Chapter 287: Side Story – What Do You Want to Become? (2)

‘Mother, I hope you are doing well. I am doing well here.’

Late at night, when everyone else was already asleep, there was still one squire awake.

Sitting in a small, cramped room that would normally be used by servants, the boy wrote a letter by the light of a single candle.

‘Everyone here treats me very well. I’ve especially become friends with a boy named Emil. He is the Swordmaster’s son whom I wanted so much to know.’

A smile appeared on the boy’s lips as he wrote.

Because he could perfectly imagine the joy his mother would feel upon receiving that letter.

“He did well yesterday.”

“….!”

The pen immediately stopped.

At some point, a presence had appeared behind him.

The boy was so startled that the breath he exhaled caused the candle flame to waver dangerously.

“Lord Razmael also said he is doing well. He commented that you can really tell the difference when it comes to imperial blood.”

“I-is that so?”

Although the man spoke to him casually, the subordinate relationship between them was obvious.

The boy did not even dare turn around to look at him directly.

He was too focused on his reactions.

“Then I’m glad to hear it. I couldn’t afford to disappoint Lord Razmael.”

“That is an admirable attitude, Lord Renvar.”

Upon hearing those words, Renvar let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

Lord Chamberlain Razmael.

For the Mordian family, which lacked lands of its own and survived as court nobles, the position of Lord Chamberlain inspired more fear than the Emperor himself.

“They say it will be cold tomorrow morning. Dress warmly.”

And with those words, the man’s presence disappeared.

The dark shadow that seemed to fill the entire room vanished as well.

The candle, which had been flickering, returned to casting a calm light as if nothing had happened.

“…Then I’ll have to do well.”

Renvar loosened the collar of his clothing, as if he could finally breathe again, and picked up the glass of water on the desk.

‘It’s still cold in the mornings. I hope you use a thick blanket.’

There was a sadness that not even a sip of water could ease.

And in an attempt to calm that emotion that refused to disappear, the boy continued writing.

A night when sleep was difficult to find.

And as he tried to think of his mother, a small smile appeared on his face once more.

***

“Aaah! It’s way too cold!”

Beyond Sturma’s northern wall, beside a lake surrounded by reeds, a group of squires had gathered.

Even though it was summer, dawn was still cold.

Unable to endure the wind blowing off the lake, Tarenian hugged the mole borrowed from Emil while shivering.

“Isn’t it supposed to be summer?! Then why is it so cold?!”

The air of the North was cold and dry.

That was why the temperature differences were so extreme.

And someone from the South like Tarenian suffered from it especially.

“I think it feels nice.”

“I do too. That’s why you should have eaten more meat when you had the chance.”

Hampton scolded him, saying he was cold because he was too skinny.

Even more depressed, Tarenian hugged the mole tightly and buried his face.

“Very well, everyone pay attention!”

Just as the sky began turning blue, a knight emerged from among the reeds.

He was dressed more like a hunter than a traditional knight.

“Good job making it here. Today we needed an outdoor class.”

After meeting so many eccentric knights, the first impression that man gave was surprisingly normal.

However, no one there dared to take him lightly.

“If you want to become true knights, you cannot afford to choose which weapon to use. A knight must fulfill his duty no matter where he is.”

The man removed the bow hanging across his back.

It was one of the great bows characteristic of the North.

And the moment he held it, he began radiating a presence that was impossible to ignore.

“So, at the very least, all of you should know how to use a bow.”

It was Cade, a knight of Bayezid.

Long ago, he had fought alongside the now canonized Saint Knight Justia to defeat impure beings.

And he was also one of the living protagonists of the story that all Northern children adored.

“The Knight Who Protected the Breath of Children.”

“Of course, all of you have handled a bow at some point in your homes. So today we will conduct a special training exercise.”

With those words, Cade removed the cloth covering a metal cage.

Fwoosh—

“Wow.”

Inside was a small white rabbit.

Its fur possessed a faint bluish glow that did not seem fitting for summer.

As he watched the rabbit shining like snow, Tarenian muttered to himself that he wanted one too.

“It’s a Frostbreath Rabbit. The Northern squires surely already know it. This creature has a rather peculiar characteristic.”

After saying that, Cade struck the cage forcefully.

Squeee!

The Frostbreath Rabbit was startled.

It fell onto its back and became completely rigid.

It looked like a corpse.

And shortly afterward, crystals of ice began forming across its body.

“When faced with mortal danger, this rabbit covers its body with solid ice to protect itself. You, the chubby boy. Stand up and take the bow.”

Hampton stood up while brushing cookie crumbs off his hands.

“Hold the bow and think about shooting that rabbit. That’s it. Very good.”

There was no arrow.

But Hampton followed the instructions and drew the string while imagining he was about to shoot.

The distance was considerable.

However, the moment the bow was aimed at the rabbit, it reacted immediately.

Squeeek!

“Huh?”

Just from the intention to attack it, the rabbit collapsed and convulsed.

It was a perfect demonstration of the Frostbreath Rabbit’s extraordinary sensitivity to killing intent.

“That is today’s lesson. Hitting the target is important. But even more important is concealing your intentions.”

To surprise an enemy, you must hide your true intentions.

That is the nature of predators.

And also the method of hunters.

“Good. Now come out one by one and give it a try.”

When Cade finished speaking, several servants appeared carrying small cages.

“Since it’s your first time, we’ll do it while hiding among the reeds.”

Cade’s expression softened again once he put away the bow.

***

In the middle of the lake, several Frostbreath Rabbits remained inside metal cages, nibbling on carrots.

And hidden among the reeds, the young squires drew their bowstrings while aiming at them.

At first, it seemed like a simple exercise.

But once they tried it, they discovered it was absurdly difficult.

Squee!

Squeek!

The rabbits, which had been peacefully eating moments before, emitted sharp warning cries and stopped moving.

They did not completely freeze over as Cade had demonstrated earlier.

But they were extraordinarily sensitive to any nearby presence.

“The idea of camouflaging yourself was good. Try again next time.”

“Yes…”

Hampton stood up with his head lowered.

His hair was full of reeds.

And he was not the only one who had failed.

Some got too close.

Others made noise.

Others were detected by their scent.

For one reason or another, the eliminated squires handed the bow to the next participant and left the trial.

Fweee!

Of course, some did succeed.

“Yes!”

Lying among the reeds, Tarenian clenched his fist in victory.

His light body and the feline agility of his movements were impressive.

Watching him move like a small predator, Cade nodded to himself.

Baaang!

“…I said not to use arrows.”

And there was another squire who had also passed the test.

“I don’t see the need to go through beginner exercises.”

A yellow-haired boy walked out from among the reeds while shrugging.

And as proof that he was not bluffing, the Frostbreath Rabbit pierced by his arrow remained so relaxed that it had not even tensed up.

That meant Renvar had concealed his presence flawlessly.

“If my class seems so boring to you, I suppose there’s no need for you to come back.”

“Let me know when you’re going to teach advanced techniques. Even in the center, Sir Cade’s marksmanship is spoken of highly.”

As if he had nothing left to teach him, Cade tilted his head, signaling for him to leave.

Although that cold attitude might have intimidated anyone else, Renvar merely smiled smugly and handed the bow to Emil.

“And what about our prince? Did your father even teach you how to shoot a bow?”

Having passed the test with ease, Renvar provoked Emil once again as always.

He was the talented boy from the center.

The one who clearly stood out above the other squires.

The implied question was simple.

Can you do it as well as I can?

But Emil’s response was completely different from what he expected.

“These Frostbreath Rabbits aren’t much of a challenge. Their hearts beat so loudly that I can hear them from here.”

Emil accepted the bow and smiled.

“Does Sir Renvar scare you that much? I can hear your heart pounding like crazy from here.”

“…”

He raised a hand to his ear and wiggled it mockingly.

It was a light provocation.

A simple joke.

But Renvar was left speechless, as if he had been struck exactly where it hurt the most.

“Let’s see…”

Emil licked his lips as he pushed aside a few reeds and surveyed the surroundings.

‘The wind keeps changing.’

Several squires had tried to copy the participants who had succeeded.

They positioned themselves in exactly the same spots.

But that only proved that they understood only half the problem.

As the morning progressed, the chill of dawn was beginning to transform into the warmth of day.

‘This spot will work.’

The wind’s direction constantly shifted because of the temperature differences.

The reeds swayed chaotically.

But Emil’s eyes remained cold and calm.

‘I found it.’

And then he perceived a fleeting instant.

A small hidden pattern.

After mentally dividing that instant into dozens of fragments, he found the true direction of the wind.

‘And Renvar’s heart sounded from about this distance.’

Now it was time to calculate the range.

Using the heartbeat he had heard earlier as a reference, Emil tried to estimate the hearing range of the Frostbreath Rabbits.

Step by step.

Slowly.

He advanced crouched among the reeds.

And after several steps, he finally found the exact spot he had been looking for.

‘Who taught him that?’

Meanwhile, a long-haired man watched the scene in silence.

As an instructor, Cade tried to remain impartial.

But he could not help it.

‘Good. Very good. That’s it. Excellent, Emil.’

The blond boy before him was the son of an old comrade-in-arms.

Perhaps the age difference between them was too great to call them friends.

But to Cade, Vlad was one of the greatest sources of pride in his entire life.

‘Yes. Right there.’

Tarenian had moved like a small animal.

But Emil was different.

His movements resembled those of a predator.

A wolf.

Or a lion.

The only thing that was certain was that he gave off the same feeling Vlad had when he was young.

The feeling of a hungry beast.

‘Now take the bow.’

It seemed as though time had slowed down.

If it were not for the reeds swaying around him, he would truly have thought it had stopped.

Without breathing.

Moving at exactly the speed he himself had chosen.

With terrifying concentration, Emil controlled every part of his body.

And finally, he drew the bowstring.

‘Now.’

The direction of the bow began to align with the position of the Frostbreath Rabbits.

An imaginary line.

The perfect trajectory.

The path that separated life from death.

And the instant all those lines converged into a single point, the boy’s pupils began to narrow vertically like a dragon’s.

Baaang!

The empty bowstring snapped through the air.

And at that very moment, the cries of the Frostbreath Rabbits echoed across the entire lake.

Squeeeeeeeeeee!

“Aaah!”

“What the hell was that?!”

It was a shriek so piercing that the servants, squires, and everyone present had to cover their ears.

It was a desperate scream.

The kind of cry a creature would make right on the brink of death.

And then came silence.

Only silence remained along the lakeshore.

While everyone stood speechless, Emil was the only one who spoke.

With a confused expression, he looked at Cade.

“Was this a failure?”

The question was cautious.

But Cade could not answer.

Because what stood before him was completely unbelievable.

It was the height of summer.

And yet, a winter landscape stretched out before him.

Snowflakes drifted slowly from the sky.

And around them lay the Frostbreath Rabbits, dead and frozen.

There remained the miserable winter that those creatures had vomited forth in their desperation before the terrifying killing intent unleashed by a young dragon.