Those who insult the sword will never be forgiven under any circumstances.
That was an absolute principle for Tanya, the captain of the Gotberg Knights.
From the slums, only a single sword had protected her.
She swings it when she opens her eyes.
She swings it even during light sleep.
Her right hand always rests at her waist.
Even on the rare lucky days when she could lie down to sleep, her sword would be neatly placed by her pillow.
Because she could wield a sword, she rose to the position of captain in the Marquis's knight order.
She left behind her life in the slums, embodied the code of chivalry, and became a proper swordswoman.
But she was still thirsty for more.
Neither the level of Sword Expert nor the position of knight captain in a small province was enough.
She needed to see how far she could go with her sword.
She had to reach the pinnacle.
Only then.
"Huff! Huff! Oh my!"
Only then would she never have to bow her head to those who looked down on the sword, like the rascal before her.
"Would you like to continue?"
Tanya asked emotionlessly.
She concealed her expression because she felt somewhat satisfied inside.
She couldn't count how many times she'd had to clean up the messes he'd caused.
This was a kind of revenge.
'Though I am interested in the Imperial Knights as the Young Lord mentioned.'
Even though it was a simple contractual relationship, she had once pledged loyalty to House Gotberg.
His suggestion to casually betray that, his attitude that took swordsmanship lightly—
None of it sat well with her.
'The Young Lord won't be selected in the court physician exam anyway, and even if he were, he wouldn't take me as his guard knight.'
Under the pretext of sparring, Tanya demonstrated swift swordsmanship that the rascal couldn't react to.
Her quick sword was vigorously striking his arms and back.
"Huff, huff."
Finally, the rascal collapsed face-down on the ground.
After such a thrashing, he should give up and stay down.
But.
"Ugh, take painkillers, emergency treatment. Whew."
This was somewhat unexpected.
He got up and grabbed the wooden sword again.
"Come on, let's continue. Is this the correct basic form? Tell me if I'm wrong."
The rascal swung the wooden sword with all his might.
Both his posture and trajectory were a complete mess.
Tanya struck his sword and knocked him down again.
"Hey, are even the lowest-grade monsters this strong? This is terrible. Again!"
...He stands up again.
Despite panting heavily and being covered in scrapes and wounds, he keeps getting up.
'What's going on?'
Only then did Tanya properly see the look in his eyes through his long bangs.
...Something was different from before.
The dull, unfocused eyes had long disappeared.
In their place was a madman burning with an obsession for life.
'Ugh...!'
Overwhelmed by his intensity, Tanya unconsciously took a step back.
—Thwack!
Taking advantage of the opening, the rascal swung his wooden sword with all his might, crossing it over Tanya's.
"Oh, I didn't fall this time!"
Tanya had instinctively assumed a defensive stance.
With no counterattack coming, the emboldened rascal launched a flurry of strikes with all his strength.
Seeing his innocent enthusiasm, Tanya realized that her anger toward him had somehow dissipated.
She acknowledged it.
'My lord... has changed.'
The corners of Tanya's lips curled up slightly.
Now she understood what he meant.
He hadn't been urging her to betray her oath of loyalty to House Gotberg.
It was the opposite.
He meant that he would definitely pass the court physician exam and take her as his guard knight.
'Perhaps I was the one who misunderstood.'
Tanya herself hadn't always been a knight.
During her formative years, she was just another delinquent from the slums; she only learned the code of chivalry after joining the Gotberg Knights.
If he showed such determination to change, it was a subordinate's duty to respond accordingly.
Tanya called out to him in a softer voice.
"Young Lord."
"What?"
"Honestly, you have no talent for swordsmanship."
"I know that already!"
Lars snapped at Tanya's criticism.
"So I'll teach you some tricks. Efficient techniques for dealing with monsters."
Lars frowned, looking displeased.
In that expression, the willful rascal of before seemed to resurface.
Just as Tanya was beginning to regret her judgment, wondering if it had been a mere illusion, Lars shouted loudly.
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier! I'm ready. What is it, hurry up and show me."
Seeing his easygoing response, Tanya swallowed a laugh.
"If you're suddenly ambushed, remember this stance. Assuming you're holding a sword..."
Lars listened intently to Tanya's explanation.
As they trained together, Tanya found herself unconsciously breaking into a cheerful sweat.
***
"Wow, that's crossing the line."
When a person exceeds their limits, admiration naturally follows.
That's how intensely Tanya pushed me.
For all four days!
"Without emergency treatment, I really couldn't have endured it."
But it was worth it.
―――――――――――
Strength: 10 (UP)
Stamina: 11 (UP)
Magic Power: 1
Mana: 15 (UP)
Divine Power: 22
Faith: 100
―――――――――――
Just four days.
In just four days, I was able to raise my pathetic strength and stamina to a level where I could at least do something.
"This should be enough to avoid dying at least..."
The court physician practical exam was tomorrow.
Though my muscles were screaming in protest after exercising for the first time in my 17 years of life, I just needed to endure one more day.
As I lay sprawled on the bed like soaking wet seaweed, I heard something bump against the door with a thud.
"What's that?"
I got up and flung the door open. Perhaps due to my experience fighting the Demon King's army, I instinctively became alert to potential ambushes.
When camping at night, rustling outside the tent usually meant a monster approaching.
As I tilted my head, I caught a glimpse of gray hair hurriedly disappearing around the corner, trying to hide from my sight.
Recognizing who it was, I felt my tension drain away.
I called her name gently.
"Neria, what's wrong?"
After a moment of silence, Neria peeked her face out from around the corner.
Her flustered expression seemed to have sweat evaporating from it like a cartoon effect.
"O-Oh, brother. Did I disturb your rest? I'm sorry..."
"No, it's fine. But..."
A pleasant aroma wafted through the air. The rich, buttery scent of well-baked goods.
Looking closer, I saw Neria politely holding a tray filled with palm-sized cookies.
"Is that why you couldn't knock?"
"Ah, yes. You've seemed so exhausted lately, so I baked these for you."
"You made these yourself? That's impressive."
The cookies looked quite neat, so I thought they might have been made by a professional servant or cook.
Though they were considerably larger than the ones I usually saw. Neria must have used plenty of ingredients. She's always been generous since childhood.
"I made them for you, brother... You seemed to like sweet things."
Neria looked up at me, blinking carefully.
She seemed worried that she might have done something unwanted.
She baked these cookies just for me.
How could I not be happy?
"Haha, I'll enjoy them. But I'm actually just okay with sweets. If I had to choose, I prefer salty things."
"Is that so? I thought you liked sweets since you eat honey candies every day."
Well, I eat those to survive.
I don't dislike them, they're tolerable enough to keep eating.
I pick up a cookie and take a bite.
A soft texture and rich yeast aroma spread throughout my head.
And... it's sweet.
She certainly wasn't shy with the sugar.
"Ah, it's citron preserves. It has much more flavor than plain sugar."
"Did I like sweet things?"
A question I'd never considered before crossed my mind.
Hmm... my values are pretty clear.
Without needing any fancy description, they're delicious.
I'd like to carry a few of these cookies in my pocket as emergency rations.
Neria watched my face intently as I chewed the cookie.
The corners of her mouth turned up, making her plump cheeks puff up like rice cakes.
"Hehe."
Her expression seemed to be silently celebrating her success with confidence.
"But why did you suddenly bake cookies?"
At my question, Neria's demeanor shifted to one of concern. She tapped the floor with her tiptoes as she answered.
"I saw you training with Captain Tanya... You looked like you were in so much pain. When I fell in the garden, it hurt so badly, so I wondered how much pain you must be in."
Neria looked at me with sympathy.
"But when I ate the cookies a maid gave me then, I felt better! So I thought you might like them too..."
Oh, how thoughtful.
Ten years later, Neria must have been quite worn down from fighting the Demon King's army.
To care so much for her rascal brother, she truly was a little angel in her current pure state.
"Thank you, Neria. Shall we go downstairs and have the rest of the cookies with milk?"
"Milk?"
Neria tilted her head, as if this was an unexpected suggestion.
"Yes. Cookies taste much better with milk. Plus, drinking milk helps you grow taller."
"Really?"
At the mention of growing taller, Neria's eyes sparkled as she brought her fists up to her chest.
"Yes. Adequate calcium intake is essential for skeletal development at your age."
"...I don't really understand, but if you say so, it must be important. I'll have them with milk!"
Neria's obedient face looked like a squirrel that had found food for winter.
If only Asella could be half as nice as Neria.
With that thought, I went down to the kitchen with Neria to find some milk.
***
"All candidates have assembled."
Father announced in a solemn voice.
The next morning, before sunrise, many people had gathered on the northern hill of the estate.
The Gotberg Knights, commanded by Tanya, had completed their battle preparations.
I stood before my father.
On either side of me, healer candidates stood in formation, tense and ready.
Father declared to us:
"The practical examination will now begin. Your performance in today's monster subjugation will be evaluated."