Turning Chapter 1147

Chapter 1147

The knights all gathered in front of the training ground. Yuder felt the shining gazes openly converging on him. Some showed reverence, some curiosity. Though many other emotions were mixed in, what was strange was that there wasn't a single negative feeling among them.

'This is the first time this has happened.'

Yuder quietly whispered to Welliven, who had the most expectant and joyful look among them.

"So... exactly what would you like me to show you?"

Though he had asked for instruction, there were different types. If there was something specific they wanted, he was willing to accommodate, but Welliven just said anything would do.

"Anything is fine. Please do whatever is comfortable for you, Baron."

If that's how it was, what could he do?

'Well then, I'll have to decide after seeing directly.'

Yuder slowly looked over the Peletta Knights members.

'First... posture, spirit. They all show signs of proper training.'

That was natural since Kishiar had created and taught this knightly order, and Nathan Zuckerman had helped. Overall, they gave the impression of having worked hard without being lazy. Just their sword-holding postures were far better than those foolish noble sons in the Imperial Knights who were irritating just to look at.

Being mostly from commoner backgrounds, they were full of enthusiasm, had faced far more monsters than other knightly orders, and had experience traveling throughout the empire on their lord's orders.

What such people lacked was...

'Despite that, they probably don't know well what to do to climb higher.'

Anyone can easily rise to a certain level through systematic training and experience. The current Peletta Knights were like that. However, to become more skilled than that required more special elements.

One of those was meeting true strong ones.

Despite being a knightly order raised by two swordmasters, the Peletta Knights had never seen those masters' true abilities. Having only Welliven, who couldn't even produce fragments of aura, teach them alone would inevitably have limitations.

Meeting and fighting once with a strong one beyond expectations gives far more stimulation than fighting a hundred times with ordinary level people. Even the Cavalry had developed practical sense incomparably superior to the previous life through sparring with Yuder.

'Decided.'

Yuder slowly opened his mouth towards the knights watching him.

"Have any of you here... properly fought with an awakener before?"

The knights' atmosphere instantly stirred. One young knight with a playful expression raised his hand high and shouted.

"No!"

"Then let's have some light sparring today. However..."

Yuder lightly flew from the commander's position and landed gently on the dirt-covered training ground floor.

"The method won't be one-on-one, but melee."

"What...?"

"It's a simple sparring where all of you come out to face one awakener - me. It's one of the training methods often used in the Cavalry too, and there's nothing better for developing cooperation ability and ability to handle unexpected situations."

"But how could we dare against an esteemed guest..."

"Baron is just one person while we are many..."

Yuder ignored such comments and continued speaking.

"-Ability use and weapon changes are free. However, considering this is sparring, I won't use my ability above a certain level. Defeat comes from losing consciousness or becoming unable to fight anymore. If you want to give up in the middle, raise your hand and say so, or go outside the line drawn at the edge of this training ground."

Yuder gestured towards the white line drawn at the edge of the training ground for marking areas, then moved towards where the weapons were piled. His sword was left in his room now, so he intended to find a suitable sword here.

'This is fair since the knights are also holding practice swords.'

When he turned around after pulling out and gripping a sword of roughly the right length, he saw the knights still standing as if frozen. Yuder raised the corner of his mouth coolly towards them.

"Aren't you coming?"

"..."

"If this were the Cavalry, they would have rushed in while I was choosing a weapon. Well then... since you gave me time, I'll start first."

Flames suddenly flared along Yuder's sword. The knights jumped back in surprise, then gritted their teeth and one by one raised their swords high.

'Well. Let's see how long the Peletta Knights can hold out.'

***

"Nathan."

"Yes."

"Haven't you been feeling tremendous vibrations from the Peletta Knights' direction for a while now?"

Nathan Zuckerman, who had been checking the final work documents with his lord, was silent for a moment then furrowed his brow.

"...Indeed. I hadn't heard about castle defense training today... I'll go out and find out what's happening."

"Somehow I think I might know the cause."

"Pardon?"

"I don't think we need to go out. Someone is coming."

Not long after his words fell, there was a knock on the office door. A servant who entered panting spoke in an urgent voice.

"Duke. Something terrible has happened."

"What is it?"

"The esteemed guest... no, Baron Aile is fighting against the entire Peletta Knights! The training ground is being destroyed and it's chaos!"

Kishiar wasn't surprised at all. Rather, he smiled as if he had been waiting to hear these words and stood from his seat.

"How could I miss such a spectacle! Come, Nathan."

"..."

Nathan Zuckerman let out a short sigh and immediately followed his lord. When they went outside the inner castle, indeed the vibrations and noise that had felt faint grew much stronger. Kishiar spoke while savoring that noise as if it were heavenly music.

"For something happening in the knightly order that you didn't know about, it must be that, right?"

"...I did think Captain Welliven's behavior seemed somewhat strange after receiving the report of your schedule yesterday."

Welliven, who had already received great help from Yuder Aile's practical abilities, was tremendously impressed after directly witnessing his legendary battle scene as well. How impressed he was with Yuder was sufficiently explained by the report that he had engaged in a psychological battle trying not to hand over the bow Yuder had used to the Northern Branch members, and eventually had a card game bet.

In such a situation, what would Welliven have thought upon receiving the report that the Duke and Yuder would leave Peletta the next day. Nathan Zuckerman, as one of the people who knew him best, guessed that he might seek out Yuder to request time for the Peletta Knights.

"Just in case, I did tell him that Sir Aile would have many things to do before leaving... but it seems it was useless. I didn't expect him to deliberately avoid me and do something like this."

"Given Welliven's personality, it would naturally have been useless. But there's no need to worry. Yuder wouldn't have accepted something he disliked just because of someone else."

Walking a bit further outside the outer castle, the exclusive training ground for the Peletta Knights appeared. That place, where usually only the knights' vigorous shouts could be heard without much other noise, was now enveloped in the biggest commotion ever.

Screams rather than shouts.

Explosion sounds.

Sounds of something breaking.

More screams.

Kishiar strode through the training ground's door with a smiling face. Welliven was standing on the platform that appeared immediately upon entering the door. He was blankly watching the scene before him, not even realizing his lord had arrived.

Kishiar turned his head following the old knight's blank gaze.

It was absolute chaos there.

"Everyone! We can do it! Remember 5-person joint tactic number 13! Split into two teams and go... Aaaagh!"

"If swords don't work use something else! Quickly! Hurry!"

"No! This is impossible...!"

"Save me!"

The training ground was strewn with fallen people. The ground was hideously torn up in places, and all sorts of weapons were scattered about in disarray. Those still surviving were desperately trying to use every attack method they could without considering anything else, but nothing worked.

The black devil standing in the middle of the training ground. No, nothing worked against Yuder Aile.

Unlike the disheveled knights, his appearance was spotlessly clean. With water swirling in one hand and a dagger coated in flames in the other, his quiet standing figure seemed like a transcendent being reigning over the earth.

Kishiar smiled watching his knights falling one by one to counterattacks mixing Yuder's martial arts and ability as they charged in shouting.

"It's been quite a while since I've seen this. This kind of thing too."

"D-Duke! When did you arrive?!"

Only then did the dazed Welliven come to his senses and hurriedly straightened his posture.

"Did you think I wouldn't know with such loud noise?"

"Ah...!"

"Well, I didn't come to blame you. Let's finish watching first before talking."

Kishiar waved his hand at him indicating to be at ease, while comfortably sitting in a chair that Nathan Zuckerman had brought at some point. Even crossing his legs and leaning back, he looked completely at ease as if at home. Only then did Welliven belatedly notice Nathan Zuckerman was there too and let out an apologetic chuckle.