Chapter 37
‘How did it come to this…’
I stared blankly at the training grounds where a dry wind was blowing.
‘How did things end up like this…’
There stood my mage friend, my second male lead, and my mercenary kid—alone in the middle.
“Then we’ll begin the entry test.”
Senior Obron, who had returned at some point, spoke in a solemn voice. Beside Khalid stood two young men with visibly nervous expressions.
“There are three applicants!”
Grandfather snorted with excitement, unable to hide his enthusiasm.
Beside me, Leviathan was sitting with a strict, disciplinarian look, like a supervisor.
He had appeared without warning, taken Khalid’s blood-written application, and asked a few questions.
“You have mercenary experience? At twelve?”
“Yes.”
“You… don’t tell me—”
“….”
“Were you a child soldier in a kingdom?”
At that moment, the cold sweat that ran down my spine was known only to Khalid.
“I’m not a mage. I just did a few guild errands for a wandering mercenary group.”
“I see. You met Rubi in Iosia?”
“That’s right.”
“Then let me ask you…”
“Yes.”
“What food ingredient does Rubi hate the most?”
“Bell peppers. Green ones.”
“What does Rubi like the most?”
“Baths. And a cozy place to sleep.”
“Rubi… what else—”
“Hey, is this a quiz show?”
“I suppose you really are her friend.”
…Somehow, the interview had turned strange halfway through.
In the meantime, two more applicants had arrived.
As per custom, a simple entry test was required.
‘Wait, I don’t remember taking a test?’
Hmm. Special recruitment, maybe.
Still, honestly, I was on edge. Having Khalid nearby was good, but having two kids hiding their identities meant—
‘That doubles the risk of being exposed!’
Perhaps interpreting my gloomy expression, Leviathan spoke up with a cough.
“Rubi, sorry, but our knight order doesn’t recruit through connections.”
Huh! Music to my ears! Absolutely no nepotism!
“Of course! You should select people strictly and fairly—”
“Anyone who submits an application gets accepted anyway.”
I closed my mouth tightly. The uncle shrugged casually.
“We’re short on manpower.”
Damn it… I had overlooked that.
Grandfather was practically heating up like a pressure cooker.
At the center of the training grounds, Senior Obron stepped forward.
“Though it’s a simple procedure, this test is necessary to gauge your abilities. Don’t be nervous.”
“Yes, sir!”
The applicants replied, tensing their shoulders.
The cheeky Khalid simply looked down at the ground with a blank expression.
“Then take these wooden swords. It will be a simple mock battle.”
Senior Obron handed out wooden swords coated in white powder.
“There are no strict rules. The one with the most white powder on their clothes loses.”
All three were wearing black protective gear. It was indeed the best way to assess skill without causing injury.
“Then you, Khalid… and Edwin, was it?”
“Yes, sir! Edwin Cowell! I came all the way from the eastern region after admiring the exploits of the hero Leviathan!”
That “hero” was right next to me, feeding me walnut pie.
“Hmm. A well-delivered motivation, even if unasked. Pick up your sword.”
“Yes, sir!”
Khalid and Edwin stood facing each other in the training ground, each holding a white-coated wooden sword.
“Hey, little nose-pick, how’s that kid’s skill? Hm? Is he any good?”
Grandfather asked, fidgeting with excitement. I thought for a moment before answering.
“Hmm… he should at least have the basics.”
No—actually, he should be above basic.
Khalid was an “unregistered mage” from the Magic Kingdom. That meant he had long learned how to survive without using magic, avoiding the kingdom’s surveillance.
‘Between limitations-heavy magic and swordsmanship, he seemed more interested in swords anyway.’
Even though I knew I’d been blocked, I silently shouted at him.
‘Don’t reveal your full strength, okay?!’
Of course, the boy standing in the wind gave no response.
Soon, at Senior Obron’s signal, the spar began.
‘If he suddenly rushes in like a storm and overwhelms his opponent instantly, that would be absolutely—no, absolutely not—huh?’
I blinked.
The walnut pie slipped from my hand and fell.
“…Little nose-pick? Didn’t you say he at least had the basics?”
Beside me, Grandfather sounded puzzled.
“Uh… yeah?”
“He doesn’t even have the basics.”
The uncle added, handing me another walnut pie.
Exactly.
“What is he doing…?”
A gust of wind blew.
Khalid was being thoroughly beaten, covered in white powder all over his body.
Round one ended in Edwin’s complete victory.
I stared blankly at Khalid as he dusted himself off.
‘Has his swordsmanship deteriorated…?’
Hard to say. But judging from that furrowed brow, something clearly wasn’t going as he intended.
Strange. He wasn’t like this before.
I knew Khalid’s abilities better than anyone. He had often secretly supported me from behind while I was part of the mage unit.
‘How many dark beasts had we killed together?’
At first, the Magic King—who had faced criticism over child soldiers—pretended to assign young mages to support roles. But that wasn’t the reality.
‘He just used us more subtly.’
Sending us ahead before operations to scout traces of dark mages, or dispatching us covertly to unknown dark beast habitats.
In the end, I had been carrying out both support duties and the Magic King’s secret missions.
Before realizing this was a world inside a novel, I had been a puppet under his control, not even aware of how difficult it was…
‘Which makes it even worse!’
Being exploited without even knowing it—how unfair was that!
Sigh.
I let out a short breath and shook my head.
No point dwelling on it. I should focus on the situation in front of me.
‘Still… he’s really acting strange today.’
I frowned deeply, forgetting even the walnut pie.
Meanwhile, the second round began.
The second opponent was a young man named Delmon, larger than Edwin.
Khalid again…
“Start!”
…was happily turned into a white figure.
“His movements are a bit slow,” the uncle muttered beside me.
“He didn’t look like that at all.”
Delmon let out a loud shout and swung his wooden sword. Khalid hesitated and got his shoulder clipped. Since he was wearing protection, it likely didn’t cause much damage—but the boy looked visibly dissatisfied.
As if even he was thinking, Why am I like this?
“Hmm…”
Leviathan, who had been slouched, straightened his back.
“You said he was in a mercenary group?”
“Yeah.”
Grandfather clicked his tongue.
“So what? With that level, it’s impressive he survived in a mercenary group at all.”
“Don’t tell me…”
It was Leon, who had been watching the spar from behind the uncle.
“Senior Leon?”
He casually looked around, then his gaze stopped on the walnut pie in my hand.
“Why? Hungry?”
“I’ll borrow that for a moment.”
Huh? Confused, I handed him the walnut pie. Leon took it without hesitation and threw it forward with a sharp motion—like tossing a hidden weapon, imbued with a hint of killing intent.
“……!”
At that moment, Khalid suddenly lifted his head, and our eyes met.
I saw a sharp glint flash through the boy’s previously dull gaze. At the same time, he kicked Delmon’s shin to disrupt his balance and pulled out a concealed knife from his ankle.
Thwack!
The knife pierced straight through the center of the walnut pie and flew toward Leon.
“You crazy—”
A knight drew his sword and intercepted it with a clang, deflecting it away.
