Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Black-Haired Knight King
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Gray Wolf was a warrior.
He knew honor without needing a knight's title, and he possessed an unyielding integrity that never shied away from dirty work.
But after the king's death, he changed.
With the value of the loyalty he'd lived by vanishing, he began to view the world with the detached wisdom of a lone alpha wolf separated from its pack.
If I hadn't promised him another successor that day, would Gray Wolf have simply vanished alone into some unknown wilderness?
He was that kind of man—like the wind, impossible to pin down, an unpredictable comrade-in-arms.
And now, after a full year, the wolf I met again was the same as ever... yet somehow subtly different.
"Broken Sword."
His massive frame, the legendary Northern greatsword said to cleave bears in two, and the wolf armor that had now become his signature.
Even sitting still, Gray Wolf exuded an overwhelming presence. As he greeted me, I nodded and called his name in return.
"...Gray Wolf."
We weren't close enough to embrace joyfully after so long apart.
But since he'd formally checked on my well-being, we exchanged names while quietly confirming that the other's wits were still intact.
A heavy silence stretched on for a time.
Gray Wolf spoke first.
"I heard you waited a long time. You didn't have to line up."
"Your village follows your principles."
"...Hmm, true enough."
Gray Wolf, who placed great importance on his territory, nodded with a pleased smile.
It seemed my decision to request a meeting quietly in front of the meeting hall had been the right call.
Gray Wolf spread his arms wide.
"Welcome."
His demeanor was warmer than last year.
I judged this the perfect moment to introduce my disciple, so I stepped Snow-Covered forward and solemnly addressed Gray Wolf.
"She is the successor chosen this time. Her name is Snow-Covered. Teach her Aura."
Every time I said those words, I felt a pang of self-loathing and shame.
But this time, I could ask him to teach my disciple with my head held high.
"Very well. I will honor the pact."
No matter how much I groveled and sold my pride, the weight of a vow sworn on honor was never light.
And my old comrade Gray Wolf, who understood that better than anyone, promised once more to fulfill the pact faithfully.
But this time, there was a caveat.
One thing was different this year.
"First, some introductions."
"Hm!"
Normally, only the candidate, me, and Gray Wolf were participants in this solemn pact.
But this year, another person was witnessing the rite.
"Sir! It's truly an honor!"
At the call for introductions, a familiar boy sprang up, his golden hair shimmering.
He was the very blond boy who'd drawn all the villagers' attention in front of the meeting hall.
Gray Wolf gave a brief introduction.
"Barley Ear, my first disciple."
My expression hardened in an instant.
I'd suspected as much before entering the hall, but I'd never dreamed Gray Wolf would actually take a disciple.
Was that boy the reason he'd built up power in this remote place?
I fixed the wolf with a steady gaze, unease flickering through my mind.
Disciple, village, growth.
Gray Wolf's path now mirrored our own exactly.
As if he'd elevated this boy called Barley Ear as a successor candidate.
To confirm once and for all, I glared at Gray Wolf and asked quietly.
"A successor candidate?"
"It could be... or it couldn't."
"It had better not be."
I didn't care if my pride was trampled.
I could endure the humiliation of entrusting my disciple to another teacher if need be.
But there was one thing I would defend to the death.
'Find a successor.'
The Knight King had worried that humanity would fracture over the succession after his death.
Thus, he issued his final command: only one person could decide the heir.
It wasn't mere pride or lingering attachment.
The king's word was heaven's mandate.
For me, bound by duty to uphold that mandate, I could never allow another to defy it.
Shing.
If he denied it here, even if the situation turned dire, it would mean a duel to the death.
I unwrapped my leather-bound sword and silently warned my old comrade.
"- - - - - - - - -."
The air grew heavy, oppressive.
The hearth fire roared as if screaming, and Snow-Covered and Barley Ear froze solid, unable to withstand the clashing auras.
A tension ready to explode at any moment.
Killing intent so thick it was hard to breathe.
But before things escalated to the extreme, Gray Wolf took a step back first.
"...I'd forgotten for a moment. Noted."
Haah, haah.
The frozen atmosphere shattered with a crack.
Barley Ear, who'd been forcing himself to hold steady, gasped for air, and Snow-Covered, drenched in cold sweat, squeezed her eyes shut.
We'd nearly botched everything.
I nodded to Gray Wolf, who acknowledged his mistake, and sheathed my drawn sword.
For him to admit fault so readily and humbly—it was clearly just a slight probe to test me.
Confirming my resolve hadn't dulled, Gray Wolf declared gravely.
"There will be no favoritism. I'll teach my disciple and yours exactly the same."
It irked me for a moment, but I had my firm assurance.
With the matter settled, I bowed to Gray Wolf in respect.
Then I raised Snow-Covered and walked out of the meeting hall toward the lodging we'd been told was prepared, our footsteps echoing steadily.
A glance sideways showed Snow-Covered staring at my face with eyes full of worry.
But I held my tongue, hiding my emotions as the twilight slowly faded.
Old memories stirred after so long.
"Ha, haha... It seems he didn't take a liking to me, Master."
"That's just how he is."
As Broken Sword left the meeting hall, Barley Ear swallowed hard and stood from his seat.
He gave an awkward laugh, rubbing the nape of his neck that had gone ice-cold, as if it might be severed at any moment.
Even in old age, a sword saint was still a sword saint, huh?
Barley Ear had never seen anyone direct such killing intent at his master, whom he thought had no equal.
With lingering unease churning inside, Barley Ear meekly sat back down.
"············."
He stole cautious glances amid the uncomfortable silence.
His master, Gray Wolf, sat motionless, lost in deep thought.
What could he be thinking?
Nearly a year since they'd met, and his master was still an enigma, his true feelings impossible to read.
A moment later, Gray Wolf asked.
"Did you see that girl?"
"...Yes, I did."
"Like it or not, you'll train together. So give it your all."
Barley Ear's face lit up.
He naturally interpreted "give it your all" as a command to prove his superiority beyond doubt.
Yeah, I knew it.
No matter that it was the king's order—it was an outdated decree from eight years ago.
Wasn't it the natural law of the world that the strongest should become king?
Even if it wasn't about choosing the rightful heir, he—as Gray Wolf's disciple—had every qualification to vie for the throne.
Barley Ear spoke with confidence brimming in his voice.
"Yes, I'll make sure to win."
The great Gray Wolf, who recognized him as the world's finest talent, had said so himself.
He could keep that puny little brat from even dreaming of reaching the heavens.
But hearing his ambition, Gray Wolf doused it with a firm tone.
"I didn't say to win."
"...Pardon?"
"Earn that man's approval."
Barley Ear flushed red in an instant.
The confidence that had swelled within him deflated like a burst bubble.
Why fear a half-baked knight without Aura like that?
Even if he'd once been called a sword saint, before Gray Wolf, he was just a swordsman who couldn't wield Aura.
Barley Ear couldn't hold back any longer.
"Master, it's been eight years. Every candidate he's brought in those eight years has failed. What makes this one different?"
To Barley Ear, the king was a fool, and Broken Sword a stubborn idiot.
He couldn't dare voice such arrogance before his master, so he criticized them by dredging up the endless string of failures.
"The times have changed, Master! How long must we waste this precious time? Those with real potential—like us—should take charge."
"············."
There it was—his master always dodged this topic, falling silent.
Though he'd stepped back earlier, the prior tension must have left him irked.
Mistaking this for understanding, Barley Ear grew excited and kept ranting.
"No matter how well he swings a sword, he's still a knight who can't handle Aura. It's not for the unqualified like him—Master and I should... Gahk, guk!"
Bam!
Barley Ear was seized by the collar.
So caught up in his tirade, he hadn't noticed his master approaching.
"Kugh, gak!"
Barley Ear flailed wildly.
With terrified eyes, he looked up at his master, who had lifted him clean off the ground by the throat.
Gray Wolf glared at Barley Ear with murderous intent, his eyes gleaming coldly.
"A punk who wouldn't even dare glance at the king if he were alive talks of qualifications? I spoiled you rotten, and now you forget your place."
"Gak, guk... Ri-right, wro-...!"
"Even if the kingdom fell, he's not for the likes of you to judge, you stupid, ignorant fool!"
Thud!
Cough! Hack!
Gray Wolf released his grip.
Barley Ear crumpled pathetically to the floor, coughing and gasping for breath.
He'd truly thought he was going to die.
For the first time, overwhelming terror shook Barley Ear to his core.
But Gray Wolf pressed on relentlessly, crushing his arrogance with a final warning.
"Be grateful this was before me. Say that anywhere else, and your head would've rolled before you knew it."
It wasn't empty bluster.
Say something like that in front of retired soldiers or knights, and he'd end up with his throat slit, food for the wolves, unknown to all.
Broken Sword was that formidable a man—a hero who'd dominated an era.
No matter how talented his disciple, Gray Wolf could never tolerate such a bloodsucker disrespecting him.
Gray Wolf stared down Barley Ear for a long while before issuing his first punishment.
"I'm disappointed in today's events. Confine yourself and reflect on your sins for a while."
"·········Understood."
For such a prideful boy, this would suffice to drive the lesson home.
Gray Wolf left the hall, leaving his kneeling disciple behind.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
The now-empty meeting hall held only Barley Ear, kneeling on the cold floor.
Was he truly reflecting?
No—if he truly grasped his sin and repented, he wouldn't be glaring at the departed door with such venom.
"...Damn it."
The golden-haired boy hid an inner ugliness beneath his beautiful exterior.
A repulsive sense of chosen superiority.
He concealed it thoroughly from his master and those around him, masking twisted envy and arrogance behind a smiling facade.
And in this moment, with his pride utterly crushed, that dark inner fire began to grow, fed like kindling.
"Hoo."
But Barley Ear knew.
That playing the innocent now would serve him better.
As if he'd never glared at the door, he rose from his seat and resumed his performative smile.