Black Badger

How did I escape from that place, you ask?

I devoured them all.

*

"Did you receive the curse of the Sacred Tree as well?"

The black-haired man I encountered in the sparring hall asked.

"I've heard that you're also a Child of the World Tree."

I looked into his golden eyes.

I knew his name. How could I not? A few months ago, he had knelt before the Emperor, the infamous young powerhouse of the nomadic people. He had tried to end his own life, but his commander and kin had dissuaded him, leading him to set down his sword. He accepted the title of knight and kissed the Emperor's ring without hiding the hatred in his eyes.

And within the Knight Order, he had been treated as a "mere conquered subject" but turned that around with his overwhelming skill.

I looked at Kyle and slowly nodded.

"Yes."

"Speak freely. I'm a regular knight too."

Kyle replied straightforwardly.

"You haven't been one for long, though. You joined during this exam, right?"

"Yeah."

He told me to be casual, so I was.

It was the kind of behavior that could earn me a lashing. The proper response would have been something like, "How dare I," followed by accepting well-ripened fruit wine at a banquet and asking, "May I call you brother?" while maintaining honorifics and treating seniors with respect thereafter—that was the custom.

A typical senior knight would have furrowed his brow at my response and reached for a baton.

But Kyle didn't mind.

If anything, he seemed pleased.

"Which division?"

At Kyle's question, I recalled.

"West."

"Oh."

Kyle met my eyes and flashed a bright smile.

"I figured as much."

I stared at him blankly.

He must have seen that I wanted more explanation. Kyle smiled handsomely and provided the background.

"The noble sons of esteemed aristocrats get assigned to cushy divisions in the south."

The south of the Empire must have been peaceful.

"The east gets knights from the Empire's prestigious training academies. Not nobles, but sons from wealthy families affluent enough to enter the academy."

"Ah. And the north?"

"Commoners with mediocre skills."

That explanation didn't click right away.

Kyle chuckled, as if understanding my confusion.

"It's barren up there, so nothing much comes out of it."

"Ah, quite reasonable."

"Whereas the west is a mess."

The man narrowed his eyes, which gleamed sharply with golden light, and smiled.

"Guys like you and me are destined for the west. I heard you cut off Kisis's hair during the entry exam?"

"I didn't expect it to become such a big deal."

It was only after the exam that I learned Kisis was a renowned Swordmaster on the continent and the Emperor's illegitimate son.

He was famous for his striking looks, exceptional skill, rebellious attitude, and scandalous private life. Rumor had it he had been watching the entry exam out of boredom, suddenly decided to participate, and now took a keen interest in the new knight who had cut his hair.

I hadn't meant to draw this much attention.

But the water was already spilled.

When I shared that, Kyle threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"I really like you."

Why?

"Because I hate those kinds of guys too. Let's get along from now on, Hildebert Talev."

"Call me Hilde."

"Got it, Hilde. I'm Kyle. No family name."

His curly black hair fluttered in the wind.

I took in his hair, black as ebony, contrasting with his pale skin.

Warrior of a fallen nation...

"I abandoned it when I kissed that blood-red ring."

The hatred flashing in his eyes was as clear as I'd imagined.

*

"I requested a transfer to the west."

At Ray's words, I looked up from my plate.

I had been gnawing on some unidentified tough meat in the ragtag mess hall of the barracks. Even back in the Imperial Capital, the west division's food had been inferior to the south's.

That didn't surprise me.

But his declaration did.

"Why?"

As I lifted the mystery meat to his eye level.

"Can't you see this?"

"Prime Redhorn meat."

"What's wrong with it."

Seeing his forced smile, I let out a dumbfounded sound.

What the hell.

"Is the south division not to your liking? It has all sorts of famous knights, doesn't it?"

"Hey!"

Ray slammed his fist on the table.

The cracked plates and utensils jumped into the air and clattered back down. For a moment, all eyes turned our way. Knights who had been nose-deep in their plates, inhaling the scent of sand, frowned and glared at us.

But they didn't dare touch me, the "newbie who caught Kisis's eye."

And Ray, the third son of a count's family, even less so.

Ray glared at me, who was frozen in shock, with fiery eyes.

"Is our friendship worth so little?"

"Yes?"

What nonsense.

"What are you suddenly spouting?"

"When your close friend says he'll join your division, why aren't you happy? Is our bond that weak? Huh?"

"It's because you're making an absurd choice."

I raised both hands skyward, expressing my exasperation.

"Why pass up such a great opportunity!"

Ray furrowed his brow.

Finally, I saw his true feelings. He wasn't one to hide emotions well to begin with. I might get punched for saying this, but he had that aristocratic arrogance about him.

The man, who had been sullenly staring at the table, replied.

"I have no intention of lingering in comfort and falling behind."

Good lord.

"I'm not a knight to seek ease."

"It's not the path to obsolescence, but to success, my friend. And most renowned knights hail from the south division!"

"Kisis is in the west."

"Ah."

The Emperor's illegitimate son.

He was a famous Swordmaster on the continent. I hadn't even known of his existence before the entry exam, but lately, I kept hearing his name far too often.

I narrowed my eyes and stared sullenly at my friend across the table.

"Is he your idol too?"

"Is there a knight who doesn't idolize him?"

Ray countered.

I glanced at his puzzled face and replied indifferently.

I'd crossed swords with him, so I knew how skilled he was.

"But not particularly..."

"That's disappointing."

My body jolted at the voice from behind.

Ray's eyes widened like a rabbit's as he stared past my back. Seeing his shocked friend's reaction, I instantly grasped the situation.

Ha...

After rolling my eyes several times, I reluctantly turned my head.

"Sir Kisis."

For the record, calling him "Your Highness" or the like could get your head chopped off.

I lowered my gaze halfway and bowed my head to the man behind me.

Laughter followed. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Raise your head. We're both knights."

He said it so easily.

But I did as he said anyway.

His nearly white, dazzling platinum hair caught my eye. His eyes were a bright violet, which many praised endlessly. They said you couldn't tear your gaze away once you looked.

I didn't disagree with that opinion.

But that aside, I had no desire to get entangled with this man.

"Welcome to the west division."

"Thank you."

"This is the third son of the Renoir Family, right?"

Ray nodded with a strange expression and stood from his seat.

He seemed pleased that Kisis knew him, but displeased at the mention of the Renoir Family.

Kisis ignored Ray's awkward reaction.

After a perfunctory handshake with Ray, he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Clear your evening on the sixth day of the week."

"Yes?"

"We need to finish our spar."

Kisis bent down to peer at me and smiled.

"We couldn't go all the way that day, right?"

His eyes were half-rolled back.

Would my life end that sixth evening? He had been furiously angry about the spar being interrupted during the entry exam. He had raged in front of the Finance Minister, Knight Commander, Archbishop, and assorted nobles present.

I had backed down then.

But this time, I wouldn't yield. The problem was I didn't yet have the skill to beat him, and he didn't hold back once a fight started.

I'd have to prepare to lose a limb or two.

Suppressing a sigh that threatened to escape, I nodded as someone approached.

"Hilde!"

The knights' heads turned.

Kyle approached with his flowing curly hair loosely tied.

The knights around me reacted in unison. Ray and Kyle were strangers, but Kisis and Kyle knew each other.

"Kyle."

"Ah, Sir Kyle."

As soon as I responded, Kisis said leisurely.

Kyle, who had been approaching with a bright smile, noticed Ray and Kisis.

His refreshing smile instantly turned as cold as ice.

What a straightforward guy.

Kyle forced a smile with his lips.

"Sir Kisis. What brings a busy man like you to this humble place?"

"Spare me the insincere words. And 'what brings me'? You sometimes seem to forget I'm a knight of the west too."

"Perish the thought."

Kyle plastered on a fake smile and stopped across from me.

His handsome features made even the feigned smile look picturesque.

Even a fool could tell Kisis and Kyle didn't get along.

"If you're done, I'll borrow Sir Hildebert. It's time for him to receive his mission assignment..."

"No need. I'll assign the mission right now."

"Yes?"

I was in the middle of eating.

"Do you know of the Moonlight Pomegranate Stone?"

I didn't want to know.

But my opinion wasn't considered. Kisis grinned mischievously and proceeded on his own. It was a gem on some cliff in a forest in the west, and the mission was to retrieve it.

Did knights do that kind of thing?

I had doubts, but apparently it was so dangerous that many had sacrificed their lives. And since it was a highly valuable gem, the Imperial Household hesitated to order other noble houses to fetch it.

Adding various explanations, Kisis even named the knights for the mission.

He pointed at Ray, Kyle, and me with his chin.

"Three of you should be perfect."

The Swordmaster breezily ignored Kyle's furrowed brow.

"All skilled regular knights, right?"

He told me to clear my evening, then suddenly changed plans.

I rolled my eyes in thought but didn't voice any complaints. I'd heard plenty about his whims.

Ignoring the surrounding knights snickering at us, I quietly finished my meal. I ignored the beauty who drew admiring glances from the knights as she came to lead Kisis away, and Ray and Kyle's awkward introductions.

I should have been grateful my limbs were still intact.

I chewed vigorously on the meat showing no signs of being severed.

*

"Look, see?"

I cut off yet another of Kyle and Ray's nerve-wracking exchanges for the umpteenth time.

"You both hate the same targets anyway."

We were en route to that forest as expected.

It was annoyingly far. After passing through a foggy swamp, a spider-infested spider forest, and a ruined village teeming with highwaymen, we were now crossing a gorge where enchanting flute sounds that bewitched people could be heard.

And Kyle and Ray were locked in their umpteenth spat.

I had anticipated it.

Kyle despised the Empire's nobles, and he found it amusing that stubborn Ray had come to the west division. Meanwhile, Ray couldn't understand Kyle, who had kissed the Emperor's ring yet burned with endless hostility.

Mediating between them every time was exhausting.

"Later tonight, while eating, we can gossip about the count's family."

My half-hearted attempt to stop the fight earned me incredulous looks from both Kyle and Ray.

I shamelessly brushed off their stares.

"Who's on dinner duty tonight?"

"You."

Ray and Kyle answered in unison.

"Already me? Something feels off..."

"Let's stop with the dried Redhorn meat already. My teeth are going to shatter."

"There's nothing else for rations. We won't reach the village by tonight either... I think Redhorn meat is fine. If you hate it so much, want to take my shift?"

"As if."

"We'll need to forage more food anyway. After the gorge, we'll hit the forest, so we can hunt there..."

Kyle's wise suggestion trailed off.

Ray, who had been eyeing me suspiciously as if wondering what trick I was pulling, and I, who had been hoping to pass duty to Kyle, both turned our heads.

Because of the flute sound.

It was a sorrowful yet beautiful melody that tugged at the listener's heart.