CH 3

3-3 A Variant

It was night on the first day of the Holy Knight Qualification Examination.

A piercing metallic sound rang out in the depths of the forest, where even the light of the moon refused to shine.

Just when I thought I was finally going to be able to eat, the battle of eat or be eaten suddenly began.

I wondered if they would be able to afford the title of holy knight after having their bodies and spirit cut down like this from day one. But if they’re not prepared to a certain degree for this holy knight exam, that’ll be a problem.

“… Yeah… the first pass line is still my brother and Lefilia…”

After looking around the ground for a moment, I met Chris again.

“Aren’t they at a level where they don’t need to be surveilled?”

The two of them had achieved such outstanding results that they didn’t even need to be monitored for security reasons. In particular, they overwhelmed the other test takers in the battle against multiple annihilators and it was exhilarating to watch them live up to the knight’s idealistic theory of what would happen if a good sword user learned a range attack magic that was effective over medium to long distances.

“In this case, should we be happy that our prior assessment turned out to be correct?”

“Well, even if they don’t do well this time, they can always take advantage of it next year……”

“That’s right, let’s dispel the previous reputation of the exam being only tough!”

In the first place, there are many people who repeatedly take the exam to call themselves a knight. In the case of the holy knight exam, if you have the physical and mental strength to take it again and again, you won’t fail in the first place. In short, the true nature of the scarcity of those who pass the exam is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s largely due to the small number of people who take the exam and the overwhelmingly low rate of retakes due to the egregiousness of the previous reputation.

There’re a number of reasons why the threshold for a qualification that’s nationally recognized but whose existence is questioned has not been lowered.

First of all, if you don’t have extraordinary magical power, you’ll be rejected by the borderline in the first place. Even if people allowed it, the magic of the borderline would not give permission for passage and even if you can reach his land, the obvious fact remains that you have to protect yourself by yourself. This is even more so when you don’t have any friends to rely on.

Therefore, the holy knights had to be the best in terms of magic power and fighting ability of their era.

As a result of the widening of the gaps, both in name and reality, the leaders of the three countries except Fermina, the only country with holy knights, became impatient. The content of the exam became fiercer without the prospect of successful applicants and after a certain year, the ethical clasp was broken.

“…… Well, the year I took the exam, it was one word: insane.”

The content of the holy knight examinations is considered to be a matter of special secrecy and divulging the content is a felony. Nevertheless, the anomaly spread secretly because it became clear that all those who knew the content of the test and allowed it to continue were punished in some way.

“I wasn’t even informed of the details…. but was it really that cruel?”

“If it wasn’t for the fact that His Majesty the King was on his sickbed, it would certainly have been withdrawn.”

Did she feel the responsibility as a member of the royal family, or was she thinking of his majesty’s state at the award ceremony? In the depths of Princess Christia’s eyes, a color other than her curiosity consists of her vivacity flashed.

The content of each year’s qualifying examination is determined by the king of each country. In the year I took the exam, the kings of Fermina and Lurain were both on their sickbeds due to a nationwide epidemic, so it was automatically left to King Raphia to decide. No wonder Chris didn’t know about it.

“It was a simple matter of proving whether or not you had the ability to meet the qualifications of a holy knight, that’s all.”

“…………?”

“You were ordered to jump into the perimeter. If you make it back in one piece, you pass. If you don’t…….”

He made a slashing motion with his thumb.

“You become fertilizer for the border, goodbye. That’s it.”

The reason why the border is called that is because that shining wall has a magic power that blocks the passage of all living things and if those who’re not strong enough try to break through, they will lose their physical strength in an instant and it’ll even absorb a piece of their life force.

To unnecessarily lower the threshold of the test and spread out the qualifications of a holy knight is nothing but the act of spreading out tombstones. It can be said that the examinations that make the examinees prepare for death end up saving their lives.

–However, in spite of this, “great men” have only pursued the result.

“If it’s a qualification to measure one’s ability to cross the borderline, let them actually do it.” (Sage)

The elimination process was so forceful that even a child would have found it reckless. Rather than the opportunity to retake the test there was the promise of immediate death if one failed so they said “If you can’t do it, then that’s that.”

As a result, four examinees refused to take the test after learning the contents, eight others threw themselves into the light of the borderline and seven lost their lives.

“The only one left, the only survivor, was me.”

“…………”

Chris’s eyes were just as assertive. Despite the fact that I have delivered her sword, she is glaring at the void while emitting a sharp aura.

“Please forgive me, the central figure at that time is probably a deceased person at the end of the magic wall there.”

The now-deceased nation of Raphia was more worried than I had imagined about the lack of holy knights in their country.

Looking back, I think that the test had been a backhanded attempt on the lives of promising knights from other countries. However, the deviousness never blossomed and as a result, instead of clearing the grudge, Fermina gave out successful candidates. As king Raphia planned to destroy the borderline soon after the test, I wondered if he’d lost his last remaining sanity.

But that doesn’t mean there was any excuse for destroying the border and causing damage not only to your own country but also Lurain.

“…But what can I do—“

“It’s time to go, both of you.”

Marie appeared from the sky, interrupting Chris and I. When she saw Chris biting her lip and looking away, she softly approached her and looked into her face.

“Are you okay, Chris?”

“…… I’m fine, thank you.”

“Wait, Your Highness.” (Sage)

When I noticed, I was throwing my voice at Chris’s back, who turned around to avoid looking at Marie.

“Your Highness, we’re not royalty and we cannot bear the many burdens you are carrying.”

He looked at Chris, shoulder to shoulder with Marie.

“But if there is something you wish to accomplish, I’ll do my best to help you. So please don’t make such a face.”

Chris’s complexion, which had looked pale, turned light red in a single breath.

“There’s just one thing……. The knights will probably bring a lot of monsters with them, so when the time is right, please use your magic to take care of them.”

“Eh? It doesn’t matter, but that’s….”

Chris smiled awkwardly and drew her twin swords in a single breath.

“I also want to see you looking good, Sage-sama. It’s my way of replenishing my energy!”

After saying that, Chris released the wind magic that surrounded her. She held the edges of her flapping clothes with her hands, still holding her sword and fell freely to the ground.

“…Even though she’s a princess and has a key position, she’s young enough to still be called a girl, so I’m sure there are times she gets troubled.”

“Well, surely…….”

“You’re Chris’s senior as a holy knight. She has to be able to rely on you.”

“I see….”

Marie’s argument was perfectly reasonable. What mattered at this point was something else.

“… And how long are you going to do that……?”

Her tone of voice was somber, but she was leaning in close to me, rubbing her cheek against my breastplate. I know I’m not strong enough to pull away, so I let the moment pass without thinking.

“It’s my own way of replenishing my energy. Please wait another ten seconds.”

She smiled in a very good mood, so I couldn’t treat her too harshly.

…… But on second thought, maybe I’m making Marie work too hard. All we had to do was monitor the examinees from the air, but she ran around the ground quickly and unquestioningly to help the examinees.

It’s not only the holy knights, but even her ties to the human countries are vague.

“……come on, let’s get going.”

“Yes. Chris is going to be very angry.”

I put my hand on her little head and stroked her silver hair, which was like white silk. I held hands with Marie, who narrowed her eyes happily and followed Chris in releasing the wind magic.

We swooped down through the tall trees to a slightly open area that Chris had designated, just as the examinees were beginning to gather.

“How’s it going?”

I landed beside Chris, who was leading the way with light magic on the tip of her sword. Speaking of Marie, she seemed to have decided to wait in the sky for a while to keep her position as a stranger.

“Well, look at that.”

I looked over at Chris, who had just said this without hesitation. There was a human figure approaching in front of us and countless non-human shadows following behind it.

Even without seeing, anyone who is skilled in handling magic can sense the presence of a demon quite accurately. They’re called demons and although they vary in shape and strength, they all have magic power in their bodies. We’re able to sense that magic power.

However, this advantage can be used in a bad way. In a situation like the one we’re in now, even if we calm down and deal with the situation, surely, little by little, the presence of the demon in the vicinity always flickers in our minds and makes us pull back.

The fact that we know so much about them makes us overly concerned about the difference in strength between us even before we fight.

But then again…

“It seems that this place is more dangerous than I thought.”

In order to kill a large number of monsters at once, the best solution is to use large-scale magic.

However, there are times when new monsters will arrive, sensing the magic power. If this is the case, we need to rely on swordplay in many places. If this equilibrium is compromised in a danger zone, one monster after another will rush in and we’ll be forced into a never-ending battle.

If you want to cross the border, you only need to have a talent for magic, but that’s why holy knights also place importance on swordsmanship and this can only be understood in actual combat, which is something that’ll never be experienced in training.

“The experience of a non-dangerous battle is no different from normal training. I’m not saying that they should risk their lives, but if you want to become a holy knight, you have to be prepared to spill some blood.” (Chris)

“Please do it moderately.”

While we’re repeating this exchange, the knights who had gathered from all directions leaned back in a circle with Chris at the center.

After a breath, seven white blades reflected the light Chris had created and flashed. They struck accurate blows to the vital points of the monsters that had jumped ahead of them and then retreated back to their original positions so as not to create gaps between them.

Only Leon stood motionless, holding his wide sword in both hands in a praying posture.

“That’s–“

“Christia!…… and that swordsman over there!”

As the monsters struggled to fight back, Lefilia raised her voice.

“In five seconds, get down!”

A sharp, pale flash of light appeared at the edge of the vision of the monsters, who couldn’t possibly understand human language.

The tip of Leon’s sword, raised, crystallized with a dry, sobering sound. The blade, which was as tall as a child, extended dozens of times further and in the next instant it was soundlessly reamed out.

A chill blew through the air around my spine. After a few moments of silence, the large tree that had been cut down in a circle roared and collapsed, burying the corpses of the monsters that had been cut in two.

“Did that do it…… ?”

“No, not yet!”

The first to react to Leon’s voice indicating the remnants was Lefilia. She swung her hand which had no sword and pointed vigorously at the shadow of a particularly huge monster that was still standing. A water ball the size of a fist was kneaded at her fingertips and shot out in a spiral.

The water magic that rushed like a thrusting sword was dispelled by a swing of the monster’s arm, leaving only a small sound of water.

“Leon!”

Leon’s reaction to being called by name was even quicker. The countless water droplets that had been hit stopped moving in midair and turned into ice blocks that attacked the monster once again. It was the same brilliant coordination of water and ice magic that he had shown against the monster he had fought near the border, albeit on a different scale.

The ice block, a weapon of absolute zero, caught the monster by surprise. The blow struck the defenseless body, but it hit the skin of the monster and dispersed in vain.

A pair of knights looked up at it and jumped out with their swords at the ready. After a moment’s delay, as if to assist their suicide attack, a variety of attack magic, large and small, flew at the monster.

The monster’s large frame swayed carelessly as it raised its arms once again. Chris shouted in admiration as the multicolored magic emitted a dazzling glow. The two knights had gone around the back of the monster, taking advantage of its blind spot in response to the bright light. The swinging swords were already covered with the magic of flames that emitted heat waves.

It was a series of near-perfect moves, layered on top of each other. The optimism of the knights who were sure of victory was cut short by the dry sound of two swords breaking.

“–Eh?”

The knight who looked down vainly at his sword, which had only a hilt, was snatched bodily by the monster’s arm. The other knight swung his sword again, but the broken blade only shortened further.

The head of the faceless monster opened its mouth with a sickening sound. The monster’s arm grabbed the knight and slowly descended on it.

There was no scream.