The Red Knight Seeks No Reward

Chapter 6

Judith’s eyes stung. She felt surprised and embarrassed, like a child who had been caught stealing. It was only for a moment, but she felt as if the man watching her calmly from behind his blue blade had seen right through her.

“What is your response?” Kaillou said.

She gaped at him, stepping back after a beat. The grating sound of metal as her sword fell away was jarring to the ears.

Kaillou didn’t follow her. Instead, he only observed her serenely.

“I’ve…” The tip of her sword trembled slightly while her heart raced uncontrollably. She wanted to deny his accusation, but she couldn’t.

In that brief moment, memories flashed through Judith’s mind. In the memories, she saw Captain Jeromell helping her to stand, the second imperial princess wearing a glittering tiara, and the third imperial prince looking relieved to see her, thinking that she had come to protect him from an assassin.

“I never toyed with…!”

Suddenly, a blade swooped in and attempted to slice through her side. Judith barely managed to parry the blow by angling her sword vertically. It was a precarious defense. She swayed significantly, almost stumbling. Her blade trembled unsteadily like it was reflecting the whirlwind of emotions inside her, while she felt like her chest was going to explode.

Was my sword always this heavy? No, it’s my heart that’s weighing me down, she realized. The sword was a mirror to the wielder’s heart.

“You use your sword like a sellsword, not a knight,” the captain said.

Judith gritted her teeth. Her chest burned as if her heart had been branded with a hot iron.

A rogue swordsman. That name should have been easy to brush aside, yet she felt devastated hearing it. Her heart sank as if her previous life of chasing only money had been exposed. She wanted to run away from the shame, but at the same time, she wanted to lunge at the man in front of her and demand to know how he’d found her out. Horror and shame snatched at her sword like physical forces.

“Do you not deny it?” Kaillou said, taking a step closer.

In response, Judith took an involuntary step back, afraid of the man who had read her swordplay in only an instant.

“If you still covet titles, land, or gold even after accepting this letter, then you’re no true knight. You’ll be a rogue knight or even a sword-for-hire. Do you truly wish to lead such a life?”

Kaillou and Judith had only been sword to sword momentarily, but the Captain of the Red Knights, whose ability lived up to his reputation, had been quick to get a read on her swordsmanship. Again and again, his blue blade came down on her, looking for weakness.

Suddenly cornered, Judith stepped back. Her sword felt heavy, and she couldn’t keep it steady.

Kaillou carefully studied her. When he had first drawn his sword, he hadn’t been serious. But the more he exchanged blows with Judith, the more intrigued he grew.

That was just a minor provocation, Kaillou thought. Could it be that she has a fragile mental constitution? Where is the ease she showed against Paeon Grand? He couldn’t comprehend why she was suddenly struggling. Is she feeling some kind of psychological pressure? If so, she still has a long way to go. By his standards, simply calling someone a sellsword didn’t even come close to a provocation.

But even taking that into account… We found a diamond in the rough. A small smile tugged at the corners of Kaillou’s mouth, but it was so subtle that few people recognized it.

Judith relentlessly thrust her sword at the captain’s torso. It wasn’t hard for him to determine that she was confident in her stabbing. The more cornered she became, the more she revealed her hand, relentlessly continuing her attack.

Her movements became larger. Her blade whipped through the air and was quickly withdrawn for another attempt, but Kaillou stopped allowing her attacks. He relaxed his grip on his sword and slashed at Judith’s blade without pause, his movements as rapid and fierce as a whip.

Judith managed to dodge a few times at first, but her pride soon got the better of her, and she brought her blade up to strike back. The sound of swords slashing through the air echoed through the arena like thunder as the tide of the battle slowly began to turn. Kaillou’s strikes were skillful and relentless, putting pressure on his opponent. Meanwhile, Judith’s movements grew heavy and sluggish, like a sinking ship.

Nonetheless, one thing was certain—in the eyes of the knights watching, both Kaillou and Judith were beasts. Kaillou was revered as their captain, but the new recruit’s abilities were a surprise. Aether masters were said to be able to knock a flying bird out of the air, and there were two battling in front of them right now. Moreover, neither of them was even using aether at the moment.

The knights recognized that these two were on a different level. A mixture of intrigue, competitive admiration, and jealousy filled the stands. Some of the knights felt a faint sense of defeat, though their swords had never even crossed with either contender, while some looked on in spite. Paeon Grand, the senior knight who had dueled with Judith, was one of them. He watched the duel between the two aether masters with a malicious look, his fist shaking.

I’m going to lose at this rate. Judith suddenly realized that she was reaching her limit, but it wasn’t easy to relax her grip on the sword. I have to loosen up, she reminded herself. It was not pleasant to lose, even if her opponent was ranked as high as a captain of an order.

At that moment, the door to the training field opened, and an unexpected person strode in.

“Sir Jeromell, welcome.”

“I apologize for being late, Your Highness.”

Judith nearly dropped her sword. She couldn’t afford to be distracted, but Jeromell immediately captured her complete attention. Her heart raced uncontrollably, and her breath hitched.

“You should have come sooner. Just now, we have—”

“Judith!”

Suddenly, Judith’s sword faltered, and in the blink of an eye, Kaillou’s sword grazed her neck. Violet’s voice tore through the training field as she screamed her friend’s name.

Judith’s fingers ached like they were going to break as the sword fell from her hand, but her neck hurt even more.

“What the—!” In a panic, Kaillou drew his sword back hastily, but the damage was done. His blade had sliced off a chunk of Judith’s hair and left a gash on her neck.

Judith staggered, clutching the burning wound. She groaned as her gray hair fluttered to the ground.

“Are you all right?!” The captain approached her, sheathing his sword. His strong arms quickly wrapped around her in a supportive embrace.

“Ah…” Judith inhaled Kaillou’s scent, realizing he smelled faintly of paint. It was a unique scent. Combined with the spreading stench of blood, the scent in the air defied description.

“Dame Judith!” Kaillou shouted.

She didn’t know what caused her to collapse. Was it the shock of the steady arms holding her waist, or how Kaillou had judged her swordsmanship as being that of a sellsword, or because Jeromell, the person who had taken her head, had suddenly appeared?

“Desian. Get a priest!” Unlike the dazed Judith, Kaillou’s actions were decisive. A steady stream of blood dripped from her neck, trickling over his fingers as he pressed on the wound. It was bleeding into her gray uniform, spreading fast.

Kaillou looked at her nervously. What’s going on? It must’ve been painful. It wasn’t a deep wound, but it was normal to show signs of pain. But Judith’s gaze was fixed somewhere else. She’s looking at Jeromell? Why? he wondered. It was impossible to tell if he had hit a nerve or her carotid artery. While the wound was only half a finger’s length, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. However, Judith’s reaction was too subdued. Her anxious gaze was fixed on Jeromell.

Kaillou felt inexplicably tense. “Your Highness…”

“Yes, it’s all right. Don’t worry and be on your way.” Few words were necessary. Prince Ethan waved his hand without further ado.

As soon as permission to leave had been granted, Kaillou lifted Judith. His arms, positioned under her knees and around her shoulders, tensed.

Judith was startled by how high off the ground she was being held. “I’m all right, sir. I can walk—”

“I’m not all right. Don’t move, and focus on applying pressure to the wound.” Kaillou’s voice was low and serious. With Judith in his arms, he headed out of the training field at a brisk pace.

Judith had hoped to escape uninterrupted, but she suddenly heard the voice of a man who opened the door for them. “Looks like you should hurry on your way.”

“Thank you, Jeromell.”

The traitor, with his proudly sharp nose and strikingly handsome features, stood tall with his head held high. His black eyes were cold and full of hypocrisy. He would not have blinked had she lost her head today—but alas, the man holding the door for them was the past Jeromell. He was not the same person who had killed her.

Even knowing that, her heart crumbled as she met his eyes. Betrayal and humiliation chilled her to the bone, and hatred and sorrow filled her heart. It was like Jeromell’s jet-black gaze was consuming every part of her, down to any sense of reason and comfort she had possessed.

“Hang in there.” If it wasn’t for Kaillou’s soothing voice, she would have been swallowed by a wave of emotion. He picked up his pace as the smell of blood grew thicker.

I’ll get back on my feet eventually… Is there really any harm in leaning on someone in the meantime? Perhaps I can just put it out of my mind, Judith thought, clenching her teeth as she pressed on her wound.

At the sight of her pale face, Kaillou quickened his steps.

***

When the priest arrived, Kaillou was sent out of the room as Judith received treatment.

I hope she’s not too badly hurt, he thought. While knights commonly took the lives of others, he wasn’t so jaded as to be desensitized to an accident such as this. Everyone suffered when they were cut, and Kaillou hated making others suffer in this way.

Damn it… This doesn’t feel right. The captain considered that perhaps he had gone overboard, too excited to face a worthy opponent after so long. He hadn’t intended to hurt her, of course, but he had pushed it too far. Self-reproach gnawed at his mind, and he scratched his head out of frustration. When he looked down, he saw that his white gloves were smeared with blood. Its lingering scent suffocated him.

Kaillou waited impatiently, but the door didn’t move. Eventually, he crossed his arms and leaned against the corridor wall.

I wonder what happened. Did she fail to maintain her pace? Everyone makes silly mistakes, but it doesn’t feel right to write it off as that. Judith’s technique and composure had fallen apart in a matter of seconds. For someone of her caliber, it was surprising that she’d just collapsed like a sandcastle wiped out by a wave.

And she wasn’t even looking at me. She had only stolen a glance at Jeromell. That was all… So why? No, it was her mistake to have been distracted in the first place!

Kaillou irritably crossed his ankles and pondered more. His thoughts circled back around, coming to rest on one point—Jeromell. Does she know him? he wondered. It was a reasonable deduction, but Kaillou shook his head right away. No, that’s impossible. The other captain had a very limited social circle. Nobody, not even a dog, could bring themselves to associate with such a ghastly and cruel man. In comparison, Judith seemed to be quite ordinary. She was a commoner, so there was no way she could have come in contact with Jeromell, who was raised to be a marquess.

Kaillou had to know Jeromell better than Judith did. He had surely seen more of the man than someone who had only just become an imperial knight. That sort of man can’t have any association with her. That much is clear, he thought.

Then what was it? Maybe Jeromell intimidated her at some point, or she got lost in the palace and he scolded her. Those were the only explanations Kaillou could think of.

Still, she shouldn’t have lost control of her sword! His thoughts were back to square one. She had certainly passed the qualification test and had performed excellently, but it was a shame that the duel had ended in such an unexpected way.

A little bit of training and polishing will perfect her skills. I’ll have her trained… No, I think it’ll be fastest if I train her myself, Kaillou mused. Wait a minute… Why am I thinking as if she’s already a red knight?

The door finally opened, and the priest stepped out. “Captain Kaillou, may I speak to you for a moment?”

“Priest.” Kaillou unclasped his arms in relief. “How is her wound?”

“She’ll recover. It’s not life-threatening. I have healed her with holy magic, so you needn’t worry about blood loss or infection.”

However, the priest still looked troubled. Kaillou’s heart sank. “Is there some other problem?” he asked.

“Well…”

“Well…?” The captain urged the priest to speak, worried that there was an even worse problem.

“I feel a divine presence within her. If I’m not mistaken, she bears the sign of a stigma.” The priest hesitated, his expression odd, then looked at Kaillou straight on.

Kaillou was speechless. Stigma?

The priest chose his next words carefully. “It appears that our divine Karnak wishes to intervene in the human world through her.”