Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: White Tower Ruins (2)
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Thump, thump, thump—
Theo barely managed to suppress his pounding heart.
“My squad? Didn’t the White Dragon Knights only go up to Squad 5 originally?”
“That’s right.”
*‘That’s right’?*
“But Evelyn recently expressed her intent to step down from her squad leader position.”
“……!?”
Theo jumped in shock at the completely unexpected news.
“She said she wants to focus on the Dragon Gate Swordsman promotion exam she’s currently taking.”
“……She hasn’t fully passed the promotion exam yet?”
“Becoming a Dragon Gate Swordsman isn’t that easy. It’s separate from actual skill.”
It was obvious, but the promotion exams grew exponentially more difficult the higher you went.
Especially for Dragon Gate Swordsman, a position representing the Ragnars, the process was extremely rigorous.
Some even said people took over three years just on the promotion exam alone.
That was why Evelyn had expressed her desire to concentrate on it.
And above all,
*‘It’s probably partly because of me, too.’*
Evelyn was the first sword to pledge her loyalty to Theo.
So she must have naturally thought the squad leader position she held belonged to him, with no regrets about handing it over.
And if she became a Dragon Gate Swordsman and stood by his side this time?
She probably believed she could become an even sharper blade for him.
*‘I’m always just receiving from Evelyn.’*
“Evelyn recommended you as her successor. I gathered the squad leaders based on that recommendation, in my capacity as captain, to hear their opinions.”
Amore, Eit, Gorito.
The three squad leaders’ gazes fixed firmly on Theo.
“Out of four voters, it was two in favor, one against, one abstention—not a majority—so we also took additional input from the other squad members. Especially from Selphard Gardner and Arin Negativ, who carried out this mission with you.”
Theo hurriedly turned to look at Selphard and Arin.
When did they?
Selphard and Arin just silently waved at him.
“So the conclusion was conditional approval. Two conditions.”
“What are they?”
“One is passing the Advanced Swordsman promotion exam, the basic qualification for squad leader. And by passing, I mean on the first try—no retakes.”
Julius folded his first finger, then his second.
“The other is earning achievements in the war against the Troyvans. You’re young, but prove you have the leadership to guide your squad members.”
They were conditions, but ones Theo absolutely needed to prove anyway.
One corner of Julius’s mouth curled up.
“How about it? Up for it?”
“Do you remember what I said when I joined the White Dragon Knights last year?”
A completely out-of-left-field remark.
But Julius hadn’t forgotten the ambition Theo had thrown out back then.
“You said you’d take my position within five years, right? Now it’s down to four years by the calendar?”
Eit and Gorito turned to Julius with startled faces.
*That rumor was true?*
*Not a joke?*
The two no longer saw Theo as the admirable rookie newbie.
Only Amore, who knew the truth, watched with an odd gaze.
“Yes. Looks like I won’t be able to keep that promise.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“At this rate, it’ll be within two years.”
“What? Pffahaha!”
“Worrying about what to do after retiring could make for a nice pastime.”
Julius’s laughter boomed through the tent.
Eit and Gorito awkwardly scratched their cheeks with their index fingers, while Amore smiled pleasantly.
Julius’s eyes crinkled.
“Fine. Do as you like. Like I always say, it won’t be easy.”
“That’s why it’ll be fun to climb, isn’t it?”
“You’ve always had a silver tongue. Alright, I’ll take that as you accepting. Everyone, prepare.”
Julius nodded to the three squad leaders, and they quietly withdrew.
“What’s the promotion exam like?”
“Can’t tell you yet. But Central Command has approved it, so you can take it in three days. Given the situation, it won’t be long, but it’ll be intense. Steel yourself.”
“I’m already looking forward to it.”
“Puhuhu! Good thing you’re not complaining about the short prep time.”
Theo just smiled quietly.
Instead, he answered inwardly.
*‘No. It’s plenty. Enough time to recover the relic, too.’*
The relic, the squad leader position, and the youngest Advanced Swordsman title.
Theo planned to solidify his position as the sixth candidate once and for all.
* * *
“To our Theo Ragnar squad leader—cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“To our youngest Advanced Swordsman one more time—cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“And finally, to the cheeky rookie newbie—cheers!”
“Cheeeers!”
Theo’s declaration of “I’ll become captain in two years” had become a meme circulating wildly through the White Dragon Knights.
The White Dragon Knights pursued a family-like atmosphere while never letting go of their Ragnar identity.
No, with their pride in being the Ragnar cradle, they actually cheered on juniors with ambition and talent.
If Theo really took Julius’s position?
That would be plenty entertaining in its own right.
Julius would get teased endlessly.
Holcus knew the White Dragon Knights’ vibe well and wanted to fit in.
But this time, he couldn’t because of the bombshell Ray had dropped.
As he sighed over what to do with Erika, who looked glum in a way that didn’t suit her burly frame.
“Are you in?”
The knights reflexively turned toward the entrance, then hardened their expressions.
Silence fell over the tent in an instant.
“Oh dear. Were you all having fun, and have I interrupted?”
“What brings a mangy mutt from the boonies to this noble sparrow’s nest?”
Pataya’s eyebrow twitched at Arin’s jab, but he remembered his role as messenger and bowed toward Julius.
“Our captain sent a letter to Theo Ragnar, so I’ve come to deliver it.”
“‘Sir,’ is it?”
“Yes. Theo Ragnar isn’t just a White Dragon Knight—he’s also a successor candidate.”
Meaning Torkel, not as Black Iron Knights captain, but as a fellow successor candidate on equal footing, was writing to another successor candidate, Theo.
Naturally, it was a message for the White Dragon Knights—who had nothing to do with succession—to step aside.
Arin bristled for a moment, but Selphard grabbed her arm.
First, figure out what they were after.
“You’re Theo Ragnar, right?”
“That’s me.”
“Here you go.”
Theo took the letter from Pataya, tore open the envelope.
The contents were simple.
The five candidates were holding a meeting—join them.
Essentially, recognizing him as the sixth candidate.
*‘If they wanted to piss off the White Dragon Knights, they succeeded…… but it doesn’t seem that simple. What’s their angle?’*
The Torkel Theo knew wasn’t one to move lightly.
He was a schemer who layered multiple intentions into every play.
Pataya’s smug smile reeked of *‘You dare refuse this?’*
He used polite speech out of necessity, not genuine respect for Theo.
Probably still saw him as a greenhorn knight, despite the successor candidate talk.
Sending someone like him as messenger probably meant something, too.
So Theo’s response was singular.
He folded the letter and handed it back.
“Thanks for the invitation, but I only just returned to the unit. Once the roads clear, I’ll pay my respects separately—please relay that.”
Pataya’s face stiffened.
“You’re…… refusing Sir Torkel’s invitation?”
“If you convey my situation well, Sir Torkel will understand.”
“It’s not just Sir Torkel. Sir Reje, Sir Gishar, and Sir Ancio are there too.”
Theo’s eyes flashed.
Gishar and Ancio.
The monstrous Iran-born twins who ranked among the five candidates side by side.
With Reje there too, it was everyone except ‘Kinkarnon,’ the top successor candidate.
*‘Four of the five candidates gathered? Yeah. Definitely not just a social call.’*
They were like water and oil, more likely to go for each other’s throats than mix.
Still, Theo’s answer remained the same.
“Even better, then. The others will surely understand my situation too.”
“……You’ll regret this.”
Pataya’s face flushed red as if personally insulted, and he stormed out of the tent in a huff.
The White Dragon Knights watched with grim satisfaction mixed with puzzled looks at Theo.
“You sure it’s okay to refuse that invite? No need to force yourself to stick around here.”
“No. It’s just…….”
“Just?”
*‘I feel like if I go to their board clueless, I’ll just get dragged around.’*
Julius smirked at Theo’s telepathic message.
As expected.
The kid had his own schemes.
He instinctively knew how crucial initiative was in a rivalry.
* * *
“He refused my invitation?”
“Yes! How insolent for someone of lowly birth, right? Just give the order, Captain. I’d love to take the knights and……!”
“What? Flip over their drinking party?”
“N-No, not that, but!”
“Internal strife on the battlefield means immediate execution, no excuses. Even if you hate the White Dragon Knights, best to separate personal grudges from duty.”
“S-Sor-Sorry!”
“Good work. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes……!”
Torkel sighed as he watched Pataya slink out of the tent, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
Reje, quietly sipping her drink beside him, chuckled.
“Must be tough with such a dumb subordinate.”
“No words…… sis.”
“Alright, time for the fun bet collection. What’re you all waiting for? Pay up.”
Reje spread her hand wide.
A short-cropped young man and a sharp-eyed woman clicked their tongues and placed bills from their wallets onto her palm.
A bet on whether Theo would accept Torkel’s invite or not.
The sole winner in the group was Reje.
“I told you, didn’t I? Theo may be young, but his brain works circles around us. Ignore him at your peril—or you’ll end up like me before.”
“The rumor that you, sis—as a royal…… no, in the prophet争夺 war—lost to that kid Theo…… is true?”
“Yep.”
“No way…….”
‘Heavenly Winged Divine Beast’ Gishar stared at Reje in disbelief.
Who was Reje?
The shadow top dog who commanded the Reaper Squad, the finest assassin group, as her guard.
A master even he couldn’t guarantee victory over.
For her to yield a move?
Considering Theo was only sixteen? Utterly absurd.
Yet Reje admitted it all too casually, despite the hit to her reputation.
“He’s saying he won’t get pulled into our board and tossed around helplessly.”
“That means.”
Reje nodded.
“Yeah. Theo’s already started setting up his own board against us. To catch us.”
“……!”
“……!”
Gishar and Ancio’s faces hardened,
“…….”
While Torkel alone gazed at Reje with an inscrutable look.