"Master, why are you here?"
Nemiel muttered to himself, but Zahariel was far more easygoing about it.
Why else?
Obviously, he was here for the sword too!
Although Master Ramiel was one of the Order's senior knights, a training master whose status was second only to the Grand Master and equal to the leaders of the other knightly orders.
Today, as the host, the Order naturally had to give its guests due respect.
So, aside from Amadis, the visiting knights had been allowed to attempt drawing the sword first.
After all, the Sword in the Stone wasn't going anywhere.
The Order could try whenever it wished.
After today, knights from all across Caliban would inevitably flock here.
Aldurukh would become livelier than ever not wanting to fall behind, Master Ramiel had naturally come at night to get his chance first.
Failure wasn't embarrassing as long as nobody saw it but Ramiel probably hadn't expected so many others to think exactly the same thing.
With a cold snort, Ramiel said, "I knew apprentices would sneak over here."
"So I waited and sure enough I caught you."
Zahariel lowered his head, "We know we were wrong, Master."
His attitude was sincerely apologetic.
Nemiel also hurriedly bowed his head, his face full of remorse but Ramiel knew his students too well.
They weren't regretting sneaking out, they regretted getting caught.
"Since you're already here."
"You can stand right there."
"Really?"
Nemiel looked up in delight.
Ramiel shot him a stern glare.
"I wasn't talking about you."
"Come out."
"Stop hiding."
He looked toward the dark alley.
A moment later, several boys shuffled out of the shadows with their heads hanging low.
Looking closer, Zahariel recognized every one of them.
They had all entered the Order in the same intake.
Adias. Elias.
They were all here.
Their eyes met.
Every face carried the same awkward expression of having been caught red-handed.
Like frost-bitten eggplants, the youths lined up dejectedly before Ramiel.
Zahariel secretly exchanged glances with Adias.
"You snuck out without inviting me!"
"You snuck out first! I went to your room and couldn't even find you!"
"It was Nemiel's idea."
Zahariel shot his cousin a sidelong glance.
This was all Nemiel's fault.
Ramiel folded his arms.
"So, tell me."
"Why are you all here?"
Zahariel answered, "Maybe we were sleepwalking."
It was a terrible excuse but sneaking out in the middle of the night didn't exactly leave many believable alternatives.
Ramiel laughed coldly, "Sleepwalking?"
"Do I look that easy to fool? You couldn't even be bothered to invent a decent excuse."
"So you've stopped taking your training master seriously."
Just as he was about to lecture them.
A young knight approached.
"Ramiel."
"Your turn."
Zahariel immediately recognized him.
Sir Luther. His eyes practically lit up as if he had just seen his savior.
'Sir Luther really was a good man.'
Nemiel suddenly realized something.
"Master Ramiel."
"So you also-"
Ramiel silenced him with a threatening glare. Nemiel immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence.
"Luther watch them for me."
"I'll be right back."
Ramiel turned and left.
Luther calmly walked over to take his place as Zahariel desperately tried to think of another excuse.
He suddenly heard Luther muttering to himself in confusion.
"Watch who? Has Ramiel finally gone senile?"
"There's nobody here."
"Huh?"
Zahariel stared at Luther in disbelief.
Luther continued talking to himself.
"Considering he snuck over here in the middle of the night to pull the sword."
"He definitely doesn't want anyone finding out especially not his own students."
"I see."
Zahariel immediately shot Luther a grateful look.
Then he quickly signaled the others without another word, he disappeared into the night.
Nemiel and Adias followed immediately.
The others hesitated only briefly before doing the same.
They weren't slow they understood exactly what Luther meant.
If they returned to the dormitories now perhaps everyone could simply pretend tonight had never happened but if they stayed until Ramiel came back there would be no way to avoid punishment.
Sir Luther would keep the secret.
Master Ramiel would quietly pretend not to notice.
Otherwise he wouldn't have left so casually.
Nemiel said unwillingly, "I guess we'll have to wait until next time."
Zahariel glared at him, "You still want there to be a next time?"
"You nearly got us killed!"
Nemiel glared right back, "As if you didn't want to come too!"
He knew his cousin far too well.
He had only been trying to save Zahariel's pride by going along with him.
Zahariel felt thoroughly embarrassed inside.
Naturally he refused to show it.
Completely oblivious to the awkward tension hidden beneath their argument, Adias hurriedly stepped between them.
"We'd better hurry back."
"If Master Ramiel returns later, he'll probably inspect the dormitories."
Elias scratched his head, "Isn't he trying to pull the sword?"
"How long do you think that'll take?"
Zahariel replied, "He'll definitely fail."
Realizing he'd spoken too bluntly, he quickly lowered his voice.
"And once he does he'll be too embarrassed to stay there and let everyone laugh at him."
Before he could finish footsteps echoed from the darkness.
Someone carrying an oil lantern was approaching.
Zahariel's heart skipped a beat.
'Had Master Ramiel come back already?'
'How much did he hear?'
But when the newcomer stepped into the light Zahariel immediately relaxed.
"Oh."
"It's just you, Baldr. What are you doing here?"
Baldr looked at them strangely, "I'm working."
"What are you doing here?"
Zahariel and Nemiel answered in perfect unison.
"Sleepwalking."
The corner of Baldr's mouth twitched.
"Forget it. I'm not even going to ask. You'd better get back."
Without another word both sides lowered their heads and walked past one another as though none of them had ever met tonight.
.....
The war began on an ordinary morning.
Only a few days earlier training had continued as usual.
Everyone had been sweating through preparations for the upcoming quarterly examinations.
Then Master Ramiel suddenly assembled them all.
The war had begun by Sir Lion's order every member of the Order would participate full knights squires, and even apprentices.
With the Great Beasts nearing extinction Apprentices faced an unprecedented challenge.
The traditional path of advancement through hunting Great Beasts had become history. War would replace the hunt as the new trial by which a knight's spirit would be judged.
Those who distinguished themselves would earn the opportunity to become squires.
Although both Zahariel and Nemiel longed to win glory upon the battlefield.
They were only eleven or twelve years old. Naturally the Order had no intention of sending children into direct combat. Instead, they were assigned to logistics.
Delivering supplies to the front, maintaining equipment, carrying messages, and caring for the wounded.
Riding his warhorse out of the forest Zahariel found himself staring at a burning sky.
The allied knightly orders had completely surrounded the fortress of the Order of the Wolf both sides exchanged relentless artillery fire.
The heavens blazed with beautiful, deadly, Fire Tracer rounds, shells and ncendiary bombs.
Each dazzling burst represented death.
"We were only eighteen. We had only just begun to love the world. Yet we were forced to fire upon it."
"The world kills the kindest, the gentlest, and the bravest without sparing anyone."
"War is not a parade. It is the sum of blood. pain. and death."
Ancient sayings from Old Terra echoed in Zahariel's mind.
Master Ramiel had often quoted them.
Trying to turn a group of naive boys into knights.
Only now did Zahariel truly begin to understand them.
Perhaps one day he would grow accustomed to war but his first siege still left him lost.
On Caliban battles between knights were exceedingly rare even wars between knightly orders seldom escalated into battles of annihilation.
Normally Honor duels settled disputes as a result most of his training had focused entirely upon hunting Great Beasts.
Master Ramiel had never taught him how to kill another knight in truth perhaps Ramiel himself didn't know.
He had spent his entire life hunting monsters never men.
This was the first real battle for many knights.
Zahariel wasn't afraid he was simply... confused.
This would be the final battle against the Great Beasts but it would not be Caliban's final war.
Today the allied orders fought side by side against the Order of the Wolf.
Tomorrow they would inevitably turn upon one another over disputes of territory and spoils.
Unless one final victor emerged, war would never truly end. Peace might exist but never for long.
"Zahariel!"
"Catch!"
Baldr tossed him a waterskin.
Zahariel caught it effortlessly removing his helmet, he drank deeply.
The cold water instantly refreshed him.
"Thanks, Baldr."
Wiping his mouth, he tossed the waterskin back.
Yesterday he had been assigned to supervise woodcutters gathering timber in the foothills for siege engines.
During that mission he encountered two Wolf Order scouts.
He successfully drove them off because of that today's orders had changed. He was now responsible for protecting the logistics routes. Baldr happened to be one of the logistics officers.
Although servants could never become knights and would never fight upon the battlefield logistics were no less important to a knight, than bolt shells were to a bolter.
A bolter without ammunition became nothing but scrap metal once its magazine ran dry.
Likewise a knight without supplies would eventually become helpless.
For that reason, Zahariel had never regarded Baldr as someone beneath him.
He had always considered him a brother.
"The war's about to begin," Zahariel murmured.
Although he had never experienced such fighting before.
He knew what came next, once the bombardment ended the knights would charge.
As an apprentice he wouldn't participate directly but they still had to defend the perimeter preventing enemy raids or breakouts.
Baldr said, "No."
"The war is about to end."
Zahariel looked at him seriously, "Don't underestimate them."
"The Order of the Wolf isn't what it used to be."
"But they still have over a hundred knights and they're defending a fortress."
"They can even tame Great Beasts."
"There may be countless beasts hidden inside."
"They're extremely dangerous."
Baldr nodded, "I know."
"Everything you said is true but we have Teacher."
Zahariel blinked.
In his mind.
Sir Caelan, Baldr's teacher and Lion's adoptive father, had always remained behind the scenes.
He was a strategist not a frontline warrior.
Although Zahariel believed a great father would naturally raise a great son.
Surely Sir Caelan couldn't be stronger than Sir Lion?
"Teacher's here!"
Balder suddenly shouted, unable to contain his excitement.
"Where?"
Zahariel instinctively looked around he saw nothing.
Following Baldr's gaze he finally looked upward.
Caelan was standing in midair, his robes fluttered wildly in the wind.
"H-He."
"He can fly?"
Zahariel's jaw nearly hit the ground.
Then, something even more unbelievable happened.
Caelan slowly raised his right hand. His fingers gently closed. It was a casual gesture yet, an ear-piercing series of cracks echoed through the sky as though something enormous were breaking slowly and mechanically.
Zahariel turned toward the distant fortress.
The very fortress he had confidently declared nearly impregnable only moments ago.
Its towering walls, twisted like soft dough.
Massive stone blocks, as though seized by an invisible giant's hand were kneaded like clay.
They bent, warped, and spiraled into impossible shapes that defied every law of physics.
The towers.
The gates.
Every defensive structure that should have cost countless lives to capture.
Collapsed like children's toy blocks.
All because Caelan had clenched his fist.
The horrifying sight froze the blood in Zahariel's veins.
If Caelan could crush castle walls with a casual squeeze.
Then a knight would become nothing more than a puddle of blood.
Among the collapsing walls Zahariel indeed spotted crimson stains.
Those had been defenders whether ordinary soldier or Wolf Order knights nothing recognizable remained.
"T-This."
His jaw practically hung open.
'What kind of power was this?'
At that moment he realized just how shallow his understanding of strength had been.
What kind of being could destroy an entire fortress.
As casually as snapping a twig?
Before such terrifying power.
The knightly arts they had spent their entire lives mastering.
The siege engines painstakingly built over weeks.
All seemed utterly meaningless.
'So this was Sir Lion's father? Then was the son like the father or the father like the son?'
Zahariel was certain everyone else was just as stunned.
The power Caelan displayed was no different from a miracle no one could ignore it.
This was not power any mortal should possess.
Before such overwhelming might both the knightly orders and the Great Beasts seemed utterly insignificant.
The defenders forgot to defend.
The attackers forgot to attack.
Even the air itself seemed frozen.
For a brief moment, the once-chaotic battlefield fell into eerie silence.
In that deathly stillness the distant roar of a knight carried clearly across the battlefield.
"Charge!"
"Everyone, charge!"
"For Lion!"
"For the honor of the Order!"