The Red Knight Seeks No Reward

Chapter 5

Judith began running alongside Violet. “What’s going on with you these days? You can’t just forget something this important!” Her scolding sounded more adorable than Judith remembered.

In the past, Judith would never have forgotten a big day like the qualification exam. I guess I’m a bit hazy on my dates. She was grateful to her friend in more ways than one.

By the time they arrived at the training field, most of the other knights had already gathered. Violet looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, we’re just in time. I’ve heard that one of the princes is also coming today.”

“What? Which one?” Judith asked, panicked.

Just then, a senior knight bellowed, “His Imperial Highness, the Fourth Sun of the Veritas Empire, Prince Ethan Oscar Veritas, has graced us with his presence!”

“As you were.” A voice that exhibited the relaxed benevolence of the prince’s character rang out quietly.

The moment she recognized his face, Judith breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t the third prince she had killed. Of course, a man of his rank wouldn’t appear alone.

Judith anxiously stared at the open door. Even six years ago, Jeromell was Captain of the Black Knights. It would not be a surprise to see the dark-haired man emerge from the doorway.

“At ease.”

But fortunately for Judith, the captain of a different order emerged. Kaillou Lewalmeigh, the Captain of the Red Knights. His vivid scarlet hair, brushed back and accentuating his distinguished features, caught everyone’s attention.

Kaillou was also known as the indestructible Red Wolf of the Empire or the Scarlet Knight. Moreover, he was the head of House Lewalmeigh with the title of earl. He appeared just as Judith remembered—a little casual, but with his fierceness and strength undiminished. Those qualities made him a man who was admired by many.

Captain of the Red Knights, huh… Judith didn’t remember much more about him, except for the one conversation they’d had, when he had ruefully shaken his head at her. It was back in Berques… He said it was a shame that I was a black knight. But that was now a distant memory.

The qualification exam began uncommonly quickly, as the prince had put an end to the excessive formality. The novice knights were evaluated based on a one-on-one match with a senior knight. The matches were fast-paced, and most of the novice knights were defeated. Some knights, like Calipa, were able to win without losing ground, but there were less than five such novices in total.

Judith’s turn soon arrived. Her opponent was a male knight in his late thirties, a man named Paeon Grand.

“Paeon Grand, Judith. Make your salutations.”

They bowed to each other. She didn’t recognize the man’s name or face, which meant he was likely a mediocre fighter.

“You may commence!”

Judith grimaced as their swords clashed. Just as she expected, her judgment was correct. The senior knight aimed for her eyes and vital organs. It was a direct attack to overpower his opponent, but his swordsmanship was too lousy for such tactics. He was so unskilled that Judith couldn’t puzzle out a way to lose.

This is nuts. How the hell am I meant to lose to this amateur? Troubled, she took a step back. This wasn’t looking good. If a novice knight beat a senior knight in a situation like this, it would only make their life in the order harder. The best-case scenario would be for the novice to rush in and be crushed so that both parties could say that it was a good match and end on genial terms. No senior knight was happy to lose to a rookie, especially in front of the imperial prince. That was why she wanted to throw the fight, but when it began, she realized things wouldn’t go as planned.

Why is he so clumsy?! She could see all his weaknesses at a glance. Paeon’s sword work was fierce but sloppy, his posture was easily disrupted, and his technique was poor.

How am I supposed to lose to this? She felt like she was playing kickball with a nine-year-old. No matter how diligently a child ran, if an adult kicked the ball with any kind of force, the game would be over. But a child that old would have enough pride and intelligence to be angry if the adult simply threw the game. Judith considered doing something unexpected like dropping her sword, but she knew poor acting could backfire.

Having no idea what to do, a sigh escaped her mouth. That was a mistake. Her opponent’s face instantly flushed, and his narrowed eyes flashed with fury. “I guess the youngest aether master isn’t happy to fight simply with swords, huh?”

“What?”

Suddenly the senior knight changed his tactics. A flash of blue light cast from his sword curved toward the inside of her wrist.

Judith gasped in shock. She narrowly dodged the blow, but the blade was relentless in its pursuit. Each strike aimed for Judith’s wrists, threatening to cut the tendons there. A life-ruining malice was evident in his attacks.

Judith gritted her teeth at how the opponent kept pushing her boundaries. The blade kept coming, its trajectory each time headed for her wrists.

What kind of crazy bastard is this?! He seemed infuriated, not even noticing how she was trying to save his pride. Rage rushed to fill her head.

All right then, so be it. Judith adjusted her grip on her sword. She would’ve liked to disembowel him with aether, but that might be overkill. Instead, she decided to make him bedridden for two, perhaps three, months.

That will be good enough, she thought. She had heard that if one endured their anger enough times, they wouldn’t stoop to murder. But she realized that if she just murdered him in the first place, there would be no need for endurance. Patience was an important virtue, but she didn’t want to waste it on such a person.

With that thought, her hesitation vanished. The mana in her veins surged, and she was about to lash out with her sword when a stern voice stopped their duel.

“Halt!”

Judith reacted quickly to the order, but her opponent did not. His sword trembled in an awkward position as he froze in place.

The man who had given the order came toward them with long strides. It was Kaillou Lewalmeigh. “Paeon, you’re not testing any of her skills.”

“Pardon, sir?”

“Get out of my way.”

Kaillou’s eyes were cold, but Paeon, still driven by rage, refused to back down. “Captain! Please do not stop me! Even if she is the youngest aether master, this undisciplined wench should be—”

“You have some audacity to speak of discipline when it was you who was trying to slit a recruit’s wrists.” The captain’s words were pointed. “I said step aside. Will embarrassing you in front of the recruits bring you to your senses?”

Paeon bit his lip and his hand trembled as he sheathed his sword. He turned and walked away, his face still glowing red as he glared at Judith with a deadly intensity.

Watching the scene, Kaillou clicked his tongue. Bravery born from ignorance. I thought ignorance was meant to be bliss. Did he truly not realize that I just yanked back from the brink of death? He’d seen Judith’s aether ready to burst forth in an explosion when she adjusted her grip on the sword. If he hadn’t intervened, the testing field would’ve descended into chaos. This young aether master could slaughter three people in a single strike, he mused. She was more than a seasoned veteran in both spirit and guts.

Kaillou gave her a sly glance as Paeon stepped away. “You must have been quite bored.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Then you must have found him pathetic.”

Judith looked flustered as if she had been caught red-handed.

Kaillou wasn’t too surprised. He only chuckled mildly, as the situation had proceeded as he expected. “Let’s continue,” he said.

“Pardon, sir?”

“With the exam.”

Judith quickly understood. “You mean you’re going to test me yourself?”

“An aether master must be matched with another aether master. I assume you have no objection?”

While she had none, she was slightly suspicious. She eyed him, wondering if he was serious, but Kaillou’s demeanor didn’t change. “Things must be done properly,” he said.

She had no words with which to retort. Knights were meant to follow all orders, but what was she supposed to do in a situation like this?

Kaillou took a couple steps away and Judith sheathed her sword once again with a stiff expression. In the past, she had conceded defeat and retreated prematurely during the test. It was unfortunate that she wasn’t able to do that this time. She had overthought the matter because the difference in their level of swordsmanship was too great. Even still, she hadn’t imagined things would come to this.

“Don’t be so nervous. Just regard this as a practice duel.”

Those words were Kaillou’s way of setting Judith at ease, but they backfired. She felt her whole body tense like an agitated cat.

Kaillou Lewalmeigh. Is there any knight in the empire who doesn’t know that name? she thought. He was more famous as the Captain of the Red Knights than as Earl Lewalmeigh, and he was the pinnacle of knighthood that everyone aspired to. He had attended the Royal Blue Blood Academy, a school for imperial and noble children, and upon graduation, he had been dubbed the bright star of the empire. The tales of his overwhelming victories over the demons in the west and his defending the capital from dragons were legendary. His youth had prevented him from receiving a higher-ranking title, but he was a man on a guaranteed path to advancement.

An aether master who knows no fear of death. Even Judith, who wasn’t exactly well-informed, knew of Kaillou.

Kaillou’s adjutant quietly approached them and pulled out a gold coin to toss as a sign to commence the duel. It was too late to back out now, so Judith decided to change her approach. Now that the situation had come to this, there was no way she could escape quietly. If she acted as she had with Paeon Grand, she would be forever labeled as mediocre.

I’m going to quickly take him down so there will be no more fuss. Other knights would have scolded her for such an arrogant remark if they could have heard it, but she was sincere. She also had the determination to see things through once she resolved to.

“I’m here to learn,” she said. She paid lip service, but she of course had no intention to learn anything.

Kaillou’s adjutant flicked the gold coin into the air. As it fell to the ground and Judith drew her sword, her stubbornness was on full display.

“Here I come,” she said. Her first step was filled with vigor and a flurry of fast strikes, incomparable to her moves before, followed suit. The tip of her sword flew out in a sweeping arc, aiming for Kaillou’s throat. Her motions were worlds apart from when she had been dueling with Paeon. Each slash that cornered her opponent and each stab that flashed like lightning was breathtakingly beautiful. Her amber eyes glowed brighter than gold as she sliced through the air. Kaillou laughed in disbelief as he faced her.

I have nothing to learn from you! As if she had decided that there was no need to hold back, each and every blow was an onslaught. Her movements were seamless and practical. When Kaillou blocked her attempt to slash his right shoulder, she quickly moved on to his left side.

Their blades scraped together and made a sound as if they would shatter. Each movement of her sword was as smooth as water, not to mention powerful enough to pierce through the enemy in one blow. It was all evidence that she hadn’t practiced in vain.

Kaillou parried all her strikes without holding back, but her sword came flying back to him almost immediately each time. Her powerful thrusts and sharp slashes went for his neck, shoulder, waist, torso, and wrist. She was a knight who targeted the opponent’s entire body, each strike as precise and strong as an arrow.

She is a genius, just like he said. Kaillou regretted not listening. His adjutant had praised her so nonchalantly that he hadn’t thought much of the remark. Desian, you fool. You should’ve made a bigger fuss! She was an aether master indeed, but it wasn’t just aether that she was skilled at wielding. Her natural swordsmanship and senses were leagues beyond any other knight the captain had ever seen. Even as he repented, her sword rushed toward him.

Everyone’s mouths dropped open. It was at this moment that it became clear why Kaillou had told Paeon that he wasn’t testing her correctly.

Judith’s maneuvers were not an example of honest, straightforward swordsmanship. She constantly searched for the weak spots of her opponent, looking for ways to cut off their offense and seize the initiative. Her sword was like a venomous python, one that would kill with a single snap of its jaws. Kaillou marveled at the agile maneuvering of the sword as he was cornered several times.

“Excellent.” No other rhetoric was needed. Kaillou praised her sword with one word, no qualifiers needed. He could fall in love with swordsmanship like that.

“Now I need to check something.” Kaillou’s attacks changed. His sword had previously received the strikes of her blade passively, simply parrying them off, but now he changed his trajectory and flew at her.

Judith hesitated only briefly. The captain’s swordsmanship was as sharp as a beast’s claw. His outstretched sword swung through the air so quickly that its afterimage created the shape of a fan. She quickly dodged the blade and steadied herself, feeling the faintest hint of murderous intent from the sword she had dodged a moment ago. The knights watching the duel couldn’t help but gasp.

The next swing of Kaillou’s sword was even more determined, evidently aiming to hurt her. Judith stubbornly deflected the blade, but it was a mistake. Her wrist felt sore from the impact.

He’s stronger than he looks! She recognized that neither of them was using their full strength, but she could tell that this man usually wielded his sword with more ferocity. While Judith preferred to disembowel her opponent, it was clear Kaillou favored violent attacks that aimed to slice his opponent in two.

Heavy, rough blows were aimed at the crown of her head again and again. His strength was so intense that it felt like he had ripped a pillar from the ground and was slamming it down toward her head. The level of violence was intentional.

Judith’s body spun with the velocity of a top, deflecting Kaillou’s blade. Then she straightened her sword and plunged it into the cradle of his arms. As she tried to push her way in, he forced her back. Their faces were close, their knees pressed together. Their eyes met.

“You…” Even as the blade came within inches of his flesh, the captain’s unmoving violet eyes focused on Judith. His whisper reached her ears with conviction. “You and your sword have toyed with lives before, correct?” His gaze was cold.