That day.
　Two orders of knights arrived at the Royal Academy of Builders.

　One is the Kingsguard.
　A venerable order that protects the royal family of Terraria.

　The other is the Knights of Orthophosphorus.
　It is the knightly order of the Dukes of Telgande, the most active in the War of Heroes.

　After the knights gathered on the field, the joint exercise began.
　Even for knights, basic training is essential. At first, the students were familiar with running and swinging swords to build up their strength.
　Then, as the training became more serious, the students began to engage in fights and mock battles to confirm the kata.

　Right in front of our eyes, the Knights of the Kingsguard and the Knights of the Shorin were having a mock battle.
　The students of the school were very excited by this scene. 　

"Whoa, whoa!　That was amazing!　Did you see that?　Is this human work?

I'm not sure what to make of it. ...... Their movements are very refined.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　Some of the knights are naturally those who fought on the front lines during the Great War. They are the heroes that the students respect next to the heroes. No wonder Gran and the others were excited.

"Twight, let's get a closer look!

"...... Ah!

　Gran and I followed him as he made his way forward through the crowd.
　Gran's strong face is useful in situations like this. There are few students who would not give way in the face of such a strong face.

"But it's nice, isn't it Elysia? You'll be able to see this much closer than we can, right?

　Gran murmured, and I turned my gaze to the inside of the field.
　In order not to interfere with the exercise, we visitors are not allowed to enter the grounds. The only exception is the committee members who help with the exercises. Elysia, a member of the committee, was in the middle of delivering drinks to the knights during the exercise.

"You like knights, Gran?

Yes. I've always wanted to be a knight, after all.

　"Yes, I've always wanted to be a knight," Gran said, somewhat embarrassed.
　Gran said that he was a man who was discouraged by the battlefield. That's why he didn't take the entrance exam for the heroic course and applied for the normal course from the beginning. ...... I guess he doesn't yearn to be a knight now. Even so, it seems that the respect has not disappeared.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

　Mize says.
　There was a blue-haired female knight at the end of her gaze.

It's ...... the Knights of the Kingsguard, Salia Pendiente. It's the best in the kingdom, having been appointed a knight of the Kingsguard last year at the age of only 18.

　In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information here.
　Although knights were not an organization that forbade women, there were still fewer women than men. No matter how respected they were, knights' true calling was bloody warfare. Not many women would like to step into such a place.

　Saria was exchanging swords with a male Shorin knight who was nearby.
　His body language was light. Her strikes were light, but she was probably the type to attack with numbers and skill.
　But there is a lot of waste in his movements. I see. "Great talent" is the right word. It is not yet fully polished.

"...... is still developing.

"Yes. It's a work in progress, ......, but that's the beauty of it.

You're both saying the same thing, but you're looking at it differently, aren't you?

　Mize says. The eyes glared at Gran.
　Gran ignored Mize's gaze and stared at Saria's chest for a while.

　At that moment, there was a cheer from the students in the area.
　In front of their gazes, there were two men.

"The two tops of the Kingsguard. ...... Wow, I've never seen this in person before.

　Gran said excitedly.
　There they were, the Commander and Vice-Commander of the Kingsguard. They are truly the heroes of the war.

I believe it was Eustis-Akline and Bremen-Evans.

Oh, come on, Twight. You know a lot about knights, don't you?

No, I only know their names.

　Eustis, the blonde-haired young man, and Bremen, the red-haired young man.
　Both are relatively young. Eustis, the commander, has a friendly atmosphere for a knight, and is always smiling during the exercises. The Bremen, on the other hand, have a serious look on their faces. The Knights of the Kingsguard sometimes stand in front of the public with royalty. Especially if you're the leader. Eustis's friendly atmosphere may have been intentionally created in order to be accepted by as many people as possible.



"Over there, you have the Commander and Vice Commander of the Order of the True Phosphorus. Uh, Lauren-Durite and Garm-Eusted, I think.

　Mize said, pointing in the other direction.
　She was right, there were the two top Knights of the Order of the True Phosphorus there.
　The silver-haired man, Loren, and the black-haired man, Garm. Unlike the two top Knights of the Kingsguard, both of these men are older. Their faces exude dignity, and they are both admired and unapproachable at the same time. It is said that the Order of the Right Phosphorus is a meritocracy and there are many knights who have been trained. It's an organization where you have to have such a hard attitude to show your subordinates.

　All four of these men fought on the front lines during the Great War.
　So they look somewhat familiar to me. But it's just that I know them from my side and they probably don't know me at all. We may have crossed paths a few times when the agency's headquarters was set up in the royal castle, but at that time, I must have gone by the title of apprentice knight.

"Oh, really? The four of them are going to have a mock battle!

　Just as Gran said, the four men gathered in one place and each took up a sword.
　It seems that the two tops of the two knight orders will be having a mock battle of two against two.

　On the left side of the room were the two members of the Kingsguard. On the right side stand the two Knights of the Order of the True Phosphorus.
　They stared at each other for a while and then moved.

"...... is awesome.

　The students marveled as they witnessed the mock battle between the four.
　Of course, the level is different from the students. The only magic they used was the close combat style "Rage", but their movements were almost impossible to follow with the eyes.

You can barely see it because it's moving so fast.

　Mize says with a wry smile.

I'm not sure about this either, but ...... I think the phosphorus knights have the advantage for now.

Yeah. The Knights of the Kingsguard are on the defensive.

　I agree with Gran's words.
　I've always wanted to be a knight. It seems that Gran can barely see the attack and defense in front of him.

"Well, the attack power of the Order of the True Phosphorus is unparalleled even in the world. Especially the vice commander, Garm, is famous.

"Vice-Commander, huh?　Not the commander.

　In response to Mize's question, the knight-nerd Gran explained in no uncertain terms.

I'm sure you'll agree with me. But when it comes to attack, Garm is more famous. It is said that once he is on the battlefield, he will devour his enemy like a beast and will continue to fight without rest no matter how badly he is injured. His nickname is "Berserk". In the Great War, he was a hero who was assigned to lead suicide missions many times.

　Gran's explanation is correct. Indeed, Garm was often assigned as a suicide captain.
　When he is quiet, he looks like a dignified warrior, but when he draws his sword, he reveals his fierce nature like a beast. The sight of Garm on the battlefield was too wild to be considered a knight.

However, the Kingsguard is no less.

　Gran nodded at my muttering.

It's a good idea. ...... The Kingsguard are good at defending themselves. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not.

　I'm sure you're not the only one.

I'm not sure what to say. It's amazing .......

　You can see the movements of both of them." Mize said with admiration.

　I look at Elysia.
　While everyone was admiring the mock battle between the two tops of the knight order, only Elysia was looking in a different direction.

　In her line of sight, there was a slightly overweight man with blond hair.
　Roberto Tergande.
　The man who had framed Elysia's father, Galia.

　--I can't touch him now.

　Two members of the Order of the Phosphorus were standing by Roberto's side.
　Elysia did not have the skills to get past their guards and kill Roberto.

　At that moment, a loud cheer erupted from the surroundings.
　The mock battle had ended. The result--a draw, I guess. Apparently, both sides decided to call it quits when they had worked up a good sweat.

　The four knights put down their swords and shook hands.
　The students applauded them.

"Oh, that was exciting. But it's a pity it didn't end well. I wish it had gone on a little longer.

　Gran says.

"Maybe they didn't want to settle it in the first place.

"What do you mean?　What do you mean?

　Gran tilted her head at my comment.
　Gran tilted his head at my comment. The answer was given by Mize.

If we decide on a winner, depending on the outcome, it will imply the superiority or inferiority of the two orders. If you are a novice or a mid-level knight, but the four of them have a high influence on the order, you can't easily lose, even in a mock battle.

　Gran agreed with Mize's explanation, "I see.


　The exercise continued for some time, and the students experienced firsthand the strength of the knights who defended their country.

　Elysia did not move.
　Roberto's security was impeccable. He always had guards with him, even when he was away.
　The crowd is a favorite hiding place for assassins. Roberto must be wary of the masses in front of him.

　You can't assassinate someone during a drill.
　So that means...

"...... at night.

　I'm sure she'll make her move tonight.
　But I made a decision yesterday.

　I'm not stopping Elysia anymore.
　I won't stop her (・・・・・・).

　Her hatred is not going to go away until she kills Roberto.
　So now I realize it's impossible to convince her.

　He takes his eyes off Elysia and follows the other students to observe the knight's exercise.
　This is it.
　This is how it has to be.