Once upon a time, there was a boy.
He was an exceptional boy, ranking high solely based on talent. He was born lucky as a noble’s son in this unfortunate era, growing up without lacking anything.
But he wasn’t really abused or anything. In fact, his parents loved him dearly. So there were no problems. Yet, his personality twisted.
The boy experienced immense pleasure in stealing what others cherished. It made him feel like a king. Sadly, no one accepted that twisted nature of his.
If only the era were peaceful, it might have been different. But in these times, even nobles had the potential to fall from grace. Thus, his parents emphasized restraint.
In reality, that judgment wasn’t wrong. It just didn’t sit well with the boy. He wanted to steal from others. Only at that moment did he feel alive. Everything else was just a corpse.
It was no surprise that they approached such a boy. They said, “If you join us, you can steal whatever you desire.” The boy quickly agreed.
[Offer a sacrifice to prove your faith.]
That day, the boy sacrificed everything. His family, his clan, even the people who had faith in him. Alone, he became the last survivor of his clan and was rescued by the kingdom.
Nobody expected it. The boy sacrificed everything and then teamed up with them. But he took advantage of that to put on a show.
Many people empathized with the story of the pitiful survivor. He was itching to know. If he told the truth, what would their reaction be? He was already excited.
The boy showcased all his talents without holding back. Thanks to that, he could join the royal guard at the youngest age, even taking the position of vice commander. The time was slowly approaching.
‘I thought it was only natural.’
He considered it a brief distraction. Their power and influence were far stronger than he anticipated. Even though he had been taken down by the Royal Knights, he would soon rise again.
‘I thought it was just a brief distraction!’
Rokajo stared blankly at his hand. The sword he held shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere. What the heck was going on? Why was this happening?
His thoughts crumbled. Everything seemed to be in his favor. The crowd was cheering for him. He even prepared some behind-the-scenes maneuvers. But that didn’t matter at all.
Everything was shattered before him. He couldn’t even react. He lost completely on skill. Even Rokajo’s twisted nature had to admit it: an overwhelming display of skill.
“Have you finally understood your place a little?”
“Do you still hold onto that line?”
“Of course. Especially for someone like you, who doesn’t know their place.”
“…….”
“So, what’s your answer? Or do you want to be humiliated further here?”
Her eyes, once cold, now burned fiercely. It was a complete transformation from the first impression. Rokajo shook his head quietly. He had clearly understood from this duel.
At his current level, he couldn’t defeat that kid yet. Rokajo acknowledged that. However, he couldn’t say he had been completely defeated. The plan was slowly progressing.
“Damn…… I just lost to a kid that young?”
“What the heck? Why are there so many monsters?”
“Well, that’s probably why he belongs to the Royal Knights.”
The guards witnessing the duel between Helia and Rokajo were filled with awe. Their exchanges were unbelievable for what was supposed to be a battle between kids. It was only because of Rokajo that he could even move.
If it weren’t for Rokajo, he would have been knocked out immediately. And at that moment, they understood. There was a level of difference between the Royal Knights and the guards that they couldn’t imagine.
Everyone’s gaze began to shift with respect and fear. Seeing this, Helia smiled. Yeah, if you’re not an idiot, you should realize this. The gap between us…
“Who do you think we take orders from?”
“Well said, Helia.”
“Of course.”
We always follow in his footsteps. We know we can’t match his pace. Yet, we have never given up on walking that path. Because we are proud.
We are the Royal Knights.
*
“You really planned this out, huh? Just a headache.”
Then Helia and Bayard found themselves in hot water after being called in by Hans. Of course, they would. They had deliberately wrecked the vice commander of the guards in front of everyone.
No matter who it is, there’s a sense of face involved. But they didn’t give any recognition at all. They wrecked things completely. Naturally, there’d be resentment.
Plus, the guards would be wary of them. Hans sighed. At this rate, with everyone already cooperating, sowing the seeds of mutual distrust would lead to fights.
“But we couldn’t ignore it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because they disrespected the Commander and our pride.”
For a moment, the mere mention of pride almost slipped from Hans’s lips, but he barely bit it back. Pride and honor aren’t something to be dismissed lightly. People will fight, even risk their lives, for things that cannot be seen.
In the past, such things drove people to the battlefield. Without those, who would willingly risk their lives at the front lines?
Moreover, among knights, the perception that honor and pride are more important than wealth was widespread. If Hans, the leader of the Royal Knights, straight-up denied that…
“That’s a terrifying thought.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. More importantly, info has come in.”
“Information, you say?”
“I’m really curious about what that info could be….”
Bayard regained her composure. To be precise, she had restored her confidence. She had talked a lot with Yuyoung and accumulated numerous accomplishments.
But for some reason, she felt absent in front of Hans. Instead, she turned red and looked away. Was she still this timid? Those thoughts plagued Bayard.
Meanwhile, Hans folded his arms and pondered. The royal guard was a completely new knight order that the Human King had completely revamped. Originally, there were more knight orders in the Human Kingdom than expected.
After Hans took the position as the commander of the Royal Knights, and his influence grew, the king, wanting to rein in the noble faction, disbanded all the knight orders and incorporated them into the guard.
Of course, to placate the nobility and maintain minimal defense, he left them a few soldiers, but their numbers had been significantly reduced. Thanks to that, even in this situation, royal power had strengthened.
‘The royal guard remodeled by the king is now unmistakably substantial both in quantity and quality.’
Strictly speaking, they were still lagging behind the Royal Knights. But compared to other races, they were no longer inferior. This was all due to the successful reconstruction of the Royal Knights and the weakening of the demon’s powers.
“But what’s the new intel?”
“I heard that Minotaur packs have started to become active in the northern regions of the Human Kingdom.”
“Minotaurs, huh… good ingredients.”
“Yeah. The Beastmen will feast on them.”
“Ah, thanks for acknowledging that.”
Hans was momentarily taken aback by the thought of eating Minotaurs, but he didn’t show it. Reacting to every trait of other races might inadvertently cause harm.
But as the leader of the Royal Knights, Hans had no intention of doing such a thing. That being said, Minotaurs. Surely that beast from back then hasn’t returned, has it?
That thought crossed his mind briefly, but Hans just smirked and shook his head. No way. That beast was half wrecked back then. It probably made it back somehow.
In a world ruled by the law of the jungle, those monsters would have ultimately fallen to prey. If it’s still alive, it would be a terrifying adversary, but that shouldn’t be the case.
“They’re sending a strike team to the north.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
“Right, we just need to focus on our expedition.”
“Ex-expedition….”
“Are you getting nervous?”
After confirming Bayard’s reaction, Hans cautiously asked. Her hands—no, her entire body was trembling. Could it be that she feared the memories of that time? If so…
“No, I’m not afraid. Rather… I’m happy.”
“Happy? Why?”
“Because in the name of the Commander, I can crush those scums.”
“……”
However, that trembling was not from fear.
It was closer to exhilaration. She was currently enjoying the fact that she could take out the trash in Hans’s name.
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