Awhoosh.

Rain poured like a deluge.

“They’ve come.”

We arrived at Spiramentaon, the southern city of Astreios.

It was the far end of the great canal that ran north–south through Astreios.

We immediately set about finding a medium-sized sailing ship.

“How long until we can depart?”

“Blue Knight, with rain like this what departure are you talking about. At the start of the rainy season you simply can’t put a ship to sea. Even if you somehow managed it, it takes a week to gather the crew and stock food and fresh water.”

“It’s urgent for the house.”

“Sir. No matter how much you hurry, you can’t turn flour into bread by chewing it. Don’t take the sailors’ words too harshly…”

“If you can get us out today I’ll pay triple the fare.”

“If you’re hungry you should at least bake the dough. I’ll do my best to have us set sail tonight.”

I left the panting captain behind and shared a brief farewell with Nereus.

“I’ll be back.”

“All right.”

Nereus and his adjutant headed for another dock.

Things were going better than expected.

“You really didn’t have to pull me out. Are you sure this is all right?”

“What do you mean, ‘all right’?”

“I mean you could still throw me into the river right now.”

“I didn’t think anything would happen here. Don’t worry about wasting bread—get some sleep in the cabin.”

“Yes, yes. I will.”

Even Gabeng, who mocked me at the side, could be mollified enough for a decent answer.

BOOOOO……!

That relief melted like spring snow at the sound of trumpets from across the city.

“Clear the way! The Blue Knight of Astreios, ‘the Initiator’ Prochus of Astreion, Planetary Rank of Astreios, approaches!”

“Make way! The Blue Knight of Astreios, ‘the Terminator’ Epichus of Astreion, Planetary Rank of Astreios, approaches!”

The soldiers’ shouts followed.

“Eek!”

“He’s trampling us!”

Civilians screamed.

Clop, clop! Clop, clop!

Rough hoofbeats.

They drew closer.

“Jo!”

“Yes.”

At the dock I called Jo.

“Get the soldiers aboard at once.”

I drew my thunderblade and turned.

“Sir. I’m no scholar, but I know this is beyond—” Jo protested.

Her yellow eyes widened, her breathing hitched, and she bit and released her lower lip repeatedly.

“Sir is our captain, and we are your soldiers. We would gladly give our lives for you, but for you to risk yourself for us—”

“Jo. Do you want your first unit under your command to be the unit that was annihilated?” I grabbed Jo by both shoulders and turned her body toward the ship.

I pushed her back lightly and continued.

“They won’t be able to kill me. I haven’t secured any proof yet. But you are different. Those mad brothers won’t see you as people or numbers. That’s not how you treat the house’s elite troops. So I can’t let you meet those mad brothers.”

I leaned in and whispered into her ear.

“You have to live and become a knight.”

Jo trembled.

Her bitten lower lip, white from the pressure, reddened again as blood welled.

That color would stay with me for a long time.

“Prepare to depart now! Hoist the sails!”

“Ah, the loading isn’t finished yet. The cargo we were contracted to—”

“Shut up, hoist the sails!”

A cloud of dust approached from down the avenue.

‘Dust on a rainy day.’

I stood alone at the dock and waited for them.

It wasn’t martyrdom.

If the unit I commanded were annihilated, it would be a serious demerit.

Officially, if you couldn’t show the reason—if friendly hands had done it—it’d be worse.

Besides.

‘Nereus. When will he arrive?’

From the start I hadn’t planned to take that ship.

Prochus and Epichus arrived at the dock.

They came with a hundred soldiers still clinging with leaves and spiderwebs.

“Kyrie! Kyrie of Astreios!”

“You will be summarily executed for abandoning your post!”

They roared from their mounts.

I took them in at a glance.

Long braided hair, eyes like lapis lazuli set like stone, decadent eyelids, and clothes kept neat against the backdrop of exhausted, wounded soldiers.

Their clothes caught my eye.

Dressed up and strutting before tired troops did nothing to intimidate.

“Try it then.”

I nodded in response.

They were repulsive.

Not frightening.

Erikant had been many times more terrifying.

I drew a channel into the thunderblade.

Tzzzt!

White electrical sparks raced along the blade, thornlike patterns crackling down its edge.

“All right.” Prochus, the Initiator, nodded.

“You’ve decided. If you give us that, we’ll be grateful. If a Blue Knight refuses rightful oversight from the main house, summary execution is permitted.” There was a strange flicker in his inorganic eyes.

“You bastard! How dare you bare your teeth before anyone!” Epichus opened his mouth and spat fury and saliva.

“You you. We know you found something beyond the border. You’re running to keep it from us! We know everything! Fuck! You’ll be caught and spit it all out anyway—why don’t you just speak up now?”

Fortunately he wasn’t close enough.

“Even if I pull all your teeth I won’t get it out of you.”

Epichus trembled all over.

“You’re dead. Blind-eyed son of a bitch.”

Crackle, crackle!

The whites of his eyes reddened, sparks flew from his crown, and those sparks amplified dozens of times, running down his forearms.

Fzzzzzt!

Epichus’s hands turned completely blue.

Shadows fell across the late afternoon dock.

“Burn to ash.”

Flash!

The light became a thick bolt of electricity that surged like brambles.

The electrical technique, discharge.

Flash!

I drew on my own magic and met the discharge with my own.

Fzzzzzkt!

White sparks and blue sparks collided in the air.

The balance didn’t hold for five seconds before tipping toward me.

“Gah!”

Epichus’s current tried to drive into my body.

My electromancy had grown, but it still could not match his.

I gritted my teeth and thrust my left hand forward to hold back at least a minimal counterstrike.

Crack!

At the same moment I thrust my sword between the planks and let current run into the water below.

Epichus’s current that had tried to flow into me ebbed like a retreating tide.

Tzzzt!

Blue ripples pulsed across the surface.

Fish large and small flipped belly-up and bobbed.

“This bastard keeps resisting until the end?” Epichus stopped his discharge.

All the burst of electricity he’d launched was gone.

Of course I was still at a disadvantage.

He probably only strained his nerves a bit, while smoke already rose from my body.

My knee, pressed to push the sword into the water, could not straighten properly.

“Don’t call it resistance.”

I prepared Thunderstep in that state.

“You have never been my superior!”

“You, lowborn brat without a father!” Epichus shouted as he gripped his spear and kicked his mount.

Sparks leapt from his spear tip as it closed rapidly.

I was grateful.

“Fall back!”

Boom!

I slammed the thunderblade into the planks and drove it down.

The hot blade sliced through the boards and the supports beneath, scoring them with scorch and shearing them away.

‘Sorry.’

I only apologized to the horse for taking a wrong owner, then waited for what would happen.

Crunch!

The horse’s leg slipped between the planks.

“Aaah!”

Epichus was hoisted into the air.

Even then, his movement to regain balance midair was worthy of a Blue Knight.

‘Now.’

In other words, something any Blue Knight could do.

Squeak!

Still crouched, I drew a dagger from my waist and threw it.

The dagger, imbued with Projectile Blessing, flew at Epichus’s armpit.

Clang!

He twisted in the air and the dagger struck his pauldron and glanced off.

The armor dented and sparks and flashes scattered.

“Blocked, you bastard!”

He shouted.

One breath’s worth would have been enough.

Boom!

I pushed off and drove the thunderblade in.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Epichus, off-balance from losing the dagger, was shoved back badly.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

I swung the thunderblade overhead and pressed the attack.

A kick to below the knee ruined his stance, and I aimed the thunderblade at his neck and head.

“You, you, you bastard!”

Epichus cursed and staggered as his breath faltered.

I admit it.

I was outmatched in electromancy.

But my physical enhancement, nerve acceleration, swordsmanship, and unarmed combat put me above even Andromeda’s standard in a straight fight.

I would win the blade fight.

“Epichus!”

Prochus, sensing the tide, leapt from his horse.

He drew his own sword and ran at me.

“Huh? Uh—?”

Epichus checked his footing and sprang up.

I had driven him to the very edge of the dock.

A Blue Knight could leap over fifteen meters without a run even in heavy plate, but swimming was another matter.

Once someone fell into the water, it was over.

“You think you can make me fish bait!?”

Hum. Hum. Hum.

Even while being pushed back, Epichus used his Intimidate to try and lock my body.

Boom!

From the other side Prochus thunderstepped forward.

“You bastard! Don’t you dare touch my brother!”

His raised thunderblade flared with yellow current.

Pzzzt!

I pushed my nerve acceleration to the limit.

“Hah.”

Electricity raced along my enhanced nerves like heated iron.

It was a pleasure.

Screech! Screech! Screech!

I threw daggers one after another at Prochus’s face.

The expression on Prochus’s face as he thunderstepped forward twisted slowly.

He angled to parry the daggers with his armor.

Epichus adjusted his spear and tried to counterattack.

That movement showed up on my Bio-Radar.

On a single foot I Thunderstepped, spinning like a top in place.

Swiiing!

I whirled the thunderblade and deflected Epichus’s spear that had stabbed from behind.

At the same time the centrifugal force launched my dagger.

Clang!

Prochus struck the dagger aside with his sword.

Then I Thunderstepped again.

I stabbed toward Prochus’s neck.

Clang!

Prochus tried to twist the blade off, but I grabbed my right wrist with my left hand and drove it in harder.

“Ugh!”

He staggered.

Thwack!

I kicked below his knee.

Prochus fell backward with a single scream.

“Brother!”

Epichus dropped the spear and drew the thunderblade instead.

‘He’s come.’

I did not dodge.

Fzzzzzt!

The next instant Epichus, still in a drawn stance, trembled.

A crimson bolt of electricity had seared him from behind.

“Kyrie!”

A small swift boat cut up to the dock.

“Don’t you dare let anyone else kill me!” Nereus stood on the deck, his blond hair whipping.

‘If we took the large ship we’d be easier to track.’

Suddenly it looked like we’d evacuated the soldiers first, but from the start we’d planned to move separately from the troops.

“Nereus?!”

Prochus scrambled up and raged.

“How dare you betray Trisan, eldest brother!”

“Shut up! You sent dogs like you into my operation zone and call yourself commanders and then you have the nerve to cry betrayal? He’s the true betrayer!” Nereus grabbed a light green bow he’d taken from a Rykenta village.

A wind blessing still clung to it and the string and frame shimmered pale green.

Pzzzt!

Nereus added Projectile Blessing to it.

‘He practiced.’

I expected as much.

Nereus began covering fire.

Screech! Screech! Screech!

“Ugh!”

Prochus lunged to grab the hem of my cloak but staggered under a bolt from the green bow.

I vaulted the dock rail.

Whoosh!

Nereus landed on the swift boat’s deck.

The bow rose and dipped over the water.

“You made it!”

“You didn’t forget anything, I hope?”

“We left those two behind, so we’re good!”

“Good. Captain! Turn!”

“Gah!”

The captain panicked but turned the tiller.

The boat sped away from the dock.

“Get a ship, you slugs! Bring a vessel at once!”

“They’re getting away! Chase them!”

Prochus and Epichus rained curses down on their soldiers.

“Hah! Try and save them if you can!”

Nereus taunted.

“I went and removed the steering wheels of every nearby boat!”

No wonder it took so long.

I wiped the rain that had seeped beneath my hood and turned my head.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Hmph. If I returned without you, Andromeda would roast me alive. Think about what you’ll report. Those two will try to tell the capital what happened.”

Nereus raised an eyebrow.

“…A fine achievement. Navigators are difficult opponents. We can’t let those two steal the credit. Of course my feat facing four knights at once isn’t any less glorious than yours.”

“Right. I won’t let them take it.”

Even under pouring rain the boat pushed on.

Our destination was Astreion.

Home.

Chapter 39

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