Unprecedented
Outside the main residence of the Restis Ducal Residence. In the captain's office of the Blue Wolf Knights.
Captain Gilbert propped his chin on his hand, staring out the window as he let out a long sigh.
"No liege worth following and trusting. Does that mean even the Restis Ducal House finds this vessel of mine too small to contain?"
His voice carried a mix of anguish and boredom.
To Gilbert, knighthood meant far more than just swinging a sword or offering oaths. It wasn't something you bent the knee for just because someone had brute strength or high family status. Even the head of the swordmaster house Restis Ducal Residence didn't quite satisfy his eyes.
The captain sipped his tea, muttering into the empty air. Watching him, his adjutant Rachel made a sour face and snapped incredulously.
"Captain. If you've got the energy to spout nonsense, go do some training outside."
"What's the point of training without motivation...? Where the hell on this continent is the true liege who'll set my soul ablaze...?"
"Argh! Seriously! It's because you're holed up in this office all day babbling crap that our Blue Wolf Knights get treated like trash! You're the damn captain—what the hell is this?!"
Even under Rachel's scolding, Gilbert furrowed his brow and shot back.
"What do you know! You think being the duke's knights means just drilling endlessly till you drop!? Ever dealt with the terrifying politics, schemes, and dirty tricks between those nobles? One wrong step, one bad alliance, and even knights lose their heads! You really don't get the deep reason I'm gritting my teeth to stay neutral and keep you all alive?"
It was Gilbert's own justification, but Rachel just snorted derisively.
"Damn... If you can't talk straight, at least don't be so annoying."
"What!? Hey, you punk, watch your mouth with your captain...!"
Gilbert shot up from his seat in that instant.
Knock knock knock—
"Hm? No one should be visiting."
With the knock, the door burst open, and Blue Wolf Knights' vice-captain Simon entered, scratching the back of his head.
"Oh, Simon. What brings you here at this hour? What about the trainees' drills?"
"Captain, this isn't the time to leisurely sip tea. You need to come to the training grounds."
"Me? Why the training grounds? Something blow up?"
"Someone showed up demanding a showdown. They bet our entire knight order."
Gilbert's eyes went wide.
"What? Who? Are they insane?! Who'd say crap like that?"
"Watch your mouth... You wanna die for blasphemy? Cael Young Lord's subordinates just stormed the training grounds... They're kicking up a fuss about making our knight order pledge loyalty to the Young Lord."
At that, Gilbert exploded in rage.
"What!? Kick 'em out—why'd you decide that on your own and come bitch to me?!"
"Didn't you always tell me to handle training and all the big and small crap myself?"
"You idiot! Even so, you can't just bite off a problem involving the whole knight order without my say-so!"
"You told me to do it, asshole!!"
Watching Gilbert and Simon yell at each other, Rachel clutched her throbbing forehead.
The fact that the leadership of the Blue Wolf Knights—one of the residence's regular knight orders—had devolved into this utter mess was a shameful secret she never wanted the other orders to know.
"Haa... Enough already. So what's the damn situation? You brainless pig of a vice-captain."
Under Rachel's jab, Simon grumbled as he began explaining from the start.
"You remember? Last time, when Cael Young Lord was heading out on territory inspection and wanted to pull escort troops from our knights?"
Rachel stroked her chin.
"Yeah. But Silina the acting Duchess pressured us, and we couldn't send a single one."
"I told you we got a weird new guy in our knights. Roben, right?"
"Oh... Yeah? Skills are so-so, but his family's no joke?"
"Right, him. How could we just send off a young lord like that? So I quietly attached the guy to the Young Lord's side under the guise of leave."
Rachel let out a hollow laugh at that.
"Ha? The dumb bear pulled a decent trick for once?"
"Dumb...? That's too harsh. The real dumbass is the one rotting in his room... Anyway, listen to the end. That Roben just came back from Vollex Territory with the Young Lord..."
Simon reported everything that had gone down at the training grounds without missing a beat.
After hearing it all, Rachel's eyes widened like saucers.
"That's for real?"
"Yeah. I saw it with my own two eyes. Our knight order's elites got swept by guards and a maid? I don't know what sorcery the Young Lord worked to turn them into monsters in that short time... But he's worth meeting, right?"
Simon looked at Gilbert with a serious expression and added,
"Captain. It's time we pick a side. In two weeks, the family head returns, and we can't keep floating around like idiots pretending to be neutral. We'll end up disbanded if we just play it safe. You lazy bum."
Rachel nodded at Simon's raw advice, making her decision.
"Let's go, Captain. Like Simon said, he's worth a look."
"Don't wanna..."
Gilbert muttered lazily, sinking deeper into the sofa.
"Don't wanna my ass! Get up!!"
"Ah... Cael Young Lord—that sickly guy who collapsed before? Even if I'm desperate, serving under some green kid is worse than death. Hard pass."
Watching Gilbert stubbornly dig in his heels, Simon tossed out some bait.
"Among the Young Lord's subordinates, Swift Sword Oden from Vollex Territory joined up too."
At the name, Gilbert's eyes, sprawled on the sofa, flashed bright.
"What!? Swift Sword Oden? That fastest sword in Vollex—why's he here?"
"Pledged loyalty to the Young Lord and joined as a subordinate."
"R-Really!? Then let's go!"
As if he'd never complained, Gilbert buckled on his sword and kicked open the captain's office door.
Rachel and Simon shook their heads with deep sighs and followed behind.
The knight order's private training grounds.
Guided by Vice-Captain Simon, Captain Gilbert arrived at the training grounds and sharply scanned Weger and his group, who stood confidently with arms crossed.
Gilbert's gaze naturally locked onto the middle-aged knight standing in the center of the group: Oden.
"You're that famed Swift Sword Oden of Vollex, I take it."
"A pleasure to meet you, Captain Gilbert. Now, I'm merely the Young Lord's subordinate."
As Oden politely performed a knight's salute, Gilbert excitedly gripped his sword hilt and shouted,
"Good! You want to swallow our entire knight order? If you beat me one-on-one, Oden, I'll seriously consider the offer! Come on, Oden—draw your sword!"
Hearing that, Rachel muttered softly beside him.
"Making another escape route... 'Consider' it... What a schemer..."
Whether Rachel muttered or not, Gilbert ramped up his aura fiercely, eager for the duel with Oden.
A proper knight order captain—his presence was no joke.
'Hoo... That aura...'
But Oden didn't even draw his sword, just shrugging his shoulders in refusal.
"Apologies, Captain, but you can't cross blades with me."
"What? What kinda talk is that!? Forfeiting?"
As Gilbert asked in bewilderment, Weger stepped forward casually from the side.
"Nah, what he means is, if you wanna fight Oden bro, you gotta beat the weakest in our crew first and work your way up."
"And who're you?"
Meeting Gilbert's gaze, Weger puffed out his chest proudly and bellowed,
"Weger, the Young Lord's guard and right-hand man!"
"Hm... Uh, sure."
"What's with that face? Why're you dismissing me?"
But ignoring Weger, Gilbert asked Oden,
"Is what he says true?"
Oden just exaggeratedly shrugged without a word.
"Ha, fine. The weakest, huh... Think you can provoke me like that? I'll show you you're dead wrong! Who is it—come out!"
Gilbert strode boldly to the center of the training grounds.
And who stepped before him but a massive dog with fluffy golden fur.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
"...?"
Gilbert blinked in disbelief.
Oliver looked up at Gilbert and barked with utmost dignity.
"Woof! Woof!!"
Even self-admitted madman Gilbert couldn't make sense of this.
"What? You want me to fight this dog?"
Weger stepped forward with a sinister grin.
"Yep! Oliver, the weakest of the Young Lord's Four Heavenly Kings! Don't underestimate him—he's strong despite the looks! Oh, and the Young Lord dotes on this subordinate terribly."
At Weger's explanation, Gilbert felt a crick in his neck.
'Are they messing with me?'
He was playful himself, but not this level.
From the looks on Weger, Oden, that maid, and Roben's faces, though, it didn't seem like a joke.
Which left one conclusion.
This was mockery and insult aimed at him.
"Ha! So you thought to humiliate me! That cheap trick won't work—I'll show you! Looks like an innocent pup dies today!!"
Gilbert roared in fury, drawing his sword and aiming at Oliver.
Then, Oliver's round eyes sharpened into a predator's in an instant, and a ferocious aura poured from his body—unbelievable for a mere beast.
"Grrrrrrrr...!"
"...!?"
Gilbert froze.
It was clearly a dog.
But the pressure from that golden beast surpassed most knights.
'Magic beast? No... Not mana!? A dog wielding something like aura?'
Gilbert wasn't some lazy slacker who just sulked and skipped training.
He too had spent most of his life honing his swordsmanship to reach Expert rank.
But after Expert, he'd hit a wall, unable to advance, plunged into deep doubt and boredom about his skills.
The higher he aimed, the more it felt like forcing on ill-fitting clothes.
Yet this dog before him displayed a bizarre energy flow utterly unlike human swordsmanship or mana operation.
'What the hell is it?? W-Wait! A spirit beast?'
Gilbert's heart pounded wildly for the first time in ages.
Humiliation vanished, replaced by a warrior's battle lust and curiosity.
Grinning to show teeth, Gilbert wrapped his sword in aura.
"Hahaha! Fine! If it's the Young Lord's subordinate, beast or man makes no difference! Let's have a real go, Oliver!"
"Grrrrr! Woof woof!!"
The human knight captain versus the golden dog trained by Cael.
Undoubtedly, for the first time in Restis Ducal history—an unprecedented duel was about to begin.