9/17 - Kingdom of humanity - sixth floor - morning

A warm feeling hits my face, aiding me from my slumber. As my eyes open, they meet with a bright ray from the sun. I cover my eyes from the powerful rays as I get out of bed. The warm light hits my body as I expose myself from my covers. My body feels slightly sluggish, as it always does in the morning. As usual, I perform my morning stretch, a tradition that must be executed, if I wish to perform at my peak. As a representative of the Church of Mana, I cannot indulge in luxury, let alone sloth behavior, so I must remain alert at all times.

After I end my daily exercise, I go to the closest to retrieve my uniform and sword. Putting them on in an orderly fashion, I check to see if my sword's scabbard is appropriately secured. Yes, it's fastened, now I can start the day.

I make my way to the exit of this room. The room is quite grand, with lavish decorations and elegant furniture here. The bed is king-sized with pillows that are soft on the head, allowing for one to sleep in bliss. As for the bathroom… It's quite expensive, that is certain. Overall, the room is quite comfortable, objectively, but it feels too big for me to rest in.

"All right, time to start the day."

I exit the room with my sword on my hip. Ever since I began living here, I took it upon myself to patrol the kingdom for any trouble. So far, I only got involved with a scuffle between two drunkards, but other than that, this kingdom is relatively peaceful.

I make my way to the exit of the castle, which is on the first floor from here, the sixth floor. Navigating my way around the castle is easier than I thought, since I was given a detailed tour.

As I make my way to the stairs for the fifth floor, I come across the king's audience chamber. The ball was held here. It is much quieter without people conversing. Peeking in, I spot the king on his seat, speaking with an attendant.

"Sire, count Kay wishes an audience with you about giving him knights to begin an expedition into the uncharted territory."

"Did I not already reject his request?" king Relius asks, voicing his annoyance.

"Yes, however, he is quite stubborn about meeting you."

"It seems so."

"Furthermore, there are reports of more mines being raided and destroyed."

"I see. Schedule the Grand-Master to meet me tomorrow about it. Is that all?"

"Yes, sire, it is. I shall update you if there is anything else to report."

"Do so later in the evening.”

“Yes, sire.”

The attendant makes his way towards the exit. He pays me no mind, walking away from me as if I don't exist. I would say that's pretty rude, however, I am not upset by the act.

"Finally, he's gone," the king says, relieved. “...Whoever is at the entrance, you may enter.” Seems like his senses are sharp if he spotted me. No matter, I walk inside the throne room, revealing myself to the king.

“Good morning, King Relius.”

“Ah, the guest from across the ocean. How do you fare this fine morning?”

“Fairly well.”

“Good, then would you like to partake in breakfast?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m good.”

“If you say so, but were you listening to my conversation earlier?”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I happened to walk near the throne at the time.”

“Ah, then I suppose I cannot fault you.” The king crosses his legs with his hands resting on the arms of the chair. “...May I wonder where you are heading?”

“I’m simply going to patrol the kingdom.”

“Why, the knights can, and are supposed to patrol the kingdom.”

“I know, but if I can help in any way to keep the stability of this kingdom, then I shall. I may be a representative but I am a Paladin of the church, so I must uphold peace, no matter where I am.”

King Relius claps, not sarcastically, but in a way that makes it seem as if he’s cheering for a show. “What an excellent reason. No wonder they sent you here, you are indeed worthy of being a representative.”

I gracefully bow to not come off as rude. “Thank you, I am glad you feel that way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I shall be off.”

“Happy patrolling, may the kingdom streets treat you fair.”

I turn my back to the king as I move for the exit. So far, King Relius hasn’t shown any signs of hostility or off-beat behavior. From what I observed, he’s a hard-working king that takes in all the concerns that arise from the kingdom. I'd question whether it's an act or not. However, the way he works puts my doubts aside.

...

As I descend into the main hall from a set of dual staircases, the sounds of several voices hit my ears. It's coming from a doorway under the platform the dual stairs start at. My curiosity gets the best of me, even if it's something I'm supposed to have under control. However, curiosity is crucial for a keen mind, so I shall not question it, but follow it! Being steadfast in my curiosity, I open the door. It leads to a courtyard, lights illuminating the room filled with training equipment, like practice dummies, archery targets, along with a section for multiple duels to occur. In that section, several men are fighting against one another using wooden swords. They must be knights that aren’t on duty.

“Tighten your form, it’s the thing that separates you from blocking a blade or catching one to the head!"

The strict instructor paces around the knights as practicing their swordplay, giving them instructions as they fight. He’s twice the size of all of them combined, most likely 6’5. His muscles are massive, showing years of training from just looking at them. He has purple hair tied back into a ponytail. He appears to be in his early 30s’.

“What are you doing, keep swinging with a tighter grip, and straighten out your arms as you swing! Step with your dominant foot and use the momentum to strengthen your swing!” He turns his attention to the entrance, spotting me. “Ah, it’s the guest of the king! Welcome to the training hall. Come and join us.”

His tone changes to a friendlier energy that exudes from the way he talks and acts, it's as if he wasn't acting as a strict instructor a moment ago.

Well, I suppose it isn’t too out of the ordinary for swordplay instruction to be strict, so maybe I’m overthinking his mood shift. Regardless, I head over to him, accepting his invitation.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“No need, it’s an honor for guests to watch my knights train. Would you like to take part, seeing how you are wielding a sword?”

“No, I am simply here by chance and I would not like to intrude on their training.”

“If that is your choice, then I shall not force you. Instead, would you like to partake as a spectator? It would be an honor if you could witness my knights train.”

I suppose I can spare a few minutes to watch them train.

“Very well, I’ll watch.”

“Excellent… Knights!” His voice booms inside the room as he switches to a strict, proud voice. “We will have a spectator, show him the training that has been instilled into your bodies!”

“Yes, sir,” every knight in the room shouts, getting into position for more sparring.

Their forms are adequate, standing straight with their grips on their swords firm as their feet are firm on the ground.

“Tell me, what is your opinion of the sparring matches? Or rather, how is their swordplay?”

“Albeit I’m not familiar with your form of swordplay, I can say that it has a strong foundation on standing your ground with a sword. No room for fancy footwork, let alone any improvisation. But it also seems basic.”

“Excellent eye, that is indeed how I would describe it. This swordplay is meant to be as basic as possible, helping them on the path of what it means to use a sword.”

“In what sense?”

“In the sense of what it means for one to use their sword as a knight, how their knighthood is.” I can’t help but be confused by what he means. How does swordplay play into knighthood? Maybe fighting with honor and pride? “I can see that you are confused, am I wrong?”

“No, I certainly am.”

“Then it would be beneficial if you demonstrate your swordplay. That way, I can make this much clear to you.” Again, my curiosity is raised. Without any thought to his suggestion, I take out my sword, heading for the practice area. This is considered reckless of me but I wish to see what he means. “Knights, stop fighting, let this man demonstrate his swordplay, for a moment!”

They clear the way, moving out of the training area to the spectate on the sides. I draw my sword, slowly, smoothly, and with a flourish. Both of my hands are placed on the hilt, my left hand below my right. I stand straight-up, my sword pointing straight up as well. A cold sweat rolls down my cheek. Their undivided attention is making me nervous about this. It’s not as if I never demonstrated my swordplay before, but that was for my instructor, so I’m used to him watching me. I have to calm down, a single error can lead to a humiliating image for the Church since I am their representative; I must give it my all!

“I shall begin now!"

Without a signal of confirmation, I swing my sword with strict, yet flowing movements. The sword swings are the easier part, it's the footwork that I must focus on. I'll only do movements that I'm overly familiar with.

My swordplay holds no fancy moves that catch the eye, just pure skill with the blade and practical movements. These moves were practiced for hours on end when I first used a sword. My instructor told me that flow is key to swordplay because you'll be able to go into the next attack, and the one after that. Yet, I picked up a strict foundation for it, despite what my instructor meant. However, it's comfortable to fight like this.

"Ha!"

I finish my demonstration with a broad slash that pushes the wind itself. I wave my sword diagonally to the left, then to the right, sliding it back into its scabbard after twirling the blade towards it.

“Thank you for watching.”

I give a polite bow. A wave of cheers comes my way. The instructor doesn’t clap for me, but he seems interested, from what I can tell, if not impressed.

He approaches me, then turns to his men. “Men, I hope you found the demonstration helpful. His swordplay shows experience, dedication towards his sword, and his spirit. And when I say spirit I mean the essence of the person; what and who they are is packed into their swordplay.” The essence of my person? So he means who I am? “This spirit forms from accumulated experience, which gives way to your own form of swordplay; your own style! Which is why I want you to learn from our guest, and strive to fight with spirit. Once you turn that spirit into a weapon, none shall be able to stand in your way!”

“Yes, sir!”

His men proudly salute him.

"Now, resume sparring for another 30 minutes," he commands them.

“Yes, sir!”

They rush back onto the training area as we move to the side.

"Do you understand now?" the instructor asks.

"I do, but may I ask what your impression of me is?"

"Your swordplay told me you are an earnest, honest, yet experienced knight who knows the way of battle. You also swing with a strict sense of righteousness.”

“I do?”

“Indeed, you do... However, I also sense a strong drive behind that righteousness as well.”

“Well, I am under obligation to uphold order, so that coincides with justice."

The church isn’t exactly an organization that fights strictly under the name of justice. However, its values do coincide with one another, so I suppose it is. Although, I do not fight in the name of justice, I just fight for what’s right. That being said, I think I spent enough time here, I should get going.

“Excuse me, but I must be going.”

“Where to?”

“To patrol the kingdom.”

“My knights are already on it, so do not fret.”

“I know that, but I can’t sit around and do nothing.”

“Easily restless?”

“Yes, I like to keep myself busy.”

The instructor nods to himself with his arms crossed. “Very well, then I task you, young guest, to patrol the city!”

“Yes, sir!”

I slam my fist on my chest, standing straight-up with my legs pressed together. I raise an eyebrow the moment I realize what I’m doing. I did the salute I normally do back in the Church of Mana HQ. Embarrassed; I collect my composure.

The instructor gives a hearty laugh. “I wish you luck out there...“ he trails off, leading off for me to say my name.

“Legion, that is my name.”

“Legion, a strange name indeed.”

“So I am told, but may I know yours?”

“Mine is Hendrick, I am the Grand-master of the knights.”

The word Grand-Master strikes me like a brick. The title is familiar since I familiarize myself with the rank of the knights. Knight-captain is the highest rank a person can be when working as a knight in the kingdom. They command a troupe of knights, only taking orders from the king. There are four of them, from what I know. I also learned they're four out of eight elite soldiers that took part in ending a war that happened years ago.

“You're a knight-captain!?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then should you not be--”

“I am working. I am working on making my knights stronger, personally.”

“Do you not trust anyone else to do so?”

“No, I do, but I sometimes instruct them to see their progress.”

Amazing, he must have quite a lot of time to spare on training the men under him. Actually, now that I think of it, why is he training them so hard? It doesn’t seem as if the kingdom is in battle with anyone on the outside.

“May I impose another question before I leave?’”

“Of course.”

“Why train your men so hard? The kingdom seems to be enjoying peace, so what’s the need?”

He closes his eyes, turning his head towards the ceiling. “Yes, you are correct. We are in a time of peace, but for how long? There is no guarantee that this peace will last forever. Some day, our enemies will rise again, and they will march for our walls, so by that time, we must be ready. Even if I'm not alive by then, I will train this generation to train the next."

He sees a bigger picture rather than what's in front of him at the moment. Exceptional thinking for a Grand-master of the knights.

“...Well, regardless of that matter, you best be on your way, sir Legion.”

He changed the topic so quickly. I guess that means he's done elaborating on his reason, so I'll just take my leave since I no longer have a reason to stay.

“Yes, then I shall be going. It was a pleasure meeting you, sir Hendrick. Hopefully, we can speak again.”

“I, too, would be elated to speak with you again.”

I wave him goodbye as I head for the exit of the training hall. I make my way back to the main hall. Nobody is around in the quiet, well-decorated hallway. That is, until I witness someone coming from the stairs. He’s wearing a robe, covering his head with the hood. He’s moving rather suspiciously; moving with caution for any living soul. It's obvious he is an intruder, and with the way he’s moving, he must've stolen something. I shall deal with this intruder before he can escape!

I hastily draw my sword as I run towards the intruder. “Halt! Drop any items you have in your possession! Refusal to cooperate will result in me using force to detain you!” I move around the unknown man with my sword pointing at him. He’s keeping his head down, masking himself from me. “Show me your face, now! If you refuse, then--”

“Would you hold for a moment!” That voice is familiar; the tone of nobility that holds a distinct sense of superiority. “...Honestly, being held at sword-point in my own home. Then again, I guess it is only fair since I look like a miscreant.”

He pulls down his hood, revealing himself. My eyebrows raise from the revelation, only a question-mark remains in my head for why this man is moving around like this. The man under the hood is King Relius.

He grins with an arrogant smirk that shows he's amused. “How do you do, Legion?”