Theodora accounts for more than 80% of Maxim’s memories of the Academy. Maybe it’s taking up everything.There was no reason to recall memories that did not include her.

About 30% of the time Maxim spent with Theodora was used to hone and polish their swords together.

They never missed a day of crossing swords. For Maxim and Theodora, it was a kind of habit or lifestyle that went beyond duty or hobby. On weekends when they were allowed to go out or stay overnight, when they didn’t feel like going outside, they would be cooped up in the training hall all day, exchanging blows. Sometimes they had light sparring with wooden swords, and other times they seriously competed with blunted metal swords.

If there were shortcomings, they complemented them, and if there were things to fix, they corrected them. As they shared their swords, their swordsmanship began to take on a similar style. Just as their personalities grew to resemble each other the more time they spent together, the more their swordsmanship grew to resemble each other.

“It would have been nice if you had learned our family’s swordsmanship.”

Theodora said one day, lying next to Maxim. Sunday morning. Sunlight was faintly coming through the curtains.

“Maybe I should just kidnap you and bring you to our house. How about becoming a live-in son-in-law, Max? And joining our family’s knight order.”

Affectionate nickname and words. Maxim looked at Theodora, who was up at him cutely from his arms, with the same eyes as her. He usually didn’t feel it, but she was small in his arms. Realizing that fact anew, he gently swept her hair aside and replied.

“Being a live-in son-in-law isn’t bad…”

Maxim gave a bashful smile.

“I think it would be much better for us to live together. Succeeding as knights, regardless of family.”
“Yeah. Actually, I think so too.”
“More than that, if your father heard those words, what kind of reaction would he show…”

When Maxim laughed playfully, Theodora laughed along and said.

“Then I’ll protect you. So, do you want to be a live-in son-in-law? I’m fine with that too.”
“If you say that much, I’ll consider it.”

As Maxim patted her head, Theodora rubbed her head against his hand like a cat. Thinking that the coquettishness was too lovely, he held her tightly as she was.

So that she wouldn’t go anywhere and so that their relationship would continue just like this.

==

“Vice Commander Maxim Apart will… personally face me.”

It was a cold voice. Maxim looked at Theodora walking down from the podium. The memory that came to mind after she said she would personally face him was that Sunday morning. He unknowingly stroked his chest area. The scar that shouldn’t even hurt seemed to throb.

“Please come forward.”

Maxim walked forward slowly. The plate-armor boots clattered as they hit the training ground floor. To keep his composed mind from being disturbed, to keep his breathing and rhythm from being disrupted, he kept caressing the hilt of his sword. Theodora stood opposite him, in her uniform without armor, holding the sword she usually used for practice.

The two gazed at each other. However, Maxim couldn’t even guess what Theodora was thinking right now. Would she also recall those days even a little? Was that just his own selfish desire, he should kill that damn lingering attachment too. He sighed.

Ching.

Theodora’s sword was drawn from its scabbard. The blunted blade didn’t shine sharply, but she could cleave mountains and seas even with it. Maxim drew his sword in response. There was no swift drawing sound. He loosely swung his sword once and re-gripped it with both hands.

“Lione… keep the time.”

Theodora turned her head towards the mage and requested.

“Yes, understood.”

The mage accepted her task without question. Lione looked at Theodora and then turned her head towards Maxim. At that moment, he could feel the gazes of the other knights also fixed on him. It felt as if they were asking if he had the qualifications to cross swords with the Commander.

Maxim decided not to be conscious of their gazes. The only thing he needed to focus on was himself. There was no need to ask if they were ready. The two knew each other’s swords too well.

A chilling wind swept across the training ground floor. The sky rumbled as if it would rain at any moment. The training ground was as quiet as a dead mouse. When even the wind became still and all the trees fell asleep, the two knights simultaneously leaped from their positions.

Maxim’s first attack was an extremely concise downward slash. The sword path drawn by the steel fell straight and abruptly like the first raindrop before a downpour.

Tap.

As if a raindrop had fallen on the back of his hand, the blade vertically slashed down.

Clang!

It clashed in midair with Theodora’s sword, which had slashed down diagonally at a slant.

Whoosh, sword wind spread out in a circular shape centered around the two knights.

Beyond the diagonally drawn blade, Maxim looked at Theodora. He was convinced that she, too, would be looking at him right now. Theodora’s obsidian eyes met Maxim’s golden eyes.

He couldn’t read it. The implications of those eyes, complex like a maze, Maxim couldn’t decipher them.

Tap.

A raindrop fell on the gauntlet gripping the sword. With that as the beginning, raindrops began to fall, tapping on Maxim and Theodora.

Clang!

It was Theodora who ended the standoff. She forcefully shook off the sword and pushed Maxim back. He allowed himself to be pushed back according to her intention.

“Maxim Apart.”
“Yes.”

Theodora called out to Maxim. Maxim replied in a calm voice.

“Even if you manage to remain as a member by successfully enduring 15 minutes in this match…”

Raindrops flowed down Theodora’s cheek.

“If I deem your skills unfit for the position of vice commander, I will immediately strip you of your vice commander position.”

Maxim closed his eyes for a moment and re-gripped his sword. The rain was loudly tapping on Maxim’s armor. Maxim’s eyes opened again.

“Understood.”

As soon as Maxim’s answer ended, Theodora tightly closed her mouth and glared at him. And without warning, she charged again.

Clang!

Maxim quickly raised his sword to block, but he felt his palm ringing. Theodora had become able to swing a much stronger sword than before.

‘You’ve become much stronger.’

Maxim kept his mouth tightly shut, wanting to say those words. Instead, he exhaled the words he wanted to say into the rain as groans of struggling against Theodora’s relentless attacks.

Ching! Ching! Ching!

Theodora swung her sword. Her sword was fast yet accurate, heavy yet without hesitation, sharp yet refined. Each time Theodora’s blade clashed with Maxim’s blade, sword wind burst out along with raindrops.

Throw it away.

Maxim told himself. Maxim was blocking all the swords flying from all directions. There was no room for a counterattack. Theodora’s nearly perfected sword was forcing the consumption of stamina just by simply blocking it.

Throw it away.

Maxim told himself again. If no openings were visible, he had to create them. He decided to twist the flow of the continuously flowing offensive forcibly.

‘Deflect the next downward slash and aim for the ankle.’

The sword fell from above Maxim’s head. Instead of distancing himself, he dug into Theodora’s range while holding the sword at an angle. With a terrible sound of metal scraping against metal, red sparks flew past Maxim’s cheek.

Maxim quickly retracted his sword and switched to a thrusting motion aimed at the ankle. Theodora stepped back. And the moment she stepped back was the only chance for Maxim to start attacking.

Consideration was unnecessary. Maxim’s concern for Theodora’s well-being was a deception, an insult, and arrogance towards her.

The sword that had been aiming for the ankle sprang up like a spring, trying to slash Theodora from below. She blocked the attack, which was like a venom-spitting viper, without blinking an eye. He used the rebound from the collision to retract his sword and continue to the next slashing attack in order not to stop the sword. The moment the sword stopped and entered a deadlock, his defeat would be as good as confirmed.

Maxim’s sword danced. The path at the edge of the blade looked like a single strand at times and dozens of strands at others. The attacks that might look light at a glance all carried a fatal sharpness. However, for Maxim, even that sword dance was merely a deception for exploration.

Throw it away.

Maxim’s sword gradually began to grow heavier. The tip of the sword, which had been flying lightly and scattering raindrops, fell with the raindrops as it carried weight. Theodora was keeping up. No, rather than keeping up, she was matching Maxim’s sword.

Throw it away.

Maxim was precariously drawing out his strength. Except for the sword techniques to kill someone, he was drawing out everything he could. It was regrettable that he couldn’t hone his sword beforehand due to the former commander. But he didn’t even have the leisure to think about that now.

The longer they crossed swords, the more Theodora’s expression hardened. Although it bothered Maxim inwardly, he had no choice but to exclude it from his train of thought for now. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them again. It was a look of having made a decision.

Thud!

Maxim reacted late to Theodora’s sword, which had caused an elastic reaction for a moment. He was pushed back, splashing the accumulated rainwater.

Maxim lamented inwardly. A brilliant light was rising from Theodora’s sword.

Aura Blade.

The strongest technique that the best knights could unleash enveloped Theodora’s blade. The sword she was holding emitted a platinum light that resembled her hair color.

Maxim gritted his teeth and corrected his posture. He wasn’t in a condition to face an Aura Blade yet, but he had no choice but to try.

“…You’re not unleashing it?”
“Huh?”

A stupid voice escaped Maxim’s mouth. He hadn’t even imagined that Theodora would speak at this time.

“Aura Blade.”

For a moment, Maxim felt like he had been hit on the head with a hammer. All this time, Theodora had thought that Maxim wasn’t using his full strength. He bit his lip tightly. The smell of pungent blood filled his mouth and nose.

Throw it away.

Maxim didn’t answer Theodora’s question. Instead, he gripped his sword with an unwavering hand. The aftermath of the match so far had shaken Maxim’s mana, but his hand was firm.

“I see.”

Theodora raised her sword high. Maxim wanted to scream that it wasn’t like that, that it wasn’t the situation she thought it was. However, he couldn’t make excuses. Ignoring the scar that had begun to sting, he charged towards the Aura Blade first.

“…Did you think that charging like that would make me see something different?”

Theodora coldly deflected Maxim’s sword. Although he was the one swinging the sword and attacking, he was also the one fully taking the damage. His sword had become sharper and more precise than before, but it was still insufficient to face the Aura Blade.

Maxim gritted his teeth tightly. He began to gather mana in his heart to form an Aura Blade.

‘Don’t overdo it.’
‘Then, I’ll protect you.’

Throw it away.

Boom!

Lightning struck, and thunder shook the sky. In the end, Maxim couldn’t draw out the Aura Blade. The light from Theodora’s sword faded and disappeared.

The rain became heavier. The pouring rain flowed down Maxim’s and Theodora’s heads and faces.

“In the end, you…”

Maxim blankly watched Theodora’s lips as they spoke. Lightning struck again. Theodora’s contorted lips returned to normal. The torrential rain was turning her beautiful platinum hair into a mess.

Boom!

Thunder struck. The sky poured down rain even more fiercely in response.

“Commander, time’s up.”

Lione’s voice was heard. Theodora kept looking at me with her obsidian eyes.

“Maxim Apart, you pass.”

The voice that reached his ears was dry. There was no congratulatory message or joy.

“As for the vice commander position…”

The sound of the rain was loud. Maxim’s vision was obscured by the rainwater.

“I’m sorry, but you cannot be reappointed.”

Theodora’s verdict pierced through the sound of the rain.

“When you come to work tomorrow, I will select a new vice commander.”

Theodora returned to her original position. Maxim simply lined up among the knights in a daze.

“Good work, everyone. Starting tomorrow, you will begin activities with new members. Since you are all gathered for the glory of the kingdom, I hope you get along well without ostracizing anyone.”

Theodora’s voice sounded tired. She ordered the dismissal and returned to the headquarters. The remaining knights congratulated Maxim one by one and then began to walk down the hill in the heavy rain.

Maxim approached the main building with unsteady steps.

“Ugh…!”

The scar, although he hadn’t overdone it, began to ache. It must have been the aftermath of trying to form an Aura Blade and then stopping. Maxim’s legs gave out, and he knelt right at the entrance of the main building.

“…Ugh….”

A groaning sound, whether from the pain or the ache from facing Theodora’s attitude, escaped Maxim’s mouth.

“…Vice Commander.”

Maxim raised his head. Christine, who was also completely drenched by the rain like him, was standing a step behind him. Raindrops were dripping from her golden hair that didn’t fade even when wet.

“…Christine.”
“I’ll help you.”

Christine’s green eyes held compassion. Perhaps because of the rain, they seemed to glisten with moisture. Maxim didn’t refuse her help.

Maxim grabbed Christine’s outstretched hand and stood up. The rain showed no signs of stopping.