The Sword Knot and the Holy Knight's Path
“Here, try some. You’ll be amazed.”
Following her excited steps up to the flower field, Liscia’s eyes sparkled under the shade of the trees.
“Munch munch… Oh! It’s so good! What is this? It’s super delicious! It’s different!”
“Of course it is. Chew it thoroughly so you don’t get indigestion.”
Throughout history, was there anything that worked better on kids than food? Not even a future saintess could be an exception.
Munch munch— Liscia’s mouth never stopped moving for a moment. She ate so deliciously that even her personal maid swallowed hard.
“Yuna, you have some too. I made plenty on purpose.”
“I couldn’t possibly… Ah, no, it’s fine.”
“Come on!”
The maid barely resisted the temptation, only for her lady to stuff a sandwich right into her mouth. It was quite the sight.
But if that was all, they were in for a surprise. Today, I was fully prepared to conquer Liscia’s taste buds completely.
“Now, try this too.”
Who am I? The continent’s top chef from every previous regression.
“Is this good too? W-Wowww!”
“My goodness. As one servant to another, this is just…”
It had to be. My cooking right now incorporated the secrets of every famous eatery on the continent. No chef could hide their tricks from a Swordmaster’s senses, so this wasn’t an exaggeration.
“Is this really apple juice? What was all that stuff I drank before?”
The result? My childhood friend Liscia met her fated end, right on schedule. Her maid wasn’t much different.
“Hehe… So full…”
Satiety: 100%. Leftover food: none. Satisfaction: max. My pent-up cooking itch from post-regression life was scratched too… Ahem, never mind that.
In any case, the picnic was a resounding success. The now beaming young lady started wandering the flower field.
She picked two autumn flowers and shared one with me. At this age, Liscia would giggle aloud at the smallest things. She never stopped smiling as she ran through the flowers.
She kept spreading her happiness to the whole world until we returned to the estate.
“Oh yeah, I have something I wanted to give you today, Ian. Almost forgot!”
“A present?”
“Yeah! I made it myself.”
A gift handmade by Liscia. That was new. I’d never gotten one from her at this time in previous loops.
“You said you’re gonna be a knight, right? I wondered what would give you strength…”
Her voice trailed off faintly. She seemed oddly unsure of herself.
Still, Liscia steadfastly pulled out a leather pouch. From it came a knot embroidered with light purple cord—the decorative cord knights called a Sword Knot, tied to the sword’s pommel.
That’s when I realized why I’d never received this gift before.
“It’s pretty. You did a great job.”
“R-Really? You’ll put it on your sword?”
“Of course. I just got a real sword recently. I’ll be using it soon.”
“For real? Let’s do it right now, okay?”
The knot Liscia gave me had flaws here and there. The lengths on either side were ever so slightly uneven, and there were tiny nail marks at the ends. She’d probably never made one before.
She must have seen the rough spots herself. That’s why she hesitated to give it to me—and ultimately lacked the courage.
But today’s picnic had been so much fun. Her desire to give something in return had overcome her fear.
“Got it. I’ll go grab the sword—wait here.”
“Can’t I come? I want to tie it on myself.”
“Yourself?”
“Yeah. I even learned how to tie it. Hehe.”
Looked like all she needed was that one “pretty” from me. The aspiring saintess marched ahead like she’d never been down in the dumps.
Since she had no idea where to go, I had to guide her.
“Even after you become a knight, you’ll use this sword?”
“Who knows. By then, I’ll probably have a different one that fits better.”
“Then, when you become a knight, I’ll tie another one for you. I’ll be way better at it by then.”
She didn’t know it, but this promise had already been kept long ago. Originally, the first Sword Knot I got from her was on the day she became the saintess.
She’d given it to me as a farewell gift, saying she wanted her knight to have it. That one was made far better than this—sturdily enough to last over ten years without breaking.
All for that one decoration. Liscia must have practiced endlessly in secret, without me knowing.
Just like the regressor Liscia protected me alone.
I’d never forget this sight my whole life.
Liscia on her knees, gripping the scabbard. Threading the cord through the hole under the pommel, biting it with her teeth and pulling.
When something didn’t work, she fiddled with her fingers for ages. How could I forget that heart full of good intentions? That slightly excited face turning frustrated?
“D-Done! Look!”
The finished decoration was undoubtedly beautiful. The debt from receiving it would take several lifetimes to repay.
“Thanks. I’ll treasure it.”
“Yeah! So now you’ll grow up and be my knight, right?”
What was this now? Some causal link sorted itself out in my head.
She wouldn’t get it even if I explained right now. And since she was embarrassed about melting so easily, it worked out perfectly.
“Nah. Didn’t you hear? I’m aiming to be a holy knight. Can’t be your family’s knight.”
“Huh? But we promised when we were little…”
“Did we? Can’t be helped.”
“I-Ian betrayed me!”
Liscia’s eyes welled up instantly. Surprisingly, the saintess-to-be’s sulk didn’t lift easily this time. Only after patting her back and promising to become a knight someday did she open up again.
Two years later.
Liscia was chosen as the saintess.
I volunteered for the Life Church’s holy knights.
* * *
The Life Church had two main ways to recruit holy knights.
The most common was internal recommendations—from temples, monasteries, or knights in the order, via recommendation letters.
But no one’s gonna recommend me.
I was from the Balter Count Family. I was supposed to walk the elite path in the imperial army.
Plus, I had no special ties to the Life Church.
So if a holy knight recommendation suddenly arrived at our house, it’d be interpreted differently. A very unique, refined provocation.
My father might read the letter like this:
— Your sons seem useless as imperial knights, so how about sending them to be holy knights?
The sender would face a duel challenge from the current knight commander.
By process of elimination, I had only one choice left: volunteer. Enlist from the bottom during the regular recruitment period.
“Yes, your name, please.”
“Ian. Just write that.”
“…Aren’t you from the Balter Count Family?”
“No comment. I haven’t heard that status is a disqualifier for becoming a holy knight.”
The recruiter’s face turned strange at my words. Normally, people who brought up status here weren’t nobles.
Those who did were usually criminals or slaves—actual disqualifiers.
Noble and disqualifier didn’t go together.
But this recruiter was sharp. He realized from one exchange that there was no room for talk. And that I was technically right.
He decided to treat me with pure professionalism.
“Confirmed, Ian. Please wait over there. We’ll test your skills, then proceed with enrollment.”
“Thank you.”
Passing the test was easy. Holy knight standards were looser than imperial knights anyway. A Swordmaster (soon-to-be) failing would be weirder.
The examiner nearly said “pass” just from my grip on the sword.
Alright, preparations complete.
I’d intentionally disguised myself as a commoner in places where I might be recognized. Officially, I’d register as one, but the higher-ups would track me as a Balter heir.
Soon, the Life Church’s holy knight order would evaluate me like this:
Clear origins and background, strongly verified identity. Heir to a top martial family who wanted to be judged on skill alone at the training camp. Top graduate. Talented young knight around the saintess’s age, with skill and promise.
Whoa, it’s like God sent him to guard the saintess!
All that was left was to enter the camp and suck up perfectly—to instructors and senior knights alike.
SSS-grade holy knight aspirant Ian. Setting off now.