The Prodigy Captain's Crushing Debut
"Alright. The captain's making time in her busy schedule to deal with us, so let's go."
"The only one qualified to be our captain is the vice-captain!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Who's fighting for the captain's seat?"
It's just a test of skill. Siroko kicked Glova to his feet and strode ahead.
"Let's go~! You lot."
The White Flame Knights marched on. Even if they were lightly drunk knights on a bender, when they paraded through the streets draped in cloaks emblazoned with the symbol of white flames, the townsfolk all looked up in awe.
"It's the White Flame Knights!"
"Siroko's with them too."
"Those rumors about her massive tits are true…."
Zap! Siroko swept her fierce gaze over the passersby like a wave parting the crowd and pressed forward.
A palace guard spotted Siroko and jumped out in surprise.
"Back already?"
"Heard the captain's having fun inside."
Royal Palace interior, First Training Grounds.
Standing on the stage of pristine white marble tiles laid in perfect order was the White Flame Knights' new captain, Claire.
Even looking again, she's really just a kid.
Siroko remembered when she first joined the knights at fifteen—she'd knocked out every knight who gawked at her in stunned amazement. She never imagined the day would come when she'd empathize with how those guys felt.
Too young. Twelve years old. Her height hadn't caught up yet, and with no properly fitting armor, she looked awkward in just an underlayer.
I've heard she's a once-in-a-generation genius….
In the Rune Kingdom—known as the kingdom of knights—becoming a knight order captain required genuine overwhelming power. Did this silver-haired, blue-eyed girl really possess strength equal to the entire order?
"If you've all…."
Claire spoke up.
"…come to see my skills, then come up here."
Pretty confident, huh. Siroko's competitive fire ignited. Her voice trembled a bit, like she was intimidated in front of the adults, but that resilient stance wasn't bad at all.
"We're just here to watch!"
"The vice-captain wants to go herself!"
Siroko handed her cloak to Glova.
"Sniiiiff…."
"Don't sniff it. Wanna die?"
After bickering briefly with her subordinates, she stepped up and glanced around in mild surprise.
"Jonah…."
All the guys who'd challenged the captain first were laid out flat. About ten of them.
They couldn't even resist?
"That was me."
"I'm curious about that strength of yours, Captain."
"I'll be careful not to knock you out this time."
Chills. Siroko burned with excitement at facing a proper opponent after so long. A squad member swiftly presented her beloved greatsword. It was a hefty blade even for a man, but Siroko swung it through the air like a slender twig and aimed at Claire.
"Shall we start right away?"
"…Before that, I have one question, Vice-Captain Siroko."
What? A question at this timing? Siroko lowered her greatsword slightly, feeling a bit deflated, and said,
"What is it?"
"That…. um……. Why does Vice-Captain Siroko wear such…."
Stuttering. Gone was her initial boldness; Claire fumbled her words.
"Such… revealing clothes?"
"……."
"……."
"Should I not ask?"
"Uhahahaha!"
"A twelve-year-old girl's common sense assaults the vice-captain!"
Siroko whipped around and yelled,
"Shut up! You all wanna get punished?"
"Too stimulating for a twelve-year-old. The vice-captain's bikini armor."
"It's not a bikini…."
"Basically underwear."
Siroko hadn't expected the captain to call out her outfit. She faltered a bit.
"…Showing off… your chest, belly, legs like that… won't it corrupt public morals?"
It was such solid logic she had no comeback. Siroko was practically in her underwear, after all. Not literally stripped to actual undies, but the exposure was insane.
"This… got approval from the kingdom."
"What!? They approved you walking around that exposed!?"
"No……. Kh…."
The squad members rolled on the floor laughing. Uncharacteristically, Siroko's cheeks flushed red.
"……My skill generates a lot of heat in my body."
"Ah…. I see."
"It's not a hobby."
Claire's cheeks flushed too.
"I-I might be able to follow the captain…."
"Our order's gonna get way more fun, huh?"
"Yeah, having one normal person lets us tease the exhibitionist vice-captain properly."
"Who's an exhibitionist…."
"My apologies. I didn't know the circumstances…."
Claire quietly picked up her thin sword and assumed position. Natural. Had she handled a blade quite a bit?
We can chat later.
Siroko had no intention of going easy just because her opponent was a kid. No probing skirmishes—she hated that boring stuff.
Ughhh, this big sis is so scaryyy….
Claire was trembling inwardly. The scary-eyed big sis was glaring hard.
What do I do, what do I do…. Dad said since they're looking down on me for being young, I have to show my strength from day one….
It felt like this fight was spiraling into something bigger.
I'm so tense I don't even know what I'm doing…!
Unaware of Claire's turmoil, the spar began.
Siroko's movements were like a gale. She closed the distance at blinding speed and unleashed a barrage! The squad members held their breath. Even a skilled fighter would get seriously hurt if they failed to respond.
This big sis's eyes are scary!
Claire deflected every attack with swift thin-sword thrusts. Attacks that could shatter rock head-on were elegantly redirected with needle-like precision, leaving everyone slack-jawed.
"Ever seen thin-swordplay like that?"
"No…. Doesn't look like Astra family style either."
"She blocked the vice-captain's all-out assault."
Siroko pressed relentlessly without pause. Astonishingly, her breathing stayed steady. Claire gracefully parried strikes that would sever limbs on a graze. Of course, she was terrified under that scary gaze, but her hands moved on instinct. And faster than Siroko's.
She's really a kid!?
Claire's counter. Siroko barely dodged the deep thrust with a startled leap back. They reset to standoff.
"Are you alright, Vice-Captain?"
That pressure was insane.
Her, who hadn't broken a sweat pouring attacks for a full minute. She'd sensed death from Claire's vital-point strike and broke out in cold sweat. Now she understood why the others passed out. Razor-sharp, terrifyingly honed attacks. Hard to believe it was swordsmanship with just a few years of training.
"I'm fine. This much is nothing."
The charge leader Siroko was being pushed back. The squad murmured in shock. Seeing the young captain's skill up close, whom they'd dismissed as a child… it was unbelievably impactful.
"Who'd you learn the sword from?"
"Huh? Me…?"
Claire hesitated before answering.
"Everyone gets mad when I say…."
"We won't get mad."
"Self-taught… studied hard for two weeks!"
"……."
"……."
"I referenced Swordsmanship First Steps: Adventurers Can Do It Too, Vol. 1 from the bookstore. It explained everything in detail. Couldn't afford Vol. 2 before getting paid, though…."
Everyone thought they needed to restrain Siroko. Her eyes screamed she'd lost her reason.
Soon, massive flames erupted from her sword.
"Whoa! Vice-Captain!"
"We're all gonna burn!!"
"Using a skill here!?"
"Step back. I'll just write a report later."
Now she got it. This was an opponent requiring full power.
The rampaging flames that seemed to devour everything were sucked into Siroko's sword in an instant, condensing into blade form. Now her sword brimmed with magma-hot heat.
The kingdom's top unique skill Flame of the Victor freely manipulated fire to infuse objects, with the special trait of immunity to its own heat, earning it top-rank grade. The condensed flames incinerated anything they touched.
Until coming here today, she'd never dreamed of using it on a twelve-year-old girl.
But Siroko was serious.
What if it melts her sword or clothes…. Claire worried a little.
"White Flame Knights Vice-Captain Siroko. Here I come!"
Understanding her opponent outclassed her, she charged at full force. Claire, still young, didn't grasp that resolve yet.
…Sh-Showing off our skills, right?
Siroko raised her Flame of the Victor sword, warping the space around it, and charged straight at Claire.
This time, Claire didn't hold back. What the squad witnessed was a massive shockwave—and Siroko flying limply away.
White flames coiled around the twelve-year-old girl's sword where she stood.
"…White Flame."
"Dragon King's flame…."
Everyone saw exactly why she had to be the White Flame Knights' captain.
"Eek!"
Siroko rolled pathetically across the ground. The squad rushed over in worry, but she flailed to stand on her own, embarrassed by the help.
"A-hem."
"Vice-Captain…."
"Lost embarrassingly."
"……Yeah, I lost."
Siroko had seen it too, at the final moment. The Dragon King's Ember rising.
An ancient legend thousands of years old. The Dragon King's flames were white, burning all life to ash.
Claire, unaware she'd wielded something so extraordinary, fidgeted shyly.
"Anyone who came to see my skills… come up…! Oh, you're already up here…."
"N-No!"
"We have no intention of fighting the captain…."
"Then…. That's it for today…. Y-You all saw my strength, right!?"
Siroko went to the young, tiny captain's side and patted her back firmly.
"Ow."
"Say it with confidence. They all acknowledge you now."
"After seeing the vice-captain get wrecked so pathetically…."
"Yeah… even our invincible vice-captain has someone she can't beat."
Siroko's cheeks reddened.
"W-Was it that pathetic?"
"You flew right off."
"Plopped right down."
"……."
She'd been too embarrassed to even notice the pain.
"Anyway… no one doubts the captain's strength now. That's what matters."
"Please take care of me. I'll study swordsmanship harder so I don't drag the order down."
"That’s…."
"You don't need to study harder…."
Facing such blatantly unfair talent up close, everyone fell silent.
A super-rare skill that appeared once a millennium in world history, plus holding her own against Siroko with just two weeks of self-taught swordplay.
"Captain… you're so strong but kinda clumsy—it's insanely cute."
Glova grinned dopily.
"Cute…."
Claire fidgeted, at a loss. Her innocent reaction was healing.
"Vice-Captain, speak casually too. You're… my big sis…."
"……."
Siroko stared intently at the small, cute, yet powerful silver-haired captain.
…Adorable. Wanna bite her.
Eek! Did getting chummy piss her off? Scary eyes…!
"……Hungry? Want some meat?"
"Ah…. Yeah. I'm hungry."
"Glova, Eshel. Wake Jonah. We're hitting the kingdom's best barbecue joint."
"Silver-haired loli captain welcome party, let's gooo!"
The squad punched Glova to shut him up.
"Don't mind him, Captain."
"We'll handle this guy."
Claire blinked her innocent eyes and nodded.
"To the White Flame Knights' new captain!"
"Cheers~!"
Unable to take their young captain to a bar, the White Flame Knights pivoted to a barbecue spot.
The same guys whining about 'twelve years old this, that' are the most hyped.
Siroko smirked inwardly, watching her squad tease the cute captain.
"How's it feel taking command of the White Flame Knights?"
"Didn't expect to be captain, but everyone's so nice… feels good…."
"What do you want to do in the order, Captain?"
Everyone focused on Claire. Her hesitant cuteness was lovable too.
"I want to eradicate all monsters from the world."
At an age where kids wheedle for toys, grim resolve spilled from her lips.
"……."
"……."
Siroko laughed.
"Then you picked the right job, Captain."
In the relaxed atmosphere, the squad members shrugged one by one.
"The White Flame Knights are monster-hunting specialists, after all."