“I’m Jin Halbert, Holy Knight Captain. Nice to meet you.”

“Holy Knight Captain…”

Even Reina couldn’t hide her shock upon hearing that.

A Holy Knight Captain was originally a battle-hardened knight.

Of course, you could become one with enough skill, and there were cases like Jilian, who had been appointed despite only being at the level of a Holy Knight.

“Colonel Star. Why is a Holy Knight Captain here of all places?”

Kenya was surprised too, and he turned to the colonel.

Why was a Holy Knight Captain masquerading as a student?

“He’s a student. But his background is special—it’s what you’d call elite training. He became a Holy Knight Captain this year, the youngest ever… but he insisted on properly graduating from school. Hell, he’s technically higher-ranked than me now.”

According to Colonel Star, he held the same level of authority as a Holy Knight colonel.

As a Holy Knight Captain, that put him at the rank of major general, meaning his military authority far surpassed the colonel’s.

“That said, his father was one of my students. So he still shows me respect. Gahaha!”

“I see…”

The two shook hands and climbed into the simulator. Despite his frustration, Kenya couldn’t help thinking they made a perfect pair—a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

And then the battle began.

3, 2, 1… FIGHT!

(This’ll be my first time fighting a Holy Knight Captain. Just how strong is he…? I’ll start by gauging him!)

Reina took the initiative, slipping into his blind spot for a flash strike, just like she had in her first battle with Kenya.

But this slash was on another level—sharpened to perfection.

“I see. No wonder the others can’t beat you. You’re already at veteran Holy Knight level.”

Jin Halbert easily blocked the attack, clearly impressed.

“He stops it like it’s nothing…”

Kenya, watching from the sidelines, grasped Jin’s strength from that single exchange.

He probably hadn’t shown his full potential yet, but it was clear he was a powerhouse.

Reina unleashed a barrage, but Jin deflected every blow with ease. The gap in their power was obvious.

“Hahaha! As expected, even you can’t beat Jin! Well, he’s one of a kind. Among everyone I’ve seen, he had the best training environment and top-tier talent. He’s a true genius—no, a monster.”

“How strong is he, exactly?”

“How strong…? Tough to say. But in your generation, no one could match him. That was probably only 50% of his full power. He’s still a newbie as Holy Knight Captains go, but he’ll reach the Three Heroes someday.”

“The Three Heroes?”

“What, you don’t know? Zeke hasn’t told you, huh. They’re the three strongest Holy Knight Captains in the country. All of them survived from the start of the great war with the EU—true warriors who kept winning real battles. They’ve fought guys like Asia’s White Lotus and the EU’s Thor.”

“Is that so…”

(Someday, I’d love to fight them. In the simulator, not on the battlefield. And there are powerhouses outside Earthguard too, huh.)

Kenya was a KOG battle junkie at heart.

It wasn’t for nothing that he’d devoted his entire life to becoming world champion.

Above all, he loved KOG more than anyone.

And he’d poured his time, his youth, his very life into it.

So of course he wanted to clash with the strong.

In his old world, there’d been no one left stronger than him.

“By the way, Jin’s the son of one of those Three Heroes. In that sense, he’s got a bit of an unfair advantage—raised with elite training from the absolute best.”

“That explains his strength.”

On the screen, Reina was being effortlessly turned away.

With such a difference in training years and an optimal environment, there was no way she could win.

Though purely in terms of talent, Kenya didn’t think she was inferior.

“This is fun, Reina.”

“I don’t have the luxury for that!”

“I like that even more—your desperate look. Makes me want to get serious… but I think that’s enough.”

As if he’d seen all he needed, Jin readied his sword.

He’d gauged Reina’s limits, so he decided to end the match.

“You were brilliant, Reina. To reach this level at your age… Someday, you’ll make Holy Knight Captain.”

“I’ll accept that for now. But someday, I’ll definitely surpass you.”

“Looking forward to it. For now, let me educate you—in every way.”

Jin, who had been clashing blades with Reina, suddenly poured on the power.

She lost her balance and stumbled.

Without missing a beat, he landed a finishing blow, exploding her mech.

A flawless combo.

His fluid movements were beautiful, reaching the pinnacle of perfection.

And the victor was decided.

The victory message flashed on the screen.

In the end, it was a total rout—he’d barely touched his full health.

That was the extent of their power gap.

Reina and Jin stepped out of the simulator.

Reina was sweating, her long silver hair slightly damp.

Jin, by contrast, looked perfectly cool and collected.

“How was I? Did I meet your standards?”

“N-not really. I get that you’re stronger than me, but…”

“No, no, you were plenty strong. I like strong people. But there aren’t many in our age group I can fight… and Father’s always so busy.”

Reina looked frustrated.

It had been since Kenya that she’d lost to a peer.

Jin grinned, delighted—like a kid who’d found a shiny new toy.

From his demeanor, it was clear he loved KOG too.

Kenya could somewhat relate.

A versus game without worthy rivals was no fun at all.

Rivals were what made it worthwhile.

“As expected of Jin—a total victory. But I’m happy to see you’ve grown stronger too, Reina. You remind me of Zeke back in the day. What do you say, Sword? Wanna give it a shot… Huh?”

Sword was no longer at Colonel Star’s side.

“Well then, shall we go? As promised, there’s a great place nearby. We should deepen our bond. I’ll make sure to educate you properly.”

Jin reached out to put his arm around Reina’s shoulder.

Familiarly, like a boyfriend.

But that hand was stopped.

“Hm? You… Oh, you’re Reina’s—”

“Sorry, senpai.”

A man with veins bulging on his forehead, a vein visibly throbbing between his brows.

His low voice carried a intimidating pressure toward Jin.

He was pissed.

The reason was obvious: the girl he adored was being hit on by some stranger—a handsome one, no less—and now he was trying to put his arm around her.

Innocently treating her like his plaything, without any malice, like it was his possession.

Kenya, who was head over heels for that girl, was seething.

He had no idea how to control those feelings.

The boy who’d never had a proper youth—this might be his first time feeling something like this.

So, with anger in his voice, he said it.

“Fight me too. If I win, no date.”

His temporary big brother role ignited with jealous flames in his eyes.