Kyle's Song
“Ah. Ludenberg?”
“……Yes. Professor.”
“Could you sing Kyle's Song for us once?”
“I, uh, but why me of all people……”
“Because the top student is most likely to be knighted. You must know that singing Kyle's Song is part of the knighting ceremony.”
Eldora was right. In the Solemnute Empire's knighting ceremony, the knight-to-be was required to lead Kyle's Song. The song embodied the knightly spirit as defined by none other than the founding emperor himself, serving to awaken in the singer a true realization that they had become a complete knight.
“If you really don't want to, you can stop.”
Eldora wiped the playful smile from her face and spoke to Ludenberg with careful gentleness.
“No, I'll just sing it.”
Eldora nodded awkwardly, suddenly embarrassed by Ludenberg's unexpectedly serious demeanor.
A little embarrassment wouldn't make Ludenberg break his ironclad rules. He would attend classes at Solemnute Adem diligently. He would follow the professors' instructions to the letter.
Ludenberg cleared his throat and sang Kyle's Song, which he had memorized countless times since childhood.
The knight's will shall never break.
Even if you perish on this battlefield and are forgotten.
Saving those lost in despair
Is never a meaningless act.
Armor torn to rags,
A sword too broken to cut anything,
Feet too heavy to take a single step.
Truly pitiful sights.
Yet in each of your ragged footsteps dwells salvation,
And with every gleam of your blade's tip, one more life gazes toward the future.
O knight of the sun. You shall kindle the eternal embers of burning hope.
His voice—slightly low yet clear and resolute—filled the classroom.
The Innocence students (like Mion and Eden) had expected a disaster upon hearing Ludenberg would sing, anticipating how badly he'd butcher it. Ashytara hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself.
His voice, which sounded almost desperate at first glance, drew their ears inescapably, while its inherent clarity made it effortlessly pleasant to hear.
The students wore strange expressions. Ludenberg had sung far better than expected.
But the subtle looks stemmed from something simple: Ludenberg's face was rotting away with disgust.
The other students wondered just how much he hated singing to make such a face—yet he followed the professor's order dutifully, leaving them mildly surprised.
Come to think of it, Ludenberg was always like that. Rumors painted him as someone who'd violently defy a professor's command……but he never refused. He followed instructions meticulously.
Most students would refuse to sing in front of so many peers out of sheer embarrassment, yet he grimaced the whole time but sang every word.
“That was wonderful. You sang it beautifully. As you know, it started out as a poem.”
“A poem?”
“Yes. They say the founding emperor quoted a poem he'd heard from a certain knight. A soldier who heard that poem composed the melody……and it evolved from there.”
“Ah……”
Eldora went on explaining various aspects of Kyle's Song, but unfortunately, her lecture fell on deaf ears—Ludenberg was too busy hanging his head in shame to hear it.
“Anyway, that's it for today's class. See you next time. Good work.”
“Thank you!”
Eldora calmly ended the lesson and left the classroom.
Ludenberg clutched his face.
“Damn it. Should've just said no.”
The shame hit him the instant he finished singing. Why make him do something like this? With so many others around.
Iron rules be damned—at times like this, he needed to show some flexibility. Sticking to his principles had just ended up bothering everyone.
* * *
Lunchtime arrived after the morning theory classes. The knight faculty's dedicated cafeteria was packed.
Students clustered together, chattering about the day's classes, with the Innocence group's topic dominating: Ludenberg had sung in front of them!
It was the kind of scoop that drew massive interest from those who hadn't witnessed it.
“What song? No, more importantly, what situation made the professor ask him to sing?”
“Kyle's Song, you know, the one we've heard forever. Today's literature class covered the founding era of Solemnute.”
“Oh, that one? Makes sense—it had to come up. So, did he sing it well?”
“Surprisingly good.”
“No kidding? That well?”
“Yeah. He could join the theology choir right now.”
“What's the big deal, though? Why all the fuss?”
“Honestly, given the rumors, you'd think he'd rebel hard against something like singing. But his face was crumbling, and he still sang the whole thing. That's what's weird.”
“Solemnute Adem rules keep him from bailing. Not that surprising.”
And so on. The chatter reached Ludenberg's sensitive ears as he entered for lunch, sparking an urge to flip the table of whoever said it.
But with most students buzzing about him, he couldn't.
The reason they latched onto such a trivial thing was simple. Solemnute Adem's rigid schedule and the enforcement team's vigilant oversight had completely stifled the usual early-semester antics. Starved for drama, the students whipped even the mildest gossip into a frenzy.
The song was just the spark. The real entertainment—Aashytara and Cletta's bitter feud, along with Aashytara knocking Mion out cold during the dorm duel—all traced back to Ludenberg. Naturally, the gossip quickly shifted his way.
“Ludenberg, thinking about it……he never starts fights or trash-talks first, right? He even apologized to Cletta later.”
“Huh? He fought Gawin's crew, though.”
“They picked the fight. If they hadn't mouthed off, no brawl. Didn't Ashytara say he was in rough shape? You snap when poked while tired too.”
“Fair point.”
“The curse rumors don't even feel real anymore. If he were truly cursed, would a royal like Ashytara stick up for him? The palace would've judged him ages ago……”
“Ah, yeah.”
Listening, Ludenberg realized Ashytara's actions had done much to dispel the nonsense rumors.
Then, from another group:
“And Ludenberg trains hard every time, never dozes in class. Almost inhumanly diligent.”
Innocence student Evelyn Ansis's words prompted nods from others.
“True. Except that one off day, his eyes are always wide open. Does he even feel boredom?”
“He's not human in a lot of ways…… But after a month, he doesn't seem bad. He taught that Cletta girl swordplay super detailed. Takes real kindness to go that far for someone else.”
Hearing it all, Ludenberg thought:
It's changing.
The voices around him were shifting, bit by bit. The inexplicable fear and baseless scorn were fading, replaced by positive views of his diligence and skill.
For the first time since failing to awaken divine power, he felt gazes not of fear, but of admiration—like looking at an idol.
Were Ashytara's baffling actions aimed at this change? He still couldn't fully grasp her, but it no longer irked him.
His scowl from entering—annoyed at fueling gossip—smoothed out quickly.
Not a bad feeling.
With that thought, his meal tasted better than usual.
* * *
Afternoon joint training. Professor Hainkel gathered the students and spoke.
“It's been a month since you started training. Accordingly, I have an announcement.”
“An announcement……sir?”
“Yes. Knight faculty students typically go on dispatch to the capital after a month of training—it's an annual event.”
“Ah, I've heard of it. We assist knight orders……”
“Correct. First, you'll tour the capital's knight orders in Solemnute, then begin proper dispatch duties. For the next week, you'll live with the imperial knights, learning urban security and erosion response from them. It's valuable experience from field veterans. You might even get sword guidance from a senior using your style—quite rewarding.”
“Dispatch starts right after next week?”
“Yes, immediately. Pack your things and bring your personal gear.”
“Understood.”
The knight faculty buzzed excitedly. Some first-years with second-year friends had heard dispatches involved fun escapades.
After a month cooped up in classes and training, nothing could thrill them more—especially meeting revered imperial knights.
Seeing the uniformed imperial knights up close was exhilarating. It was the order they all dreamed of joining post-graduation.
Ludenberg shared their reaction.
Imperial knights…… Their skill should match or exceed our house knights. A perfect chance to test myself.
He looked forward to the dispatch ahead.