Knight’s Barracks, Courtyard

  Kain was laying on his back still gripping his sword with an iron clad hold, letting it go would mean the last years of his life had all been for nothing.

  He could hear Lady Veronique’s dogs barking out of outrage in the background.

  “Give it up Kain! You can’t use Skills you will never be worthy of being a Knight!” Noah shouted at him, but made no move to come and finish him off “You never had the right to call yourself one! Gather what little honor you have left and be gone!”

  Maybe he was right, maybe he should just give it up.

  Maybe this whole thing was just doomed from the start and his goal was nothing but a fool quest, how could he ever win against an human with Skills?

  “SHUT UP NOAH!” Lady Veronique had yelled out “KAIN GET UP AND KICK HIS ASS I KNOW YOU CAN!” she thinks he can? Even without Skills?

  “Lady V-Veronique!” Lucia’s warning cry at the use of the curse word that Lady Veronique probably didn’t even notice she had used.

  “What’s an ass?” Lady Rhea’s curious voice had asked innocently

  “Err” Now she no doubt had noticed.

  A new resolve had overtaken him, he had never had clear direction on what he wanted to do as a Knight or how being one would take him a step closer to his goal, maybe it was such uncertainty that made him flounder for so long.

  Kain got to his feet, the sword still in a tight hold in his hand with a flick of his wrist he was now holding it in a reverse grip, his thin lips lifted up in an uncanny smile

  Uncanny to humans to be precise .

  “Did you get concussed?” Noah had asked being unnerved by the smile but still kept on guard as he waited for Kain to make his move.

  Kain charged and Noah didn’t wait to respond

  “WHIRLWIND!” Noah tried the same trick from before, but instead of standing his ground Kain had evaded the wind all together and was fast enough to avoid the sword coming close to him.

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  Frustrated Noah had tried again but it yielded the same result, Kain possessed a speed he didn’t think was possible and no matter how much he tried he couldn’t get an hit

  “Stop evading me your coward!” Noah had called out starting to feel exhausted from using his Skill for so long and it was just what Kain had been waiting for.

  The next time Whirlwind had been casted its winds had been too weak and so Kain had been able to parry Noah’s sword with a up ways strike from the crouch position he had put himself into while tricking the Knight into thinking he was going to dodge the hit again.

  While executing his move Kain smiled with his full teeth making sure Noah could see it quite well, such sudden sight had made Noah flinch and lose a bit of his grip on his sword which combined with Kain’s strong strike had allowed him to send the sword flying out of Noah’s hand.

  To top it off Noah went off balance and ended up on his ass, the tip of Kain’s sword went under his chin.

  “In those last years have done my best to be respectful and mindful of all of those around me, but it was a mistake” Kain had spoke, he felt no need anymore to hide his mouth for the comfort of others “I should have never given my respect to those who had never given one an ounce of it”

  “Respect!? You are cheater! you showed that ugly teeth of yours and straddled me!” Noah made up excuses, he seemed shocked and utterly surprised that he had lost

  “Oh shut up and stop being a baby!” Lady Veronique had intervened from the sidelines, the only reason she didn’t march right there was the fact Duchess Lucretia was holding on the redhead’s shoulders “You used a Skill against an opponent that couldn’t! Take a look in the mirror if you want to see a cheater” Noah seemed as if he was going to reply, but the words weren’t coming out of his mouth.

  It seemed as if the reality of the situation had fell on him and with it the consequences

  “There is some truth in Lady Veronique’s words” Commander Regulus’s words put the final nail on it, even if he didn’t sound all too happy to say them “You lost Noah, pack your things and be gone”

  “Don’t be so hasty Commander, I think he can still be of use in the Household even without the title of Knight” Duchess Lucretia had intervened before anything else happened “for one he can still be a full time guard at the Estate”

  “Yes it would be quite a waste to just send him off” the Duke was supporting her input, which basically made it law.

  Yet Kain could see Noah was utterly crushed regardless, he can understand why and sympathize to an extent.

  It was hard to get to the point of becoming a Knight, a recognized one, and for Noah it had been an uphill battle almost as much as it had been Kain’s.

  Now it was all gone and by his own foolish hand.

  Kain might even feel sorry for him but the truth was that he didn’t, because Noah had been ready to do worse to him and maybe with time he will find the strength to forgive.

  It wasn’t now.

  “He still got to move out of there, he go no business to hang around the Knight’s Barracks anymore” the Commander was brutal on that point

  “We will arrange something, but first we got a ceremony to get back to, don’t we?” Duchess Lucretia had brought the attention back to the event at hand.

  Kain couldn’t almost believe it he got to this point, it felt like a dream.

  He nodded towards Lady Veronique.