Ch.57EP.16 – The Knight Hates Tests (4)

In martial arts novels, there are two prominent forces that typically appear: the Evil Cult and the North Sea Ice Palace.

If you’ve delved into martial arts fiction during your student days, you’d know these two forces are quite powerful.

They’re frequently portrayed as the strongest single factions, to the point of redundancy.

The reason North Sea Ice Palace or Evil Cult martial artists often appear as the strongest single forces is due to the individual strength of their members.

Living in harsh environments and engaging in daily combat naturally makes one stronger.

In that sense, the Lionel clan could be considered this world’s North Sea Ice Palace or Evil Cult.

How could they not be strong when they fight magical beasts of the frozen wasteland daily, carving out territory from mountains of snow and ice?

Additionally, in such an environment, these fierce and savage people have sworn absolute loyalty for generations to the Lionel family—descendants of the winged lion—resulting in territory and military might on the scale of a kingdom.

In reality, they possess the most powerful military force and territory among the kingdom’s powers.

The only force where the dual logic of worshipping strength and absolute obedience to royalty coexists.

Ihan hadn’t called them the “Northern Sea Evil Cult” for nothing.

‘In modern terms, are they like people who fully developed all of Siberia and then went a step further?’

With such capabilities, Lionel is powerful, and even the Pendragon family struggles to handle them.

They remain as founding contributors to the kingdom only because of ancestral covenants.

They could declare independence at any time.

And it’s said that half of Lionel’s formidable military power comes from a single knightly order.

The strongest knightly order in the North, composed only of those who inherit Lionel bloodlines or the fiercest warriors of the North.

The Black Iron Lion Knights.

Like the Order of the Silver Lion, they are uniquely permitted to use the lion emblem in the kingdom.

However, the public generally ranks the lions clad in black iron above those in silver.

It’s only natural to fear a predator ruling the black cold plains more than a tame beast in a zoo.

“Are you from that Black Iron Lion Knight order or whatever?”

“Maximus Iron de Lionel, Vice Commander of the Black Iron Lion Knights. Call me Max. What is your name?”

“You already know it.”

“I want to hear it directly from a warrior’s mouth.”

“…It’s Ihan, Ihan Turtle.”

“Rihan, I’ll remember that!”

“It’s IHAN, you bastard.”

It had been a while since he’d heard someone play with his name.

He was clearly doing it on purpose.

Or perhaps…

“Anyway, Rahan, fight me! Let’s engage in a life-or-death battle!”

“…This bastard.”

Maybe he was just a madman obsessed with fighting, regardless of names.

At some point forcibly renamed from Ihan to Rahan, he frowned.

This guy wasn’t someone you could reason with.

Was he from some warrior tribe?

‘So this is why Uncle told me not to associate with northerners.’

According to Baltar:

‘Even if you fight, don’t fight with northerners. They’re not scary, but getting involved with them brings no benefit to your life.’

—He was exactly right.

This is why one shouldn’t casually dismiss what adults say.

But he felt wronged.

It wasn’t his intention; how could he avoid getting entangled with someone who barged in on their own?

“Sigh, my fate.”

Having recently seen blood, he wanted to abstain for a while.

“—Don’t have regrets later.”

Whoosh!

Ihan picked up the dagger lying around.

A dagger that seemed like a toy compared to the massive battle-axe his opponent wielded.

One might think little could be done with such a thing, but Max, facing his opponent, didn’t underestimate him at all.

Rather:

‘Excellent! It’s not just chilling—it’s electrifying!’

He was nothing if not excited.

His eyes had been right.

The man was as fierce as any northern warrior, with an aura not of a human but closer to that of a large beast.

Max was delighted.

Who would have thought he’d find a worthy opponent for his [Achievement] in the peaceful capital?

‘If I defeat this man, my soul will move closer to Avalon!’

Max heightened his fighting spirit, and Ihan’s aura also grew ominously cold.

Convinced his opponent was no ordinary madman, he too abandoned any thought of holding back.

Not a light sparring match, but a life-or-death struggle.

Just as Ihan and Maximus were about to clash—

Smack!

“Ugh!?”

“You thundering fool. I told you to behave, not cause trouble.”

“…B-Brother.”

“Such an ill-mannered fellow.”

Smack, SMACK!

“S-Stop! Stop hitting me, Brother! It, it hurts!”

“I’m hitting you so it hurts. Would you prefer I hit you to make you feel good?”

“Urgh!”

…They had to withdraw their fighting spirit at once.

Maximus, despite his gorilla-like build, was being beaten by a man much smaller than himself, unable to stand up to him.

It was like ingrained fear.

Like a dog completely submissive to its master after establishing hierarchy.

Anyway, it wasn’t a pleasant sight—quite ugly, in fact.

But Ihan:

‘…Who is that person?’

He involuntarily backed away, not even feeling like mocking the unsightly gorilla-like man.

He immediately distanced himself and concentrated strength in his calves and toes, ready to flee at any moment.

Preparing the Bow God Flash Shadow.

Not for attack, but to escape immediately, which was admittedly undignified.

But for Ihan, what mattered wasn’t victory or defeat.

[Survival.]

It was his most important life value, and even if some might call him a coward, for someone who wanted to live happily and long, running away from an unbeatable opponent was the best strategy.

Confrontation was the worst option.

“That’s not necessary. I have no intention of killing you.”

“…Then please remove the awl pointed at my neck.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies. Please understand it wasn’t my intention.”

“…Ha.”

Ihan couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

Drip.

When had it happened?

A drop of blood fell from both his side and the nape of his neck.

It was as if a well-sharpened ice awl had penetrated his skin.

And this was his skin—tough and hard like a bulletproof vest—pierced as easily as tofu.

A situation where he could have died.

But you know what?

He was alive only because the man truly had no intention of killing him.

‘Ha, with monsters like that around, who are people calling me a monster?’

Ihan realized.

Real monsters were like this.

Magnus Julian de Lionel.

The great northern emperor stood before his eyes.

* * *

…Inside a building with an increasingly oppressive silence.

Normally, one would expect passing guards, faculty, or sneaking students, but today there was unusually no one.

Not metaphorically speaking, but truly not even an ant in sight—would you believe it?

And Ihan understood why no one approached this space.

With ‘that thing’ present, it was instinctively unapproachable.

[——.]

“Calm down and go back in. No matter how much you want to test him, you shouldn’t threaten him.”

[——.]

“Sigh, I’ll offer sufficient sacrifices later. So please go back now.”

[——.]

“I promise.”

The Grand Duke Magnus was conversing with something in the empty air.

Anyone else might have mistaken him for being insane, but Ihan didn’t think so.

After all, he had been ‘threatened’ by that something.

‘There is a massive creature there.’

Ihan concentrated all his senses toward the empty space the Grand Duke was looking at.

And then suddenly:

[——?]

Flinch!!

Ihan finally made eye contact with it, or rather…

‘A lion?’

With a predatory beast.

This was a kind of intuition, close to guesswork.

Behind Grand Duke Magnus was a predatory beast the size of an elephant, seemingly with a luxurious mane.

Walking on four legs with claws thicker than his waist, and unusually large fangs.

Similar to a saber-toothed tiger, but…

No, it was definitely closer to a lion.

How could he be sure?

‘Because I’ve been stabbed by it.’

One who’s been stabbed knows.

It had a presence similar to the lions he’d seen at the zoo in his previous life.

And he realized.

That lion was none other than:

‘Is that the [Mystery]?’

One of the continent’s remaining enigmas.

A remnant from the era when mysterious races, fairies, and ‘gods’ flourished.

This was what they called a Mystery (神祕).

‘I heard some worship gods in animal form…’

Ihan recalled information he’d received from Jake the day before, and part of what he’d seen flashed through his mind.

[-The masters of the Lionel family have carried Mysteries for generations. The power of these Mysteries is said to rival even ‘Aura Users,’ and along with Galahad’s magic sword, they are one of the powerful forces supporting the kingdom.]

…At the time, he thought it was just a joke.

How strong could Mysteries or magic swords be?

He believed they could never match an Aura User.

But not anymore.

At this moment, he was certain.

That thing:

‘Wow, I wonder who would win if it fought Uncle Baltar?’

Baltar Grace.

Like that superhuman, its upper limit of power was invisible.

Now he understood.

How this kingdom, surrounded by hostile nations, had managed to survive for so long.

‘Even without Aura Users, with monsters like that supporting them, they’re fine.’

A presence as reassuring as an aircraft carrier.

Truly…

‘This is insane, damn it.’

Reassuring or not, he just wished it would lose interest in him—that would be all he could ask for.

“—Young knight, I apologize again. My brother has shown you disrespect.”

Grand Duke Magnus offered a sincere apology to Ihan, who was merely an ordinary knight—seemingly unconcerned with status.

Maximus protested:

“Brother, how can warriors engaging in combat be considered disrespectful! Please take back your words!”

“Silence!”

[ROAR!!]

“Aagh!”

Maximus was scolded by both his respected brother and the family’s ‘guardian deity,’ causing him to be flipped over.

To others, it would look like he was flailing about for no reason, but those with lion’s blood could see it—

The massive ‘jet-black lion’ giving Maximus a knock on the head.

Maximus couldn’t even resist.

Well, what means would a human have against such a being?

“Nnngh…”

Maximus couldn’t bring himself to stand up after such humiliation, and only then, satisfied, Magnus turned his attention back to the knight:

“…This wasn’t my original intention. I simply wanted to have a conversation with you.”

“W-With me?”

“Yes.”

“……”

“You can relax. The [Dark King] doesn’t harm others easily. He just often plays around without gauging his strength. That’s why you felt threatened.”

“…That’s not reassuring at all?”

So if that lion decides to ‘play’ with him again, he’ll feel like saying goodbye to this world once more?

He just wanted to run away.

“Oh? From your reaction, you can indeed see the Dark King? Fascinating.”

“……”

…He’d been caught.

The lion’s presence had been revealed to test him, and he’d fallen right into the trap.

Ihan wondered what to do, but instead:

“…I can’t see it. I can only sense its presence.”

He decided to answer honestly.

He probably couldn’t hide anything from that man anyway.

Grand Duke Magnus gave an admiring look to Ihan, who was smiling bitterly.

“Impressive. To think someone not of our bloodline could sense the Dark King. And without magic or mystery… Interesting.”

“…Could you stop showing that interest?”

“Honestly, I’m restraining myself from testing you further.”

“……”

Damn it…

Ihan muttered a low curse, his head throbbing.

Wait, it’s the students who are in exam period…

‘Why am I the one being tested?’

[Grunt.]

Being evaluated by a lion the size of an elephant, Ihan made a tearful face.

But still:

“Sigh! So, what’s your purpose in wanting to talk with me?”

“Oh? You’re not trembling anymore.”

“They say even in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you, you’ll survive. If it gets dangerous, I’ll just run away. What’s there to fear?”

“…I see why the Dark King is curious about you.”

[Growl!]

Definitely an interesting young man.

That half-witted, stupid youngest brother still freezes like a mouse before a cat when meeting the Dark King, but this person, experiencing the Dark King for the first time, is looking straight at him and saying everything he wants to say.

He couldn’t help but be an interesting young man.

“Haha, after the late king passed away, I thought there were no more remarkable people in the capital, but I was wrong.”

“Pardon?”

“Just talking to myself. Anyway, you asked why I wanted to meet you?”

“…Yes.”

“It was nothing special. I simply wanted to talk because the Dark King wished for a meeting.”

“For just that reason…?”

“Even if it seems trivial, when the Dark King shows affection, it’s reason enough for a meeting.”

Warriors who receive ‘friendliness’ from the Dark King gain fame in various ways, regardless of their will.

And those the Dark King has marked so far…

‘I wonder how this young man will make his mark in history?’

They all achieved historical feats.

That’s why he wanted to meet him.

To see what kind of vessel this young man possessed.

The meeting itself had significance.

Some might think it’s pointless, but the more self-sufficient one is, the more leisure and curiosity they have.

Or rather, curiosity is the driving force that moves a life without lack.

Therefore:

“…Would you consider coming north with me?”

“?”

“If you do, I’m even willing to have you marry my daughter.”

“……”

Grand Duke Magnus was engaging in mad eccentricity without hesitation.

…From Ihan’s perspective, it was just an unwelcome recruitment.