Episode 3 – Nightmare at the Training Grounds

Chapter 3: Nightmare at the Training Grounds

The day after the two who claimed to be the Hero and the Demon King woke up, Christopher went to the royal palace as usual.

Today marked his twenty-fifth consecutive day of work.
He wanted, at least a little, to stretch his wings, but now was not the time for that.
Although the king knew of our existence as knights, he still longed for the emergence of a savior who would rescue the world.
There was no room to speak of fatigue.
He had to earn the king’s trust as quickly as possible and ensure his peace of mind.

Still, the body was honest, and his fatigue had nearly reached its limit.
The two who had woken up yesterday had apparently been engaged in a life-or-death battle before arriving here.
If they had begun fighting again on this land, it would have caused enormous trouble for the kingdom.
Fortunately, they had chosen to temporarily cease hostilities, avoiding unnecessary conflict in this unfamiliar kingdom.

No, wait.
If they had clashed there, I could have stepped in from the side, subdued both of them, and proven that my strength was clearly superior.
As a result, perhaps the king would have regained trust in me.

…What a waste.

Lost in such thoughts, he found himself in front of the main gate of the royal palace.
The armor of the guards standing on either side gleamed with the emblem of ice.
It seemed that his unit was in charge of today’s security.

“Good work. Has anything unusual occurred?”

He called out, and the guards straightened their posture and replied.

“As of now, there’s nothing unusual with the security… but…”

“What is it? Something other than security?”

“The two who appeared at the palace the day before yesterday… Captain Levin of the Earth Knights’ Battalion wanted to test the abilities of the ones claiming to be the Hero and the Demon King, so about thirty minutes ago he took the two of them to the training grounds. He said there were still three hours until the audience with the king.”

“What?!”

Levin’s impulsive actions again.
He often acted on his own assumptions, lacking proper command.

“Understood. Thank you for letting me know. Continue your watch.”

After a brief nod to his subordinates, Christopher quickened his pace toward the training grounds.

Levin was always self-centered.
Even on the battlefield, he lacked the awareness of a true battalion leader and would charge to the front lines to seize enemy commanders, indulging in the glory of battle.
Though he achieved results, he lost control of his subordinates, many of whom died.
Such a man should never be a battalion leader.
One day, the Earth Knights’ Battalion would be mine—Christopher swore to himself.

Still, he could not deny his curiosity to see the two’s actual power with his own eyes.
If they were unworthy of being called saviors, he would expel them from the kingdom even before the audience with the king.

He arrived at the training grounds.
As he pushed the door open, the scene before him made him catch his breath.

A group of knights lay scattered on the ground—more than twenty of them.
All were elite members of the Earth Knights’ Battalion.

And at the center of the training grounds stood one young man: Zeke.
He held a wooden sword and stood completely still, radiating an intimidating presence that seemed to make the very air tremble.

“W-what is… this…?”

Noticing Christopher’s gaze, Zeke lifted his head and gave a refreshing smile.

“Good morning, Christopher.”

Zeke—the young man greeted him as if nothing had happened, his expression calm and serene.

“Did… you do this, Zeke?”

“Ah… yes. Captain Levin wanted to see our abilities, so I sparred with the members of the Earth Knights’ Battalion, one by one, using a wooden sword.”

“Kuh…”

At these words, Levin curled up on the ground, letting out a strained laugh.
Holding his stomach, he tried to get up, but even that movement seemed painfully weak.

“Ha ha ha! Christopher! This is amazing! Not even the elites of the Earth Knights’ Battalion could defeat him! A true Hero!”

Levin’s voice echoed through the training grounds, and the air seemed to vibrate along with his laughter.

Impossible…
Levin was loud-mouthed, yes, but his skill in battle was real.
And yet, the young man standing before him had taken on all the elite knights—including Levin himself—without receiving a single new wound.

Looking closely, Zeke bore only the scars from yesterday’s fight; there were no new injuries.
He had faced over twenty elite knights and remained unscathed.
Levin’s words about “the Hero” now struck painfully true.

“Levin, your swordsmanship is formidable as well.”

Zeke smiled gently and said softly.

“Hah. No need for flattery. I couldn’t land a single strike on you, even though I was still recovering.”

Levin’s smile was that of a man utterly defeated, yet strangely satisfied.
Observing him, it seemed he had sincerely enjoyed the thrill of battle.

“Hey, Chris. Do you want to give it a try?”

Levin jokingly offered to Christopher.
No way.
His strength was roughly equal to—or slightly weaker than—Levin’s.
If he swung his sword at Zeke, he would be crushed to the bone.

“No, I’ll pass. I don’t want to waste any energy before the audience with the king.”

He skillfully excused himself and moved past the scene.

To think the Hero’s power was this overwhelming…
And the woman who called herself the Demon King had fought on equal footing with him.
That meant she, too, possessed similar strength.

In the corner of the training grounds, the female Demon King sat with her arms crossed, watching the exchange with a bored expression.

What a thing…
These two were far stronger than he had imagined, and his own power was nowhere near theirs.
A heavy, suffocating sense of frustration weighed increasingly upon Christopher’s chest.