The Imperial Knights split into two groups and charged at one another, beginning the training exercise.
However, even as Karl watched the fierce mock battle unfold, he could not distinguish which knights might actually be useful to him.
To Karl, the entire exercise looked like nothing more than a mob of armored people rushing together, shoving one another around, and beating each other senseless.
Naturally so.
Karl possessed no knowledge of martial arts, and although he had Mana, he could not even control it. There was no way he could accurately judge the skill of knights in a situation like this.
Instead, Karl remembered the faces of those who had stood rigidly at the rear when the knights first formed ranks and carefully studied their expressions.
“What do you think?”
Seeing Karl’s narrowed eyes darting busily from side to side, Gilbert asked in an amused voice.
Karl glanced up at him and answered softly, still wearing a childlike smile.
“As expected of the Imperial Knights. They are truly impressive.”
From that answer alone, Gilbert immediately understood that Karl could not judge the knights’ abilities.
Only a tiny handful of knights were genuinely participating in the mock battle. The rest merely swung their swords halfheartedly and casually knocked their bodies against one another.
With the situation like this, even those who wanted to take the exercise seriously had no choice but to hold back.
It showed just how little they thought of Karl.
He lacked the knowledge to recognize their skill anyway, and more importantly, none of them wanted to stand out.
But there were limits.
This was simply too much.
At the very least, they should not have behaved this way in front of Gilbert.
“Enough!”
“Ugh!”
Karl flinched and covered his ears at Gilbert’s thunderous command.
Gilbert silently glared at the halted knights with fierce eyes.
No matter how noble their blood might be, none of them dared hold their heads high and stare boldly back at Gilbert Eville, the man who had commanded the Imperial Knights for decades.
“It seems you have all shown me the very best you are capable of as members of the great Imperial Knights.”
“…….”
Everyone kept their mouths firmly shut beneath Gilbert’s venomous sarcasm.
“Now I would like to see your abilities as individual knights.”
He was telling them to duel.
The knights’ expressions immediately soured.
They had already been irritated at being summoned without warning and forced into group combat training……
Gilbert did not rebuke them any further for what the Imperial Knights had become as a political institution.
The Imperial Knights had originally been created as a tool of imperial power.
This was what they had always been.
In other words, Madius allowing Karl to take an Imperial Knight with him had meant that Karl should use the opportunity to forge political backing if he could.
Karl, however, was doing the exact opposite.
Before long, two knights stepped forward. Following the formal procedure for a duel, they raised their swords before their chests, swept them sharply aside, and assumed their stances.
Karl watched while deliberately arranging an eager expression on his face.
They appeared to be knights from noble families, so Karl lost interest before the duel had even begun.
CLANG! CLANG!
And even once they started fighting, Karl could hardly tell what they were doing.
Their swords intertwined and the victor was decided in an instant, before Karl could even understand what had happened.
The noble-born knights exchanged blades, quickly settled their matches, and withdrew.
Their movements were disciplined, elegant, and impressive.
Karl did not understand much about swordsmanship, but they certainly seemed to fight well.
Yet the moment a blade touched the body, the duel ended.
They withdrew cleanly.
None of them trusted their armor enough to press forward and turn the fight into a wrestling match.
Their status was far too noble for them to throw themselves onto the filthy ground.
‘Finally.’
At last, the moment Karl had been waiting for arrived.
Rather than another aristocrat with carefully styled hair and beard, a stern-looking man with his hair and beard shaved close stepped forward.
His opponent was a woman whose scarred face was framed by equally short-cropped hair.
They bowed once toward Gilbert and Karl, then put on their helmets and lowered their visors.
SWISH!
They raised their swords before their chests, swept them forcefully aside, and immediately shifted into fighting stances.
The male knight held his sword steadily at mid-level, his chin tucked firmly down.
The female knight raised hers high while measuring the distance with light, nimble steps.
‘Something is different.’
A thrill ran through Karl.
Unlike the highborn knights who had displayed spectacular movements while freely expending Mana, these two settled heavily into their stances, watching for the slightest opening like predators aiming for each other’s throats.
A chilling killing intent!
This was true killing technique, created solely for the purpose of ending human lives.
Even Karl could feel it.
SCRAPE!
The sound of swinging blades and stamping feet vanished beneath the shriek of steel scraping against steel.
There had been no complicated movement.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
To Karl, the two who had been standing far apart seemed to have folded the space between them and suddenly appeared side by side.
The male knight’s sword, which had been held at mid-level, whipped forward so violently that it seemed to bend, carving in along a viciously sharp trajectory.
He was tall and long-armed, and accordingly wielded a longer sword.
Naturally, he held an overwhelming advantage in reach.
With his chin tucked, his center of gravity firmly anchored, and his arm extended to strike from the maximum possible distance, his reach was scarcely different from that of a spear.
But the female knight twisted her body in accordance with her nimble footwork and surged forward.
Even as the blade scraped along the side of her helmet, she drove her crossguard against the male knight’s sword and deflected it.
SKREEE……
Amid the storm of noise created by warriors encased in steel, Karl thought he heard that faint sound.
The tip of the female knight’s blade scraped across the male knight’s chest.
The sturdy armor of the Imperial Knights was sharply gouged by a single strike.
But it was shallow.
Both had landed blows on the other, yet neither could be called fatal.
Unlike the earlier duels, however, they did not stop there.
They genuinely seemed intent on killing each other.
The fighting spirit and murderous intent surging from them made Karl’s skin prickle as though it might be torn open.
What happened next was clear enough even for Karl to see.
“Hup!”
THUD!
Their swords had become locked against each other’s crossguards.
The male knight pressed down with brute strength while twisting his wrists, then drove forward with a powerful step.
The female knight’s sword seemed to buckle downward, but she pulled it back with such flexible wrist movement that Karl wondered whether her joints might snap, reclaiming her blade as she retreated.
CLACK!
She had skillfully received a longsword more than a handspan longer and heavier than her own, but her swordsmanship, which united offense and defense, had failed to land any meaningful attack against him.
The difference in reach was too great.
The female knight’s sharply thrusting sword stopped a full handspan away from the male knight’s head.
If the distance widened, the male knight’s superior reach gave him the advantage.
But if she forced her way inside, his greater strength would knock her to the ground.
“Ah!”
Karl clenched his fist and cried out without realizing it, completely absorbed in the duel between the two knights who seemed to be fighting with their lives on the line.
His immense concentration allowed his eyes to follow every movement of the female knight now in danger.
She appeared to retreat slightly.
Then, as the male knight pursued her, she charged straight toward him instead.
The instant Karl thought it was reckless, she suddenly drew back the sword she had been swinging.
CRUNCH!
The male knight’s longsword smashed violently into the female knight’s completely exposed shoulder.
The Mana-infused blade carved into her armor, and blood sprayed from her shoulder.
But she had stopped it.
Knowing how to use one’s armor was also part of a knight’s skill!
THUD!
CLANG!
Then the female knight thrust the blade she had drawn back with all her strength, driving it into the male knight’s chest.
Her Mana-laden sword slithered between his arms like a serpent and pierced through his armor.
Because she had been knocked backward by the blow and the direction of her force had been distorted, the middle of the blade snapped cleanly apart.
The male knight, whose armor had been pierced by the tremendous force, froze in place.
Meanwhile, the female knight rolled across the ground to create distance and sprang back to her feet.
She leveled the broken half of her sword at mid-height, then drew a thick dagger from behind her back and gripped it in her left hand.
Amid the chilling atmosphere, the male knight calmly sheathed his sword.
“I lost.”
Had the female knight committed fully to that thrust, it would have pierced his chest and killed him.
She would likely have lost her left arm, but she would not have lost her life.
The male knight used his gauntlet to pull the broken blade from his chest and tossed it back to the female knight.
She caught it and slid it into her scabbard.
They removed their helmets, revealing faces drenched in sweat despite the brevity of the duel.
Then they bowed toward Gilbert and Karl.
Despite having pointed their swords at each other with genuine intent to kill only moments earlier, they casually turned and clanked back to their places as though nothing had happened.
Karl watched many more duels afterward, but none left nearly as powerful an impression on him as those two.
He felt utterly captivated.
***
“……Are you serious?”
“Yes. I am.”
Gilbert raised his white eyebrows in surprise and asked once more, but Karl nodded firmly.
Gilbert’s thoughts became complicated when Karl declared that he wanted to take the female knight, who came from a fallen noble family and possessed no backing whatsoever.
Karl certainly did not seem stupid, yet Gilbert could not understand why he wanted such a useless piece.
If he had chosen her because she was a woman, there were plenty of female knights prettier than she was.
It was difficult to imagine that Karl had fallen for her appearance when she had trained so relentlessly to restore her family that not even a trace of femininity remained in her bearing.
And if skill were the criterion, there were certainly knights stronger than her.
Even if Karl knew nothing about martial arts, there had been knights who were visibly stronger and far more experienced.
Her family was insignificant.
There was nothing particularly pleasing about her appearance.
And her skill, while good, was hardly exceptional.
“Hmm. Very well. Bring Sir Catherine here.”
Since Karl was so unwavering, Gilbert saw no reason to persuade him further.
Karl sat quietly, feeling slightly nervous as he waited for the person who would become his knight.
Knock knock knock.
“Come in.”
At Gilbert’s permission, the door opened.
Catherine entered with crisp, disciplined strides and bowed.
With her very short brown hair, muted blue eyes, stubborn brows, and firm lips, there was nothing about her that gave the impression of femininity.
There was simply a knight standing there.
“Sir Catherine, Lord Karl wishes to have you serve him.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Absurdly enough, that was all.
Gilbert offered no further explanation, and Catherine asked no questions.
Catherine turned and looked at Karl.
“I am Catherine Mold. I will be serving you, Lord Karl.”
“…I am Karl.”
Slightly flustered, Karl forced a smile and held out his hand.
When Karl extended it, Catherine took it at precisely the appropriate moment.
She remained still until Karl released her hand, then withdrew hers with perfect precision.
Karl stared up at Catherine’s face, which showed not the slightest trace of dissatisfaction.
Then it suddenly occurred to him that Catherine could not truly be without complaints.
She came from a fallen noble family and had risked her life to become an Imperial Knight in the hope of restoring her house.
Yet now she had been assigned to the sickly Fourth Prince, who possessed no power and might die at any moment.
Her dream of restoring her family had effectively vanished.
It would have been stranger if she were not resentful.
Even so, she uttered not a single complaint and simply obeyed her orders in silence.
Even though her own life and the future of her family had just been thrown into the mud.
“…Let us go.”
Karl did not say anything else to Catherine.
That was enough.
As long as she obeyed orders well, that alone was sufficient.
……Compassion belonged to those who possessed something.
It was a luxury denied to a starving rat.
Karl ruthlessly lashed down the part of himself that threatened to soften.
“Lord Karl. Please allow me time to collect my belongings.”
Karl paused at Catherine’s words.
Of course.
As a knight, she would have various belongings to bring.
She could not simply leave with nothing but the clothes on her back.
“Yes. I will wait outside. Finish your preparations and come when you are ready.”
“Thank you.”
Catherine bowed, then strode away without hesitation.
Karl stood motionless for a moment, staring at the place where Catherine had been.
Then he turned to Gilbert with a gentle smile and said his farewell.
“Until next time, Sir Gilbert.”
“Yes, Lord Karl. If the opportunity arises.”
Gilbert answered with the warm smile of a kindly grandfather from next door.
But there was a barb hidden in those words.
If the opportunity arises…….
How cruel a phrase that was.
***
“Sir Catherine will be here shortly. We will wait and leave together.”
“Yes, Lord Karl.”
Harmon, who had been waiting on the coachman’s seat, opened the carriage door as Karl approached and politely answered him.
Yet in one corner of his mind, a small dissatisfaction with Karl was beginning to stir.
It was bad enough that an imperial prince spoke respectfully to his attendant.
Now he was even waiting for a mere knight to arrive.
His conduct lacked dignity to an absurd degree.
And Catherine?
It was a woman’s name, and Harmon had never heard it before.
What insignificant family did this girl come from?
Surely she was not a commoner?
Fortunately, Catherine finished preparing much faster than Karl had expected.
It had probably been only about a minute since Karl entered the carriage.
There was just one thing she brought with her that Karl had not anticipated.
“…Who is that?”
“My squire.”
At Catherine’s words, spoken as she rested a hand on the squire’s shoulder, Karl finally realized that he had done something foolish.
‘Damn it! This was an opportunity to bring an entire chain of squires along as well!’
Karl exerted every ounce of his strength to keep his expression under control.
But he could not hide the way his face turned pale from the pain of the realization.
If he had chosen one of the high-ranking nobles among the Imperial Knights, he could also have brought along the squires beneath them, who would likewise have come from high-ranking noble families.
A family of that status would not have merely one or two squires.
Some knights had nearly ten.
Catherine, who came from a fallen noble family, had only one squire.
And he was probably from some insignificant family, or perhaps even a commoner!
“What are you doing? Pay your respects to Lord Karl at once.”
Catherine sternly rebuked the squire who had followed her.
Even with his head spinning, Karl bit down hard on the inside of his mouth and forced himself to regain his composure.
Then, hoping to make up for the loss as much as possible by at least treating this insignificant squire well enough to earn Catherine’s goodwill, Karl stepped down from the carriage and stood before them.
Harmon reached out to steady Karl when he swayed slightly from dizziness, but Karl brushed his hand away and stood on his own.
At the frail sight, which suited Karl’s emaciated appearance all too well, Harmon’s eyes twitched faintly.
The squire was a fairly well-built but young-looking boy with ordinary dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.
He did not seem much different in age from Karl.
He might even have been younger.
The boy muttered sullenly, his face full of dissatisfaction.
“…I am Bilford, Sir Catherine’s squire.”
“Bilford!”
“Yes! I am Bilford, Sir Catherine’s squire! Lord Karl!”
But when Catherine barked at him, he jumped in surprise and shouted loudly.
“…….”
“Lord Karl?”
Harmon cautiously called to Karl, who had frozen awkwardly halfway through extending his hand for a handshake.
“…Ah. Mm. It is good to… good to meet you….”
Even Karl could not bring himself to speak too respectfully to a mere commoner and squire, so he settled on those words and held out his hand.
Bilford seemed deeply startled by the gesture.
He hesitated awkwardly until Catherine gripped his shoulder firmly and glared at him, after which he took Karl’s hand with a trembling one.
Then he glanced nervously at Karl.
Karl’s own hand was trembling even more violently.
Karl smiled at Bilford with an utterly genuine expression of delight.
“I look forward to having you with me, Bilford.”
Of course he had not appeared on the roster of the Imperial Knights.
The young and extraordinarily talented knight Bilford, who would one day endure being called the emperor’s dog under Aingir while carrying out every filthy task without a word of complaint, was not a knight yet.
He was still nothing more than a squire!
‘So after going all the way around, you finally ended up in my hands!’
Karl smiled.
It was unfortunate that he had missed the opportunity to bring an entire chain of noble families into his orbit, but at least he had achieved his original objective in the end.
He had thrown away an enormous opportunity, but this was not bad.
……It was not bad, at any rate.
That was what he wanted to believe.