The knights gathered at the training grounds all at once. Yuder could feel their glowing gazes blatantly converging on him. Some held reverence, others curiosity. There were countless emotions mixed in—but strangely, not a single one felt negative.

“This is a first.”

Among them, the one whose eyes sparkled with the most anticipation and joy was Weliven. Yuder leaned in slightly and asked in a low whisper,

“So... what exactly would you like me to show you?”

He had asked for instruction—but even that could mean many things. If there was something specific desired, Yuder was willing to oblige. But Weliven simply said everything was fine.

“Anything is fine. Please do as you’re comfortable.”

Well, what else could he do?

“Then I’ll just have to see and decide.”

Yuder slowly scanned the Peleta knights standing before him.

“First impressions... their stance, their energy. All show signs of proper training.”

That was to be expected. This unit was created and trained by none other than Kishiar and Nathan Zuckerman. Overall, they gave off the clear sense of having trained hard and diligently without laziness. Even just judging by their grip on their swords, they were leagues better than the foolish young nobles of the Imperial Guard whose sloppy posture always irritated him.

Most of them were common-born, full of drive, with far more experience fighting monsters than other knight orders. They’d also traveled throughout the Empire on their lord’s orders.

But what they lacked was...

“What to do in order to go even higher.”

With systematic training and experience, anyone could reach a certain level. The Peleta Cavalry had reached that level. But to surpass it, to become exceptional, required something more.

One such element was meeting a true powerhouse.

Even though this unit had been trained by two swordmasters, the Peleta Cavalry had never seen those masters' real strength. With only Weliven—who couldn’t even manifest a sliver of aura—teaching them, there was inevitably a limit.

Facing someone vastly beyond one’s level even once delivered more stimulation than fighting mediocre opponents a hundred times. The Cavalry, too, had sharpened their combat sense far beyond that of the past simply by sparring with Yuder.

“Decision made.”

Yuder opened his mouth slowly, addressing the knights staring at him.

“Has anyone here... ever fought a proper battle against an Awakener?”

The atmosphere among the knights stirred. A young knight with a cheerful expression raised his hand high and shouted,

“Never!”

“Then let’s try a light sparring match today. However...”

Yuder lightly leapt from the commander’s perch and landed on the dirt-covered training ground below.

“The format will not be one-on-one—it will be a free-for-all.”

“Pardon...?”

“It’s a simple sparring match where all of you team up to face one Awakener—me. This is a type of training the Cavalry uses often. It’s excellent for developing cooperation and adapting to unexpected situations.”

“But how can we dare challenge such a noble guest...?”

“There’s only one of you, and so many of us...”

Yuder ignored those voices and continued.

“You are free to use your abilities and switch weapons. However, considering this is a spar, I will not use my power beyond a certain level. If someone loses consciousness or can no longer fight, they are out. If you wish to forfeit midway, raise your hand or simply step beyond the white boundary line drawn around the edge of the training ground.”

He nodded toward the faint white line marking the training area’s border, then walked toward the pile of weapons. His own sword was still in his room, so he intended to borrow a suitable one from here.

“They’re using training swords, so it’s only fair I do the same.”

He selected a sword of roughly the right length and turned back—only to see the knights still frozen like statues. Yuder curved his lips in a cold smile.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“......”

“If this were the Cavalry, they’d have rushed in while I was still picking a weapon. Well then... since you’ve given me time, I’ll start things off.”

A burst of flame surged briefly along Yuder’s blade. The knights flinched backward in surprise, but soon gritted their teeth and raised their swords, one by one.

“Let’s see just how long the Peleta Cavalry can hold out.”

***

“Nathan.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you think there’s been a constant tremor coming from the Peleta Cavalry’s side for a while now?”

Nathan Zuckerman, who was reviewing the final paperwork of the day with his lord, paused and furrowed his brow.

“...Now that you mention it. I wasn’t informed of any siege defense training today... I’ll go check it out.”

“I think I may already know the cause.”

“Pardon?”

“No need to go. Someone’s already on their way.”

Not long after Kishiar spoke, there was a knock at the office door. A servant burst in, panting, and shouted in a rush.

“Duke! There’s an emergency!”

“What is it?”

“Your esteemed guest—no, Baron Aile—is fighting the entire Peleta Cavalry! The training ground is in chaos, completely wrecked!”

Kishiar showed no surprise whatsoever. Rather, he smiled as if he had been waiting for this news and rose from his seat.

“How could I miss a show like that? Come, Nathan.”

“......”

Nathan Zuckerman sighed softly and followed behind his lord. As they stepped outside the inner castle, the tremors and noise that had only faintly reached them earlier now roared with clarity. Kishiar savored the sound as if it were heavenly music.

“For something happening at the Cavalry grounds, you didn’t know about it—so I guess this confirms it?”

“...I did think something was off about Commander Weliven’s attitude after hearing your schedule yesterday.”

Indeed, Weliven—who had already received great help from Yuder’s administrative work—was utterly moved after witnessing his legendary combat skills firsthand. The extent of his impression was so great that he reportedly got into a tense standoff trying to keep the bow Yuder had used from being passed on to the Northern branch members—eventually settling the matter with a card game wager.

Given that, how could Weliven have felt upon learning that the Duke and Yuder were leaving Peleta the following day? As someone who knew the man well, Nathan Zuckerman had suspected Weliven would try to ask Yuder for a final favor for the sake of the Cavalry.

“I did try warning Baron Aile he might have a lot to do before leaving... but I guess it didn’t work. I didn’t expect them to go behind my back and pull something like this.”

“With Weliven’s personality, of course it didn’t work. But no need to worry. Yuder wouldn’t have agreed to anything he didn’t want to do.”

A little further beyond the outer castle wall stood the dedicated training grounds for the Peleta Cavalry. Normally, one would hear nothing more than loud shouts there—but today, it was engulfed in noise like never before.

Not shouting—but screaming.

Explosions.

The sound of things breaking.

And then, more screams.

Kishiar, still smiling, stepped confidently through the training ground’s entrance. Weliven stood on the raised platform right past the gate, too dazed by the scene before him to notice his lord’s arrival.

Kishiar followed the old knight’s gaze and turned his head.

The place was a hellscape.

“Everyone! We can do this! Use joint tactic number thirteen! Split into two teams—aaaagh!”

“If your sword doesn’t work, use something else! Hurry! Now!”

“No good! This is just—!”

“Help!”

The training ground was littered with fallen knights. The earth was torn in places, and weapons lay scattered in complete disarray. The few still standing shouted desperately, throwing every attack they could manage—yet none of it worked.

Because nothing could touch the black demon at the center—no, Yuder Aile.

Unlike the wrecked knights around him, Yuder’s appearance ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) was utterly pristine. One hand wielded surging water, the dagger in the other hand burned with flame. Standing silently at the heart of the battlefield, he looked like a transcendent being reigning over the earth.

Kishiar smiled as he watched his knights charge forward only to be struck down by Yuder’s seamless blend of physical combat and abilities.

“It’s been quite a while... since I’ve seen something like this.”

“D-Duke?! When did you get here?!”

Only then did the stunned Weliven snap out of it and hurriedly straighten his posture.

“With this much noise, did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Ah...!”

“Well, I’m not here to scold anyone. Let’s finish watching first and talk later.”

Kishiar waved him off, signaling him to relax. He then sat comfortably in a chair Nathan had somehow already brought over. Crossing his legs and leaning back, he looked utterly at home. Only now did Weliven realize Nathan Zuckerman was also present—and he chuckled sheepishly with an apologetic smile.