Time ticks back just a little bit.
Hans and the King had a private discussion. Bayard, usually on guard, retreated quietly. He understood the weight of the conversation between commanders.
Helia also stepped back like Bayard. Instead, they guarded the entrance to the office. It was a precautionary measure to ensure Hans’ safety, just in case.
The problem was that this stirred the guards’ feelings. When in Rome, follow Roman laws. Moreover, the guards’ duty is to protect and manage this royal castle with the King present.
In such a situation, being so openly on guard was practically a declaration that the guards were untrustworthy. Melissa clicked her tongue.
Especially for Melissa, she still held onto the fact that she had been threatened by Bayard earlier. Naturally, her words would not be friendly toward them.
“This is the royal castle. Lower your weapons.”
“We can’t do that for the Commander’s safety.”
“As long as we are the guards here, it will be completely safe.”
“Sorry, but we can’t do that.”
“Hah…!!”
Despite hearing such threatening words, Bayard did not react much. He wasn’t outright dismissing Hans or belittling his authority.
On the other hand, seeing Bayard stubbornly refuse even after such statements, Melissa clicked her tongue again. She had been a nuisance from the beginning, and now she was even more so.
“I won’t say more. Lower your weapons.”
“I refuse.”
“I guess there’s no choice now.”
“……”
“Oh dear~ Just a moment~!”
Melissa placed a hand on the weapon, and at that moment, Bayard’s eyes glinted dangerously. Just then, someone, like a fierce storm, stepped in, cutting through the tense atmosphere.
His face bore a smile, but the color of his eyes was unclear due to his squinting. Instead, his lightsome blue hair captivated attention. He spoke with a grin.
“Commander, let’s calm down. The opponent is a Royal Knight, isn’t he?”
“Royal Knights are not exempt.”
“Oh? That’s strange. Royal Knights should be the exception, right?”
“That’s….”
Seeing the boy acting as if he genuinely didn’t know, Melissa fell silent. To be precise, there were exceptions to the laws above all else.
That exception was carrying weapons. Royal Knights were often subjected to jealousy and suspicion. As a result, assassination threats were common, and some even lost their lives due to such attacks.
Angered Royal Knights prohibited under any circumstances the relinquishing of their weapons. Their anger at that time was so immense that even other races mostly agreed with it.
Realizing this, Melissa was left speechless. In fact, she knew this. It was just that she tried to suppress her opponent by putting her emotions first.
“Who are you?”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Rokajo, though it’s a humble name, I serve as the Vice Commander of the Guards.”
“Rokajo? That’s an unusual name.”
“I hear that a lot.”
Rokajo was indeed one of the very rare names amidst the Royal Knights, where all races gathered. However, putting that aside, being a Vice Commander at such a young age left Bayard impressed.
“You’re a Vice Commander at such a young age?”
“Not really anything special.”
“Being the Vice Commander of the Guards seems impressive.”
“Eh, compared to the lady beside you, I’m nothing.”
“……”
Rokajo’s interest was directed at Helia next to Bayard. On the surface, their ages seemed similar, and in reality, Helia was just a year younger than Rokajo.
However, regardless of Rokajo’s interest, Helia merely stared at the ceiling. Bayard smiled bitterly. Now that he thought about it, this kid only has eyes for the Commander.
At least the Royal Knights had recognized their comrades. There was some display of camaraderie, but aside from that, Helia was mercilessly dismissive.
“It seems like I’m not even on your radar.”
“Understand that this child has no interest outside the Commander.”
“Hmm~ Are you talking about the Commander of the Royal Knights?”
“……Wait a minute, Rokajo.”
Feeling a sense of impending danger, Melissa hastily spoke up. Rokajo was young and could sometimes have a brash tone that might chill the ambiance.
“By the way, I’ve heard a rumor circling around.”
“What kind of rumor?”
“Sir Bayard, here I—!!”
“Is it true that the Commander of the Royal Knights got in through connections?”
Only then did Helia, standing beside Bayard, react. However, the reason Helia did not draw her sword was that Rokajo’s words were ambiguous. It wasn’t an outright insult.
It was merely a rumor. And it didn’t go so far as to belittle Hans’ abilities. Hence, it was too ambiguous to get angry over.
But it was still a tone that left a bad taste. If it had been the Helia of the past, she would’ve drawn her sword to strike Rokajo’s neck immediately. But for now, she held back.
“It seems you have something else to say.”
“Looks like you have some perception after all.”
“The conclusion?”
“How about a one-on-one duel?”
His intentions were plain to see. Initially pretending to dissuade Melissa and posing as an ally while letting slip the rumor to provoke, he then cut right to the chase.
Usually, such tricks would be ignored, but this time Helia would not let it pass. If she didn’t squash that smirking face with her own hands, she wouldn’t be satisfied.
“Fine, I’ll take you on.”
“Then shall we head to the training grounds right away?”
‘Gotcha.’
Watching Helia confidently accept the challenge, Rokajo inwardly cheered. Finally, he could use the hypnosis magic he had prepared for possible scenarios.
Of course, compared to real hypnosis magic, it was riddled with flaws. First, the opponent needed to expose an opening. The activation relied on being able to exploit that gap.
For example, being shaken mentally from a defeat in a duel, something that required creating a tiny crack. Thus, it was necessary to publicly humiliate through this duel.
‘Though I hesitated at first, I received a hefty entry fee and, above all, I found her face to be to my liking.’
Fiery red hair and cold, settled crimson eyes unexpectedly created beauty beyond imagination. So, in simpler terms, it could be said he fell in love at first sight.
Of course, he was the youngest Royal Knight, but according to the entity that provided him with the hypnosis magic and entry fee, that girl Helia had just been watching from the sidelines.
In contrast, regardless of Rokajo’s inner thoughts, he had undergone training with the guards and gained a lot of experience in real combat. He wasn’t completely without odds stacked in his favor.
“Helia, something feels off. We should just ignore this duel…”
“No, we can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I’m the student of my teacher. I won’t shy away from the challenges ahead.”
Yes, that was her unique pride she could never compromise. Even if the opponent was laying a trap and waiting, as a student of her teacher, she would face them head-on and win.
Once they arrived at the training grounds, everything was already set up. Even the guards and knights from the kingdom had gathered and were waiting.
Seeing this made the Guard Captain Melissa uneasy. They didn’t even know if the opponent would accept the challenge, yet everything was prepared? What on earth was Rokajo aiming for?
But Melissa didn’t voice her concerns. Putting aside any negative feelings toward the Royal Knights, she was genuinely curious about the outcome of the duel between the Royal Knights and the Guards.
‘Of course, the opponent is a well-known Royal Knight in the continent. However… our guards are not to be underestimated.’
“I will judge the duel myself. Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, we are ready.”
“I am too.”
“Alright, then let’s begin.”
Since most of the setup was already done, starting the duel wasn’t difficult. Rokajo and Helia took their practice swords and faced each other. Then, the duel began.
In that moment, Helia’s cold, red-tinted eyes sparkled. She had many thoughts weighing on her. Was it acceptable to be satisfied with just following behind her teacher?
The answer was, of course, no. In the beginning, it was sufficient to stay behind her teacher. But as time passed, she developed her ambitions. She wanted to walk beside him, holding his hand.
To achieve that, merely learning from her teacher would not suffice. That was perhaps the task her teacher had set forth: to adapt and strengthen the Thunder Dragon Sword Technique into her own style.
Helya流 一劍 前進斬
Helya Style One Sword Advance Slash
The Thunder Dragon Spirit, who had already been faster than anyone, raced even quicker. No matter how promising he was, that speed was something Rokajo couldn’t hope to block.
Everyone has a plan.
Until they get hit.
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