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Yet from the side, she looked like an ordinary woman enjoying a gourmet meal. One would never guess that a fanatic was hiding deep within her thoughts.

“Having subordinates is tough work,” Loggins remarked.
“What?! Have I done something…”
“No, I was just reminded of how amazing Sir Or was. That’s all.”

Looking out the window, Loggins let out a sigh.

“May I ask you something, Commander?”
“Sure.”
“Can you please tell me the story of Sir Orthus? Of how the hero lived his life while in the kingdom.”

Aphia asked a little reservedly.

Loggins shrugged his shoulders and spoke calmly.

“In my eyes, that person is not a god. He’s a normal human being. That being said, I believe he was a true hero. Not a fake like me.”
“You shouldn’t say that!”
“It’s fine. I still can’t hold a candle to Sir Or. Be that in strength or charisma. Anyone, be they from this kingdom or elsewhere, will agree with me.”

Loggins’ eyes were full of melancholy as he tipped his glass and poured water into it.

“I am one of those who, like you, aspired to be a knight after seeing Sir Or’s bravery. When I was just starting, I realized I didn’t have any talent, and I was a coward as well. I looked like a stick, and the knights around me would constantly make fun of me.”
“I find that hard to imagine.”

Aphia said without hesitation. Loggins, in turn, smiled at her.

It was understandable that she couldn’t imagine it. After all, Loggins had a build that far surpassed the average height in the kingdom, his trained muscles looked like steel, and he was the Commander of the Royal Knights. His military achievements were second only to Orthus.

Loggins took another bite of meat and continued,

“I have no talent. So I thought I’d always be weak. I also believed that Sir Or was strong just because he was blessed with talent.”
“Were you wrong?”
“You could say that I was, but you could also say that I wasn’t.”
“…?”

Aphia tilted her head in confusion.

“Try to imagine it. That man was a knight from a commoner’s background. The first in the whole kingdom. Do you think he could continue to be a knight and a hero with just his sword skills alone?”

Loggins narrowed his eyes as if remembering those days.

“Heroes are heroes. At the time, the feelings I had for Sir Or were similar to yours. I thought he was a superhuman who could deal with anything with the help of his talent and pride.”

“…”

“But then I learned that his strength was not one built on talent alone. He would swing his sword first thing in the morning. He’d carefully polish the equipment, always greet the servants, try to mind his manners, despite not being very good at that, and discipline himself. He always listened to his weaknesses. It wasn’t just talent that enabled him to do all these things constantly. It was thanks to that man’s painstaking effort and unwavering heart.”

Aphia was listening intently, not missing a detail about her god’s behavior.

With each word, faith and excitement welled up in her heart.

“I followed his example. I also knew that if I just did the same things as him, I’d never catch up, so I worked even harder. That being said, you can never catch up with real heroes…”

Aphia knew that Loggins trained harder than anyone else and pushed himself day and night. She knew that Loggins was the embodiment of stoicism and that he trained even harder than she did.

When she learned that Loggins was pushing himself to follow Orthus’ example, Aphia’s body, once again began to crave training.

The knowledge that she could push her aching body even further and get just a step closer to her god made her want to leave this restaurant as soon as possible.

But she knew her god wouldn’t do such a thing. One had to know when to train and when to rest. This was further substantiated by the fact that he liked this wine and meat dish.

Aphia was even more devoted now, but she did not show it and listened to Loggins’ words with good manners. She could not allow herself to miss the words of the man who was closest to her god.

“I can see that you respect Sir Orthus quite a lot, Commander.”
“I doubt it’s as much as you.”
“I think that getting the same equipment as the one you admire is up there with me.”
“I didn’t want to hear that from you.”

Aphia couldn’t help but giggle at Loggins, who seemed mildly embarrassed.

“When I first saw you, you looked so similar that I even believed Sir Orthus had been resurrected.”
“I’m sorry for having you go through that.”
“Do not worry about it. I’m well aware that the world does not work that way.”

Afterward, both of them just exchanged words over dinner.

Loggins learned about the true nature of Aphia, and Aphia heard the gratifying story of Orthus, whom she worshiped as a god.

It was not clear whether this dinner would bear fruit in the future, but it was certainly the first proper encounter between the knights who would support the kingdom for decades to come.

◇◇◇

“Next, please.”

The cool female voice, though small, carried well through the male-dominated training hall.

Aphia wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and lightly held up her wooden sword. Her tone was stiff but gracious, and her appearance was beautiful.

Her cat-like eyes could give the impression that she was harsh, but if looked at from another angle, they could also be her charm. Her fluffy flaxen hair was tied back in a bun, and every time it bounced, it seemed to give off a scent of sexiness.

It was worth saying it again. Aphia was beautiful.

“Next. Who would like to spar with me.” At her request, only one man answered.

“I’ll do it.” There he stood—Loggins, the Commander of the Royal Knights of the Kingdom of Elugor—dressed in jet-black armor and a jade cloak.

The feeling Aphia got from him was unlike anything she’d felt with the other knights. Even she couldn’t help but flinch at the pressure that Loggins gave off.

“You’ll spar with me?”
“Yea. I’m a bit free right now. I just thought I’d represent the men and teach this young girl a bit of dignity.”

Loggins chuckled and looked around. There were a lot of exhausted men, sweating and clinging to the ground.

“Besides, I also want to test how strong one of the most skilled women in the kingdom is.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We’ll talk later. Get into position.”
“Yes!”

Realizing that the atmosphere was not proper for idle chatter, Aphia quietly readied her wooden sword.

The distance between them was about 5 meters. Aphia couldn’t believe she was feeling this much pressure from that far away.

“…”

Aphia was beginning to choke. Although they were sparring with only a wooden sword, she felt terrified, as if she’d be decapitated at any moment. Her wooden sword felt unreliable. As if it were made out of scrap paper.

Facing Loggins, it felt as if her strength, which she had worked so hard to build up, had left her.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming?” The strongest knight in the kingdom smiled wryly. That smile urged Aphia’s feet to move.

She exhaled sharply, briefly regained her composure, and ran at Loggins. Even with her present state of mind, her steps were still nimble, most likely as a result of her daily training.

Her textbook strike, which she practiced hundreds of times each day, fell toward Loggins’ neck.

Loggins took a light step back, forcing Aphia’s full-force strike to completely miss him. The caressing softness of his sword nudged away Aphia’s sharp blow, leaving her exposed and unprotected.

At first glance, this looked like the perfect time to strike, but Loggins did not follow up.

“Come at me, Aphia Rickman. Don’t tell me this is all you’ve got?” Loggins’ tone expressed his boredom, which forced Aphia to snap. She too had earned her strength through hard work. She wouldn’t let herself be underestimated.

“You jest.” Aphia expressed her dissatisfaction and then attacked Loggins once more.

The stormy barrage seemed refined and interesting to Loggins, but its speed and weight were nothing impressive. After confirming Aphia’s strength, Loggins put a bit of strength behind his grip on the wooden sword. In an instant, Aphia’s sword was sent flying through the air.

It spun and rolled far off in the distance, falling with a rattling sound.

The two stood still. One was sweating and breathing heavily, needing to support herself on her knees just to stand. The other stood calmly, reigning as if nothing had happened. Not even a bead of sweat or a hint of breathlessness could be seen on him.

“Haa… haa… Thank… Thank you…”
“Thanks, Aphia. This was good exercise.”

Aphia felt frustrated. She had become a knight, beaten men with her strength alone, and was proud of her competence. But now she felt ashamed of that pride. She was so overwhelmed by her stupidity that her tears mixed with her sweat.

‘I was arrogant… I thought I’d gotten a little close to him… A little close to Sir Orthus… Train… I must train harder!’

The faint steam rising from her sweat embodied her frustration and ambition.

“I guess she’s stronger then.”

It was due to this state that Aphia didn’t miss Loggins’ words.

“Commander, is there a woman stronger than me?” At her question, Loggins couldn’t hide the expression he had put away. He looked a little troubled and then quietly responded.

“There is.”
“Who is she?”
“Seletina ul Gold Aldelight. The young miss of the Aldelight family.”

Seletina ul Gold Aldelight. Aphia naturally knew the name of the young lady who’d fought against the Upper Rank Demon. But…

“So the rumors were actually true?”

Rumors, at the end of the day, were just rumors. No one believed that a 14-year-old Duke’s daughter had stood her ground against an Upper Rank Demon. The more people heard about it, the more they snickered at the wild stories. Aphia was one of them.

“I sparred with her the other day. She was definitely strong. Don’t take offense, but she is much stronger than you. That’s why I wanted to see what you, a woman, could do.”
“That much…”
“Her swordsmanship is also really similar.”
“Similar to what?”
“Similar to Orthus’. One might say that he’s been reincarnated in her.”

A spark ignited in Aphia’s eyes the moment she heard that. Loggins’ sudden words filled her with a sensation of excitement.

“What did you say just now?”
“Ah, don’t mind me. It was just a joke.”

With that, Loggins turned around to leave. His words, which sounded like a half monologue, were meant as a joke, but Aphia couldn’t help but feel that they contained some truth.

Her whole body was brimming with excitement.

‘God is here.’

Scratching her trembling body, Aphia looked up to the heavens. She had thought it was a setback, that she had reached her limit. The appearance of a woman stronger than herself caused a crack in Aphia’s heart.

‘But I guess it cannot be helped given that she’s inherited God’s strength.’

Seletina ul Gold Aldelight. That name was etched into the fanatic Aphia Rickman’s soul. Her eyes were full of pleasure and amusement.

Aphia felt a wet sensation in her crotch at the thought of the manifestation of her god. It wouldn’t be long before Aphia and Seletina would eventually meet.

1. Silva: But they never did!