The training ground of the knights.

The knights, who had been fervently training, immediately straightened up and paid their respects as the lord and his entourage, led by Jonathan, arrived.

"Greetings, Lord."

The Dmitri family.

Though their territory was small and located on the outskirts of the Cairo Kingdom, the status of the Dmitri family within their domain was immense.

The treatment of the Dmitri Knights, in particular, was among the best in the surrounding regions.

The respect for Baron Romero was evident just by looking at the knights, who formed a flawless line.

Jonathan, the captain of the knights, stepped forward and spoke.

"From now on, we will proceed with a sparring session for Young Master Roman. Those who wish to participate, step forward."

"......"

There were no volunteers.

The knights exchanged awkward glances, unsure of how to respond to Jonathan's sudden announcement.

It was only natural.

Their opponent was Roman Dmitri.

Even if they won, it would be a hollow victory, and if they lost, they might face expulsion from the knights.

Despite their respect for Baron Romero, none of them wanted to become a puppet in his son's little show.

"If there are no volunteers, I will choose the opponent myself," Jonathan said, his gaze sweeping over the knights.

The Dmitri Knights consisted of fifteen members, excluding the captain.

Though they were called knights, only two of them, including Jonathan, held the official title of knight.

The remaining fourteen were, on paper, commoners.

They aspired to become knights, but their skills were still lacking.

The problem began now.

If this were the Roman they knew before, it wouldn’t matter who was chosen.

But the changed Roman was an unknown variable.

'The Dmitri Knights cannot afford to be humiliated by the young master.

Therefore, the opponent must be someone who can completely subdue him.

Only then can we preserve the dignity of the knights and confirm the true strength of Young Master Roman, who supposedly defeated Blood Fang.'

Jonathan wished he could step forward himself.

But as the captain, he couldn’t recklessly draw his sword, so he had no choice but to suppress his frustration.

He made his decision.

From the moment he accepted Baron Romero's proposal, Roman's opponent had already been decided.

"Chris, step forward."

"...... Yes?"

The man called out was a handsome blond who grimaced at Jonathan's summons.

Chris.

He couldn’t believe his ears.

He wasn’t just any ordinary knight—he was the vice-captain of the Dmitri Knights.

"I don’t think this is a matter for me to handle," Chris protested.

Defying orders was a serious matter.

Under normal circumstances, he would have obeyed without question, but this time, he couldn’t bring himself to comply.

The reason was simple.

His opponent was Roman.

Even Chris, who genuinely cared for the people of Dmitri, couldn’t stand Roman, the fool of Dmitri.

'If only he weren’t the lord’s son.'

There had been an incident involving Roman in the past.

A violent altercation had broken out in the entertainment district, and the instigator was none other than Roman Dmitri.

Drunk and causing a scene, Roman’s status as the eldest son of Dmitri made it impossible for anyone to intervene.

As people stood by helplessly, Chris, who had been patrolling with the guards, arrived at the scene.

He tried to calm Roman down with a respectful demeanor, but suddenly, he felt a sharp sting on his cheek.

Slap!

Roman had struck him.

Screaming about how no one should touch him, Roman’s behavior made Chris genuinely want to kill him.

But he held back.

Roman Dmitri.

A scoundrel, but still a man bearing the Dmitri name.

Chris endured the incident with the utmost patience, but from that day on, he couldn’t stand the sight of Roman Dmitri.

And Jonathan, the captain, knew this.

Naturally, Chris thought he would be excluded from the sparring, but when he was chosen, he couldn’t help but voice his objection.

Jonathan spoke.

"Young Master Roman is a skilled warrior who single-handedly defeated Blood Fang. To ensure a fair match, someone of equal skill must step forward, and the person who represents the Dmitri Knights is you, Chris."

"This Blood Fang incident..."

"Chris."

Jonathan’s expression hardened.

He wouldn’t tolerate any defiance.

Chris bowed his head.

'Damn it.'

"Understood."

This incident.

Roman’s actions had become famous among the knights.

There had been debates about whether Roman truly possessed the strength to defeat Blood Fang, but Chris firmly believed it was impossible.

He knew from personal experience.

Just two years ago, Roman had slapped him, and that was the strength of an ordinary person who had never trained with a sword.

Victory or defeat? He wasn’t worried about that.

But if they were going to spar, he wanted to do it properly.

"I have a condition," Chris said.

"Speak."

"I was taught to treat sparring as if it were real combat. No matter who the opponent is, when swords clash, I won’t hold back. If you allow this, I will accept the honor of facing Young Master Roman Dmitri."

A glance toward Baron Romero.

When he nodded, Jonathan confirmed Roman’s consent.

But then.

Pfft.

'He’s laughing?'

Roman laughed.

A silent agreement.

It was a reaction that thoroughly irritated Chris.

Chris had some sense.

Roman was the heir of Dmitri.

He had no intention of humiliating him in front of the lord he served.

But.

That one laugh shattered his rationality.

'This bastard.'

The handsome blond.

Despite his appearance, which suggested he couldn’t even wield a sword properly, Chris was known as the "Fighting Dog of Dmitri."

A man who wouldn’t stop until he saw the end.

People worried about Roman’s safety against such a formidable opponent.

On the sparring ground.

Two men holding wooden swords faced each other.

Then.

Tap.

"Begin!"

The signal was given.

Chris, who had been waiting with a slight shuffle of his back foot, immediately lunged forward at Jonathan’s signal.

Thud.

'I’ll show you the difference in our levels.'

The speed was incredible.

Chris closed the distance between him and Roman in an instant, and before the onlookers could blink, he swung his sword toward Roman’s arm.

It was an attack aimed at a non-lethal area.

Chris, thinking Roman wouldn’t be able to block such a sudden and fast strike, had chosen a spot where even if he hit, it wouldn’t cause serious harm.

But.

Thwack!

'......

Thwack?!'

The force transmitted through his hand.

Roman and Chris’s gazes locked in mid-air.

Roman’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest, even against such a surprise attack, sending a chill down Chris’s spine.

Whoosh!

A quick retraction.

Followed by a horizontal slash, which Roman calmly blocked again.

It was clear that the previous defense wasn’t a fluke.

The force transmitted through his hand and the stability of Roman’s stance were both solid.

'Look at this.'

It was unexpected.

Chris hadn’t anticipated that Roman would possess such fundamentals.

For a moment, he wondered if Roman truly was the one who had defeated Blood Fang.

If that were true, Roman would be on par with Jonathan, but that didn’t matter now.

The spar had already begun.

Chris felt that only by defeating Roman would his anger subside.

*Thud.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

With aggressive steps, Chris unleashed a series of downward slashes.

The rapid and powerful chain of attacks drew gasps from the onlookers, while Roman retreated, desperately blocking.

It was a solid defense.

But the moment Roman took his fifth step back, Chris’s eyes gleamed.

'Now.'

Whoosh!

A single strike.

He aimed for the opening.

Chris was certain this attack would land, but by a hair’s breadth, the wooden sword grazed Roman’s hair.

Swish.

The hair fluttered in the wind.

Beneath it, Roman’s cold gaze met his.

At that moment, Chris didn’t know why, but even though he couldn’t clearly see Roman’s movements, he instinctively swung his sword to block.

Thwack!

'How?!’

Right in front of him.

Roman’s sword had somehow swung toward Chris’s head.

If he hadn’t blocked it, the match would have ended right there.

Roman wasn’t just skilled in defense—his offensive fundamentals were also impressive.

The moment his attack was blocked, Roman disappeared from Chris’s view.

A sidestep.

Flowing like water, Roman moved out of sight and swung his wooden sword upward from below.

The unconventional attack made Chris gasp.

"Ugh."

Whoosh!

It was bewildering.

Was this Roman’s true strength? Even as he faced him directly, Chris couldn’t believe it.

'This is ridiculous.'

He gritted his teeth.

He didn’t want to lose.

Losing to Roman, of all people, in front of everyone was unacceptable.

He waited for the right moment.

Just as Roman had attempted a counterattack, Chris also looked for an opening.

Then.

Whoosh!

Roman’s chest was wide open.

Chris thought this was the perfect timing and stepped forward.

Grin.

'......!'

Roman smiled.

Instinctively, Chris knew.

This was a trap.

It was a crisis.

Seeing Roman effortlessly dodge his attack and immediately counter, Chris unleashed the power he had been suppressing.

Boom!

Rumble.

An explosion from within.

It was the manifestation of aura.

Knights.

The standard that set them apart was the 1-star aura.

A power that elevated humans beyond ordinary limits.

As Chris’s aura manifested, Jonathan, who had been watching, widened his eyes.

"No!"

It was dangerous.

The clash of aura and a wooden sword.

The outcome was obvious.

Not only would the wooden sword shatter, but Roman could also suffer severe injuries from the aftermath.

The fact that it wasn’t a real sword didn’t matter.

A wooden sword infused with aura could still cut down a person.

Jonathan’s heart sank.

This was a mistake.

If he had known Roman was skilled enough to push Chris to this point, he would have swallowed his pride and stepped in himself.

But then.

Thud.

Roman charged forward.

Even with a life-threatening strike before him, he didn’t hesitate to advance.

Just one step.

That was all it took to create a miracle.

Roman’s face was slightly grazed, and blood splattered as he faced Chris, whose expression was a mix of panic and shock.

The match was over.

Chris, defenseless.

Even if Roman had sheathed his sword, Chris would have accepted the outcome, but Roman wasn’t about to let this slide.

'Those who show hostility must be dealt with decisively.'

It was the rule of the demonic arts.

Even if he didn’t kill, the price for victory had to be paid.

Thwack!

Crack!

"Ugh?!"

The wooden sword struck Chris’s face squarely.

The impact sent him flying, and as he fell, thick blood and several teeth scattered in all directions.

People said that Chris, a disciple of Jonathan, a 3-star knight, and a prodigy who had manifested a 2-star aura at a young age, was the greatest genius of Dmitri.

He was said to have the talent to surpass Dmitri and make a name for himself in the Cairo Kingdom, and within Dmitri, he had no equal except for Jonathan.

And yet.

He collapsed backward.

His unfocused pupils proved he had lost consciousness.

Thud.

Chris fell to the ground.

And behind him.

"...... What is this?"

Jonathan’s face was filled with shock.