235: Time to Prove (3)

‘That boy definitely needs to be warned. So that such arbitrary actions wouldn’t be engaged in… Some pressure is needed for sure. Maybe even a little too much pressure.’

Darin Horton, a member of the 2nd subjugation and master of holy magic, remembered what he had said before coming here.

At that time, he had thought about it like this. Even though he had the title of Sword Master, the man was still young and in early 20s.

And when against a devil, isn’t it natural for even Sword Masters to judge themselves to be lower than the devil and be cautious?

But now he had changed his mind completely.

‘The Devil! No, it’s just the devil’s remnant!’

‘It was already subjugated?’

‘The ghost of the devil… is running away? What the…’

The devil definitely wasn’t weak. If the blue holy water turned dark red, then it meant that ordinary Masters couldn’t win over it.

But this devil wasn’t just subdued, but someone even made it run away without putting a curse on the ones who killed it?

His doubts were quickly resolved after a few minutes.

Quincy Myers vs Airn Pareira.

Darin Horton, who watched the two, had no choice but to admit it. He had understood what had happened.

The young swordsman’s judgement was right.

The young man had said that his actions weren’t hasty, but was rather a demonstration of his confidence.

‘He is complete.’

He looked back. The old knights of the Holy Kingdom, who had retired in the past but still showed their perfect appearances.

Even though his body was old, he could feel the enormous aura and the holy power around.

Each of the old men could be compared to ancient heroes.

None of them were lacking in anything.

The atmosphere that Airn exuded was hard to compare to them, but it was still overflowing with stability.

“Thank you. And… sorry.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to postpone the joining of the subjugation squad.”

“And the reason?”

“I have only recently realized my shortcomings.”

“…!”

As he heard those words, it made Darin Horton, a higher priest and holy magic wielder completely shocked.

Realize his shortcomings? Did he lack something?

That young man?

‘What nonsense…’

Frowning he stepped ahead, because he was flustered.

Of course, it was because it made no sense to him.

The paladins here, including Quincy Myers were all strong men and they had risen to a position where they deserved to be treated with riches and fame no matter where they went.

It wasn’t unusual for them to act humble in front of others too.

‘But when humbleness goes far, it becomes rude.’

Darin Horton shook his head. The world was full of darkness. A great chaos which might go down in history was fast approaching.

So, there was no time for humble people. He was thinking of urging the man to join them and cut the bullshit,

But he couldn’t as Quincy Myers raised his arm and stopped him.

As Darin Horton managed to suppress his anger, another question came out of the commander’s mouth.

“And the shortcoming was?”

It was an emotionless voice.

However, the weight of it could be felt.

It was natural. A few months ago, the young man wanted to join the squad but now he was saying something different.

Maybe he was thinking lightly of the Holy Kingdom.

But,

Airn didn’t speak. It was because he realized something through the conversation with the Lloyd Patriarch. The fact that he had been ignoring those close to him till now.

The fact that he neglected and was lacking in things which mattered the most to him. Because of that, he realized that he was lacking.

‘The ideal of being strong is definitely important but before that, I need to be more faithful to those around me.’

Before becoming the hero who saved the continent, he had to be a great son to his parents.

Before becoming a warrior who subdued the devils, he had to be a great brother to Kirill.

He had to be good to his friends and he had to be a good disciple.

It’s only after he fully focused his mind on what he had been missing out because of the direction he chose… would he be truly eligible to join the subjugation squad.

It was late, but Airn finally realized it.

‘No, I am not that late.’

Pouring out his thoughts, he recalled the past.

It was a mess and a life filled with mistakes. But looking back, it was never truly late.

After spending 10 years in bed, he had a chance. After being imprisoned in the barrier for 5 years, he had a chance to restore his relationships.

Today was the same.

Airn’s eyes, which harbored his beliefs which were now closer to certainty for him, shone and he said.

“Sorry. But… for this reason, it seems difficult to join the squad right now.”

“….”

“Instead, when I come back, it will be with a more mature image from who I am now.”

Crack!

Airn put the sword into the ground and swore on it.

Quincy Myers watched it quietly. And so did the others.

None of the paladins there were close to 100, and the youngest one was Darin Horton who was in his 70s, yet no one spoke back or said anything.

But the mood wasn’t even bad.

“… first, since the subjugation is done, take a break in the estate. Why don’t we continue sorting all of this out there?”

Lord Lloyd broke the silence. And the commander nodded his head.

There was no change in the expression, but his demeanor had softened.

And like that, the subjugation was done and it had shown much greater hope than expected.

“I underestimated Airn.”

Quincy Myers who glanced at the subjugation crew in the large room mumbled as he sipped tea. Others thought the same way. At the same time, the words of Airn made their heads nod.

‘It is something we all have been through once.’

There was a time when they spent their lives embroiled in trials in order to follow the will of God or some other teaching.

However, they realized it later.

It wasn’t right to lose their present situation as they went searching after different ideals. It meant that God never wants their Lambs to only have painful days.

Which was why this was more surprising. It wasn’t usually a thought a man who was 23 could have.

It was such a great attitude that they could accept it only if someone so young said that he had reincarnated.1

“It is unfortunate, but we can do nothing about it. We will have to work harder.”

“Right.”

“It isn’t a bad situation even if we have to work a little bit harder.”

The old people spoke one after another, but it wasn’t without regret.

Because the situation wasn’t as optimistic as they said.

They found out through detailed investigations and reports from various places. Those who were presumed to be the servants of the clown devil were far more numerous than the Holy Kingdom had thought and were widespread throughout the continent.

And it was likely for several other devils to be in the continent too.

Of course, nothing bad had happened yet. Until now, the subjugation squad was divided into three to handle the devils and their minions.

The support they had from all the nations was helping them immensely.

But they thought that Airn, who wielded such power would be a great help…

‘A junior who will be responsible for the future of the continent, asks me for a little more time for him to grow…’

‘As a senior who lived long, I can’t look weak in front of him.’

All the old men smiled.

They considered him as a complete hero. At the age of 23, he had grown strong enough to not be compared with others, so they thought that Airn would need 10 years to cross another wall.

It was because when the highest level was hit, an even higher wall formed.

However, that didn’t seem to be the case. This young man was still growing, and his potential seemed to be endless.

It was a time when hopeful thoughts were running through the minds of everyone in the subjugation squad.

Knock.

“Can I come in?”

“…Come in.”

Quincy Myers answered. They knew who it was before he entered.

The young swordsman was Bratt Lloyd, known to be one of the golden batch members of Krono.

Curiosity flashed on their faces.

The blue-haired man bowed his head.

“If it isn’t too rude, I would like to ask for a match.”

“…”

“I know that it is rude to do this to someone who is hoping to leave after a one-night break, and I know that my request has nothing to do with the situation. But…”

As a future lord of the Lloyd house, he couldn’t pass up the chance.

Saying that, Bratt continued to speak his innermost thoughts.

‘A devil has appeared here.’ The helplessness he felt when he heard that was indescribable.

It was a mixture of shock and frustration that was now elevated to a degree where he couldn’t even remember the past where he was confident in his skills and his promise to not lose his dignity in front of anyone.

Despite that promise, his mind was now unstable and wavering. Of course, he didn’t sit down just because of that.

Even though it was unreasonable, he entered the devil’s den with Airn and crossed a wall that had been holding him back.

After breaking through those limits, he could feel himself stronger.

But he couldn’t be satisfied with just that.

“I don’t even dare think about joining the subjugation squad.”

“…”

“However, the level of ability to protect the territory and its people from unforeseen disasters, the strength to endure against the devil until support arrives from the Holy Kingdom… I want to become at least that strong. So please…”

While speaking with his head bowed, Bratt looked at the commander.

His eyes were hotter than usual. But they were not because of arrogance.

It was the attitude that one should have as a Lord, but it was a value nobles often forgot the most. And Quincy Myers could feel it.

“Um.”

Darin Horton grumbled.

Airn Pareira, he could understand.

But this young man, who was even younger than Airn, was asking the commander to teach him. Wasn’t it like an Expert teaching swordsmanship to a 7 year old kid?

However, his thoughts washed away as Quincy Myers spoke.

“How long have you been a Master?”

“… less than a month.”

“Not bad. Follow me.”

“Yes.”

“…?”

Everyone including Darin Horton was shocked.

A Sword master?

That young kid?

Wasn’t he still 21?

Although they were shocked, the knights of Holy Kingdom followed Quincy Myers.

And it didn’t stop there. A paladin old enough to be compared to the commander whispered.