I wasn't sure how long I'd slept, but I woke feeling utterly refreshed, all the fatigue drained from my body.
The moment I got up, Lina guided me to the dining hall.
As we were about to start breakfast, Head Steward Walter approached with a polite voice.
"Lord Astra, how about taking a stroll after breakfast to observe the knights' training?"
Walter's suggestion piqued my interest.
This was the perfect chance to watch the knights train and test the effects of my trait firsthand.
"Intriguing. I'll finish eating and go watch."
Walter's eyes lit up with delight at my approval.
"The knights will consider it the greatest honor if Haven's Captain graces them with his gaze. I'll escort you personally!"
After a quick breakfast, I followed Walter to the training grounds.
Hundreds of knights were sweating as they clashed swords or hacked at wooden dummies.
Walter explained their training methods and the territory's military strength enthusiastically by my side.
After watching for a while,
my eyes caught a training sword lying on the ground.
"Walter. Mind if I give it a swing?"
My sudden proposal halted not just Walter but all the surrounding knights in their tracks, their attention snapping to me.
Expectancy gleamed in their eyes.
For them, witnessing the swordsmanship of Haven's Captain—the highest authority here—would be a moment etched in memory forever.
Walter hesitated briefly before bowing hastily.
"Of course, Lord Astra! This training ground—nay, the entire territory—is yours. Use it as you please!"
Walter's reaction was a bit over the top, but it wasn't wrong in this situation.
I picked up the wooden sword from the dirt.
It was hefty, but the grip felt decent. All eyes were on me.
Let's give it a try.
I knew nothing about swordsmanship. I just swung it in the most comfortable, natural stance.
Whoosh—!
The sound of the wooden sword slicing empty air.
It was utterly meaningless—a total beginner's swing, worse than novice level, awkward as hell.
But the knights watching my movement widened their eyes in unison.
"No way... that's...!"
"Did you see it?! The will of destruction at the tip of that blade!"
"No! It's the principle of creation! Swordsmanship that births something from nothing!"
"Ugh... are my eyes playing tricks? I swear I saw multiple blades just now!"
Hundreds of knights lost their minds en masse over a novice's single swing, gasping in awe.
This level of reaction...
No need to test the trait further. This is plenty.
I could clearly feel how my trivial actions were perceived as utterly profound by those around me.
Right then.
From afar, a middle-aged knight whose swordsmanship carried a deep seasoned air staggered toward me amid the training. His face was pale, his eyes filled with profound shock.
"Is... is this... your... swordsmanship... Captain...?"
He dropped to his knees at my feet.
His excessive reaction left me flustered, but urgent footsteps approached from behind.
"Knight Captain!"
The panting newcomer was Raizenfels.
He's the Knight Captain?
I glanced down at the man kneeling before me.
In the midst of the confusion, the kneeling middle-aged knight looked up at me and mustered his courage.
"Captain... if it's not too rude... could you... bestow just a fleeting enlightenment... upon my sword...?"
Before I could respond, Walter beside me and the newly arrived Raizenfels cried out in unison.
"What are you saying, Knight Captain!"
"Hermann, what insolence toward the Captain!"
Their flustered scoldings rang out.
Walter looked positively ashen.
It made sense. In military terms, it was like a sergeant major begging a three-star general—a battalion commander's nightmare witnessing it.
If it had been Lü Shu Regiment's Captain Ryujin making the request instead of me, true to his "Blood Sword" moniker, he might've executed the Knight Captain and everyone here.
In Haven, only fellow captains or the lord could make such requests of a captain.
His name's Hermann, huh.
But I had no reason to make a fuss.
Seeing this older man kneeling and pleading actually just made me uncomfortable.
"I lack the talent to teach. I'll show you one last time. Watch and learn on your own."
"Ah... Captain."
I gripped the wooden sword tighter and pondered briefly.
This time, infuse it with intent.
The casual swing earlier had no thought behind it, so the knights' reactions varied wildly—"destruction," "creation," "afterimages," and so on.
But if I imbued my action with clear intent? Everyone watching would likely feel the same—or similar—sense of pressure or meaning.
Nothing can stand before this blade.
I steadied my breath and visualized in my mind's eye a sword edge annihilating everything.
It cleaves all, severs all.
Chanting it inwardly, I brought the wooden sword down.
Whoosh—!
To me, it still looked clumsy—no real difference from before, despite the intent. Just slicing air with a wooden sword.
"Ah... I finally understand. The nature of the wall blocking me..."
But Hermann's voice trembled with thrill as he watched.
His eyes shone like a man who'd found the answer he'd sought for ages.
And Walter and Raizenfels, who'd been berating him moments ago, stood speechless, lost in profound aftershock.
This confirms the trait's effect perfectly. No need to linger.
"Walter, I'm heading to Cheongam Mountain with my group now."
Walter snapped out of it at my words.
"I-I'll prepare the carriage."
"Do."
The demon fiasco had delayed us more than expected, but now it was finally time to depart for Cheongam Fortress, heart of the Jin Gang Regiment territory.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Lord Astra departed the training grounds with Head Steward Walter in tow.
Not one of the hundreds of knights present dared move first until their figures had vanished completely beyond the gates.
They all stood dazed, still reeling from the spectacle they'd just witnessed.
The training grounds were shrouded in deep silence, but it was far from peaceful—like the hush after a massive storm, filled only with profound awe and overwhelming reverence.
"Urgh... ugh..."
Suppressed groans and low sighs erupted here and there.
Knight collapsed on the ground struggled to sit up; those who'd dropped their swords retrieved them with trembling hands.
But their grips still shook faintly.
"Did you see it... the will of destruction at the Captain's sword tip... that overwhelming power threatening to annihilate the world...!"
"I can't believe it even seeing it with my own eyes... to express the concept of perfect destruction through swordsmanship..."
Several knights marveled aloud, but Vice Captain Raizenfels and Captain Hermann were plunged even deeper into shock.
As the strongest here, they gleaned far profounder meaning from that swordsmanship.
"The Captain's swordsmanship transcends our realm of discussion. Yet I felt consideration—a teaching meant for us—within that blade."
Hermann nodded at Raizenfels's words.
"Yes... consideration. Even in that destructive, all-annihilating swordsmanship, there was a trace of guidance for us..."p>
"Ah, but..."
Raizenfels's face twisted suddenly.
"Even so, asking the Captain for a favor? We're captains, but not all captains are equal, He-r-mann?"
"Hahaha, why drag out my name like that? Scary."
"We nearly died back there!"
"But you gained precious insight thanks to me."
"Is enlightenment worth more than our lives?!"
"We're knights. Nothing's more precious than insight."
Hundreds of knights, along with Hermann and Raizenfels, couldn't resume training for quite some time after.
They simply lingered in place, reflecting on the sword's profound truth they'd just grasped.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Clack-clack—
Two days into the journey from Greenwood toward Cheongam Fortress.
The closer we got, the denser the forest grew, massive vines weaving tightly between trees.
It felt like passing through nature's colossal rampart.
But more than any scenery, the atmosphere inside the carriage gnawed at me.
Even after two days, Leina and Hanji maintained their awkward silence.
Whenever their eyes accidentally met, they'd hastily look away.
Fed up, I spoke first.
"You're both Jin Gang members now. Get along."
"Yes, Captain."
Hanji replied politely, but his voice was stiff.
His eyes still burned with anger over the attempt to sacrifice his villagers.
Leina hesitated, sighed, then spoke.
"It's true... I put Hanji's villagers in danger. I'm reflecting on it now, and I really am sorry..."
Leina flushed slightly and turned her head.
"...I don't know how to apologize."
Even her honest confession left Hanji's expression cold.
Sacrificing innocent villagers as demon fodder wasn't something easily forgiven.
"Why... our village of all places?"
Hanji's voice quivered.
Gone was his usual timidity; it was sharp, laced with rage and sorrow.
Leina flinched at his edged question.
After a silence, she murmured softly.
"I'm sorry... truly. Back then, I..."
I glanced between them but said no more. Some wounds needed time to heal.
I'd let them sort it out themselves.
How much longer did we travel amid their tense back-and-forth? The carriage finally emerged from the thick woods, revealing Cheongam Fortress—the Jin Gang Regiment's domain.
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