The morning air was a bit cold. As autumn deepened, the cobblestones of the South District were faintly damp, and with each step Kain Gardos took, his leather boots made a subtle sound. The remnants of last night's drinking still lingered faintly in the back of his head. He'd thought the venison stew would be the final course, but that last drink at Dag's place had been a mistake. The white granite of the Silver Lamb headquarters gleamed as it caught the morning sun. Still distant. The silver sheep crest shone on the gate pillars. The columns of knights heading to training looked perfectly orderly even from a distance. Kain turned his gaze away from the sight. As the cobblestones grew older and weeds began poking through the gaps between buildings, his destination came into view. An old two-story stone structure. The red flaming sword crest on the gate pillar—the mark of Blaze Force, the Third Knight Order of the Kingdom of Forsena—was there, its paint peeling. (I've come again.) To be precise, today was the first day this place officially became "somewhere I come to." A different scene from yesterday morning spread out before the gate. All the members were lined up. Twenty-three people. Two columns. Each with their back straight, sword at their side, facing forward. The equipment was all secondhand and the armor colors mismatched, but their posture was impeccable. Standing at the very front was a single woman. Her long hair, a vivid aqua blue, swayed gently in the morning light. She was slightly shorter than Kain. Golden eyes gazed straight at him. A small silver wing ornament on her left ear. Her white uniform was starched crisp, not a wrinkle in sight. He immediately recognized her as the woman who had been silently practicing sword forms in the back garden yesterday. She placed her right hand over her chest and bowed deeply from the waist. "[serious]Blaze Force acting commander, Valdo Irina. We have all been waiting for your arrival, Instructor." All twenty-three people saluted in unison. A quiet sense of formation spread across the cobblestones. Kain observed them. Then, stifling a yawn, he raised one hand lightly. "[sarcastic]Ah... yeah." He started to walk past the line. "Instructor. The main gate is this way." Irina's voice chased after him. Kain had already passed the main gate by about three meters. He stopped and looked at the wall for no particular reason. There was a vertical crack running down the middle of the stone wall. Above it was a black mark from rainwater. "[cold]...This place leaks when it rains, huh." "Th-that's a pre-existing issue, sir...! Due to budget constraints, repairs haven't been——" "Got it." He understood, but didn't say anything else about it. Irina jogged to catch up and guided Kain to the main gate. Behind them, the eyes of all the lined-up members followed in unison. Someone whispered, "...The instructor already passed it," and someone else hushed them with a "shh." Irina's cheeks twitched slightly. --- The office was at the back of the first floor. One window, facing north. Light didn't enter easily, so it was dim even during the day. The desk was wooden and worn with age, its surface covered in countless fine scratches. Two chairs. Shelves held stacks of documents arranged neatly, though there were also some canned preserved foods sitting beside them—a charming touch. Irina stood before the desk and picked up a single document. "Now, I will conduct the formal appointment confirmation procedures." Kain sat in the chair. Deeply. He leaned his full weight against the backrest, tilting slightly to look up at the ceiling. Irina began reading the document aloud. "Name: Kain Gardos. Age: 38. Former member of the First Knight Order of Forsena Kingdom, Silver Lamb division. Adventurer's Mutual Aid Society registration rank: Silver. Temporary instructor appointment by royal decree, duration: three to six months in principle, compensation: three gold coins monthly——" "Yeah, that's right." "That's not how this works. You need to actually confirm the contents——" "It's all correct." Irina paused for a moment, then continued. "...Reason for discharge: Insubordination." Her tone shifted slightly. Kain noticed but kept looking at the ceiling. "Instructor, I would like to ask about this point." "What." "Insubordination as a discharge reason is an extremely serious punishment for a knight. In my capacity, I need to accurately understand your background. Specifically, what kind of——" CLANG!! A tremendous sound echoed through the room. Both of them turned toward it at the same time. While talking, Irina had accidentally moved her hand, causing her sword, which had been leaning against the wall, to fall spectacularly onto the stone floor. The scabbard slid across the floor and hit the desk leg. "Ah——!" Irina let out a shrill cry and lunged for it. She picked up the sword and began checking if the scabbard was damaged. She traced it carefully with her fingertips, checking for any nicks on the blade. That entire sequence of movements was desperate in a way completely different from when she'd been reading the document. Kain watched with half-lidded eyes. After a while, Irina looked up with a red face. "...I-I'm sorry. I lost my composure." "First, relax your shoulders, you." "[angry]I don't want to hear that from you, Instructor!" Emotion showed for once. Kain found it slightly amusing but didn't let it show on his face. Irina took a deep breath and carefully leaned the sword against the wall again. She waited three seconds after letting go of it, confirming it wouldn't fall. Then she turned back and picked up the document again. "...Well, I suppose I do have rather severe shoulder tension..." "That's not it." Kain sighed. Heavily. Golden eyes glanced over at him briefly, then returned to the document. Nineteen years old and acting commander. Supporting alone the most pitiful unit among the three knight orders of Forsena Kingdom. Yet she had this childish quality, turning red over a fallen sword. (Troublesome one.) Kain thought this but didn't say it aloud. --- Afternoon came. The training grounds—a twenty-meter square open space where weeds had grown wild, a bit too vigorous to be called a garden—had all twenty-three members assembled. Kain stood at the edge, arms crossed. "Pair up and do mock combat. I'm watching." That was all he said. No detailed explanation. He didn't need lengthy explanations to gauge ability. The first pair began. It ended in ten seconds—or rather, the two of them stood with wooden swords drawn and didn't move once for ten seconds. One shuffled forward, the other reflexively stepped back and stumbled over a gap in the cobblestones. Seeing this, the first one panicked and stopped too, and they looked at each other. Kain pressed his temples. Second pair. Their stance wasn't bad. They stepped in. But the moment their eyes met, both of them froze. Five seconds passed. Both holding wooden swords, neither moving an inch. Third pair. One stepped in with full spirit. But was holding the wooden sword backwards. Kain's eyes gradually died. As the sixth and seventh pairs continued, the pattern didn't change. Someone whose sword hand wavered, someone whose exhaustion showed on their face before combat even began, someone who announced before the mock combat started, "Um, I'm not really good at this." The chaos of twenty-three people gradually filled the autumn training ground air. Beside him, Irina stood with her back perfectly straight the entire time. Kain watched her gaze gradually lower from the corner of his eye. "...Instructor." "I know." "But despite appearances, everyone has the will to——" "I know." Irina closed her mouth. Kain stepped forward. "Next. Valdo, you do it." Irina's face showed surprise for a moment. Then she quickly hardened her expression and moved to the center of the training ground. She took a wooden sword and held it in both hands at center line. The air changed slightly. Kain felt that change. The moment she took her stance, unnecessary tension vanished from Irina. The width of her feet, her center of gravity, the angle of her elbows—the fundamentals were soaked into her very bones. This was the form of someone who had done this every day. He remembered yesterday's practice swings. Kain took a wooden sword and faced her. "[serious]Come." Irina stepped in. She was fast. The sword came from above. Kain received it—the moment he did, the weight and angle told him how she was using her hips. Her body weight was properly committed. They came into a locked position. Close range. Irina's golden eyes looked straight at him. The sleepy color vanished from Kain's eyes. It happened in an instant, but it was a clear change. Not the dead eyes he'd had watching mock combat in the training ground, not the hazy eyes he'd had tilting beer at the tavern last night, not the half-lidded eyes of this morning's hangover. Deep brown eyes that held the light of precise observation. Irina felt that change through her skin. Even though their swords were touching, tension ran through her entire body. Those eyes are really seeing me—that certainty welled up from deep in her chest. The eyes that had been dead until moments ago now held not a single opening, capturing her completely. Her pulse jumped hard once. "[whispers]...Not bad." He started to say. And then. Kain opened his mouth wide and yawned enormously. He broke the locked position. Resting the wooden sword on his shoulder, he scratched the back of his head. "I'm hungry. Let's eat." Irina froze. Behind them, all the members watching fell over at once. Two actually fell down. Irina stood motionless, wooden sword still in hand. Something that had been in her chest moments before seemed to dissolve and fade away. With a blank expression, she watched Kain's back. "...What did you just say?" "I said let's eat." "We're in the middle of training." "[sarcastic]I watched all morning and got the gist. That's enough for today." One member whispered, "Did he just say he was hungry... like, actually hungry?" Another replied, "Probably." Irina looked up at the sky once, then took a deep breath. --- Evening came. The old barracks after training was quiet. The members had scattered to the dormitory and dining hall, and only Kain's footsteps echoed in the corridor. Looking out the window at the back training ground, the wooden practice dummies they'd moved around during today's mock combat stood vaguely in the evening sun. It was noticeably cleaner than this morning. The members had apparently pulled some weeds. More cobblestones were visible than yesterday. "[serious]Instructor." A voice came from behind. He turned to find Irina standing at the end of the corridor. She seemed to want to say something but didn't open her mouth immediately. Kain stopped and waited. "...Why did you leave Silver Lamb?" It was a continuation from this morning. The question that had been left hanging when the sword fell and everything became muddled. Kain stopped and looked out the window. The evening sun was dyeing the edge of the training ground. Half the weeds remained. The shadows of the wooden dummies stretched long. A moment passed. "I didn't leave." His voice was quiet. Different from his usual languid tone, different from his strict instruction voice. He simply stated a fact. "I was thrown out." With just that, he started walking down the corridor. Irina couldn't move. She had grown up in the noble district of the North Ward. Since childhood, she'd heard adults whispering. Silver Lamb was elite, but internal factional politics were fierce. Advancement was determined by bloodline and connections. If you had ability but became an obstacle, you were eliminated—she'd heard such rumors more than once. Insubordination, those three characters, now appeared in a completely different light. Not a pu