Why Do You Learn the Sword?
Blue Wolf Knights' exclusive training ground.
It was early morning, the dawn mist not yet fully cleared, but the grounds were already sweltering with the heat from dozens of knights. Cael stood on the central platform, gazing indifferently down at the ranks of knights below.
Leading them were Captain Gilbert, Vice-Captain Simon, and Adjutant Rachel, and every knight's eyes burned with tension laced with anticipation. For a formal knight order, their gazes were impressively sharp.
Cael opened his mouth.
"Why do you learn the sword?"
His low voice, infused with inner power, resonated across the entire training ground. The knights began to murmur at the sudden question.
"You there."
Cael pointed at a knight with curly hair.
"Yes!"
"I asked why you learn the sword."
The curly-haired knight replied, "To hone body and mind through training!"
Cael pointed at another. "And you? Why do you learn the sword?"
This time, it was a sturdy-looking knight with short hair. "To... protect the kingdom, isn't it?"
Cael turned to Gilbert. "You answer. Why do you learn the sword, Captain?"
Gilbert responded without hesitation. "To get stronger!"
"Hmm, not bad for a captain."
Gilbert's shoulders puffed up with pride.
Cael continued. "Don't assign meaning to the sword. A sword is just a sword."
The knights' expressions turned even more puzzled.
"The sword was made to kill. The tool must not become the goal."
Cael smirked at their bewildered faces. I've wrestled with this plenty myself.
"So I won't teach you chivalry. Only how to kill effectively. That's it."
The knights buzzed with shock. To them, such words were utterly radical.
"Chivalry? No matter how noble the ideal, it's the strong who survive to preach it. Isn't that right?"
"Yes! Exactly!" the knights roared in unison.
The law of the jungle from his Heavenly Demon Cult days. Cael didn't hate it. In the end, the mighty made the rules.
Gilbert felt a thrill at Cael's words. No one had ever put it so bluntly. His eyes gleamed with hunger for this new teaching.
Cael smiled and issued his first command. "Captain Gilbert, step forward."
"Yes, Young Duke!"
Gilbert sprang out, ramrod straight with discipline.
"But the world is vast, and strong foes abound. What then?"
"Uh... More training?"
"If there's no time for that when facing the enemy?"
Gilbert glanced at Simon and Rachel before answering. "Ganging up...?"
Simon and Rachel shook their heads in disbelief. But surprisingly, Cael was impressed.
"Ho? Not bad at all. Correct."
Simon, Rachel, and the other knights were the stunned ones now.
"Pardon...?"
"Simple logic. One's not enough? Two. Still no? Three. Not that? Ten it is."
Vice-Captain Simon, watching, ventured a question. "But against a true powerhouse, doesn't that fail? A Master... no matter how many..."
Cael cut him off. "Because they don't know how to fight together. They get in each other's way— one plus one becomes less than zero."
Joint tactics were basic here, poorly grasped. Cael knew it well.
"One more question. How many of you can reach Master here?"
Silence fell.
"......"
"Even with my teaching, maybe Gilbert or Simon. The rest? Expert at best, right?"
Master was a grueling path. Even Expert was a monumental achievement.
"But Experts can challenge Masters. That's what I'll teach you."
Why Cael needed these knights. Like the elite force under him in his Heavenly Demon days. He required troops to crush powerhouses reliably.
No matter how strong Cael was, he couldn't fight every battle.
"From now on, the order's swordsmanship unifies under one style. The breathing method and sword art I'll teach. Rebuild from scratch."
Gilbert raised a doubt. "Didn't you say tailor the clothes to the wearer...?"
Cael chuckled. "Clothes have their fits too. Some are loose and suit anyone."
And so the knights' hellish training began.
Cael's days grew relentlessly busy. Building a force from scratch meant overseeing every detail.
Tch. Only now do I appreciate how easy it was as Heavenly Demon.
He felt the need for talent. Weger and Ella were promising sprouts, still growing. Oden was usable, but lost in the new Swift Sword style Cael taught him.
So damn busy. How long since it felt this good?
Even amid the chaos, he enjoyed it. Watching them change daily was rewarding.
"Today, I'll grant you a formation befitting your name, Blue Wolf. The Azure Wolf Joint Formation."
Azure Wolf Joint Formation. A three-man adaptation of the Seven Kills Formation used by elite demon cavalry in his past life, tailored to the knights' auras.
"Three per team. Rotate roles constantly—don't forget. Assistant instructor, forward."
Cael snapped his fingers. Oliver, waiting behind, bounded out tongue lolling, tail wagging.
"For the next week, he'll personally shatter your formations and teach you."
"Woof! Woof!"
The idlest powerhouse would excel as instructor.
"Th-that dog? The one who beat the captain!? H-how do we beat that?!"
A thick smile spread across Cael's lips. "Want to survive? Become one being, perfectly synced. Oliver shows no mercy. Team one, begin!!"
"Arf arf arf!!"
It was pure hell.
"Formation's broken! Why's the tail leading the head?!"
Thwack—!
Oliver's paw sent a knight flying.
"Gaaah!!"
"C-crazy! Hold formation! Oliver's coming!!"
Oliver ghosted to disrupted teams, unleashing terror paws. No knight could block them at this level.
Flawed formations meant stumbling into paws, rolling pathetically on the dirt.
"Sync your breaths!! Imagine you were always one body!"
Day one was massacre. All dozens carted to the infirmary, groaning through the night.
But by day two, three, miracles stirred. To survive—and take fewer hits from the monster instructor—they desperately tuned to each other's rhythm.
Discarding their tempo, they synced swords to comrades'.
Then, impossibly, their blue auras intertwined, resonating as one.
Clang—!
Day five. An Adept trio's Azure Wolf Joint Formation sword barrier finally repelled Oliver's heavy paw.
Thud—!
"Ooooh! We blocked it! Finally!!!"
Grimy faces erupted in cheers. Individually impossible, but unified synergy leaped their limits.
Their loyalty bordered on blind faith.
The morning after hell week ended, the Blue Wolf Knights' training ground hosted a transformed unit.
Trios stood flawless, breaths eerily synced, no margin for error.
Cael met their eyes one by one from the platform, smiling in satisfaction.
"Well done. You've finally grown one proper tooth."
His praise swelled their chests with pride.
"It's all thanks to your boundless grace, Young Duke! Just command, and we'll plunge these blades into enemy hearts!"
The knights bellowed.
Cael nodded, about to speak—
Bwooooooo—!
A long horn blared from the main keep's tallest watchtower.
Hm? What's that?
The signal for the Restis family head's return.
The training ground doors burst open. Weger rushed in, pale as death.
"Y-Young master!"
Weger gasped, words failing. "What's the fuss now?"
Weger swallowed hard. "The Duke...! He's back early...! Already at the territory border!"
Tension choked the air. Only Cael laughed it off.
"Ho? For real? Father?"
"Yes!! Two hours till the keep!"
Sword Duke Arjen Restis, returning a full week early.
Hmm, finally meeting face-to-face? Curious what manner of man he is.