Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Knight Order Leader (2)
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Deep within the estate lay the office of Ianus Aleyas.
Countless assassins had been dispatched by the Dialogue Church over the years, but none had ever reached this room.
“Raise your head.”
After finishing my greetings, I cautiously lifted my gaze to see the face of an elderly man with a stern expression.
‘Doesn’t this guy Ianus ever age?’
Ianus was currently eighty-six years old.
Yet he looked no older than his early sixties.
‘He hasn’t changed much from before.’
What on earth did he eat to stay so spry?
The Grand Archbishop Aquilast of the Dialogue Church, whose face was riddled with wrinkles despite being around the same age, would probably feel inferior just looking at him.
“So, you’re Sion.”
“Yes, Lord Ianus.”
“Just call me Grandfather.”
There was dignity in Ianus’s voice, but it was gentler than I’d expected.
Even Ianus, known as the “Iron-Blooded Holy Knight” for his ruthless nature, found his youngest grandson endearing, it seemed.
“I heard you had a fight with your cousins.”
“It was my mistake that angered my brothers.”
“Kids grow up fighting, after all.”
Ianus didn’t press for details.
He must have already received a report from one of his subordinates.
“But, Sion.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Kids’ squabbles can be brushed off as play. But once you become an adult, it’s different.”
“Is that so?”
“Adult conflicts can’t just be laughed off most of the time. That’s why the Aleyas family forbids private fights without the Family Head’s permission.”
“Family Head... meaning your permission, Grandfather.”
Ianus’s authority as Family Head was absolute.
If he weren’t so powerful, his children would be locked in a bloody struggle for the next Knight Order Leader position by now.
“Sion, do you know about the internal strife in the Dialogue Church a dozen or so years ago?”
“...I’m not sure.”
“It was before your time, so it’s natural you wouldn’t know.”
Pretending ignorance, I watched as Ianus began recounting the tale of the Dialogue Church.
“There was an Archbishop Hausel in the Dialogue Church. A truly terrifying villain.”
“He must have been frightening.”
“Our Holy Knight Order clashed with Archbishop Hausel several times. We paid a heavy price in blood.”
“Did you defeat him, Grandfather?”
“I wish it had been that simple.”
Ianus gave a wry smile.
“Archbishop Hausel was killed in the Dialogue Church’s internal conflict. The exact reason is unknown, but there were rumors that Grand Archbishop Aquilast had clashed with him.”
“...”
It wasn’t entirely accurate.
Aquilast had unilaterally viewed Hausel as a threat and purged him.
“Losing Archbishop Hausel weakened the Dialogue Church. Strife continued internally... and with many talents defecting, they grew far weaker than before.”
“...”
It had been a while since I’d heard any intelligence on the Dialogue Church.
I was curious about which talents had defected, but I couldn’t ask about it here and now.
“Fights within a group weaken the group itself. That’s all the more reason family members mustn’t fight each other.”
“I see.”
“Of course, as I said earlier, kids fighting is fine. We don’t make a fuss over that. However...”
At that moment.
The gentleness vanished from Ianus’s voice.
“They say you used sword aura, Sion.”
It was no longer the voice of a doting grandfather, but that of a ruthless knight.
“A swordsman who can wield sword aura can’t be treated as a child. Even at ten years old, you’re a ‘knight’ who pulls your weight.”
“...”
“Do you understand, Sion?”
Intimidation seeped from every syllable.
Ianus was seriously pressuring his twelve-year-old grandson.
“You showed up at the family council and immediately sparked a conflict with your brothers. Cain and Robel may have picked the fight first, but you escalated it into a brawl.”
“...”
“If Sena hadn’t intervened, it could have turned into a full-blown fight with blood spilled. How did you plan to take responsibility for the fallout?”
“Grandfather, may I share my thoughts?”
“Speak.”
“I’m not sure if I should be treated as an adult. But...”
I trailed off.
Pretending to cautiously broach the subject before my intimidating grandfather.
“Grandfather, Cain and Robel aren’t adults.”
“What?”
“They’re seventeen and sixteen... I heard Cain will soon join the Knight Order, but he’s still not a knight. And Robel goes without saying.”
Striving for a childlike voice, I laid out an argument unfit for a child.
“If I’m a ‘knight’ to be treated as an adult, then Cain and Robel are ‘children’—the weak ones who should be treated as such.”
“...”
“It wasn’t a fight between adults, but an adult disciplining children who recklessly attacked him. That’s how it should be handled.”
A twelve-year-old ‘adult’ disciplining sixteen- and seventeen-year-old ‘children.’
At first glance, it was absurd sophistry.
But within the Aleyas family, this twisted logic would hold.
At the very least, I was certain Ianus would be drawn to it.
“...”
Ianus stared piercingly at my face in silence.
“So you’re saying you punished Cain and Robel’s rudeness?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“An intriguing logic.”
As expected, Ianus’s reaction wasn’t negative.
He then addressed Sena, who stood silently behind me.
“Sena.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Sena, who had brought me here and waited quietly, bowed her head in response.
“Sena, are you a child or an adult?”
“...I’m twenty-one, and I serve as a Holy Knight in the Holy Knight Order, so I believe I should be treated as an adult.”
“Right, you’re past the age where youth excuses everything. From that perspective, what about Cain and Robel?”
“Those two... I’d consider children.”
“Then what about this boy, Sion?”
“Sion is...”
“Answer me, Sena.”
“If what you said earlier is true—that Sion can wield sword aura—then at the very least, he’s closer to an adult than Cain or Robel.”
“So you think Sion’s logic just now holds water?”
“...I believe it does.”
Even Sena agreed with my reasoning.
[What a ridiculous family.]
Igzard chattered in my head.
[Even if he can use sword aura... does it make sense for a twelve-year-old kid to discipline his sixteen- and seventeen-year-old brothers? This family really goes all out.]
Honestly, I agreed with Igzard.
But this was the true nature of the Aleyas family.
‘The Holy Church preaches rigid idealism, but the Aleyas family, which leads the Holy Knight Order, is ruthlessly meritocratic.’
Ianus had been the youngest of eight brothers, I’d heard.
Born to a concubine with no backing, he’d risen through sheer talent, overthrowing his siblings to claim the Family Head position.
Strength determines superiority. It was an ironclad rule of the Aleyas family, unchanged since its founding.
“Hmm, if even Sena says so, I have no choice.”
Ianus slowly nodded.
“Very well, Sion. I won’t reprimand you further for this incident.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
“But.”
“Yes?”
“Cain and Robel didn’t know you were an ‘adult.’ So their treatment of you as a junior wasn’t a grave error.”
“...”
“Of course, one could argue failing to gauge your strength was their mistake. But they never had the chance to assess you before, did they?”
“You’re right, Grandfather.”
“So don’t resent or look down on your cousins. They lag behind you now, but they’re family who will lead the Aleyas family and Holy Knight Order together in the future.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Grandfather.”
“Good.”
“But, Grandfather.”
“What is it?”
“What if my cousins come at me again?”
“Haha.”
Ianus burst into laughter.
“Then don’t hesitate to discipline them. I permit it.”
“Understood.”
Now with the Family Head’s permission, if those guys picked a fight again, I could crush them fairly and legally.
“I’d love to talk more, but time’s short. I have the family council to prepare for.”
“Then I’ll take my leave, Grandfather.”
“Hmm, but Sion.”
“Yes?”
“I ask all my grandsons this... What’s your dream?”
“My dream?”
“You’re twelve now. You must have one by this age.”
Ianus asked in a gentle tone.
“What do you want to do when you grow up?”
“Become a Holy Knight.”
“That’s a given.”
Was there no freedom of occupation in this family?
“Tell me specifically what you want to do as a Holy Knight.”
“I want to lead the Independent Knight Brigade.”
“The Independent Knight Brigade?”
Ianus tilted his head.
“Did you say Independent Knight Brigade?”
“Yes, I did.”
Ordinary Holy Knights stick to their assigned duties.
For example, regional knights stationed across the continent maintain public order in their areas.
But the Independent Knight Brigade is different. They rush wherever requested, handling any task.
Whether subjugating the Dialogue Church, slaying monsters, or exploring dungeons—they do it all.
“The Independent Knight Brigade wanders the continent with no real support.”
“I know.”
“That’s unusual. Most dream of elite paths like the Assault Knight Brigade in the central forces.”
“I think joining those later would be fine. But I want to travel various regions and gain diverse experiences.”
“Diverse experiences for what?”
“To fill the gaps in the Aleyas family and Holy Knight Order.”
“...”
Ianus seemed to grasp my meaning immediately.
The current Holy Knight Order was run by those who’d walked the elite path Ianus had mentioned.
That’s why they often fell for the Dialogue Church’s insidious tactics infiltrating the populace.
“I see, that’s what you mean.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“When do you think that dream will come true?”
“The sooner, the better.”
“What if I handed you a Knight Brigade right now?”
“I’d do my best if you did.”
“Haha, just kidding. I couldn’t entrust a brigade to a twelve-year-old, after all.”
I could hear Sena sighing in relief behind me.
She must have worried Grandfather would suddenly hand a brigade to his youngest cousin.
“But I can shorten the time you need as much as possible.”
“Grandfather...”
Ianus smiled and rose from his seat.
“I’ll create an opportunity for you. Wait for me at the banquet hall.”