Investiture Examination (1)
Investiture Examination (1)
For Renoa, familial love had never existed from the start.
Her mother, a concubine, had died irresponsibly on the day she was born, and her stepmother and her daughter treated tormenting her as a form of entertainment.
She had never even seen the faces of her other blood relatives, but their attitude toward her would likely be no different from Florencia's.
The culprit behind this entire situation was none other than her father, Duke Pascal.
Unable to overcome a moment of shallow lust, he had brought in a lowly woman of unknown origin and fathered her.
And then, he simply abandoned her.
He was the very person who had locked her in a cage called a mansion for her entire life, standing by as an onlooker to the abuse and contempt that occurred within.
In a way, it was more fitting for Renoa to call the Duke an enemy rather than a father.
And yet.
That very man.
"My daughter, are you hurt anywhere? Has everything been alright in the meantime?"
As if she were a precious daughter, he worried for Renoa in an infinitely kind and affectionate voice.
"Why are you so quiet? Is my daughter not happy to see this Papa?"
"That is..."
Renoa was flustered by the unexpected development. Her pupils shook restlessly from side to side.
It was a different sensation from being flustered by a first encounter with familial love. It wasn't that she was suppressed by the Duke's prestige either.
Ironically, it was an instinctive disgust.
It was like looking in a mirror.
A physiological repulsion felt when facing a human who looked unpleasantly identical to oneself.
It was a sensation akin to encountering a so-called doppelganger.
Her body could not endure the alien presence before her eyes and sounded an alarm. She reflexively took a step back.
"Hm? What is it? Are you perhaps feeling unwell?"
"Ah, that is..."
The Duke looked at her from a close distance, matching her eye level. His gaze was no different from that of an ordinary father worrying for his daughter.
However, Renoa could not fully accept it.
Something mysterious lurking behind that kind face tightened around her heart.
Renoa froze like a log. Just as the Duke, who was staring intently at her, was about to open his mouth once more.
"She must be very tired from the long journey."
A voice flowed from atop the dais. It was Florencia.
"That is likely why she cannot properly respond to the Gaju-nim's great hospitality."
On the surface, it sounded like she was covering for Renoa.
However, it was heavily layered with the unpleasantness of wanting to immediately stop this bizarre family play that was tarnishing the family's dignity.
The Duke let out a small exclamation and pressed his hand to his forehead.
"Oh dear, I was being foolish. You must be exhausted from coming all the way here from the borderlands."
The Duke clicked his tongue as if sincerely blaming himself. A gentle smile spread across his lips.
"To make you come straight here without even resting. I was blinded by the desire to see my daughter and lacked consideration."
"..."
Renoa's attitude remained the same despite the Duke's apology. She had no idea what kind of reaction to give.
"I suddenly find myself curious about something."
Florencia's voice rang out once again.
"Did you also bring that slave knight who was by your side before?"
"...A slave knight? What is that?"
"Have you forgotten? The fact that the child took a slave as a knight three years ago."
"This is the first I've heard of it."
"How could that be? The family was in such an uproar over it. You must have just let it slip past you while you were immersed in your magic research."
The smile vanished from the Duke's expression. A sunken gaze turned toward Renoa.
Renoa swallowed hard and carefully opened her mouth.
"...Yes, he came with me. He is currently waiting outside the door."
"Why not have him come in? He is a very mysterious child for a slave. I am sure the Gaju-nim will take a liking to him as well."
"Let him enter."
The Duke's command was given. The doors to the audience hall opened once more.
Dozens of pairs of eyes simultaneously turned toward the opening doors.
A lowly slave taken in by an illegitimate child.
Toward the uninvited guest who dared to set foot in the sacred space of the continent's greatest magic family, everyone loaded their sharp contempt and hostility.
Within that space that felt like a thin sheet of ice, a young man walked in with steady thuds.
Ttubuck-ttubuck.
In his dignified stride, there wasn't a hint of the servility typical of a slave or any sign of being crushed by the prestige of the nobility.
Even under the brutal pressure pouring in from all sides, he strolled as leisurely as if he were in his own home.
Having walked that way, Irion stopped half a step behind Renoa. He knelt on one knee and showed his respect.
"Apprentice Knight, Irion. I greet the Gaju-nim of Edelheid."
Duke Pascal scanned Irion from head to toe.
His movements were so disciplined and composed that the label of 'slave' seemed meaningless. An air of elegance even seemed to flow from his appearance.
If not for the slave restraints, one wouldn't have considered him a slave at all.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The Duke demanded an explanation, turning his gaze to Renoa.
"I brought a gladiator slave who was active in the Alderin arena. I thought he would be useful if raised well."
"When did you take this slave in?"
"Three years ago."
"Three years..."
To say he was a slave who had been drifting through arenas until a few years ago, the spirit radiating from him was far too intense.
Even though the Duke was subtly releasing mana to weigh Irion down, his breathing didn't falter once.
Despite it being pressure from Duke Pascal, who had reached the rank of an Archmage. It wasn't a level that could be endured with shallow tricks.
A deep wariness flickered in the depths of Pascal's eyes.
This slave is extraordinary. His senses incessantly rang a warning bell in his mind.
"What do you think, Gaju-nim? I heard he came to receive an official knight's investiture. Why not take this opportunity to verify his skills?"
Pascal's green eyes curved with interest.
It was a proposal he had no reason to refuse.
Because he would be able to dig down to the bottom of the power this mysterious slave was hiding.
"To be granted the proud name of Edelheid, one must naturally prove they possess the appropriate qualifications."
Pascal's gaze landed on the front line of the guard knights lined up below the throne.
It was Calben, the Knight Commander of Edelheid.
"Calben."
"Yes, Gaju-nim."
"Make this slave, who knows nothing of how terrifying the world is, realize where he is to his very bones."
The stage moved to the outdoor training ground.
Under the pretext of an investiture examination, a duel between Irion and Calben was arranged.
The Knight Commander of Edelheid and a slave from a borderland arena.
To watch this malformed duel, dozens of onlookers were lined up on the third-story balcony.
"Mother, weren't you supporting that slave?"
The eldest daughter, Idella, said as she looked down at the training ground. She too was quite interested in Irion.
"To say I support him is an exaggeration; it's closer to the realm of curiosity."
"Even so, to think his opponent is Sir Calben. My father is truly cruel."
"If a slave aims to be a knight of a Ducal house, shouldn't he overcome that level of hardship? Only then will everyone be convinced."
If Irion won, the family would gain a high-performance pawn.
If he lost, well, it would just end as an entertaining spectacle.
"More than that, what are those two talking about so much?"
"Perhaps it's a rally between lowly things."
By the time Florencia's sneering laughter scattered on the balcony breeze.
In a corner of the training ground, Renoa and Irion were busy exchanging words.
"Calben is the finest Magic Swordsman in the Empire. He is a powerhouse who lacks nothing in both sword and magic."
"I have heard of him as well."
Knight Commander Calben.
The strongest sword that the Edelheid family boasted. At the same time, the Empire's best Magic Knight who freely wielded magic.
For something intended to test a mere slave's capabilities, it was an excessively overqualified and cruel selection.
The intention was clear. It meant that a slave would never become an official knight.
"If you lose this duel, all your efforts until now will be in vain. Even if you can't win, you must not lose."
"When I said I wanted to become an apprentice knight, didn't you tell me to become the strongest knight in the family? But saying 'even if you can't win' is strange."
"I certainly said that, but..."
A deep anxiety was embedded in Renoa's voice as she trailed off.
She had certainly said that at the time to confirm Irion's ambition. Even now, Irion had to win for her to solidify her own position.
However, demanding an unconditional victory against one of the strongest individuals on the continent was something her rational mind simply couldn't calculate.
A desperate difference in power that could even put his life at risk if things went wrong.
'If Irion dies...'
Then Renoa will have nothing left. She would be isolated in this vast estate once again.
As he looked down at his master who was fretting so much, a relaxed smile spread across the lips of the party who had actually been pushed toward the slaughterhouse.
"I went through all that trouble for the Agassi, but it doesn't give me any strength when my master doesn't even believe in her subordinate."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Shouldn't you give me a victory spell or something? My legs are already losing strength, and I feel like I'm about to collapse."
"You can joke in this situation?"
"I'm serious, though?"
Renoa gasped. She felt the tension that had been pulled taut snap helplessly.
Tak.
"You... if you lose pathetically after this, I won't leave you alone. No, if you can't win, you'll die by my hand. Win, even if it kills you."
"Huum..."
Irion crossed his arms and waited as if telling her to try cheering him once.
Facing that brazen face, Renoa's eyes flitted here and there, unable to find their place.
There was no way she had any experience in giving kind encouragement in her entire life. Her lips did not part easily.
But seeing Irion's attitude as he looked down at her leisurely without an inch of compromise, it seemed he really would surrender without even swinging his sword once if she didn't cheer for him.
How dare a mere slave threaten his master.
At any other time, she would have ripped his mouth off, but Renoa was the one in a hurry.
She tightly gripped her skirt.
"...Go and win."
A voice as small as a mosquito's buzz.
"Pardon? What did you just say? The sound of the wind is so loud I couldn't hear you well."
Irion tilted his head exaggeratedly, putting a hand to his ear.
"I said... go and win."
"Yes?"
"I said win, no matter what...! Win and come back. If you lose, you'll have to apologize with your life!"
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『Master's Command』
The time has come to reap the fruits of three years of labor. Win the duel against Knight Commander Calben and become an official knight.
Reward: Random A-rank Reward
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It was closer to a verbal abuse than a cheer, but her ears, which were standing sharp, were flushed red beyond concealment.
Though it was lacking, Irion knew very well that this was Renoa's own best effort.
Irion bowed his head and showed his respect.
"As you command."