Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Dogs and Wolves (2)
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It was uncomfortable.
The back of my head was prickling, and I couldn't stand it.
The gazes of the other candidates were following me.
“Check the number tags pinned to your chests.”
Furtive glances.
“From now on, that number will be your name, so keep that in mind.”
The prickling continued.
It felt like their stares would bore a hole through the back of my head, but when I turned, the candidates would look away as if nothing had happened.
It had been like this ever since the man from the Cradle called my name.
As for me, I had no idea why.
I only found out the reason when the elderly knight from the Cradle stepped away for a moment during the exam.
“Hey. So it’s you.”
Someone approached me.
He was a curly-haired boy, his sturdy frame capable of looking down on most knights, yet his face was still so youthful it hadn’t even lost its baby fat—a rather strange combination.
“I was so curious who it was. You’re… different from what I imagined.”
The brief pause was unbearably grating, but satisfying my curiosity came first.
“You know me?”
At my question, the curly-haired boy chuckled as if he’d heard a funny joke.
“You’re super famous. There’s probably no one here who doesn’t know you.”
What was he talking about now?
“Explain in detail.”
The curly-haired boy, looking amused, explained the situation.
To summarize his explanation in one sentence:
“The exam rules changed? Because of me?”
Apparently, I was the very reason the letters of recommendation had become worthless scraps of paper.
“You really didn’t know? The capital was in an uproar because of you.”
The curly-haired boy asked with an incredulous laugh.
He asked if I’d been cooped up in a monastery or something.
Well, I had been cooped up in a monastery, but still.
Anyway.
That wasn’t what was important right now.
“See over there? The kids glaring at you like they want to kill you. They all got dragged to this exam because of you.”
What was important was the very high probability that my life in the Cradle was about to get complicated from the very start.
No wonder some of the stares drilling into the back of my head felt particularly hostile.
I turned my head.
A group of brats who looked like they’d been raised with silver spoons in their mouths were looking right at me.
And their gazes were not friendly.
“Dammit.”
I’d even refused the Crown Prince’s gift to avoid attracting attention.
At this rate, all my efforts were for nothing.
Who the hell had let the situation get this out of hand?
Of course, I was the main cause, but someone else must have fanned the flames.
I didn’t know who it was, but I decided I wouldn’t let them off easy when I found them.
But that was a matter for later.
“When have those kids ever had to play second fiddle in their lives? They must be feeling pretty bitter right now. You should be careful during the exam.”
I didn’t need the curly-haired boy’s warning to know that.
The brats from the noble families, with their uncomfortable expressions as if they’d eaten something foul, were screaming it with their entire bodies.
*We’ve come prepared, so you’d better watch your back.*
It was a familiar situation.
Though it had never been directed at me, it was a look I had seen countless times in my past life.
That was the exact look the knights used to give the great Roman.
So, what did Roman do?
What else? He stomped them all into the ground so they could never challenge him again.
So, should I also…
“Gasp.”
Lost in my own thoughts, I flinched.
Imitate Roman?
Absolutely not.
I didn't have the ability to begin with, and even if I did, it was a method I shouldn't use.
Roman’s way made far too many enemies.
Besides, unlike the personality-defective Roman, I was a man of excellent character.
I didn’t want to make enemies of the peers I’d be spending at least a few years with right from the start.
Be friendly, be friendly.
I made a silent vow and composed my expression.
Then, I turned my head toward the noble brats and moved my lips slightly.
*Hello, nice to meet you, friends.*
A smile graced my lips, filled with as much goodwill as I could muster.
Instantly.
As if on cue, the brats’ faces twisted in disgust.
“Wow. Was that a declaration of war? You don’t look it, but you’re pretty aggressive.”
Only after hearing the curly-haired boy’s words did I realize my true intentions hadn’t been conveyed.
I belatedly tried to offer a sincere greeting again, but the brats didn’t give me the chance.
Whip.
They turned their heads away, their posture screaming that they wanted nothing to do with me.
Why couldn’t they understand my sincerity?
I was utterly dumbfounded.
“Ah, right. We haven’t even introduced ourselves. Nice to meet you. I’m Angelo. You’re Yan, right? I’m telling you, you’re super famous.”
The curly-haired boy, Angelo, extended his hand.
After staring blankly for a moment, I took it.
“Nice to meet you, friend.”
“Uh, you too.”
The exam would begin any moment now.
I had made one friend, and far more enemies.
* * *
Angelo was, in many ways, not what he seemed.
His muscular body, which didn't match his innocent, baby-like face, was one thing. His incredible chattiness, which did match his looks, was another.
In a short time, I learned Angelo’s family origin, his family motto, the fact that he was the third of five siblings, the names of his other siblings, and even the name and breed of his dog.
“This sword here, I made it myself. Haven’t decided on a name yet…”
The personal detail that he had been steadily honing his metallurgy skills to be self-sufficient as a knight was an unasked-for bonus.
Blah, blah, blah.
Watching Angelo, whose mouth never stopped moving, I subtly wiped my ear.
Oh! There's no blood. Why not?
Angelo was such a dreadful chatterbox that such a ridiculous question popped into my head.
The only saving grace was that there was some useful information hidden within his endless chatter.
A total of ninety-nine applicants for thirty spots.
Among them, five individuals to watch out for.
-Bern, from the third-ranked of the Eight Great Families, the Golden Horn Vigete.
-Hummel, from the fifth-ranked of the Eight Great Families, the Sleeping Hildegard.
-Amelia, from the Jaepangisadan, one of the Empire’s Four Great Knight Orders.
“And with the ‘Mage Slayer’ and the ‘Reclusive Genius of the East,’ those are the five candidates getting the most attention right now.”
“Oh!”
It was natural for the brats from the Eight Great Families and the Four Great Knight Orders to be included among the top five, but I was curious about the identities of the two who had filled the remaining spots, beating out other noble scions.
So I asked.
“The Mage Slayer is you.”
“…Then who’s the other one?”
“Me, of course.”
“…”
“What’s with that look?”
Angelo, getting worked up, launched into another long boast about himself. I half-listened until he tired himself out and started spewing information again.
“Other than them, you can assume all the kids from noble families are formidable. There are also quite a few from the second son of the Samdusa Giftrang and other minor houses who made a name for themselves early on. There’s a reason they’re calling this year’s Cradle candidates the golden generation.”
In short, this exam wasn’t going to be easy.
If I relied on my past life’s experience and grew complacent, I could end up being humiliated by a bunch of kids.
I sharpened a sword in my mind.
I muttered under my breath.
This is a battlefield.
“Attention.”
Just as I was steeling my resolve, the old knight from the Cradle, who had been away for a moment, reappeared.
“We will now begin the entrance exam.”
Behind the old knight, I saw a cart that hadn't been there before.
“The first test is weapon maintenance. It is a basic skill for a squire, so I trust you all know it well and will omit the explanation.”
The cart was piled high with swords.
“Come forward one by one in the order you are called and choose a sword. We will begin immediately. Number 1.”
The old knight called out the numbers in order.
The candidates who were called didn’t just grab the first sword they could reach; they chose carefully.
It was only natural.
Even from a distance, the condition of the swords varied wildly.
Some looked like they would be fine with a simple sharpening, while others looked so fragile they could break at any moment.
Still, as expected of candidates handpicked by the Cradle, they seemed to have a good eye for swords, and most managed to avoid the ones in poor condition.
“Number 33, 34. Number 35…”
The number of swords on the cart dwindled quickly.
Until then, I was relaxed.
I was just spacing out, watching the kids pick their swords without a single thought in my head.
“Should you be so carefree?”
“…?”
Even when I heard Angelo’s concerned question, I still had no thoughts.
“Your number.”
“What about my number?”
At his out-of-the-blue comment, I tilted my head to look at my chest.
[66]
It was a bit of a later number, but it wasn’t too bad.
There were at most five swords in truly bad condition; all I had to do was avoid them.
And I believed I could.
I was mistaken.
“66, 67, 68.”
As the old knight called the numbers, I was about to step forward when Angelo grabbed me.
“It’s not your turn yet.”
“What are you talking about…”
I was about to shake off his hand and step forward when my eyes widened.
A brat with the same number as me was choosing a sword up ahead.
I looked back and forth between the number tag on the brat’s chest and the one on mine.
“Huh?”
Then, I suddenly realized something important and jumped in shock.
“I read it upside down?”
My number, which I had glanced down at and thought was 66, was actually 99.
A dry laugh escaped me.
It was so absurd, so foolish.
All I could do was laugh.
“You’re laughing? You must be incredibly confident.”
Angelo gave me a thumbs-up.
He had no idea what I was feeling inside.
A perfectly decent sword was clutched in that same hand.
Staring at the sword, I said with a smile.
“Want to trade…”
Before I could finish, Angelo moved away.
The distance between us was exactly the distance in our hearts.
“Number 99!”
While I was standing there, dumbfounded, my turn came.
I dragged my unwilling feet forward and looked inside the cart.
A longsword in such poor condition it looked like it would snap at any moment was buried deep inside.
“Heh heh.”
I laughed in spite of myself.
Cutting off my laughter, I called out to the old knight.
“Knight.”
“…?”
“Should I sharpen this sword for you?”
“Stop with the nonsense and return to your spot.”
“Yes, sir.”
As I returned to my spot and let out a sigh, the old knight took out an hourglass from his robes.
“The test begins now. When I give the signal, immediately take your hands off the swords and step back three paces. Anyone caught dawdling will receive an automatic zero, so don’t come crying to me that you didn’t hear. Keep your ears open.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of scraping and grinding filled the air.
“Alright. It’s do or die.”
I, too, picked up a whetstone soaked in water.
“They say even if a lion drags you away, you can get out alive if you just keep your wits about you.”
I began to work, steeling my resolve.
“Ah, or is that wrong?”
But my resolve didn't last long.
“If a lion drags you away and you're perfectly conscious, doesn't that just mean you get eaten alive?”
This new realization left me dazed.
Just then, I heard a snicker nearby.
I turned my head to see a brat who had already finished his work and set down his sword, looking at me.
The corner of his mouth was curled up on one side.
It was a blatant sneer.
My face crumpled.
I started to move the idle whetstone diligently again.
My hands sharpened the sword.
My mind sharpened its teeth.
And my eyes confirmed the number of the brat who had sneered at me.
Number 23, 23, 23. Number 23…
Just you wait.
* * *
“Everyone, hands off. Step back.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the brats quickly put down their swords and took three steps back.
“Not bad.”
“Tsk.”
“Oh! Quite impressive.”
The old knight walked among the candidates, checking the condition of the swords.
His brief comments made the brats’ faces light up or fall.
Some clenched their fists in triumph, while others slumped their shoulders in defeat.
And finally, it was my turn.
“Hmm.”
The old knight looked at the sword in front of me and parted his lips.
But I didn't just wait for his harsh critique to emerge.
“Would you hear me out for a moment?”
The old knight’s expression hardened at being interrupted.
I didn’t care.
“This test is missing one crucial element.”
I threw out the words I had prepared.