson one proper gift, so tell me if there is anything you want.”
It seemed Ianus had truly taken a liking to me.
“Then, Grandfather……”
I voiced my wish.
***
[In the end, everything went exactly as you wanted.]
Inside the carriage leaving Ianus's estate, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep while talking with Igzad.
[Once you go to take the Holy Knight Order entrance examination, you will finally be able to escape Kurt Ares's overprotectiveness.]
‘Exactly.’
Taking the entrance examination meant I would have to live in a training camp for a while, but it also meant I could escape a life of being shut inside the estate and constantly overprotected.
That alone made me feel as though I could finally breathe.
[And if you earn First-Class Knight status there and secure command of a small Knight Unit, you will finally be able to act freely as you please.]
If I wanted a conventional path to advancement, it would be faster to begin in an elite unit at central headquarters like Sena.
But I wanted to work somewhere that allowed me to move more freely.
‘It'll also make it easier to gather information about the Great Flame Cult.’
Independent Knight Units traveled all across the continent carrying out missions.
That made it easy to gather all kinds of information.
In the end, an Independent Knight Unit offered the best conditions for me.
[Kurt Ares will probably return to active duty as a holy knight as well.]
‘Father has been held back by me for too long.’
If I went far away, Kurt would probably come to his senses too.
I hoped he would regain the presence of the Heaven-Rank Knight who had clashed with Archbishop Hauzel many times.
‘Now he'll start competing seriously with his brother and sisters. The struggle over the succession is going to get interesting.’
[I'm already looking forward to it. Perhaps your uncle and aunts will even send assassins after you.]
‘That's entirely possible.’
As we talked, I suddenly remembered how I had nearly drowned during the baptism ceremony twelve years ago.
I had suspected that someone among my relatives might have plotted to kill me, but I had found no particular clue during this Family Council either.
Even so, all three of them—the eldest son Sershes, the eldest daughter Helena, and the second daughter Est—seemed possible.
‘Sershes, Helena, and Est all have more than enough reason to want me dead.’
Sershes was cold-blooded.
He was ambitious, so he might have tried to eliminate me early because I would eventually become a rival to his daughter, Sena.
Helena had always favored underhanded schemes.
That made her seem the most likely culprit, but seeing her openly display hostility toward me this time also made me wonder if perhaps it was not her.
And Est……
she had always been a woman whose thoughts were impossible to read.
‘But it doesn't matter. Let as many assassins come as they want.’
Just as I had told Ianus, being attacked would actually be welcome from my perspective.
I could beat the assassin down and find out who was behind them.
As someone who had come from the Great Flame Cult, I knew plenty of ways to make people talk.
[You truly are fearless.]
‘Does that make me look pathetic?’
[Of course not. It only makes me think you are worthy of being the one who walks beside me.]
‘Then let's work well together from now on.’
I subtly opened my eyes and looked toward my waist.
There……
was the gift Ianus had given me earlier.
‘Now I've obtained your shell too.’
A shell.
A physical sword.
This time, I had told Ianus that I wanted a real sword instead of a wooden one, and Ianus had given me a sword from his personal collection with a blade short enough for a twelve-year-old child to wield.
‘Now you should finally be able to show what a true Demon Sword looks like.’
[Of course.]
I felt an ominous energy worthy of a Demon Sword stirring within me.
[I shall show you the true nature of the Demon Sword Igzad.]
I had obtained a proper sword, and I was now allowed to take the entrance examination.
At last, I could begin acting in earnest.