Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“What’s wrong with you these days? You can’t forget this important thing!”

In the past, she wouldn’t have forgotten important days like this skill test.

‘I think I’ve lost track of time.’

She was greatly indebted to her friend in many ways.

When the two of them arrived, most of the knights had already gathered.

Violette looked around and let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s a relief, we’re on time… and the prince is coming today.”

“What? Which prince?”

Judith was taken aback.

At that time, a senior knight greeted loudly.

“Welcome to the fourth sun of the Veritas Empire, Prince Eden Oscar Veritas!”

“Well, be at ease.”

A generous-sounding voice rang out.

As soon as she checked his face, Judith let out a sigh of relief.

‘That’s a relief…’

That the person standing up there wasn’t the 3rd prince whom she killed with her own hands.

Of course, a man as big as a prince could not appear alone.

Judith looked at the door with a hopeful heart.

Even six years ago, Jermel was the leader of the Black Knights. There was nothing strange about the possibility of the black-haired Black Knight Commander coming from that door.

“You may rest.”

Fortunately, it was another knight leader who was present.

‘Kiryu Lwalchmei. Commander of the Red Knights.’

His clear appearance alone drew people’s attention.

As she knew, Kiryu had a slightly languid face.

Nevertheless, his wild beauty and spirit did not disappear, and he was a man who gathered the eyes of envy.

‘The Red Knights…’

Judith didn’t have much memory of him.

She has only had one memorable conversation. It was winter, and he looked at her and shook his head as if he were disappointed.

‘You said you’re a black knight…’

It’s now a memory of the past. (t/n: before her regression)

The test started surprisingly quickly. Excessive formality was a virtue that the prince came forward and prevented.

The skill test consisted of a one-on-one competition between a senior knight and a new knight. It was fast paced, and most of the new knights were defeated.

Among them, there were knights who, like Calipa, won without being pushed out of spirit. Still, the number barely went past 5.

Judith’s turn came quickly.

Her opponent was a male knight in his late 30s, named Feon Grande.

“Feon Grande. Judith. Greet each other.”

The two bowed their heads.

She couldn’t remember his name nor face.

“Begin!”

Judith grimaced as soon as their swords struck.

As expected, her judgement was right.

The sword aimed for her eyes and other vital points. It was violent from the start, and his intention to take the initiative was obvious, but it was so sloppy that she couldn’t think of a way to lose.

‘…Gosh. How am I supposed to lose to this?’

Judith, who was embarrassed, stepped back for a minute.

This was a really difficult situation. If a new knight wins the match, the life of knighthood would be difficult.

The best scenario would be for her to rush on like crazy and then get a true lecture and lose.

Then, both the opponent and she could end up pretending that it was a good match.

So, she was going to lose, but when she hit the sword, the reality was different.

‘Why is he so weak?!’

All of his moves were visible at a glance.

Feon was fierce, but sloppy, and his posture was easily disturbed. The performance was also not good.

‘How can I lose?’

It felt like she was kicking a ball with a nine-year-old.

No matter how hard a nine-year-old runs, the game is over when an adult kicks the ball as hard as he can.

‘Let’s pretend to drop a sword.’

However, if she performed poorly, it would be counterproductive.

She couldn’t think of any other way.

A sigh escaped Judith’s mouth.

“Ah…”

It was Judith’s mistake, for Feon Grande’s face turned red and his pierced eyes gleamed.

“The youngest aether master isn’t good enough with a normal sword, is she?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, his sword movements changed.

A curve flew right towards Judith’s wrist.

“…!”

She escaped the blow.

But one after another, the tip of his sword tenaciously aimed only at one place, and it was Judith’s wrist.

It was aimed to cut the wrist tendon.

The malicious intent to ruin her was clear.

Judith clenched her teeth at the outrageous behavior. His blade continued to fly while aiming at her wrist.

‘What a crazy bastard…!’

Heat rushed through her head.

‘I don’t care how this’ll end.’

Judith fixed her sword.

She would’ve loved to burst out her aether, but that would be too much.

‘Let’s keep him out of bed for a couple of months. All right, that’s good.’

It is said that if you endure it three times, you could avoid murder. But if you kill it at once in the first place, you don’t have to endure it three times.

Patience was an important virtue, and she didn’t want to waste it here.

After making a promise to herself, her hesitation disappeared at once.

The mana that was boiling in her blood rose terribly.

Then, the moment Judith was about to stretch out her sword.

“Stop.”

A harsh voice stopped her.

Judith’s body reacted quickly, but her opponent didn’t. Feon’s sword trembled, and he stopped in a shameful position.

Soon, the man who spoke approached.

It was Kiryu Lwalchmei.

“Feon, that was no test.”

“Yes?”

“Move out of the way.”

Kiryu’s eyes were cold.

However, Feon, who had been called out, did not back down.

“Leader, please don’t disturb me! No matter how young the aether master is, this little girl who’s disrupting her discipline is…”

“You shouldn’t discipline by trying to pierce your sword in a recruit’s wrist.”

Kiryu’s tone was sharp.

“I told you to step down. Do you need to be humiliated in front of the new recruits to come to your senses?”

Feon bit his lip as his flailing hands shook.

With a reddened face, he retreated while staring at Judith as if he were about to kill her.

Kiryu, who watched the scene, clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘It’s brave to be ignorant.’

Doesn’t he know that it was a close call?

Kiryu visibility saw that as soon as Judith fixed her sword, her aether was ready to explode.

If he hadn’t stepped in, there would have been a mess.

‘She’s the youngest aether master, and that could’ve killed three people at once.’

Her vigor and spirit were far beyond a skilled veteran.

As Feon retreated, Kiryu looked at her languidly.

“You must’ve been pretty bored.”

“…No.”

“Then it must have been lame.”

Judith’s face tinged with embarrassment like someone had stabbed her in the corner.

Kiryu wasn’t surprised. Instead, he just laughed.

“Let’s continue.”

“What?”

“The skill test.”

Judith soon understood what he meant.

“…Are you saying you want to test me yourself?”

“An aether master should compete against an aether master. I hope you don’t mind.”

She had no complaints, but she did have a question.

Judith looked at him with a serious face, but there was no change in Kiryu’s attitude.

“It’s better to do things right.”

“…”

There was nothing for her to argue.

Kiryu then took a couple of steps back as Judith held out her sword stiffly.

In the past, she would have given up roughly and backed down early. It was a mistake, in a way, that it didn’t happen again this time. The difference in skills with her opponent was too big, so her thoughts became longer.

…She never thought this would happen.

“You don’t have to be nervous.”

It was a statement thrown by Kiryu to relieve tension in its own way, but it was also counterproductive.

Judith felt the nerves all over her body jitter like a cat on drugs.

Kiryu Lwalchmei. Are there any knights in the Empire whose name is as known as his?

Kiryu was more famous as the commander of the Red Knights than Count Lwalchmei. He was the man who stood in the pinnacle of knighthood that many knights dreamed of.

He attended the Royal Military Academy, where only the children of the imperial family and some nobles attended. In particular, people said that he wiped out the beasts that haunted the west and protected the capital from a dragon.

Although his young age did not allow him to hold a higher position, he was still on the road to a guaranteed career.

‘An aether master who has no fear of death.’

Even Judith was not unaware of the rumors that surrounded him.

The lieutenant of Kiryu approached quietly and took out a gold coin as a start signal. It was already too late to step out.

In the end, Judith came to a different thought than before.

Now that things have turned out like this, it won’t be quiet anymore.

‘He had to be knocked down quickly.’

If others heard that, they would have criticized her for being arrogant.

But, she was sincere. She also had the stubbornness to carry out the ideals she put  her mind to.

“Then let’s do our best.”

The lieutenant flipped the gold coin.

Unlike before, there was a rush of quick movements from the sword.

The tip flew wildly toward Kiryu’s throat.

It was significantly different from when she faced Feon’s sword. The slashs that drove them into the corner and the stabs that exploded like lightning were breathtakingly beautiful.

Judith’s amber eyes shone brighter than gold and Kiryu smiled.

‘She’s a piece of work!’

Judging that there was no hesitation, each and every attack was an onslaught.

Judith’s movements were immaculate.

When the aim at the right shoulder was blocked, she immediately moved on to the next move and aimed at the left waist.

There was only a scraping sound from the swords clashing into each other.

Every movement of the sword was as smooth as flowing water. Needless to say, it had excellent power to penetrate vital points too.

Everything was proof that she didn’t practice in vain.

Kiryu blocked her sword, but she quickly recovered and moved back.

Neck, shoulder, waist, body, and wrist. It was a knight who targeted her opponent’s whole body and used her sword at a wide range. It was like shooting an arrow.

‘She’s a genius.’

Kiryu now regretted it.

He took it lightly when the lieutenant complimented her that way…

‘Deschamps, that little man. He’ll definitely make a big deal out of this!’

She was said to be an aether master, but it wasn’t just the aether she could use, but her natural sword skills and senses were the greatest that Kiryu has ever seen!

Even while he was regretting it, the sword still came.

Everyone was watching with their mouths open. It became clear why he told Feon that ‘she wasn’t being tested’.

Judith’s ways were different from the straightforward sword techniques.

She constantly looked at her opponent’s uncomfortable corners, cut the pulse of his attacks, and tried to take the initiative.

It’s a serpent-like sword. Once you get bitten, you’ll die.

“Great.”

No other rhetoric was needed.

Kiryu praised her sword without saying anything else, and…

“I have to check something.”

The offensive of the atmosphere then changed. The strikes that she had ever received or encountered changed its direction and flew.

“…!”

The movements were as menacing as the claws of a beast.

Judith scrambled to avoid the sword and grasped her position. A moment ago, she could feel the faintness of life in the sword she had avoided.

The knights who were watching showed admiration without knowing it.

Subsequently, the wielded sword contained more solid life.

Judith stubbornly bounced off from the attack, but it was a mistake for her wrist throbbed.

‘He’s stronger than he looks!’

She had a feeling that he didn’t go all out.

He suddenly wielded the sword more violently, and it was clear that Kiryu favored a method that was radical enough to cut an entire body in half.

Heavy and crude strikes flew one after another while aiming for the head.

It was like pulling a pillar out with force and pushing it down to the ground, and it became more violent as if he did it on purpose.

Judith, who was trying to push in somehow, and Kiryu, who fought to not be pushed, both collided at the same time.

Their eyes met from the front.

“…You.”

Even though the blade was in front of her nose, Kiryu’s purple eyes were fixated on Judith.

A voice filled with certainty came out like a whisper.

“Have you ever played with someone else’s life with the sword?”

Kiryu’s gaze was cold.