Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A year is a substantial period. In that time, Alon had formally taken part in the succession rites and been named the Count of Palatio, and he had also gradually grown familiar with the responsibilities a Count must shoulder. Yet, a single year is far from sufficient for someone who began with no sword skills to transform into a “Master Knight.”

“Evan.”

“My lord?”

“Master Knight… that refers to a Swordmaster, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed… that is right.”

Swordmaster.

To Alon, who had consumed endless fantasy tales, the title sounded somewhat commonplace. But unlike the generic fantasy worlds where generating an aura blade was enough to earn the rank, Alon was aware that the Swordmasters in this realm functioned on a wholly different level.

Details about the Swordmasters of Psychedelia ran through Alon’s thoughts.

Here, a Swordmaster was not merely a person capable of using an “aura blade.” A Swordmaster was a being who, in addition, could awaken a distinctive power known as a “Derivative” and could vault over fortress walls in a single jump. Put simply, a Swordmaster in this world was better defined as a superhuman, not just a fighter who could coat their blade in aura.

“So, you’re saying Deus has become one of these Swordmasters?”

“…To be precise, he is merely at the cusp. Although he has been acknowledged as a Master Knight, guild reports indicate he has not yet formed a Derivative.”

“…? Then he isn’t truly a Master Knight, is he?”

“That is likely because of the northern barbarians.”

“I see.”

Hearing Evan’s explanation, Alon grasped at once why Deus had been granted the title of Master Knight.

“The war?”

“Yes.”

Caliburn had been fighting the northern barbarians for more than a decade, and just last year, they had lost one of their five Master Knights in the northern campaigns. Recalling this, Alon gave a nod.

“They want to soothe public worry while also declaring that their strength remains.”

“There are likely other factors, but that appears to be the principal one.”

“So, Deus isn’t fully at the level of a Master Knight yet?”

“Not exactly. He simply hasn’t unlocked his Derivative. But based on the Intelligence Guild’s assessment, his combat ability is already considered to be at the Master Knight tier. They report that even Fiola, the Fourth Sword and a confirmed Master Knight, was bested by Deus in a sparring match.”

Listening to Evan, Alon gave a soft chuckle and murmured under his breath.

“…What was the previous age of the youngest Master Knight?”

“To my knowledge, the record was held by a thirty-two-year-old. Reinhardt, the First Sword of Caliburn, was the youngest. Or rather, he used to be.”

“He was the youngest?”

“Yes. He is quite renowned, is he not?”

Alon nodded at Evan’s remark. While he did not care much for fame, he was aware that Reinhardt was a figure of extraordinary power. He remembered Reinhardt always showing up in the third major episode of the game to lend temporary aid to the main character.

‘Didn’t he begin training with a sword at age five, possessing monstrous talent?’

Thinking of the standard narration that played when Reinhardt joined as an ally, Alon laughed quietly. It had taken Reinhardt more than twenty years to achieve the rank of Master Knight, in spite of his prodigious gift and power.

“…Reaching Master Knight in only one year… is that even possible?”

“It is utterly incredible. Even the gifted require five years merely to awaken mana, a decade to envelop their sword with it, and many more years to forge a Derivative. Yet Deus passed the first two milestones in a single year.”

As Evan spoke, clicking his tongue with a trace of admiration, Alon found himself absently stroking his chin.

‘I knew he was gifted, but I never expected it to this degree… Well, it is for the best.’

From Alon’s viewpoint, Deus’s achievement was not a cause for sorrow but for congratulation. The more Deus accomplished, the more Alon stood to gain from it later on.

‘Opportunities… I should be able to grasp them, shouldn’t I?’

Alon’s eyes drifted to the letters resting on a desk in a corner of his office. The correspondence was from Yutia, who was living in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.

‘…Then again, perhaps not…’

The reason for Alon’s troubled look was that throughout the past year, he had received letters only from Yutia. It appeared the five of them were still in contact with one another.

‘Well, I suppose it is understandable since I have never met them face-to-face. Still, I sent each of them individual presents, so not getting a single word of thanks feels somewhat excessive, doesn’t it…?’

Though Alon’s face showed little emotion, a faint frustration was evident as he gave a slight shake of his head. In reality, given his initial objective, Alon ought to have been relieved that the Five Sins had not laid waste to any kingdoms.

And so, with a touch of resignation, Alon told himself:

‘As long as they are living safely, that is what matters.’

***

In the central district of Caliburn’s capital, Kirdam, there stands an imposing mansion in the southern sector, an area reserved for the nation’s most elite nobility. This was the residence of Deus Macallian, commander of the renowned knight order “Eclipse” and the youngest individual in the kingdom to be honored with the title of Master Knight.

“Hah—”

In a dignified office that did not quite match his personal style but which he used regardless, Deus released a soft sigh, looking out the window at the mansion’s garden with a leisurely gaze.

“Brother!”

He saw a young girl, sharing his same dark purple eyes, waving up at him from the garden with a radiant grin. Watching her, Deus could not suppress his own smile.

The girl waved for a moment before continuing her stroll through the garden, and as Deus observed her, his mind drifted back over the past year—to the instant he had met the family he believed was lost and received the present from the Great Moon.

One year earlier, Deus Macallian had already become part of the Blue Moon and was acting under its direction. However, unlike Yutia, his devotion to the Great Moon was not absolute. While he knew the Great Moon had rescued his life, that by itself was not sufficient to win his unwavering loyalty.

Therefore, the reasons Deus Macallian was associated with the Great Moon at that time were two: First, to receive instruction from Yutia, and second, because the Great Moon had pledged him the opportunity for vengeance against the “Black Sheep.”

After all, ever since losing his family—whom he cherished as much as his own life—Deus had been driven by fury and a gnawing hatred that robbed him of sleep.

Consequently, when he first received his mission, Deus was not especially satisfied with it. While he accepted that his earlier tasks for the Blue Moon were meant to confront dark forces, this new assignment felt completely unexpected.

But when he arrived in Caliburn and found the small inn in the southern territory mentioned in the Great Moon’s letter as containing a “gift,” Deus could not believe what he saw. His sister, who should have been slain by the Black Sheep, was there, alive and healthy, employed at the inn.

“Ahem.”

Deus gave an awkward cough, even though he was alone. Looking back, he still felt a sense of embarrassment at how, the moment he saw his sister at the inn, he had clutched her tightly and wept without restraint.

Following that heartfelt reunion, Deus learned everything that had happened to his sister, Silly. She described how she had been taken to a dark location by the Black Sheep, awaiting her turn to be killed, when a brilliant light suddenly drew her back outside. She had almost been sold to a slaver but was rescued by a man called Evan. Then, Count Palatio had supplied her with valuable medicine and had continued to aid and safeguard her until Deus appeared.

After learning all this, Deus could not help but question how the Great Moon had known these details. He had never spoken of his family to anyone in the Blue Moon, and Yutia knew nothing of his past, aside from his assault by the Black Sheep.

Yet before long, Deus ceased puzzling over it. Instead, he remembered Yutia’s words—the phrases she frequently said to him.

“He knows everything.”

“In time, you will see why I devote myself to Him.”

Initially, he had brushed off those statements, but now they were beginning to feel true. Recalling them, Deus expressed his thankfulness to the Great Moon.

For a person like him, eaten up by the need for revenge, the survival of his sister, and the knowledge that his name had been watching over her, was the finest possible present and an immeasurable mercy.

‘Whatever may come…’

Deus swore to himself that he would return this debt. Obeying the Great Moon’s commands, he enlisted as a knight in Caliburn.

Ironically, becoming a knight came easily to him. Beyond his own capabilities, Deus found he possessed a startling and remarkable gift for the sword.

“He knows everything.”

It was then that Deus recognized Yutia’s words were not empty zeal but fact. And by the time he was established as a knight, Deus comprehended why the Great Moon had dispatched him here to take up the role.

‘My task is to establish a royal guard.’

Whether due to the ongoing conflict with the barbarians or not, Caliburn permitted any individual who earned the king’s approval to form a knight order. Furthermore, if one attained the rank of Master Knight, they were allowed to surpass the standard limit on the size of their order.

But this knight order would not be filled with common ruffians. Instead, it would be formed from skilled swordsmen who had journeyed to Caliburn to become knights.

“Commander, it is time.”

“Understood.”

Deus rose, acknowledging the knight who had addressed him with a look of deep respect.

He moved toward the training grounds. The knights, clad in the black iron armor that represented Eclipse, were making ready to march on an expedition against the barbarians. Taking his place on the inspection platform, Deus surveyed the gathered knights.

He was aware that not all of them would come back alive and triumphant.

Yet, for Deus, this was not a major concern. The knight order, the royal guard that would one day serve the Great Moon, needed to be more powerful—significantly more powerful than they were presently. Deus understood all too clearly that the Great Moon did not want a knight order that would be defeated by simple northern barbarians.

And so, unlike other knight commanders who would give rousing speeches to motivate their soldiers, Deus unsheathed his sword and calmly spoke the motto of Eclipse.

“Prove yourself under the moon.”

Uttering these words, he set off on the campaign against the barbarians, determined to forge the finest knight order deserving of the Great Moon’s service.