Prologue

“A swordmaster from the frontier? That person is the new knight commander?”

A rumor that had recently heated the backstreets.

The word was that a swordmaster from the frontier would be joining the knights order.

And not just as a regular soldier, but as a knight commander.

It was an unavoidable topic of conversation.

“Tsk, even the empire’s knights are declining.” A bald man said, setting down his mug of beer. “No matter how lacking they are in talent, giving a high-ranking position to a non-academy graduate, a vagabond who used to run a swordsmanship school, is absurd.”

“You’re right. Hiding in the frontier means he’s not confident in his skills. What the hell are they thinking, installing someone like that as a knight commander?”

“It’s not even funny. How can a swindler who rips off money by promising to teach swordsmanship to children be a knight commander?”

Several voices of dissatisfaction were heard, and the surrounding patrons nodded as if they agreed.

“Why not choose from among the adventurers?”

As the baldy grumbled, the mustached man across from him clicked his tongue.

“Hey, man, haven’t you heard the news? An A-rank adventurer called the peak of adventurers, Gründel, had one of his arms cut off in a duel with the 3rd Knight Commander.”

“What? Gründel lost?”

“It wasn’t just losing. He was beaten so badly by her that he turned into a bloody mess.”

Baldy had just finished a quest and returned to the city.

Of course, he hadn’t heard the news of the duel that happened three days earlier.

The mustached man continued, “No matter how great you adventurers claim to be, you all can’t compare to a knight commander. There’s a reason why adventurers linger in that slum of a hometown. The Empire’s wall is that high.”

“Gründel lost… by such a wide margin.”

“The 3rd Knight Commander, who cut off Gründel’s arm, personally handpicked that swordmaster from the frontier.”

Thus, the adventurer’s hometown was abuzz with the topic of ‘The Swordmaster from the Borderlands.’

Whether he was a suitable figure for the position.

Though a rather pointless conversation, knight commander is a position that draws the eyes of the Empire’s citizens.

Recently, with the increased frequency of demon appearances, it was natural to follow the knights’ movements.

“I can’t approve. He will tarnish the knight order’s honor.”

“So what if you don’t recognize him? If another knight commander recognizes him, he’s more than enough for the position. Coming from the streets, he might even speak up for us adventurers.”

“Speak up, my foot. It’s a parachute appointment. He won’t achieve anything, and he’ll be demoted in a year. Just wait and see.”

The adventurers’ voices grew louder.

As the drunken faces spat and yelled, the tavern owner busily served beer.

Meanwhile.

In a corner, sipping his beer, Liorne thought,

‘I agree too. Becoming a knight commander out of nowhere.’

As the voices around him grew, Liorne’s shoulders hunched.

At least his face wasn’t recognized. Otherwise, he might have been hit with a rock.

Liorne subtly raised his hand and ordered another beer.

He, who would be praised as the Empire’s only sword in the near future,

“…The food in the city certainly is delicious.”

To Liorne, chewing on jerky, it was still a story of the future.