Everyone was gathered in the biggest training arena in the Duchy. The retinues of Arden von Agnus and the fourth prince Kaiser von Britten and Archmage Evergrant were present; being the grandest such facility in the estate, it could accommodate the entire crowd with room to spare, even with knights and their weapons on each corner.

Valmont gulped when he spotted the Dukes commanders in the crowd. It was his first time seeing these prominent figures in the flesh.

Two men stood alone in the middle of the arena, judging each other and being judged by the spectators.

Or rather, one man and a boya young cub without a hair to tickle his chest.

Are you ready? The boys opponent was Joker, the second-in-command of the Imperial 9th Battalion. Seeing him nod, Joker continued. The test will be simple We will fight three rounds before the judges. If any of them nod in approval during those three rounds, you pass.

You dont have to worry too much. Ill only use mana on the lowest levels of C-Class.

Joshuas unresponsiveness made Joker chuckle.

I guess anyone would be nervous in this kind of situation. Of course, Joker had no intention of accommodating him. There was a reason why I didnt like this scumbag of a child. I cant even think straight in front of him.

Dont be nervous. Should an accident happen, wouldnt the Duke, the pride of the Empire, come running right away?

Yeah, I guess so.

Joker spoke with a modicum of courtesy because the people of the Duchy were watching, but to Joshua his patronizing attitude was palpable. The Imperial Knights were aware as well and were laughing their heads off.

But I told you Joshua smirked coldly. He wasnt about to let Joker walk away.

You talk too much. Youre a proud knight of the Empire, right? Dont you need to watch your wagging tongue?

You crazy! Joker was furious but he had to shut his mouth; the other Imperial Knights were equally silent. His expression was stiff but his anger was obvious nonetheless. Joshua had just insulted the entire Imperial Knights.

...Youll regret saying that.

If Id regret it, I wouldnt spend my time laughing at your pathetic face right now. Joshua guffawed.

What?

Im not soft enough to feel something as frail as regret even in the most unusual circumstances.

I guess you fight with your tongue, not your arms. Jokers eyes were as sharp as the blade hissing from his sheathe.

I was planning to give you a mild beat down because theres so many eyes But Im going to make sure you never hold a sword again.

Joker was about to take a step forward, but abruptly halted.

Is that a weapon? When he first saw the iron rod lying on the ground, he didnt pay much attention to it. He ignored it and focused on his opponent. But when he saw Joshua pick up the rod, he frowned.

...What are you up to?

The test is too abstract. I want to change the rules a little bit.

What do you mean? Joker rolled his eyes.

Simple if you take a step back after receiving a hit, you lose. How about that?

The arena was overtaken by silence.

Is he insane? Is he trying to take on a B-Class intermediate knight? Even Duke Agnuss implacable facade cracked.

Youre a cheeky bastard with too much ambition I dont know if youre talented or just prideful.

But, when Joker stopped to think about it, isnt this the best situation to get the job done? It was way better than doing something that would cost him his pride.

Are you okay with that, battalion commander? Jokers lips curled into a fishy smile.

Ah, that Valmont was rattled by the sudden turn of events.

He glanced at Duke Agnus. Valmont was responsible for the test, but he couldnt help but look to the Duke for approval.

If you wish. The Duke seemed to settle his thoughts and nodded sharply.

Valmont smiled awkwardly and raised his hand, joining his thumb and forefinger to flash an OK sign.

Ill do it if thats what you want. Joker grinned savagely at Joshua and adopted a stance that balanced defense and offense. Attack me first.

What nice weather! I was thinking Ill show that cheeky kid hell on earth. As an added bonus, Ill cripple him so he wont be cocky again.

Outwardly, though, Jokers words retained a veneer of sympathy:

It wont happen, but the test will end if I take even one step backin other words, youll officially be a C-Class Knight of the Avalon Empire from that point on.

Joshua hefted the iron rod. The motion was incredibly natural, as if the iron rod were an extension of his body.

Joshua and Duke Agnus shared a look.

If you want to gamble, you go big or go home.

Joker made a puzzled expression.

I think a slight punishment is in order if youre the loser the number of steps you take back will be the number of times you crawl on the floor and bark like a dog.

I want to teach you a lesson The way you posture like royalty troubles me.

Like a dog at its masters heels Joshua mouthed these last words, but Joker had no trouble understanding him.

Lets just begin! His face flushed red.

Great. Joshua gripped the rod firmly and straightened his posture. The playfulness in his face was suddenly gone, replaced with a trance-like focus.

What is this feeling? Joker was startled by the sudden incongruity. Hes just a child with an appetite Even if hes a genius beyond even the Grand Duke, I know hes only a C-Class at best But what- what is this ominous feeling?

Isnt this what a knight felt when he looked Death in the eyes on the battlefield? Joker could feel the specters of death hovering in the air.

In contrast to Joker, Joshua was a little troubled.

At this level, its still difficult to use with a young body. Cold sweat beaded on Joshuas forehead. He could tell he was overworking himself right now. To use this technique properly, I have to be at least level 3. In an adults body itd be easy but

Joshua hadnt been standing still this last day. Hed managed to master the technique Lugia had told him about; Joshua had passed the first stage of the Magic Spear Technique and reached the second stage.

Its still unstable inside. Like parasites, the two energies in his body were still locked in combat. He had enough control to exert a modicum of control over them, driving them into every corner of his body. The magic and divine power were usually quiet, but they had a tendency to react violently and unpredictably to Joshuas mana; like a maddened beast, it would lunge at Joshuas mana.

It takes a lot of time to use, but its destructive power Joshua had tensed as if he was going to rush forward right away, but didnt move after a long minute.

This is the wrong time to be scared, kid. Joshua didnt even react to Jokers sarcasm.

I slowly raised the mana in my body over time.

Did his efforts finally pay off? The three energies, entangled and absorbed, spilled forth from Joshua fingertips and embraced the iron rod.

Except that one time, this is the second time Im using this. Joshua squeezed his eyes shut.

Hey, what is this? Was it just an illusion, or did Joker feel an explosion of huge energies?

Joshua shot Joker an embarassed look, and lowed the iron rod at Joker.

Lugia. The rod responded eagerly to Joshuas voice. The shape changed little by little as if it knew exactly what it had to dofrom an ordinary iron cylinder to a peculiar spear with a forked tip.

An artifact? Duke Agnus was astonished.

A weapon that changes shape? As far as he knew, only artifacts had special powers. Whats more, a weapon with such unusual shape was probably ancient.

Perhaps the test will end with this round, Joshua intoned.

The sparks running hotly across the spear finally gathered at the tip.

Joshuas mana, which lost its dazzling luster, was an enigma. The color of mana is determined by a persons innate character, but Joshuas mana was dark blue, a black-than-black hue, and a pure white. None of the colors mixed, like oil in water.

Crazy! Joker rushed to rouse his mana.

Now.

Lugia shot forth with thundering force, leaving behind a blinding trail of white.