Chapter 61
Special Recruitment Plan (3)
“Is Lord Brennen Bernard present?”
“Correct. It is I, Brennen Bernard. Since you have confirmed my identity, you too must reveal your own.”
“My greetings were delayed. I am Erewon von Soleil.”
“That name is unfamiliar to me. Reveal your affiliation.”
“I am the Swordsmanship Professor at the Imperial Academy and Prince of Solea.”
“Prince of Solea? Why is a prince from a foreign kingdom stirring up trouble in our home?”
I answered by placing my foot on the neck of one of the fallen sons.
At that moment, several servants in the household drew their swords.
“What are you doing!”
Brennen shouted, yet I paid him no heed.
Even though I had created the justification on the spot, I had a solid legal basis.
“I am also the Commander of the Eighth Division of the Imperial Knights. And these men not only insulted me, they even attempted to attack me. As far as I know, anyone who seeks to harm the Imperial Knights serving His Majesty the Emperor…….”
I pressed slightly with my foot, and the fallen son let out a scream.
“Immediate execution.”
“That is impossible!”
Brennen drew his sword and lunged forward.
He landed right in front of me and pointed it at my chest.
“The Eighth Division of the Imperial Knights does not exist. It seems you are nothing but a swindler!”
“Sheathe your sword.”
“That is also impossible! I shall personally strike down the swindler who dares to deceive His Majesty and earn the Emperor’s favor!”
Saying this, Brennen immediately rushed at me.
Well, I could tell he sensed that what I was saying was nonsense.
A fifteen-year-old commanding the Eighth Division of the Imperial Knights?
Anyone else who had reached such a high position at fifteen would have disbelieved it.
But what can I do? I am the real one.
Brennen stabbed at me with the intent to end it in one blow, but he had grown careless.
He had fallen for the illusion that a mere child could be finished off instantly.
He simply hadn’t considered that I might be stronger than him.
Thanks to that, I easily evaded the strike.
“Hah?”
Brennen immediately distanced himself.
He had seen my sword easily deflected and now felt my skill was not low at all.
“A swindler, yet your skill is no lie. What I said about the Eighth Division being a lie is also true.”
“Until you show proof, I cannot believe you.”
“I shall demonstrate.”
I drew my sword and raised it high above my head.
The sharp, beautiful edge of the blade reflected the sunlight and gleamed brilliantly.
“The crest engraved on the blade…….”
The imperial eagle emblem that only the Emperor of the Reichland Empire could use.
“Now do you understand? I am…….”
“Stealing the Emperor’s crest is unforgivable!”
Brennen attacked again.
How stupid and old-fashioned!
I clashed swords with Brennen.
This was the stage where we measured each other’s swordsmanship.
What I felt from Brennen’s blade was clearly that he had gained much battle experience.
Among those I had sparred with since my regression, his sword was second only to Krux’s in ferocity.
“For a swindler, you handle a decent blade. But I won’t be lenient anymore!”
Brennen channeled mana into his body and sword, strengthening them both.
I responded in kind.
I raised my mana to the same level as his, yet I held the advantage in two areas.
The first was that my swordsmanship was superior.
The second was that the blade given to me by the Emperor was far superior to Brennen’s.
I adjusted my strength appropriately and slowly drove Brennen back.
“How is a child of your age able to wield seven-circle mana?”
“It just happened that way. If you wish to hear the details, please sheath your sword.”
“Impossible!”
Well, that phrase “impossible” is truly one you love to use.
If I kept going easy on him, it would never end.
I would have to finish it.
Brennen’s swordsmanship was excellent, yet still inferior to mine.
I instantly channeled more mana into my blade and shattered Brennen’s sword in a single strike.
“Ah, no! My sword!”
“My blade is one given to me by His Majesty the Emperor. It is fundamentally different from a mere sword like yours. Now, do you know the penalty for attacking the Imperial Knights?”
When I raised my sword high, Brennen began to tremble with fear.
“U-uh, uuuu……”
“Immediate execution…… but I shall overlook it this once.”
I sheathed my blade, and Brennen let out a sigh of relief.
“The reason I visited the Bernard residence today is because I had a purpose.”
“Thank you. But what exactly do you want from our home that you would do something like this…….”
“It is unfortunate that you ask now. There is something I wish to consult with you about. It concerns student Elson.”
It was a bit late, but an awkward situation had been created.
Opposite me sat Brennen, and behind him, the two boys stood awkwardly, watching their father.
The pain from earlier still seemed fresh on them.
I tried to begin the conversation, but the person at the center of the matter was nowhere to be seen.
“The most important person is missing. Where is student Elson?”
“That fellow has been hard to find lately.”
One of the sons answered in his place.
“Why is that?”
“That fellow who used to stay locked in the house all the time has suddenly taken to leaving whenever he has free time to train.”
As a professor, this was a very satisfying story.
“I see. But…….”
I glanced sideways at Brennen and murmured quietly.
“I am addressing you with the respect of a high speech style, yet you speak to me in such casual language…….”
“You insolent brat, Glenn!”
Before I finished speaking, Brennen let out a thunderous voice.
“How dare you speak to a guest like that! Apologize at once and show proper manners!”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll stop! Please forgive me…….”
Ah, the refreshing taste of this proper education.
I could feel it almost becoming addictive.
I held back the laughter rising in my throat.
“Then I shall speak first. You know that the Eighth Division of the Imperial Knights does not exist, correct?”
“I do know. What I find most curious is how it came to be.”
“It will be established soon. I have been assigned as its commander, and I also chose its members. That is why I am here.”
When Brennen heard that I had chosen the members, his and the boys’ attitudes changed dramatically.
Brennen cleared his throat and bowed slightly, speaking in a much more respectful tone.
“So that is it. We did not know, and for that we apologize to the knight.”
“Since the announcement has not yet been made, I can understand the misunderstanding. I was already looking for talent to recruit, yet not being able to meet the person directly is a shame.”
“Excuse me? There is no person to meet. Were you not intending to take my excellent two sons?”
“No. If that had been my intention from the start, I would not have subdued you so roughly just now. The talent I wish to recruit is different.”
“Could it be that you were looking for Elson……?”
Brennen and the two boys opened their eyes wide in disbelief.
“Yes, that is exactly correct. I wish to recruit student Elson as a member of the division.”
“No, that is impossible! Elson has not even properly formed a single circle yet; he is still a fool. Better to take my eldest Glenn or my second Ivan…….”
“I reject the offer.”
My firm refusal made all three of their expressions gloomy.
“If it were any other knight division, perhaps. But in the Imperial Knights, one does not want members who move without thinking of the rules.”
“But the fact remains that my youngest son Elson has not yet properly formed a single circle. He would have no value as a combatant.”
“That is not a problem. I shall nurture him.”
“Nurture him?”
“Yes. No issue. Student Elson is already receiving my swordsmanship lessons, and he has shown a willing attitude. For now, I intend to have him serve as an apprentice knight, not a full one.”
An apprentice knight—someone who follows in the steps of a knight, seeking to learn while offering assistance.
It was the perfect position for nurturing Elson, who had the will to learn.
“So, will Elson enter the knight’s service as an apprentice?”
“No, that is not what I mean. I have already chosen who student Elson will assist as an apprentice.”
“Could it be who?”
“The name is Irinid von Reichland.”
“Irinid? Irinid…… That name……!”
I had intended to assign Elson to Irinid.
To motivate the hesitant Elson, I planned to have him follow Irinid, who possessed both the dignity and skill of a knight.
Given that he trained every time he had free time, I was certain.
Even without immediate strength, Elson had value worth nurturing.
The Eighth Division I was creating was not for today.
It was a division for the future.