When Jay arrived at the training ground, most of the Wolves were already there. There was an emergency standby order, so no training was taking place. Tension was evident on everyone’s faces, but there was no sign of fear like that of the people of Nadium.
A Wolf Knight, whose name Jay couldn’t remember but recalled seeing the day before, spoke to him.
“The news is that the Gold Gate has fallen. We’ll know more once the messenger arrives, but who knows whether the attack or the messenger will come first.”
Jay licked his lips.
“It would have been a good opportunity, too bad.”
The knight looked puzzled and asked.
“A good opportunity for what?”
“The match. I was planning to beat about half of you today.”
Jay had washed away the feeling of defeat he had from Sheyden while rushing here. He really didn’t like the idea of losing without even fighting.
‘Let’s fight first. Then lose cleanly. That’s how I want to fight!’
That was Jay’s firm decision, and he had spoken it quite seriously. However, the Wolf Knight who heard it burst into laughter as if he had heard a great joke.
A dark-faced woman nearby, warming up, also laughed and said.
“Look at Jaymer’s face. He’s not joking.”
“Wow, if that’s not a joke, then isn’t it a challenge to the entire Wolf Knight Order?”
Another Wolf joined the conversation.
‘Should I stoke the fire more? No, I need to be humble. Manners are important, after all.’
Jay restrained himself a bit and replied.
“What I mean is, I just want to have a match. Do I need to apologize for that?”
“Oho, you seem a bit more humble than yesterday. Then I can’t help but step up.”
The dark-faced woman handed him a very long wooden sword that was stuck nearby.
“There’s an order not to train, but let’s break the rules a bit. As long as these guys don’t snitch to the Master, right?”
The other knights nearby, bored as they couldn’t train, were happy to have something to watch and turned their attention this way.
“My wooden sword is a bit long, is that okay? And my name is Malra.”
“I’m not picky about weapons. And my name is Jaymer.”
“I know.”
Jay twirled the wooden sword in his palm a few times before standing in front of Malra. She crouched down, lightly stretching, and said.
“Let’s go easy, easy. Don’t get hurt.”
“I don’t think you’ll need to hold back thinking I’ll be that easy to beat?”
“Ha ha, then let’s say I lose.”
Malra swung her sword broadly, and Jay blocked and stepped back. She moved lightly, jumping left and right. It was clear she was controlling the fight. She only observed and didn’t make dangerous attacks. It didn’t take long for Jay to catch up to Malra, who was avoiding and not fighting at full strength.
As Jay’s wooden sword approached her neck, Malra quickly dropped her sword and raised her hands.
“Ah, I surrender.”
Several Wolves laughed and applauded. One of them said loudly.
“Hey, Malra’s playful moves were caught so quickly for the first time since Loyal.”
Malra, picking up her dropped wooden sword, stuck out her tongue.
“That jerk didn’t stick to the agreement to go easy and brutally hit my shin. Do you know how much I suffered when my leg broke and took a fortnight to heal? Loyal is a bastard.”
Everyone chuckled, remembering the incident.
As Jay was about to put down the wooden sword, another Wolf stepped forward.
“If the match is this simple, I’ll join too. My name is…”
“Ah, don’t say your name. Remembering one name, Malra, is hard enough.”
Though his attempt at introductions was rebuffed, he didn’t seem too bothered.
“Fine. It’s important that I remember your name.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You know what I mean, right? It’s going to be our duty to remember your name, isn’t it?”
As he laughed, everyone else joined in.
‘Kassel, should I really let this slide?’
Jay wanted to say something, but he held back.
“That’s what you guys think.”
With a laugh, the man extended a not-too-long wooden sword to Jay. Jay tapped it and engaged in another match, similar to the previous one.
Once again, Jay easily overpowered his opponent.
“Shall I go next?”
As another Wolf was about to step up, Franz, who had been in the group for a while, raised his hand.
“I’ll do it.”
As the original protagonist of this morning’s match appeared, everyone cheered with a chorus of ‘oohs’. Franz grabbed a wooden sword and gestured to Malra.
“Come out and take my sword.”
“Huh? You’re fighting me, not Jaymer?”
“If you remember the words exchanged between Jaymer and me at yesterday’s dinner, you’d know what I’m up to.”
Franz, holding the wooden sword, glared at Jay standing there.
‘Umm, what did he say to me?’
Jay couldn’t remember. The joy of hunting for swords all night and the sweat from two matches had completely distracted him from Franz’s bet.
Kassel was on the opposite side of the fence. He was watching the training from a distance, chin propped on his hand.
As Jay approached him, Kassel asked with sleepy eyes.
“Despite the order forbidding training due to the emergency standby, are you going to hold the promised match from yesterday?”
“Did Irine issue that order?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then I have no reason to listen.”
“Fair enough.”
“Besides, this was clearly initiated by that Franz guy. Anyway…”
Jay whispered softly into his ear.
“What did he say to me yesterday? I only remember something about a bet with you and the maid.”
“I was the one that told you. I said that if Franz fights with all his might once, you’d be able to beat him after you saw that. He got angry, saying it was an attack you couldn’t stop even if you knew about it.”
“Ah, right, that.”
Franz and Malra’s match began. They appeared to be casually crossing swords, but suddenly they started clashing with full force.
As Franz aggressively made his move, Malra had no choice but to fight with all her might too. The skill of the Wolves was said to be paper-thin, and indeed, neither side was easily pushed back. There were moments when Malra could have won, but Franz ingeniously avoided those crises.
Franz, stepping back for a moment, glanced briefly at Kassel and Jaymer. Then, he lowered his stance and swung his sword forcefully. In an instant, Malra screamed and dropped her sword. Had it been a real attack, it would have broken the wooden sword and struck her neck.
Cradling her wrist, Malra stepped back and cursed.
“This guy, who does that kind of attack in a ‘take it easy’ match?”
“I didn’t say ‘take it easy.’ And I had to show this much to keep the promise I made yesterday. Sorry about that.”
He said this not to Malra, but glaring at Jay.
Jay nodded and muttered.
“Are you warning me that you’ll use that attack?”
“Consider it hospitality for our guest.”
Jay stepped forward and swung the long sword Malra had given him at Franz in a surprise attack. He was fine playing the villain in front of these guys. He was used to playing the role of a villain anyway. But Franz easily parried the attack and burst into laughter.
“Hey, Jaymer. What were you before?”
He asked, but didn’t give a chance to reply. Franz’s sword was heavy and fast. After a few bouts of seemingly easy wins, Jay realized just how much the Wolf Knights had been holding back. Jay moved in the direction Franz’s sword thrust, matching his movements.
“A hunter.”
“I was one too. Then here, I acquired the fang of a wolf. I regret not being able to show it to you. If you saw it, even this wooden sword could be lethal!”
The fight escalated in speed. Jay was accustomed to adapting to his opponent’s movements, but even he had his limits.
‘This is the real swordsmanship of the Wolves.’
There were gaps in the swordplay, clearly visible. But there was no time to notice and exploit them. And Franz, as he had warned, launched an attack from below targeting the waist. It was an unavoidable attack, even knowing it was coming.
‘Don’t block it.’
It wasn’t a conscious decision; reflexively, Jay abandoned defense and thrust his sword at his opponent’s chest. Almost simultaneously, their attacks landed, and Jay was knocked aside. But Franz couldn’t stand firmly either.
“Hey, are you both okay?”
Wolves crowded around them. Jay, having momentarily lost consciousness, was surprised to see them and waved them off.
“I’m fine, back off.”
Jay got up quickly, hand on his waist.
‘I’m alive? Ah, right, this was a match, not a fight to the death.’
It was as if he had just realized something he hadn’t known.
Franz also got up, holding his chest.
“It’s an emergency. We should be saving our strength. Let’s call it here.”
Franz extended his hand indifferently.
Jay, used to real battles, had always thought non-lethal matches meaningless. However, he realized here how naive and dangerous such a mindset was. If he had daily matches with these people, he’d need around three hundred lives just to survive a year.
“No, I lost. If you hadn’t telegraphed your next attack, I wouldn’t have been able to counter.”
For the first time, Jay admitted defeat. He regretted it immediately, but Franz shook his hand, dismissing it lightly.
“Here, wins and losses are exchanged dozens of times a day. It’s not easy to admit defeat. Besides, it wasn’t an attack you could block just by seeing it once. You did well.”
Franz glanced briefly at Kassel, who was still leaning on the fence, yawning with a tired face.
“I was a bit provoked by what that guy said.”
“Is that so?”
“Who is he, anyway? At first, I thought he was strange, making me angry every time he spoke…”
“At first? What about now?”
Seeing the two talking casually, the Wolves who had supported them dispersed. Malra passed by Jay, patting his shoulder and congratulating him.
“Now, I don’t really feel anything. Made for an interesting match, thanks to him…”
Franz continued as if he was begrudgingly admitting defeat to Kassel.
“Actually, because of him stirring things up yesterday, I couldn’t sleep well. It’s been a while since I felt that excited. Tell him thanks for me.”
“Why should I? You tell him.”
“Maybe later.”
Franz evaded the question.
‘So, Kassel saw through Franz’s character from the start, even though it was their first meeting? What trick did he use?’
Jay looked back at Kassel, who was making a clueless face. Sometimes he resembled a captain, other times he mimicked others, told bold lies calmly, and occasionally showed his true self. Jay couldn’t guess what his real nature was.
“I heard that guy taught Sildire something.”
Franz said.
“Sildire? That arrogant little kid?”
“Don’t call her a kid. She’s a Wolf, after all. No one loses to her, yet no one can afford to be careless when fighting her. She follows me and Sheyden around, learns a bit from me, but nobody can truly tame her or teach her the basics.”
“Ah, I understand that…”
Jay recalled the advice he had received from Sheyden and empathized.
“But yesterday, Sildire came to me claiming that Kassel is a very bad person.”
Jay, surprised, asked.
“Did Kassel do something bad to the girl?”
Franz laughed lightly.
“That weakling doing something bad to Sildire?”
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound right. Go on.”
“Sildire was furious because of Kassel but after listening to him, her bad habits disappeared. She, unable to sleep, came to me and asked me to check her stance… A chronic habit of hers suddenly vanished.”
Franz whispered, glancing at Kassel.
“What motivated Sildire to train all night? Did he use some sort of magic? Something neither Sheyden nor I could correct, but he did overnight?”
“Ask a chicken how to raise worms. Why are you asking me?”
Franz burst into laughter at Jay’s reply.
“Killer joke, huh?”
“Huh? Was it funny?”
“Yeah. It was.”
Jay felt secretly pleased.
‘This is a place where such jokes work. But how long will Kassel keep hiding his identity?’
Jay decided to wait silently again. The spot where Franz had hit him was throbbing, but it wasn’t an unpleasant pain.
☆ ☆ ☆
After a dull noon, the knights went for lunch, and Jay joined them before returning to the training ground. Meanwhile, Kassel had made two friends. Jay tried hard to remember their names — Coen and Putier, knights who preferred chess over swordsmanship.
Sure enough, the three were deeply engaged in a game of chess. Jay, bored with their uninteresting moves, was about to look away when Kassel suddenly screamed, clutching his head.
“Was this a trap? I avoided it thinking it was a trap, and it turns out avoiding it was a trap!”
Coen laughed, arms crossed.
“This is a tactic I often use on Putier. With your skill level, you can only see moves right in front of you.”
Putier, veins popping in his eyes, shouted.
“I have a higher winning record. Don’t brag about a strategy that works only occasionally. Honestly, it was just luck. If Kassel hadn’t moved his knight there, your plan would have been completely useless, right?”
“It was me who led him to move the knight. I foresaw exactly five moves ahead.”
Coen chuckled, showing off his five fingers. Kassel stared silently at the defeated chessboard, then muttered, fiddling with his lips.
“Putier is right. It wasn’t Coen seeing five moves ahead; it was my mistake. I shouldn’t have moved the knight.”
Putier mocked Coen with an exaggerated laugh.
“See, your tricks are always like this.”
“What are you talking about, you… you… loser!”
Coen stammered in anger.
‘Is that supposed to be an insult?’
Jay was surprised both by Coen’s words and by Putier’s excited reaction to them.
“How can you say such harsh things!”
Two men who could likely strut about as the best knights in any country’s order were bickering like belly-bloated neighborhood uncles over a game of chess.
‘Well, maybe I’m even better with words than these two.’
Jay recalled his recent chicken and worm joke, savoring his imagined victory.
Kassel noticed Jay and began to put away the chess pieces.
“Welcome, Jaymer. Did you pick a good sword?”
“How did you know I was choosing a sword?”
“When you were away, a guy named Lergo came and went. Looked younger than I thought. Oh, Coen, Putier, go have your meal. Let’s play again later.”
The two men, still arguing, headed towards the dining area.
“This loser!”
“No, you’re the bigger loser!”
Jay sat down on the wooden chair Coen had been using.
Kassel spoke.
“They say Lergo used to be a Wolf Knight. No, more precisely, he was the master of Master Quain’s master. Quite a person, right?”
“So, how old is he supposed to be? A hundred?”
Jay felt uneasy trying to match that small stature and youthful face with such an advanced age.
“Maybe not a hundred?”
“But why does he look like that?”
“He was cursed. By a witch from the Sky Mountains. The real story, I don’t know. He doesn’t like talking about it much.”
Kassel, finishing cleaning up the chessboard, asked.
“Do you know how to play chess, Jaymer?”
“Just so you know, I have absolutely no interest in learning.”
Jay preemptively declared this, fearing Kassel might suggest teaching him.
“Yes, I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Kassel sounded a bit disappointed.
‘He was planning to teach me!’
Jay felt relieved and asked.
“So what did Lergo come to talk about?”
“He said it felt somewhat off just to give you a sword stashed away in the warehouse, so he came over as soon as he woke up. He asked about your skill level. I told him about your draw with Franz, and he said regretfully, ‘I should have just made one for him.’ So I asked if all Wolf Knights get custom-made weapons…”
“It was my defeat, not a draw.”
“It was a draw! No one thinks you lost. And don’t interrupt.”
“O-okay.”
Jay was a bit intimidated by Kassel’s assertive tone and decided to listen quietly.
“I asked if all Wolf Knights get their weapons custom-made, and he said watching his weapons being properly used is more enjoyable than wielding a sword himself. I asked if all Wolf weapons are free then. They are. Then I asked where the money comes from. The materials? Living expenses? He said the royal family covers everything. If you become affiliated with the royal family, he’d make a fine weapon for you… something like that.”
Kassel explained the situation rapidly.
“Is this Lergo person remarkable? I’ve never heard the name.”
Jay, who didn’t skimp on spending for weapons, usually bought expensive swords. He knew quite a few famous blacksmiths, but he had never heard of Lergo.
“Ah, I know about Lergo not from him but from my friends. Lergo doesn’t sell his weapons externally. He gets direct support from the royal family, so he doesn’t need to worry about money. He believes there’s no swordsman better than the Wolf Knights, so he doesn’t feel the need to offer his craftsmanship to outsiders or feel a sense of mission to equip good swordsmen with good weapons.”
Kassel tapped Jay’s shoulder and continued.
“You’ve earned recognition from Lergo before the Wolves. That’s an honor, considering his past as a master. You should be proud.”
Jay felt good hearing this, but then his mood soured as he realized the difference in how Lergo treated him and Kassel.
“How do you know all this? He didn’t even answer my questions…”
“Really? He just told me when I asked.”
If this was a skill, Jay wished he could exchange it. Many seemed to freely share stories with Kassel.
‘What’s the difference between me and him? Is it because he sincerely listens to people in front of him?’
On second thought, that wasn’t it. Jay listened intently to interesting stories too. But strangely, sometimes people would say, ‘This story is boring, sorry,’ and stop talking.
‘What’s the difference?’
Kassel began rearranging the black and white chess pieces as if he was planning another game.
Jay glanced around and then asked.
“You, but is it okay to be so leisurely? Playing chess, chatting with the blacksmith, and yesterday you were even helping the maid? What I mean is…”
Kassel quietly looked down at the chessboard and spoke softly.
“What do you mean?”
“What are you aiming for?”
“Nothing. I’m just doing what I want.”
“You played chess to charm those two guys, didn’t you?”
Jay asked more bluntly. Kassel looked at him as if he didn’t understand, then burst into loud laughter.
“No, I haven’t played chess since I left home. If you learn chess, you’ll understand. Not playing when there’s a chessboard in front of you is as tempting as not drinking good liquor when it’s there.”
Jay felt like Kassel was dodging the point.
Kassel started playing chess by himself. Jay, puzzled, asked.
“What are you doing playing alone?”
“I’m replaying the game I had with Coen.”
“You remembered it?”
“Not exactly. But if you know the flow, you can remember. Like you could redo your match with Franz exactly if asked, right?”
“Is that so? Yeah, I guess.”
Jay, sensing the conversation drifting, quickly said what he wanted to.
“You know, right now, I’m seen as a captain by the other Wolves?”
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I know. You’ll probably pass the second test of the Wolves in this way. There’s no doubt about your qualification as a captain. That’s it then. Knowing your nature, even if such a situation arises, don’t refuse the position of captain, nor say I should be captain. I like things as they are now.”
‘He’s lying!’
Jay was happy to catch Kassel in a lie but realized it wasn’t something to be happy about. It was something that warranted sympathy. However, Jay couldn’t think of anything comforting to say.
“What’s this second test you mentioned? Irine said something similar, but I don’t remember.”
Jay asked.
Kassel moved the chess pieces around and explained.
“What you’re doing now is the second test. You’ll probably pass it, and like all tests of the Wolf Knight Order, you’ll realize what the test was after passing it.”
“Do you know what Irine’s third test might be?”
“I’m not sure. Passing Master Quain’s third test means becoming a White Wolf, but hmm, what could Irine’s third test be? I’m curious too.”
Kassel looked up from the chessboard at Jay.
“Both of them became White Wolves through the same process, but after retiring, they walked completely different paths. That’s why the meaning of the test they perceive is probably entirely different. But similarly, there’s no need to worry. Even if you don’t try to find out, if you qualify to pass that test, you will naturally come to know. That’s just how the Wolf’s tests are.”
“If you say so… it must be so.”
Jay leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, feeling sleepy.
Meanwhile, Kassel finished his solitary chess game.
“Even looking at it again, I can’t figure out how to block that move. Ah.”
Kassel gave up and started reading a book placed on his knee. The pleasant sound of the pages turning lulled Jay like a lullaby. The sunlight pouring down on his head warmed his body just right.
Right before falling asleep, Jay heard a woman’s voice.
“How did you know my weakness yesterday?”
Jay recognized the voice.
‘Sildire.’
But he kept his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.
“Whenever everyone fights with me, they always look at my waist. And they attack there when I strike. Even when I’m aware and try to block, I can’t. But you pointed it out right away at yesterday’s dinner. Are you perhaps a great master of swordsmanship?”
Kassel replied.
“Didn’t I say Sheyden taught me that? It wasn’t my discovery.”
Jay sighed in frustration.
‘Idiot, you finally got someone who sees you as strong, and you go and tell them that?’
Confused, Sildire asked.
“Sheyden? Oh, right.”
“If it wasn’t me, someone else would have told you.”
“Franz said I was suddenly so good and asked me how it happened, but…”
“There’s no need to explain it in words, and you don’t need to thank me. Your strength is due to your own efforts, not someone else’s favor.”
“But still…”
The girl, who didn’t seem like she’d shed a drop of blood even if pricked, was now crying.
‘Damn brat, why come here and whine? If you cry here, I can’t do anything but pretend to sleep!’
Jay was annoyed but couldn’t move.
“I’m the weakest in the Wolf Knight Order.”
Sildire said, sobbing.
“I’m just a nuisance to everyone. I was just chosen. Her Majesty the Queen personally picked me, and I only became a Wolf Knight two years ago. The truth is, I would have failed the second test without Sheyden’s help. I was just lucky. I don’t deserve to be a Wolf. I…”
Kassel said nothing.
Tears from a woman or a child were too powerful a weapon for Jay. But these tears were from a girl who was both.
‘Sleep, sleep, sleep…’
Jay chanted internally, slowly succumbing to sleep.
“That’s how it is, Sildire. Until now, I only vaguely thought about it, but seeing you made me realize.”
Kassel spoke gently.
‘Kassel, you really are something, staying so calm in front of a crying girl!’
Jay continued his mental chant, slipping into sleep. Kassel’s calm voice also aided Jay’s spell.
“The reason the Wolf Knight Order is so strong is because of you. At your age, if you had this level of skill elsewhere, you’d be feared as a monster or would have destroyed yourself. But even with such talent, you don’t stand out here.”
Kassel’s comforting voice grew distant.
‘Comfort isn’t much. Just don’t make it worse.’
To Jay, it didn’t sound like particularly helpful advice.
“Sheyden’s journal mentioned this. The Wolf Knight Order’s sudden improvement in skill is attributed to you. With such incredible talent, you don’t use your youth as an excuse and train to the brink of death. How could the other Wolves, older than you, slack off or become complacent? You brought a war-like tension to peaceful Aranthia. You’re the one pushing the entire Wolf Knight Order’s skill upwards. You should be proud…”
Sildire’s sobs grew louder.
‘See, I told you that kind of consolation just makes it worse!’
Sildire continued crying, and the conversation ceased. Unable to contain his curiosity, Jay sneakily opened his eyes a sliver. Sildire was hugging Kassel like a child. Jay, feeling like he had seen something he shouldn’t have, closed his eyes again.
‘Sleep, sleep! Let’s quickly fall asleep.’
Jay chanted more powerfully to himself and soon drifted off into deep sleep.
–TL Notes–
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