The Raven Knight Order (1)
The sound of clashing blades rang out from afar. Maxim flailed his arms in a frenzy. Let go. Throughout the entire spar, he kept repeating it to himself. He had to cast aside his lingering attachments, his emotions. When Theodora stepped into the match herself, he had dimly understood what she wanted. She sought a wordless conversation through the meeting of swords—he knew that. He had believed the blade he swung was the best answer he could offer her in that moment, but he was wrong. Theodora had wanted to fight Maxim with everything she had, pouring out every last emotion. The rift of feelings he had left in her ran far deeper than he had imagined.
She could have simply hated and despised him in peace. Enduring that would have been difficult, but bearable. He could have pushed through it. Even if he had to overexert himself, he had been in a state where he could entrust his back to Christine and draw an Aura Blade to fight. Yet Maxim made no such choice until the very end of the match. Theodora had wanted to see the emotions he kept hidden, and Maxim had no intention of revealing them. He chose instead to bear the full weight of her negative feelings himself. He believed, without a shred of doubt, that it was the choice best for both Theodora and himself.
You should have just quit being a knight. Someone sneered inside his head.
It couldn't be helped, Maxim answered.
There he was—the self who could not bring himself to extinguish the ember Theodora had left in his heart. There he was—the self who lived on, gazing only at that tiny spark.
The morning in the Royal Capital was swift and busy. As the rattle of carriages echoed through the streets, Maxim awoke.
"...That was one hell of a nightmare."
Pale morning sunlight spilled through the window into the room. The moment Maxim opened his eyes from the bed in the corner of a room that looked more empty than tidy, those words left his lips. Aside from a desk, a chair, and a modest bookshelf, the only thing left was a single sword. It was his first day reporting for duty after being demoted from vice commander to a regular knight. Maxim scratched his disheveled hair and slowly pushed himself upright, his movements sluggish. His body felt strangely heavy, likely because he had not slept well. The clock on the wall read half past seven.
"I don't want to go to work."
Maxim grumbled into the empty air. Since he had deliberately chosen the thorny path, he supposed he had to accept the consequences. A deflated laugh escaped him.
"Life really isn't easy."
Maxim rubbed his eyes and dragged himself out of bed. He washed up in the bathroom, trying to clear his still-dazed mind. The young man in the mirror stared back with hollow eyes. This is what you get. He lashed himself with the thought. After roughly wiping the water from his face, Maxim put on his uniform. The black uniform without the vice commander's insignia felt unbearably awkward. From now on, he was just an ordinary knight. With a contradictory mix of lightness and heaviness in his chest, Maxim set off for work.
As he walked up the familiar hill, the atmosphere coming from the training grounds felt off. The sounds drifting up were downright vicious. It seemed the training grounds were finally starting to serve their purpose. Maxim climbed the hill with a quiet tension. The metallic ring of steel keening against steel scraped at his ears.
"...Impressive."
When he arrived, a sight he had not seen in a long time unfolded before him. The training grounds were quiet yet loud at the same time. Shouts, the thud of feet, and the clash of weapons wove together to create a tense atmosphere. On the dusty stone floor, roughly ten knights swung their weapons, sweat pouring down their faces. Numerous training dummies were being hacked apart, and a similar number of logs bore fresh notches. Some knights ran laps around the grounds while others focused on bodyweight exercises. This is what a normal knight order looks like, Maxim thought. He had simply grown too used to abnormal scenes. Letting out a wry chuckle, he stepped into the training grounds.
What greeted him immediately was a familiar face and voice.
"Vice Commander, you're late!"
Seeing Christine, whose attitude remained unchanged as always, Maxim's lips loosened into a faint smile.
"I'm not the vice commander anymore. And I'm not late."
At his grumbling, Christine laughed as if amused. Whether it was because the properly reformed knight order lifted her spirits, her laughter seemed brighter than before.
"Still, all the knights are already here."
At the mention that everyone had gathered, Maxim raised an eyebrow. Shouldn't there have been around thirty people?
"Already? I only see about a dozen."
Christine shrugged.
"I asked around. They said recruitment isn't finished yet. For now, we're in a standby state. The rest should arrive after some time."
It seemed Christine had already struck up conversations with the new knights. Maxim found himself quietly envious of her sociable nature.
"Then I should change and start training too."
"Hurry up and change..."
Christine trailed off, gazing at Maxim. He spoke to those green eyes that seemed lost in thought.
"Why? Something wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering what I should call you now."
"Is that all?"
Maxim burst into a hearty laugh. But Christine held her chin with her fingers, looking genuinely serious. He considered telling her to just use his name, but that felt a little unpleasant.
"Sir?"
"You're a knight too, young lady."
When Maxim scolded her for joking around, Christine spoke with careful deliberation.
"...Senior?"
"Not bad."
Maxim nodded readily, but Christine's pondering continued. Then, as if she had reached a conclusion, she clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling.
"....Oppa—"
"No."
Christine frowned, and Maxim shuddered.
"Why not!"
"I hate it, that's why. Ugh, look at the goosebumps on my arm."
When Maxim actually rolled up his sleeve to show her, Christine's face twisted in frustration and she began hitting him wildly.
"Ow, ow! Hey, wait. Sorry."
"Can't you just speak nicely for once?"
At her sulky tone, Maxim laughed and played it off.
"Sorry, I can't say things I don't mean."
"Fine, then. I'll just call you 'mister,' so hurry up and go change."
That's even worse. Maxim was about to say so when Christine's nagging pushed him toward the main building. By the time he changed into training clothes and returned to the grounds, the heat of the morning drills had somewhat cooled. Maxim lightly swung his favorite wooden sword while mentally planning the morning's training. There should still be time before the commander arrived. Seeing Christine meditating alone, Maxim decided to train by himself for now.
"First, I'll run a bit..."
Maxim began stretching while circling the training grounds. How long had it been since he trained so systematically? At least half a year, probably. I wonder if my stamina will hold up. As Maxim rotated his ankle to loosen his muscles and ligaments, a newly joined knight approached him. The face looked familiar—likely one of the four knights who had accompanied Theodora.
"Maxim... Apparte, was it?"
He looked to be in his mid-forties, though his actual age was probably younger. He was shorter than Maxim. Unlike Maxim, his closely cropped hair stood out. His mouth was set in a firm line, and his jawline was thick and rugged. Maxim had to struggle to recall the name.
"Senior Paola Simon."
"Good that you remember."
Paola gave off the air of a well-trained soldier rather than a knight. Maxim recalled his match. His swordsmanship itself was nothing remarkable. There were levels to swordsmanship, and by those standards, his could never be called refined. His blade work was far from elegant. In fact, the knight he had faced had wielded a superior sword. Yet Paola had casually ignored the gap in skill and defeated his opponent with ease. Combat. Paola Simon possessed an exceptional sense for fighting—enough to be called a genius. He probably had not originally been a knight. He must have been a strong soldier who earned many merits and was granted knighthood by his commander.
"I saw your sword quite clearly."
"...You mean my swordsmanship?"
Paola nodded slowly.
"It's embarrassing, but I don't know much about swords. I became a knight after receiving the title while still a mere soldier. But even I could tell that the sword you wield is of a very high level."
Being approached out of nowhere and praised made Maxim feel more uncomfortable than pleased. Honestly, he did not want to recall the selection exam at all.
"...Thank you."
"I can't help but wonder how someone like you ended up assigned to the Raven Knight Order."
So that was the conclusion. Maxim felt like grabbing his head and sighing. He had not looked like a thug, but it seemed soldiers-turned-knights loved gossip.
"I didn't achieve anything special at my first posting, and the commanders there didn't exactly welcome me."
"Strange. Did you get into a big fight or something?"
Maxim gave a vague answer. After all, they would be comrades in the same order. It was better to offer some explanation than to build walls and earn their dislike from the start.
"By the way, your first posting? Where was it?"
"The border. A southern region called Holton..."
"Ah! Holton! I know that place well."
The image of a taciturn, battle-hardened knight he had formed at first sight had already vanished. All that remained was a middle-aged swordsman who was talkative and itching to meddle in others' affairs. Maxim looked at Paola with a sour expression.
"It was when I was stationed in Holton. Was it summer? The weather was just as clear as today, come to think of it."
Paola's very, very long story began. He licked his lips, barely containing his excitement, as if about to recite an epic. If Maxim was not careful, he would be stuck here all day. What saved him from wasting the entire morning drill on idle chatter was Christine.
"The commander seems to be coming up—?"
At Christine's words, the knights began putting away their weapons. Paola clicked his tongue in genuine disappointment. Maxim glanced at Christine. She looked at him with a prim expression, still caught by Paola. It was as if she had erased a debt. That triumphant look was annoying, but he supposed he could endure her gloating for a day. Maxim tried to use the opportunity Christine had created to slip away from Paola.
"Well then... Senior, I'll be going—"
"Just one thing! Answer just this one thing before you go!"
Maxim looked at Paola, who urgently grabbed him. He resented himself for not being the type to coldly tell him to get lost.
"Are you and that young lady who just said the commander was coming... involved in some way?"
Oh, for heaven's sake. Maxim could not help but press a hand to his forehead. He should have just told him to get lost.
"...We're comrades. Just very close comrades."
"Really? I saw you two earlier, chatting and smiling away. Don't deny it—tell this Paola the truth. I met my wife in a similar situation, you know..."
"Senior, the commander is coming up, so perhaps we should talk later—"
Paola cleared his throat.
"Then how about this?"
Paola held Maxim back and asked.
"You and the commander—what's your relationship?"
Maxim's expression hardened for an instant before returning to normal.
"...I don't see why you're asking that."
His voice had gone stiff despite himself. Maxim bit his lower lip. Seeing his reaction, Paola shrugged and stepped back.
"Never mind, then. Let's line up for now."
Maxim sighed as he watched Paola's retreating back.
"...Senior?"
"Eek?"
Maxim jumped at the voice that suddenly came from behind—Christine. She must have used magic to erase her presence entirely. Christine playfully raised one corner of her mouth and teased his flustered expression.
"So, what's your relationship with the commander?"
She heard everything after all. Maxim pushed the teasing Christine away.
"I see you've decided on 'Senior' as the form of address."
Christine gave him a dissatisfied look for deliberately changing the subject. But Maxim only shook his head and quickly joined the line of knights forming up. As she watched him walk away, the playful light in Christine's eyes faded. In its place, a different emotion slowly settled in.
—
The black uniform of the Raven Knight Order suits Theodora well too, Maxim thought. Her platinum-blonde hair, shining like the Milky Way, swayed gently with each step she took. Theodora stood before the platform that was her place and looked at the knights. But her gaze never reached Maxim.
"Good morning. This is the first time I've greeted you officially. It's a pleasure. Commander, Theodora Benning."
Theodora finished her greeting with extreme brevity.
"I sincerely welcome all of you who have become members of the newly reborn Raven Knight Order. As you all know, this reorganization will not only affect our order. Our reformed order will become the vanguard of the kingdom's revival."
There was a commanding force in Theodora's words. The knights listened in silence, focused on their commander.
"...Before that, however, we will need to select a new vice commander for the order."
Theodora's gaze briefly landed on Maxim before moving on. His heart gave a painful throb at that emotionless look.
"I will gladly accept any volunteers."
When Theodora finished speaking, two hands shot up from among the knights. Maxim turned his head slightly to see who they were. One belonged to one of the four knights who had accompanied Theodora during the selection exam. The other was—
"...Hah."
Christine Watson, her clear green eyes filled with fighting spirit and her long golden hair swaying down to her waist.