“Everyone, continue eating and enjoying yourselves. No need to worry. This is all part of the program we planned.”
Lord Lavini stood up, signaling the guests to keep enjoying the banquet.
The atmosphere quickly became lively once again.
“Phew~” Lord Lavini exhaled deeply and sat down to take a sip of water.
“Son, do you know why the Campaign Knights’ armor is black?” Osiris suddenly asked.
“Gulp… I don’t know, Father.” Lord Lavini nearly choked on his drink.
“The Extreme North Demon Domain’s terrain is mostly black rocky sand, so we blacken our armor to blend in with the environment for concealment. Although the color is useless against magical beasts who rely on scent, it works quite well against the humanoid demon clan skilled in magic,” Osiris recalled with a smile as he explained.
“The humanoid demon clan—the mages among the magical beasts—once committed magical massacres against human civilians. Those bastards.”
“Yes, a ruthless and heartless bunch of bastards. Calling them dogs insults actual dogs. From now on, don’t ever put ‘dog’ in front of their name again.”
“…I understand.”
Just one simple, strange comment was enough for his son to grasp how much he hated the demon clan.
“You’ve never faced the real demons of the North. You will never know how terrifying they are,” Osiris’s face darkened as brutal images flooded his mind.
Those horrors were unimaginable to anyone who hadn’t lived through them—cruelty beyond words, fear beyond description.
“Third Company Commander, your thoughts have gone astray.”
“Isn’t our struggle exactly so our descendants never have to know the terror of the demon clan?”
From the night sky, a cold yet emotionally resonant voice of a celestial girl entered Osiris’s ears.
“You’ve come,” Osiris looked up at the sky, stood, and said solemnly.
A mysterious white mist began to spread out, covering the courtyard floor like a cloud of fairyland.
The guests were stunned but, while surprised, many remained seated and continued eating.
“Don’t worry, it’s all part of the program,” Lord Lavini stood up again to reassure everyone.
But in truth, he himself didn’t know what was happening. It wasn’t part of any plan.
It must have been secretly arranged by Father and the Mage Lady without telling him.
Today isn’t even my birthday, so why so many surprises?
Then, the purple-haired mage girl clad in white robes slowly descended from the sky into the courtyard, truly noble and beautiful like an angel.
She landed in the courtyard, hands behind her back, holding a pristine White Branch Staff in her left hand, with a plain Campaign Knight Broadsword hanging at her waist.
“You came to keep your promise,” Osiris laughed heartily.
“Congratulations on your hundredth birthday. Living this long isn’t easy,” Xiadam nodded and smiled lightly.
“I’ve lived until today just waiting for this day,” Osiris produced a black cloth and began wrapping the sword’s scabbard and hilt carefully.
The reason for wrapping the sword in black cloth was the same as blackening the Campaign Knight armor—both disguises made long ago to better blend into the black soil.
Of course, now in this relatively peaceful era, in the fragrant Southern Land, this habit is no longer necessary.
But some things don’t disappear just because they’re useless.
It’s a habit, a memory, and an emotion.
At least it proves that Osiris, Third Company Commander of the Campaign Knights, hasn’t lost his mind in old age!
“I am Osiris, Third Company Commander of the Campaign Knights! Please teach me!”
Osiris suddenly drew his sword, gripping it with both hands and stepping forward in the most basic knightly stance.
But his overwhelming aura caused the white mist on the ground to scatter violently, unable to regroup at his feet, leaving a patch of vacuum.
“Ah?”
“Teach you?”
“Is the Old Lord about to fight the Mage Lady?”
“What’s going on?”
The residents began murmuring excitedly, eating while watching the unfolding drama.
[Power Enhancement].
Xiadam remained silent, but her White Branch Staff began to glow, responding to the old knight’s battle intent.
A faint white light covered her entire body, brimming with power.
“Vzz! Vzz! Vzz! Vzz! Vzz!”
Xiadam’s right hand swiftly drew her sword, flicking her wrist as the hilt spun rapidly in her delicate hand, performing a one-handed Sword Dance that sliced through the air with sharp icy flashes.
She revealed a hidden skill that stunned everyone.
The border knights were dumbfounded. What kind of flashy swordplay was this?
It might not be practical, but it was undeniably impressive.
“I remember now… I remember everything…”
This Sword Dance reminded Osiris of fifty years ago.
At that moment, it felt like returning to the day the Nameless Hero first joined the Campaign Knights.
Faced with the commander’s Decapitation Challenge, the Nameless Hero opened with a similar spinning Sword Dance, only to be mocked by everyone.
Because the knights had trained since childhood in straightforward, practical sword techniques that focused on a single decisive strike.
They looked down on such flashy, performative swordplay.
Then…
Then the Nameless Hero defeated them all one by one.
“Today, I won’t make the same mistake,” Osiris snorted coldly.
“Fifty years have passed. I am no longer the young brat I once was,” Xiadam replied.
But words were useless, and many secrets couldn’t be spoken out loud.
So, only the sword would speak!
“Be careful. This is the ultimate sword technique the commanders of all the Campaign Knight companies have secretly researched together to defeat the Hero.”
Osiris pulled down his faceplate, suddenly lowering his hands, closing his eyes, and relaxing completely into a transcendent state.
This sword we call the [Ordinary Man-Slayer].
It is the strongest strike an ordinary person can muster!
The next moment, the white mist on the ground exploded outward.
Osiris vanished on the spot.
No, he didn’t vanish.
His burst of speed was so fast it looked like he disappeared.
He shifted instantly from a relaxed state to full power, concentrating his entire strength in two places.
The first was his rear heel pushing off the ground.
The second was the wrist wielding the sword.
So this strike was simply a flying straight thrust.
But it was the result of ten years of combined analysis by dozens of top knights on how to deal with the Nameless Hero’s swordsmanship.
The Nameless Hero’s greatest strength lay in his ever-changing deceptive swordplay and unpredictable footwork.
Therefore, dueling Xiadam in sword technique was a losing battle.
Otherwise, how could he have swept the continent for thirty years? Surely it wasn’t only because of the White Dragon King?
The Campaign Knights were probably the only masters on the continent who knew how to have a chance at defeating the Nameless Hero.
And that was…
To defeat him with a single strike!
Once the battle dragged to a second strike, no one in the world could beat the Nameless Hero.
“Clang~” A sharp cold flash cut through the air.
When Xiadam’s eyes once again caught sight of Osiris…
The Third Company Commander’s Campaign Knight Broadsword was already pointed straight at her forehead!