Chapter 11: Knight

Imperial Princess Heroine Bellatrix Obellia.

Called the Golden Rose of the Empire, she was an existence whose every move was nothing short of perfect—someone closest to “perfection” itself.

Accordingly, her personal guard was always chosen from those who came closest to matching that “perfection.”

When playing the game, you eventually encounter Bellatrix’s new guard knight—a figure who fit her idea of a perfect knight exactly.

A sturdy body hardened through rigorous training.

A face full of unwavering resolve, like an impregnable fortress.

A noble character, able to help the weak and serve their lord with devotion.

And powerful swordsmanship, ranked number one overall.

Despite being born a commoner, she earned her place as Bellatrix’s guard knight purely through skill alone.

And there was no doubt she was worthy of being Bellatrix’s most cherished knight.

So then.

“How about a sparring match? Our friend here seems to have developed a strong desire to test themselves against Sir Ace.”

I couldn’t believe Bellatrix’s words.

Someone’s feeling competitive with me?

‘Objectively, if you ranked my combat power as high, medium, or low, I’d only be mid-tier at best.’

I only became Ariana’s personal holy knight because I ranked first among the new recruits.

If I went up against one of the Seven Senior Holy Knights, I’d be flat on the ground in seconds.

But her (future) guard knight—Bellatrix’s—was strong enough to hold her own even against those elite holy knights.

There’s such a huge gap between us, I couldn’t even imagine it being a fair match.

There’s no way she really felt competitive toward me.

This has to be Bellatrix’s will.

Even in the game, she sometimes did things that didn’t make much sense.

A sparring match with her knight… I’d definitely get crushed.

I didn’t even know what Bellatrix was trying to gain from this.

Still, my choice was already made.

“It would be an honor.”

I accepted.

From the moment she made the suggestion, my answer never wavered.

For one reason, and one reason only.

‘Knowing Bellatrix’s personality…’

“Oh my, accepting right away—our friend will be so thrilled.”

‘It’s you who’s thrilled, isn’t it?’

Going along with this will help me earn some points.

“Ace!”

“It’s alright, Saintess. As someone who bears the title of holy knight, how could I refuse a duel? If I did, I’d be looked down on—and that would reflect poorly on you as well.”

I made sure to whisper just loud enough for Bellatrix to hear.

Bellatrix’s lips curled slightly at our conversation.

From her perspective, I was a loyal holy knight swearing allegiance to the Saintess.

So as long as I acted exactly how she expected, her favor toward me would naturally increase.

‘Well, it’s not like anything I said was even one percent fake.’

What I whispered to Ariana just now wasn’t something I made up to impress Bellatrix.

It was 100% sincere.

I protected Ariana’s honor and raised Bellatrix’s affection toward me—two birds with one stone.

Of course, there’s no chance I’ll win the sparring match.

But Bellatrix likely knows that too.

As long as I fight with everything I’ve got, that should be enough.

***

Clink.

Clatter.

As usual, I headed to the training grounds in full armor.

Maybe because the sun had set, the armor that normally gleamed white in the sunlight now looked like a deep gray.

‘I’m more nervous than I thought.’

Another unexpected meeting with a Heroine.

My meeting with Ariana was sudden, and so was my meeting with Bellatrix.

And now, it’s time to meet the knight Heroine.

When I first met Ariana, my only impression was, “She’s beautiful.”

When I met Bellatrix, it was, “She’s mysterious.”

I wondered—what kind of impression would this one leave?

Carrying that anticipation, I arrived at the training grounds.

And in the distance, a shadow holding a sword made its presence known from within the darkness.

Even though I couldn’t clearly see her in the dark, the pressure she gave off was unmistakably that of a knight.

—Gulp.

I swallowed nervously and stepped forward, and somewhere nearby, the sound of clapping echoed.

—Clap clap.

As that sound rang out, light suddenly filled the dark training grounds from above.

‘Magic, huh.’

As if reading my thoughts, a familiar voice kindly explained.

“It’s the Light spell. The training grounds have a built-in magic circle so you can train even at night. At the Imperial Palace level, this much is to be expected, right?”

I turned my head toward the voice.

I didn’t even realize she’d gotten that close—she stood about five meters from me, still smiling.

“Thank you so much for coming.”

“It’s nothing. This much is no trouble at all.”

Bellatrix gave a satisfied smile at my response, then stepped back a few paces to reveal the knight who had been hidden behind her.

Wearing full plate armor designed to fit a woman’s build, with a shield strapped to her back and holding a sword that looked like the very definition of a knight’s standard blade.

The powerful aura radiating from her seemed to announce just how strong she was.

—Gulp.

‘I expected it… but she’s even more intimidating than I thought.’

As expected from someone carrying the devastating combo of being both a knight and a Heroine, in my eyes right now, she wasn’t a heroine at all—just a full-fledged knight.

Maybe she didn’t like that I had spaced out, because her voice—beautiful yet firm, came from within the visor of her helmet and snapped me back to attention.

“Holy Knight Ace?”

“…Ah, yes. My apologies.”

I bowed my head in apology, and she nodded, saying it was fine before immediately getting to the point.

“Let me start by saying thank you for accepting this match. I know it was a sudden proposal.”

“It’s no problem. As someone who bears the title of Holy Knight, I have no reason to refuse a duel with a skilled opponent like yourself.”

Fitting for a conversation between knights, only emotionless, formal words passed between us.

“Then, shall we begin?”

“Let’s.”

After a brief small talk, the sparring match began immediately.

Bellatrix stood far off, watching us from her position.

Ariana had just arrived and stood beside her, shouting something in my direction.

Judging by her mouth movements, she was saying “You can do it, Ace!”—an adorably sweet sight.

Bellatrix seemed to think Ariana was just as cute, watching her with eyes that matched mine.

The two Heroines side by side like that created a scene so heartwarming, it felt like healing just to look at them.

But.

“…….”

With just a slight turn of my head, I could see the terrifying knight heroine standing before me, sword in hand.

Her name was Adele—her surname, which she would later earn, would be Fortress.

“Begin!!”

The battle against Adele Fortress had begun.

—Boom!

Adele kicked off the ground faster than even the Hero.

In the blink of an eye, she swung her sword at my side, while pressing in with the shield in her other hand.

‘Can’t keep up…!’

I quickly wrapped divine power around my whole body to brace for the impact.

—Boom!

“Ghhk…!”

Even though I’d braced myself, I was knocked down with a single slash.

‘I expected this, but…’

This is just too much.

The Hero may have great power, but his arrogance and tendency to drop his guard made it possible to find a way to fight back.

But Adele had power and more battle experience than I did, and on top of that, she was an impenetrable wall who never let her guard down.

I don’t mind losing, but getting taken out without doing anything isn’t exactly a good look.

Besides, no matter how used to defeat I might be, I really didn’t want to show this kind of crushing loss in front of Ariana.

I quickly got back on my feet.

“Huff…”

After catching my breath, I gripped my shotel tighter.

“You’re as strong as they say.”

Adele, as if declaring she had no interest in mid-battle chatter, was already back in front of me.

But this time, I had no intention of going down easily.

I immediately brought my shield forward.

Clang!

Her sword struck with such power that it knocked the shield right out of my hands.

‘Now…!’

Clash!

In exchange for the shield, I managed to drive a divine power–charged punch straight into her torso.

“!!”

It seemed she realized I had intentionally dropped the shield to land that punch.

As her overwhelming presence wavered slightly.

Not missing the opportunity, I swung my shotel at her.

And in that moment.

—Screeech…!

My shotel was blocked by her sword, scraping against the metal with a sharp noise.

‘She’s unbelievably strong…!’

Some people can’t block even with a shield, while she’s blocking easily with just a sword.

I desperately reached out with my other hand.

But it was instantly stopped by an upward strike from her shield.

She then pulled the shield back slightly.

And slammed it forward, striking me directly.

—Clang!

“Ghhk…!”

The blow hit my helmet, making my head ring.

But even through the impact, I didn’t let go of my shotel.

‘Yeah, this is just like that time.’

A hopelessly one-sided situation, and a single bent sword in my hand.

This bent sword can’t overpower a knight’s blade.

But…

“From now on, I’m not taking a single step back.”

I can block the way forward.

From this moment on, I face her with the resolve not to retreat even a single step.