chapter 11

"The test ends here."

It was Iris who came between us.

Just as Lize had said not to worry, as she would perfectly control her strength, the twin swords Lize was holding stopped just short of reaching Iris.

On the contrary, the bloody sword in my hand was shaking violently while Iris was holding onto it. When I realized this and relaxed my grip, the vibration of the sword stopped abruptly.

Iris, who interrupted the duel by intervening between me and Lize at a speed that was too fast to be seen, only let go of her sword after confirming that both of them had let go of their strength in their hands.

The tip of the sword fell limply to the floor.

"Was the last technique you used the Frost Storm Strike?"

"Of course. You said you'd only use one. Then it has to be the hottest. What else could there be?"

Oh, is it a bit odd to use the expression "hot" when using ice? was added.

"I clearly said that this was just an entrance exam. This time, you were lenient, so I got through it without any injuries."

"Isn't that a bit too lenient?"

Lize smiled broadly and met my eyes. It was a smile that seemed to indicate that she had a lot to say. I slightly avoided her gaze.

"What are you talking about, Lize?"

"I mean it. I was sincere from beginning to end without any favoritism. The rookie just took it all in his stride. Right, rookie?"

Iris and even Erica looked at me at those words that were nothing short of a bombshell declaration. When three eyes of various colors turned towards me, I felt a burden that seemed to burn a hole in my face.

"But if you didn't control your strength, that's a problem in itself. Have you forgotten?"

"If you thought you couldn't stop it, you could have stopped it at any time. Iris, you reacted and stopped even when you suddenly intervened, but did you not know whether a newbie could stop it or not?"

Lize simply dismissed Iris's worries and came over to me with her usual bright smile. Then she placed her arm on my shoulder and pulled me down with force.

There was quite a difference in height between us, so even when we were on tiptoe, I had to bend down a little to get our eye level right. Lize raised her other hand and poked my cheek with her index finger.

"Wow, I'm seriously surprised, rookie. I really didn't expect you to even try to counterattack in that situation. You weren't just saying what you said before the match about what you'd do if I hit you all?"

"What about the dignity and respect as a knight commander?"

"It doesn't really matter anymore. Our new recruit has proven to be a promising talent, so why does it matter that he lost one duel?"

Our bodies were pressed even closer together. Because of the position, her chest, which was almost the size of her head, was rubbing against my arm. The person who was actually pushing it seemed like he had no awareness of his own position.

"And one more thing. There's one very, very important thing that our new recruits must know. You absolutely have to hear this."

Lize's voice suddenly became quiet and her expression turned serious. Then I also became serious. How important could it be to put so much weight on it?

"You, just talk to me."

"...yes?"

For a moment I thought I had misheard.

Suddenly his voice and expression changed to seriousness, so I thought he was trying to say something important, but then he told me to stop talking. It was a really unexpected suggestion.

"You don't have to use formal language with me, so just speak. It's uncomfortable for you as the speaker and for me as the listener, so just throw away all formality and speak comfortably. This is a special service that we provide because we really like our new employees. What do you think? Do you like it?"

"uh...."

I didn't know how to react to this. It was so different from the original NPC in the game. I asked Iris and Erica for help with my eyes.

As if she had read the intention in my eyes, Erica opened her mouth in a tone that sounded enlightened.

"Just accept it. Even if you reject her now, she'll keep clinging to you until she says yes. Even though you look like that, you're actually quite stubborn."

"Even if it looks like that? Hey, what does that mean?"

"What do you mean, Sister? You know better."

Lize growled at Erica for a moment, then lowered her voice again and made subtle eye contact with me.

"Ignore her. Anyway, you just heard, rookie? Now you can talk to me and Erika. You can talk to Iris normally anyway, right? It's the same thing. She and Iris are the same age, so there won't be any problems. Okay, quickly say Rize. Okay?"

Was I the oldest here? I didn't see it that way at all.

Unable to bear the oppressive feeling of being stared at, I cautiously opened my mouth.

"Lee… … Je?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're good. From now on, don't use formal language and just call me whatever you want. I don't need to call you Captain Lize, Captain Lize, Sister Lize, Sister Lize. Just Lize is enough. Got it?"

Lize smiled brightly and clung to me, wondering what was so good about it.

The person who looks cold at first glance, as if you wouldn't bleed even if you pricked him with a needle, is the most lively and friendly person, so it was hard for me to adapt to the sense of discomfort that came from that difference.

"So, you passed the entrance exam… …you passed?"

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I was about to use formal language without thinking, but when Lize, who was hanging on to me, opened her eyes wide and put strength into her arms around my neck, I quickly changed my address. Lize smiled happily again and clung to me.

"Of course I passed! What would be my reputation if I failed our new recruit here? And you, Erica? No, you're going to say you passed anyway, right? Then it doesn't matter, right? Welcome to the Silver Dawn Knights, new recruit!"

"… … I don't like it when you just make up your own mind, but this time, it's the truth, so I can't deny it. I agree with you, Lize. Welcome to the Silver Dawn Knights, Rookie."

When the notices of acceptance from both Lize and Erika arrived, Iris nodded with an expression that said she expected this. Her face seemed to have a deep sense of confidence, perhaps because of what she had shown them before.

"Welcome to the new recruits. I'll think about the formation later, but for now, get some rest. I'll make the formal introductions after Claudia returns."

As long as my stamina wasn't depleted, I didn't really feel tired, so I didn't really care whether I rested or not, but I didn't really feel the need to refuse such consideration, so I just nodded obediently.

"Erika, show the new recruits to their quarters. The location is… …just below the Knight Commanders' quarters. I'll leave it up to you to decide which room to assign them."

"Okay, Iris. Then let's go, Mr. Rookie. I'll show you to your accommodations."

As the figures of Shin-i and Erica completely disappeared into the castle, Lize couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Iris, where did you find such an amazing person? Did you see that too? The way he deflected all my attacks? I can't believe he's a rookie with such skills."

"I don't know either."

"Hey, don't lie. Like, you're hiding a lover somewhere to raise and eat— Wait, wait! I can't even joke?!"

Lize, who saw Iris clenching her fists with cold eyes, quickly swallowed her words, saying that she had just been joking. Iris clicked her tongue and released the strength from her fists.

"If I knew, I would have told you earlier. I really don't know. When I went to inspect the prison on that bastard's orders, most of the people there were killed by the monsters, and only that newbie survived. And on top of that, the one who survived is under the witch's curse and has no memory, no sense of shame, and nothing. How could I possibly know?"

"A single monster did something like that? Shouldn't it have been subdued?"

"There's no need for that. That guy killed him."

"Kill that newbie? That monster?"

"okay."

"...how?"

Iris gave a brief account of what had happened in prison.

After checking the entire prison and confirming that there were no survivors, I came out and found a new recruit fighting the monster alone near the main gate. In the end, that new recruit succeeded in defeating it alone.

It was as if he knew exactly how the monster would attack, and he even easily countered all of its attacks with his crude steel sword.

He added that he initially tried to help, but for some reason he felt that it was not right, so he just watched quietly until the last attack blew his armor away.

Lize, who had been listening to Iris's explanation from beginning to end with her mouth tightly shut, opened her mouth with a slightly stiff expression.

"You said the new guy was an outcast, right?"

"He said it himself. It's probably true. If you really don't believe him, you can use the ability confirmation bead."

"No, it's not that I don't trust a newbie. It's not that I don't trust you… … but you're cursed. And it wasn't just some random person who did it, it was a witch's curse. That means your physical abilities would be no different from a normal person's, you wouldn't be able to use magic, and you wouldn't be able to control mana. But how on earth is that possible?"

Lize recalled how during the entrance exam, the new recruit had accurately predicted and deflected all of her attacks. That wasn't just luck, it was because her skills were truly exceptional.

Although there were signs of being inferior in strength, there was no sign of being inferior in technique. No matter how many consecutive attacks were launched or how fast the attacks were, it felt more like he had anticipated and read them in advance.

The more I thought about it, the more amazing it became.

"...."

As the conversation paused for a moment as they both lost themselves in thought, Iris looked down at the palm of her hand that had blocked the newcomer's sword. There was a wound on her palm.

It was a very faint scar that was almost embarrassing to call a wound, but the fact that such a mark had formed was a problem in itself.

Considering the gap in strength and skill between the two, such a wound should not have occurred. It should have been a simple grab of the sword and that should have been the end of it.

But that didn't happen.

"That… is it the newbie side?"

It was a remark that cut off both the beginning and the end, but the meaning was clear enough. Iris nodded in agreement.

At the very end, the rookie reacted instantly to Lize's planned counter parry and changed the trajectory of the attack. That was also why his palm was slightly cut.

Lize prepared a counter parry after seeing the rookie's attack stance falter in the brief moment of less than a second when the attack came in.

A rookie who deflected all of Lize's attacks and tried to counterattack, but then reacted to a counter parry and twisted the trajectory of his sword.

Iris, who had intervened in the meantime and immediately confirmed that the sword's trajectory had been distorted, also changed her stance. All three of them could be said to have similar skills.

Yeah, the problem was that all three had similar skills.

Two of them are veteran knight commanders who have been wielding swords for over ten years, and the other is a human who has been cursed by a witch. It was only natural that their skills should not be the same.

"Until then, I was just amazed, but at the end, I was truly surprised. Of course, you thought a newbie wouldn't be able to react, so you got involved, right?"

"… … I won't deny it."

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If I were there, would I have done the same thing as the newbie? Iris asked herself.

No matter how many times I thought about it, the answer was 'no.'

He deflects all of those relentless attacks, and even then, he finds an opening to attack, and reads the enemy's unexpected counterattack stance right before the attack and changes his trajectory.

Above all, he must accomplish all of this in his first meeting with Lize, with his body cursed by the witch and whose physical abilities have been greatly reduced.

It was something that was impossible in terms of common sense, but the newbie did it so easily. It was something that would be unbelievable even if he told it as a barroom tale.

I couldn't even guess what kind of person he was originally or what talent he had inside him.

"Iris."

"But why?"

"You, you don't have any special relationship with the newbie or anything, right?"

"If that special relationship is about rational attraction, then no. We just met by chance in prison. Is there any reason to ask that?"

"Why? Of course. If you don't reserve it first, I'll take it."

Lize licked her lips.

The new recruit was to her liking for many reasons. He was quite handsome, had a good body, and most of all, he had the qualities that perfectly matched Lize's sexual preferences.

Discovering a man with outstanding skills and talent at a young age, nurturing him to become a successful man, and later having him eaten by her. That was exactly Rize's sexual preference.

I knew very well that my own wall was a taste that I was embarrassed to show off, and I thought it was almost impossible to make it a reality, so I always just drew it as an ideal in my mind.

But now, a man who seemed to be the exact copy of her ideal world was walking right up to her. She absolutely could not miss this opportunity, no matter what.

Moreover, the fact that the new recruit was a healthy adult male was also a plus. What Lize wanted was a man who was solid and talented but had not developed his talents, not a short brat or a brat.

"Do whatever you want. I won't mind."

"Really? You won't say anything later, will you? After I eat it all up, you won't suddenly show up and say that you were the first person I met, and try to take the spoonful, right?"

"What on earth do you think I am? I wouldn't do something like that."

Just as Lize was about to run out excitedly after receiving permission from Iris, a blunt voice stopped her.

"Oh, I have one question."

"Huh? What is that?"

That Iris asks a personal question first? This was an extremely rare situation. My legs stopped on their own. Lize pricked up her ears.

"You've never even held a man's hand before, so do you know how to seduce a man?"

"What the heck, you bitch?"

Lize looked at Iris with a look of disbelief. How could she say something like that to a woman who had 'never even held a man's hand', even though she was one of those people?