The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 24: The Path to Becoming a Knight 

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

Although Stan was excitedly walking around the castle, he still kept his mannerisms as a knight. Ever since he decided to be a knight, it was his dream to enter the royal castle one day, and on this day, his dream had unexpectedly come true. 

The routes within the castle were complex, and every corridor looked identical. Also, the dim light didn’t help Stan to see his surroundings clearly. At that instant, he realized that he couldn’t find his way back to his room. Flustered, he searched his memory and took a few turns in an attempt to look for his room. 

His own footsteps echoed in the corridors as the torches on the walls crackled and flickered. The chilly weather had infiltrated every corner of the castle. Stan pulled his cloak closer, and he didn’t want to roam around the castle any longer; he just wanted to return to his own room immediately. 

After taking one more turn, he realized that the corridor seemed to be identical to the one outside his room. Relieved, he placed his hand on the doorknob, and just then, two voices were heard coming from the room.

***

“You agreed to let the four of them enter the Source of Magic? Are you out of your mind?” a woman questioned in an agitated and uneasy manner.

“I’m not crazy. However you look at it, this is beneficial to us.” a man said. The voice made Stan feel frightened, for it was Byron who was speaking. 

“How is it beneficial to us?” the woman scoffed.

Who dares to speak to the king like this? Stan thought. The queen of Doyle had passed away twenty years ago, and Byron had never remarried since then, which remained a fairy tale for all the Doylans. But who is this woman who has the guts to retort the king? Feeling dizzy, Stan wanted to leave this place, but when he thought about the fact that this topic had something to do with his companions, he couldn’t bring himself to go away. 

Right then, the king was heard saying, “First of all, if they can find any useful information about the Dark Tide in the Source of Magic, it will help us in the fight against our enemies.”

“That sounds sensible. And what next?” the woman questioned. 

“Secondly, we know little about the Source of Magic, so why don’t we let them go ahead and explore it for us?” Byron explained slowly. 

The woman snorted. “Really? Aren’t you worried they’ll discover that the raid on Sara has something to do with Doyle?” 

Sara! Does Sara’s downfall have something to do with Doyle? The revelation caught Stan off guard, and he couldn’t even stand stably now.

“What does it have to do with the Source of Magic? Moreover…” Byron sneered. “Do you think they can really come out alive?”

“Even if the chance is slim, we still can’t be complacent. This secret can never be exposed to anyone else!” The woman raised her voice. It was apparent that she was worried this secret would be leaked.

“You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll kill anyone who finds out about the secret. You just have to keep our promise in mind. Remember not to make any mistakes!” Byron said.

Stan’s head started buzzing when he heard that. He couldn’t pay attention to their conversation any longer, for his entire body was trembling in shock. Are these the true colors of the revered Edra XVII?

Just then, rapid footsteps could be heard from afar. In a panic, Stan started running forward subconsciously. His mind a mess, he couldn’t even see the road ahead clearly as he trotted around aimlessly.

***

After taking a few turns, he finally saw the light at the end of the passageway. Ignoring everything else, he charged toward the light. Following that, what came into his sight was an open space where the knights were practicing sword-wielding.

Exhausted, he clenched the handrail and panted heavily. Even though the air was frigid, his sweat still streamed down from his forehead.

Just then, Fern appeared beside him and asked in puzzlement, “What happened? You looked like you just bumped into a fiend.”

When Stan looked up and saw Fern, he came to his senses and said slowly, “N-Nothing… I was just lost inside the castle.”

“Do you have to be so anxious even though you were lost?” Fern looked at him doubtfully, for he knew that Stan wasn’t someone who would fret over such a matter.

“It’s really nothing…” Turning around, Stan took a seat on the ground and leaned against the handrail. For that instant, those knights in silver armors before his eyes seemed to have transformed into fiends, making him shudder in fear. 

“Alright. You can always come to me if you need me. I’m all ears.” Fern asked no further. He knew that something must have happened, but his companion must have his own reason for not revealing it. 

“Thanks…” Stan placed the tip of his sword on the ground and got up with the help of his weapon. “Where is this?”

***

“The training ground. Do you want to practice with them?” Fern crossed his arms with a relaxed expression. “I’ve watched them for quite some time now. All of them are masters of sword-wielding. I’m sure it’d be wonderful to practice with them.”

Stan looked at the knights again. His illusions of fiends had disappeared as the knights were as gallant as ever. “No. They’re all royal guards. I don’t think we’re a match for them.”

“How will we know if we never try?” Fern tried to encourage him. “Remember how you managed to fend off so many corpses on Princess Merry?”

Stan was hesitant. Since young, he had always heard about how valiant these royal guards were, so he had always aspired to be one of them. “Those were just living dead. But these people are—” 

“Whatever.” Fern interrupted him. After that, he stepped forward and had a chat with a knight. Then, they picked up their weapons and started having a contest. They were equally powerful, so it was hard to tell who would win eventually.

Seeing how focused Fern was, Stan was eager to have a try as well. However, he was reluctant as he wasn’t officially a knight yet. He envied Fern because the latter didn’t have to worry about all the mannerism and restraints, but at the same time, he believed that those qualities were what set the knights apart from the others.

***

“Don’t you want to have a try?” a man was heard saying from behind Stan. “Your friend seems to be enjoying himself in the battle.”

Stan turned around and realized that he was the gray-haired knight who normally stood on the king’s right side. “I haven’t asked about your name yet, Sir.” Stan nodded at him. 

“Boyd Lundsel, the leader of the royal guards.” The gray-haired knight nodded in response. “If I’m not mistaken, your name is Stan, right?”

Stan’s breathing almost stopped when he heard his name. Boyd Lundsel is the leader of the royal guards. He’s also touted as the best knight in Doyle.

Respectfully, Stan replied, “I am Stan Blake, a citizen of Doyle.”

“That’s great.” Boyd smiled. “Judging from your bearing, you must be a knight.”

Stan shook his head and answered in embarrassment, “Not yet. I came across some trouble on my way to Canreto, so I had to come back first.”

“Although the ceremony is important, what really matters is your determination to be a knight.” Boyd approached Stan. Even though his hair was gray, he was sturdy and even taller than Stan. “Pick up your sword, Stan. Show me if you’re ready to be a knight.”

***

Blood started racing into Stan’s head, for he had never dreamed about having the chance to battle the leader of the royal guards. At that moment, Boyd was right before his eyes, which was still unbelievable for him. 

After taking a sword and a shield from the racks, Boyd shuffled toward the center and gazed at Stan. The other knights moved to the corners, awaiting the good show. When Fern stepped to the side, he realized that Rae had appeared beside him as she looked attentively at the training ground. 

Upon pulling himself together, Stan picked a lighter sword and a bigger shield. It seemed that he had decided to take a defensive approach. After that, he nervously stepped toward the center and nodded at Boyd. 

The entire place fell into silence as Boyd and Stan readied themselves. They gripped their swords with their right hands and covered half of their faces with their shields; their postures were identical.

Just then, Boyd charged forward and struck rapidly at Stan thrice. In response, Stan raised his shield and blocked all the attacks.

“You did fend off my attacks accurately.” Boyd praised. Then, he continued to strike even harder. 

Stan observed his opponent’s movements and parried his attacks smoothly. But all of a sudden, the conversation of Byron and that mysterious woman sprang into his mind, which distracted him. 

In the blink of an eye, Boyd’s sword reached Stan, so he hurriedly raised his shield to block it. Despite his successful counterattack, he had exposed his weak spot to his opponent. 

Seizing the chance, Boyd swung his shield at Stan, who was unable to dodge it. Flustered, Stan slashed his sword at the shield, but he still fell to the ground from the impact, which also caused his weapon to drop.

***

All the knights cheered for Boyd. Even Fern clapped his hands in amazement. 

“Greater focus can help you stay alive on the battlefields.” Boyd extended his left hand to Stan. 

Stan took Boyd’s hand and got to his feet. After picking up his sword, he readied himself again. Be more attentive! he thought to himself. 

Boyd once again made the first move. After the battle just now, Stan had learned something about his opponent’s attack pattern, so he hurriedly raised his shield to ward off his opponent’s sword. Boyd didn’t expect that Stan would counterattack proactively, so his strike was unsuccessful. 

Seizing the chance, Stan slashed his sword at Boyd’s shoulder. After Boyd parried the attack with his shield, Stan lifted his weapon and struck from another direction. Seeing that, Boyd raised his sword to fend it off.

After their swords crashed, Stan shoved his shield toward Boyd, who took a step back and bent backward to evade it. Without stopping, Stan whirled around and brandished his sword at Boyd again. 

Nevertheless, the series of attacks were easily resolved by Boyd. Growing anxious, Stan couldn’t stay attentive any longer.

“I will kill anyone who finds out about the secret.” Byron’s sword snuck into Stan’s head again. 

Stan’s moment of hesitation was enough for Boyd to defeat him. After parrying his attack, Boyd counterattacked in a rapid manner. Stan came to his senses and defended himself, but in just a short moment, Boyd’s sword was right before his eyes.

“You’re not in tip-top condition for a battle. Wait until you clear the doubts in your heart, and we’ll have a fight again.” Boyd straightened up and ended the battle. 

“I’m sorry for disappointing you…” Stan hung his head low regretfully. 

“It doesn’t matter to disappoint anyone else. Most importantly, don’t disappoint yourself.” Boyd said in a dispassionate and authoritative way. 

Stan straightened up as well and saluted Boyd. “Thanks for your guidance.”

Boyd nodded in reply and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Stan summoned his courage and called out, “Sir! What if one day you find out that your faith isn’t what you imagined it to be? What will you do?”

Boyd turned around and looked at the confused young man before his eyes. “Defend your own faith instead of consigning your faith to anyone else.” He threw his sword and shield at a knight on the side. “Remember, as knights, we defend our faith and not any person.”

After Boyd disappeared into the passageway, Stan slumped onto his bottom and looked up at the sky. “As knights, we defend our faith and not any person.” he mumbled.

***

The training ground became busy again as the knights chatted and resumed their practice. 

Rae frowned and asked Fern, “What happened to Stan? He’s so unlike himself.”

Fern heaved a sigh. “He must have found out something he shouldn’t have. I’m worried that it’s got something to do with us.”

“That’s some bad news. We’re going to the Source of Magic tomorrow.” Rae bit her lip worriedly.

“Yeah. Hopefully, the knight’s words could enlighten Stan.” Fern shook his head helplessly. “Now we can only make a move according to what we’ll encounter.”

Rae snorted and tilted her head at Fern. “I’m curious. How are you always so confident that you can overcome any danger? You have to understand that some danger might just kill you.”

“Then what suggestions do you have?” Fern turned to look at her. “Tie Stan up and interrogate him?”

“Fine. I’m not here to argue with you.” Rae turned to look at Stan in the distance. “I want you to promise me something.”

“Spill it.” Fern watched two knights fight with each other. “Except for helping you to kill the king of Doyle, I can promise you anything.”

Rae stared at him in shock. “How did you know that I hate Byron?”

Fern pressed his lips together and crossed his arms. “Your unusual behavior said it all. For example, the way you acted when you were in that abandoned village and when you saluted Byron.” He curled up his lips. “Also, I know why you hate Byron.”

“You’re indeed a brilliant mercenary.” Rae sneered and pulled her cloak closer. “I’ll be grateful if you could help me keep the secrets.”

“Sure. I have no reason to expose your secrets.” After taking a few steps forward, Fern suddenly thought of something and turned around to gaze at her. “Rae, no matter what happens, you have to understand that we’re companions.”

Rae stared back at him impassively, but she felt warmth in her heart. “Thanks.” She had wanted to keep up her nonchalant facade, but she was just a young woman, and what she had gone through surpassed what she was supposed to bear.

She turned around in a hurry, for she was worried Fern would see that her eyes had turned teary. 

***

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