“Is that all for those wishing to apply for the vice commander position?”

Theodora surveyed the remaining knights, but no one else raised their hand. Instead, they just cast sidelong glances with curious eyes at the two knights who had volunteered. Theodora paused for a moment before calling the two forward.

“…Alright. Then, the two volunteers, please step forward.”

Christine maintained a composed demeanor. Her emerald eyes shone with an unusual light. Just before, she had said she would leave the knight order with Maxim if he didn’t become vice commander. Now, here she was, volunteering for that very position.

Maxim let out a short, quiet sigh.

She’s not the type to joke around in a situation like this. She must have some reason.

Maxim reassured his anxious heart. In the meantime, the candidates began their self-introductions.

“…I am Roberto Miller. With the renowned swordsmanship of my teacher, Commander Theodora, hailed as the Northern Sword Ghost, I wish to ably assist her and lead this knight order together.”

Roberto Miller had his long, flowing hair tied back. His only defining feature was his hook-nose. His skill was enough to manifest a faint aura blade. Maxim tried to recall the image of him fighting. He remembered Roberto employing good swordsmanship that prioritized agile movements and quick attacks. And swordsmanship that focused on speed could gain an advantageous position against mages.

Of course, that still wouldn’t be enough to defeat Christine though.

‘Christine will win… easily at that.’

If she got serious about fighting, perhaps only Theodora could defeat her. Maxim wasn’t worried about Christine’s well-being. He was just filled with questions about why she had volunteered for the position.

After Roberto Miller finished his greeting, Christine took a step forward.

“I am Christine Watson. I too, like Mr. Miller…”

At this point, Christine glanced at Theodora with a nod.

“I wish to ably assist Commander Theodora Bening by her side and lead the Raven Knight Order.”

Then, turning back to face forward, she gave her signature vivid smile. For some reason, Maxim felt that smile was directed at him, making his stomach churn. Theodora looked at the two and began explaining the selection method.

“Since this is about appointing the knight order’s vice commander, there’s no need to complicate things.”

At Theodora’s words, an emotion resembling confidence flickered across Roberto’s face. Maxim watched him, still unaware of what was about to unfold, with sympathetic eyes.

“It will be decided through a duel.”

As soon as Theodora’s words fell, the knights retreated to the edges of the training grounds like lightning. Maxim clicked his tongue at their passionate behavior, a stark contrast to the old Raven Knight Order. Meanwhile, someone dashed off to the main building to fetch Roberto’s armor.

As Maxim watched Christine quietly meditating and gathering mana in the training grounds, Paola struck up a conversation with him.

“Oh, Maxim.”

The corners of Maxim’s mouth twitched. Aren’t you being a bit too friendly? Paola grinned and stood next to Maxim, slyly pointing a finger at Christine. His deep golden hair fluttered in the oncoming breeze.

“Were you watching that cute young lady?”
“I’m unsure if we’re looking at the same person.”
“My, my, you’re quite the shy one, aren’t you.”
“You seem to be the opposite, Senior.”

Upon hearing Maxim’s reply, Paola burst out laughing.

“Well, you’re not wrong about that. More importantly, what do you think?”
“Think about what, exactly?”
“I’m asking who you think will win between the two.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Maxim answered Paola’s question.

“Christine will win… I feel bad for Roberto.”

Paola showed a very intrigued expression at Maxim’s confident words. He unknowingly furrowed his brow at the look only a gossipmonger could make. He would have been happy to respond if it was pure interest in the fight and martial arts.

“I think Roberto is quite a strong knight too… Why do you say that?”
“…Reasons aren’t necessary. If you watch the fight, you’ll probably understand.”

Maxim delivered his assessment in a cold voice. Paola changed his expression and stroked his chin while watching the training grounds. Just then, having finished donning his armor, Roberto Miller entered the grounds with a clanking sound. Judging by how he swung his shoulders, his confidence seemed to have risen considerably.

“It’s not just simple cheering on your part, I see.”
“Because no one asks for a reason if you say Fenrir will win in a fight between a wolf and Fenrir.”

Paola replied, “Is that so,” while looking at Christine.

“Even if she left the Magic Tower, a genius is still a genius. It’s unfortunate for Roberto.”
“It’d be best not to bring up that place in front of Christine.”
“I have enough sense to do that, Maxim.”

As Maxim spoke in a warning tone, Paola responded with a chuckle.

“Roberto would cry if he heard our conversation.”
“You two know each other?”
“We were in the same knight order before. We met again here.”

After saying that, Paola focused his gaze on the training grounds. The two knights had finished their preparations.

“Are you ready?”

When Theodora asked the two, they both nodded. An atmosphere of impending battle, unsuited for the sunny and peaceful weather, hung in the air. Fortunately, it wasn’t the cold tension from the selection exam day but a heated mood before the storm of excitement.

With Theodora’s signal to begin, Roberto kicked off the ground and charged at Christine, unleashing a sword strike. It was a very brutish-looking assault, but unless one was a swordsman capable of manifesting an aura blade, Roberto’s method could be said to be close to the right formula.

The problem was that Christine wasn’t the type of mage that method would work against.

Clang!

Roberto’s sword bounced off Christine’s defensive spell. She took a step forward. Roberto was pushed back, leaving a trail on the ground.

“Ugh!”

Roberto’s groan was heard. Having delivered a blow to that defensive spell without an ounce of mana mixed in, his hand and arm were probably quite numb. Roberto gripped his sword with a contorted expression. And he began to follow through with his strikes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Roberto kept swinging his sword. Judging by how the speed was gradually increasing, he seemed to be diligently drawing up mana. Roberto’s expression regained confidence the faster his sword moved. His arm made a whooshing sound as it sliced through the air.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The interval between the clashing sounds kept shrinking. Christine still hadn’t moved, maintaining only her defensive spell. It was a setup reminiscent of the previous selection exam. Back then, too, Christine had only blocked while activating her defensive spell. Roberto swung his sword even faster as if determined not to lose.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Roberto’s confident expression started to fade. Maxim could tell he was trying to draw out the power of aura.

A violet aura bloomed on Roberto’s sword. The aura slowly began to dye the blade from the tip, like water soaking into paper. The level of the aura blade wasn’t very high, but the mere presence of it had a significant impact on a knight’s combat power. Roberto completely abandoned even the minimum defense, as if determined to pierce through that shield this time.

With that, Roberto’s movements sped up once more. The afterimages of the aura blade tracing sword trajectories left violet lines in the air. An ordinary mana shield would be sliced apart like paper being torn.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

However, Roberto’s blade didn’t even cut, let alone damage, the shield. His expression began to waver with unease. As the slashes continued, the uneasy expression soon took on a horrified look.

“Dammit-!”

Roberto raised his arm high. He attempted a downward slash without any technique, pouring in all his strength and mana. And in that gap, Maxim could see Christine’s expression through the defensive spell as she reached out her hand.

Yes, Maxim had seen that expression only once before. When she had firmly resolved herself to do something, Christine made that face. Without realizing it himself, he was overwhelmed by her determination and the atmosphere, causing his eyes to widen slightly.

“Raaah!”

With a mighty yell, Roberto swung his arm. The violet aura faintly drew a crescent shape.

And that once-in-a-lifetime strike was blocked with a far too anticlimactic sound.

Clang-!

The golden defensive spell and violet aura clashed, scattering sparks in all directions. Roberto was desperately focused solely on breaking through the defensive spell. Still, Christine’s eyes weren’t directed at Roberto or his sword.

Christine retracted her hand. The flow of mana rapidly accelerated. The magic circle constituting the defensive spell gradually grew brighter until it shone so brilliantly that the sun in the sky paled in comparison. The knights in the training grounds raised their hands to shield their eyes.

Just as they finally thought the change had stabilized,

Boom!

A thunderous roar erupted.

The shockwave generated from the explosion rocked the training grounds. However, dirt didn’t completely engulf the area. It was thanks to Christine conjuring a wind with magic to scatter the hazy dust. As a result, the members could immediately understand what had happened due to the recent explosion.

“Ugh…”

On the far side of the training grounds, Roberto Miller, now in tatters, was squirming. Christine must have controlled her power well, as he seemed uninjured. His training sword lay on the ground of the training area.

The blade didn’t even break.

Maxim inwardly exclaimed in admiration. Christine, who had overwhelmed everyone present with her display of combat, sent an apologetic gaze toward Roberto. With a weak hand rising, Roberto signaled he was well.

At that, applause broke out from the knights. There were no cheers, but the new members of the Raven Knight Order were purely impressed by Christine’s abilities and showered her with generous praise. She composed herself and shifted her gaze from Roberto to the knights surrounding the training grounds.

“…You were right.”

Paola spoke from the side, his voice filled with amazement. Maxim turned his head and saw Paola furrowing his brows in exclamation. It was no longer the look of a gossipmonger but the appearance of a knight purely enthralled by combat and immersed in the fight between sword and magic.

“Indeed, there’s no need for a reason when saying Fenrir will win in a fight between a wolf and Fenrir.”

Maxim replied with a shrug.

“Didn’t I tell you?”
“Anyone would think you were the one who fought and won in the duel.”

Paola laughed in amusement.

Maxim looked back at the training grounds. Christine sent him a bright smile. Putting aside the reason why she had decided to take on the vice commander position, he responded to the display she had shown with a generous round of applause.

Christine’s gaze shifted and fixed on somewhere. Following her line of sight, Maxim could see the person standing at the end. Theodora. Christine was looking at Theodora with a bold expression. The sound of applause slowly died down. With her gaze still locked on Theodora, Christine opened her mouth.

“…I look forward to working with you.”

While flashing a grin, she added,

“Commander Theodora.”

Theodora was watching Christine. Her attitude was even as if she had already anticipated Christine’s skill. But the storm clouds beyond her eyes had lost their usual liveliness and were frozen solid.

“Yes, I look forward to it as well.”

Theodora spoke in an extremely gentle voice.

“Vice Commander Christine.”

==

After Christine was appointed vice commander, Theodora instructed the knights to train independently and briefly walked with Christine in the backyard of the main building.

Christine Watson.

Theodora knew little about her. She knew she had left the Magic Tower after clashing with them for some reason and joined the Raven Knight Order. She was also once called the Magic Tower’s genius. But that was about it.

“Congratulations on becoming vice commander. As the commander, I want to express my gratitude for an existing member supporting you like this.”
“Thank you.”

Christine humbly accepted the praise. Looking at her, Theodora tried her best not to recall that day. She tried not to remember the sight of Maxim and Christine outside the window on that rainy day.

“I look forward to your efforts to develop the Raven Knight Order in the future.”
“Yes. I will follow your lead, Commander.”

Theodora observed Christine’s appearance. Cute, large eyes adorned her face; vivid, golden hair shone and reached her waist. While marveling at her doll-like appearance, Theodora forcefully ignored the discomfort growing in her heart.

The awkward stroll continued for a while. Christine, quietly watching Theodora as they walked, suddenly blurted out a question.

“Commander, may I ask you one question?”
“Yes, go ahead.”

Christine hesitated for a moment before meeting Theodora’s eyes straightforwardly and asking,

“May I inquire as to why you decided to replace the vice commander? He didn’t fail the selection exam, and someone who held the vice commander position for two years would surely be of great help.”

Theodora’s storm-colored eyes and Christine’s grass-field-like green eyes met in midair. Her question implied a great deal. Theodora began to answer, pretending to be nonchalant while hiding her emotions. She didn’t want to carelessly reveal these feelings to anyone. Especially if it was someone close to Maxim.

“…As you saw back then, I didn’t think the former vice commander’s prowess sufficiently met my standards.”

However, she couldn’t conceal her voice, hardening slightly at the end.

“That’s all.”

Christine didn’t press further. Theodora and Christine stood facing each other for a moment.

Then, a knight came running towards the two in a fluster.

“Commander, Vice Commander!”

The knight alternated glances between the two and only opened his mouth once their attention was on him.

“A letter has arrived from the royal palace.”