Chapter 7

Ruby quietly watched the scene, propped his chin up, and slightly tilted his head.

Candidate number 209’s skills exceeded expectations. At this moment, it doesn’t matter who that person is.

The ability of that small body hidden under the cloak is considerable. That fact is the only thing that lingered in his head.

Arhin immediately raised her sword horizontally, blocking the sword that was aimed at her shoulder and turning around to attack her opponent’s lower body. It was a natural movement, like flowing water.

Everyone couldn’t take their eyes off the swords that clashed beautifully with each other.

In terms of aggression and physique, it seemed that the person wearing the cloak would definitely be pushed back, but surprisingly, he swung the sword by blocking the opponent’s attack with ease.

‘Now it’s time to finish.’

Arhin raised the blade of the sword and pushed her opponent away. Then, she turned around, bent her waist, and pushed herself toward the opponent.

thud. The man was staggered by Arhin’s unexpected attack. A fist, not a sword, was aimed at his face as he hesitated and stepped back.

crack.

The sound of the nasal bones breaking resounded in the test hall.

The man held his nose and bent down.

‘Chance!’

Arhin’s cloak fluttered, and straight, slender legs stretched out. She kicked him hard as he held his nose. It was a clean and neat move.

Soon after, the big man fell to the floor. thud! In the sunlight beating down from the window, dust rose from his body rolling on the floor.

“…….”

There was a heavy silence in the hall for a moment.

Samuel grinned and muttered, “Wow, he is good.”

clap clap clap. Bach, an applicant who clapped his hands without him realizing it, quickly came to his senses when everyone looked at him.

He hurriedly lowered his hands and cleared his throat. It was an action he did without knowing it, because of the extraordinary sparring performance.

Bach glanced at Arhin. He was an opponent he thought was the easiest to beat. Easy fights aren’t fun, so he wanted to avoid him.

However, he recalled the image of him knocking down his opponent much larger than his own body with a single kick. It was an incredible, fantastic kick.

‘I want to fight him!’

The desire to win overflowed in Bach’s heart.

I’ll win, join the Knights, and then compete with that petite cloak guy.

Bach’s face lit up with pleasure. It was the moment when he had one more reason to join the Knights.

The sparring of all candidates is over. After victory or defeat is decided, it’s time for the passed candidates to be announced.

“I saw your enthusiasm well. Let’s end the third test with this.” Ruby’s voice rang calmly.

After all the sparring, the tension was relieved at the test hall.

‘……is it over? It seems that he didn’t look at me because he remembered me.’

Arhin let out a long sigh of relief.

There is a class difference as big as the sky and the earth between the knight commander and the low-ranking knight. She probably wouldn’t run into or gotten entangled with him if she was careful.

I passed the third test. Now let’s raise money with all loyalty! Arhin smiled and started to go outside following the manager’s guidance.

It was then.

“Candidate number 209, please stay here for a while.”

Ruby’s voice echoed behind her. Arhin stopped in the spot, hardened as if he had become ice. Questions lingered in the eyes of the others who passed her.

Why does he want only candidate number 209 to not leave? But they couldn’t find the answer because they had to immediately step out following the manager.

Her back stiffened with tension. Arhin turned and looked at Ruby carefully.

She saw him telling the two people sitting next to him to get out as well. Doubts hovered over the faces of Samuel and Rodri, who received the unexpected order without knowing the reason.

Soon, only Ruby and Arhin remained.

Arhin hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Ruby after making up her mind. She gave a brief salute, but Ruby didn’t accept it.

The warm afternoon sunlight broke through the window and shattered his blond hair. Deep, transparent eyes shine quietly. A slightly drowsy look, a slightly dangerous look.

‘What should I do…….’

Arhin pulled her cloak down a bit more, covering her face in nervousness. It was, so to speak, an act of self-defense due to her nervousness.

‘Do you recognize me? What will he say? Am I going to jail? Oh, please, no harm to Deborah.’

Arhin with a nervous expression and Ruby with a cold expression. Ruby was the first to speak.

“Haven’t we met before?”

Arhin took a deep breath.

Although she hoped that her thinking was wrong, she was certain that when the Marquis asked that, he already knew her true identity.

She hesitated, then closed her eyes tightly and answered resignedly.

“……yes, we have met before.”

Arhin felt a strange sense of deja vu.

That night, the man came over with a soft smile and asked, “Have we met before?”

Just as the questions differ, so does the atmosphere.

If before he was like a beautiful ornamental rapier hanging on the wall, now he was like a sharp sword with a finely sharpened blade.

Arhin bit her lip tightly. I’ve been exposed. I will be punished, I will probably be beaten.

But she decided not to make excuses. It is her credo that apologies should be sincere and simple.

“I will take responsibility for what I did. I am sorry.”

Ruby’s gaze landed on Arhin’s slightly bitten lips.

“Is your name Aaron?”

“No.”

“Are you a man?”

“No.”

“Are you a criminal?”

“No, I am not.”

“Then is there any reason to hide your identity?”

“I couldn’t apply as a woman, so I just borrowed the name of someone I know.”

Arhin sighed at the continued negative answer. Whatever the case, every time the Marquis asked a question, she answered no.

Even though it was all caused by herself, the atmosphere wasn’t very good.

I never imagined that the reunion would be like this.

Ruby looked at Arhin in silence. His fingers tapped on the table.

“You only gave negative answers. Why should I let you join the Knights?”

Ruby first decided to push the question of the woman’s identity at the party back. It was a matter of having her beside him and getting to know her step by step.

Right now his priority was finding out about the one candidate in front of him, who wanted to join his knight order.

“My name is Arhin Avand. I am the eldest daughter of Baron Karl Avand. As a woman, it wasn’t easy for me to join the knights, so I borrowed the name of someone I know and applied. It wasn’t because there was a legal or moral issue. I really want to join the Knights of Berth.”

“Why do you want to become a knight by borrowing someone else’s name? I don’t understand.”

Arhin Avand. It was a name he had never heard of.

Hearing Ruby’s words, Arhin opened her mouth as if to answer, then closed it again.

Although of a low ranking, she is a noble herself. It was something that anyone would be curious about when a woman of such status jumped in to become a knight.

In fact, the reason is simple. She has no money, her marriage was called off, and all she’s good at is swordsmanship.

But can he understand? There is no way a person who was born into a good family and always sat in a shining position would sympathize with her circumstances.

But Arhin doesn’t know. What Ruby has been through after his father’s death, what efforts he made to get this position, and what he did to keep it.

Sometimes his face says a lot. He is a fresh-looking man who is just past his coming of age.

He was like a flawless man as he smiled and said hello kindly. But when you looked into those eyes, the feeling they gave was so deep and heavy that you couldn’t bear to look at them for long.

Having become a marquis at a young age, his life was not smooth. He was threatened, ignored, and pitied.

That’s why he had to train himself by overexerting himself, and he had to wrap up his appearance with a smile and calmness. His appearance now was only a trace of his fierce life.

Ruby does not know the financial difficulties of the low-ranking nobles, and Arhin does not know the weight of the burden on Ruby’s shoulders.

The gazes of the two, who did not know each other well, intertwined in the air.