I Will Make You a King as a Possessor

“Th-This way, sir.”

“Alright.”

‘Better than I expected.’

It was unusual for Raymond, who did not practice swordsmanship, to visit the knights’ training ground.

The knights’ training ground was an open field located next to the stables. It was complete with an amphitheater, a fence, a small cabin for rest, and a blacksmith shop for crafting swords. Even though they were a magical family from the Spurling House, they seemed to be dedicated to training soldiers.

“Your lordship, what brings such a noble person to this humble place?”

The captain of the knights, who enjoyed the full favor of the Duke of Spurling, greeted Raymond with a bright face.

[The Insight trait is activated.]

[You detect the Knight Captain’s deception.]

[What is such a shabby person doing in this precious place?]

‘This guy’s pretty good at maintaining a poke face. Well, if this body is a first-born son with no magical ability… I suppose this guy doesn’t have to think well of such a rotten offshoot.’

Raymond slightly smiled. He leaned back and casually scanned the training ground of the knights.

“I was curious about what kind of training the knights are doing. It’ll be hard to watch your training once I pass the entrance exam to the Academy.”

“I see. It just so happens to be our morning sparring time. Why don’t you watch before you leave?”

Most of the knights were either arrogantly dressed or stripped to their waist. The knights who were training in swordsmanship only belatedly noticed the presence of the eldest son, hastily ran over, and offered their greetings. Most of them were friendly towards Raymond.

‘Even if they think I’m a rotten offshoot, an offshoot is still an offshoot. There’s no reason not to catch it. If it weren’t for the deception detection, I would’ve found the knight captain’s words friendly.’

With a dark face, Raymond watched them start their sparring in the amphitheater, like the knights of the Colosseum.

“Is it that guy?”

When the face of the boy who saw one of the knights appearing in the training ground turned pale, Raymond asked.

“What, what do you mean—.”

The boy, with a face like a boiled eggshell, looked at Raymond. It meant that it was unpleasantly yellow and unsightly.

“I know everything. Did that guy bother you?”

If it continues like this, he won’t open his mouth. Good. This is the perfect time to use that trashy trait of mine.

“There’s an old saying, ‘A foolish knight blames his comrades, an incompetent knight kills his comrades. To be an excellent knight, one must not leave a shadow in his actions.’ I don’t think we need knights who leave dirty tracks in our family.”

“…Is there really such a saying?”

Raymond smiled kindly.

‘No, there isn’t.’

But what does it matter?

[The Conscience is Trash trait is activated.]

“Yes, there is. It’s also a commandment of knights from other kingdoms.”

[Your lie sounds like the truth.]

“I think you are an excellent knight.”

[Your lie sounds like the truth.]

“So, I want to help you.”

[Your lie sounds like the truth.]

“Now, tell me honestly. Is it that guy?”

The boy’s lips trembled.

[ Your lie sounds like truth. ]

“That’s why I want to help you.”

[ Your lie sounds like truth. ]

“Well, speak up then. Is it that guy?”

The boy’s lips twitched. After a while, the child slowly opened his mouth. “…That knight and the three behind him…they don’t like commoners. They are of fallen noble descent, and they don’t want to mix with the likes of us. Moreover, I am a commoner myself… The knights have warned them, but its effect was temporary…”

Fallen nobles, huh? There are always such folks around. Born in privileged positions, their honor plummeted, and these ones tend to torment those who are beneath them, driven by their sense of defeat.

They’re not necessarily villains, just average guys. Evil often hides in the ordinary.

‘A typical… villain. Perfect for testing.’

Raymond brushed off his pants and stood up. “Alright. I got it.” He had roughly grasped the situation.

“Hey.”

Raymond, standing on the tiered circular ground of the arena, held up a practice wooden sword. He then gazed at the knight on the training ground.

“What’s your name?”

“…Please call me Bundle, young master.”

“Alright. Bundle. Can you spar with me for a moment?”

“…Excuse me?” Bundle’s eyebrows twitched.

No matter what, he was a knight and the young master was a novice who had never practiced swordsmanship.

“Hasn’t the young master never held a sword? You should be preoccupied with magic training, dare I say I—”

“Captain, will that be okay?”

Raymond cut off Bundle’s words and looked at the captain. The rest of the sentence probably would have been something like ‘Don’t mess around or you’ll get hurt and can’t even practice magic.’ A trite and boring familiar speech.

No need to listen to it.

The captain of the knights nodded without any particular resistance. “Do as you wish. Bundle, get ready.”

“……”

“Don’t just see me as a young master. This young master would want the same.”

The captain of the knights was a loyal servant of the noble Spurling family. His attitude often seemed arrogant, but it was a natural demeanor for him. The captain, a man of distinguished skills and from a prestigious family, did not scare Raymond, who disregarded him and turned his attention to Bundle.

“Is that so?”

“…Understood. Are you sure it’s okay if we really don’t hold back?”

Raymond shrugged nonchalantly. “As you wish.”

While warming up, Raymond checked his stamina.

[ Stamina: 500 ]

Hmm. Is there something like skill detection? I want to compare my stamina with that of the knight. The only traits I have are conscience is trash and insight… so there’s nothing I can do. It’d be nice if I could detect character status windows like other novel protagonists.

‘Who knows. There might be such a trait among the sealed ones.’

Anyway, that’s a matter for later. For now, let’s focus on the task at hand.

“Swordsmanship training is primarily conducted with wooden swords. It ends when one side declares defeat, and since practice should not harm real combat, it should not aim to injure the opponent. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Actually, the captain’s explanation wasn’t directed at Raymond who was unfamiliar with the training rules, but rather, it was a sort of warning message for Bundle, saying ‘don’t injure the young master’. Bundle seemed to understand and nodded.

‘Why did he suddenly want to do this practice?’ Hiding the urge to clutch his throbbing head, the captain wondered. ‘Is he standing up for that boy?’

The captain of the knights was well aware of the fact that Bundle and his group were tormenting an apprentice knight of humble origin. And it had become worse recently. He was planning to punish them later, but he had no idea the young master would step in.

‘He should’ve suppressed the group with his authority rather than challenging them to a match… Is it because of pride?’

Nobility’s arrogance. If Bundle challenged him to a match, expecting that as a knight of a prestigious family, would go easy on him, it was a mistake. After all, he did not train his knights to act like that.

However, the captain was under two misconceptions.

Firstly, Raymond did not stand up for the boy. He simply needed a chance to practice using magic before his entrance exam and just happened to catch the boy’s lie.

Secondly, Raymond did not expect Bundle to go easy on him. He just imagined a thorough plan to beat him using magic.

While watching the training, he had already grasped the characteristics of the Spurling Knights’ swordsmanship.

A straight yet flexible sword path. The sword’s path like waves was unpredictable, and the force stretching out was powerful. It was a dazzling sword art that resembled the Spurling family’s symbol, the ‘peacock’. A sword art that decided victory or defeat in the blink of an eye, captivated by its brilliant first move. The only way for Raymond, who had barely any stamina and no talent for the sword, to beat Bundle using such a sword art was through magic.

“Is it possible to use magic?”

“…It is possible. No, it is possible. You can use as much as you want if you wish.”

The captain closed his mouth, intending to say something. Raymond could easily predict what he wanted to say.

‘Doesn’t the young master know that only highly trained magic swordsmen can react magic with their swords?’

Everyone sings about being a magic swordsman, but becoming one is never easy. Therefore, it was impossible for Raymond, who had just opened the door to this world, to apply his magic to his sword. That was the gaze the captain and the surrounding knights had on Raymond.

“Then, let’s start the match.”

With a hearty “Start-!”, the match began.

Bundle’s sword stretched out straight. The space between his extended legs and the long sword came together, swiftly driving the attack forward. There was no chance to avoid it. A dazzling sword art. If one tried to dodge to the side, the flexible maneuver of the arm would pierce straight through Raymond’s heart. Everyone believed the outcome would be determined by this one strike.

However,

‘So this is how it feels?’

Their anticipation was nothing but mistaken.

Raymond did not evade his sword. Instead, he met it with his heart. Yet, he withstood it. He held his ground. The Knight Captain watched.

He saw the tip of the wooden sword crumple. Saw it crushed against something solid, the splintered end of the warped wood and several fragments splaying out sideways.

Was he wearing something under his clothes? No, it didn’t seem like it. He was a young master with no stamina whatsoever. If he had padded something under his thin clothes, it would have been obvious. So it wasn’t. It was entirely the young master’s skill.

‘What is this—.’

The astonishment wasn’t exclusive to the captain. The wielder of the wooden sword, too, was engulfed in shock as he felt it shatter in his grip. Raymond neither marveled nor boasted about his own ability. He merely observed the situation objectively.

‘Even a small amount, when focused on a single point, can be useful. Like this, I can block the first strike. Now, the next one is….’

It was a method that could be used because it was his first confrontation. Raymond channeled mana into the tip of the wooden sword.

“I will pierce your heart with mana-charged sword.”

“…Wait a—.”

A mana-charged sword strike. Even a weak mana would make a significant difference compared to ordinary strength. If one were to take that without any protective gear, the consequences wouldn’t end with being bedridden for a few weeks. Bundle’s body naturally shrank back.

[ Your lies sound like the truth. ]

‘Even though it’s a lie.’

Instead of stabbing the man’s heart with the sword, Raymond tripped him, causing him to topple over. Bundle could not help but fell flat on his face. His cheekbone smashed into the ground.

The knights fell silent. The boy stood up. The Knight Commander was certain that the outcome had been decided. Having received a huge shock to his jaw and cheekbone, Bundle could barely support himself on one leg. Thus, he was about to declare his defeat.

“Bundle, I have one thing to say.”

Raymond looked at the boy with sparkling eyes from below the training ground. As his gaze followed, Bundle realized why the young master had openly challenged him.

It was for that boy.

The cold gaze pierced his heart.

“Follow the Knight’s Path.”

Raymond wasn’t really intending to get heavily involved in the knights’ world, he simply said it because he noticed the boy’s reaction.

Since he had a chance to test imbuing his sword with mana, his original goal was already fulfilled. But there was one more thing. He wanted to try a mana blast for the last time. With the entrance exam just around the corner, it was best to test it now.

Raymond whispered into his ear with a soft voice. “And, Bundle.”

“…”

Bundle’s heart pounded. What on earth is he going to say…

“Does one have one butt or two?”

Confused by the question, after hesitating for a long moment, Bundle replied, “Uh, one, right…?”

Then, Raymond chuckled and said, “From now on, it’s two.”

That day, thanks to Raymond’s sword, Bundle had two butts. Ever since then, he stopped harassing the commoner knights, and the Knight Captain issued a separate penalty for his previous behavior. In addition, Bundle also started following Raymond around, always approaching him first to greet him whenever he saw Raymond in the hall, garden, or library.

“Master Raymond! Was your morning peaceful?!”

“Indeed.”

Why is he like that? Did getting his butt pierced unsettle his mind? It must have hurt a lot. I should buy him some medicine next time. I appreciate and am sorry for him becoming my test subject.

The commoner boy that Raymond helped also started to follow him around, offering to polish his shoes or run errands for him whenever he saw Raymond, who didn’t particularly refuse this. Having two extra hands and feet was convenient.

“Young master, when I grow up, I will certainly become your knight…”