Episode 21
Reinolf looked at me for a moment, then gave a faint smile.
“The Captain is such a fair man that sometimes people forget, but in the knights, there’s nothing that outranks the Captain’s word. It’s even written in the national law.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The only exception is the royal guard knights. They obey only the orders of their lord.”
How fascinating. So Ron’s word was basically the rule itself. This was no different from “I am the state.”
Of course, knowing Ron’s personality, he wasn’t the type to abuse his position for personal gain, but if someone like that did become Captain, the knights would have a hard time.
‘So he can make that kind of face, huh.’
I recalled Ron looking down at the applicants with arrogant eyes. It was such an infuriating expression…
‘…And somehow that makes it more infuriating.’
Maybe it was because he was born a noble, but even that annoying look suited him. It had the same appeal as when an ill-tempered second male lead in a drama somehow makes people’s hearts race.
The more I thought about it, the more irritating it became, and before I knew it, my face felt hot. I fanned myself with the papers I was holding.
Anyway, the situation had wrapped up much more cleanly than I’d feared. In the heavy silence of the examination hall, the bell rang for the second round.
The first challenger was Rika. Having seen Ron mercilessly disqualify other applicants, he was trembling all over as he stepped into the arena. With hands shaking like a leaf, he pointed at Heppy. Among the burly knights, Heppy’s slender build and pink hair probably made him look weak.
It took less than five minutes for the cheerful, bouncing Heppy to knock Rika flat.
“Next.”
Ron’s cold voice, calling for the next turn, showed no mercy.
Narein’s deep blue eyes held no emotion. Like a calm, silent sea—only more chilling for its stillness—he swept his gaze over his surroundings.
At a glance, he looked like nothing more than a pretty boy, but now that the applicants knew his skill, they rubbed their arms at the goosebumps his expressionless face gave them.
As Narein stepped to the center of the arena with a wooden sword, all eyes turned to him.
His frame was still that of a boy who hadn’t finished growing, so the sword was almost as long as his arm. Still, no one dared to laugh. After what he’d shown in the first test and the commotion during the waiting period, they all had some idea of his ability.
Narein’s gaze swept over the seated knights until it finally stopped on Ron.
For a brief moment, intense emotion flickered in those blue eyes, but it quickly settled. Suppressing his rising fighting spirit, Narein chose Reinolf instead.
Golden-haired Reinolf and light-water-blue-haired Narein—two different types of handsome men—now faced each other with swords drawn.
The path from becoming a fan to full-blown obsession is always fast, and the leap to devoted fandom even faster.
The rumor that two good-looking men were about to duel spread like wildfire, and palace staff quickly gathered around the examination hall. Among them were handmaids who usually adored Reinolf; some even switched sides after catching sight of the boy’s beauty.
“That boy’s an applicant? He looks so young.”
“Right? Fourteen, fifteen at most? But… in five years, he might win the knights’ popularity poll.”
“As if he could beat the Marquis. He’s too young. He’ll probably fail.”
“Reinolf joined when he was sixteen. You never know.”
“Hey, that was our Reinolf. And if that boy got in, he could break Reinolf’s youngest-record.”
“Forget the record—look at him. He’s gorgeous.”
“W-well, yes, but still…”
While the handmaids struggled to choose between their current favorite and their potential new favorite, tension filled the arena. Narein stood still, gripping a sword as long as his arm, eyes fixed on Reinolf. Under that gaze, Reinolf swallowed nervously.
At sixteen, Reinolf had joined the knights as the youngest member ever, and now, with few seniors above him, he was one of the most experienced. Aside from Ron, there weren’t many who could match him—maybe Heppy at best.
For Narein to put him on edge like this meant the boy’s pressure was immense.
It was no longer the time to underestimate someone based on appearance. Reinolf gripped his sword tightly, ready to go all out.
DANG—
At the starting bell, Reinolf attacked first. Normally, it was customary to wait for the applicant to make the first move, but he broke tradition, his body reacting instinctively to the dangerous aura Narein gave off.
Narein raised his sword slowly in response.
Wood met wood—
PAAAH—
The impact was far too great for something made of wood.
“N-no way! That’s aura?!”
Someone shouted through the shockwave.
At such force, one of the wooden swords should have snapped, but when the dust settled, the sight made the onlookers gape.
Both swords were wrapped in a faint aura.
That was expected for Reinolf, an aura user—but for a young applicant to manifest aura?
Several knights stood abruptly, eyes wide.
Reinolf was just as startled. He’d rated the boy highly and hadn’t let his guard down, but he hadn’t expected to need to use aura against him. Yet the instant their swords met, a chill had run down Reinolf’s spine, forcing him to use aura defensively.
And—
‘…I can’t win.’
The boy’s aura was stronger. Others might not notice, but Reinolf was barely holding on against this wall named Narein.
One of the strongest in the royal knights, Reinolf was utterly overwhelmed by the blade of a boy.
He bit his lip and stepped back. As soon as he put some distance between them, the killing intent that had made his skin prickle finally faded.
Lowering his sword, Reinolf looked at Ron. The match was meaningless now. Ron caught his gaze and nodded slightly.
“Pass!”
With that, Ron declared Narein accepted.
Passing didn’t mean Narein immediately moved into the knights’ dorms. During the six-month probation period, it was standard to commute from home, except for probationary knights from faraway regions, who could stay in the palace barracks.
Since Narein’s registered address was in the capital, he had to stay at the Metailer estate during probation. Naturally, as his assigned trainer, I still commuted to and from the Metailer estate as well.
“Hmmm.”
I hummed, examining the gun Narein handed me. It looked slightly different from the guns I knew, but it had a trigger, a chamber for bullets, a muzzle, a barrel—everything a proper gun should have.
I checked that the chamber was empty and pulled the trigger. Click, click.
From a distance, Narein tilted his head, watching me.
“Soi, is that really so fascinating? You said your world had lots of them.”
“Sure, but I’d never seen one in person. It’s not like I went to the army. And more than that—it’s amazing you made this from my half-baked explanation.”
“‘Half-baked’?”
“It means ‘rough’ or ‘imperfect.’ What’s this, though?”
“Ah, that’s a magic stone.”
Right, in this world, the energy source was magic stones.
Magic had vanished long ago, but magic stones, which held magical power, still remained to provide energy for people. They powered everything in this world.
I touched the bluish stone inside the gun. It felt just like an ordinary rock.
“Why’d you put this in?”
“You said pulling the trigger makes the bullet fly out. To create that force, I needed a magic stone.”
Since my explanations couldn’t give him the real mechanics, he’d invented his own system.
I looked at Narein with fresh eyes.
You… are you actually a genius?
“Tell me more about your world, Soi. I want to make other things too.”
“At this rate, you might end up making an airplane.”
“Airplane? What’s that?”
Seeing his eyes sparkle at the unfamiliar word, I felt a distant dread.
Please—don’t ask me any engineering questions. I’m a humanities major.
After the whirlwind of the entrance exam, my life returned to its usual calm. Processing the knights’ receipts, visiting Mishy from time to time…
Though, it wasn’t quite the same as before—since I now had one new thing weighing on my mind.
“How’s the tea, Ail?”
“It’s… very nice. Very nice.”
“Hm? Why the polite tone? We agreed to speak casually.”
“No, it’s… just. Nothing. Never mind.”
Even to me, my stammer sounded suspicious, but Mishy only smiled and didn’t press. His kindness made me internally wail again, He’s so perfect—beautiful face, beautiful heart!
As I savored the tea he’d personally poured, I glanced around the west annex. Despite its worn exterior, the interior was spotless. It had Mishy’s touch, but also the marks of someone carefully choosing and arranging the furnishings.
If I hadn’t known better, I’d think the Crown Prince and Mishy had a closer, more affectionate relationship than I’d realized. Suddenly, everything seemed to fit.
“Ail, I have a favor to ask. Could you help me?”
“Huh? A favor?”
I had been scanning the annex like a hawk when his voice startled me into hunching my shoulders.
Oh no, that was way too suspicious.
But instead of looking suspicious himself, Mishy only smiled softly. Honestly, if he weren’t so pretty when he smiled, I’d have grabbed him by the collar and shaken him, demanding why he was hiding things.
Still, for gentle, kind Mishy to ask a favor—especially from someone as powerless as me—was unusual.
“If it’s something I can do, I’ll help with anything. Tell me.”
My answer must have pleased him, because his lips curved into a perfect arc.
Seriously… don’t smile like that. Or at least give me a warning first.
