How to Live as a Swordmaster of the Enemy Nation

Knight Order Exam(1)

The war between the Blandi Kingdom and the Arme Kingdom began when he was three years old in his previous life. Only now had he figured out what period this is. It is about three years after his past self was born.

This means that he had leapt into this world about eleven years earlier than before.

In his previous life, he lived in hiding under the wing of his father, who was a Swordmaster. And it was only after learning mana and swordsmanship that he joined the knight order.

This time, it is different. The important thing was to prevent the war. Gregory was only sixteen years old now. He could not properly wield his strength. Being a 2-star knight was about the same level as those kids who train a bit more diligently than others while passing by. Even those kids are younger than sixteen.

Gregory had earned his title and honor through the war in his previous life.

It was the king of the Blandi Kingdom, as well as Meren and the knight order members who betrayed him, who burned those titles and honors to ashes.

Of course, the current ages of Meren and those knight order members are unknown.
At that point, the urge to kill the king of the Blandi Kingdom and feel satisfied was overwhelmed by his immense thirst for revenge.

Right now, he had no power to seek revenge upon them. If he could not cut off their heads, this reincarnation might be a vain one.

'The war must not break out right now!'

He questioned the family head again.

"Then... what about Kylo and Reino...?"

He slammed the armrest of his chair forcefully.

"You're sixteen and you can't even make that kind of judgment? War is the real deal."

Could he really not make a judgment? He just wanted to turn away. That gruesome world he had forgotten, lulled by the familiarity and sense of safety within his family.

Though the likes of Kylo and Reino were useless and would not help, if they could have even one more ally alive, would they not be able to avoid a tragic outcome? Until they're born and grow strong, they would grow stronger and hold out.

If he denied any further here, Hemingway surely wouldn't stay quiet. Thus Gregory could only nod his head in reluctant acceptance.

"I will join the knight order."

The family head nodded without so much as a change in his expression.

***

They rode a carriage toward Arcadia, the central city of the Arme Kingdom. Though smaller in scale compared to Britannia, the capital of the Blandi Kingdom, its unique atmosphere was enchanting enough to elicit a sense of awe.

Their destination was that vast arena. Once disembarked from the carriage, Gregory and Ernest looked at Magnus quietly.

"Haha, it is my honor to be assigned to Sir Ernest and Sir Gregory."

Because a temporary residence would be granted until passing the knight order exam, and a butler would also be assigned there, Magnus followed us.

When we arrived at the arena, a passionate cheer erupted from the spectators.
Were they aware that war was on the horizon? They seemed clueless as to why this knight order examination had suddenly been announced. It was nothing more than entertainment to them.

As the matter concerned the kingdom's crisis, not only our family but several others had sent representatives to support the knight order.

Among them were notable families: the Burgenfeld family, the Lucenberg family, the Erhardt family, and lastly, Gregory's own Ashborn family.

Gregory could not possibly be unfamiliar with these four major families.
These are the renowned swordsmanship families of the Arme Kingdom.

Fitting their reputation, among the many knights gathered in the arena, there were numerous standouts.

In particular, Gregory noticed figures whom he had killed in his previous life. Faces he had seen in the key character files. Glancing again, it seemed impossible that he wouldn't recognize them.

Seeing their youthful selves, they looked quite cute, and it made him curious as to how much power they could possibly wield at that age.

At that moment, Brea approached—petite in stature, with long purple hair. Gregory remembered her clearly. She was someone he had killed.

She recognized them as the Ashborn family from their insignia, and then she spoke.

"My name is Brea Erhardt. May I ask for your names?"

When Gregory ignored her words, Ernest awkwardly responded with a gentle smile.

"I am Ernest Ashborn. And this fellow here is Gregory Ashborn...."

He could guess what would happen next. She was surely going to stir something up with someone else.

As expected, Brea glanced around, searching for someone to antagonize.

She looked at a seemingly ordinary family. Judging people by appearances was her habit.

"Still, it's something that even families like those come to an exam like this."

What a remarkable woman. Nicknamed the queen of gossip in her previous life as well, she was already busy putting others down. Having met such a vile end, seeing her again now only made Gregory feel uncomfortable.

Gregory ignored Brea. After all, in his previous life, he himself had belonged to an ordinary family. Especially those eyes that scorned others—it was, as ever, unpleasant.

"You don't have any business with us, do you? Then we'll be going."

"Wait, Gregory, let's go together."

Brea's lips curled slightly at the atypical response.

While Gregory ignored Brea and wandered around, there were other rude types like her, but,

On the other hand, there were also families whose names he didn't know, who brought their arms up to their chests and showed great respect for the Ashborn family.

It was a gaze he experienced for the first time. Truly, being part of a prestigious family brought different treatment altogether.

Just as Gregory was getting used to this strange show of respect, the examiners started taking their seats. He could feel a powerful presence like Hemingway's. Even from a distance, he recognized them thanks to information Magnus had provided in advance.

In the Arme Kingdom, there are four knight orders in total.
The Black Cloud Knight Order, the Twilight Knight Order, the Dawn Knight Order, and lastly, the Silver Knight Order. They were formed by paladins who had gathered under the name of protecting the Goddess.

Gregory wanted to join the Silver Knight Order.
They were the guardians of the gates, so ordinarily, there was little chance to be sent to the battlefield. As long as he could build his strength to a certain degree, fighting at the front lines wouldn't be terribly risky. After growing stronger, he could hone his senses through actual combat.

"There he is."

Ernest pointed, and Gregory looked in that direction. That was their uncle, Walter Ashborn, Commander of the Dawn Knight Order.
The armband signified the Dawn Knights—the setting sun embodied over the field.

'That guy clashed evenly with Meren.'

Meren was an 8-star knight. Which means Walter must be of similar caliber. If he hadn't helped then, it could have been Meren who died, not Walter.

Ernest's eyes changed, showing strong determination.

"I'll be joining the Dawn Knight Order. No matter what."

Ernest's demeanor was totally unlike his usual self. It seemed as if he was driven by some kind of grudge. His tone and expression closely resembled how Gregory had seethed with anger toward his father.

Understanding that feeling, Gregory did not even pretend to empathize outwardly. The commanders of the Black Cloud, Dawn, and Silver Knight Orders all came from the other four great families.

'Did they intentionally assign one commander per family? It really is more fair than I thought.'

At this moment, news came of the Order of Radiant Light—the group overseeing all knight orders. The loudest cheer since entering the arena washed over my ears as the Radiant Light order's leader entered.

'Haha... so this is why they're called prestigious swordsmanship families.'

It was Hemingway. There was clearly a reason he had suddenly shaved off his long beard. As more and more details not noted in the key character files emerged, Gregory actually found himself becoming intrigued.

They're allies anyway. What he needed to know were the people of the Blandi Kingdom. He could say without a doubt that he knew them better than anyone. It was unbelievable that the key character files had been so lacking.

Simply put, this whole situation was amusing to him. But no one else would believe it. The ruthlessness of people who could betray at any moment. He did not want to be burned by such things anymore.

If someone wants an edge, they should come to him for information. Gregory had no need to curry favor.

After Hemingway took his seat, the instructor who called himself the proctor came in. He had a booming voice and overwhelming charisma. He explained the knight order examination in simple terms.

Gregory roughly gauged the proctor's mana.

'At most, about 6 stars.'

Only those who passed the exam would be selected into the knight orders. If no order wanted to select a candidate, that was it—they failed. They would have to go home.

The first test was physical fitness. To fight prolonged wars, strength and cardio endurance were essential. Thus, the marathon test. Only the hundred who lasted the longest would pass.

As many candidates from various families applied, a lot of them were tough in terms of physical strength. But half of them dropped out already. The hopefuls hung their heads in disappointment.

That was understandable; to join a knight order was a bright future in itself. But if rejected, their reputation would be reversed.

Labeled immediately as useless.

The second test was of mental strength. Candidates would enter a room where intense mana distorted the flow of time, making it move more slowly. This room was a maze.

The reason this was important was that, if captured as prisoners, they needed to resist divulging national secrets; they also needed to remain calm even if a comrade's head was cut off right next to them and rolled on the floor.

It was not set at a particularly high difficulty, but to pass, one had to escape the maze quickly and prove unshakable mental fortitude.

And then the most crucial test.

Mana purity check. This was considered the most important examination for the knight order. Since everything hinged on whether one possessed mana—the very destiny of a knight order.

It was matter of whether or not you had mana, or how well you could use it; that determined your physical and mental prowess. The more skillful among them would surely be sought by the various knight orders.

Upon hearing this, Ernest looked immensely worried. He, too, had yet to reach adulthood, and so it was no surprise that fear came first. Gregory placed a hand on Ernest's shoulder.

Ernest slowly gazed at Gregory. Gregory hoped, deep down, that he could serve as Ernest's mental pillar.

Then the instructor spoke again. It wasn't over yet.

"And just this once, the knight order you choose cannot be changed later."

This was grave news. My plan to comfortably ride out my time in the Silver Knight Order and later switch to the front lines had been shattered.

Now I had to decide—at great risk—which knight order I would join.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Well, no coasting on the Silver Knight Order...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】