11. The Raven Knights (2)

Maxim looked at Christine with her hands outstretched toward the sky with dazed eyes. He was short, so if he looked up, only the tips of his thin fingers could barely be seen over the heads of the knights. In my heart, I wanted to scream at what I was doing, but the situation didn’t help Maxim. Maxim turned his eyes to look at Theodora in front of the podium. Theodora’s fine eyebrows curled slightly as she looked at the applicants.

“Are there two members who want to apply for the vice-captain position?”

Theodora looked around at the remaining members and asked, but no one raised their hand more. Rather, he only glanced sideways at the two knights who had applied for the vice-captain position with interest in his eyes. Theodora waited a moment before calling the two forward.

“…good. Then, the two people who applied, please come forward.”

Christine had a calm expression on her face. Those eyes that glowed green were tinged with a different light than usual. At some point, he didn’t want to be the vice-captain, so he said he would accompany Maxim when he left the knights, and now he was stepping up to assume the position of vice-captain again.

Maxim secretly let out a short sigh.

I’m not the type to joke around in situations like this. What do you think?

Maxim soothed his anxious heart. In the meantime, the candidates started introducing themselves.

“…Roberto Miller. I want to lead the knights together by assisting Captain Theodora, who has a reputation as the Sword Demon of the North.”

Roberto Miller had his hair, which fell down to his shoulders, tied back. A knight with a hooked nose who does not give a special impression. It was a skill enough to summon a weak aura blade. Maxim recalled in his mind the image of him fighting. I remember that he used good swordsmanship with an emphasis on agile movements and quick attacks. And swordsmanship that emphasizes speed can give you an advantage when dealing with wizards.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t beat that Christine.

‘Christine…will win easily.’

If she decided to fight right away, would Theodora be the only person who couldn’t win? Maxim was not worried about Christine’s safety. However, there are only questions about what the hell he intended to apply for the position of vice-captain.

After Roberto Miller’s greeting, Christine took a step forward.

“This is Christine Watson. I also like Mr. Miller…”

At this point, Christine slightly nodded at Theodora.

“I want to lead the Jackdaw Knights while supporting Captain Theodora Benning well.”

Then, he turned his head to the front again and smiled his characteristic greenish smile. Maxim wiped away the bitterness in that expression that somehow seemed to be directed towards him. Theodora looked at the two and started talking about the selection method.

“As it is the task of selecting the vice-captain of the knights, there is no need to make it complicated.”

At Theodora’s words, an emotion akin to confidence crept across Roberto’s face. Maxim looked sympathetically at Roberto, who still did not know what would happen to him.

“We will decide by competition.”

As soon as Theodora’s horse fell, the knights retreated like lightning to the edge of the training ground. Maxim stuck out his tongue at the enthusiastic appearance, which contrasted with the Jackdaw Knights of the past. In the meantime, someone rushed to the main building to get Roberto’s armor.

Paola spoke to Maxim, who was watching Christine calmly at the training ground, closing her eyes and adjusting her mana.

“Oh, Maxim.”

Maxim’s mouth twitched. Aren’t you being too active? Paola grinned, stood next to Maxime, and pointed her finger at Christine. A gust of wind swayed her dark blond hair.

“Did you see that cute girl?”

“I don’t know if you’re seeing the same person as me.”

“Well, you are a shy person too.”

“It seems to me that you are the opposite.”

Paola burst into laughter when she heard Maxim’s answer.

“Well, not really. Rather than that, how about it?”

“How are you, what do you mean?”

“I’m asking which of the two of you do you think will win?”

Maxim answered Paola’s question without a second’s hesitation.

“Christine will win… no, she wins.”

Paola showed interest in Maxim’s confident words. Maxim furrowed his eyebrows involuntarily at the expression that only the rich man could make. If that was pure interest in fighting and martial arts, I thought I would be able to answer happily.

“I think Roberto is a pretty strong knight too… Why do you think so?”

“…I don’t need a reason. If you watch the fight, you will probably know.”

Maxim gave his assessment in a calm voice. Paola changed her expression and rubbed her chin as she looked at the training ground. Roberto Miller, who had just finished wearing his armor, entered the training ground with a clanking sound. Seeing him swinging his shoulders, his confidence seemed to have risen considerably.

“It means it’s not just a simple cheer.”

“Because no one will ask why just because I say that Fenrir will win in a fight between wolves and Fenrir.”

Paola said yes, looking at Christine.

“Even though he came out of the Magic Tower, a genius was a genius. Roberto is a waste.”

“It would be better not to bring up the Mage Tower in front of Christine.”

“You have to notice that much, Maxim.”

As Maxim warned, Paola replied with a chuckle.

“Roberto would cry if he heard our conversation.”

“Were you acquainted?”

“It was the same knights. We met again here.”

Paola said that and focused her eyes on the training ground. The two knights had finished their preparations.

“Are you ready?”

Theodora asked both of them, and both nodded. Clouds of war hung incongruously with the sunny and peaceful weather. It was fortunate that it was not the cold tension on the day of the screening test, but the heated atmosphere before the typhoon of enthusiasm.

With Theodora’s words to begin when you’re ready, Roberto Miller kicked off the floor and charged Christine with a sword strike. It was a very ignorant-looking charge, but if you are not a swordsman who can fly an aura blade, Roberto’s method is close to the correct formula.

The problem was that Christine wasn’t a magician that could do that.

Empty!

Roberto’s sword ricocheted off Christine’s defense spell. Christine took a step forward. Roberto was pushed away leaving a trail on the floor.

“Kuk!”

I heard Roberto’s quiet voice. My hands and arms would tingle quite a bit since I fired a blow that wasn’t mixed with a handful of mana in that defense magic. Roberto straightened his sword with a twisted expression. And he began to pursue his own slashing.

Empty! Empty! Empty!

Roberto continued swinging his sword. Seeing his speed getting faster, it seemed that he was working hard to raise his mana. Roberto’s expression regained confidence as his sword became faster. Robert’s arms hissed, cutting through the air.

Empty! Empty! Empty!

The interval between the clashes continued to decrease. Christine still didn’t move with only her defensive magic activated. The last screening test was a composition that came to mind. Even then, Christine only blocked it with her defensive magic activated. Roberto swung his sword faster as if he couldn’t lose.

Empty! Empty! Empty!

Roberto’s confident expression began to fade. Maxim could see that Roberto was trying to draw out the power of the Aura.

A purple aura bloomed on Roberto’s sword. The aura slowly began to dye the sword from the tip, like water on paper. The level of the Aura Blade was not very high, but the mere existence of the Aura had a great influence on the knight’s combat power. Roberto threw away even the bare minimum of defense, as if he was going to pierce that shield this time.

Just like that, Roberto’s movements sped up again. The afterimage of the aura blade that draws the sword path remained, drawing a purple line in the air. If it was a normal magic shield, it would be cut like paper is being torn by the Aura Blade.

Tung, Tung, Tung!

However, the shield did not go unnoticed, let alone cut by Roberto’s sword. Roberto’s expression began to shake with anxiety. And as the sword attack continued, before long, the expression shaking with anxiety began to take on a look of astonishment.

“Damn it-!”

Roberto raised his arms wide. He was trying to hit the mana with all his might and hit it with no swordsmanship or anything. and between the intervals. Maxim could see Christine’s expression as she reached over the defense magic.

Yes, Maxim had only seen that expression once. When she made up her mind on something, Christine made that face. Unknowingly, Maxim was overwhelmed by the determination and atmosphere and slightly widened his eyes.

“aaa-!”

With a roaring spirit, Roberto swung his arms. A purple aura faintly draws a half moon.

And that once-in-a-lifetime blow was blocked with a very futile sound.

Tung-!

The golden defense magic and the purple aura confronted each other, spreading sparks in all directions. Roberto was desperately focused on breaking through the defensive magic, but Christine’s eyes were not on Roberto or Roberto’s sword.

Christine raised her hand. The flow of magical power rapidly accelerated. The magic circle that made up the defense magic started to get brighter, and soon the sun that rose in the sky shone so brightly that it was colorless. The knights in the training ground raised their hands and covered their eyes. When they finally thought the change had settled,

bang!

A roar erupted.

Shockwaves from the explosion shook the training ground. However, it did not happen that the dust covered the entire training ground. It was because Christine used her magic to create a wind that dispersed all the dust. Thanks to this, the members immediately knew what had happened due to the recent explosion.

“Grunt…”

On the other side of the training ground, Roberto Miller, who had become rags, was struggling. Christine seemed to be uninjured anywhere, probably because she controlled her strength well. Roberto’s training sword was lying on the floor of the training ground.

The dragon didn’t even break.

Maxim let out an exclamation of admiration, not admiration. Christine, who showed a battle that overwhelmed everyone in the seat, gave Roberto an apologetic look. Robert, half-raised, waved his hands and gave back the signal that he was okay.

Then applause broke out from the knights. There were no cheers, but the new members of the Knights of the Ravens were genuinely admiring Christine’s abilities and showered them with unstinting praise. Christine straightened her expression and moved her gaze away from Robert to the knights surrounding the training ground.

“…you were right.”

Paola spoke from the side with a voice full of surprise. Maxim turned his head to see Paola, who was frowning in admiration. Now, he was not the figure of Mr. Hosaga, but the figure of a knight who was purely enthusiastic about battle and obsessed with sword and magic fights.

“Certainly, I need no reason to say that Fenrir will win in a fight between Wolves and Fenrir.”

Maxim shrugged and replied.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“If anyone sees it, they’ll think you’ve won the race.”

Paola chuckled.

Maxim looked at the training ground again. Christine smiled at herself. Putting aside the thought of why she decided to assume the position of vice-captain, Maxim immediately responded with a round of applause for Christine’s performance.

Christine’s gaze was fixed on something. Maxim followed Christine’s gaze and saw a person standing at the end of it. Theodora. Christine was looking at Theodora with a bold expression. The applause around him slowly died away. Christine opened her mouth, keeping her eyes fixed on Theodora.

“…Please take good care of me in the future.”

I mean, with a smile on my face.

“Captain Theodora.”

Theodora was looking at Christine. As if she had already guessed her skills, she had a flat attitude. However, the dark clouds that sat beyond it had lost their usual vibrancy and were frozen.

“Yes, please take care of me too.”

Theodora spoke in an extremely soft voice.

“Vice-captain Christine.”

—

After Christine was chosen as the vice-captain, Theodora ordered the knights to train autonomously and walked with Christine in the backyard of the main building for a while.

Christine Watson.

Theodora knew little about her. For some reason, he had a conflict with the Mage Tower, left the Mage Tower, and joined the Jackdaw Knights, and that he was once called the new genius of the Mage Tower.

“Congratulations on becoming vice-captain. As the leader, I would like to say thank you to the existing members for following along.”

“thank you.”

Christine humbly accepted the compliment. Looking at Christine like that, Theodora tried not to think of that day as much as possible. On a rainy day, I tried not to think of Maxim and Christine looking out the window.

“I look forward to the efforts for the development of the Knights of the Ravens in the future.”

“Yeah. I will follow you, Captain.”

Theodora looked at Christine. The face was very small. Cute, big eyes and bright golden blonde hair that stretched down to her waist. Theodora admired the doll-like appearance, but tried to ignore the feeling of discomfort.

The awkward walk continued for a while. Christine, who was walking while staring at Theodora, suddenly brought up a question.

“Captain, can I ask you a question?”

“Yes, as much as you like.”

Christine hesitated for a moment, then looked straight into her eyes again.

“May I ask why you decided to replace the former vice-captain? Someone who didn’t fail the screening test, and who held the position of vice-captain for two years would surely be of great help.”

Theodora’s cloud-colored eyes and Christine’s lawn-green eyes met in the air. Christine’s question had many meanings. Theodora pretended to be calm and began to answer, hiding her emotions. She didn’t want to show these feelings to anyone. Especially if the target is someone close to Maxim.

“…As you’ve seen at the time, you’ll understand, but I didn’t think the previous vice-captain’s inaction was good enough for my standards.”

However, it was impossible to hide the fact that his voice became a bit hard towards the end.

“That’s it.”

Christine didn’t bother to ask. Theodora and Christine stood for a moment facing each other.

It was then that one of the members hurriedly ran towards them.

“Captain, vice-captain!”

The member looked at the two in turn, and when their gazes focused on him, he finally opened his mouth.

“A letter has arrived from the royal family.”