Chapter 3

“By the way, how did you do it, Kairon? Not only did you dodge all my sword strikes, but you even managed to grab me right in front of my face!”

“Uh, well…”

What could I even say to that?

It just appeared in my vision, and my body moved quickly.

“Just… like that?”

“…What do you mean, ‘just like that’?”

At my casual answer, Abelin bit her lip tightly and started trembling.

“So, are you saying I should believe that your skills suddenly skyrocketed overnight, Kairon?”

“It’s the truth. If I told you I don’t even know how I did it, would you believe me?”

The Black Iron Vanguard, who had been watching us, started murmuring among themselves.

“As expected of our Captain! Abelin is no match for our Captain!”

“She shamelessly charged at him even after disgracing herself. Serves her right!”

Then, the Silver Guards quickly intervened.

“Oh, it’s just that Abelin wasn’t feeling well today!”

“Even so, she couldn’t possibly inflict a fatal wound on a comrade. She must’ve been holding back the whole time!”

The subordinates each had their own interpretations, but Abelin and I knew the truth.

We used to be evenly matched, but now I was far superior to her.

Abelin stood there for a while, glaring at me, before finally parting her lips slowly.

“I admit defeat.”

“Huh? Hey, Abelin. You only had one proper attack blocked. How can you call it quits so soon…?”

“Silver Guards!”

Despite my protests, Abelin shouted firmly and turned away.

“Let’s go back. But remember, everyone. This is my defeat, not the Silver Guards’.”

They had come for a mock battle but didn’t even get to fight properly. Yet, the Silver Guards followed Abelin’s orders without question.

The Black Iron Vanguard and I watched their quiet retreat.

Then, one of my subordinates shouted.

“We won!”

“Yeah, look at those pale-faced cowards running away! Since our Captain won in a commander vs. commander duel, it’s as good as our victory… Ouch!”

“Quiet down, you idiots.”

I grabbed the heads of the two subordinates who were shouting without reading the room and lightly knocked them together.

“Why, why are you doing this, Captain!? We won, didn’t we?”

“I saw everything. You guys couldn’t decisively defeat the Silver Guards and were evenly matched. So…”

As I trailed off, the Black Iron Vanguard braced themselves, anticipating my next words.

“Today, we’re training all day! Head to the training grounds, now!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Black Iron Vanguard responded loudly to my sudden order and lined up to run to the training grounds.

“…What’s going on, Captain?”

My trusted lieutenant, Plymus, had noticed the change in me.

“Your skills have indeed improved, Captain. But the moves you just made were too unbelievable to be mere luck.”

“I don’t know. I really don’t. But one thing is clear.”

I raised my hands and looked at them.

“I’ve gotten stronger.”

“Whoa, to suddenly become this strong… Could it be…?”

Plymus’s expression turned serious.

Plymus has always had a good sense for these things.

He’s the one who observed the demons’ appearances and movements, identified their weaknesses, and contributed greatly to developing the Black Iron Vanguard’s unique combat style.

Maybe Plymus could figure out the reason.

“Do you have any ideas, Plymus?”

“Oversleeping.”

“…Huh?”

Plymus nodded.

“The only thing that’s changed is that you overslept, Captain. It seems we need to adjust the squad’s sleep schedules.”

“Is… is that really it…?”

“As you know, Captain, my instincts are always accurate. I’ll revise all the squad members’ schedules starting tomorrow!”

“Something feels off… But for now, let’s head to the training grounds. As always, I’ll sweat alongside my men as their commander.”

I hurried my steps.

But something bothered me.

Abelin’s lips, which she had bitten so hard they almost bled when she admitted defeat.

***

“Here I come! Block me well!”

“Anytime, sir!”

As I charged with a large club, the Black Iron Vanguard quickly gathered together and shouted in unison.

“Black Iron Shield Wall!!”

“Lift!!”

*Boom-*

The heavy attack shook the shield wall, but everyone worked as one to disperse the impact, keeping the wall intact.

And immediately, the follow-up.

“We held it!”

“Then, stab!!”

A gap formed in the shield wall, and countless spears thrust toward me through it.

I easily dodged the spears and shouted.

“Wake up! Your spear thrusts are too slow! If I were a demon instead of your Captain, you’d all be shredded by now!”

“Sorry, sir!”

“Here I come again! Focus this time!”

The Black Iron Vanguard’s combat style was simple.

Demons are much larger and stronger than humans.

Our method was to block their attacks by combining our strength, then thrust our spears into the openings created by the blocked attacks.

The combat method, named the “Black Iron Shield Wall,” was straightforward.

But if even one person failed to keep up or collapsed, everyone would be in danger.

That’s why we trained our stamina to the brink of collapse every day and repeated exercises to strengthen our unity and teamwork.

Some criticized it as crude and unsophisticated, but we didn’t care.

In every battle, there were many casualties, but the Black Iron Vanguard had the fewest.

Those who criticized us didn’t need to face us directly—the demons took care of them.

“Alright, block this one. Here I come again!”

“Ready, sir!”

The subordinates held up well against my attacks, but this time was different.

I put all my strength into it, swinging the club much harder than before.

*Boom-*

“Argh!!”

The shield wall shattered under my club, and the subordinates were completely knocked down.

“Huh…?”

The Black Iron Vanguard’s shield wall had never been broken so easily before.

Even though I put more strength into it, this had never happened…

Naturally, my gaze returned to my hands.

From catching Abelin’s sword with my palm to effortlessly shattering the renowned Black Iron Shield Wall.

It was clear that my current strength wasn’t normal.

Normally, the subordinates would quickly get back up and reform the formation, but this time, they were truly battered and couldn’t stop trembling.

“Ugh…”

“Sorry, Captain. We weren’t strong enough to hold it.”

“No, you did your best. Let’s take a break!”

As I declared a break, the subordinates helped each other up and shared food and drink while resting.

“Good job, Jeff. You held up much better than before.”

“You too. Look at these arms. How much have you been training? The ladies would go crazy if they saw this!”

“What are you talking about…? I have a wife and daughter at home!”

The Black Iron Vanguard’s survival rate wasn’t just due to our combat style—it was also thanks to the strong bonds between the members.

The unity that made the shield wall even stronger.

“By the way, Captain Kairon is truly amazing.”

One of the squad members, looking at me as I stared at my hands, exclaimed in admiration.

“The Captain keeps getting stronger. We’ve trained with him many times, but this is the first time we’ve been completely wrecked.”

“Thanks for the compliment. But still…”

I clenched and unclenched my hands, trying to feel if there was any change in my body, but all I felt was a bit more strength.

“I know what you’re worried about. But don’t make that face.”

Plymus patted my shoulder.

“If the Captain makes that face, the squad’s morale will drop.”

“You’re right.”

“There’s nothing bad about it. The Captain getting stronger means we’re all safer.”

“Plymus, how do you always say the right things… Huh?”

Over Plymus’s shoulder, I saw someone entering the training grounds.

The squad members noticed the visitor too and immediately stood up, on guard.

“It’s Abelin. Why is she here at our training grounds?”

“She doesn’t look too happy. Is she here for revenge on the Captain…?”

Abelin walked straight across the training grounds with her head down.

She stopped in front of me and spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

“Kairon, come with me right now.”

“Just like that? As you can see, we’re in the middle of training…”

“Then I’ll wait! Just make some time!”

“I have plans after this too. I’m supposed to have a meal with the squad…”

“Don’t say another word. I told you to come with me!!”

From Abelin’s tightly clenched voice, I could feel it.

A burning determination, for some reason.