NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Knight, with a Tinge of Regret
“Never close your eyes when you swing your sword. Again!”
“I, I’ve reached my limit… My head, it’s spinning…”
While bracing his sword into the ground, Aureik wobbled unsteadily like a wind-up doll, dropped to a crouch, and promptly emptied the contents of his stomach right there. Pina rushed over, holding her water flask, quickly attending to him and rubbing his back.
“…”
The sour smell filled the surrounding air, yet neither Raoul nor Axel showed any signs of discomfort on their faces—only sympathy. Beneath their feet lay the remnants of this morning’s muffins, staining the red earth with large splatters.
“Captain, continuing any further will—”
“Silence… This is the training we ourselves requested. A knight would never ask to stop, even if our mouths were to split.”
The following morning, the knights had seized any gaps between their guarding duties to conduct mock battles with Cross. Since their actual mission—protection—couldn’t be neglected, Renald and Pina were also present to observe the training.
Initially, Cross had suggested unarmed combat to avoid injury, but Raoul and the others were mercilessly overwhelmed by his unknown techniques, unable even to break their fall properly as they were trampled one-sidedly.
As this went on, Cross gradually grew dissatisfied, declaring it inadequate. Now the current absurd training had the knights taking turns striking at an unarmed Cross.
“I thought our captain was a devil during training, but… Mr. Cross is a demon incarnate.”
“You lot have it easy…! I’m not even allowed to surrender…!!”
Cross was especially merciless toward Raoul, refusing to let him stop until the point of unconsciousness. Repeatedly striking his head, knocking him out, and then forcing him awake with water just to repeat the battle—it was as he had declared last night: no severe injuries, yet his spirit was already shattered.
“Unavoidable. Next is Lord Raoul.”
The voice made Raoul’s shoulders unconsciously jump.
With an expression that demanded haste, Raoul reluctantly took his stance with a spear. He clanged the visor of his helmet down and pounded his chest near his heart to gather his courage.
“What’s the matter? Hurry up and come already!”
“…”
Ignoring the provocation, Raoul carefully observed Cross through the gaps in his visor as he carefully calculated the optimal distance for his spear with short shuffling steps. Although it seemed cowardly to hesitate against an unarmed opponent, Raoul was painfully aware of the dangers of underestimating this man.
“I’m coming!!”
As he raised his cry to muster his strength, Cross vanished from view.
Not again! Where did he go?
The bucket-type helmet covering his entire face sacrificed visibility for defense. No matter how intently Raoul focused, Cross always slipped into his blind spot like smoke.
His unique method of movement, where he seemed to collapse into motion after suddenly releasing his knee tension, was impossible to follow due to its speed.
“Raoul! Behind you!”
“He’s moved to the left!”
“He’s below! Captain, attack!!”
“──────────!!”
Following the shouts from the spectators, Raoul wildly swept his spear in circles around himself, unable to spot any trace of his opponent.
Hot breath trapped inside his helmet became unbearably irritating. As he paused momentarily to lift the visor, a shock surged through the back of his head.
Another blow. And another blow.
The world tilted violently, and his balance spun out of control.
Realizing he’d been struck, his strength drained from his body, and his consciousness gradually faded.
“───ah.”
His voice sounded distant, like it wasn’t his own.
Counting five impacts to the head… And then nothing more remained clear.
“Raoul!!”
Rushing to his stricken subordinate, Renald didn’t hesitate at the dirt on his knees as he hurriedly removed Raoul’s helmet. Despite taking several elbow strikes unprotected, he appeared relieved to find no bleeding.
“It’s just a faint. He’ll wake up soon.”
As Cross said all this with indifference, Renald, having seen someone faint for the first time, was genuinely anxious. Many moments made him wonder if Cross’s training intended to kill. Unable to sit still due to his worry, he could only encourage the guards as best as he could.
Though he understood it was for treatment, Renald still felt an immense helplessness at his inability to do more, wiping Raoul’s cheek repeatedly with tear-filled eyes.
・
“Mr., was the throw technique you showed earlier from the art of Nihon?”
While conversing during breaks in their march, Renald also began participating actively, making their journey livelier than before.
“It’s called ‘O-yoroi Shudou’—a martial art for taking down heavily armored opponents like you all. Charging at armored soldiers on the battlefield will destroy your sword after defeating just one. Typically, after wrestling them down, you would finish them off with a ‘yoroi tōshi’ piercing weapon.”
“Captain, do knights have similar techniques?”
“No, knights consider grappling opponents while dismounted dishonorable. Striking skills aren’t widely accepted. On the battlefield, weapons like war maces are often used to counter armor.”
Among the knights of the Pharas Kingdom, there was a tendency to avoid grappling and ranged weapons, with most favoring spears. As knights focused on mounted combat, long weapons were especially preferred.
“Do the warriors of Nihon not have such restrictions regarding weapons or martial arts?”
“We use anything that helps in battle. Understanding every martial art and recognizing the benefits of each weapon is how it’s done. Lacking such knowledge would make us amateurs, considered unrefined. That’s why this country entertains me. There are weapons, martial arts, and even magic entirely foreign to me.”
“Mr., you can’t use magic, yet you’re still interested?”
“Of course. While mages mightn’t be formidable in one-on-one combat, their power can be devastating in battle. I’ve only seen fire mages here so far, but I’d love to spar with mages of other elements.”
“Commonly, mages are considered weak in melee combat and are often mocked for focusing solely on distance. I too was teased as a fake mage because I primarily used physical enhancements.”
“So knights despise unarmed combat, and mages despise melee fighting… I won’t argue against such pride, but it seems this country holds many fixed ideas, whether toward nobles and magic alike. Among my companions back home, one mage was weak in close combat at first but mastered techniques like jujitsu and staff fighting to rival even boar demons. That was Pamela I was with on day one.”
Raoul’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Even… such a fragile lady?”
“To fight pig demons in melee? As a mage!”
“Adventurers really are something else…”
As Raoul was viewed as unusual, so too was it generally understood in this country that mages had rear-guard roles. Typically, mages used attacks that took time to prepare and couldn’t strike close range without involving themselves. If they were approached, their abilities were useless.
For warriors skilled with swords or spears, mages who could manage melee combat were the most troublesome.
“So then, by not choosing their ‘methods,’ are the people of Angila weaker compared to foreigners or other provinces?”
“Hmm, well. I haven’t been here long enough to compare, and I don’t know much about other towns. But doesn’t Angila have an enemy like the Empire?”
At this comment, everyone looked somewhat puzzled.
“Uh… How does the existence of an enemy relate to anything?”
“To the common folk, an enemy is just a nuisance, but for rulers, it’s not all bad. Keeping enemies nearby makes the army vigilant without slack, and warrior families exercise more caution in discipline. That brings about good governance and a harmonious household. An army without enemies loses martial decorum, warriors grow prideful, lose fear of shame, and become weak. Therefore, in the Kurosu household, we intentionally maintain adversarial relationships with neighbors.”
“I see… The presence of foes keeps everyone on their toes. Without pressing threats, fewer would take training seriously.”
“In Angila, where I grew up, I never imagined a life without enemies.”
“And neither did I. When I was young, I envied those inner cities not bordering enemy lands…”
“Indeed, I’ve heard inner cities are more controlled by patrols and guards than the military.”
Especially around the capital, there were reports of oppressive rule by noble landlords and corruption among the military forces. Perhaps this was the downside of overfamiliarity with peace, Renald noted mentally, when a loud shout came from the driver’s seat.
“Master! I can see Navar ahead!”