Deployment was just an hour away.
My Knight Order gathered in the square right next to the military tent for our first briefing. I’d been saddled with exactly one hundred subordinates. Including myself, that made a unit of one hundred and one: one former Knight Commander, nineteen regular knights, and eighty commoners.
Zain, the twenty-five-year-old One-Star Knight who had originally commanded this unit, possessed a Master’s emblem and was staying on as my Vice Knight Commander. I was supposed to lead in his place, but...
"Tch! He’s just a kid."
"Some little lordling from the Academy."
"Why the hell is Sir Zain the Vice Knight Commander now?"
"Knock it off. These are Sir Eisen’s orders."
Well, I’d expected as much. I wasn't exactly being welcomed with open arms.
In fact, this was likely part of the exam itself. When we fought on the Emerald Plains, a Knight Commander named Campari had led us. He wasn't particularly well-liked, and thinking back, that might have been why he was slain in that chaotic fray. The commoners hadn't even tried to protect him.
I realized then that as a Knight Commander, earning the acknowledgment of the men you led was just as vital as tactical skill.
But what should I do? If we headed to the battlefield like this, we wouldn't be able to coordinate at all.
"Might I have a word, Leo-dono?" Zain asked, approaching me. He was a dashing, handsome knight in his mid-twenties. We stepped aside to speak in hushed tones.
"This brings back memories," he said. "My own Knight Commander Exam was much like this... though even for Sir Eisen, ordering you to lead a hundred men so suddenly is a bit extreme."
"Ahaha..."
"But if things remain as they are, it will destroy our morale. That’s fatal on the battlefield. It isn’t that I doubt you after you achieved First Class Merit, Leo-dono, but unfortunately, your appearance is... well, you're still quite young."
"I’m sorry."
"There is no need to apologize. You’re only twelve; being entrusted with this role is a staggering responsibility. So, how about we put on a little performance?"
"A performance?"
Zain turned back to the men and raised his voice. "Attention, everyone! I’m sure many of you have doubts about Leo-dono’s strength! Therefore, he and I shall hold a mock duel! Since we have a battle ahead of us, we will use iron swords! Burn Leo-dono’s strength into your eyes!"
Apparently, he wanted me to demonstrate my prowess. Zain whispered that he would pull his punches to make it look like a close, impressive fight.
"Now then, Leo-dono. Whenever you're ready!"
"Understood."
The entire Knight Order watched. The opponent was a seasoned Knight Commander, and I was just a candidate. There was an undeniable gap in our official standings. If I could show them a fight where I stood on equal footing, the men would recognize me to some extent.
Strength. It justified everything. Even if I was a twelve-year-old brat, I would be accepted if I was strong. If I was strong, they would believe in me. If I was strong, I could protect them.
I had to show them exactly what I was capable of.
"Heh..."
I moved at maximum speed.
I accelerated to about half of my top speed—enough for it to look impossibly fast to a normal observer. But right as I reached Zain, I accelerated again. I had learned this trick in my fight with Deskis-senpai and had repeated the mental simulation hundreds of times since. While I wasn't at Sir Gaia’s level yet, I could hit top speed with almost zero time lag.
The sudden shift in tempo was perfect. To him, it must have felt like my speed had doubled instantly.
In other words... I could kill him before he even had a chance to react.
"Wait, wh—!"
"Hah!"
"Gah!"
Zain was sent flying. If I’d used a Crest Sword, his torso would have been sliced in two.
Wait, I’d forgotten something important. When you used an iron sword, the target wouldn't be cut because they were protected by Crest Power, but the kinetic impact was a different story. It was like an egg in an iron box. If you strike the box, the shell might not crack from the hit, but if you kick the box hard enough, the egg inside gets rattled until it shatters.
"I’m sorry... Zain... are you okay?"
"If you were... that strong... you should have... said so..." Zain wheezed before losing consciousness.
The members of the Knight Order stood there, gaping like fish.
Well, I’d certainly demonstrated my strength. Though, our departure was probably going to be delayed now.
About an hour later, Zain recovered, and I gathered everyone in the square once more. Every eye was fixed on me. The contemptuous glares were gone; it seemed the plan had worked.
Now was the time to press the advantage.
I drew my sword, recalling the First Exam—the moment when Sir Gaia had infused his killing intent into his Crest Power. His Sword Aura.
I had felt something like that a long time ago from one of the Four Dragons of Dragonia, Alteus. When I’d faced him, I couldn't stop shaking. That was surely a Sword Aura as well. But at the exam, Sir Gaia’s aura had made power well up within me.
Perhaps that was also the duty of a Knight Commander: to use Sword Aura to terrify the enemy and to use it to bolster the morale of your allies.
I projected my will into my Sword Aura and let it carry my words.
"I am Leo."
I deepened my voice, adopting a low, commanding tone that dripped with authority. The complexions of the knights shifted instantly.
"I know I’m young and that you’re worried. But it’s alright. I am stronger than anyone else here. So—"
The tone was an act, but the sentiment was real.
"—Leave it to me."
"Sir!" the men roared in unison.
They performed the salute of loyalty, pressing the emblems on their left hands to their chests. It was a complete transformation from an hour ago. Their eyes were fixed firmly on me.
We were finally a Knight Order.
"Leo-dono, allow me to explain the situation," Zain said.
"Please."
Zain spread a large, simple map in the square, and we gathered around it.
"The front line runs across Valhalla Island from north to south. The Fifth Army is at the southernmost tip, currently deployed across the Eldoro Plains."
I studied the map. The Fifth Army had ten thousand men, split into ten units of a thousand. Our Eighth Squad was currently deployed somewhere in that mess.
"The fighting has already started, hasn't it?"
"Yes. We are to be integrated into the line. We’re about an hour behind, however."
"Sorry..."
"No, it was my fault. More importantly, if the reports are accurate, the Fifth Army is facing certain defeat. The operation is likely to fail."
"What operation?"
"The Odixia Federation has constructed a fortress—a temporary one, but a fortress nonetheless—on the Eldoro Plains. They built it at a massive cost of lives, and they are defending it with the resolve that they will never surrender these plains. For us, it’s an eyesore that we desperately need to dismantle, but their defenses are solid. It will be incredibly difficult to take."
"Is that so?"
"It’s a common saying that a siege requires three times the manpower of the defenders. I can't guess what Sir Osiris is thinking, but we can't possibly take it with only ten thousand men. And yet, the orders were simply for the Fifth Army to take the castle."
"I see. For now, let’s get to the battlefield so I can see it for myself."
"Of course!"
We headed from the military base to the Eldoro Plains. A siege was indeed in full swing. Arcadia Knights were scrambling up the walls only to be cut down by Odixia Federation soldiers. They used ladders or tried to scale the stone with Crest Power, but they were picked off the moment they reached the top. It was many against one up there; there was no way through.
"I see... so that’s how they use them."
On the other side, the Odixia Federation was raining Crest Swords down from the walls like spears. The swords pierced through the climbers and the soldiers on the ground alike. The men below tried to throw their own swords back, but the height disadvantage made it a losing battle. Since bows and arrows were useless in this world, Crest Swords were the only viable projectile.
"I see... you can throw them."
A Crest Sword stayed manifested for a short time after being summoned. It could damage—and kill—another Emblem Holder. And the best part? If you summoned it again, it returned to your hand. It was a throwing weapon with infinite ammunition.
"I see..."
I looked at the fortress again. I tested the weight of my Crest Sword and mimicked a throwing motion.
"Yeah... I think I can bring it down."
I had a plan. I’d probably get scolded for it later, but it just might work.