"They’re... recruiting common soldiers. It looks like a major war is brewing."
The notice about recruitment for the war was featured prominently.
Mom wore a conflicted expression. She had likely hesitated over whether or not she should even tell me. But in the end, she did. Because she knew.
"Mom, I—"
"I know. I knew you’d go the next time they called for men. Ever since that day, you’ve been polishing your sword every single morning."
"Yeah... Do you not want me to go?"
"No, you’re a boy. I understand. But... I don't want you to die."
I wrapped my mother in a hug.
"I won't die. I’ll come back, no matter what. I promise."
"Yeah... All right then!"
Mom struck me on the back with a loud thwack! and laughed.
"Leo! Go out there and achieve a massive military feat! Become a grand knight who protects this kingdom. You are the one who will protect it—this country!"
"I will. I'll achieve something great... and I'll come back. I'll protect everyone."
That day, I headed off to war of my own volition for the first time.
I wasn't chasing a dream. I knew the battlefield wasn't a place for such beautiful things. Even so, I believed that the battlefield was precisely where I needed to be.
Because this Regalia Emblem I’d been given... surely, it was meant for this.
The assembly point was a military base located just before the Emerald Plains.
I was told I’d arrive if I headed straight south from Secondary, so I took a large supply of bread from Mom and set out. I didn't use an Emblem Horse. Using one was the mark of a regular soldier—proof that one was a knight.
Nothing of note happened during the journey.
Since I possessed the power of an emblem, I figured a light trot would be fine, so I used the travel time to practice my Crest Power control. I ran while kicking a stone along the path, focusing on not breaking it or kicking it so hard that I lost it.
It served as excellent footwork training. It was also unexpectedly fun.
I got so absorbed in the exercise that I reached the military base in a single day. I’d even forgotten to eat.
Looking around, I saw a sea of adults.
...Are all these people really going to kill each other?
Thousands of people had gathered at the base before the Emerald Plains, and hundreds of simple tents—military encampments—had been pitched. Though it was called a military base, it was really just a massive collection of tents; there weren't any actual buildings.
"Hm? What are you supposed to be?"
"I've come to join the war."
A man who looked like a knight glared down at me.
"Good grief. Even if there's no age limit, to think they’re sending children now..."
"Where should I go?"
"Line up over there and register."
A long queue had formed, so I assumed that was where they were processing the new soldiers. I bowed to the knight and joined the line.
After a while, the comments started.
"Hey, hey, this ain't no place for brats."
"Go home and suck on your mama’s teat!"
"Gahaha! Look at the kid on a battlefield date!"
"Are you two a couple? Listen to me, kid—go home and mess around there instead."
I realized everyone was laughing at us.
A couple? I looked behind me.
A girl about my height, her head covered by a hood, was standing in line behind me. My mother had been a knight, and in this world, men and women possessed the same strength through Crest Power, so female knights were common. To head to the battlefield at this age, she must have had her own reasons. I turned back around.
"Hey, hey! You! What’s your name? How old are you?" she asked.
"Leo. Twelve."
"Whoa, we’re the same age! You’re... not an academy student, right?"
"I’m not sure, but I don't think so."
"Hmm... well, whatever. I’m Flare. I didn't think I’d meet anyone else my age here! Nice to meet you!"
"Likewise."
She had hair as red as a guttering flame. Looking at her face as she smiled from beneath her hood, I caught a glimpse of my mother in her. I wondered why, then realized it was because her smile was as bright as the sun—it was strikingly similar to my mother’s.
I even thought she was beautiful. It was the kind of smile that made people happy.
"Oh? Don't tell me you fell in love at first sight?"
"Yeah. I thought you were beautiful."
"Wait, what?! That’s embarrassing! Stop it! What are you, some kind of flirt?"
"I just thought I liked that smile you just made."
"Ugh... Y-you’re good. But don't think you can win me over that easily."
I had only said what I was thinking. Win her over? I wasn't entirely sure what she meant. Did she mean "take her down" in a fight? If so, I could probably do it quite easily.
A strike to the solar plexus as she turned. A roundhouse kick to the chin as it dropped. Once she was dazed, I’d take her from behind with a rear-naked choke, compressing the carotid artery to put her under.
It would take about three seconds.
"S-something feels wrong... Are you imagining something weird?"
"I was thinking about the best way to take you down."
"Wait, what!?"
"Hey, you two! Are you going to register or not?! Brats getting all worked up... If you don't have the stomach for this, go home! If you want to 'do it,' go home and do it there!"
The knight scolded us in a way I didn't quite understand. It was then that another man stepped in.
"Now, now, take it easy, Sir Knight. Hey, brats."
"Hm?"
A burly middle-aged man stood before me. He wasn't a knight. He wore commoner’s clothes—perhaps a farmer. A Vassal Emblem glowed on his left hand.
He drew his sword and pointed it at me.
"This ain't a place for kids. Look at ya! You’re so scared you can't even move! Run along home and go to bed!"
"Give 'em a break," voices laughed from the crowd. Even the knights didn't seem inclined to stop him.
I looked at the man. His words were rough, but...
"Come on, come on! Kids should go home and suck on their mama’s teat! Gyahaha! That’s why brats should just stay home and play. Leave the fighting to us old guys."
I realized then that he wasn't a bad person. His attitude was poor, and pointing a sword at someone’s neck was beyond rude, but his intent was different.
I reached out and pinched the blade of his Crest Sword with the fingers of my left hand.
His emblem glowed. Mine was wrapped in thick cloth, but the light still leaked through. To him, it probably looked like a Vassal Emblem, since only knights were granted a Master Knight Emblem.
"What... you’re an emblem holder? An academy student?"
"No. I don't really know much about the academy."
"H-hey! What?"
"But... thank you for worrying about me. It’s okay. You can rest easy."
I gripped the blade and hoisted it upward with my left hand. Because I lifted it so suddenly, the man—who was more than twice my size—was hauled into the air along with his weapon.
The Crest Power control I had honed over the last four years was, without conceit, far superior to that of a One-Star Knight Commander. In my mental simulations, I had become strong enough to beat Liberto to a pulp.
So, it was fine.
"I’m actually very strong."