欧美级韩国三级日本三级

‘After all, I get to witness their growth from close by.’

This time, there were three candidates from the Arsene count family. Jan, Kirian, and me.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been at the academy……”

Kirian muttered with a stiff face. The exam was held at the Knight Academy in the city of Bromhill, the capital.

It was a place the kids were quite familiar with. However, despite that, neither of them could completely hide their nervousness.

The exam would take place over three days. The first day would be the written test. The second day would be the practical test, including mana sensitivity. The third day would be the real combat test.

Naturally, the last test was the most important. This was because the written and practical tests were graded on an absolute scale, but the real combat test could potentially be graded on a ‘relative scale’.

For instance, if they were unlucky enough to meet someone like me as an opponent, they might be overwhelmingly defeated without being able to do anything.

“Let’s see, let’s see.”

A huge bulletin board displaying the match-ups for the real combat test was up.

“There’s Kirian’s name!”

Harun, who came along, raised his hand immediately. Next to Kirian’s name was the name ‘Bobson Treman’.

“Just from the name, he sounds weak.”

“……He’s in the same year as us. The second son of the Count Treman’s family.”

Jan answered my question.

“How’s his skill?”

“If you go by grades, he’s about average. If Kirian can show his full potential, he won’t be a tough opponent.”

“That’s a relief.”

Even so, Kirian couldn’t relax his stiff expression. To him, this test was a ‘battle against himself’. He had always been afraid of hurting others due to his timid nature.

“Oh, there’s Jan too……!”

Harun, who was speaking, suddenly fell silent. Soon after, his face turned pale.

“……What’s wrong?”

Naturally, we followed his gaze.

“……!”

“……!”

At the same time, the other two wore the same expression as Harun.

“Haiman…… de Foltaine?”

Jan’s opponent was none other than the legitimate heir of the Foltaine Marquisate.

“……He’s also in the same year as us. The youngest son the Marquis had in his old age……”

Indeed, fate could be truly capricious.

“Anyway, both of you, give it your all.”

“……Of course.”

“If you fail, your training will double.”

“……!”

Harun quickly intervened.

“M-Master. Since I don’t even have an opponent, you’ll let me off, right?”

“As comrades, you’ll all share the same fate.”

“……”

Silence followed once more. Soon, Harun’s cold gaze turned to the other two.

“……Fuck. Forget nobility and shit, don’t you dare lose. The day you do, you’re dead, and I’m dead, too.”

“……”

Typical of Harun’s fierce spirit.

“Alright, alright. Harun, in my busy stead, you work hard to whip your peers into shape.”

Finally, Jan seemed to come to his senses and turned to me.

“But…… are you really taking the knight exam too?”

“If I want to make a living in this country, it’d be good to have a decent status.”

Becoming a knight came with the rank of a baronet. At the very least, slave traders wouldn’t bother me anymore.

“By the way, where’s my name?”

“……There it is.”

Jan pointed to a spot.

“Winzer?”

“I don’t recognize the name.”

It seemed that my opponent was new even to Jan and Kirian.

“Judging by the lack of a family name, they must be a commoner. In these cases, they’re usually either a big hit or a complete miss……”

“What do you mean by that?”

Jan readily answered my question.

“It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally you see this. Sometimes it’s the child of a rich merchant applying for fun……”

“I see.”

“……Or, it’s the first appearance of a retired knight’s apprentice.”

I finally relaxed.

“I’d prefer the latter, actually.”

It would be more interesting that way. Again, the knight exam in this country didn’t have specific qualifications for applicants.

The idea was that everyone should be given an equal chance, reflecting the whims of the noble brats.

“……If you’re hoping for a sacrificial lamb, don’t get your hopes up. Nine times out of ten in these cases, it’s the child of a wealthy merchant.”

“Winzer. Indeed, just the name alone makes them sound weak.”

Sounds like a liquor brand.

Just then—

“Excuse me……”

“……?”

The three of us turned our heads simultaneously.

Even to my eyes, the person was quite the handsome youth. With blue eyes like a lake and short blonde hair that was quite striking.

“Who?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop……”

The pretty boy immediately extended his hand to me.

“I’m Winzer.”

“Oh.”

Harun was a beat late in exclaiming.

“Wow, you’re a guy? This is the first time I’ve seen someone as pretty as Master.”

His voice was filled with certainty. Harun couldn’t be blamed for thinking this way. Like other countries, the Kingdom of Hart was a typical male-dominated society.

Female knights did exist, but they were extremely rare.

“Nice to meet you.”

“……Likewise.”

After staring at him for a bit, I shook his hand.

‘He has quite the calluses.’

As they say, you can tell a lot from the little things. This one was clearly no ordinary person.

‘If he were Kirian or Jan’s opponent, they’d have a hard time.’

That was my honest assessment.

As I leaned more towards thinking he might be an apprentice of a retired knight rather than a rich merchant’s child—

“Sir Ancelot, are you a commoner?”

“Well, something like that.”

“I see.”

“What made you decide to take the knight exam? It doesn’t seem like you’re doing it just for fun.”

“……”

My question made him pause for a moment before he gave a faint smile.

“For myself.”

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – San]

[Proofreader – Abstract]

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* * *

Some time later.

“……Something’s off.”

“Huh? What is?”

“That Winzer kid from earlier.”

Even if others didn’t notice, my eyes couldn’t be deceived.

“To me, she definitely looked like a girl……”

“Hey.”

I immediately closed my mouth.

Parents accompanying their children to observe the knight exam approached and among them, we saw a very familiar face.

“D-Duke Herman?”

The three others hurriedly paid their respects.

Of course, I also lowered my head, though somewhat reluctantly.

“Greetings, my lord?”

“Ah, spare me the insincere pleasantries. I’d rather have a word with you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

I nodded and obediently followed him. We moved to a secluded spot behind the building. Naturally, I wasn’t worried in the slightest.

A person of his stature wouldn’t cause trouble in such an open space.

“What is it you want?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“The opponent you’ll face in the duel. You might not know, but he’s an apprentice knight we’ve trained with utmost care.”

“……?”

The identity of my opponent became even more puzzling. His teacher was one of the only three Masters in this country. That explained his skill level.

‘An illegitimate daughter. Maybe it’s something like that?’

I scrutinized Duke Herman’s face closely. They didn’t really look alike, though.

“So, what do you want?”

“I’d like you to lose, just this once.”

“Huh?”

A startled sound escaped my lips.

“You want me to do, what?”

“That kid has plenty of talent, but against a monster like you, they wouldn’t even get to swing their sword properly. I’m asking you to go easy on them.”

“……How ridiculous. You’re asking me to throw the match?”

“I’ll compensate you handsomely.”

Even so, Duke Herman remained confident. However, there was a reason behind his confidence.

“Recently, the seventh prince of the Duchy of Meeke went missing in our country.”

Flinch.

A topic I hadn’t expected came up. Naturally, my brows furrowed.

“After investigating, it was found he went missing near our border while heading to his newly granted territory…… They say the kid has a face as beautiful as a girl’s.”

“……”

“And he’s distinguished by his rare black hair and black eyes, just like you.”

Then, Duke Herman’s eyes narrowed.

“……Just like you right now.”

I merely shrugged my shoulders. By this point, it was clear he had come prepared.

“Can I take that as acceptance of my proposal?”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then, it won’t be long before knights from the Duchy of Meeke visit our country, looking for their precious prince.”

“And if I lose on purpose?”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.”

Duke Herman burst out laughing.

“Don’t take it too hard. Just think of it as showing kindness to someone weaker than you. That’s also chivalry.”

He already knew my situation inside and out and yet he dared to spout such nonsense?

‘Look at this bastard.’

He clearly didn’t know my temper, and I think it’s about time to show him. Hiding my true feelings, I gave a sly smile.

“……So, what was the name of that apprentice knight again?”

***

On the first day, the written exam was conducted in each classroom. Unlike the other kids who couldn’t sleep all night due to nerves, I was very calm. There weren’t many questions. Maybe ten at most.

「From the knight’s oath of knighthood, the virtues one can discern include bravery, diligence, honor, courtesy, piety, humility, self-respect, tolerance, protection of the weak, elegance in action, and service to women.

Among these, which virtue is the most important?

And why do you think so?」

“The questions are open-ended, not multiple choice?”

I had no problem reading it since it was in the common language of the continent.

I quickly began writing my answer.

[None of the above. Virtues are utterly pointless. Survival defines justice and strength.]

Next question.

「What does chivalry mean to you?」

“Hmm……”

There’s a lot I want to say.

But putting it into words isn’t easy.

How should I explain this……

“……Ah!”

A thought struck me, and I quickly filled in my answer.

[It’s like carrying out a funeral for the living.]

Next.

「You find yourself in mortal danger due to a comrade’s mistake during a mission.

How would you act in this situation?」

[Don’t blame others. I’m only in that situation because I’m an idiot.]

Next.

「For an unknown reason, a comrade has betrayed you.

What would you consider a reasonable response?」

[Listen to their reason. If it’s not convincing, cut off their head. Someone who has betrayed you once will do it again.]

I didn’t spend more than ten seconds on each question. The answers just flowed effortlessly.

‘Am I a genius?’

As Count Arsene said, these questions were way too easy for me.

‘I would’ve regretted not taking the exam.’

I glanced around wonderingif I was the only one that found it easy, I turned my gaze to the side.

“……Oh?”

Right next to me was none other than Winzer.

「Describe the person you respect the most as a knight and your reason.」

Although we were in the same exam hall, the questions were completely different.

From the start, the written exam was divided into type A and type B to prevent examinees from cheating.

[Great Hero Ancelot Heil Edenberg.]

Wait. Isn’t that me?

[Although he’s a foreigner, no one can deny his abilities. First, his bravery. In the Battle of the Hills, he stopped tens of thousands of enemy troops with only a few hundred men, showcasing bizarre yet groundbreaking tactics and strategies that completely changed the paradigm of war……(abridged)…… His daily behavior naturally commanded respect, inspiring loyalty from his subordinates by mere presence……(abridged)…… Notably, the incident of protecting the weak in Anders Village……(abridged)…… For these reasons, Great Hero Ancelot Heil Edenberg is an exemplary model for all knights.]

Even skimming through it, it filled an entire page. In tiny, dense writing without a single gap. Events I didn’t even remember were written down in vivid detail.

‘Did I really do such great things?’

I felt my shoulders lift involuntarily.

“……If you keep turning your head, it will be considered cheating.”

Feeling a chilly gaze, I straightened my head immediately. The tone conveyed it all. This would be my first and final warning.

‘Jeez, even though the questions are different, they’re so strict.’

That aside, the apprentice knight Winzer……

‘……Since they admire me that much, should I show some leniency?’

As the thought crossed my mind, Duke Herman’s sneering echoed in my ears. My lips naturally curled into a smirk.

‘Alright. I’ll spare you a limb.’

It’s nothing personal. If you want to blame someone, blame your incompetent lord.

***