With the single-minded resolve that he had to make them stay, no matter what, he showered them with questions without pause.
“The Death Knights’ skill is truly astonishing. How did you come by warriors of such caliber?”
“They are the Four Great Knights of the Icarot Empire, which perished five hundred years ago. Burning with vengeance against the dragons, they volunteered to become Death Knights.”
That much could be said to be information already known through the intelligence networks of the various kingdoms, so the captain of the knights continued his questioning.
“Then is that Sword Master also a member of your mercenary corps? His skill is truly remarkable.”
As he went on, a fierce light flared in the old man’s eyes.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Ah, no, that was not my intention.”
Startled, the captain took a step back. At the same time, he racked his brain, trying to figure out what slip of the tongue he had made. The words that flowed from the old man’s mouth were, in a word, close to a scathing interrogation.
“Heh heh heh. If you are the captain of the Royal Guard Knights of great Penslot, then even if all four Death Knights attacked you, you could cut them down with a single stroke, so there is no need for you to comfort us. We know our own place better than anyone.”
“I-it was absolutely not meant that way. The fame of the Kasim Mercenary Corps has already spread thunderously across the entire continent.”
The bewildered captain had no choice but to stammer excuses. He did not know what had angered the old man, but for the moment he had to calm him down. Perhaps his efforts worked, for before long the old man’s expression eased.
“To be honest, I am not in a very pleasant mood. I am nearly at the point of exploding, but out of consideration for your face, I will endure it. Besides, our swordsmanship instructor gave me a firm warning…”
“May I ask what has angered you?”
The captain cautiously asked the reason. After pondering something for a moment, the old man slowly raised a hand and pointed off to one side. There sat the Sword Master who had been locked in mortal combat with the Death Knights just moments before, resting on a tree stump. Since he was wearing a helmet, there was no way to guess his appearance or age.
“Do you have any idea who that knight is?”
The captain quickly worked his mind.
“Could he be the swordsmanship instructor of your mercenary corps?”
“That is correct. Then how did you judge that knight’s ability?”
As if there were no need to think about it, the captain raised his thumb.
“He is a knight of tremendous skill. In my view, even among our Penslot Royal Guard Knights, there would not be many who could stand against him.”
Of course, it was close to flattery meant to lift the other party’s mood, but to some extent it was true. Among the Penslot Royal Guard Knights, there were only thirty-two Sword Masters in all, and no one other than them could fight that man. The only ones who could fight a Sword Master were other Sword Masters. But the old man seemed to take offense at those words once again, and anger deepened across his face.
“Do you intend to keep mocking me?”
“N-no, sir.”
“You declare him unqualified and do not even allow him to take the Royal Guard’s eligibility examination, and now you praise him? What tune, exactly, am I supposed to dance to?”
To the captain, it could only sound like complete nonsense. Why would a Sword Master of that level ever feel the need to apply for an eligibility examination, and unqualified on top of that…
“I am sorry, but could you explain the circumstances in detail? I simply cannot understand…”
“Everything I said is true. Our swordsmanship instructor had long set his heart on becoming a Royal Guard Knight of Penslot. No matter how much we tried to persuade him to remain with the mercenary corps, it was useless. Because of that, our entire mercenary corps came here, and then something truly absurd happened in this place.”
“…”
“Just yesterday, the swordsmanship instructor came here and submitted an application for the eligibility examination. In order to become a Royal Guard Knight of your country. Yet for some reason, his application was neatly rejected. I do not know the details, but I understand that he failed because his ability was insufficient.”
The captain was so shocked that he even stammered. Even by common sense, this was impossible to understand.
“T-that makes absolutely no sense. If he is a Sword Master, there is no need for him to take an eligibility examination in the first place, so how could that be?”
“In any case, since the swordsmanship instructor ended up not leaving, the result was quite excellent for our mercenary corps. The problem, however…”
The old man stared at the captain with eyes blazing fiercely.
“…is our wounded pride. The swordsmanship instructor holds the most pivotal role in our mercenary corps. Alongside the Death Knights, he is in charge of taking dragons’ lives. Furthermore, he teaches swordsmanship to our members. In other words, he possesses the greatest swordsmanship skill among us. And yet…”
Perhaps overcome by emotion, the old man’s voice grew louder and louder.
“Why is our swordsmanship instructor not even qualified to take the eligibility examination? Is he not, at least in name, a Sword Master? Come to think of it, your country’s Royal Guard Knights must be filled, every last one of them, with Grand Sword Masters. Otherwise, there would be no reason for a Sword Master to fail an eligibility examination, would there?”
The captain had no idea what to do. He could not bring himself to believe what the other man was saying.
“I will take responsibility and investigate that matter. So please, calm your anger.”
“What is there to calm or not calm? Perhaps because he was dumbfounded, the swordsmanship instructor even received the reason for his rejection in writing. It was written personally by the one who conducted the evaluation, so there should not even be any need to investigate.”
At those words, the captain’s eyes could not help but widen.
“J-just who evaluated him?”
“I do not quite remember. From what I vaguely heard, it was the vice-captain of your country’s Royal Guard Knights. His name was…”
“I understand. I will look into it immediately.”
The captain barely managed to calm his trembling heart. It seemed this was a matter that would have to be decided after calling in Riley, the vice-captain, and questioning him. Just as the captain was about to turn away in haste, he suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at the old man.
“But may I ask one thing?”
“Speak.”
“Do you happen to know why the swordsmanship instructor of your mercenary corps wishes to become a Royal Guard Knight of Penslot?”
“I do not know well, but I heard it was because of his father’s request. They say his father was once a Royal Guard Knight here…”
At those words, the captain’s mind snapped awake. If the swordsmanship instructor’s father had been a Royal Guard Knight of Penslot, there was no way he would not know him. Had he not himself started as an ordinary knight and, through painstaking effort, risen all the way to captain of the knight order?
“Do you happen to know that man’s name?”
As if annoyed by the repeated questions, the old man snapped.
“Call the swordsmanship instructor and ask him yourself.”
“A-understood.”
Since it was something that would be revealed shortly, the captain hurriedly launched himself away. What was most urgent to him was to ask Riley what on earth had happened.
Approaching the king of Penslot, the captain reported every detail of the conversation that had passed between them. Hearing this, the king could not help but be astonished.
“T-to think such a thing happened…”
The gazes of everyone gathered there focused on one person at the same time. The only one who could resolve the question was Riley, the vice-captain. Since all the Royal Guard Knights had been mobilized, he too had come out fully armed. Perhaps realizing how the situation was unfolding, Riley’s face had gone deathly pale. The captain began to question him with a sharp gaze.
“Vice-Captain Prizeman. What on earth is the meaning of this?”
“Th-that is…”
For Riley, everything went dark before his eyes. From the moment the mobilization order had been issued, he had felt somewhat uneasy, but upon arriving here, something truly shocking had unfolded. To think that Hales’s son was a member of the famous Kasim Mercenary Corps. At Riley’s hesitant attitude, unable to easily open his mouth, the captain’s brows drew down fiercely.
“Come now! Do you intend to keep your mouth shut in the presence of His Majesty the King?”
The king of Penslot, who had been silently watching, intervened between the two.
“Wait a moment, Sir Karsus. It seems it would be better to summon that mercenary corps’ swordsmanship instructor and ask him the details.”
“A wise judgment, Your Majesty.”
Since a face-to-face questioning would be the surest way to uncover the truth, the captain immediately turned around. Before doing so, he gave one order to his adjutant with a glance. It was an instruction to guard Riley firmly so that he could not flee.
Mitchell was soon guided before the king of Penslot. Needless to say, Damon accompanied him for maximum effect. Perhaps as a precaution, the captain stopped a short distance away from the king and looked at Mitchell with a gentle gaze. Thinking of him as the son of a former Royal Guard Knight, it seemed he could not regard him as an outsider.
“Would you remove your helmet?”
“Understood.”
Mitchell silently took off his helmet. In that instant, cries of shock burst out among the Royal Guard Knights. The face Mitchell revealed was far too young. It was a face that did not appear to have reached thirty at all.
“G-good heavens, someone so young is a Sword Master…”
The captain, too, was quite surprised. The Sword Masters of the Penslot Royal Guard Knights were all men in the prime of life, or else middle-aged. Even the captain himself had only been able to become a Sword Master in his mid-thirties. Wondering if perhaps this was a man who simply looked younger than his age, the captain asked his age.
“Pardon me, but how old are you?”
“I am exactly twenty-six this year.”
“M-may I touch your wrist for a moment?”
Mitchell extended his arm without the slightest hesitation. It was because he knew full well what the captain intended to do. Sword Masters, especially knights skilled enough to serve as the captain of a kingdom’s knight order, possessed the ability to distinguish the type of mana one possessed. He was now trying to determine whether the mana cultivation method Mitchell had learned belonged to Penslot.
“T-there is no mistake. This is definitely mana generated by Penslot’s unique cultivation method.”
As soon as those words ended, astonishment spread across the faces of the Royal Guard Knights. Since they were not very far away, they had clearly heard the captain’s murmur. Until now, among the knights of Penslot, there had not been a single case of anyone becoming a Sword Master before their thirties. They were now witnessing the moment a new history was being written.
“Good heavens, just how extraordinary must his talent be…”
“If he is a Sword Master at that age, perhaps he may even be able to reach the level of a Grand Master.”
Having barely calmed himself, the captain began questioning him again.
“Would you tell me your father’s name?”
Quiet, yet perfectly clear words slipped from Mitchell’s lips.
“My father is known by the name Hales Bruno. I am his only son, Mitchell Bruno.”
The captain suddenly clapped his hands. Judging by his reaction, he seemed to know Hales well.
“Of course. Who else but Hales could have raised such a knight?”
“You know my father?”
The captain nodded with a bright expression.
“Long ago, I commanded the squad Hales belonged to. At the time, I was the squad leader, so I suppose I was Hales’s direct superior. He was truly a taciturn and responsible knight, but because of that incident…”
The captain let the end of his sentence trail off. The remaining words were a secret history that must never be allowed to slip out.
“Rather than doing this here, let us go to His Majesty the King. I think it would be better for you to meet His Majesty and speak to him directly.”
Perhaps feeling that he could trust Hales’s son, the captain took Mitchell by the hand and led him toward the king. Damon followed behind with an indifferent expression.