Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Welcome to the Silver Dawn Knights
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"The exam ends here."
The one who stepped between us was Iris.
Just as Lize had promised to control her strength perfectly and told us not to worry, the twin daggers in Lize's hands had stopped at a hair's breadth from Iris.
In contrast, the bloodstained sword in my hand was trembling violently while gripped by Iris's grasp on the blade. Once I realized this and released my strength, the blade's vibrations ceased abruptly.
Iris had inserted herself between Lize and me at a speed invisible to the eye, halting the spar. Only after confirming that both of us had relaxed our grips did she release the sword.
The blade tip drooped powerlessly toward the ground.
"And the final technique you used was Frost Storm Barrage, right?"
"Of course. I said I'd use just one, didn't I? So it had to be the flashiest one possible. What else?"
Ah, using ice and calling it flashy—maybe that's a bit off? she added.
"I did tell you this was just an entry exam. You got lucky that Lize went easy on you this time and came out unscathed—"
"I didn't go easy on him."
Lize grinned brightly as she met my eyes. It was a smile that said she had plenty to say. I averted my gaze slightly.
"What do you mean by that, Lize?"
"Exactly what I said. I was dead serious from start to finish, without holding back at all. And the rookie handled everything I threw at him with his own skills. Right, rookie?"
Her declaration, no different from a bombshell, made not only Iris but even Erika turn to look at me. With three pairs of eyes in various shades fixed on me, I felt a pressure like my face might burn a hole through.
"But not controlling your strength is still a problem in its own way. Did you forget?"
"If I thought I couldn't block it, I could've stopped anytime. I even reacted and halted when you suddenly jumped in, Iris. You think the rookie couldn't tell whether he could block it or not?"
Brushing off Iris's concern effortlessly, Lize approached my side with her usual bright smile. She then slung her arm over my shoulder and pulled downward firmly.
There was a noticeable height difference between us, so even on tiptoes, I had to bend my waist slightly for our eyes to meet level. Lize poked my cheek repeatedly with her index finger.
"Wow, I was genuinely shocked, rookie. I never imagined you'd even attempt a counterattack in that situation. What I said before the match about what I'd do if you blocked everything—wasn't just empty talk, huh?"
"What about your dignity and prestige as Knight Commander?"
"That's not important anymore. Now that we've confirmed our rookie here is a bundle of overflowing potential, who cares about losing one spar?"
Our bodies pressed even closer. In that position, her chest—nearly the size of my head—rubbed against my arm relentlessly. Yet she seemed utterly oblivious to her own posture as she pushed in.
"And one more thing. There's something super important our rookie absolutely needs to know. You have to hear this."
Lize's voice dropped suddenly, her expression turning serious. I straightened up instinctively. Just how crucial was this that she was putting on such gravity?
"Drop the formal speech with me."
"...Pardon?"
For a moment, I thought I'd misheard.
Her voice and face had turned serious out of nowhere, so I'd braced for something major, but drop the formalities? It was utterly out of left field.
"No need for polite speech with me. It's awkward for you to say it and for me to hear it, so forget all the formal crap and just talk casually. It's a special service because I like our rookie so much. How about it? Like it?"
"Uh...."
I had no clue how to respond. This NPC was nothing like her original game personality. I shot a pleading glance at Iris and Erika.
Reading my intent, Erika spoke in a resigned tone.
"Just accept it. Even if you refuse now, she'll cling until you say yes. Despite how she seems, she's surprisingly stubborn."
"Despite how I seem? Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?"
"What else? You know better than anyone, sis."
Lize growled at Erika for a moment before lowering her voice sweetly and locking eyes with me slyly.
"Ignore her. Anyway, you heard that, rookie? You can drop formalities with me now, and with Erika too. You're already casual with Iris, right? Same thing. She's the same age as her and Iris, so no issue. Come on, say 'Lize' quick. Yeah?"
She was the oldest here? She didn't look it at all.
Unable to withstand the sparkling pressure in her gaze, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"L... Lize?"
"Yeah, that's it. Good job. No more polite speech from now on—just call me casually. No need for Lize Knight Commander, Lize Commander, Lize sis, or Lize big sis. Just Lize is fine. Got it?"
Lize beamed happily and clung to me.
Outwardly, she looked so coldly sharp that not a drop of blood would spill if pricked with a needle, yet she had the most vibrant, sociable personality. The dissonance made it hard to adjust.
"So, the entry exam... I passed?"
I'd almost used polite speech without thinking, but as Lize—dangling off me—glared with narrowed eyes and tightened her arm around my neck, I hurriedly switched.
"Of course you passed! If I failed our rookie here, what would that do to my reputation? Erika, you too? Wait, no—you'd say pass anyway, right? Then no problem. Welcome to the Silver Dawn Knights, rookie!"
"...I don't like you assuming my thoughts on your own, sis, but this time it's true, so I can't deny it. I think the same as you, Lize sis. Welcome to the Silver Dawn Knights, rookie."
With passes from both Lize and Erika, Iris nodded as if she'd expected it. Her expression showed considerable trust, built from what she'd seen so far.
"Welcome to the order, rookie. We'll figure out your assignment later. For now, get some good rest. We'll do formal introductions once Claudia returns."
Since my stamina didn't deplete, I wouldn't feel fatigue anyway, but there was no need to refuse such consideration, so I nodded obediently.
"Erika, show the rookie to his quarters. Location... right below the Knight Commanders' quarters should do. Assign him a room at your discretion."
"Understood, Iris. This way, rookie. I'll guide you to your quarters."
Once the rookie and Erika had fully disappeared into the castle, Lize let out an excited voice full of astonishment.
"Iris, where did you find such an amazing guy? You saw it, right? Him deflecting all my attacks? I can't believe that's newbie level skill."
"I don't know either."
"Come on, don't lie. You raised him in secret to devour later or—wait, hold on! I can't even joke?!"
Seeing Iris clench her fist with cold eyes, Lize hastily backpedaled that it was just a joke. Iris clicked her tongue and relaxed her fist.
"If I knew, I'd have said so already. I really don't. I went to inspect the prison on that guy's orders, and almost everyone there was dead to the beasts. Only this rookie survived. Plus, the survivor himself is cursed by a witch with no memories or anything. What am I supposed to know?"
"One beast did all that? Shouldn't it have been subjugated?"
"No need. He killed it."
"He? The rookie? That beast?"
"Yeah."
"...How?"
Iris briefly explained what happened in the prison.
While checking the entire place and confirming no other survivors, she'd found the rookie fighting the beast alone near the main gate. In the end, he'd subjugated it solo.
She described how he'd deflected every attack effortlessly with a crude steel sword, as if he knew exactly how the beast would strike.
She'd intended to help at first but held back on a gut feeling she shouldn't, watching until the final blow stripped off its armor.
Lize listened intently, lips pressed tight, from start to finish. Her expression slightly stiffened as she spoke.
"You said the rookie's an orphan, right?"
"He said so himself. Probably true. If you can't trust that, use the Ability Check Orb."
"No, it's not that I don't trust the rookie. I do, but... he's cursed, right? By a witch, not some hack. So his physical abilities should be average at best, no magic, no mana control. How the hell is any of that possible?"
Lize recalled the entry exam, how the rookie had precisely read and deflected all her attacks. It wasn't luck—it was genuine skill.
He'd shown signs of being overpowered in strength, but never in technique. No matter the combos or speed, it felt like he'd anticipated them all.
The more she thought, the more mysterious it was.
"...."
As conversation paused with both lost in thought, Iris glanced down at the palm she'd used to stop the rookie's sword. There was a wound.
A faint scratch barely qualifying as one, but its mere existence was the issue.
Given the gap in power and skill between them, no such mark should have appeared. She should've simply snatched the sword and ended it.
But she hadn't.
"That... from the rookie, right?"
The clipped words conveyed the meaning clearly. Iris nodded in affirmation.
At the very last moment, the rookie had instinctively reacted to Lize's feint counter-parry and twisted his attack trajectory. That's why her palm was nicked.
Lize had prepared the counter-parry seeing the rookie's stance waver in that split-second before his strike landed—less than a second.
The rookie, having deflected all of Lize's attacks and poised for a counter, twisted his trajectory in response to the incoming counter-parry.
Iris, jumping in between, confirmed the twisted trajectory and adjusted her own stance instantly. All three were evenly matched in skill.
Yes, that even match was the problem.
Two were veteran Knight Commanders with over ten years gripping swords; the other, a human cursed by a witch. They shouldn't have been equals.
"Up until then, I was impressed, but that last part really shocked me. You thought the rookie couldn't react either, so you jumped in, right?"
"...I won't deny it."
If it had been her in his place, could she have done the same? Iris asked herself.
No matter how many times she pondered, the answer was 'no.'
Deflecting that brutal barrage, finding openings to counter amid it, and right before landing the blow, reading the unexpected enemy counter-stance and altering trajectory.
And all that with a body whose physical abilities were severely nerfed by a witch's curse, in his first encounter with Lize.
Utterly impossible by any logic, yet the rookie did it casually. No one would believe it even as barroom bravado.
She couldn't even guess his original background or the depth of his innate talent.
"Iris."
"What?"
"You're not in some special relationship with the rookie, are you?"
"If you mean romantic attraction, no. We're just chance acquaintances from the prison. Why do you ask?"
"Why? If you haven't claimed him first, I'm taking him."
Lize licked her lips.
The rookie appealed to her in every way. Handsome looks, great build, and perfectly matching her sexual preferences to boot.
Spotting a talented man in the bud, nurturing him lavishly, then having him turn the tables and devour her later—that was Lize's kink.
She knew full well it was an embarrassing fetish unfit for public airing and near-impossible in reality, so she'd kept it as a mental ideal.
But now, a man straight out of that ideal stood right before her. She absolutely could not let this chance slip, no matter what.
Plus, him being a sturdy adult male was a bonus. Lize wanted a reliable, talented man yet to bloom—not some short kid or brat.
"Do as you like. I won't interfere."
"For real? No take-backs later? You won't pop up after I snag him, claiming you met first and trying to horn in?"
"What do you take me for? I wouldn't do that."
Just as Lize, thrilled with what amounted to permission from Iris, was about to dash off, a curt voice stopped her.
"Oh, one question."
"Huh? What?"
Iris initiating a personal question? This was exceedingly rare. Lize's legs halted automatically. She perked her ears.
"Despite never even holding a man's hand, do you know how to seduce one?"
"What the hell, you bitch?"
Lize stared at Iris in disbelief. That woman—who'd never held a man's hand either—daring to say that?