The same thought came to the minds of the students in the Swordsmanship Department.
‘A knight speaks through their sword.’
This was the phrase that Professor Melvine, along with the other professors of the Swordsmanship Department, often emphasized.
Even the renowned Duke Gray was said to live by these words.
While it seemed like a simple and obvious statement, seeing the scene unfolding before them left no room for doubt.
“So that’s the sword of Emblem…”
Up until they demonstrated their skills, there had been skepticism among the students.
They questioned whether these individuals were truly knights of Emblem, as their appearance was far from the image they had imagined and dreamed of for the Emblem Knights.
However, witnessing their dazzling yet explosive swordsmanship eliminated every shred of doubt.
“Ah, why don’t you try it, Commander? How can anyone do that in 30 seconds?”
“I can do it by myself!”
“That’s because you’re the commander! Wait, are you serious?”
“Do you think I can’t do it?”
“…You probably can, and that’s annoying, Commander.”
After the demonstration ended, the Emblem Knights joked around with Cherrya, their cheerful and unrestrained demeanor resembling mercenaries more than knights.
However, after seeing their swordsmanship, the students could only regard them with admiration as the true Emblem Knights.
Realizing this, the students’ enthusiasm began to wane.
“How are we supposed to do something like that…”
Worry clouded the faces of the students as they began murmuring among themselves. Some even voiced concerns about whether they would be able to pass the graduation exam at this rate.
“If we can achieve complete control over our bodies and develop the strength to exert sufficient force even in midair, we can do it too.”
Through the startled students, Enoch stepped forward, explaining the theoretical aspect. The way he casually twirled the sword in his hand twice suggested he was already prepared.
“As expected of Enoch Gray…”
“Well, if the Emblem Knights can do it, then Gray probably can too.”
If it’s Enoch Gray, it might be possible. The students desperately tried to stick close to him, eager to be in the same group as Enoch Gray.
Enoch, annoyed by their persistence, furrowed his brows and glared at them before letting out a sigh and speaking.
“Why do you think I can do it just because I’m Gray?”
“Well, obviously!”
“This is what the Swordsmanship Department teaches for five years. Why wouldn’t I be able to do it?”
“Enoch Gray, when have we ever practiced cutting flying objects like that…?”
“Controlling your body, building strength, and directing the sword’s path as you will. Are these things you can’t do?”
His tone was as if asking whether they had attended different classes. The students bit their lips and shook their heads. These were the most fundamental aspects of swordsmanship.
As if on cue, the voices of the professors from the past five years echoed in their heads.
‘A knight must be able to control their body completely! Even in the most extreme situations, you must be able to feel every sensation, down to your toes!’
‘Strength! You must build strength! Swordsmanship begins and ends with strength! Muscles, muscles!”
These nagging lectures, repeated hundreds of times a day, had become so ingrained that even with their eyes closed, they could hear them as if in a hallucination. Could this constant drumming of advice really produce such extraordinary results?
“All you have to do is apply what you’ve learned to a real-life situation. If you can’t even do that and still think about graduating under the academy’s name, now that would be truly surprising.”
Enoch’s cold gaze seemed to convey that he would rather abandon the title of an academy graduate than graduate alongside students who couldn’t achieve this. His eyes pierced their hearts like a dagger.
“Exactly. Were you planning to swing swords endlessly in the practice yard for the rest of your lives after graduation…?”
At that moment, Kane stepped forward, agreeing with Enoch’s words. Kane’s gaze had also changed after witnessing the Emblem Knights’ demonstration.
His competitive spirit, curiosity, and eagerness were evident as he looked at the catapult ready to launch the flying objects. It was a stark contrast to the shrunken and demoralized students.
It was then that a sense of defiance began to form in the students’ eyes.
Their pride couldn’t allow them to be looked down upon by a commoner like Kane, let alone fail to earn Enoch Gray’s approval.
“The graduation exam requires a group of ten students to work together, doesn’t it? Think of this as the start of synchronizing and group up now!”
Right then, Cherrya of the Emblem Knights signaled the start of the training.
Unlike before, the students moved briskly, and seeing this, the corners of Cherrya’s lips curled into a smooth smile.
“It’s okay if you don’t succeed on the first try. Don’t be afraid!”
Cherrya, watching the students happily organizing themselves into groups, turned her gaze back to Kane, who had caught her attention earlier.
“Ha, he really looks just like someone fit to be my adjutant.”
From warming up his body to checking the condition of his sword and giving it a few light swings to test it—every action he took was to her liking.
“Hmm?”
Cherrya noticed Kane approaching Enoch, who was in the same group, and starting a conversation with him.
‘I thought they were in different grades. Are they close enough to talk so casually?’
She remembered hearing that Kane wanted to join the Gray Knights. Was that why he was trying to get close to Enoch Gray? Cherrya’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
When Enoch said something to Kane, a faint smile appeared on Kane’s previously expressionless face. Watching this, an odd sense of alarm stirred within Cherrya.
“This feels off somehow…”
If a person’s instincts could be called a sixth sense, Cherrya had an exceptional one. Whenever she felt uneasy, something troublesome was bound to happen. Observing the interaction between the two, she had that same foreboding now.
She felt an inexplicable need to intervene before things went further.
“Hey, Enoch!”
Cherrya, who had deliberately avoided acknowledging Enoch throughout the training, called his name loudly. Marching up to him with determination, she interrupted their conversation and immediately began questioning him.
“You said you don’t have any friends.”
Despite her abrupt question, Enoch shrugged without any sign of being flustered.
“I don’t.”
“Then why do you look so close?”
When Cherrya pointed at Kane, Enoch blinked slowly and shook his head.
“We’re not close.”
“No, you are.”
“From what angle?”
“I can tell just by looking at your face. You already feel comfortable with him. He’s already in your heart.”
“…Do you realize how weird that sounds?”
Their conversation flowed naturally, like a stream. Kane widened his eyes, looking back and forth between Cherrya and Enoch.
‘Emblem and Gray can talk this casually?’
Kane wasn’t the only one taken aback by the unexpected dynamic between the two. Their behavior didn’t match the fierce competition he had always associated with the names Emblem and Gray.
“Are you closer to him than me? What is Kane to you? What does he mean to you?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve already made up your mind to take him under your wing?”
“Seeing you react like this is kind of intriguing.”
“Oh? Don’t. Get rid of that intrigue right now.”
Enoch couldn’t suppress a faint laugh as he watched Cherrya’s reaction. His expression, relaxed and amused, was a side of him the Swordsmanship Department students had never seen in five years.
Seeing him this approachable was shocking. Those who had always felt an invisible wall around Enoch were now visibly shaken.
“We’ve always competed for the same things, haven’t we? And I’ve always beaten you.”
“Hah, you know I’m not the same as I was back then, don’t you?”
“That’s why I’m saying let’s have a go. What do you say? You’re not going to back out, are you?”
“Of course not. Just don’t regret it later when I take everything from you.”
“Obviously.”
And so, their competition began, with Kane’s opinion not factoring in at all. The natural flow of their exchange left not only the Swordsmanship Department students but also Kane blinking in confusion.
‘Is this really the rivalry between Emblem and Gray that we knew?’
A fight between Emblem and Gray was supposed to be bloody and earth-shattering.
“This really makes it feel like you’re standing right in front of me.”
“Same here. It finally feels like I’m truly facing Enoch Gray.”
Despite their seemingly tense relationship, the two had an oddly friendly air about them. It was then that the onlookers were reminded of a single fact.
‘Come to think of it, aren’t those two engaged?’
