Book 6-5.5

The size of the Red Eagle Knight Brigade’s training ground was quite large.

Even if they were the knights that represented the kingdom, it was so large that it was hard to imagine it was just the duke’s family’s training ground.

Their numbers were the largest in the kingdom other than the Royal Knights and some nobles’ personal guards, with the official members of the Red Knights being fifty members in their twenties and thirties. Aside from the fifty official members, there were 110 knights in training as well.

There were also the former generation Red Knights who were over the age of forty, who took on the role of training the current Red Knights as their instructors. Putting all of them together, there were close to two hundred men using this training ground.

“Formation.”

At Aizen’s command, the knights and the knights in training all got into two lines, while the former generation Red Knights watched them from the side.

“Everyone, show your respects to the Red Storm warriors, the warriors among warriors in the desert.”

Once Aizen introduced the Red Storm to the knights, the knights lifted their swords in front of their faces and lightly bowed to greet them. The warriors responded back in the same way.

“They are all amazing warriors and strong enough to fight against me. That means that they have gone through harsher training than we have, and that they have the qualifications to watch our training and point out any flaws. All of you should try your best to show them our training.”

Both the Red Knights and the former generation Red Knights started to frown after hearing Aizen’s words. Although it was respectful to lower yourself and raise up the guest, they felt like Aizen’s words just now were too much. It was true that even the Red Storm warriors were feeling uncomfortable with Aizen’s comparison. Although they believed that they were stronger than the knights in front of them, they never expected Aizen to be so blunt about it.

Furthermore, the warriors who knew about Aizen’s strength were suddenly suspicious. To be honest, none of them could take on Aizen 1 on 1. Maybe Thrint, the avatar of courage, may be able to last a little bit against him.

As the whispers started to get louder, Aizen smiled brightly as he turned to ward Haisha and started to speak.

“Everybody seems to be thinking about different things, so shall we have a friendly sparring match? I want to broaden the horizons of our knights. As for me, I know the strength of all of you gentlemen from last time, so I will be the referee.”

Haisha finally figured it out after hearing Aizen’s words.

The reason Aizen dragged them here was to broaden the horizons of his knights and to help them understand that they should never get too cocky.

It was similar to how Yulian had defeated all of them by himself when they were starting to get cocky in the past.

Haisha respectfully responded.

In this friendly sparring match that started early in the morning, none of the Red Knights were able to defeat the Red Storm warriors.

This explained the angry red faces and glares the knights were giving the warriors. The Red Storm warriors may have been feeling sorry as they tried to avoid eye contact, but they could not give it their all.

The fact that they used all of their strength itself was a sign of respect for their opponent, and Haisha, who figured out Aizen’s intent, told the rest of them to not go easy at all.

The former generation Red Knights who got tired of watching the current Red Knights being pushed back over and over stepped in as well, and only then was there some more of a balance between the two sides.

After the sparring was completed, Aizen gave his thanks to the Red Storm warriors as they headed back to his house.

There were not many opponents for the Red Knights in the kingdom, and the current Red Knights were cocky because of the overwhelming strength of the former generation knights. Aizen was thanking them for helping his knights come back down to reality. He then apologized for not informing them about it in advance.

To be honest, Haisha would have rejected it right away if they were asked such a favor in advance. The Red Storm would have learned something as well, but they did not want to earn the grudge of someone who was not their enemy.

As Aizen wanted, the Red Knights were training extremely hard after suffering an overwhelming defeat at the hands of the Red Storm.

The next morning, Haisha let out a small sigh at Aizen’s announcement.

“I will take them with me the next time I go to the desert. They are training hard with all of you as their goal right now. I ask you to teach them a good lesson the next time you meet as well.”

He was really putting the Red Storm warriors in an awkward spot.

After having fun(?) in the Rojini Kingdom for half a month, the delegation finished their preparations to head back to Pareia and headed to the castle to meet with Rojini III.

Many nobles were present in the throne room similar to when they arrived, and this showed how big of an influence Pareia had on the Rojini Kingdom.

After all sorts of goodbyes, Rojini III looked toward Verikan and started to speak.

“So, Pareia’s young king. Have you thought about what you would like from this king?”

Verikan bowed to greet Rojini III before starting to speak.

“Your highness, I am filled with concern.”

“What does the young king have to worry about?”

Verikan rubbed his chin and tried to look like he was thinking after Rojini III’s question, but everybody just laughed internally, thinking that he was mimicking what he saw the adults do.

“The Rojini Kingdom is not just the greatest nation in the Eastern continent, but also the greatest when including the Western continent, is it not?”

Both Rojini III and the surrounding nobles started to smile at Verikan’s words.

“Because of that, I will not learn anything before I return.”

The smiles disappeared in an instant.

Rojini III asked nervously.

“I will ask your reason for that, Pareia’s young king.”

“Your highness, there are so many things I need to learn from your kingdom, but your highness has promised me just one. If I learn one, I will probably be dying to learn another one, so I will not learn anything in advance.”

“Hohoho.”

Rojini III started to laugh at this cute prince’s words. He was sure Verikan did not come up with that response.

‘That man standing next to him probably told him to answer like that.’

Rojini III thought like that and looked toward Runa who was standing next to Verikan. It was hard to believe all the amazing rumors about Runa, but he started to believe it after seeing Runa trying to take this opportunity to steal some of their secrets through Verikan.

Runa noticed Rojini III looking at him and quickly bowed.

Even Runa knew that Rojini III would definitely know the answer came from him. He was just trying to see how much help his highness would give, knowing Pareia was trying to take away all of the Rojini Kingdom’s skills through Verikan.

To save face, he would not just let Verikan return without anything, and he would not just stop at one thing as he originally promised Verikan.

‘He is a wise man.’

That is what Rojini III was thinking as he looked toward Runa.

Although there would be diplomatic problems if Verikan’s wish was for all of the Rojini Kingdom’s culture and technology, but there would not be such an issue putting it in a roundabout way like this. Furthermore, he would need to think about their alliance and his own face and end up needing to give up a decent amount of knowledge.

‘Alright. I will pretend to be tricked. Technology becomes out of date and secrets are hard to keep anyways.’

Rojini III started to smile as he answered.

“Alright then. This king will lessen the young king’s worries. This king will find you a teacher in any and all aspects that the young king wishes to learn. They will stay to teach you until you understand everything. Will this satisfy you, young king of Pareia?”

Verikan smiled brightly and bowed once more.

“I will not forget his highness’s grace.”

“Hohoho.”

Rojini III started to laugh again as he called over some of the dukes and head administrators and ordered them to give Verikan everything he wanted.

Runa started to smile as well.

After returning to Pareia, Runa had a meeting with Yulian and the chiefs every week. This made the chiefs unable to return to their oases, but things were able to be implemented much faster, leading Pareia to an era of change.

Personal property was now completely implemented, and they were also able to start letting many people learn how to read and write.

They were also able to learn a lot of new technology thanks to the research files and technicians who came over from the Rojini Kingdom.

They started to use threads to make cloth for clothes, and made a lot of improvements to their weapons.

Of course there were voices of opposition and issues with implementing a new culture, but they all took it as a learning opportunity and recorded everything that happened.

Pareia had reached their second take off.

In a paoe surrounded by silence.

There were only two individuals inside the paoe. A man laying down, and a man standing next to him with a worried expression.

The two men had been staring at each other without being able to say anything for quite a while now. It was not because they had nothing to say. In fact, they had too many things they wanted to say. They wanted to say something, but they just did not know where to start.

The one to break the prolonged silence was the man who was laying down.

“I am sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

As the standing man asked in response, the man laying down closed his mouth once more. He then closed his eyes that had been open about half way until now.

A single drop of water followed the shape of the man’s skinny cheeks down. The man laying down continued once the drop fell off his face.

“For every……”

His voice was so weak, almost as if it was announcing that the man did not have much longer to live. Based on the man’s expression, it also sounded like he had accepted this fact already.

“Must I say it once more? I say this to you every time, but please do not say such weak things like that. It was not long ago that you jumped up and ordered me a round.”

The standing man shook his head and responded in a gentle yet stern way.

“Glow, you are even younger than I am...how, how can you leave without achieving anything more when you have me, the warrior named Venersis, as your subordinate?”

The standing man, the one named Venersis, the one known as the War God of the Desert, and now the man who will be the only hope for the Shuarei, pointed his hand to the outside.

“Take a look. The Shuarei has only taken its first step now. We have taken over the Rivolde who has been a thorn on our side for as long as we can remember, and over half of the Western Desert is under our control. Our difference with Pareia? I accept that they are much stronger than us. However, now … how can you give your body to something as trivial as death when this is just the beginning?”

“Me … me ……”

The man laying down, Hangry Elbotta, struggled to get out his words.

“Don’t … bother me … too … much. They say that you are the fastest when you are regretting something … but even when I am regretting my actions, I am unable to do anything. I wish to be dead tens of times a day.”

“Glow!”

Venersis shouted out. He then wanted to say something, but after what Hangry Elbotta had just said, he could not bother him anymore. He just stood there and clenched his two fists.

Hangry clenched Venersis’s fist as best as he could.

“I told you last time, didn’t I? I trust that you prepared.”

A light smile.

“Glow ……”

“......”

“Glow?”

The moment Venersis cautiously called out to the Glow once more, the two hands that were holding his fist lost all strength and fell.

“Glow!”

Venersis started to cry. Although the two of them did not get along in the beginning, Hangry had eventually come around. Lately, they trusted each other more than anybody else.

“In the end, you do not help me at all!”

Venersis lifted his head up to the sky and started to shout. The heavens were not on his side in the end. The former Glow who trusted him and understood him, and now, the current Glow. All of them had left without being able to achieve their dream.

“Fine. I do not care! I knew that it would be like this!”

Venersis started to shout as if he was angry.

End of Chapter

Next up:

The Hero’s Land

An overwhelming darkness stared out to me.

I did not avoid it. It didn’t matter what may be inside.

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