Chapter 35
Chapter 35
"What?"”
She chuckled at the absurd words. Jin looked up at her with sentimental eyes.
“You were just a little kid when you first came here.”
Nina's face turned awkward as he gestured with his thumb and forefinger.
“No, I don’t think I’ve ever been that small since I was born.”
“Yes, you were this small. You’ve grown up so much.”
Nina crossed her arms and looked down at him before laughing.
“That’s right, I’ve grown up. I’m a commander now.”
Nina and he were seven years apart. He was already an adult when she first met him, and now she was an adult too.
“I didn’t think I’d see you become an adult.”
Jin frowned suddenly as he spoke.
“Wait, now that I think about it, aren’t you still a minor?”
“Am not? I’m 20 years old?”
“Shouldn’t we subtract two years?”
“How can we subtract two years when two years have passed?”
I’m twenty.
Jin made a subtle face at Nina’s claim before letting out a deep sigh.
“Yeah, yeah.”
He paused as he was about to sweep his hair back as a habit. He couldn’t ruin his neatly styled hair.
“Anyway, Nina La Del, my commander. I won’t let you go anywhere alone anymore.”
I won’t leave you behind like that day.
Nina frowned at the personal vow.
“What is it, a stalker declaration?”
“You always have to say it like that.”
Jin raised his voice before sighing deeply and lifting her up again to put her down on the floor. He said softly.
“Nina.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I stroke your hair one last time?”
Nina looked up at Jin at those words. His green eyes looked at her with an embarrassed smile.
Nina realized that he hadn’t stroked her hair once since she became a commander.
She smiled, lowered her head, and said.
“Just once?”
“Yeah.”
Jin stroked her hair very carefully and slowly.
Nina raised her head, and Jin grinned.
“Shall we go, Commander?”
“Let’s do that.”
Nina walked out confidently, and Jin followed behind her.
The training ground was crowded with people. There were quite a few people, enough to make one think they had come in such a short time.
When the two people in long coats appeared, all eyes were on them at once.
‘That’s right, the all-black uniform is cool, isn’t it? I know.’
The Roubaenue Dukedom made the best uniforms, if nothing else.
Since the coat was only given to the elite, Nina and Jin were the only ones wearing coats at the moment.
The Jet-Black Knights members who were already there saluted.
“Welcome, everyone gathered here. I am Nina La Del, the commander of the Jet-Black Knights.”
As soon as she finished speaking, sounds of gasps of embarrassment were heard here and there.
Nina ignored the sound and continued.
“The test is simple. Just do a single downward strike in front of me. I will decide whether you pass or not with that.”
As soon as Nina finished speaking, there was a buzz. It was by no means a favorable sound.
Jin’s face crumpled.
He was about to open his mouth when a large man shouted first.
“That’s ridiculous!!”
“Who was that just now?”
Nina turned her head, and the man strode forward.
He was almost 2 meters tall and his body was as big as a barrel.
He looked like he had been robbing mountains somewhere and came after hearing the rumors.
“Take a test from a scrawny kid like you? You’re kidding me. Bring a proper person in charge!”
Nina grinned.
“You idiot.”
“……What?”
“You idiot, you’re an idiot for not even knowing who’s in front of you. Even beasts know how to distinguish the strength of their opponents, you idiot.”
“Y-You bitch!”
The man drew his greatsword. Nina raised her hand to stop Jin from stepping forward.
“Why are you trying to rush in? Go ahead and try. I’ll let you join the Knights if you can hit me even once.”
“I don’t go easy on kids!”
“I know, you look so despicable.”
“You!”
Without a signal, he swung his huge sword.
The man quickly swung the sword down from above.
Even Jin was caught off guard and flinched, but Nina avoided the sword by taking a big step back.
With a loud noise, the sword hit the floor.
“Eek!”
He tried to lift the sword again, but Nina stepped on the blade.
Clang.
A sharp metallic sound rang out. Everyone could tell that there was an iron plate under Nina’s boots.
The man struggled to lift the sword. But the sword did not budge.
“You!”
The man’s face turned red as he tried to pull the sword back instead of lifting it.
The sword came loose the next moment as it became lighter.
Just as he was about to fight again, gripping the sword hilt-.
Nina’s fist, twisted at the waist, came into view.
“Eit!”
With a cute shout, Nina struck him in the face.
“!!”
With the sound of bones shattering, the huge body soared as if flying and crashed into the training ground.
Everyone stared with their mouths open at the man trembling.
‘Did a person fly?’
‘Did he bounce after hitting the floor?’
He would probably live on liquid food for the rest of his life.
The gazes that had been directed at the man immediately turned to Nina.
Nina chuckled and began to lift the greatsword he had dropped with one hand and swing it around.
“I can handle a greatsword, but it’s hard to carry around.”
The greatsword spun lightly in her hand like a wooden sword.
The ominous sound of the wind cutting through the air was heard, and her long coat fluttered lightly.
Thud!
Nina planted the greatsword on the floor and smiled.
“So, anyone else have any complaints?”
It was quiet all around. Nina tilted her head and said.
“But I just thought we should change the method. I don’t think a single downward strike is enough. I think it would be better to have a sparring match.”
“Sparring…… you say?”
Jin was about to say something short as if asking what she meant, but quickly added the rest of his words.
“Yeah. So, everyone attack me.”
Nina clenched her fist and grinned. Jin was about to say something, but Nina explained.
“There will definitely be people who think, ‘That guy just let his guard down,’ ‘There must be some kind of trick,’ ‘Was it staged?’ Right?”
Nina’s voice rang out clearly in the training ground.
“So, I’m going to jump in and select them myself.”
She cocked her neck like a delinquent.
“Bring your weapons and attack. I’ll take mine out if I need to.”
The people who had gathered had not expected this situation, so they just looked at each other with bewildered expressions.
“Aren’t you coming? Then I’ll go!!”
Nina kicked off the ground.
\ \ *
Raja Gota was one of the people from the Gota family who had come to join the Jet-Black Knights.
At the age of eighteen this year, he was quite confident in his talents.
Until today, until this very moment.
“Ugh!!”
“Ack!!”
“Snap out of it! Don’t drop your weapon, aack!”
It was truly a movement like a black flash. The long coat, like a cape, fluttered, but people’s weapons could not even graze the hem of the coat.
If she struck someone with her fist, they were out. No one could withstand more than one hit.
Those who were occasionally kicked flew even further.
Those who came as a group of two or three, or sometimes four or five, attempted a combined attack, but they were defeated.
It was truly overwhelming force.
‘This is the Jet-Black Knights.’
The silver-shining hair and black attire contrasted.
He felt goosebumps all over his body.
‘Cool!!’
Raja gripped his sword tightly with both hands. He had to show an impressive appearance here somehow and pass the test.
He avoided the approaching distance with his footwork in an instant. He could see the golden eyes smiling as if she was having fun.
Watching that, Raja swung his sword. The opponent dodged it easily, but he didn’t waver and dug in, swinging once more!
He had definitely swung into a blind spot, but for some reason, the commander suddenly popped her head out right in front of him.
Oh, oh, he took a step back without realizing it, and his hand was grabbed.
‘No way!’
“You’re good? You pass.”
“Ah-.”
His joy was short-lived, and his memory was cut off as his body floated into the air after being struck in the solar plexus.
About a hundred people came to take the test that day, but only about ten passed.
Raja Gota proudly had his name listed among the passers.
