Shadowless Night

Rosaline was a very soft person on the inside despite her outer appearance. She was such a person who did not even think of reporting to her superiors even if lower-ranking knights said something she didn’t like and even if they played strange jokes or argued with her. It is said that although she was already promoted, her attitude was still like this. She didn’t seem to have any intention of bearing down on others using her rank. Instead, she would only stare at them when they made remarks that would have resulted in immediate punishment from other senior knights. Her sharp eyes looked a bit menacing, but the man knew. Originally, Rosaline was a person like that.

The blonde man was Nestor Sihorge, the second son of Earl Sihorge. He became an apprentice knight of the Knights of the White Night around the same time as Rosaline, and Nestor’s name was always linked to his brother-in-law. In the eyes of Nestor, Rosaline was a typical knight who filled her lacking swordsmanship with her head. One can use a great tactician if lacking in tactical skills, so the most important thing for a knight is their swordsmanship skills. Nestor increased his self-esteem by comparing himself to Rosaline in every aspect.

[Nestor Sihorge: Nestor of Sea Gorge]

However, when Rosaline was promoted to a lesser knight first, his pride was crushed. Nestor was also promoted to a lesser knight soon, but it was unacceptable for her to take the lead for a day or two.

And this time, Rosaline was even promoted to a senior knight. It was a moment when he questioned the eyes of the commander, whom he admired. Watching His Highness the Prince lead her inauguration ceremony himself, a fire erupted inside of him. These past one or two days, he had been scoffing at the low-ranking knights who had a crush on Rosaline and admired every little thing she did. In contrast, as Nestor looked at her, he only thought that she was getting more and more ridiculous. Rosaline continued to repeat the basic swordsmanship that children of the knight families did when they were eight years old. Her movement was also many times slower than the original moves. How shabby! One should laugh at such ability. How could she get promoted to a senior knight with only that level of skill?

Nestor laughed. There was no such thing as superior knights losing to the lower-ranked knights. All of the senior knights were veterans of hundreds of battles, and there were no women within their ranks. It was not a place for a woman with a fancy haircut to enter. Nestor must make her realize the gap himself. And so he made up his mind.

“We once had each other’s backs, so would you please teach us a few things, Sir Rosaline.”

One could see the lesser knights standing behind Nestor barely swallowing their laughter. Rosaline had been watching them this whole time. ‘What would you say in such a situation? This situation…’

[Still, sometimes there are people who do not know their places because they are blinded by jealousy.]

‘In this case…’

[They will count on Sister’s weakness in swordsmanship to make you fall.]

These were the words that came out of Calyx’s mouth after their fifth battle. Calyx was breathing heavily while on his knees on the floor of the mansion’s training ground. On the nape of the left-side of his neck, Rosaline’s sword shone coldly. Calyx let out a few playful chuckles before giving her a mischievous look.

[You may challenge or fight them, do whatever you want.]

Rosaline recalled a few keywords. ‘Do whatever you want.’ And what else did he say?

[Don’t let them get up again.]

Ah yes, don’t let them get up again.

Rosaline nodded her head. Nestor’s body shook from the sudden rush of cold.

***

Watching Rosaline nod, Nestor raised one corner of his mouth and smiled, not realizing that he was a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread. ‘She became a senior knight, but so what? It’s not like her swordsmanship skills will improve along with her rank.’

[A saying from Alexander Pope]

“Let’s have some people as witnesses and make it a formal match. You never know what’s going to happen during the fight, right?”

“Sure.”

“Sir Claude, Sir Bastian. Please do us a favor.”

Two of the knights standing behind Nestor stepped forward. A formal match prohibits the use of incantations and is a comprehensive battle of swordsmanship and martial arts, which lasts until one person declares surrender. No matter what happens during the fight, both parties will not be held responsible for each other. The two unfamiliar knights told Rosaline the conditions for the spar.

Under the presence of the two lesser knights, the battle between Rosaline and Nestor was ready. By the time Rosaline tied her disheveled hair again, people had begun to gather in the training grounds one by one. They had come to practice, however, everyone’s gaze was caught by this unexpected duel. Their enthusiasm only grew when they saw the faces of the two duelers. One was the rumored senior knight Rosaline, and the other was Nestor Sihorge, who was said to have good sword skills despite being a mere lesser knight. The result should be obvious.

Word spread within a short amount of time, and apprentice and lesser knights alike quickly surrounded the training ground. One could also see some senior knights in the crowd. Nestor laughed inwardly. It is all going the way he’d intended. The more people present, the easier it will be to bring down Rosaline.

Nestor looked at Rosaline with gleaming eyes. Her wavy, dark hair, her considerably tall stature for a woman, and her basic features, which could not be called beautiful. All this added with her sharp eyes resulted in even harsher reviews. Her was body relaxed without any reaction to the commotion around her. It’s a big deal if you get hurt by the blade of a shattering sword, so the spectators kept their distance a little.

Rosaline and Nestor drew their swords. The sound of the blades scraping through the scabbard echoed through the training ground. Both of them put their swords in front of their faces. Then, the tips of their swords faced each other. The contrast between the thin, long sword and the large, broad sword was striking. The match started with a small sound.

‘Faster, faster!’ Nestor’s sword sliced through the air. An ominous force that seemed to be able to break a sword was directed towards Rosaline.

Clang!

The friction between the metals resounded loudly, and one sword flung into the sky. The sunlight reflected off the sword as it circled in the air. The sword’s shadow could be seen for quite some time on the ground, showing that the sword was thrown pretty high up. It then crashed into the floor of the training ground.

The surrounding knights began to roar. Letting go of the sword was an act that even trainees did not do. It was very shameful. Nestor’s face turned red. It wasn’t Rosaline who lost her sword.

Nestor’s hands trembled. His hand, which had suddenly received a great shock, trembled uncontrollably. It was like striking a sword against a stone wall.

‘What is this? What the hell happened to her? What do I do now?’ Nestor turned his gaze and looked at Rosaline. He recognized his current situation by looking into her eyes.

“W, What the hell is this…!”

Nestor turned his head and looked at his colleagues who were present. Claude and Bastian’s eyes were opened wide. The two men shook their heads at Nestor’s piercing eyes. ‘No incantations present. She did not cheat.’ After seeing that, Nestor became even more confused. His ears soon heard a low-pitched voice.

“Did you learn our first lesson well?”

Nestor’s face turned red as if it was about to explode. He felt that the many knights surrounding the training ground were also shaken by this result. It looks like Rosaline was lucky enough for her sword to strike right in the center of his, which caused Nestor to lose his grip. But to be so proud of it is just-!

“…continue, please.”

“Sure.”

Rosaline nodded and put her sword into its sheath.

“?”

‘She said ‘sure’, so why did she put the sword back in?’ Nestor’s doubts were resolved as she untied the scabbard from her waist and threw it aside. While he was stunned, Rosaline clenched her fists into a fighting stance.

To Nestor, Rosaline was a much smaller and skinnier human. However, he couldn’t help but feel something. Nestor, who had been at war, knew what it was.

‘It’s pressure.’ His instincts were genuinely wary of this woman. It’s been a long time since he lost his smile. Nestor took a fighting stance, just like her. The watching knights also swallowed their saliva at the tension between the two.

The wind blew. As the air cooled down, a leaf drifted by and passed between the two. The leaf was the same color as Rosaline’s eyes.

That was the last scene Nestor remembered.

***

Due to the events that happened during the hunting competition, the number of Knights of the White Night greatly reduced. After that, the vacancies were hastily filled in an appointment ceremony, but it still took a lot of time to get back on track.

There was not enough manpower to escort the 2nd Prince. The problem is that there are not many people who had the skills to protect the 2nd Prince Ricardis. In the past, he used to be escorted in three shifts, but now he is barely able to be escorted in two shifts. It was a time when the rapid growth of those who have risen to the ranks of senior knights is necessary.

Raymond was looking at the reports of training performance for each group. Deputy Commander Nathan, who had been away for a while, came in with a blank face and sat down.

Raymond asked without taking his eyes off the papers, “What are you doing, Deputy Commander?”

“Sir Rosaline Radwiell is to be placed as an escort of the 2nd Prince.”

“What did you say?”

“Sir Rosaline Radwiell is to be placed as an escort of the 2nd Prince.”

“Yes? No, I didn’t ask because I didn’t hear it properly! No, no, no, no, no! What are you talking about all of a sudden? Sir Rosaline is currently very, very heartbroken… and didn’t I tell you that she hurt her head?!”