The Shadowing Presence (Part 3)
People each carry their own unique aura.
This isn't limited to those who have undergone rigorous training. Most people can sense it even in their daily lives.
During everyday activities, one person's footsteps are heavy, while another's are light and fleeting.
Back when we were all staying together at the Knights' barracks, I could tell who was who just by the sound of their steps.
Of course, you can't define an aura solely by footsteps, but you can get a rough sense of it.
Even now, in a quiet training ground with few people around and no one else approaching, it's easy to pick up on an aura.
But the aura I'm sensing right now isn't from Class A. That's not a big problem. Class B or C could wander in out of curiosity, or a professor might have come here for some reason.
Yet this vague aura I'm feeling now is so faint that even with my full attention, I can barely tell if it's there at all.
It doesn't carry the heavy, grounded weight of a trained warrior, or the light, detached feel of something else. I feel no distinctive imprint of an aura at all.
'This is the aura of a trained person.'
They're not a student. In the knight academy curriculum, they don't teach how to kill auras like this.
Only professors would have the ability to do something like this, but there's no reason a professor would enter here just to kill an aura.
"Hey, who are you? This area is restricted to Class A only."
I said sharply to the vague presence near the passageway, my nerves on edge.
"You must be an extraordinary student."
A harsh male voice echoed back. It was one I hadn't heard before.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the source of the voice as a man stepped silently out of the shadows in the passageway.
His hair was cut short on top, dyed black, and he wore a black cloak over a dark brown outfit.
He looked sharp and intimidating from the start, his gaze fixed directly on me.
"Students, I apologize for intruding without permission. There's no business here for the young lady of Amanecer Tower or the young master of the Langrand family, so don't worry."
His tone was polite toward the others, and his eyes softened slightly. But the moment he looked at me, his expression changed.
I was certain he had come here to target me. I subtly shifted my hands from my chest to near my thighs.
"Rigel Ostin. Third place in Class A at the academy. Currently residing alone in the 13th district southwest of the royal capital. From a commoner background."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He walked straight toward me, but his footsteps remained light.
A man larger than Dalek, solidly built, stopped right in front of me.
"That doesn't matter. Even if we investigate a commoner background, there are many uncertainties, and it's not that there have never been commoners in past Classes A."
His eyes were icy and merciless. As I studied him, I noticed swords at his waist and shoulders.
"But that's not the issue. Rigel Ostin, have you been to the Ebonic Tower before?"
At the same time, I glanced sideways at Dalek.
"Yes, I have."
"I see. According to the records, you went there to retrieve the Megirurun, correct?"
I knew why this man had come to stand before me.
He had come looking for the Megirurun I had secretly taken and were searching for the culprit who took it.
At the time, the only outsiders at the tower had been a Langrand family member and myself.
So it wasn't strange that the net was tightening around me. I had acted too impulsively.
"Yes."
"Then, is the missing Megirurun related to you?"
"······."
I shut my mouth. I didn't even know how things had turned out right now.
If I spoke now, I couldn't even guess how much trouble it would cause for Professor Remediela or Professor Helahem.
"Where is the Megirurun? What did you do with the stolen Megirurun?"
"You assume I stole the Megirurun."
"You're the most likely suspect."
It was awkward for my position.
But if I confessed everything like this, my entire plan could fall apart.
"We'll do the detailed interrogation later. Don't try to hide anything. I don't like laying hands on students anyway."
He grabbed Rigel's arm and pulled. But Rigel didn't get dragged along.
She braced her legs and resisted. He glared at her with cold eyes.
I had seen this outfit several times before. Since I spent most of my time on the battlefield, our contact was minimal, but I knew it.
Even in the kingdom, only a few knew of this organization. Most of the kingdom's citizens had no idea it existed.
'What should I do?'
They were the kingdom's most hidden blade.
Among knights and mages who swore loyalty to the kingdom, only a handful knew them.
Even if they knew of their existence, they knew little about the organization.
Not even me, who was supposed to be the next knight commander, knew the details.
The only thing I knew was their name: Royal Guard.
They eliminated anything that threatened the kingdom.
***
Royal Guard.
On paper, they belonged to the kingdom's military. In reality, they did not.
The kingdom's military served the kingdom itself, but the Royal Guard served the royal family.
They received orders directly from the royal family. They cut off any potential harm to the monarchy at the earliest opportunity.
The Royal Guard did not hunt monsters. They primarily dealt with threats within the kingdom, so they hunted people.
Anyone outside their eyes disappeared without a trace. Even if they fled abroad, there was no way to escape their pursuit.
'Right now, can I win against them?'
They were monsters created by training the best talents gathered from all over.
I had heard that some of the students in the knights' academy who stood out for their swordsmanship in close combat had mysteriously joined the Royal Guard.
They must have endured years of harsh training inside.
In other words, they were top-tier in close combat even within the kingdom.
With my body not accustomed to it and me exhausted to the point of having white hair, it was impossible to face them casually.
"Is this considered treason against the royal family?"
"No, it's not."
Rigel and the Royal Guard glared at each other. Serpin and Dalek watched the scene.
At the same time, both sides moved. For a split second, their blue and black cloaks fluttered.
Clang!
Rigel's knife and the Royal Guard's black knife clashed.
They stepped back, then clashed again. Blade met blade over and over.
Krkkkk!!
After several exchanges, they retreated.
They didn't move far. They were so close that taking one step toward each other would reach.
"···Huu."
Rigel exhaled. The Royal Guard exhaled too.
Rigel's breathing had already been rougher than usual because her condition was poor.
Again, their cloaks fluttered as they leaped forward on tiptoes.
They brushed against each other's skin, and their collars were sliced by sharp blades.
Kang! Kaang!! Clang!
Again and again, knife clashed with knife. Their sword strikes were sharp and fierce, yet their arms were constantly blocking and countering.
The Royal Guard swung his knife with his right arm. Rigel had already stabbed forward, outside the arm's path, and leaped in, slashing downward.
At that moment, Rigel realized her mistake.
Thud.
He blocked with his left arm. In one swift motion, he pushed upward with force.
Paat! Rigel's body went limp. The Royal Guard rushed in and slammed her into the ground.
Crash!!
Rigel's body rolled across the floor. Just as she tried to rise by bracing her hands, another attack didn't come. The Royal Guard was looking somewhere other than me.
"···Why do you have that sword?"
His cold gaze finally wavered.
When I looked where he was staring, a small sword was rolling on the ground.
The one I had been carrying on my back, the one Rondo had gifted me. He looked between me and the sword, demanding an answer.
"I will not allow you to point that sword at Rigel anymore, no matter who you are."
"Then, please step aside?"
Before I could speak, Serpin and Dalek moved first.
They drew their rapiers and spears, ready to confront the Royal Guard.
The Royal Guard glanced at Rigel and opened his mouth.
"···We'll meet again."
He tossed something from his pocket. Smoke rose, and when it cleared, he was gone.
Now that the smoke had cleared, Serpin and Dalek could finally relax, their eyes filled with caution.
Rigel also scanned the surroundings, closed her eyes for a moment, and then relaxed a little.
"Rigel, are you okay?"
"What? That attacker···"
They hadn't realized what had just happened.
Who that person was, or what kind of fight had just occurred. Their minds were blank.
"It's a Royal Guard. A handful of royal black ops."
"Ro-Royal Guard···. Why would someone like that come for Rigel-nim."
Rigel pressed her shoulder and chest, which were throbbing. Her expression tightened, and it seemed like she had bruises.
'···I made a foolish judgment. Trying to pin her down with force.'
At the first clash of knives, I had felt it, but facing a Royal Guard was far from easy.
Technically, I had the advantage. But her weak strength and slow body kept her pinned down.
Anyway, the Royal Guard had left.
More than the fight itself, I started worrying about my own position.
'The Royal Guard has started targeting me.'
This time, it was just an investigation. From their attitude, it didn't seem like they considered it a major matter inside their organization.
If they had been handling a major issue seriously, they would have mobilized the kingdom's army instead of coming after me so casually.
Of course, it was just my guess, and it could even be wishful thinking.
No matter what, I needed to prepare countermeasures.
"Rigel, was there anything else I didn't know from the Ebonic Tower?"
Dalek asked me, who had been lost in deep thought.
It didn't feel like an interrogation. He was simply concerned about me.
"Wait a second. I'll explain slowly."
My mind was in chaos. I was already tired, and my body was in no condition to be normal.
I never imagined today would be so long.