A man with a healthy body and a handsome face stood there.
His name was Dylan.
He was rumored to be a promising talent as a knight, and he had always admired Athena’s strong will and overwhelming strength.
As soon as he was promoted to the Expert stage, he joined the Dawn Knights under her command.
Since becoming one of her subordinates, Dylan had experienced various things, but he thought nothing had ever been like this.
‘Did I hear that wrong…?’
“Is there anyone who would like to spar with me..?”
A woman suddenly popped up during training among the knights.
She was the Miss that the protagonist had brought along, the one everyone was talking about.
At her appearance, the entire knight squad momentarily halted their movements.
Probably because of her looks.
Pale skin that was almost white.
Blood-red eyes that bore a striking yet beautiful hue.
She was a woman of such beauty that one could easily lose themselves in her gaze.
If he didn’t already have a beloved wife, he might have found himself mesmerized by her for a while.
‘By the way, a spar…’
This delicate-looking lady?
As he remained dumbfounded by her absurd request, the commander approached her.
“You must be the Miss that people are talking about. It’s my first time meeting you. I am Braum, the leader of the Dawn Knights,” he said with courtesy.
“I’m Hera,” she responded while extending her hand, to which the commander bowed and lightly kissed her hand.
Startled, she quickly pulled her hand back.
Her expression seemed slightly displeased.
What did the commander do wrong?
Though his face showed confusion, he quickly masked it with a smile.
“Ah, is there something you need from our knights?”
At his words, she gleamed with excitement and made her request.
“I would like to spar with one of your knights.”
“Y-you mean a spar?”
“Yes! Even if it’s just for a moment, I beg you…”
The commander’s eyes flickered at her words.
Anyone would be quite taken aback.
Setting aside her delicate appearance, she was someone the protagonist cherished deeply. She was not someone they could mishandle.
“Ah… Miss, sparring is not a trivial matter. You could get hurt.”
The commander tried to persuade her as much as possible, but she only provoked them further.
“I’m stronger than I look. I might just win!”
The commander raised an eyebrow in response to her bold declaration.
A crack began to form in his laugh.
“Ah… It seems you’re quite confident, Miss.”
“Then please let’s do it! Are you afraid…?”
Crack-
It felt like something in the commander’s mind shattered at her disrespectful words.
After a moment of contemplation, he commanded, “All members of the Dawn Knights, pay attention!”
“Yes!!”
The knights focused their attention on him.
“Miss has expressed the desire to spar. Is there anyone who would like to volunteer?”
The atmosphere grew quiet with his words.
Seeing no one step forward, the commander glanced at the Miss and remarked, “It seems they’re afraid of you getting hurt, haha.”
“…Is everyone scared of a girl like me?”
Despite her rude behavior implying she looked down on the knight order, no one dared to step forward.
To harm a lady out of spite would be disgraceful for a knight.
Those who valued honor seemed to dismiss her remarks as the foolishness of an ignorant Miss.
But not Dylan.
“Commander, if you permit, I’ll go.”
The commander widened his eyes at his words.
“Dylan. Is it really you?”
“Yes. After all, she is someone the protagonist has brought along. I want to test my skills.”
Judging just by appearances was a foolish thing to do.
Just thinking of the protagonist gave him clarity.
Overwhelming strength hidden beneath her beautiful facade.
This woman could be the same.
She looked fragile, as if she could barely lift a rock, yet there had to be a reason why she stepped forward so confidently.
‘She must be a significant Mana user.’
If that were the case, that would be good.
Fighting against a strong opponent was always welcome.
All experiences would nourish his growth.
“Hmph… Alright then.”
The commander patted his shoulder and quietly added, “She’s someone our protagonist cares for. Don’t go too hard.”
He backed away after those words.
Thus began the spar with the Miss.
The Miss looked at him with an expression filled with gratitude.
“Thank you… I really wanted to spar with you.”
“Haha. It’s nothing special. May I ask you one thing?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Do you know how to handle Mana?”
After pondering his question for a moment, she replied, “No, I’m a Goyu Neungryeok user.”
Her bombshell statement sent ripples through the surrounding crowd.
“G-goyu neungryeok?!”
“…It seems the protagonist didn’t bring her in for no reason.”
“Damn it, that guy Dylan just hit the jackpot.”
As their comrades had said, normally they would have brushed off such nonsense.
But she was someone the protagonist—the Empire’s strongest human—had brought into the mansion.
It carried enough persuasion.
A Goyu Neungryeok user!
He had never imagined that.
He thought she might merely know how to use some Mana, but that wasn’t the case.
She was the third Goyu Neungryeok user after the Saintess and the Crown Prince of the Empire.
And the lucky one who would face her was him.
‘I never thought I’d be sparring with a Goyu Neungryeok user.’
His heart began to race.
How would his sword fare against a blessing from the gods?
“Thank you for answering me, Miss. Shall we begin right away?”
Now that he realized she wasn’t an easy opponent, there was no need to hold back as the commander had advised.
Bowing his head to her and raising his wooden sword, he aimed it at her.
“Alright. I can’t hold back any longer either.”
As she said that, she walked step by step towards him.
Soon, she stood right in front of him, as if suppressing something. Her face was flushed.
Gasping for breath, her slightly disheveled appearance was exceedingly captivating.
For a moment, Dylan found himself staring at her blankly before he shook his head vigorously.
‘Get a grip. I have her.’
After closing his eyes and meditating, he looked at her again with a calm demeanor.
It seemed like she wanted to say something. Her small lips were moving.
Amidst an odd tension, she finally spoke.
“Well… could you slap my cheek just once?”
……Huh?
Slap-
“That’s not enough! Harder!!”
“I… I can’t!!”
This was troublesome.
Out of the blue, she wanted him to slap her cheek.
At first, he thought it was a joke, but she had asked earnestly.
Slapping a lady’s face, how could that be possible?
But due to her firm request, he reluctantly placed his hand gently on her cheek.
“Why are you such a coward!!!! Hit me harder!”
As if this was far from enough, the Miss grew angry instead.
She continued to ask for him to hit her.
Could it be that the lady had such a preference?
“How can I slap a lady’s cheek?”
“Just do it! Like this, smack smack!”
She exaggeratedly slapped his shoulder in demonstration.
Is this the kind of force she wanted?
There would definitely be a handprint left behind.
There was absolutely no way he could do that.
“…With that kind of hesitation, can you really call yourself a knight? Just cut it out.”
Gulp-
‘Wha…what was that just now…’
He almost let his hand reach out to her unexpectedly.
It felt like something had been struck deep within him.
A knight should not be swayed by such provocations. He felt a deep sense of shame.
“If you keep living like a coward, will women like you?”
“…”
“Uncle, you’ve never had a girlfriend, have you? Well, with how unmanly you are…”
“…Ha.”
The idea that he had never had a girlfriend was infuriating.
He wanted to shout right away.
He had a beloved woman who was one in a million.
As she looked at him, all vestiges of the goddess-like figure vanished, leaving only an annoying girl behind.
“If you can’t hit me, just call someone else. I can’t fight with someone who seems so scared.”
“…It was you who asked me.”
He couldn’t hold back any longer.
He had already endured enough humiliation.
He wanted to show her a bitter taste after she trampled his male pride.
But she seemed fine with it.
She stepped forward, offering her white cheek towards him.
“Yes! Hurry up and hit me. Right here.”
Now he was at a loss.
He raised his hand high.
Smack-
“Hmph!”
He slapped her cheek hard.
Her head spun forcefully alongside his hand.
“Are…are you okay?”
On her cheek were the red marks left by his hand, and her eyes glistened with tears.
Yet her mouth was…
“Now I’ll retaliate right back.”
Her face looked as if she were delighted.
“….!”
In an instant, her foot flew toward his solar plexus.
Instinctively, he raised his arms.
Thud!
With a loud bang, an overwhelming shock flooded through his body.
For a brief moment, he felt as if he were floating in the air.
As he lowered his arms, he realized he had been quite a distance from her.
‘Did I get blown away that far?’
Most people might not know, but he was an Expert, and not just any but a mid-level knight.
Always wrapped in Mana, he could block normal attacks at any time.
However, the kick that sent him flying cut through that.
“Is this… what Goyu Neungryeok is like?”
She kicked the wooden sword lying on the ground toward him.
“Pick it up. It’d be boring if I just beat you down.”
Her provocation made him want to chuckle.
But he wasn’t mad.
In fact, he felt rather excited.
In the knight squad, he had always faced the same people over and over.
It was so familiar that it was becoming dull.
But right in front of him stood a new foe he had never fought before.
Suppressing the trembling in his heart, he gripped the wooden sword tightly and faced her.
“It won’t be easy for you, Miss.”
Then he dashed towards her.
Guh!
How many exchanges of blows had there been?
Her attacks were stronger than expected.
Because of that, the strategy he opted for was not defense but evasion.
But she possessed not only strength but also speed.
If he let her slip away for just a moment, he would end up sprawled on the ground.
‘Left…!’
Twisting right, her fist landed to his left.
Without hesitation, he swung his sword at her side, but it was easily blocked by her leg.
Needing a moment to breathe, he jumped back to increase the distance between them.
Unlike him, who was breathing heavily, her expression was filled with enjoyment.
“Phew… heh… you have quite the rough side, Miss.”
“Hehe… I don’t know why, but I’m feeling excited.”
It appeared that the Miss had the qualities of a warrior.
But he was equally thrilled amidst the fierce battle.
‘I have to finish this.’
His stamina had already reached its limits.
If this continued, he would end up exhausted and lose.
He concentrated all the Mana left in his body into his sword.
Just one strike.
With this last strike, he would decide the match.
“I’m coming again.”
Having said that, she stretched her leg and…
In the blink of an eye, she vanished from his sight.
But he responded immediately.
Ducking beneath a punch that whizzed past him, he kicked out at her right leg.
As she lifted her leg to dodge his kick, he planted his foot on the ground to prepare for a stronger stance.
Then he tightened his grip on the sword with both hands.
“You won’t be able to block this!”
He swung the wooden sword with all his might towards her upper body.
“…!”
For a split second, her eyes widened in surprise as his sword approached her.
‘It’s going through!!’
He thought to himself, smiling.
But… his thoughts were wrong.
It was just a fleeting moment, but he saw it.
Her eyes sparkled brightly for an instant—
Boom!!
Like an explosion, an unbearable shockwave flooded his body.
For a brief moment, he felt like he lost consciousness.
When he regained awareness, he felt something hollow in his upper body.
Looking down, he could see a gaping hole through his chest.
“Kugh…”
Blood surged forth from his mouth as his consciousness began to fade away.
In his dimming vision, he saw the commander and his comrades rushing toward him.
And there she was, looking at him with trembling eyes.
“…Cough.”
For a split second, he clearly saw it.
When she delivered her final attack.
For just a moment, her eyes sparkled.
They glimmered with the exact same radiance as the protagonist’s.
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