Chapter 43: First Training at the Combat Order (1)

Darren Smith, a Holy Priest and instructor of the Combat Order, entered the Roya Hall.

Roya Hall, a building named after the God of War, Roya. As the name suggested, it was a place shared by the Combat Order’s professors, instructors, and cadets.

However, Darren had a headache because of an unwelcome guest who would be present today.

‘What are the Headmaster and the Order Council thinking?’

This morning, Monday, Darren had received bad news from Milius, the High Priest of the Combat Order.

“It has been decided that Count Julian will be allowed to participate in all Order lectures and training. So, don’t be too surprised if he suddenly shows up in your training.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Count Julian?”

Darren raised his voice, despite being in front of the High Priest.

He was a Holy Priest with enough experience and skill to be a senior instructor. However, he had remained with the cadets because he loved teaching.

Moreover, Darren was a Holy Priest and an excellent warrior who had served in the Great War against the demons.

He wasn’t interested in power or fame. He was a man who acted solely on his convictions, so even the High Priests of the Order couldn’t treat him carelessly.

That’s probably why High Priest Milius, his superior, had summoned him personally to tell him this.

‘Come to think of it, I was the only one in the Combat Order who scolded Count Julian back in his first year.’

During the important Greater Demon training for the first-year reserve squad, Count Julian had appeared in bizarre attire.

‘It was like a clown’s outfit.’

It was a stark contrast to the other cadets who had properly equipped themselves with armor and other gear for the training. Even the sword he held was a joke, adorned with useless jewels and hardly a weapon.

If he had just stayed in the back with that outfit, Darren would have endured it.

But it was training against a real monster, albeit a Type 5. The Count had recklessly charged in alone.

‘I am a noble with the blood of Reinhardt! A lowly Type 5 magical beast will kneel before my intense killing intent!’

Fortunately, he had tripped over a rock and fallen, preventing a disaster. But with the Count’s poor combat skills, he would have been decapitated by the Type 5 magical beast’s attack.

Since then, Darren had never gone easy on the Count, no matter how noble his status.

It didn’t matter if the Count died alone. But his actions could have put the precious cadets at risk. Darren, with his unwavering personality, could never tolerate that.

He had scolded Julian mercilessly every time he did something crazy. Surprisingly, the reckless Count Julian had become intimidated.

‘He couldn’t even meet my eyes when I glared at him.’

Naturally, Count Julian’s evaluation scores during training were the lowest. It was only natural, considering he was a clumsy cadet who hadn’t even awakened his mana.

As he was overwhelmed by Darren and his own lack of skill, the Count quickly lost interest. He stopped showing up for the Combat Order lectures.

Rumors had it that he had holed up in the Hesos Hall of the Art Order. In any case, it was a relief for Darren.

But now, the High Priest in front of him had dropped a bombshell.

“High Priest, you know what kind of guy, no, what kind of cadet Count Julian is, don’t you?”

However, Milius, as if anticipating his reaction, spoke calmly.

“It’s the Order Council’s decision. Count Julian is fully qualified. Treat him as a proper student and priest, not as an auditor.”
“A formal student? Are you perhaps mistaking him for a first-year?”

Pantheon’s first-year cadets could freely attend cross-Order lectures.

Also, for cadets who were also part of the reserve squad, the first-year Combat Order lectures were mandatory, so cadets from other Orders frequently visited the Roya Hall.

But the High Priest denied that as well.

“No. Count Julian is a second-year. I know that well.”
“Or are you perhaps making him retake the first-year lectures? As a supplementary measure, since his grades in our Order were terrible. If that’s the case, you should have summoned the instructor in charge of the first-year cadets, not me, who’s in charge of the second-year…”
“That’s not it either. The lectures the Count will be attending are the second-year advanced courses. That’s why I called you, knowing you’re the instructor in charge of the second-years. Other second-year instructors might have just accepted it, but I knew you would definitely object. Just like now.”

He was saying he wanted to give me a heads-up. Darren, who was about to protest further, stopped himself.

“I understand. I’m just an instructor. I can’t disobey you, High Priest, not even being a senior instructor.”
“Hmm. I know your personality. I’m not doing this to torment you. I know this is a special privilege. But trust me. The Count will be different from before. He’s qualified, just like I said.”

Qualified. If being the successor of Margrave Wilhelm and the son of Saint Agnes was his qualification, then Darren couldn’t accept it.

But Darren didn’t want to argue anymore. Pantheon’s academic evaluations were more fair than anywhere else.

“Then, I’ll evaluate the Count myself. You’re not asking me to manipulate that as well for the Count, are you?”
“Of course not. Pantheon’s academic evaluations must be fair and impartial, sworn on the honor of the Six Gods. It would be absolutely wrong to tamper with that inviolable domain.”
“I understand. Since you say so, I will treat the Count the same as other second-year cadets for now.”

With that, he left the High Priest’s office. His head was a mess.

Saint Agnes and Margrave Wilhelm von Reinhardt of Essenmunt. Even now, they were historical heroes whom Darren deeply respected.

‘But… for the only successor carrying their blood to be like that…’

Darren had seen them both firsthand on the battlefield. That’s why he had been more excited than anyone when Count Julian was admitted to Pantheon.

And Darren had been more disappointed than anyone by the Count. He was a good-for-nothing who seemed beyond redemption. He couldn’t trust the High Priest’s words about him being qualified.

But Darren regained his composure. He was an instructor. Once training began, all cadets were equal.

If they wanted to become warriors, he would make them warriors. That was all Darren had to do, nothing more, nothing less.

I was currently at Roya Hall.

The main building of the Combat Order. And a place that held an important position in relation to the reserve squad. The cadets’ loud shouts echoed through the hallways as I walked.

And I entered a small training ground next to the Hesos Hall, where today’s training would take place.

The Combat Order cadets were already there. The moment they recognized me, their expressions turned strange.

It was as if they were asking, ‘Why are you here?’ It wasn’t a particularly unusual reaction.

‘Considering what the scoundrel Julian did in his first year, that’s understandable.’

They said that Julian, who knew nothing about swordsmanship, had entered the training and caused a lot of trouble. Then, Julian, perhaps feeling embarrassed, had avoided the Combat Order lectures on his own…

Actually, the cadets would probably feel strange seeing me. Saint Agnes and Margrave Wilhelm were heroes deeply respected by the people of the Combat Order.

Moreover, my escort knight, Uriel, was a revered figure to these cadets.

The Knights of the White Night, the strongest on the continent. The fact that she had become a knight there at an age only a year or so older than them meant that her talent was incomparable.

‘Many cadets graduate from here, earn recommendation qualifications, and apply to the Knights of the White Night.’

Among the priests of Roya who pursued pure martial arts, the Knights of the White Night were even more popular than the Imperial Guards.

They had seen a precious knight of the White Night like Uriel reduced to cleaning up after a scoundrel young master. It was unlikely they had a good impression of me.

Still, a few who had become familiar with my face through Chloe’s banquet came to greet me.

“Did you get home safely last night?”
“Yes, I did. It’s good to see you again. Did you rest well?”
“Ye… Yes, I rested well! Thank you for your concern, Count Julian.”

However, I couldn’t remember their names at all, so I just vaguely returned their greetings. As I was feeling the awkwardness of being in an unfamiliar place,

Darren Smith, the instructor in charge of my swordsmanship class, entered the training ground. He was exactly as I knew him through Demon Survival: strict, stern, and serious.

The moment he entered, the cadets’ eyes changed in unison.

They formed neat lines and waited. They were all second-years, and their formation was skillful. I also stood at attention at the back of their ranks.

Darren scanned them with a sharp gaze.

“At least, as second-years, there are no cadets who are…”

Suddenly, Darren’s eyes met mine. He glanced at me and said,

“Out of it, I see. Then, let’s begin the first training.”

The Holy Priests of the Combat Order were of the Warrior class. Although there were some cadets who used unique weapons, most used swords. This class, in particular, focused on swordsmanship training.

“As a warm-up, we’ll do the Imperial Swordsmanship, Chapter 1, Forms 1 to 5. The first row, step forward and repeat each form ten times.”

It seemed they were to demonstrate their swordsmanship in front of their fellow cadets and rivals.

I carefully observed the swordsmanship of the cadets who came out first.

With the trait activated, even a layman in swordsmanship could understand the cadets’ skills. Well, actually, I wasn’t a complete layman, as I had learned the basics of swordsmanship for the parade preparations.

‘Still clumsy, even for second-years.’

Even though it was the Common Mana Swordsman trait, its effectiveness was doubled due to the Reinhardt bloodline. I had received personal instruction from Uriel, a skilled knight, using this trait.

Moreover, I had dodged and countered Commander Michael’s attack, albeit for a single exchange. Thanks to the proficiency gained from that, my trait had now leveled up to ‘Evolved Common Mana Swordsman’.

Although my ability to judge swordsmanship wasn’t significantly different from the previous level, the important thing was practical combat.

“Last row! Step forward.”

It was my turn to demonstrate my swordsmanship. As I stood in front of the cadets alongside my row, everyone’s attention focused on me.

I could even feel Instructor Darren’s gaze, pretending not to look at me.

There was a brief commotion, unlike the usually disciplined cadets.

“Count Julian, you’re not wearing that strange outfit from before? That’s the standard cadet armor, isn’t it?”
“The sword is also a standard Imperial Sword. What’s with the sudden change?”
“Noble children usually wear higher-grade equipment. Is this some new performance art?”
“Heh, maybe. Well, it can’t be that the Count is serious. No, why is he even here in the first place?”
“Right. More importantly, does the Count even know how to use the Imperial Swordsmanship? I saw him fail to follow even the first form with that strange jeweled sword before.”
“His hands were trembling even with that pathetic sword.”

Somehow, even though I wasn’t wearing the clown outfit Julian had boasted about, I felt like a clown. As the cadets said, my current attire was sensible.

Standard armor over my combat uniform. And the Imperial Sword. It was heavy to wear everything, but thanks to the all-stat boost effect of the rosary, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

‘And this isn’t the time to show off my equipment.’

Margrave Wilhelm had tried to provide me with valuable swords and various equipment for the start of the school year, but I had refused.

‘A great swordsman doesn’t blame his equipment.’
‘Oh, Julian. You can say such wise words too. That’s right. That’s how a person from Essenmunt should be.’

Indeed, there was such a saying in Essenmunt, especially within the Knights of the White Night. A knight who only blames his equipment would be decapitated in his first battle.

Essenmunt was near Permafrost, the continent’s worst Chaos Gate. Because so many high-grade magical beasts emerged from there, most high-grade equipment was essentially the same.

‘That’s why in Essenmunt, the warrior himself had to be the ultimate weapon.’

Of course, that was just Essenmunt’s tradition. Equipment couldn’t be unimportant.

But for me, unless it was an item guaranteed through the system’s equipment verification, like Agnes’s rosary, I didn’t need it right now.

“Everyone, be quiet! The swordsmanship demonstration isn’t over yet.”

Instructor Darren quelled the brief commotion. Then, he shouted,

“Imperial Swordsmanship, Chapter 1, Forms 1 to 5. Begin!”

I drew the Imperial Sword from its scabbard. And I began to naturally execute the Imperial Swordsmanship, the standard swordsmanship of Pantheon as taught by the system.

At that moment, I felt like everything around me disappeared except for the sword and myself. The Reinhardt family, the continent’s foremost swordsmanship experts.

I felt like something had changed within me since my mana awakening.

The Lion’s blood led to a natural immersion, despite the chaotic surroundings. Even though it was just an ordinary Imperial Sword, it felt like I was wielding a holy sword passed down as a treasure in the Imperial Palace.

The 10 repetitions, flowing like water, were quickly completed.

And when the surrounding scenery came back into view, a small commotion arose in the training ground, accompanied by the surprised voices of the cadets.