episode_0277

Willard Stephen.

He took great pride in the fact that his father was a knight.

After successfully subduing the demons several times and returning, he was selected by Crown Prince Albert during the period of the Great Unification of the Empire and became known in earnest.

Thanks to this, the name of the knight Carlton Stephen spread widely throughout the empire.

From the streets to the knights’ quarters, and even among the nobility, my father’s name was mentioned as if it were a famous person.

Just being the son of such a great man was reason enough to take great pride.

This was a huge turning point for Willard.

“You want to be a knight?”

“Yes!”

I’m going to take up the sword.

To become a knight.

I have decided.

“Why do you want to be a knight?”

“I want to be a great person like my father!”

Carlton readily agreed, patting Willard on the head.

After making up my mind, I started receiving training directly from Carlton.

Training to hold the sword begins.

I swung it a thousand, ten thousand times and blisters formed on my hands.

He was hit by the wooden sword several times and fell down, sustaining wounds.

Still.

For Willard, the road to becoming a knight was enjoyable.

Even as I clashed swords and sweated to decide who would win or lose, my only goal was to follow in the footsteps of my strong father.

Then one day.

Carlton says to Willard, who follows him even through tough training.

“There is such a thing as a knight’s virtue?”

“Yeah.”

Virtues that must be acquired while following the path of a knight.

It wasn’t just about swinging a sword and getting hurt.

The only things that should be on the tip of the sword are your own body and mind.

Don’t be agitated by invisible and vain things, but have your own values and beliefs.

and.

“The knight’s sword must always be respected.”

These were the virtues of a knight that Carlton spoke of.

It was a very difficult story for young Willard.

It’s so confusing that I don’t even know how to take it.

Still, Willard decided to remember the knightly virtues that Carlton had spoken of.

Because I said that it is a quality that a proud knight must uphold.

Because it is said that a great knight is a virtue that should never be overlooked.

I had no doubt that as I got closer to a great knight like my father, I would eventually understand his meaning.

however.

That trust was broken right before my eyes.

“I lost.”

Just once.

That is, the action of lowering one’s head after touching swords.

As Willard grew older, he began to understand the virtues Carlton had spoken of.

It was a virtue that required mental as well as physical training.

It was a virtue to promote one’s own values and beliefs by embedding them in a sword, rather than wealth and material possessions.

and…

The last virtue was to always respect your opponent and do your best in confrontation.

however.

If only we had only competed against each other.

So you’re just abstaining like this?

In a duel where the pride of a knight is at stake, isn’t declaring abstention so vainly an act of betraying the virtues of a knight?

I couldn’t understand.

Your condition may be bad.

The equipment is not in good condition, so it may be postponed to a later date.

No. I thought there must be some other reason, even if that wasn’t the case.

But Willard’s expectations were dashed several times.

“I lost, Your Majesty.”

“I abstain, Your Majesty.”

“My immature sword cannot reach you, Princess.”

Carlton would just abstain from meeting anyone he met.

Even if it is a martial arts competition.

Willard, who could not bear it any longer, gritted his teeth and went to see his father that day to ask him.

“Why on earth are you abstaining, Father!”

“…Willard.”

“I don’t understand. Over and over again, every time my father meets that person, he abstains.”

“…”

“Please tell me. Why on earth are you abstaining!”

As Willard asked vaguely, Carlton closed his eyes tightly.

“Because I can’t beat the princess. Willard.”

“Father!”

“I’m old too. You’re just another person. You should know that.”

There was only one person Carlton had to declare a withdrawal from.

The eldest daughter of none other than the Bagrand Dukes. Arina Bagrand.

Clearly, she is strong.

He is known as the next head of Bagrand, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and always dominates the rankings in competitions.

But even if she is strong, does that mean my father is that weak?

Is it so bad that I should give up without even trying?

Weak enough to fall over in one hit?

‘That can’t be true!’

Willard has been taught by his father for decades.

That makes me even more confident.

Even if I were to face Arina, I think I could put up a good fight.

If you show your true abilities, it is possible to push them or corner them.

But still, whenever I meet that person, I abstain…

The virtues of the past that I had heard from my father came to the surface on their own.

“Is that person… Princess Arina?”

“Willard.”

“How can you say that you can’t even point your sword at the Duke of Bagrand!”

Willard shouted.

“Is this the way to train both the body and the mind at the same time?! A sword that you swing with your own values and beliefs, without coveting wealth and possessions! And…!”

Kwak.

“Is that the pride of a knight who respects his opponent?!”

Because the other person is a princess?

Because they have a higher position and status than you?

Is that really a reason to declare abstention while losing your sense of humor?

‘Where is that!’

It’s a fight between knights.

They fight with their swords, not just their flesh but also their spirit and soul.

It’s a fight where you put your pride as a knight on the line, beyond things like status or title!

Carlton did not answer that question.

“Because it has no value.”

Because all I could do was leave behind some words that I had no idea about.

After that, my father did not participate in the competition.

He was not seen in any competition, any match.

Just go into the Knights Templar and teach the new recruits.

It seemed as if he had abandoned all the virtues of a knight, chosen defeat, and put down his sword after meeting Arina and abstaining.

Willard couldn’t understand his father giving up on his partner just because she was Princess Ariana.

That’s why I used to apply for martial arts competitions with my lacking skills, even though I was a little shy. I wanted to know the reason why I did that.

Then one day.

Willard attended the fighting tournament as usual.

And then. I saw my father again.

-Phushu!

‘What… just now…!’

From none other than Karsine.

***

Since that day.

Willard never forgot the name Carcein.

As time goes by.

The opportunity has arrived.

Somehow I managed to meet Karsain, and this time I was able to hear his pledge clearly.

I don’t know what it was like in the past, but I hope this time I can stand up to it.

It would be nice if they could win, but I hoped we wouldn’t see them choose defeat.

I hoped to regain the virtues of my father that had been taken away from me.

however.

-I will abstain.

Once again, Carcein chose defeat.

I just couldn’t figure out why.

It felt like my father’s beliefs had been shattered twice.

Moreover, it felt as if the values of the beliefs that had been followed had been destroyed.

I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

So I came here and asked Karsain.

“Can you explain why you forfeited the final?”

He spoke clearly in advance.

He answered as if telling me to wait and see if I would win.

It’s natural to be angry when that promise is broken.

But Willard held on, even as disappointment surged.

When I was suppressing the anger that was mixed with the disappointment.

“Because it’s not worth fighting Arina.”

Willard’s eyes widened as he watched Carcein repeat his father Carlton’s words once again.

It’s not worth it.

Is there a hidden meaning to those words?

Didn’t your father also throw away the virtues of a knight for no reason?

“What does that mean?”

Well, that’s what I wanted to hear.

Father’s true intentions.

Karsine answers with a hollow laugh.

“Arina has an inferiority complex toward me.”

“Inferiority complex… to your brother?”

“Yes. Until recently, there were rumors that I might be a candidate for the next head of the Bagrand Dukes. That alone made Arina uncomfortable. That’s why I abstained without even crossing swords.”

He put his hand on the sword.

“A sword that is full of inferiority complex is not worth fighting against.”

Karsine’s answer reminds Willard of his father’s voice, which he could not understand.

-Why doesn’t Princess Arina put the virtues of a knight into that sword?

My father, who held a sword alone in the middle of the night, said those words alone.

He muttered like that while looking up at the sky.

“I mean, I’m not the one who took up the sword to determine superiority or victory or defeat, because I’m filled with ugly jealousy and an inferiority complex.”

chuck.

“I took up this sword to protect myself, to stand up on my own strength.”

Both eyes sparkle.

A single point of light spreads out from my pitch-black mind.

Willard opened his mouth slightly, goosebumps running down his body.

“You were Carlton’s son, Willard.”

“…yes.”

“Was that the kind of sword Carlton taught you?”

Never, never.

‘I see… Father… did not abandon the virtues of a knight.’

Arina Bagrand.

I just didn’t fight her because she wasn’t worth crossing swords with.

Because I knew what beliefs were embedded in the sword.

Because I knew how foolish my opponent was when he picked up the sword.

That’s why I didn’t deal with it.

Because it has no value.

The sword of one who does not respect others.

Now Willard could smile with relief.

“Absolutely not, absolutely not!”

The path of the sword that my father taught me was not wrong.

***

“Thank you, bro!”

Willard ran over, his face red with anger.

I thought it was really strange.

Watching Willard and Carlton, and thinking back to the behind-the-scenes stories we discovered while progressing through this episode in the game.

I found myself naturally thinking of my junior and his teacher.

The father of the guy who declared abstention every time he was first.

That person was also an instructor at a kendo school. At the same time, he was still a competitor who competed in competitions with a strong body.

That’s why I was able to choose the correct answer even though I was ignorant about the scene involving this dead flag.

“Are you satisfied now?”

When I turned around, the knight who had been hiding appeared.

The article is, of course, about a familiar figure.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Carlton smiled, as if relieved.

That smile is just like that teacher.

Carlton looked at the place where Willard had run for a moment, then told the story of how things had come to this.

Arina deliberately chose to abstain.

The path of the sword that he had personally taught began to diverge, and his relationship with Willard began to deteriorate.

Finally, Karsene made the same choice as him.

There were some parts that I could relate to.

-Tiring!

▶Successfully restored the father-son relationship between Willard and Carlton.◀

▶The hidden behind-the-scenes story is revealed!◀

‘Haha… This was really dangerous.’

So the riot was Willard turning black.

That’s why the scene where Carlton suddenly draws his sword on Arina before the bad ending was included.

…Somehow, I figured out why the dead flags were intertwined like this.

“This may be a bit presumptuous, but are you really not interested in the position of the head of the household?”

“Yeah.”

“Confirmed. I must be careful not to go against the intention.”

If you say it like that, there won’t be any trouble.

But… maybe it’s because of my mood.

There seemed to be a faint hint of regret on Carlton’s face.

“Your Majesty… You have a plan, right?”

“But.”

“Wouldn’t you please fill me in on that plan?”

As Carlton bowed his head, a status window popped up.

This is…

“I can be your sword, Master.”

-Tiring!

▶You have cleared the emergency event with a perfect grade by satisfying all conditions.◀

▶Carlton’s intimacy has exceeded 80%.◀

▶High-ranking nobles and connections connected to Carlton, including the 1st Knights, turn friendly.◀

▶Noblesse Points have increased!◀

[ Current value: -77 ]

Have you ever made a big profit from an unexpected place?

We talked for a bit afterwards.

Carlton’s mouth began to churn out the names of nobles who could be of some help to my business.

I knew that Carlton was a somewhat well-known figure.

It seems that he has become quite famous not only within the Knights Templar but also outside of it.

Thanks to that, there were quite a few nobles I could introduce to you. This gentleman, he was more of a street person than he looked, wasn’t he?

“I’m a bit older now, haha. Back in my day, I used to fight demons together with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

He was the main character who subdued the demons together with the crown prince. There was a bigger figure than you could have imagined.

‘…That’s why Carlton’s training might be so optimized for my body.’

In fact, when training with the Knights, if you accept Carlton’s curriculum, the increase in stats is particularly high.

Deng.

It was the bell ringing that signaled the start of the after-party.

“It’s about time to start the after party.”

“Oh no. My son and I have been wasting your time. I’m sorry.”

“No. You don’t have to apologize.”

If you just look at the Noblesse Points, you can see that it was a huge help.

This is when the episode begins.

I told Carlton I would go first, then left the field and moved to another map.

Then, the status window beeps again.

-Tiring!

▶Episode V. The Aftermath of the Martial Arts Tournament is in progress.◀

▶The conditions have been unlocked due to clearing the emergency event.◀

▶The number of trading partners who meet the Another Plan at the after-party venue has increased significantly!◀

“The gains outside the expected range are very good.”

It was an opportunity to raise a lot of money.

***

“Let go of this! What the heck is this…!”

“It’s noisy. Your Highness.”

“Ugh?!”

-Cheers!

The guards put on magic handcuffs as if they were criminals.

“What, what is this? These are… handcuffs?”

“A criminal who tried to bring about a huge backlash against the Empire! Take him to the Imperial Dungeon!”

“A sinner! Don’t talk nonsense! What crime did I commit to deserve this…!”

The Marquis shouts, his blood thumping.

“Has anyone ever said that I have sinned? Where, let me see that person’s face and talk to him!”

“If you’re a witness, are you here?”

“What, what…!”

Charangi has purple hair.

A face that is considered one of the most beautiful in the empire.

Perfect etiquette without even a single flaw.

The owner of that voice was Harnie.