Chapter 22

Chaeng! Chaeng! Chaeng!

The moment they collided was fleeting.

However, the continuity that was created by successive moments made a dazzling history.

The Scherzer family’s swordsmanship technique was the best.

It goes without saying that the movement of the man who makes the best the best is dazzling.

So it was unavoidable for the opponent to have a hard time blocking Rohan’s single sword.

It was like that for everyone.

However, this time, the opponent continued that struggle for quite a long time.

“Hey! Look at Sir Rohan! That’s amazing!”

It wasn’t normal for anyone to see him raising his thumb while bleeding from the corners of his mouth.

“Whoa! I heard earlier that no one in the 1st Knights could last 5 minutes. Sir Dell fought Sir Rohan for ten minutes!”

As Leon, whose big blue eyes grew even wider, applauded and spoke, the surroundings became quiet.

In particular, the faces of the commander of the Guard, Count Johansel, and the high-ranking knights who are included in the Imperial Guard were very wrinkled.

The young 3rd Prince spoke with an innocent face regarding the fact that the opponent who they had criticized had the ability to produce a better result than even the members of the 1st Knights Order, whom the guards could not even win against.

One of the knights of the Guard tried to shout something outrageous, but was stopped by his superior, Count Johansel.

Count Johansel frowned at Suha who was fuming and asked.

“What? Do you mean to let Sir Rohan know that I deliberately make things harder for those people who want to become the 2nd Knights?”

The knight soon came to a realization about the aftermath of his action, and quickly retreated with his face bowed.

Rohan didn’t care about the atmosphere and looked at Lety, who had been waiting for his turn after Dell.

Lety swallowed with his dry throat and ran to him, passing Dell and standing in the middle.

Tito tried to grab Lety’s hair, but his turn was delayed for the second time because he was one step late.

As if they had completely forgotten that they had been insulted by the knights, the guards ran wildly with their tails fluttering, and unlike when they met on the 3rd floor of the Guard Station, they were full of life.

Kwaaang! Kwang!

Lety’s technique was more on the delicate side, while Tito counted on his thick muscles and pushed hard with brunt force.

The two of them lasted about five minutes, and the rest of the guards lasted about two or three minutes, but that was not enough to get their qualifications verified.

After making the last guard kneel, Rohan’s breathing was also quite rough.

However, he showed no sign of hiding anything and asked Johansel.

“How is it?”

“… That is enough.”

Johansel answered and said he would report to His Majesty, and went away with the Imperial Guards.

Rohan, who had his sword hanging in an oblique line, inserted the sword into the scabbard.

Elisha said to Rohan who came out of the training ground.

“I will never forget today.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Didn’t you say you did what you had to do? I just do what I have to do.”

When Elisha came out, Rohan greeted Leon without any further conversation and was about to return to the 1st training center…

Just then, the drinks and light refreshments that Elisha had told Marie to prepare in advance arrived.

“Are you thirsty?”

When Elisha asked the question out of courtesy, Rohan shook his head and looked at Leon.

Leon moved his gaze and looked up at him, making Rohan nod.

“Yes.”

As soon as the words were over, Leon tiptoed and grabbed the hem of Rohan’s sleeve.

“That’s great, Sir Rohan, Big Brother also said that he will come after class to see the new 2nd Knights, so we can meet him together!

“I don’t think I can stay that long.”

“Oh, then, take a little rest and go. Cool off your sweat and drink something cool.”

When Leon grabbed Rohan and dragged him, Rohan went along with the child as he did when he came here.

Rohan is weak against the ones who are weaker than him, but it seems especially worse for the child.

Elisha handed out what she had brought to the guards, took their share, and went to the edge of the training ground.

Elisha spread a large piece of cloth on the grass, set down the basket, as she often did in the Crown Prince’s Palace, and gestured to the two men who were standing still, beckoning them to sit.

She encouraged the two of them to take cookies, fresh juice and a glass bottle of milk from the basket and place them in the middle to eat.

Rohan chose juice, and Leon chose cookies and milk.

It was a nice day, but the sun was scorching.

Fortunately, the place where the three of them sat was covered by the eaves of the training ground, and the leaves hung densely from the branches extending from the planted trees, providing shade.

It was the best place to cool off, with occasional wind and bright light.

The guards on the other side were making quite a lot of noise, but that didn’t bother them either.

Should she say that it felt rather peaceful as it added a uniqueness to the somewhat drowsy atmosphere?

Leon, who was talking to Rohan while eating cookies, ate all the cookies, felt sleepy, and leaned on Elisha’s side.

Elisha held her nodding child beside her and patted him.

Then Elisha and Rohan’s eyes met.

Elisha just brushed off Rohan without much reaction and continued to pat the child, but for some reason, Rohan seemed to understand what the 3rd Prince was saying.

Her action made the 3rd Prince misunderstood.

It’s not that the 2nd Empress felt comfortable with Rohan. It’s just that she doesn’t block the 3rd Prince from doing what he wants in front of Rohan.

While he thought for a moment, Elisha also closed her eyes like Leon.

Are you sleeping?

Rohan, who was about to stand up, was hesitant for fear that the two of them would wake up, so he decided to stay like this for a little while.

He was unfamiliar with being still and doing nothing.

A gust of wind blew past his face and ruffled his hair over his shoulders.

Rohan closed his eyes like the other two.

After a while, Elisha felt Rohan cautiously getting up and moving away, and she opened her eyes.

Rohan greeted the guards slowly, and as he walked away, Elisha could see that the guards, who had been sitting in order, started jumping around and shouting.

The child was still sleeping.

Elisha felt the air getting a little warmer, and only after Ascencio came, she gently shook Leon to wake him up.

Ascencio was very fond of the guards and accepted them all as the 2nd Knights.

He decided to postpone the oath of allegiance because there will be a reorganization of the Knights Order later.

After the introduction, Ascencio asked Elisha if she had an invitation to the 2nd Prince Stoneham’s birthday banquet.

After hearing something from Marie, Elisha nodded, while Ascencio looked worried.

Elisha said he didn’t have to worry.

It was actually an opening that Elisha thought she needed.

Wouldn’t it be too obvious to call those people using the name of the 2nd Empress’s Palace?

“Since the 1st Empress is trying to introduce good friends with her own hands, isn’t it just polite to accept it willingly?”

Elisha looked towards the 1st Empress’s Palace.

It was around evening when Elisha, who had taken her children to their respective places, returned to her room.

Marie was waiting for her.

Marie served Elisha, prepared her to sleep, before she went into her own room.

Elisha sat on her cold floor instead of sitting on her bed.

She closed her eyes and felt the mana floating around her.

The flow of the world seemed to be caught in her grasp.

However, all the passages that should be connected to it were broken, so she could not resonate with the mana herself.

In the past, she was experimenting with her own body, going through all the hurdles of death, and was connected to Ignis, the King of the fire spirits, by luck.

It is doubtful whether the same method will work this time, and even the condition has changed so much that Elisha had to try something new.

It was possible because Elisha had a lot of knowledge, thanks to her constant efforts to become stronger even when she was already strong, until she was called the Silver Flame Witch.

Elisha, feeling the mana around her, spread her hands wide open.

A gem the size of a little fingernail was held on the palm of her hand, which had been rubbed and held for months until her palm was frayed.

She took it out of a pair of earrings.

Even if it was a ruby, from the dull color, it should only be an intermediate quality, but it was the only real thing Elisha had, so there was nothing she could do.

Elisha focused her mind on the jewelry.

A gem is the flower of a stone that blooms with the vitality of nature.

For a long time, she naturally nourished the mana that matched herself.

Its sole purpose was to accumulate mana, so it was completely different from the mana stones used for various purposes in magic.

Or so Elisha thought.

In comparison, if you use a gem with natural mana that has the same characteristics as a fixed mana rod, which is different from a mana stone, it might be possible to summon spirits by using it as a medium instead of your own body.

But of course the process was difficult as always.

“Cough!”

The cost was horrendous.

Elisha was trying to draw the mana from the gem, and she coughed and vomited blood.

It is only natural that trying to move the mana outside when one cannot even move the mana in their own body will be too much.

It was also the reason why Elisha sat on the cold floor rather than the soft bed.

If she vomits blood every night on the bed like this, even Marie who is indifferent to many things aside from her responsibility will not be able to sit still.

Elisha wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, thinking she would be bothered to clean her floor later, and calmly focused her attention on the gem again.

She felt like something was going to happen today.

No, it must happen today.

Information about what will happen in the future will give one a lot of money and power.

The will to protect one’s children is a fundamental power that no one can take away.

No matter how the world changes, it will remain a complete value, an absolute thing!

The one who will sway towards the world in Elisha’s own perfect will. You.

Mana!

Spirit!

Ignis, comrade and soul mate of my oath!

Answer me!

Kwa-dukk!

The gem on Elisha’s palm vibrated as if it had heard Elisha’s unspoken words.

Burr!

It trembled slightly, and soon it lit up red smoke and resonated with the surrounding mana.

Is it a success?

The moment when Elisha’s sky blue eyes flashed!

Pa-shuk!

There was a sound of something fine and hard being put together and crumbling at once.

On Elisha’s palm, the crumbled gems piled up into transparent ashes.

Elisha’s upper body collapsed as she vomited blood again.

The ashes in her hands flew and fell on the blood that had been sprinkled on the floor as she touched the floor so as not to fall.

Should I buy another gem?

Will the bigger ones last longer than the smaller ones?

“It’s way too expensive.”

She promised she’d make Marie feel free soon, and she just used up what Marie had been saving for months.

She is a careless master.

“I’m going to have to make a lot of money at this banquet.”

As she muttered, the hand that was on the floor lost its strength, and Elisha’s body slowly tilted.

As she was lying on the floor, Elisha muttered that she had to wipe off the blood before closing her eyes.

Tu-du-duk!

Droplets of water fell over Elisha’s face, who fell asleep as if fainted, and washed the blood away.