Reincarnated with the King’s Power

Chapter 18

Xenon Hertz, the vice-commander of the Blue Knight Order.

It was a week later that Killian met him again.

The knight order's private reception room, located behind the training ground.

Killian, sitting across from him, looked into his eyes.

He had been a robust young man when I first saw him, but now, with dark circles drawn thickly under his eyes, he looked like an old man who had lived his whole life.

“……”

Xenon, unable to meet his gaze, looked down.

“Vice-commander Xenon, I believe your treatment ended three days ago.”

“That is……”

His hollow eyes shook with anxiety.

‘He's fallen into a slump.’

The symptoms were similar to Julian's, but the two men's situations were starkly different.

Julian, with the powerful backing of Emma Eurasia, had nothing to lose—not his status as a young master, not his background with the Sepia Merchant Guild, nor his position as the commander of the Blue Knight Order.

But Xenon Hertz, the second son of a minor family, was not so fortunate.

Without the position of vice-commander, he was just one of the many 3-star knights of Eurasia.

‘He must think he's lost both his way of the sword and his base of support to a young master who appeared out of nowhere.’

“There must be a reason for being absent for three days, no?”

“I apologize. It's just……”

“Being in a slump is no excuse. The centurions all asked me to give you one more chance.”

“……!!”

“Seeing that, it seems the true center of the knight order was you, not my brother Julian.”

“……”

Xenon's expression became complicated.

“It just so happens that this place is quite spacious.”

Just like the reception room of Julian and Emma Eurasia, the reception room of the Blue Knight Order was also decorated with all sorts of weapons.

Killian picked up two wooden swords from the wall cabinet.

“There's nothing like a duel to clear one's mind.”

“Yes……?”

“Prove your skill. The excuse of being careless will no longer work.”

Xenon stood up with a stiff face and accepted the wooden sword.

When he, who had lost consciousness, woke up, the members came and told him.

That the Fourth Young Master was coming to the training ground every day to give lessons.

That in a week, three Centurions and thirty Decurions had been defeated, and all of them had come to hold respect for the new tactician.

He realized it then.

That Killian Eurasia was truly a 4-star knight, and that he could not win even if he gave it his all.

“What are you doing? Not coming at me.”

He could see Killian, taunting him with a flick of his wooden sword.

Grip.

Xenon, gripping the wooden sword with both hands, composed his breathing.

He enveloped both feet in Mana and put strength into his lower body.

‘Even if I can't win……’

Tap.

Xenon leaped forward quickly and struck down with his sword. It was a move with obvious openings to dodge or dig into.

However.

Killian did not dodge.

Clack.

He met Xenon's strike head-on.

‘It’s heavy.’

He was smaller than Hector, but the power was not far behind.

It was because he was skillfully supplementing the strength of his lower and upper body with Mana.

Despite his first attack being blocked, Xenon was not flustered.

Rather, he used a reverse rotation and aimed for the neck again.

A fine move that could inflict a fatal wound if it connected.

Whoosh.

Killian took half a step back and dodged the sword.

As if not to give him an opening, Xenon closed the distance.

He not only increased the speed of his attacks with rotations, but also occasionally threw punches and kicks to create openings.

Whoosh. Vwoom. Clack.

But all those moves either cut through the air or were blocked by the sword.

Every move was being thwarted by a paper-thin margin.

‘How can this be.’

Moving without rest, Xenon bit his lip.

Unlike his continuous swordsmanship, his mind was in turmoil.

If even one of his attacks so far had landed, it would have led to a fatal wound.

‘I heard it hasn't even been a year since he formed his Mana Heart, and he does this so casually……?’

Pushing away the successive questions, he leaped back.

He realized that continuing to attack like this would only drain his stamina.

‘Creating an opening is impossible.’

It was a skill gap that would be believable even if he was 5-star, not 4-star.

‘In that case.’

Ssssss.

A stronger momentum emanated from Xenon's body.

He spread Mana not just to a part of his body, but to his entire body, and extended it to the wooden sword he was holding, correcting his stance.

Since his opponent showed no openings, he prepared a finishing blow with a direct approach.

‘If it's the Fourth Young Master……’

He would receive the blow containing all my strength without dodging.

The moment that groundless conviction struck him, Xenon took a step forward, not fast, but smoothly.

Before he knew it, his sword was raised towards the sky.

“……”

Watching Xenon's response, Killian raised his Mana-infused sword to meet him.

From top to bottom, from bottom to top.

The moment the two wooden swords met in mid-air.

Crack!!

A gruesome sound echoed through the reception room.

Tuk.

In the end, Killian's sword touched Xenon's neck.

“Ah……”

“That's enough.”

Killian retrieved his sword.

Xenon belatedly looked down at his own sword.

“……”

The wooden sword, which had been reinforced with Mana, was shattered without a trace, except for the hilt.

“Vice-commander Xenon. Your objective skill is not enough to perform the duties of a vice-commander of the knight order.”

“……”

“If it were any of my other brothers' knight orders, you would have been a Centurion at best.”

Xenon's sweat-soaked face contorted with self-loathing.

“Still, limited to the Blue Knight Order, your skills are the most outstanding.”

“……Yes?”

“The application of your swordsmanship and your proficiency with Mana. None of it was bad. For someone who trained alone without a proper master, it's quite impressive.”

“Th-thank you.”

He bowed his head deeply at the unexpected compliment.

“You will continue to serve as the vice-commander.”

“Really?!!”

“Yes. Congratulations on overcoming your slump.”

Xenon's mouth fell open as if he had been struck in the head.

When he had come to the reception room, he had been listless, suffering from helplessness, but now he felt a vitality as if he had taken a spiritual medicine.

‘How, with just one duel……’

He belatedly began to understand the meaning of the 'teachings' the members had spoken of.

His swordsmanship, which was incomparable to his own, was a given, but his insight was something that could not be dismissed as being merely at the 4-star level.

‘This isn't an ordinary awakening. He must have had a Great Awakening.’

If not, there was no other way to explain his current appearance.

‘No, even with a Great Awakening, this rate of growth is too fast. Could it be that he was leaking false information and waiting for the right time.’

The Fourth Young Master, who revealed himself ahead of the young masters' competition for the family headship and the impending subjugation.

A new possibility pieced itself together in his mind like a puzzle.

“You seem to be deep in thought. How long are you going to stare at me with those eyes?”

“Ah……. I-I'm sorry!!”

Xenon, who snapped back to his senses, shook his head.

“Um……. Tactician Killian, may I ask one thing?”

“Ask.”

“Why are you in this position……”

“Why, you ask?”

“Well, no matter how I think about it, you don't seem like someone who would be under Commander Julian……”

Having spent a long time in the knight order, he knew of Julian's inferiority complex and jealousy.

“Even if someone raises questions, it will be up to you, the vice-commander, to mediate well.”

It was still an answer whose meaning he couldn't grasp.

Xenon decided that any further curiosity was not important.

“Yes, I will keep that in mind!”

“No need for formalities. Return to your original post starting today.”

“Understood!”

Xenon offered a sword salute with his broken wooden sword and went out to the training ground.

A satisfied smile appeared on Killian's face as he watched his retreating back.

‘With this, I've confirmed the skills of all the executives.’

The commander, Julian.

The vice-commander, Xenon.

The centurions, Hector, Huan, and Jesse.

And even the thirty Decurions.

He had grasped all the key military power of the Blue Knight Order, which ranged from beginner 2-star to master 3-star.

He had contacted the executives in a short time, and a clear hierarchical relationship as a tactician had been formed.

All that remained now was the repetition of training and recovery.

‘Three weeks until the subjugation.’

For those who were quick to learn, it was enough time to advance to the next level.

For a warrior, what could be sweeter than achievement?

In the past, when I was called Adamas, I had trained countless knights of Eurasia through Edan.

Recalling those happy memories brought a natural smile to my face.

“The Blue Knight Order. I'll work you to the bone.”

Killian let out a harmless laugh, but.

He did not know that the nature of that laughter was akin to madness.

***

Swordsmanship, Mana Heart, and stamina.

The three basics that a knight should possess.

“Among them, the most important is stamina. You need stamina to train your swordsmanship, and you need stamina to train your Mana Heart.”

“Ugh……”

Haman, who was holding a kamae stance, let out a groan.

How many people didn't know that stamina was important for a knight?

The only thing that made Killian peculiar was his obsession with physical training, which could be called madness.

“At this rate, I'm afraid I won't be able to bring the young master's decoction later.”

Haman said in a trembling voice, but.

“With that kind of mindset, how do you expect to create a Mana Heart? In one minute, we will immediately begin lower core strength training. Focus.”

Lower core strength training?

His voice rose at the unfamiliar training method.

“If it's lower body, it's lower body!! What in the world is the lower core?!”

“You weakling, you're noisy. Want to start over from the beginning?”

His face contorted.

It was because he knew that the master he served did not make empty threats.

‘Should I just collapse? Yes. If I naturally fall, hit my head, and then pretend to be unconscious……’

“Your center wavered. Five more minutes.”

“……!!”

Killian showed the courtesy of personally grabbing one of his legs to correct his posture.

“Ah……”

Another groan escaped Haman's lips.

His calves and thighs burned as if they were on fire.

At this rate, he couldn't collapse even if he wanted to.

“That's right. You're not the type with large muscles, so making them like a rock like this……”

Killian mumbled something, but to Haman's ears, it just sounded like the words of a madman addicted to training.

He felt dizzy.

He had said five minutes, but ten minutes had already passed.

Thud.

Haman, lying on the floor, gasped for breath.

His heart was pounding.

To think a person's heart could beat this fast from a static exercise.

“Get up! Lower core strength training is only effective if you do it right after!”

Even with the shouting beside him, his body wouldn't move.

‘I have to say something.’

If he didn't, Young Master Killian would personally make him get up and perform the next movement.

“I'd rather……”

“Hm?”

“How about I become an apothecary instead?”

Haman showed his wit and asked a plausible question.

It was a question that came out instinctively, as he knew his master didn't dislike answering questions.

Now that he had said it, it didn't seem like a bad career path. After all, it was Killian who had said he had a talent for being an apothecary.

“An apothecary is good too. If you become a direct subordinate of the Head Apothecary, even the family members won't be able to touch you carelessly.”

“R-right?!!”

“But stamina is essential for a good apothecary too. Stop whining and get up.”

Killian began to lift his body himself.

Prominent veins popped out on his trained forearms.

“Aaargh!! Young Master, please save me!!”

“Hmm…… You're going to endure, are you?”

Killian's eyes curved like crescent moons.

Haman's heart, watching that fleeting change, sank.

The hot sweat from the training cooled, and his body grew cold.

He had to recover somehow.

He had to somehow scatter the new training plan that had come to Killian's mind.

“I will become an outstanding apothecary and serve you for life!! I will become an apothecary who surpasses Head Apothecary Loen…… Aaaaargh!!”

It was when Haman was resisting, spouting any words that came to mind.

The voice of the guard standing watch outside was heard.

“Young Master Killian, Head Apothecary Loen has come to visit.”