Chapter 103: Knights of the Kingdom part 1
Translator: Soafp
In the Scarlet Forest, after almost dying, on the next Darkday…
We received an invitation from Commander Shirea and are currently training with the Royal Knights at the training grounds in the capital city.
The training grounds in the capital city are several times larger than those in Blue Ring.
As expected of the Royal Knights, they boast the largest scale in the kingdom.
I look at Commander Shirea in front of me.
(He oversees the entire knight order… Excellent abilities. Fine character. Flexibility. Individual combat skills are also commendable. Everything is at a high level, but… what is this indescribable sense of regret?)
It seems like Commander Shirea sensed what I was thinking and started talking.
“Aldo, Elphus, Lewisbell, Nero, I’m sorry for asking too much of you today. I know it’s not right, but I couldn’t suppress my feelings.”
“No, it’s an honor to be included in the knight order’s training. Please take care of us today.”
After the greetings between Commander Shirea and Lewis were done…
“How about it? Let’s start with the usual knight training routine. What do you think?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
I couldn’t hide my excitement at Lewis’s response. The Royal Knights… I wonder what kind of training they do.
1 hour later…
El and I were feeling a bit dissatisfied with the knight’s training.
We were impressed when we saw that they immediately started sparring after practicing swings. This is going to be tough training, I thought…
But in reality, it was one-on-one sparring for one pair, while others watched. Certainly, observational training is important too. But isn’t this a bit lukewarm?
It seemed like my feelings were showing on my face. A knight approached me and started talking.
“You’re from Blue Ring, right? I’ve heard about you.”
“‘Haa….it’s embarrassing, really…”
“How about it? Want to spar?”
The other knights were listening intently to our conversation. Is it okay to accept when they don’t stop me? I looked at Commander Shirea, who seemed to be full of curiosity.
“…Alright, I’ll take you up on that.”
Commander Shirea and Lewis finished their conversation.
“Then let’s fight over there.”
I was led by the knight to a slightly unstable area.
“We intentionally made the footing here difficult. Training wouldn’t be effective if we were always in perfect condition, right?”
The knight said with a somewhat mischievous smile, but I couldn’t help but think, “The more unstable it is, the more advantageous it is for me.”
“Understood…”
Feeling a bit uncomfortable with how advantageous it was for me, the knight continued speaking.
“If you say ‘I give up,’ it’s over. But if you don’t declare it, the attacks will keep coming.”
Is this knight an M…? Putting myself in such a tight spot… Feeling uncomfortable, I urged him to start quickly.
“Got it. Please begin.”
Since I had come equipped with my Wyvern Leather Armor, I only needed to draw my weapon, but the knight began donning his Half-Plate Mail.
Thinking to myself, “Why didn’t you equip that before challenging me?” I waited for the knight.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we begin?”
With just those words, the knight apologized and readied his shield.
“Here I come.”
“Anytime.”
I let out a shout as I enhanced my body.
The knight seemed surprised as he stared at me with wide eyes.
Moving to the right and then feinting left, the knight seemed to lose sight of me due to his shield blocking his view.
I took advantage of this moment to trip the knight from behind, then struck his neck with my left dagger and his left side with my right dagger. Of course, the left side was a vulnerable spot, exposed between the armor plates.
As the knight had said earlier, without declaring surrender, the attacks would continue…
Feeling sorry, I still thrust my wooden dagger into him.
“Ugh…”
Letting out a small groan, the knight pushed me away and slowly got up.
“Damn kid… I won’t hold back anymore.”
I’m going easy enough on him… but when I looked a bit troubled, the knight, seeming to sense my hesitation, attacked me fiercely.
How far was he going to take this… I wondered as I glanced at Commander Shirea, who seemed completely absorbed in the mock battle, like a child.
Reactive Shield would definitely a bad idea. Even Space Kick was limited to three steps by the old man. I could win without using anything, but being underestimated all the time was frustrating.
I decided to use my magic weapon.
Since using it immediately would likely end the fight too quickly, I dodged his downward strike and leaped backward.
Creating distance, I saw him glaring at me with anger on his face.
He must have been really upset about me stabbing him earlier.
He set the rules, but did he not consider the possibility of himself being on the receiving end…?
I switched to my magic weapon, changing my daggers into a greatsword.
The knight looked surprised at the sight of the magic weapon, but being a Royal Knight, he quickly regained his composure.
I readied my dual greatswords and charged straight at the knight.
The magic weapon I was using had the same soft setting as in Blue Ring’s mock battles. Even if it hit, it wouldn’t cause any injuries.
Honestly, I was only using about 70% of my strength, but the difference in skill was clear.
However, the knight refused to surrender no matter how many effective blows he took… It would be too much to continue like this.
My impression from the other knights would be terrible. I didn’t feel very good about it either.
Yet, despite panting heavily, the knight continued his relentless attacks on me.
I needed a way to make him admit defeat without embarrassing him too much… Making him faint or beating him up would likely leave a bad aftermath.
Joint locks… I hadn’t done them since high school judo class, but it was worth a try.
I deactivated my magic weapon and wielded my dual daggers.
Running towards the knight, he swung his sword horizontally at me.
Normally, I would want to dodge upwards, but Space Kick was prohibited by the old man.
If going up wasn’t an option, then down… I dodged the sword by crouching low to the ground and slipped into the knight’s guard.
Usually, striking the neck with a dagger would make the opponent surrender, but this knight would never admit defeat. So, instead of using my daggers, I pounced on his right arm.
I snatched the knight’s sword and tossed it aside, then I hooked my leg around his body and applied an “armbar” to twist his joint.
At worst, even if I broke it, there was recovery magic. I continued to mercilessly twist the joint.
“Surrender, or I’ll break it.”\
I threatened with a bit of killing intent, and finally, the knight showed signs of surrendering by saying, “I surrender.”
As he left, I approached to cast recovery magic on him, but he gave me a disgusted look.
“I don’t need healing! Get lost!”
I couldn’t force it on him… The atmosphere here was awkward.
Then, another knight stepped forward.
“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him sternly later. Please don’t take offense.”
Although not exactly friendly, he seemed honest and trustworthy.
“No problem.”
“Then it is fine…”
However, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere…maybe it was on his face, but the knight begins to speak.
“We met once during the royal tournament.”
The royal tournament… When I fought Commander Shirea… Ah, the other knight!
“I’m Malik. I’m serving as the vice captain.”
“I’m Aldo.”
“I know. The Blood-soaked Shura-dono.”
Please don’t say that nickname out loud… It feels like my life points are going to drop to zero.
“Shall we have another match to reset the mood? One-on-one this time.”
Vice Captain Malik smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes.
“Sure, I’m in your hands.”
As Vice Captain Malik and I prepared for the mock battle, Commander Shirea intervened.
“Aldo, would you be interested in a 2 vs 2?”
A 2 vs 2… Not only do you have to deal with enemies, but also watch your allies’ movements.
“Yes!”
Commander Shirea looked satisfied, while Vice Captain Malik seemed like a child who lost his toy.
I asked El if he wanted to join the mock battle, and he agreed willingly.
Now, it’s a mock battle between Team Shirea & Malik versus me and El.
Commander Shirea and Vice Captain Malik wielded swords and shields, with daggers sheathed on their right hips as backup weapons.
We finished preparing and faced each other in a 2 vs 2.
“Lewis, please give us the signal.”
“G-got it. Commander Shirea.”
Commander Shirea appointed Lewis as the referee, probably as a precaution against a repeat of the previous knight’s behavior.
For some reason, Lewis looked nervous as he observed everyone. After determining that everyone was ready, he gave the signal.
“Begin!”
The second mock battle had begun.
Diana Kurosawa
April 15, 2024 at 12:32 pmRarely-synchronized twins vs Commander and Vice-Commander of the Royal Knights~
I wonder who are the most coordinate to their partners~