Chapter 30 : Apostle of Decay (1)
"Captain, it's Ismael."
"Come in."
The next morning, Ismael knocked on my door at a very early hour.
"Captain, it seems you need to step out for a moment."
"Where to?"
"The members are waiting for you at the quarters, they say."
"Is that so? They must have decided the answer faster than I thought."
I briefly tidied my attire and headed to the quarters where the members were waiting.
"Haken greets the Captain."
What was waiting for me there were the members of Haken, lined up in the most disciplined appearance they could muster.
"Seeing you waiting for me in this manner, may I take it that you have made your choice?"
I quickly scanned the headcount of the members lined up.
The members lined up were 512 in total.
The Haken members had decided to live a life as knights, all of them without a single defector.
"Of course. Captain. If you give us the opportunity, we will do our best to live up to that expectation."
And the one standing at the very front of the lined-up members, speaking in a resounding voice, was none other than Pierce.
A gleam that hadn't been seen for the past 100 years was flashing in his eyes.
"Right, you must do your best. Both you and I. Anyway, thank you truly for making such a decision. I trust no one has forgotten what I said yesterday?"
I looked around the assembly once and said.
"Since you have decided to follow me, your path ahead will not be so smooth."
"At most, we'll just die, won't we? I'd choose to live 10 years as a wolf rather than live 100 more years as a wild dog!"
As soon as my words ended, a bold shout burst out from among the members.
"Why would you die? Rest assured. Because I will not let you die. And you are not allowed to die as you please without my permission."
I brought my hand to the hilt of my Family Sword and said.
"Well…… it might be hard enough to die, but……."
Gulp.
My last words were close to a monologue, but the members who heard them swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
For some reason, they felt a chill.
"Now then, since there is no time, shall we enter the full-scale process right away? Before that, there is someone I want to introduce to you. This friend here is named Ismael Belianov. As the Vice-Commander of the Haken Knight Order, this friend will be tempering you starting today."
I introduced Ismael and immediately drew my sword, pointing toward the training ground.
"All members, move to the training ground immediately. From now on, I will sharpen your fangs that have become dull. Everyone is prepared, right?"
The members answered my call with a resounding shout that seemed to shake the fortress.
"We receive your orders!"
***
9 months later.
"Hey, that pie and chicken wing there are all mine. Don't even touch them!"
"Don't be ridiculous! First come, first served. Where is 'yours' and 'mine' in front of a dining table?"
"I think I did just downward strikes ten thousand times from dawn today until just now. So yield that chicken wing to me!"
"Ten thousand times? Are you kidding? I was slammed into the floor over three hundred times today!"
The dining hall after finishing grueling training was always noisy beyond measure.
Perhaps because the training was so intense, the food piled up like a mountain quickly showed the bottom before the ruthless appetite displayed by the members.
Before Ismael's eyes, who was watching the members eating energetically, an unusually large shadow suddenly revealed itself.
"Hey, Boss. What are you going to do after dinner today?"
The identity of the shadow was none other than Pierce.
He swallowed the large piece of bread he was holding in his hand and opened his mouth with a subtle voice.
"Haa, Sir Pierce. Haven't I told you several times? That I am not the Boss. When the Captain is strictly present, calling me Boss. What kind of absurd speech is that?"
"No, but excluding the Captain, it's true that you're the strongest among us, brother. Then brother, no, the Vice-Commander is our Boss, right?"
Ismael frowned and tried to dissuade Pierce's behavior, but Pierce only showed a grinning smile as always.
"Anyway, Boss, you don't have anything separate to do after eating, right? Then play with me."
Pierce spoke with a subtle voice that didn't match his bulk.
Ismael, who knew too well what the 'play' Pierce mentioned meant, let out a light sigh and said.
"Sir Pierce, as you are also aware, rest is also a part of training. Since you have done enough grueling training today, it is a wiser action to take a rest after dinner."
"Eh, why worry about me so much like that. I'm telling you I'm perfectly fine? I'm not tired at all."
However, Pierce waved both hands and refused Ismael's recommendation to rest.
"And like this, I don't think I can sleep. Last week, and the week before that, and even the week before that, I just got beaten up without even touching the Boss. That makes me so resentful and aggrieved that I can't sleep, I tell you. A member can't sleep, and will the person called the Vice-Commander just watch that?"
"……If the result is the same this time too, what do you intend to do? You'll still be unable to sleep all the same."
"No, no. I think I'd rather be able to sleep well if I get beaten up refreshingly by the Boss today too."
"……Are you serious?"
"Yeah, so for about a week. Of course, when next week comes, my body will be itching again."
"Haa……."
At Pierce's attitude of begging for a duel as always, Ismael eventually let out a sigh.
"Don't make such an expression of being aggrieved. Boss, actually, if we're being technical, the ones who are really aggrieved are us."
"Aggrieved, you say?"
"Did you think we wouldn't know that the Boss receives direct guidance from the Captain several times a week and even spares?"
At Pierce's words, Ismael made an expression of being caught off guard.
Sparring with me was taking place quite secretly, but the members already knew that fact.
"Tch, we could also become stronger faster if the Captain looked after us directly. Actually, we are also suppressing the urge to grab onto the Captain's pant leg and ask him to look after us directly. So instead of the busy Captain, at least the Boss should play with us a lot."
"It is not a special treatment. The reason the Captain does not guide you directly is that if the difference in skill is too large, the sparring has no meaning, so the Captain guides me, and I guide you……."
"Still, what's unfair is unfair, I guess."
"……Understood. I will make time after the meal ends."
Eventually, Ismael nodded.
It seemed taking a rest this evening was all wrong.
"For real? Boss, anyway, I'll go first then, so eat quickly and come. Today will be very different from before."
Pierce, who obtained the desired result, stood up from his seat with a happy expression.
"I bet my chicken leg coming out tomorrow morning that Pierce hyung won't last 3 minutes."
"Me too, me too."
"These punks. Hey, you guys open your two eyes wide and watch closely. Today, I will definitely land a blow on the Boss."
Watching Pierce and a group of members moving away, Ismael picked up the spoon he had put down again.
Thinking of Pierce who would be persistent as always, he had to eat a hearty meal at least.
***
"So, how did it go?"
"2 minutes and 13 seconds is today's longest record."
"2 minutes, you say. Right. Did Pierce succeed in even touching the tip of his sword to your body?"
"Sir Pierce fought hard, doing his best, but he did not succeed."
"You are also a truly harsh person. Is there a need to beat him up with full power every time like that?"
"I cannot do that. As long as we are sparring, doing my best would be a courtesy towards Sir Pierce."
Watching Ismael shaking his head with a firm expression, I slightly shook my head.
I thought that Pierce, who attacks despite getting beaten up every time, and Ismael, who honestly accepts that, are both the same.
"So, having clashed with them, how is the members' speed of improvement?"
"As I mention every time, the members' speed of aura accumulation is faster than I imagined. As aura accumulates, that phenomenal physical ability and synergy effect are also being amplified."
"Is that so? Then at what level should we view the members' current level?"
"Since the training period is so short, everyone is only at the level of 1-2 Stars aura right now, but in terms of skill, it would be worth holding out even if they fight against a late 3rd Star level knight."
"Late 3rd Star level, you say. You must have gone through a lot of trouble."
I nodded with a somewhat satisfied expression.
If all over 500 Haken members possess skills equivalent to the late 3rd Star level, it is safe to say that there is no knight order stronger than Haken within the territory at least, excluding the Family Head's guard unit 'Ares'.
"Among them, Sir Pierce's speed is the steepest. Since he originally had experience handling aura, his achievement also seems fast."
"You, your bragging about yourself is severe considering."
"Pardon?"
"Even if Pierce is becoming stronger like that, the gap with you has widened if anything, not narrowed, right?"
"……Captain, that is not it…… If I am growing, it is all thanks to the Captain looking after me……."
"Haha, it's fine. I just made a joke once, so there is no need to react like that. You can have a little more confidence in yourself. At least in talent regarding the sword, there is no need for you to envy others."
Showing a slight smile towards Ismael who maintained his attitude, I walked towards the drawer and said.
"By the way, are you confident in commanding them?"
"Me alone, sir?"
"Yes, as you also know, in operating a knight order, what is as important as the individual abilities of the members is discipline, and the establishment of command authority. I am asking you right now if you are confident in controlling the members as the Vice-Commander."
At my question, Ismael thought for a moment and then answered.
"……It is possible."
"Really?"
"Of course, since the members still have rough sides, there will be some difficulties, but if there is the Captain's delegation, it will be possible."
"Right. That is fortunate."
I opened the desk, took out a nameplate prepared in advance, and held it out to Ismael.
"It is a token that you represent me in my absence. Now, even without me, you can command those friends alone, right?"
"Captain, do you perhaps have outside business?"
"Yes, I intend to leave this place at dawn tomorrow. It's because there is something I need to go and check briefly, so I will entrust Haken to you while I am gone."
"May I ask how long the absence will be?"
"The absence might become a little long, but the period I am separated from you will not be very long. Because before long, you guys will come to where I am. And there is one more homework you must do while I am gone."
Ismael made an expression of not understanding, but I, paying no heed to his expression, unfolded a map of the border vicinity and said.
"Here, here, here and here. And here again. You, along with the members, investigate the route to move the shortest distance to these points I designated."
The places I pointed to were all rugged terrains where human footsteps did not reach, but my finger pointing here and there on the map was unhesitating.
"I don't know when I will send a signal, so don't forget to check the crystal ball well."
"I will receive your orders."
However, Ismael only faithfully received my orders this time as well.
After a while.
Having sent Ismael out, I fell into thought while looking at the map.
'The Apostles of Alcala will start revealing their tails around now. The places they targeted as initial targets are Zodiac, Volmada, and Nefam.'
The point I was watching was the point where the border lines of these 3 small countries, Zodiac, Volmada, and Nefam, met.
'Their method was to infect and expand troops after seizing the border area.'
'Alcala'.
The evil god protecting corruption, decline, and fissures. And the Apostles of Alcala who worship and follow the evil god Alcala.
'Corruption, infection, bloodlust. By now, they must be busy preparing to put those dirty methods into practice, right?'
The atrocities committed by the Apostles of Alcala in my past life clearly surfaced in my mind.
If my memory was correct, the time when the first 'Evangelism of Corruption' committed by them was executed is one week from now.
Now was the time to move.
'I cannot know where their heart is. Then…….'
Before I knew it, dawn was breaking outside the window.
I rose from my seat, held the Family Sword in my hand, and headed to the main gate of the fortress.
'I will catch their tails. And I have to climb up to the heart.'
At the main gate of the fortress, still full of the energy of the blue dawn, a steed I had prepared in advance was waiting for me.
"Hiyah!"
I mounted the black horse's back and tightened the horse's reins.
"Neigh!"
Soon, one person and one horse became one and raced through the blue dawn.
The wind blowing from the north was thick with the acrid smell of blood.