Thus, after we entrusted you to the nanny, we hurriedly went to the training ground. We could not process fast, as I was still recovering, and Aria's health was also not good. Paul could not carry both of us in public, either.

  When we arrived, we saw Andres being tossed around by a young man.

  “What? Are you this weak?” That young man arrogantly said that after kicking Andres to the ground.

  We could see that his body was covered in many brushes and dirt. His clothes were also torn in many places. In contrast, that young man looked perfectly fine, with no dirt on him.

  Then Aria asked Paul in a calm voice. She reverted to her usual self. “Paul, in your honest evaluation, is that man stronger than Andres?”

  “Even if that man gangs up with all the recruits here and rushes at him all at once, they won’t put a scratch on that garbage.” Seeing her like that, Paul smiled at her. I could sense relief in his eyes. Yes, I, too, was relieved when I saw Aria like that.

  After confirming it with Paul, Aria loudly calls out to Andres. “… Andres, what are you doing?” Her voice, although not that loud, reverberated throughout the training hall. Everyone stopped their actions, even the young man stopped his assault. Everyone’s attention shifted to Aria. Bathed in their gaze, Aria dignifiedly stood firm and looked straight at Andres.

  “… your holi-, Lady Aria.” He also brought his body up and looked at her as he was half-kneeling.

  “… Why are you allowing him to beat you like that?” After she confirmed that he could hear her, she asked him in a calm voice. No one took any action as they observed their interaction with keen interest.

  In response to her question, he cautiously replied. “… I mean, I don’t want to cause trouble for you and Master.”

  “… during your time as an apprentice guard knight, it may be true. But not anymore.” Aria calmly addressed him. Yet, I could feel anger in her voice. Then she added, “Her Holiness allowed you to be her guard. So, you should behave like one.”

  We all stood there listening to her. It was true after all. I could see many people nod their heads in agreement with Aria if he were still a recruit; his approach, although not the best option, could be accepted to some degree. However, at that time, he was my guard, and I was his master. Any blemish of his would become mine too. The way he approached it was unbecoming of a saintess’ guard. For him to allow himself to be taken advantage of by others when he had the means to prevent it, you could say that he was disqualified to be my guard.

  After she took a deep breath, Aria powerfully added. “… do not tarnish her goodwill.”

  “But he is a Duke’s son.” However, he offered his excuse.

  Yet, it was rejected immediately by Aria.

  “It is not important right now,” and she took a step forward. “In front of you is also the daughter of a Duke. And behind you is her holiness and your master.” It was the first time I heard Aria mention her status as a Duke's daughter. And she was using it for him.

  “Your holiness.” Seeing her like that, he just looked at her in loss.

  Then, something unexpected happened. Aria walked slowly into the training ground. Her back looked so dignified. She was so majestic that we could not take our eyes off her. We could not talk. We could not step out to stop her. I believe some of us even forgot to breathe.

  Then she picked up the training sword resting nearby. She continued walking to him.

  As she came to stand in front of him, she handed him the sword. Then she said in a commanding tone, yet it also carried gentleness. “… Andres, fight. Just this one, fight for me. Show them who you really are, once and for all. Do not let us down.”

  “… Your holiness.” Andres, who was half-kneeling on the ground, looked up at her.

  At that time, I really wanted to go and grab her and tell her about the meaning behind her action.

  Aria, the act of handing a sword to a knight recruit…….. it has a deeper meaning than you think.

  It was widely known. However, I believed she was not aware of it as usual. Well, it was, after all, an unofficial rule.

  The saintess chose her Holy Knight by handing him the holy sword.

  When a saintess candidate hands a sword to a knight recruit, it carries a similar meaning. ‘You will become my Holy Knight when I become the Saintess.’ It is an act of showing affection or favor. Later on, it was treated as a promise of marriage, should one become a saintess. I don’t think Aria thought much about it since she knew she would not become a saintess. However, the onlookers did not share that sentiment.

  The eyes of the boys were bloodshot, full of jealousy. And the eyes of the girls…. were mixed with admiration, envy, and excitement. How many hearts were broken that day, I wonder?

  “I command you,” Aria said, emphasizing her command again when she saw Andres wordlessly stare at her.

  Then, with confidence in his voice, he accepted her command and received that sword with both hands. “I humbly accept your command.”

  After that, the air around him changed. It felt like he became a different person, not in a bad way.

  Then Aria retreated to us. She just silently observed their match unblinking. At that time, Paul and I just silently looked at her and Andres alternately with troubled faces, and let out a sigh in our hearts.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  With his back straight, with his voice full of confidence, with his hand tightly gripping the sword Aria handed to him, he addressed that young man. “Sir, Duke’s son. I apologize. But I have to end it in one swing.”

  “What kind of bullshit are you talking about?” he responded to Andres in mockery, unaware of what awaited him.

  He rushed in and swung his sword at Andres. However, this time, none of his swings landed on Andres. Although Andres was doing nothing but evading his attacks, it felt like Andres was toying with him. Then, I looked at Paul.

  Perceiving my questioning gaze, he bitterly said without taking his eyes off the match. “That garbage, … he found the way. Among everyone here, only I can land a hit on him. No one, not even the Holy Knight, can match his way. This is the way of the sword.” I think other people also caught on to it. They looked at Paul and muttered, “Is that boy also a next swordmaster?”

  Hearing that, I asked him in urgency, “The way of the sword? Are you saying he is a swordmaster?”

  They never told me about it. Becoming a swordmaster before reaching adulthood was unheard of. Even Duke Ellon and Duke Willow, who were famous for being the strongest swordmasters, could not achieve it. They became a swordmaster in their twenties. At that time, it was already considered the first time in recorded history. Many swordmasters become one after they reach their forties or late thirties at the earliest.

  However, Paul shattered our expectations. “Not yet. He is similar to me.” He said that while lightly shaking his head.

  Then that young man began to use the Aura. It was cheating. In official dual, you could not use Aura, except when it was specified at the beginning.

  “Don’t mess with me.” He roared at Andres in desperation.

  Still, he could not touch Andres. For ten minutes straight, Andres maintained his composure. It felt like he was put on the show for everyone.

  As if he thought it was enough, for the first time, Andres swung his sword, an ordinary move as if he buzzed the fly. The young man’s Aura was cut clean, the young man’s training sword was cut clean, and then his sword rested on that man’s neck. He accomplished it without using Aura.

  “Aura is not the toy for you to swing around like a kid,” Andres calmly said.

  “This is how you use Aura.” After he said that, a fine thread of Aura emanated from his training sword. The amount was small, and it was wavering like a silk thread. However, it looked scary to me. It reminded me of Duke Ellon. It gave off the same presence. It was like that time he visited me. It was like it was pulling me in. Then, that fine thread of Aura pushed the young man out of the training ground, rendering him unconscious. That was his signature move, which he usually uses to fight with you.

  After confirming that the fight was over, Aria stepped out again. She took several steps and firmly addressed all of the recruits. She scanned her surroundings and every face of the recruits.

  “… I heard many of you are unsatisfied with his appointment. As her Holiness' caretaker, I will give you a chance. Prove to me that you are better than he. This is your only chance. After today, I will not hear about your dissatisfaction again.”

  I knew she tried to ensure that another incident like that day would not occur again. She attempted to tighten up the loose end. However, the Holy Knight tried to intervene. He began to criticize Aria. At that time, I unconsciously grabbed hold of Paul's hand. And Paul looked at me in puzzlement.

  “Sister Aria, I don’t think it is right for you to interfere with the knight recruit. Please wait until you are appointed as the next saintess.”

  It was true on this part. Aria, as a saintess candidate, could not intervene in the knight recruitment or the selection of the guardian knight. When I sensed that public opinion was wavering toward the Holy Knight, while holding Paul’s hand, I took a step up to rescue them. “… I allow.” I was not sure if my voice was trembling at that time.

  “… Saintess?” The Holy Knight turned his attention to me. I could sense that his eyes also shifted to my hand.

  Taking advantage of his momentary confusion, I tried to push it through without giving him any room to rebuke.

  “Andres is my guard. So, I can decide on his appointment. Now, I will leave it to Aria to manage my guard. You have no right to say anything about this.” Yes, only I, a saintess, could directly intervene with the recruit and guardian knight. Even the Pope could not have any say in it. While the Punishment Army was under the Pope's jurisdiction, the guardian knight and its recruits were under my authority.

  Well, technically, at that time, both forces were under the command of Cardinal Peter. However, at that time, no one found the courage to point out. Or should I say they forgot about it?

  Immediately, as if he had been waiting for it, Andres called out to all the recruits. I could find tranquility in his voice. He really became a different person, a better person. “I cannot allow Her Holiness to wait for me. One at a time is too long. You all can come at me all at once.”

  They took it as an insult; every recruit jumped at the chance to join the training group. After all, in the duel between the recruit, Aura, was prohibited. After all, they need to compete with divinity. There has never been anyone who can master both. So, they may find confidence in it. After all, until that point, we had never seen him use divinity.

  Yet, he proved me wrong. It was another surprise for me.

  “He is special,” Paul said.

  The divinity he emitted was far from that of an ordinary guard knight. It was approaching the level of the archbishop. And his control, too, was on par with mine.

  He manifested the shield with his divinity. He even manifested the armor around his body. Talking about flexing, as you know, Lucy, only the senior Guard Knight can do it.

  Yet, he did not coat his sword with it. But I clearly noticed it. The moment he was about to shatter the recruits’ shield, he would momentarily coat it with divinity. He switched it on and off at that minuscule time. His control of divinity during combat was inhuman. Are both of them even human? As he moved down the recruit, he began to produce something from his back. It was golden. It was so divine that it fascinated everyone.

  In just a breath, he alone stood proudly on the training ground.

  Afterward, he walked over to us. With a sword in his right hand, coated with Aura, and the shield in his left hand and armored over his body, manifested with divinity, six golden wings shone on his back; he knelt to us, no, to Aria.

  “Your holiness, I have brought victory to you.” While he knelt in our direction, his eyes kept looking at Aria. Aria, too, met his eyes unwaveringly. Everyone present also caught on to what he was doing. We all knew who he was referring to as ‘Her Holiness’, but none of us could voice our complaint. That scene was too mystical. It was as if a scene extracted from a legend, no, a myth.

  That day, he showed us not only that he was capable of being a Holy Knight, but he also had the quality of being a swordmaster.

  He is the first in recorded history, if I remember correctly.

  After that, he was summoned by Cardinal Peter and Duke Ellon, while accompanied by Paul. Apparently, he was safe because he managed to show his potential as a swordmaster. But the fact that Aria handed him a sword seemed not to be viewed well by Cardinal Peter. But they let it slide for now since they were young. Later, a gag order was issued, and everyone was prohibited from talking about it. So, you, Lucy, never learned about it. However, you can learn about it from here, Lucy. That day, I have to admit. He was so cool. The swordplay, the footwork, he showed us that day was better than that of any guardian knight. That day, it was as if it were dedicated to him. He shone brightly that day. So, please don’t be too harsh on him, Lucy.

  Oh, would you happen to know? A day after Duke Ellon and Cardinal Peter summoned him, they also summoned Aria. However, they seemed to be in a good mood. Apparently, the authoritarian behavior Arian has shown that day seemed to please Duke Ellon and Cardinal Peter.

  Ultimately, they agreed to Aria’s request to send Maria and Anna under us.