187: What Happened (2)

Who was the strongest person on the continent?

The answer to that hadn’t changed for a long time.

Krono’s headmaster, Ian, his rival Khun and the commander of the White Knights of Holy Kingdom, Julius Hul, had been holding that spot for 30 years.

If so, then who had the greatest talent on the continent?

This was a question that had been recently debated multiple times.

It was because the honor of being the youngest Sword Master, a feat which people thought could never be broken, was passed from Ignet Crescentia to Ilya Lindsay.

The swordsmen of the five kingdoms, who were famous for their swordsmanship skills, as well as the people of the western part of the continent, said that Lindsay Family’s daughter had the greatest talent in the present generation.

Of course, that wasn’t everyone’s opinion.

It was because there were too many achievements that Ignet had accumulated so far, for the public to change their opinion as soon as someone a little bit more talented came up.

Their argument was that it made no sense to compare someone who came from an orphan setting and received instructions only after a later point in life, to a child from a prestigious family who was taught swordsmanship from a young age. And this only made Ignet seem even stronger.

Besides, late last year.

The paladin who was revered by everyone on the continent, Julius Hul, once again ignited the debate.

‘Ignet is a person with an amazing form. This expression isn’t even appropriate for someone who reached the level of Master at the age of 20, but the growth she is showing now proves her how amazing she is.’

That meant that Ignet’s full talent hadn’t bloomed yet.

After that remark from one of the strongest people on the continent, the debate about Ignet vs. Ilya turned into a common topic everywhere on the continent.

And when the Black Knights Commander Ignet appeared.

As she was walking to the corner of the hall, ignoring Sevion Brooks, the great knight of Palanque, everyone thought that she was moving towards Ilya Lindsay.

However, that wasn’t it.

It was to the young blonde who slowly stood up.

The black-haired swordsman looked at the young man with a burning gaze.

Feeling the subtle changes of the flow in energy between the two, the entire crowd gulped.

‘How…’

‘It wasn’t Ilya Lindsay but Airn Pareira?’

‘Do they know each other? What did she mean changed a lot…’

‘What happened?’

Airn Pareira.

As one of the best swordsmen produced by the Land of Proof, he was one of the hottest figures on the continent recently.

Becoming a Sword Master at the age of 22 meant that he was faster than Ian, the school master of Krono.

However, no matter how great that was, his presence was lacking compared to the previous two figures that were shaking up the continent currently.

He reached the status of Sword Master only after the two women did, and in the championship match against Ilya Lindsay, there was also an issue of him using an artifact class weapon as well as sorcery to win.

Compared to Ignet, who gave out an intense heat, and Ilya, who had a very cold atmosphere around her, he had a blurred image, and people underestimated Airn.

But now.

Wheik!

The momentum of Ignet, which was already hot, added even more heat to the situation.

“…”

The moment when this blonde young man who wasn’t considered as much, was able to face her head on.

That was when everyone became aware.

Airn Pareira, that guy… him defeating Ilya Lindsay, it was no fluke, but rather it was completely with his own skills.

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

Under the already heavy atmosphere, Ignet pressured Airn once more as if considering him her opponent.

The gaze with which she looked at him. Airn felt as if he was bound to an iron skewer.

But.

‘I am good enough to be able to stand against it.’

He certainly was.

At least, compared to when he met Ignet in Derinku city, when he was too weak to face her.

At that time, he was shaken by every word and every action of hers.

‘I won’t fall now.’

He wouldn’t collapse.

This was different from his desire to win.

The irritated eyes of his opponent were warming his heart and turning his blood into lava, but Airn now consciously suppressed his fighting spirit.

It was an inseparable feeling for a swordsman, but now there was something else to show, unlike before.

And that was the trust in himself.

The belief he had in his own path.

His confidence towards his own sword and the will and the conviction which arose from it.

The flames of Airn Pareira, which bloomed as a result of the days he spent wandering, spread like an explosion around the iron sword which he had completed with the help of both his present and past lives.

Wheik!

A ray of light flashed in Airn’s eyes.

And with that, the air around him seemed to have undergone a drastic change. And the few people who noticed it became shocked.

Only a few experts, especially those who were at the peak of the Experts stage, recognized what the young blonde was doing. And because of that, they could get a glimpse of one side of him.

And the one who was facing the pressure that Airn was giving out was obviously the one closest to him.

Ignet Crescentia was able to taste her opponent’s will intensely.

And it completely surprised her.

She couldn’t believe that this was from the same childlike person she had met a year and a half ago.

This wasn’t a person who was being swept away by the flow, but rather someone who had a strong and huge heart. A heart that only those who wanted to lead could have.

“…”

Wheik!

Ignet, who was glaring at Airn, increased her pressure yet again.

Airn’s expression didn’t change. Rather, the reaction to the change in pressure came a little further away from him.

Gregory Griffin, who was indirectly exposed to the pressure Ignet was giving out, coughed violently.

And Amira Shelton, who supported him from his side, didn’t seem that great either.

Ignet, who looked at them, politely said.

“Sir Gregory Griffin, the commander of Calven Knights, I sincerely apologize for the rudeness I have shown.”

“Cough, cough. Phew… phew, next time, please let us know beforehand. We need time to step back, right?”

“I will apologize for the mistake I made again, so please relieve your anger if possible.”

“Huhu, don’t worry. It was nice to be able to feel the power of the famous Black Knights Commander.”

After Ignet showed her respect, she turned her body.

And at the end of her path this time, was Sevion Brooks, who had a stiff face.

“Likewise, forgive my rudeness. There was a person I didn’t expect to see here, so I was rude to have not noticed my surroundings.”

“… it is fine.”

“I also apologize to the Court Magician of Rabat. An idiot from my group missed the coordinates of the portal, and we ended up coming here like this.”

“No, it is fine…”

Perry Martinez stuttered.

He had met Ignet once before.

She was someone who had just been appointed as the vice-commander and was far from being graceful then.

It was because the way she spoke then was still like that of a mercenary.

In contrast, her image as the Commander of Black Knight… was flawless.

However, that wasn’t the reason he backed off.

‘… in the time we hadn’t seen each other, she changed this much?’

It was now as intense as a ferocious force that couldn’t be hidden.

In that atmosphere of Ignet, who seemed like she was in the middle of the battlefield, Perry felt his hands dripping from sweat.

“This is embarrassing, but since we moved right after the mission, the knights are in a difficult state. If the organizers of the banquet are fine, I wonder if we could head back and rest first….”

“… we didn’t realize your schedule was so tight. Take the distinguished guests of the Holy Kingdom to their residence.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Perry Martinez paused, and then nodded, and a servant who was standing a bit far away came over to serve the Black Knights.

Not just Ignet, but even the knights were giving out an unusual atmosphere.

“Ehhh, noooo… I was expecting a food party, though!”

The presence of a foreign girl among them flustered the servants too.

Fortunately, there was someone to take care of her.

“… you can just have it in your room, just ask, and you will get whatever you want, so don’t embarrass us all and stop acting like this.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Even so, please hold back.”

“No. a kid can’t be that patient.”

“You are just…”

Vice-commander Georg Phoebe took charge of the stubborn Anya, and the other Black Knights silently followed the servants to their rooms one by one.

However, Ignet didn’t leave the hall till the very end.

Her gaze was on Airn Pareira, who was also looking at her.

“…”

The flame in his heart was slightly lighter than before.

However, Ignet, who hadn’t lost the heat, was sending out burning gazes and whispered quietly.

A voice so small that only an elf with sharp ears could hear.

However, from the shape of her lips, Airn could confirm what she said.

‘I’ll keep an eye on you.’

Ignet’s interest in him hadn’t been extinguished yet.

After confirming that, Airn nodded and mouthed.

‘How much ever you want.’

It was a silent conversation.

After a brief exchange, Ignet turned away.

Everyone in the hall looked at her leaving till the very end.

And in place of her, who left, the attention turned to the vice-commander and the unknown girl in the black dress.

But it wasn’t like that for one person.

As much as Ilya Lindsay was looking forward to this moment, she had no choice but to look in the direction that Ignet walked.

“…”

Not a single word

Just a brief glance.

The woman Ilya had chased after her whole life, vanished without showing any sympathy, ridicule, or anger.

Ilya couldn’t even figure out what kind of emotions she should pour out on her when she got the chance to face her.

The silver-haired swordsman, who thought that with her hardened heart, endured the pain she felt and looked back into her emotions which even she could comprehend.

Jump.

It was then.

A little being who was watching it till then, jumped up from the chair.

And without anyone stopping, strode to the center of the hall.

It was a stride, so no one could stop her.

“Hm?”

“Who? Is she coming for Anya?”

But thanks to that, the point of attention in the hall changed.

When the girl arrived at her destination, not just the nobles, but even Georg and Anya were looking at her.

“You.”

It was Lulu with a magic wand pointed at Anya.

“Me?”

“Right, you Anya!”

“You know me? But Anya doesn’t know you.”

“Why wouldn’t you know about me? Are you stupid?”

Anya, the sorcerer girl, tilted her head at that.

There was no way she could forget someone, and she would definitely never forget someone who looked so cute.

So, she took a step closer and looked at the girl with the horns and wings intently.

And 3 seconds after.

“Ah!”

“Now, do you know?”

“Ahhhhhhh! I wanted to see you!”

She tried to hug Lulu with a surprised expression.

But couldn’t

Swish.

Lulu quickly moved with a cold expression.

She spoke to Anya, who was looking at her with a dumbfounded face.

“You, along with Ignet, bullied Airn and me.”

“Uh?”

“I thought you were going to be friends with me. So why did you do that?”

“Uh? Th, that was the commander’s orders…”

Anya wasn’t sure how to answer those questions.

Lulu took her somewhere, and Anya held onto her hand, leaving Georg alone in the hall.

“…”

“Excuse me, shall I guide you?”

After a moment of a gloomy expression on his face, he nodded to the servant.

The back view of the vice-commander leaving the banquet hall felt lonely.