Chapter 4: The Traitorous Royal Knight

The theater in question, Theater La Cuvelier, was located in the best district in town.

Charlotte and I headed straight to the theater after accepting the tickets from Sepith, who had planned this whole operation. La Cuvelier boasted a capacity of a few hundred people, and we arrived just as the well-dressed guests began to make their way through the entrance.

After walking past the reception desk, we ignored the glamorous lobby and headed straight to the performance hall. Orderly rows of seats lined the room, slanting downward slightly before leveling out in front of the stage. We’d heard that our seats were somewhere in the middle of the general admission seating. Even the cheapest seats cost a hefty five kumul silvers, but those seats filled in the blink of an eye.

“Ah, oops! Oh, dear!” As we were walking down the stairs to head to our seats, Charlotte nearly tripped on one of the steps, but I grabbed her arm just in time to steady her. Unlike most of the other lady guests, my personal retainer wasn’t wearing a fancy dress, per se, but Charlotte was wearing a longer dress than she was used to so that she could blend in.

We were so close that we could almost hear each other’s every breath. I stared hard at the brave girl’s face. On the surface, Charlotte looked like any other dainty and graceful girl her age, but underneath her clothes, she’d hidden a knife.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Thank you, Master Slowe... I’m not very used to wearing something like this, and...”

I hesitated a moment before saying, “You look really good in that.”

A dusting of pink decorated Charlotte’s cheeks at the sincere compliment.

Was it really the right decision to bring her here...? I could have never even imagined in my wildest dreams that Charlotte would take the initiative to head to a battlefield.

A lady’s voice reached my ears. “Oh my, whatever are you talking about?” she was saying to someone near her, though I wasn’t really paying attention. “This production is a true story. Mayhem of the Blade is about the gentleman who rose to the top contender of the Guardian Knight candidates despite being a commoner because he saved the royal family in a crisis!”

“M-Master Slowe, is there something on my face?”

“Ah, no. No, there’s nothing...” I snapped out of it. “Let’s go. This way.” I took Charlotte’s hand in mine and led her towards our seats.

Charlotte was all tense, though truth be told, I’d expected that. She was way more nervous than she needed to be. It can’t be helped, considering what’s probably going to happen after this. Though everything seems normal on the surface, I know that countless bandits have infiltrated this theater.

“You look the same as always, Master Slowe,” Charlotte commented.

“Well, I don’t want to tip them off or give them clues that something is off, that’s all.” I shrugged. “I also kind of want to enjoy the feel of this place until everything goes down. There’s no way I could afford this on my pitiful allowance, after all.” I gave Charlotte’s hand a little tug. “Charlotte, here. Act a bit more natural.”

“Y-Yes!” Charlotte said with a determined nod. “Natural... Natural...” she mumbled to herself.

The theater felt glamorous and dazzling. There was something enchanting about a place like this, like being here made me a rich, high-society person too. Such extravagance made me feel so nostalgic; there once was a time when I was invited to join luxuries nearly every single day, back as the Prodigy of Wind.

Charlotte had appeared to be out of her comfort zone at first, but she seemed to gradually relax as I continued chatting with her.

“It’s just as I thought, Master Slowe. You truly have returned to your former self. I must be very lucky, having the privilege to watch your transformation from this close,” Charlotte whispered, seemingly moved.

As I watched her talk, a question occurred to me. “Charlotte, do you prefer the current me or the previous me?” I asked.

“Huh? Well, I don’t think anyone would say that they prefer your previous self...” She trailed off.

“Was I really that bad? Everyone goes through a rebellious phase at some point in their life, don’t they?”

“Master Slowe, your rebellious phase was on an entirely different scale from a normal one, and it lasted ages. Because of that, I’ve been wondering how the duke and your mother would react if they saw you now. I’ve been thinking about it every night before I go to sleep recently.”

“Oh yeah, speaking of which, my father is heading here right now, huh? He just straight up abandoned the front lines to come here. Jeez, what was he thinking?”

“That just goes to show how much he wants to meet with you, Master Slowe.”

I didn’t have a response to that. I decided to change the topic. “Where are Alicia and the others?” I asked. “They’re not sitting in the general admission seating, right?”

“Um, if I remember correctly... Oh!” Charlotte exclaimed. “Master Slowe, over there! Lady Alicia is—”

“Shush, Charlotte! People will hear you!”

“Ah, oops!” There was no point in attracting attention on purpose. Charlotte hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand at my warning.

“On the second floor... I guessed as much,” I muttered. “There’s no reason for her to sit in general admission where there’s a crowd of people.”

The second-floor seats were on isolated balconies to the left and right of the stage. They were private seats for special guests, usually a group of nobles who wanted to enjoy the show with friends.

And right now, she was up there. Alicia appeared from behind the balcony curtains. With her crimson dress and her hair pulled back into an elegant high ponytail, she stood out even in the glamorous La Cuvelier before the show had even started. She looked completely different from her usual self.

Now then, will those bandits take the bait or not, I wonder? This was now a hunt with Alicia as the bait, and it was time for us to wait for the bandits to bite.

“I helped Lady Alicia a little with getting ready for tonight, but she’s really beautiful,” Charlotte gushed.

“Yeah... She’s a completely different person from the girl who lazed around in my suite.”

Alicia was so gorgeous that people couldn’t help but sigh whenever they laid eyes on her. From the second-floor balcony, the stunning beauty overlooked the entire theater. With a brilliant aura surrounding her befitting the main heroine of Shuya Marionette and princess of the Metropolis of Water, everyone had their eyes fixated on the second floor, whispering her praises to each other.

“Jeez, she’s the only one who gets to sit in a good seat, huh?” I complained.

“Well, Lady Alicia is a princess, after all.”

You’re a princess too, I thought, but I swallowed those words down. Charlotte was a commoner. Her truth would remain a secret until the day I told her.

“Yeah, she is royalty,” I said instead.

Beside Alicia, who looked down at the theater with an impassive face, a man with a white cape came into view. Witnessing the entrance of a Royal Knight, the theater went wild.

“...Look, that’s a real Royal Knight...”

“The girl next to him must be the princess from the mage school, then...”

Fevered whispers broke out over the theater.

Sepith stood beside Alicia, every inch the imposing, impenetrable fortress that protected the royal family of Daryth. Though he was relatively new to the Order, there was a majestic air around him that reminded people of a veteran knight who would not so much as twitch a brow, not even in the direst of circumstances.

With the white cape that draped around Sepith’s shoulders, he simply oozed grace and elegance. No one would ever guess that one half of his blood was that of a commoner’s from the sight of him. The aura born of the noble blood he carried was that of an entirely different league. This was one of the elite knights handpicked to protect the royal family.

“Look behind them... That’s Oliver, the Flower Knight...”

“Not one, but two great Royal Knights at her side...?”

With the appearance of a second Royal Knight, the excitement in the theater grew still further.

Sepith looked down at the theater with a carefully blank face, and people praised how handsome he was. Ugh, handsome men have it so easy. Damn it, just you wait. When I become a thin, muscular guy, I’ll also—

“Master Slowe, I know I said this before, but the Royal Knights are really amazing,” Charlotte whispered fervently to me.

“House Denning shines when performing their duty in the battlefield, while the Royal Knights dazzle while carrying out their duty in the palace. They both have their charms that make people look on with awe,” I said, trying and failing not to be petty.

The Flower Knight spotted me as he scanned the first floor. He placed a hand on the cane sword at his hip and nodded slightly to me. It was like he was assuring me, silently saying, “Leave her protection to me.”

“To be protected by two Royal Knights... Lady Alica is amazing,” Charlotte said.

“They came up with this plan. They better protect her or else,” I muttered.

“I honestly thought that you would be the one by Lady Alicia’s side protecting her, though.”

“She’d definitely prefer Sepith over the likes of me. He’s a few times more ‘handsome’ than me, after all.”

Charlotte paused. “I don’t think that’s true. Ah, Master Slowe, it looks like our seats are over there.”

Charlotte quickened her pace to a brisk walk, and I followed her. We scooted past people who had already sat down in our row and approached our seats.

Alicia’s protection was solid. She had two Royal Knights with her, after all. Our enemies were just mere bandits; the knights were more than enough.

“Master Slowe, I...I really think you should go to Lady Alicia’s—” Charlotte cut off, fumbling for the words she wanted to say.

“What’s wrong?”

“No... It’s nothing.”

Most of the seats were occupied now. It was probably nearly time for the lights to go down and the curtains to rise.

I glanced at Charlotte’s face. She looked a little tense, and that probably wasn’t just a trick of the light. I held her hand; it was trembling slightly.

“Charlotte,” I said to her. “Can I tell you something quick?”

“What is it?” she asked at length.

“I think I was in the wrong, telling you to stay back at the inn. You are a brave person. You’re much braver than I thought.”

Now that I thought back on it, this might be the first time that Charlotte completely, directly objected to my opinion. I’d thought for certain she’d wait back at the inn, but she’d turned my prediction on its head. Even though Charlotte disliked fights, she’d chosen the right path as a Denning retainer, even though she could have chosen any other path.

We both fell short in our own ways. In that aspect, you could say we were perfect for each other. However, I wanted to be by her side as my real self and not a human orc. For that sake, perhaps Charlotte had to change too. Somewhere in my heart, that was what I had always thought.

“Master Slowe, do you remember what I was like when the mercenary infiltrated the school?”

“I remember. You were quite scared.”

“After that, I reflected back on myself. You fought so valiantly, and I cowered in fear. I thought that wasn’t right. If any other retainer were assigned to you, they wouldn’t have let you fight all by yourself...” Charlotte trailed off. “You’re trying to change, Master Slowe, so I needed to change too. That’s what I thought. But it’d be impossible to make such a dramatic change like you, so bit by bit... Oh!”

“...The lights are dimming. The show’s about to start.”

A hush fell over the performance hall the moment the lights went out.

It was so dark that I couldn’t make out the seats and people around me, but I still recognized Charlotte with no problems at all in the darkness. Her long lashes, her skin so pale that it almost glowed...

“Charlotte, I—” I began.

“Budge over, budge over. Phew, that was close. Almost missed the show. Hey, champ, don’t leave stuff on my seat.” The voice of a man rang out unexpectedly, and not from the stage. Annoyed murmurs broke out in the seats around us at the disruption from the lighthearted, cheeky voice.

“The Mayhem of the Blade with a commoner swordsman as the protagonist, huh? Let’s see what this thing turns out to be about...” The man muttering to himself soured the anticipation that the dimming lights had caused.

The young man, who didn’t seem to have the word “manners” in his vocabulary, entered the hall at the last minute and sat down on a seat behind us.

“By the way, Master Slowe,” Charlotte said quietly, at length. “Is it okay for us to just...enjoy the play?”

“We might as well enjoy it while we’re here. You wanted to see the show anyway, right?”

Charlotte nodded sheepishly. As I watched her, I felt a warmth spread from head to toe.

I guess there isn’t any point getting all worked up about this whole thing. Sepith is guaranteed to come out victorious, defeating the bandits by using Alicia as bait. But... Something feels off about this. Am I missing something? So the bandits will be destroyed he— Wait. But in the anime, Alicia and Borguie...

“Hm?” The sound of someone whistling behind us broke me out of my thoughts. Though the wolf whistle was teasing, like it was poking fun at the two of us for being a shy couple, it calmed me to listen to it.

Oh well. We’ll just have to see. For now, I’ll just relish in the miracle that the girl most precious to me is sitting by my side.

●

For Charlotte Lily Huzak, the feeling of his hands on her arms had made her feel strangely warm inside. Someone had supported her frame, and when she looked up, it was her master. However, up close...for some reason, she had almost thought he was someone else.

Even beside her right now, his face was dignified, and he suddenly seemed so reliable. He was completely different from the person she knew him as.

Shaken, Charlotte was lost for words, and she remembered vaguely that she’d responded weirdly at some point.

“Your Highness!” Heedless of Charlotte’s plight, the actor on stage continued. “Yes, monsters are indeed fearsome, but I want you to muster up the courage to see the outside world! Now, let us head off into the depths of the dungeon!”

And that strange heat lingered even now. Even though the play had started, her eyes were still fixated on her master’s face beside her.

●

Mayhem of the Blade was all the rage in Daryth right now. It was about a swordsman saving the princess and a few knights who were brought to a dungeon—the quintessential epic tale of a hero. The commoner swordsman defeated monsters that even the noble knights were helpless against.

“This isn’t what they said! Wasn’t the dungeon boss supposed to be a normal Dullahan?!” one knight exclaimed.

“The adventurers deserted us! Please! Is there anyone out there?! Someone help us!” a second knight shouted, pleading.

The story was fast-paced, and the audience didn’t even get the chance to catch their breath as the play progressed onto its climax. At last, the swordsman and the princess had their fateful meeting.

Everyone was absorbed in the play, and even Charlotte watched with bated breath beside me.

“Who are you?!” the princess exclaimed.

“I’m a commoner, so, unfortunately, I don’t have a glorious name to declare. Now then, Sir Knights, if you would kindly take a few steps back. This mere shadow of a swordsman has a dungeon boss to kill. That thing is mine.”

The incredible performance had all of us on the edge of our seats. Accompanied by the music of the orchestra building up to a crescendo, nobody could take their eyes off the show.

A swordsman with black hair slashed at a monster in full plate armor with his sword as he all but danced across the stage. Nearby, a delicate and beautiful young girl acting as the princess sat on the ground, spellbound as she stared at the swordsman.

“Dude, what’s with her jutting her butt out like that?” Though we were right in the middle of a climactic scene, the guy sitting behind us cackled and muttered to himself. He had also whispered something like, “...didn’t say that.”

Oh, shut up already. I was irritated. That’s definitely the guy who nearly missed the show. I had a bad feeling when he first showed up, ugh. Charlotte hasn’t noticed since she’s absorbed in the play, but I can’t help but be distracted by this guy’s voice!

I turned to look at the second floor. Alicia and Sepith were there. The bandits still hadn’t made a move yet, and everything was as usual in the theater. On the stage, the swordsman swung his greatsword towards the monster for the last time. We were finally at the climax of the story. Sepith, it looks like the bandits never showed up. Your road to the Guardian Knight will end with thi—

“Thank you very much, traveler. May I ask for your name?”

“My name is—”

All light suddenly disappeared from the theater, leaving the performance hall engulfed in utter darkness. For a moment, even I thought that it was a part of the play. Then just as suddenly as it went out, all the spotlights lit up at once, pointed directly at the stage.

“The hell is happening...?!” I muttered.

On the stage, everything had turned on its head.

The swordsman had collapsed onto the ground, and the full plate monster next to him stayed upright. The princess froze in shock.

Loud whispers erupted out into the initial silence.

The monster on stage removed the helmet that covered its head and looked over at the audience. The man’s long, gray hair was matched in raggedness by the gaunt and weary look upon his face. He was relatively tall, but the man’s slouch was gloomy and made him appear smaller than he really was. He held up his hand; in it, he clutched a wand.

Something was definitely off, but nobody rose to stop him. As if I was possessed by something, I stayed rooted to my spot.

“And thus,” said the man with a confident, theatrical flourish, “the swordsman did not rise. Now, the prologue ends here.” He carried himself with a charisma that would have put him toe-to-toe with the real stage actors.

The audience whispered among themselves, wondering if this was a continuation of the play. Everyone in the audience had their eyes transfixed on the stage.

But I recognized the face of that criminal.

“And now, the main show is about to begin. Its title is Mayhem. I shall make it a fitting play to mark the end of us biding our time in the shadows.”

I immediately reached for my wand, and—

“Citizens of Daryth, my words, my magic will transform you all into actors...” The man trailed off. “Raging Torrent.”

A jet of water burst forth from the man’s wand, branching off in several directions as he aimed them at the ceiling. Broken shards of glass from the lights rained down on the audience.

●

—Or they would have, if not for the flames surrounding the currents of water, rendering them little more than glimmering droplets.

The broken shards of glass turned to ash by the remnants of the flames above the audience’s heads, preventing the tragedy that would have surely followed. The audience screamed in fear at the enormous heatwave appearing suddenly above their heads.

Though the first phase of Mayhem was thwarted, the bandit leader Borguie didn’t falter in the slightest.

“The famed Royal Knights of Daryth live up to their reputation. It’s truly admirable how they’re able to think on their feet, responding to our attack so quickly,” he muttered.

This was the end of their time hiding in the shadows. The bandit group had shrunk over the time they were pursued relentlessly by the Cirquistan army. They spent their time underground here slowly inducting more members into their ranks; now, it seemed, they were finally ready to turn the page in their book. They were ready to live up to their infamy. Their first new job needed to be flashy to show off their power to both the newbies among them and to the underground society. The bigger the fish they could catch, the better.

For Borguie, the transformation from the iron-plated monster to a human was akin to a metamorphosis. He might’ve even gone as far as saying that there wasn’t a better stage for the bandit group to rise from the ashes and begin anew in Daryth.

“As expected, the information leaked to us was a trap to lure us in. They wouldn’t have been able to react to my spell this quickly if they weren’t expecting us,” Borguie said, unperturbed. He slowly turned his head and fixed his eyes on the Royal Knights standing between him and the princess on the second floor.

The Flower Knight drew his sword and shifted into a ready stance. There was another Royal Knight on the other side of the princess who looked as cold as ice, one whose name he did not know.

“Two white capes, huh? Though this is the first time we’ve clashed... Show me what you can do, ‘Guardians of the Royal Family.’ Everyone, charge!”

The stage was certainly making a set change, transforming into the Mayhem that Borguie desired.

●

“Huh. Looks like you were able to foresee everything, weren’t you, milord?” A small whisper went unheard.

●

“Aaah!”

Pandemonium erupted within the theater.

The bandits sprung into action from their disguises amongst the audience. Though the worst-case scenario was avoided, La Cuvelier was still thrown into chaos. Crowds of people ran for the doors, trying to escape, the flashy spells from earlier still vivid in everyone’s minds.

One of the Royal Knights had countered the man’s spell, but most of the audience were commoners and were likely oblivious to the fact that he’d protected them. However, in their way, a few men stood in front of the exits, barring their path.

They’re fast. No wonder they were able to escape the Cirquistan army. The bandit group was more like a small army than a ragtag bunch of criminals, and they probably thought they had a chance even despite the two Royal Knights around.

Next to me, Charlotte was still frozen in shock. I guess although she knew what was going to happen, she wasn’t truly prepared for it. That’s good news for me, though. As long as I’m with her, Charlotte, at least, will make it out of this unscathed.

Alicia, on the other hand... I clenched my teeth in frustration. Those two Royal Knights! What are they doing, dragging their feet around?! They’re guaranteed to win here!

I turned towards the second-floor balcony. My eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but gasp in shock at what I saw.

“Huh?!”

●

The famed Flower Knight deeply regretted agreeing to this operation. As a Royal Knight, he couldn’t be proud of this brutish plan to lure the bandit group out by using Alicia as bait, and he knew that. It was their own fault that they had to resort to such means because he and Sepith were ultimately not up for the task.

Oliver had tasked his subordinates with escorting the mercenary back to the capital, and he’d stayed in Yoram to continue searching for these bandits. Much to his dismay, he hadn’t achieved a single thing the entire time he’d been here. Though he had finally tracked down the Black Lobby, there were code words he clearly didn’t know, and he hadn’t managed to gain any information. For these past few days, he had been filled with shame, realizing how wet behind the ears he truly was when it came to matters such as these. He lived in the world of light; it was impossible for him to truly step foot into the world of the underground.

However, there was still one beacon of hope in this pathetic reality. According to Sepith, Alicia wholeheartedly welcomed the plan to capture Borguie and his fellows, even going as far as calling it “a wonderful idea.” Normally, it would be akin to blasphemy to even consider using her as bait, but the princess insisted on going through with it, and Oliver had been moved by her bravery.

“At last, they show themselves,” Oliver muttered, reaching for his wand. “But they sorely underestimated us Royal Knights.”

As Oliver tore apart the dual-element spell of water and wind that was aimed at him, he looked down over the balcony and scanned the whole performance hall. Gauging the ability of all the individual bandits, Oliver concluded that Borguie’s group was a bunch of unruly, disorganized people. If they lost their leader, their group would immediately collapse. He shot down another one of Borguie’s spells before he gripped the handrail, preparing to leap down from the second-floor balcony.

“Sepith!” he exclaimed. “I will head down to the first floor to take down their leader! Protect the princess—”

They had decided their individual roles beforehand; Oliver would focus his efforts on destroying the bandit group, and Sepith would protect the princess. The most important thing was the princess’s safety. Though Sepith was a bastard child, he was a triple-element master who’d already surpassed Oliver in skill. Even with the label of “bastard” weighing him down, Sepith had poured blood, sweat, and tears into his training, clawing his way up the ranks. Oliver had great faith in Sepith’s abilities, and it was for this reason that he’d picked Sepith for the job.

“Your Highness! Please make sure that you stay with Sepith at all ti—”

Before Oliver could finish his sentence, the blade of a cane sword thrust through his chest, piercing through him like he was made of nothing.

He recognized the blade; the special cane sword given to Royal Knights for use in both spellcasting and melee combat. But he could not wrap his head around what had just happened. What...is this?

“Sir Oliver.”

A few seconds later, great pain racked his frame. Coughing up blood, Oliver stared up at Sepith, this Royal Knight who had a bright future ahead of him; this bastard who defied all odds and expectations by gaining the trust of the Knight Commander and the queen, who was even rumored to be the top candidate for the next Guardian Knight.

“I am grateful to you. You were the only one in the Order who wasn’t biased against me because of my blood.”

Oliver’s blood splattered onto the innocent maiden, staining her crimson dress.

●

Alicia couldn’t understand what was going on in front of her. Bereft of even a single word, she looked down in a daze at the warm blood that splattered onto her cheeks.

“Sepith, why...?!”

“Farewell.”

And just like that, the Flower Knight collapsed onto the ground at the hands of his comrade, blindsided by this unexpected betrayal.

●

Huuuh?!!! I witnessed the very moment when Sepith ran Oliver through, and I screamed internally. What the hell are you doing, Sepith?! Aren’t you supposed to destroy the bandits here tonight?! Your betrayal is in the future after you become the Guardian Knight!!! You’re supposed to try to use Princess Carina for your unsavory means then—wasn’t that supposed to be how it goes?! Why are you attacking Oliver?!

Not only that, but that guy just took Alicia with him! I didn’t do anything to change his fate, so why is this different from the anime?!

“That looks like that’ll sell for some good cash. More importantly, it’s small, which is a big bonus. Come on, hand it over!” a bandit demanded, cackling.

“Go away! This instrument is my life itself. There’s no way in hell I’d give this to you filthy thieves!” a musician shouted back.

The two Royal Knights were gone, leaving no one to deal with the bandits. Is the world trying to tell me to deal with that bandit in their stead? No, more than that, Sepith took Alicia with him! What should I do? Should I chase Sepith immediately?! No, bad idea. I can’t just leave, not with the theater in this state!

I lobbed a spell at one of the bandits who’d been trying to steal an instrument from the orchestra, knocking him out.

“Wha—” he exclaimed before he fell.

I turned my attention to my surroundings. It looked like there were mages amongst the ranks of the bandit group too; it wasn’t just the leader throwing spells around. People could die if this gets any worse. It’ll be a free-for-all.

“Charlotte!” I snapped. “How long are you going to just stand there?!”

“M-Master Slowe, I-I...” Charlotte still hadn’t caught up to reality, and her brain was having a meltdown from the shock.

I hardened my heart, preparing to say something harsh to snap her out of it. “This is what battle looks like, Charlotte. If you really want to become my personal retainer, this is the world that you’re in for.”

Terrified screams echoed all over the theater. Charlotte trembled at each and every one.

But she’d told me that she wanted to overcome that weakness of hers, that she would join me on the battlefield. And so I’d let her come along with me. But the trembling Charlotte before me now wasn’t the brave girl from moments ago.

At that precise moment, I felt murderous intent radiating from somewhere, weighing me down from head to toe. It was the overwhelming aura of an extraordinary being with absolute power. The Great Spirit of Wind was surely looking at me, hidden somewhere in the theater.

Whenever Charlotte was involved, that spirit lost all common sense. If she were harmed in any way, they would likely murder me without so much as lifting a finger, and move on to take total control of this place.

We were partners in crime when it came to protecting Charlotte. It took remembering that to snap me out of it. I whispered to the Spirit of Wind in a voice so small, it was barely audible over the din of chaos around us. Even so, I did not doubt that they would definitely hear me clearly, regardless of the distance between us.

“Leave it to me, Altanger!”

The spirit’s power was much too crude to set their sights on each individual bandit and selectively aim at them. If I asked them for help, they would need time if they didn’t want to catch anyone in the crossfire, and that was time we didn’t have. Every single second was too precious to waste right now. Oliver was down, and Sepith headed somewhere with Alicia.

Right at that moment, a bandit shouted down at Borguie from the now-vacant balcony. The leader was still overlooking the whole incident from his position on the stage.

“Master Borguie! The Royal Knight took the princess with him, and anyone who chased after them fell! Everyone’s dead!”

Borguie paused, considering this new information. “Do not give chase!” he ordered. “Something is off! We shall deal with our grudge against Cirquista some at the next opportunity! All of you, gather as many valuables as you can carry, finish venting your anger on the people here, and prepare to retreat!”

“Um, you two,” came a voice from behind me.

My first instinct was to ignore it, even if there was a hint of recognition. Wait, that voice just now... No. I shook my head. I had more pressing issues to worry about. Borguie is still here. Would Alicia really run with her tail between her legs with the nemesis of Cirquistan royalty around?

No, I decided, she absolutely wouldn’t. Even if it meant going against Sepith, she would probably try to claw her way back to the theater no matter what to carry out her judgment. Even if it meant putting her own life on the line, like she had in the anime.

Did Sepith take Alicia away so that he could let her retreat to a safe place? No, that’s definitely not the case!!! That guy probably decided that instead of Princess Carina, he’d take Alicia and use her in his plans to defect to the empire!

I hardened my own resolve. I would take down that Traitor Royal Knight here in Yoram before he could get the chance to bring disaster to this country.

“M-Master Slowe, what...what should I—”

“Uhh, you two?”

Charlotte hadn’t realized yet that Sepith had betrayed us. What should I do...? Sepith was as fearsome an enemy as he was as our ally, and he took Alicia with him. The bandits were running amok in the theater. Charlotte cowered in fear, and the Great Spirit of Wind couldn’t help.

In the past, I would’ve made the decision in a heartbeat. The blackhearted Piggy Duke had very clear priorities. Between Alicia and Charlotte, I would’ve definitely picked Charlotte without a second thought. But now I...!

“Heeey, you two... You’re going to make me sad if you keep ignoring me, you know?”

“What is it with you?!” I snapped. “You’ve been going on and on for a while! Not only that, but you couldn’t keep your noisy mouth shut during the play!”

The rude guy who’d come to the theater at the last second was still talking, even calling out to us so cheerfully and casually in this kind of emergency! Doesn’t he understand how precarious the situation is?! I whirled around to glare at the person behind us. A man with black hair stood there, wearing a white cape loosely draped around his shoulders.

“Hey, dude! That’s a good sword yer got there! Why don’t you trade with me!” With a face flushed red from what I could only guess was excitement, a bandit leaped at the black-haired man.

A shout of warning was on the tip of my tongue. But before I could get the words out—

Without even turning back, the man with black hair spun the sword in his hand until he held the hilt in a reverse grip. In one smooth motion, he plunged the blade backward, piercing the chest of the bandit with a single strike. The man’s grin never faltered for a second, still focused on me.

His brilliant technique, his friendly smile... I was lost for words.

“You do not require any introductions, do you?”

Even with his black hair covering his right eye I recognized that face right away. I froze. No matter how many years pass by, I...I could never, ever forget him. I could never forget the boy who defied all tradition and became an official knight of House Denning despite his commoner origins. The boy who gained my father’s trust despite his young age.

I was in complete shock. What the— Why are you here?

I didn’t have the luxury of time to interrogate him for the answers to all of the questions I had. I forced down all the emotions rioting in my chest. “You. How much do you know about the situation at hand? Tell me,” I ordered.

“Sepith cut down Oliver and took Alicia with him. Poor thing; her beautiful dress is ruined. Oliver is loyal to a fault, so Sepith absolutely is the one responsible for the abduction.”

“You know enough,” I said at length.

“And now a new Royal Knight suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and... Wait, Sir Sepith did what to Sir Oliver?! Huh?! Wh-What?!” Charlotte paused in her floundering, her eyes landing on the man beside me. “And why...why are you here?!”

Although Charlotte was completely at a loss for what to do, on the bright side, this man’s sudden appearance was so shocking that it snapped her out of her panic completely. She was back to her usual self.

Like her, my head was still spinning with a cacophony of emotions, but I calmed myself.

“It is your job as the princess’s fiancé to save her, milord,” he said.

“Former fiancé, former. She probably doesn’t want me at all anymore, but I have to take responsibility for messing up her life. So—”

The Knights of the Twin Wings had once accompanied me everywhere, and now one of them stood before me. It was almost as if he’d jumped straight out of an illusion—straight out of that dream.

...If the cheeky boy from my dream that night grew up into an adult, he would look just like the man before me.

“I’ll leave this place to you, Silva,” I declared.

“Please leave it to me. After all...I am special, just like Charlotte, your personal retainer.”

●

What?! What did I just see?! What just happened?! I can’t believe this is happening! That man struck down his own comrade! The gruesome scene that had happened before Alicia’s eyes was deeply ingrained into her mind. She couldn’t get the image of the Flower Knight collapsing after being mercilessly struck down right in front of her out of her head.

After that, Sepith had dragged Alicia by her hand and led her away from the theater. Sepith had defeated the bandits chasing them with spells, and he then destroyed the restroom wall located deep in the heart of the second floor. The space behind the thick wall turned out to be hollow, the cavern beyond it deep and dark. Sepith had swept Alicia’s legs out from beneath her and carried her as he jumped down into it. The cavity led to an underground passage, labyrinthine with its many twists and turns.

The appearance of the bandits had messed with her heart, but this was just unreal. It was almost as if this Sepith was a doppelgänger. He was such a different person that Alicia couldn’t think of a better comparison.

The kind Royal Knight she knew him as no longer existed. The man holding her arm with that eerie smile plastered onto his face wasn’t anything like the Sepith that had been so considerate to that commoner whose monster he spared. Alicia couldn’t fathom how they were the same person.

The time is ripe. He marched on down the darkened path.

“Let go of me!” Alicia cried.

The surrounding darkness was almost a reflection of his own inner darkness. The light from the wooden torches on the wall glowed faintly, just enough to illuminate the path.

Nobody had followed them; he’d made sure of that. He’d murdered all the bandits who chased after the princess.

“Mister Sepith, why in the world would you do such a thing?!”

Ever since he was a child, Sepith always thought that the world was unfair. He had been able to use magic from a young age, but his mother taught him to never, ever use his magic outside their home, no matter what.

Magic was clearly a representation of skill, so his mother’s insistence had left Sepith puzzled. Why shouldn’t I use magic? That nagging question had always been on Sepith’s mind.

One day, a messenger from the marquess house came for him. Sepith could remember that day clearly, even now. The people who had come down from the horse carriage were all seared into his mind. His father, whom Sepith hadn’t even known existed, was a noble.

That day, Sepith had made a choice. In exchange for them curing the otherwise incurable disease his mother had come down with, Sepith would become a noble and bring honor to the marquess house.

“Wasn’t Mister Oliver your comrade?! And why weren’t there any soldiers around in the theater?! Oh, wait... Mister Oliver couldn’t possibly have been a spy for those bandits, could he?!”

“Sir Oliver, spying for the enemy?” Sepith spat. “He is the Flower Knight, who chose the country over love. He loved this country more than anyone else. Such a man spying for the enemy? The very thought is ridiculous.”

His life in the marquess house had been harsh. There had been many private tutors assigned to him, and Sepith beat the ways of nobility into his own body, pouring his blood, sweat, and tears into his efforts to keep up. Many times, he’d thought to escape. Each time, however, he had stood back up, resolved to endure it all for his mother’s sake.

Then, he started attending the mage institute. Sepith was able to use magic with more skill than any other student from the day he enrolled. It was there that he realized his own talent as a mage. That fact probably got to his head a little, and that probably made what happened next even worse.

One day, word got out that he was a bastard, and Sepith became the target of fierce, cruel bullying for daring to show superiority over the nobles with his commoner blood.

“Where are we going? What is this secret passage?! Mister Sepith, where are you heading?! And Borguie is still there! I’m going back to the theater!”

“This passage leads north. Towards the empire, Your Highness.”

“N-North?!”

When Sepith had been studying about other countries in this world, he’d learned that in the Dustour Empire, the aristocracy practically didn’t exist. It didn’t take long before Sepith started admiring it for that.

He spent every single day toiling away at his studies, and then that fateful day came. It was the first snow that year, if he remembered correctly, the day the marquess house had contacted him to inform him about the death of his mother. They hadn’t even told him that his mother had taken a turn for the worse. With her passing, Sepith no longer had a reason to live.

Did that man truly do all he could to cure my mother? Doubt slowly turned into hatred within him.

After that, his days were filled with despair, each day piling on top of the last like a mountain of lead that weighed upon him. And then one day, Sepith was summoned to the headmaster’s office. There, the headmaster completely blindsided him.

“Why are you recommending me to the Order? I...I am a bastard.”

The headmaster paused. “You must distance yourself from the marquess house. You deeply loathe your father, Marquess Pendragon.”

“If you know that much, then...why? I don’t love this country at all. Why would someone like me become a Royal Knight?”

“It hurts me deeply to see the doors of your future being shut off, one by one. Never fear. Should you ever betray this country, I shall take responsibility for it, and I shall personally end your life. So Sepith, I ask this of you. Become a Royal Knight.”

With the name of Pendragon at his back, Sepith went on to become a Royal Knight, just as the headmaster requested. And one day, a thought occurred to him. If I betray this country after I gain social standing, wouldn’t that deal a fatal blow to the marquess house?

As if to give credence to that thought, a shady man had appeared before him suddenly and handed him a letter. That letter contained a detailed report on his life, from the time of his birth to the day he received it. It concluded with a request for Sepith’s help in uniting the whole continent under the flag of the empire.

In that letter, Sepith found a new purpose in life. Another reason to live.

“A Royal Knight heading north?! Mister Sepith, do you understand how traitorous that is?!”

“I didn’t just decide this on the spot. I can assure you it’s not a decision I made lightly, Your Highness.”

Yes. He’d decided to become the Guardian Knight to realize this dream of his, to betray House Pendragon in the worst possible manner he could imagine. Until that day, the path of revenge had seemed the most ideal.

“I remembered what was most important to me,” she had said.

“I...also remembered something important to me,” he had replied.

Moved by the words of the fair Denning retainer, Sepith realized something important: that revenge against House Pendragon was such a petty thing compared to bringing about the future he wished for.

Charlotte, please allow me to answer the question you asked me that day. You see...my dream was to create a world without boundaries between nobles and commoners.

I will no longer hesitate. There is nothing left for me in this country. I need to take action as soon as possible to realize my dream. Not for the sake of my revenge on the marquess house, but for the unification of the entire continent in the name of the empire, and seeing my ideal world born.

“Wait, Mister Sepith, were you the one who called the bandits here?!”

“No, Your Highness, I was not. All I did was leak the information about where you’d be. I used them for my own gain. Their hatred for Cirquista is quite formidable. It’s almost funny how smoothly everything played out, honestly.”

Keeping a tight grip on the princess’s thin wrist, Sepith pressed on down the path shrouded in darkness.

Sepith and Alicia were navigating one of the numerous underground passages that wound beneath the city of Yoram. The path Sepith was heading down opened up in an old residential house on the outskirts of town. A representative of the empire was supposedly there waiting for him already.

Though Alicia wasn’t the princess he had originally planned to abduct, she would be a suitable offer to bring back regardless—a good pawn to drive a wedge between the countries in the south.

“The most difficult part of this operation was separating you from the rookie. He’s been incessantly by your side, after all.”

“So you were planning to do this from the very start. That’s why you called me here!”

“At the beginning, I didn’t plan on partaking in such actions. You were my insurance just in case the worst happened, Your Highness.” Sepith paused, shaking his head. “We are nearly at the exit. Please prepare yourself.”

A light illuminated the end of the long, darkened tunnel.

Farewell, my homeland, Daryth.

●

“You’re despicable!” Alicia yelled.

This is bad... This is bad! Alicia sensed the madness in the man who held her arm in a vice grip, and it sent shivers of fear running down her spine. I need to get out of here somehow!

This was completely different from back when she was in danger at the hands of the mercenary. She had her wand now; she was armed. She could fight back. But whenever she caught sight of her bloodstained dress, Alicia was reminded of what happened earlier. Just like Mister Oliver, I could— Alicia felt chilling fear overtake her, and her will to resist withered away as quickly as it came.

If I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve just gone along with what that guy said. I didn’t catch on to this deeply rooted madness in Sepith at all.

Alicia bit her lip, frustrated with herself. Her hand was sweaty as she gripped her wand. I am royalty. If I’m going to fall into my enemy’s hands like this, I’d rather—

Trembling from head to toe, Alicia made a tragic decision. But before she could act upon it—

Sepith, who had been running in front of her, suddenly stopped. He released her arm without warning and Alicia stumbled to the ground, taken by surprise at the sudden change in momentum. She had bits of gravel in her mouth, scrapes on her cheeks, and cuts on her legs. That hurt! Then she heard a familiar voice ringing out from somewhere in the tunnel.

She wasn’t imagining things. Alicia lifted her head; even when covered with dirt and dust, the main heroine of Shuya Marionette maintained dignity and faced this newcomer.

“Remember how I said Sepith wasn’t trustworthy? Yeah, that’s why.”

In the darkness, she could just make out the silhouette of someone leaning against the wall. Her vision blurred over with tears, cruelly depriving her of a clear view of that person.

Are they from the empire? Alicia shot down that thought no sooner than the words had crossed her mind. She had heard his voice clearly, after all, and she knew that voice very well.

She didn’t need to question who it was. She would never, ever mistake him for anyone else.

Alicia... Alicia had come to this country because she wanted to talk to him again. It was because of this desire to talk with him to her heart’s content that Alicia had continued staying in the same room as him at the inn.

“Leave the rest to me.”

A myriad of emotions welled up, and Alicia struggled past them to get the words out. “Yeah. Save me.”

Unlike last time, now she was able to convey her feelings with her voice. That alone was enough to make Alicia elated.

In the very next moment, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck. With a precise strike of Sepith’s hand, the boy’s former fiancée quickly succumbed to unconsciousness.

●

“For a Royal Knight, you’re quite the brute.” As the boy watched on, his expression contorted, royally ticked off.

“Oh, it’s you,” Sepith said at length. This boy was a real noble who had inherited pure, untainted blood passed down through generations. Though he was a student, he was an elemental master, and he clearly didn’t fear what Sepith or Sir Oliver were capable of.

“I’m surprised you figured out that I was going to use this passage. How?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation. Hand Alicia over, now.”

“Is she that precious to you? Is that because she is your former fiancée?”

Sepith felt a wind brush past his cheek. Something seemed off, and he reached to feel his cheek. When he pulled his hand away, Sepith’s fingers were stained with fresh blood.

“Did you chant when you cast that spell just now, rookie?” Sepith asked.

“If you value your life, hand Alicia over.”

Sepith paused. “I see. It’s just as Sir Oliver said: your power exceeds that of a normal student by miles. In that case, I shall face you with the respect you deserve.”

Sepith laid Alicia gently onto the cold ground, out of the way. He couldn’t let Alicia get hurt in any way, for she was his precious offering for the empire. Then he stood back up and stepped towards the boy.

“Allow me to ask you this one question. Did you leave that fair retainer of yours on her own back there?” Sepith asked with a hint of disbelief.

But he received no reply. “Ignoring me, I see,” Sepith whispered. Then, he drew his cane sword with every bit of grace expected of a Royal Knight.

With the darkness at his back, the corner of his lips quirked into an unreadable expression. This man, who became the Traitor Knight, just like his alternate future. “I am only bringing the princess to a safe place.”

“That’s a lie. I already dealt with the people from the empire who were waiting for you upstairs. You were affiliated with those guys of all people, huh? Despite being a Royal Knight?”

Sepith paused in shock. “I’d told them to send people powerful enough to carry out this operation, but you still...”

“What aren’t you satisfied with? Why did you decide to betray your homeland right now, and not any other time?”

“My homeland? Daryth, my homeland? I regret to inform you that I have never, ever loved this country,” Sepith spat. “As for why now of all times, well, it is quite rare for foreign royalty to trust me so wholeheartedly. That is reason enough.”

“If you defect, the marquess house has no future. You do realize this, don’t you? Do you have that much conviction to betray the entire country even knowing that?”

Sepith hesitated. “Originally, I hadn’t planned on defecting right now, but talking with a certain someone made me realize something important. With my mother dead, I have nobody that I can turn to. I have no family to protect, and so I must face forward. Just like the person I spoke to, I wanted to live for the sake of realizing my ideals. That is all.”

Sepith never intended on telling anyone what he truly thought, and even in the anime, he took his true feelings to his grave. Perhaps Sepith was telling Slowe this as a reward for coming all this way.

However, this short exchange was more than enough for Slowe. With this, he now understood what laid at the core of the Traitor Knight.

“I see... That’s how it is. Your family was the one thing motivating you all this time...”

“Rookie, I know you know that I am a bastard. The way you looked at me wasn’t the way a noble looks at another noble. In your mind, you looked down on me as a bastard just like everyone else did, didn’t you? Compared to a pure-blooded Denning like you, I am nothing more than mere trash to you.”

At that moment, the boy’s face contorted with sadness. He knew everything that happened in the world of Shuya Marionette. The Traitor Knight who stood before him was doomed to meet a tragic end.

Though he couldn’t bring himself to like this man one bit...Slowe could only come to one conclusion, after hearing the man’s true feelings.

“Sepith...you are such a pitiful man.”

“I deceived everyone and became a Royal Knight. All of it had been for the sake of this very day, rookie. I acted on my own will. In no way do I want your pity.”

“No.” Slowe shook his head. “You don’t know anything, and that ignorance is what brought you here.”

This man before Slowe Denning fought his way through the aristocracy all on his own. Slowe lowered his wand, never once taking his eyes off of Sepith. This is the only chance I’ll get to tell him this. Slowe knew everything, and that’s why he felt compelled to tell Sepith the truth.

“Sepith, your mother is alive.”

The moment those words left the boy’s mouth, the Traitor Knight froze, his eyes growing as wide as saucers. The next moment, he glared at the boy with a deadly glare that promised murder.

“Marquess Pendragon kept that promise he made to you.”

If the word “bastard” was Alicia’s trigger to avoid at all costs, any mention of that ill-fated promise was Sepith’s. He couldn’t help but tighten his grip on his cane sword. Sepith forgot to even breathe.

That promise was the reason why Sepith had become a noble—the reason why he’d thrown away everything he had as a commoner. He was left drowning in the memories that surfaced one after another, memories from all the way back on the day when he’d made that life-changing decision to the present.

“How do you...” Those were the only words he was able to force out.

“A member of House Denning cured your mother. Anyone and everyone who holds a high status in House Denning knows this. After all, the famous marquess house owes us one because we did this favor for them.”

Sepith couldn’t so much as utter a single word.

Slowe hesitated. “There is one thing I don’t understand, Sepith. Why didn’t you ever return to your hometown after you heard that your beloved mother had died? If you fled from the marquess house and returned to your hometown to visit your mother’s grave, you would have realized the truth in an instant.”

“...My mother, alive?” Sepith choked out. “You lie.”

“Your mother must have put a lot of thought into what was best for your future. Since her son chose to live as a noble, for the sake of his future, she thought it best he didn’t contact a commoner like her. With that in mind, your mother requested assistance in faking her death.”

“There isn’t... You have no proof. Your words are empty, and they hold no weight.”

“Where do you think the best water mages in this country are concentrated? Is it in the royal palace? Is it in the Order? No, they’re in House Denning. House Denning administers all the military affairs in Daryth, so of course, it’s only natural that a variety of talented mages with genuine loyalty to their country gather there. That’s why the marquess came to us for help.”

Sepith was silent. House Denning was the most powerful noble house in Daryth, and their political power rivaled that of the Daryth royal family. Indeed, if the skilled mages of House Denning were on the task, curing his mother would’ve been an easy feat.

“Are you going to throw away this country, where your mother is?”

“Did you think that such trifling words would make me falter after I came this far?” Sepith asked at length.

Sepith had thought that he no longer had any attachment to Daryth. But now, he doubted that was truly the case. He hated his father more than anything or anyone else in this world, and yet, why had he just taken his father’s words at face value? If Sepith had sought out the truth for himself, even once, he wouldn’t be faltering at the nonsense this rookie was spouting.

“I interrogated the people from the empire upstairs, and I learned how they cracked you. If the empire conquers the whole continent, your ideal world might be realized, that much is true.”

Sepith couldn’t find his words for a long while. “Stop it,” he finally croaked.

“Go do what you want, Sepith. If you go on your own, nobody will stop you. Do whatever you please. But—”

“Shut up.”

“—don’t drag Alicia into your ambitions. She doesn’t have anything to do with this,” Slowe hissed as if Sepith hadn’t interrupted.

A long silence stretched between the two of them. What did this silence mean in the end? Nobody knew, not even the two involved.

However, Slowe saw the expression on the man’s face when it hardened with conviction. It wasn’t the same face as the Traitor Knight in the anime. It was a face Slowe found hard to describe, one overwhelmed with sadness, with anger...a wild concoction of emotions with no outlet.

“Indeed. I have never visited my mother’s grave, not even once.”

“Then—”

Sepith cut him off. “I leaked information to the bandit group, and I cut down Sir Oliver. I no longer have any place in this country. The only path left for me is to head north and contribute to the empire’s unification of the continent.”

This whole time, Sepith had marched on in the underground passage, completely oblivious to the unforeseen situation unfolding in the theater at that moment.

“I see. Then, I suppose I’ll just have to put in a bit of effort to urge you into going home.” The boy approached Sepith. Slowe’s instincts told him that this was the only chance for him to lead Sepith down the right path.

Their eyes locked in a battle of glares. The tension was so thick in the air that one could cut it with a knife, goosebumps rising on the flesh of both their arms.

“I will start over in the north. Get out of my way,” Sepith demanded.

“Unfortunately for you, Guardian Knight candidate, this match is already over.”

Binding chains of earth wound over Sepith’s feet, earthen tentacles writhing as though they intended to cover his whole body.

Slowe continued. “You never change. Placing your ideals on a pedestal and only looking up, you never see the reality at your feet.”

“You really are rather skillful! To think that you could pull off something like this with a wandless spell!” Distracted by the boy’s words, Sepith had let down his guard. Why hadn’t I noticed?! Sir Oliver told me that he summoned a wall of earth with a wandless spell when he faced the mercenary!

“Do you really think you can stop a Royal Knight with a measly little spell like this?!” Sepith exclaimed. He swung his cane sword in an arc, swathing the blade in a surge of light. The light then transformed into a gale of wind, and frigid air ran down the length of the blade as he swung it down once more.

The bonds of earth shattered.

“Fallen Wind of House Denning! You are nothing but a silly brat who once had the world in your lap and threw it all away! I wouldn’t have suffered this much if I’d been in your position!” Sepith yelled.

●

“As long as there is a wall between nobles and commoners in this country, I belong nowhere! I spent my days in House Pendragon, in the Kirsch Mage Institute, and in the Order, all despite my bastard blood! Those hellish days taught me the truth! As long as this cursed blood runs through my veins, there will never come the day when I am released from the confines of this hell!”

In Shuya Marionette, the man before me became the greatest knight in all of Daryth. This man was dead serious. But I had absolutely no intentions of backing down.

The temperature around me plunged sharply. The ground underneath Sepith was covered with frost, and the narrow passage, barely wide enough to fit three people shoulder to shoulder, began to freeze over.

He was creating an arena of ice. My first thought was that this represented the ice in Sepith’s heart as he pointed his cane sword at me. But I had nothing to fear. I knew the full extent of the Traitor Knight’s abilities like the back of my hand.

“Someone like you, who curses his commoner blood more than anyone, creating an ideal world? Don’t make me laugh,” I hissed.

“You were born with honor, with talent! You were born with everything! How could a swine like you understand how I feel?!”

“Even if you head north, the title of traitor will follow you for the rest of your life. Do you really want to die on that hill?”

“I have always forged my own path, and I will continue to do so! Unlike you, I clawed my way up with nothing but this body!”

I paused. “I see. In that case, there is no reason for us to exchange any more words.”

Facing this man in front of me, I hardened my own conviction. I had doubts before, asking myself, would it really be right for me to interfere with this man’s resolve? But now, I knew that there was only one thing I must do. I wouldn’t hesitate any longer. I am the only one in this world who can put an end to your curse, Traitor Royal Knight.

“Slowe Denning, the ultimate symbol of the nobility! I will overcome you and I will go to the north!” Sepith declared.

Charlotte, I’ve made up my mind.

“Sepith Pendragon,” I spat. “For daring to lay your filthy hands on Alicia, I will pass judgment on you.”

If anyone dares to hurt someone precious to me... Even if it’s not you, Charlotte, I won’t let that person off the hook.

●

“Ice Edge.” Spirits invisible to the common man surrounded Sepith’s cane sword, leaving the blade awash with a bright blue glow.

The cane sword of the Royal Knights was designed in such a way that its wielder could enchant it with spells. It required much magic ore to produce, the same raw material used in making magical artifacts. The weapon was the culmination of the very best of the Country of Knights’ technology and knowledge.

Even in the face of such a weapon, Slowe Denning remained still with his wand at the ready.

I am a Royal Knight, and I excel at melee combat. It is sheer stupidity for a mage to face a Royal Knight in such close quarters. Slowe Denning... Sepith gritted his teeth. I have felled mages like you countless times before!

Sepith faced the unmoving boy, whose eyes were fixed on Sepith. The layer of ice on the ground crept towards the boy’s feet, and Sepith prepared for his next move.

Sepith shifted into a fighting stance, preparing to draw his blade. “O light, release that which binds my sword...” The pulse of light surging from the cane sword was on an entirely different level compared to when he had used the same spell against the monster in town. The underground passage was flooded with bright, white light.

Even Sepith couldn’t see a thing through the blinding light, and he was the one who cast the spell in the first place. There was nowhere for Slowe to run, an advantageous battlefield for Sepith. Sepith swung down his now-enchanted cane sword upon his enemy, unleashing a sword technique used by triple-element masters with all his might. Farewell, pure-blood. “Aero Slash!”

The slash of light transformed into an equally deadly blade of wind as it cut down Sepith’s enemy, still rooted to their spot because of ice as they were. The combination of a deadly blade technique and a triple-element spell was Sepith’s specialty. Nobody could react to such a fatal technique, making their first encounter with it their last. It cut down his foes without fail.

Unable to see the attack coming, Sepith’s target split in half as the torso separated from his body and slid down to the ground, turning into a corpse before he even realized what happened.

—Or it would have, if everything had gone according to plan.

Sepith was still blinded with white light. An eerie silence hung heavy over the battlefield even as he struggled to make out anything through the brightness.

The seconds ticked by, and still he didn’t hear the distinct sound of a body hitting the ground. Sepith kept his cane sword at the ready so that he could react, no matter what happened next. He understood that his fatal attack hadn’t lived up to its name. So it’s your turn now, huh?

Though Slowe Denning was the direct descendant of House Denning, his ability was still unknown to Sepith. It had been a while since he’d last felt this emotion. Sepith swallowed. Is this fear I’m feeling? Even so, Sepith was confident in his abilities. He had trained hard in House Pendragon, in Kirsch, and in the Order. “Even if I can’t see, I know what you’re doing! I can’t count the number of times I’ve fought mages like you!”

He swung down his cane sword, cutting the incoming spell in half with a single strike. From the feel of it against his blade, Sepith could tell it was a Flaying Whip of Flames spell; no sooner had he cut it down, though, than the spell transformed. Scalding heat morphed into frozen air in an instant, and the new spell Icicle honed in on Sepith.

One after another, the deadly series of spells assaulted him. Sepith grunted with the effort it took to relentlessly slash, cut, and dice through them all with his cane sword.

The spells’ elements changed faster than he could blink, fickle as the whims of a child. It would’ve been difficult to control several different elements simultaneously so freely as this boy did, even for the most top-class mages in the world. But Sepith himself was a formidable opponent, more extraordinary than those same mages as well. Ensconcing his blade with light, Sepith skillfully smashed and cut down the sphere of earth and the slithering darkness, dealing with each spell as it came.

He didn’t even get the chance to breathe; sweat streamed down his face in endless beads. It almost felt as if his arm was one with his sword at this point. The spells Sepith swatted away with his sword techniques struck and gouged the ceiling and walls, heavily damaging the earthen tunnel around them. The shockwaves from the impacts made it feel as if the tunnel itself was vibrating, and yet still Sepith swung on.

This tunnel they were in was very ancient; even natives to Yoram didn’t know it existed. It was a strange relic of the past, worn down by years of neglect. When Sepith had first stepped down into the tunnel, he had roughly estimated how far below ground it ran.

With the amount of force we’re throwing around, there should be cracks and deformations all over the place. Sure enough, Sepith looked up from where he was dealing with the boy’s spells and spied a large crack in the ceiling. His lips stretched into a thin smile. The boy hadn’t noticed the cracks on the walls and ceiling just yet.

The time is ripe. This is the moment that will decide the outcome of our battle. Immediately, Sepith focused all of his power onto the crack on the ceiling. His magic swelled exponentially and he expelled it all at once in an explosion of destructive force, driving it upwards towards the surface. “Aero Slash!”

In this location, at this time of day, surely... Please, I beg. Please let there be no one on the surface anywhere around here!

The ceiling crumbled with a deafening rumble. Having lost its foundation of support, an avalanche of earth and sand flooded into the tunnel. Sepith couldn’t breathe with all the dust in the air, and he picked Alicia up off the ground and held her close to his body. A yelp of surprise escaped from the boy as he was engulfed in the rubble and vanished from Sepith’s line of sight.

Heavy rubble hurtled towards Sepith, and with a burst of wind magic he stopped it in its tracks, leaving it hovering harmlessly above them. Then Sepith unleashed his full power once more, this time for the sole purpose of destruction. Wind erupted from him in such volcanic force that Sepith could ride upon the air, and he shot up onto the surface in a single bound.

“What a catastrophe...” Sepith’s mutter rang out in the silence of the night-darkened town. A cool, refreshing breeze brushed past his cheeks.

Other than his own voice, there was only silence in the ruins of the stone district. Just as Sepith had expected, there was nothing more than an aged, abandoned residential district above the tunnel. Sepith scanned his surroundings, checking for the presence of people or groans of pain. There were none. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Sepith sat Alicia down upon a protrusion caused by the tunnel collapse. Beggars couldn’t be choosers; it was difficult to get a steady foothold.

Brushing those thoughts aside, Sepith checked his own condition. He had far overexerted himself in terms of magic usage, and fatigue weighed heavily upon his body. He hadn’t felt this exhausted in a long time. Sepith probably wouldn’t be able to move around like usual for a while. Oh, how he wished he could just pass out like the princess; that he would even think such a thing was a testament to how heavy and numb his body was.

“The ground shook! What in the world was that sound just now?!”

“Look, the ground over there has collapsed! It’s a fissure in the ground! Keep your distance!”

The shouting grew louder as a few people approached the area. Townsfolk were quickly gathering, one after another, with torches in hand. If Sepith had to guess, he’d say they were probably investigating the earlier racket caused by the shaking and rumbling of the tunnel collapsing.

Sepith turned to the townsfolk and, with the loudest voice he could muster, bellowed, “People of Yoram! My name is Sepith Pendragon, and I am a Royal Knight! I am currently in combat with an assailant from the Dustour Empire! Do not come any closer!”

“It’s a Royal Knight! It’s one of the great white capes!” one of the townsfolk exclaimed with glee.

“Bring the soldiers here! The Knight is wounded! He said he’s fighting with someone from the empire!” another shouted.

No one in this town would dare to question the word of a Royal Knight. He had the white cape adorned upon his shoulders to thank for that. The people of Yoram kept their distance as they were told and raised their voices, calling for soldiers.

As Sepith calmed his breathing, he thought back on the battle. His foe wielded magic with power the likes of which were unthinkable for the common mage. Not only that, but his ability to change between elements at the drop of a hat... He’d thought the rumors were said in jest, or to butter up a member of House Denning. He had never thought that a real elemental master existed in this country.

Sepith muttered under his breath, “It’d do me a world of good if that was the end of him...”

“Hey, you!” a voice shouted in indignation. “For a moment, I thought I was really going to die! That was your goal from the very start, wasn’t it?!”

The young boy groaned as he pushed and crawled his way out of the rubble. Seeing the boy appear before him once more, the first emotion Sepith felt wasn’t annoyance; it was fear. The boy coughed as he brushed himself off and glared Sepith’s way.

He was completely unscathed. Even in the eyes of Sepith, a Royal Knight, the boy possessed extraordinary power—power even beyond Sepith’s ken.

Silence. Then Sepith spat, “You’re tougher than a roach.”

Slowe laughed. “If you wanted to get rid of me, you’d better bring a Great Spirit or someone on the level of the empire’s Three Musketeers with you, at the very least. I won’t fall to the likes of you. You don’t even have the Mystical Sword on hand.”

“You never do learn to keep your mouth shut, brat. Just take a good look around you. Can you really bring yourself to fight against this nation’s soldiers, I wonder?”

Soldiers moved to flank the two of them in tight formation, holding deadly weapons at the ready.

“Now! This is our enemy!” Sepith shouted. “He is a powerful foe that even I struggled against up to this point! Lend me your power, everyone!”

The townsfolk glared daggers at the boy. The white cape of the Royal Knight was very effective. Every one of them took Sepith Pendragon’s side; to them, he was every bit the handsome knight who protected the young girl nearby.

The ruins were cast aglow with the flickering of orange torchlight, leaving a charged, ominous atmosphere to hang over the usually deserted area.

Once again, Sepith drew his cane sword and pointed it at the boy. He would borrow the power of the soldiers to prevail. Once that boy was out of the picture, the rest would be easy. The soldiers of Yoram wouldn’t stand a chance.

It was only once the two of them were fully surrounded by soldiers that Sepith noticed that something was amiss. Though the townsfolk had sided with him...the soldiers clearly had not.

“What are you thinking?!” he shouted in fury. “I am a Royal Knight, a protector of the royal family! How dare you point your swords at me, you impudent...!!!”

The soldiers of Yoram all pointed their blades at Sepith, not the boy who stood to oppose him. Sepith, the Royal Knight.

●

There was a standoff happening amidst the rubble that littered the ground. On one side stood a Royal Knight, and on the other, a boy whom the Royal Knight had declared as an enemy.

“It is treason to point a sword at a Royal Knight! This is outrageous! It must not go on!”

Within the crowd of soldiers, one single young soldier turned to the man who had given the order to point their swords at the white cape. The commanding officer looked to be in his thirties, and a large scar ran across the man’s face.

It was ordinarily unthinkable for a new recruit to speak up against a superior officer, but the young soldier couldn’t believe his ears when he heard the order to turn their blades on the Royal Knight.

“You’re a new recruit who only just joined the army this past spring, eh? State your name,” the man ordered.

“Sir, my name is Castoma, assigned to the second unit of the Yoram Security Squadron!”

“Castoma. Are you saying that we should point our swords at that boy, and not at the Royal Knight?”

“P-Pardon my insolence, but yes, sir! The Royal Knight said that the boy is an enemy of this country!”

“You fool. Someone tell the lad who that boy is.”

One of Castoma’s comrades led him by the hand to the front of the crowd. There, the soldier, who couldn’t have had more than a few more years in the army than Castoma, urged him to look at the boy and not the Royal Knight.

Illuminated by the torchlight that cut through the deep darkness, the boy at the center of the standoff had his eyes trained on the Royal Knight. There was a wand in his hand; he was definitely a mage. And he was chubby. The boy stood as still as a statue as he stared square at the Royal Knight. To a new recruit like Castoma, that was all he could gather about the boy.

Then his comrade told Castoma to look at the boy’s wand, not his figure, and ordered Castoma to burn that sight into his skull. Doing as he was told, the new recruit looked at the black wand that stood out against the burning orange of the torches. It was then that Castoma saw the crest embedded on the boy’s wand.

There was no need for further explanation. The new recruit held up his sword with trembling hands and aimed it towards the head of the Royal Knight.

There was a slap on Castoma’s back. “You are a very lucky man.”

Castoma turned to look with only his head, sword point as steady as he could manage. Beside him stood the earlier man with a large scar on his face. Spotting the medal on the man’s chest, Castoma realized that this man was one of the commissioned officers in charge of Yoram.

Castoma hesitated before speaking up. “Um, by chance, is that boy the Fallen Pro—”

“He is from House Denning,” the officer barked. “Do you need more reason than that?”

“...No, sir,” Castoma said. “That’s more than enough.”

“Fighting alongside a member of House Denning is a very rare opportunity for a new recruit in a remote town like this. This will be a good experience for you. Make sure you burn his every move today into your memory.”

“Yes, sir!” Castoma stared at the boy, not daring to even blink.

The people who were truly putting their lives on the line for their country weren’t the Royal Knights; it was the people of House Denning. Everyone in this country knew this—from a commissioned officer of the military down to a lowly new recruit like himself. And it was because Castoma became a soldier that he saw that truth with his own eyes, and he took it to heart.

The truth was that that boy was definitely aiming his black wand at the enemy, there was no mistaking it. Even if it meant drawing his sword on a protector of the royal family...Castoma couldn’t ever turn his blade on a member of House Denning.

●

“I repeat, my name is Sepith Pendragon! Why are you soldiers opposing a guardian of the royal family?!”

He’d miscalculated. Sepith hadn’t counted on the soldiers pointing their weapons at him instead. He didn’t expect that the power of House Denning would hold such sway even in a remote town like this.

More and more soldiers joined their ranks. From one hundred to two hundred, and the number kept growing. Sepith was flanked by enemies on all sides. Now, he didn’t have the luxury of time to wait to recover from his fatigue.

“The soldiers don’t seem like they intend on interfering. I owe them one. The soldiers of Yoram have keen eyes, or some highly skilled officers stationed here, at the very least.”

Sepith stared back at the boy in silence.

The boy continued, “Now then, let’s settle this once and for all, Traitor Knight.”

Who are you, Slowe Denning? Aren’t you supposed to be the Fallen Prodigy of Wind? The good-for-nothing exception to House Denning’s excellence? Despite being born to House Denning, you’ve never had experience on the battlefield, and you’ve never fought your way out of dangerous situations against all odds. How are you able to act so assertively in front of a Royal Knight and all these people?

Almost as if the boy was showing off his unwavering self-confidence, he smiled at Sepith.

A primal fear rose up in Sepith at the absurd amount of magic being conjured, and he almost recoiled back a step. A spell...is coming.

But he stopped himself just short of actually doing so. He would not take a single step back. Retreat was worse than defeat. No matter what spell next came his way, he would cut it down. Sepith Pendragon held up his cane sword, determined not to falter, no matter what happened.

“You should be honored, Sepith. This is the spell of the man who saved the world.”

Sepith felt neither disdain nor anxiety at those words. Even if Sepith was exhausted, he would deal with what came his way. After all, he had envisioned endless possibilities of how this could play out in hopes that he could change the tides of battle.

“The beginning of the chant is this: Enkindle.”

Oliver had countered Borguie’s spell with a Flaying Whip of Flames spell, but the roaring fire that manifested now was on an entirely different level. The surrounding soldiers and spectating townsfolk all dropped their jaws in a stupor, looking up in awe of such destructive flames.

The mystical inferno blazed with such an overpowering intensity that it eclipsed part of the sky. All who witnessed it were deeply moved by the sight. This was a spell of House Denning, the noble house that stood at the highest echelons of the nation’s army.

“O fires of creation, become one with my arm. Rampaging Heat.”

To those who were in the know, the spell was obviously a fraction of Shuya Newkern’s power—an incarnation of power of the man who would go on to save the world with the Great Spirit of Fire.

Almost like a reenactment of the anime, the boy swung his right arm down towards Sepith, directing the churning inferno that encircled it towards him.

The colossal mass of flames approached. Perhaps out of a sense of rivalry, Sepith chose to retaliate with an offensive spell and not a protective barrier. He wanted nothing more than to get in at least one good hit on the privileged pure-blood. Perhaps the spirits humored him because of that strong yearning—

“Spirits, lend me your power... O light, release that which binds my sword!”

He channeled the very last ounce of power he had left in him, and with a single slash, he split the incoming explosion of heat in two.

Immediately, the arc of light transformed into an arc of wind and dove towards the boy.

It was at that precise moment that Sepith noticed something. One of the branches of the flames he’d split in two rebounded towards the girl still lying prone amidst the rubble. Swiftly, Sepith manifested a barrier of water. It won’t make it in time, he realized.

Sepith did not hesitate; on instinct, he leaped towards the girl.

The flames, hungry for prey, wound around Sepith’s cane sword and burned their way up Sepith’s right arm, leaving it mangled and charred to a crisp. He didn’t mourn the loss of his limb.

“You’re really something, to be able to cut through that spell,” Slowe muttered. “Still, that was a surprise.”

From the very beginning, when his fatal technique did not strike true down in the tunnel, Sepith’s defeat was all but set in stone. The rest was just his stubborn nature doing the talking. Perhaps there had been a chance to grasp the key to victory back in that tunnel. Sepith knew that miracles happened sometimes on the battlefield.

But Sepith’s will was long broken. The outcome of this battle was decided before it had even begun.

Sepith had lived in the shadows of society due to his identity as a bastard, and he survived up until this day without trusting anyone. His accumulated experience told him that the boy only told the truth. There was no reason for a person of such power to lie in the first place.

It was all true... His mother was alive.

He no longer had any reason to fight. He could only blame himself, for he had chosen to never return to his hometown.

“I didn’t think you would protect Alicia.”

“Ah... So I hit you after all.”

The boy wasn’t completely unscathed. There was a horizontal tear on his shirt. Sepith had managed to land a single, glancing blow on the boy. But that was all. The boy’s body remained whole, not cleaved in two as he intended. He looked as if he could keep fighting without breaking a sweat.

“If you’d had the Mystical Sword, the symbol of the Guardian Knight, I wouldn’t have been able to stop that last strike of yours,” the boy said.

The cane sword fell onto the ground with a clang. Sepith didn’t even have enough strength left to hold his sword. He forced a wry smile. He couldn’t imagine becoming the Guardian Knight and protecting the princess in the future, considering what he’d done. That future was far beyond his grasp.

This boy was from House Denning, a powerful, pure-blooded house that sometimes passed judgment on fellow nobles. Surely, then...there was nobody better suited to execute a man like Sepith.

“Save the useless questions. Deal the last blow,” Sepith said.

“Yeah. I planned on it.”

Sepith closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. He’d been proud of his own abilities, of the techniques he’d polished to protect the royal family. But if that strike didn’t work against the boy, Sepith had no choice but to concede.

Not only that, but if his mother was truly alive, then...Sepith couldn’t possibly betray the country where his mother lived.

Sepith groaned in pain as something pierced straight through his chest. Judging by the feel of it, it was likely his familiar cane sword. The partner that cut down countless people before now would cut me down in the end, huh? He almost laughed at the irony. It’s only appropriate. I am an enemy of the royal family right now.

Surrounded by a crowd of strangers watching his last moments, Sepith felt his strength leave him.

The soldiers and the citizens of the country he’d tried to betray, seeing him off instead of friends and family... This was a fitting end for a traitor like Sepith Pendragon.

“Do you have any last words, Sepith?”

I do. You’re the Fallen Prodigy of Wind, are you not? So what’s with that power of yours? Is your power born of a life spent in the throes of battle, where your heart had no reprieve? Is that how it is?

And I honestly didn’t think that her master would be the one to see me off. It was Charlotte who made me steel my resolve, and it was her master who stopped me. Oh, the irony. There were too many words he wanted to say.

But if he had to pick just one statement—

The Traitor Knight struggled to keep conscious, what with the blood pouring out of him. It wasn’t flashbacks of his beloved mother in his memories, nor was it resentment towards the blasted pure-blooded boy at the forefront of his mind. It wasn’t contempt or regret either.

“Is the theater—”

“The real star of the show is taking care of it. Don’t worry.”

Sepith was quiet for a long time.

“Thank you.”

Saying nothing more, Sepith Pendragon collapsed on the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Within him, there was relief and shock. Relief that he didn’t succeed in becoming an enemy of his mother, not in the true sense of the word. And shock at himself, for the fact that he prioritized a childish wish over his ideals: the wish to not be the one who made his mother sad.

Huh. Surprisingly, it looks like I’m not such a grand person after all. To be honest, he didn’t know why he had once strived for such lofty goals.

Thank you, boy. Though I have no intentions of telling you this, I’m really glad that I met you.

A crimson flower blossomed on the cold ground. All the while, the Prodigy of Wind glared at the pitiful traitor with indignation.

●

Over at the Theater La Cuvelier, everyone was in shock.

After a certain someone had appeared, the tide of the battle completely turned in the blink of an eye. At this point, nobody even bothered trying to escape, and all eyes glued to the show on the stage. What once had been a play was now truly happening, and the continuation of the scene was almost godly.

“Lo and behold, I am a strong man today. I’ve never felt better in my life, as a matter of fact.”

“Go away! Don’t come any closer! Someone stop him!” the bandit leader screamed.

Only a short while ago, the stage was depicting the meeting of a princess and a commoner swordsman. And now, two men fought for real upon the stage that entertained hundreds of guests. Everyone in the hall watched the youth dance across the stage with bated breath.

The outcome of the battle was clear, however. Borguie’s spell was torn to shreds with a graceful glide of the blade, and—

“Who are you?!” Borguie shouted.

“Well, unfortunately, I don’t have a name glorious ’nuff to declare. I’m a commoner, you see.”

“A commoner?! Don’t lie! Your techniques are those of a knight’s!”

The man with black hair clearly had the upper hand in this one-sided match. Backed into a corner, Borguie’s expression slid past anxious and melted straight into deathly pale territory. The man was way too strong. You could count the number of swordsmen of his caliber with one hand, even in Cirquista.

Every step forward the man took was like the inevitable approach of a god of death, and Borguie felt every hair on his whole body stand on end. This man’s mysterious sword techniques tore his magic apart, and Borguie scanned the man desperately for a clue as to his identity.

His eyes landed on the crest of Daryth etched on the blade. Finally, Borguie realized who he was facing.

“The Mystical Sword?! Then, you must be... No way! No way! The Guardi—”

“I don’t like that name. I may be wearing this white cape, but I’ll always think of myself as one half of the Knights of the Twin Wings, whether it be in the past or in the present, ya know?”

“The Knights of the Twin Wings?! Then, you are that Pro—”

Borguie never got the chance to finish his sentence. The man thrust his sword into the bandit’s chest, and the man who’d disguised himself as the armored warrior collapsed in a heap on the ground. Just like that, Borguie met a pathetic end.

The bandit group could scarcely believe that their leader had fallen so easily, and they all stood rooted to the spot. The man had murdered Cirquistan royalty, and he had escaped the clutches of the powerful Cirquistan army. He’d boasted that he could easily keep two Royal Knights in check, and yet he was defeated without so much as a fight. How?

“Oh yeah, something like this happened when I first met the young lord too, if I remember right,” the man muttered before turning to face the hall. “Hey, you filthy thieves. If you don’t want to end up like this guy, you’d better stay still.” The man cackled and continued, “Why is that, you ask?”

The swordsman on the stage pointed his sword towards the bandits who were trying to hightail it out of the theater.

“If you move, I’ll make your head kiss your body goodbye with a single slash. Think that’s impossible? Well, well! Not with this sword, it’s not!”

Almost as if to back up the young man’s words, the mysterious sword suddenly began to glow brighter.

However, moments after that, Silva muttered this: “Ah well. Looks like I didn’t have to say that. The main troops are finally here.”

The doors of the theater slammed wide open, and a group of men adorned with white capes advanced into the hall in an impeccable, orderly fashion.

The Order of Royal Knights, the pride of Daryth, had arrived.