Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Independent Knight Brigade (2)
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"Is this really okay? A swearing-in ceremony out of nowhere..."
"I wonder what kind of format it'll be."
Edwin and Lieselotte looked somewhat worried.
But I followed Garf outside with a light heart.
"It's tradition to hold the swearing-in ceremony in this training ground."
"......"
Garf stopped at a clearing where a single log was embedded in the ground.
When I stood still, Garf pointed with his finger.
"Stand next to the log."
"How do I do it?"
"Don't talk back—just stand there!"
As I followed his instructions, Garf began tying my right hand and right foot with rope.
He secured them to the log so I couldn't move.
Checking it out, the rope was magically reinforced.
"This is the Independent Knight Brigade's swearing-in ceremony, Sion Aleyas."
Bernhard spoke in a calm voice as he came out with the knight captains.
"It's derived from the legend of the great Independent Knight Abelmeier, who fought barbarians with his right hand and right foot bound."
"Do I have to stay tied up like this?"
"That's right."
"......"
As I stood there silently, Edwin, who had been watching from a distance, raised his voice.
"Hey, hold on a second! Isn't this too much?"
"Grade 2 Knight Edwin Signus, what's too much about it?"
"Tying him up like that and just beating on him one-sidedly—that's excessive cruelty!"
"One-sidedly?"
"Yes...?"
"Didn't you hear? It's from the legend where he fought barbarians with his right hand and right foot bound."
"Ah......"
Leaving the startled Edwin alone, Bernhard turned his gaze to me.
"Sion Aleyas, from now on, Garf will attack you. You can defend or counterattack, of course."
"......"
"The time limit is ten minutes."
"If I endure for ten minutes, the ceremony ends?"
"That's right, but we won't tell you how much time has passed. Ten minutes is when Garf thinks ten minutes have passed."
It was a pretty intense form of hazing.
Was it really okay to have a tradition like this?
"Shall we begin, then?"
Garf grinned flippantly and cracked his knuckles.
"Brigade Leader Bernhard was saying he'd abolish the swearing-in ceremony starting next time, so I was bummed, but looks like he changed his mind. Lucky for me."
"Is that so?"
"Guess he really doesn't like you."
"......"
"Thanks to you, I get a chance like this. A chance to beat up an arrogant young master."
This guy seemed intent on using the opportunity to thoroughly crush me.
"When I joined the Independent Knight Brigade, I got beaten for over an hour."
"I see. You must have had it rough."
"Don't worry. I won't be that harsh on a kid like you."
"No need to hold back on my account."
"What a high-and-mighty brat. Wonder how long that composure will last?"
Garf spat on the ground and clenched his fist.
His stance was better than expected. As a knight captain, he wasn't incompetent.
"Alright then... Let's get started!"
Whoosh!
Garf's fist came flying, slicing through the air.
It carried a hint of mana.
'Does he plan to kill me during the swearing-in?'
[He's not holding back at all.]
But Garf's fist never touched me.
I'd shifted slightly, dodging by a paper-thin margin.
"Huh?"
Garf swung again.
This time, I raised my left arm to deflect the attack.
Of course, I'd infused my arm with mana too.
"You little...!"
Anger flickered across Garf's face.
He must be pissed that I wasn't taking the beating meekly.
"Don't get cocky!"
Garf started targeting my right side.
With my right hand and foot tied, he figured I'd struggle to respond.
But...
"Urk!"
Boom!
Garf's fist slammed into the log.
I'd quickly struck his elbow, altering the punch's trajectory.
"This log is sturdy. Reinforced with magic, huh?"
"You cocky bastard...!"
Garf kept pouring on attacks, but none landed effectively.
I dodged or deflected them all.
"W-What's going on?!"
Garf panicked.
"You... Is hand-to-hand combat your specialty?!"
"No, my subordinate's good at it, so I've been learning from her the past few months."
"What...?!"
"I've had a lot of free time lately."
For the past few months, I'd been practicing hand-to-hand with Lieselotte.
She was better than me at techniques for deflecting or evading unarmed attacks.
Back when I was Archbishop Hausel, I'd only honed killing techniques, so I was inexperienced in this area.
I figured that as a holy knight, I'd need skills to subdue foes barehanded too.
And the results... were decent.
'Not perfect yet, though.'
Mixing Archbishop Hausel's combat experience with a bit of Lieselotte's hand-to-hand, and even a reckless charge from a junior like this was manageable.
"Y-You punk. How are you dodging so well...!"
Garf probably wasn't great at hand-to-hand.
Judging by his muscles, he was a swordsmanship main.
That's why I could handle him easily.
"Senior, how many minutes has it been?"
"W-What?"
"Still a ways to go?"
"You little...!"
Cursing, Garf lunged to grab my collar.
He planned to pin me down and pummel me.
Not a bad idea, honestly. Even I wouldn't easily escape a grab from a grown man like this.
To break free once caught, you'd have to hurt the opponent.
'Time to wrap this up.'
I moved my right arm and leg at the same time.
The log, which I'd been subtly shaking, popped right out of the ground.
Someone had fixed it with magic, but I'd been trickling mana into it, so it came loose easily.
"Gasp...?!"
I swung the log at the shocked Garf.
A 4-star knight like him could smash a normal log, but this was a reinforced training one.
"Guah!"
Crash!
Hit with my full swing, Garf flew backward.
He rolled across the training ground, groaning and unable to get up for a while.
[ weren't you supposed to hold back?]
'My stance was off with my limbs tied. If I hadn't put my full power in, I'd have fallen too.'
As I replied to Igzard and looked up, I saw the Independent Knight Brigade members staring in shock.
Meanwhile, Edwin and Lieselotte looked proud.
"Impressive."
Clapping echoed then.
Bernhard was smiling and applauding.
"One counterattack to silence Garf. Very impressive."
"I figured I couldn't last normally, so I cheated a bit."
"No need to be modest. You infused mana into the training log to pull it out—brilliant idea."
Saying that, Bernhard glanced at Gustav beside him.
"Isn't it?"
"Yes, Brigade Leader."
Gustav pushed up his slightly slipped glasses with a finger as he answered.
"It's the first time since you, Brigade Leader, that someone's subdued a senior during the swearing-in."
"Haha. I see."
Bernhard laughed and walked toward me.
"With Garf like that, no one can confirm if ten minutes have passed."
"By my sense, it's only been about five minutes."
"Is that so? By the brigade leader's clock, it's past ten."
With that, Bernhard began untying my hand and foot, still bound to the log.
"Sorry about this, Sion Aleyas."
"...?"
"Everyone here's got strong pride, you see."
Bernhard whispered lowly.
"Someone like you suddenly becoming a knight captain—they can't help but resent it. They won't openly defy me, but they might trip you up later."
"......"
"That's why I set up this chance to show your skills. Good thing you handled it well. Now they'll all admit you deserve to join the Independent Knight Brigade."
When I glanced over, Bernhard gave a small smile.
"Helmut's a junior from my hometown. When I heard you were joining, I reached out to him."
"...I didn't know."
"Hm, yeah, I should probably scrap the swearing-in ceremony. Tradition or not, hazing's no good."
Bernhard frowned at the marks on my wrists from the ropes.
[Surprising. A guy with such open-minded thinking.]
To even surprise Igzard, Bernhard seemed to have solid character.
"Don't mind Garf. He's rough-tempered but doesn't hold grudges."
"Yes......"
Turning my head, I saw the other knight captains helping up the fallen Garf.
He scratched his head with an embarrassed look.
"This Sion Aleyas is the new captain of the Independent Knight Brigade's 13th Unit. Any objections?"
"No objections!"
The knight captains replied with resounding voices.
Just as Bernhard said, they all seemed to accept me now.
"Then, Sion Aleyas, as 13th Unit captain of the Independent Knight Brigade, I'll give you your first mission."
"Right now?"
"Yeah, no need to drag it out."
Bernhard looked at me with a smile.
"The previous 13th Unit was dispatched to the area near the Hermel region in the northeast of the continent."
Hermel region.
I recalled it was a place with poor public order and a thriving underground economy.
Near the Winter Mountains to the north... so close to the Dialogue Church's sphere of influence.
"The 13th Unit was tasked with improving security in the Hermel region. But they abandoned the mission and fled."
"......"
"You've inherited the 13th Unit, so you should wrap it up."
Bernhard said solemnly.
"Take Edwin Signus and Lieselotte Hydra to the Hermel region. Take over the previous 13th Unit's mission and improve security there."
"Just the three of us?"
Common sense said three people couldn't handle it.
"That's the Independent Knight Brigade style. Maximum results with limited resources."
"......"
"Too much pressure?"
"No, sounds fun."
I'd come to a good place.
That's what I thought.
"Looking forward to your exploits, Sion Aleyas."
Bernhard laughed and patted my shoulder.