Enemies Meet at the Engagement Ceremony

 

 

 

Enoch’s sword sliced through the air in an instant. The dark figure easily evaded his strike.

 

The movement was distinctly different from before.

 

“Have you finally decided to get serious?”

 

Enoch looked at the ominous, dark figure exuding an unusual aura and raised the corners of his mouth in a slight smile.

 

If his opponent hadn’t had any intention to harm him, things would have gotten boring.

 

Without a moment’s delay, their swords clashed. It was hard to tell who was attacking and who was defending as the intense exchange continued without a break.

 

“Argh! Please, don’t follow me…!”

 

At that moment, a voice Enoch recognized echoed from the distant bushes.

 

It was the voice of Gray’s apprentice knight, the one who had nervously asked Enoch to inspect his sword just before the expedition.

 

Although he had trembled with anxiety, he had tried to remain calm.

 

Enoch quickly parried the dark figure’s sword with a strong counter and used the momentum to widen the distance.

 

“…….!”

 

Not missing the slight turn of Enoch’s head toward the unfamiliar voice, the dark figure thrust his sword forward.

 

“Enoch Gray!”

 

At that moment, with a sharp clanging sound, a small stone intercepted the dark figure’s sword.

 

That insignificant stone had saved him.

 

“What the hell is that guy?!”

 

Cherrya, who had noticed the dark figure confronting Enoch, hurled herself toward them at an incredible speed.

 

Arriving before her, she firmly pressed down on the head of Gray’s apprentice knight with one hand and leapt high into the air.

 

Her sword slashed down with such ferocity that it looked as though it might split the dark figure in half vertically.

 

“…….!”

 

The dark figure had no choice but to retreat swiftly.

 

As Cherrya landed next to Enoch, the fallen Gray apprentice knight groaned behind them.

 

“Ugh.”

 

At the sound of the groan, tinged with a hint of sobbing, Cherrya awkwardly raised a hand to apologize.

 

“Sorry.”

 

The apology didn’t last long. Cherrya, still wary of the dark figure, asked Enoch.

 

“What are you doing here? And who’s that?”

 

“A suspicious person. They were secretly trailing me.”

 

“Oh, I see. Are they strong?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At Enoch’s words, Cherrya confidently aimed her sword.

 

“So this chaos among the Gray knights is all because of this guy, huh?”

 

“That’s not certain yet.”

 

Enoch’s sword aligned alongside Cherrya’s.

 

Even though the dark figure faced the two swords simultaneously, they calmly raised their own sword.

 

“So, it’s a challenge, is it?”

 

“We have to subdue him. Can you handle it?”

 

“What if I say no?”

 

“Then I would do it myself.”

 

“Don’t make me laugh.”

 

Cherrya looked at Enoch, curling her lips into a smile.

 

“I’m not who I used to be.”

 

At those words, a faint aura flickered around Cherrya’s sword—a red aura, like a blazing sun, reminiscent of Emblem family.

 

“Sword aura.”

 

Only the top-ranking knights, those with exceptional skill, could infuse their swords with aura, albeit briefly, manifesting it only at crucial moments before extinguishing it.

 

Maintaining the aura with one’s will before becoming a Sword Master was an unparalleled feat.

 

This was a level achieved by Enoch’s grandfather, Jade Gray, renowned as the most talented figure in the Gray family, at the mere age of fifteen, and by Cherrya’s grandfather, Seffield Emblem, before he became a Sword Master.

 

Finally, she surpassed it. Enoch realized that Cherrya had, by her own strength, crossed her limit.

 

This was the moment he had been waiting for with bated breath.

 

A sense of euphoria spread across Enoch’s face.

 

“Finally.”

 

He had been living a life where his passion for swordsmanship had begun to fade, like seeds leaking from a torn sack.

 

Why did he hold a sword, and why was he on this path? There were times when he couldn’t recall, no matter how much he tried to remember.

 

In Enoch’s life, the only enjoyable thing was watching Cherrya, who always got fired up, trying to outpace him by taking two more steps whenever he moved ahead.

 

The days had grown hollow, with Enoch fearing that one day Cherrya might no longer run beside him, continually meeting defeat after defeat and confronting her limits.

 

A Cherrya who wasn’t frustrated by losing to him, or one who easily accepted defeat, would have been dull.

 

‘Don’t become boring, Cherry.’*

 

The words he had once said to her weren’t meant to insult; they were a genuine request.

 

He wanted her to remain an exciting opponent. Otherwise, he felt as though the world would be filled with nothing but meaningless void.

 

“You’re so late, Cherry.”

 

A dazzling light began to radiate from Enoch’s sword, similar to Cherrya’s. It was the unique silver gleam that the Grays infused with the essence of moonlight.

 

“As expected.”

 

Cherrya looked at the stable aura on Enoch’s sword and gave a slight smile.

 

“I thought you’d be the first to manifest sword aura.”

 

Enoch had kept his abilities hidden from everyone. If the Gray family had known that Enoch could manifest sword aura, they wouldn’t have stayed silent.

 

The entire empire would likely have celebrated the emergence of a new prodigy.

 

“It must have been dull, waiting for me?”

 

Enoch had been waiting for Cherrya to catch up to the significant strides he had taken and once again race alongside him.

 

“Come on, feel a little guilty, Cherrya. I was so bored I thought I’d go mad.”

 

“Yeah, right.”

 

Enoch and Cherrya exchanged smiles, then simultaneously lunged at the dark figure.

 

***

 

“Haah. How did things come to this…?”

 

Though the crown prince struggled to mask his face clouded with distress, he couldn’t hide the devastation in his heart.

 

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

 

The Gray knights lowered their heads in shame.

 

The operation had been halted. From the main forces, smoke signals were sent up to indicate the knights’ return.

 

If word got out that the first attempt at extermination had ended in failure, there would be talk questioning the Crown Prince’s competence.

 

His advisors suggested that the Emblem knights and a few remaining Gray knights continue the operation, but he remained resolute.

 

This was because, upon seeing the state of the medical tent, the Crown Prince quickly realized that the situation was more severe than anticipated.

 

“This was clearly targeted at you all. There’s no need for apologies. Whoever orchestrated this has remarkable skills to have put such skilled knights in this condition.”

 

The Crown Prince’s cold gaze drifted toward the Lowes Mountains.

 

A dark, ominous cloud loomed over the mountains, casting a shadow of impending doom.

 

It seemed as though thunder could erupt and lightning strike at any moment.

 

“…We will postpone the extermination until the cause is identified.”

 

“Your Highness!”

 

“No, we can still rise again!”

 

The Gray knights hastily protested the Crown Prince’s decision.

 

As the Lowes Mountains were a critical transit hub for the empire, extermination was urgent.

 

The economic impact would be substantial, and if the Crown Prince delayed extermination on his own authority, he would likely find himself in a politically precarious position.

 

Believing they were responsible, the Gray knights’ faces filled with shame and regret, feeling an unparalleled disgrace.

 

Just then, a voice slithered like a snake from behind the Crown Prince.

 

“Oh dear, Aurelian. To give up so easily on a matter that affects the lives of our citizens? What will the people think if you abandon the extermination?”

 

“…….!”

 

The Crown Prince turned quickly, and there, dressed head-to-toe in black attire and jewelry as if attending a funeral, stood the Empress, smiling with a pale expression.

 

 

🍓; *Enoch wants Cherrya to stay interesting, lively, or engaging, and not to let her personality or actions become dull, predictable, or uninspiring.