“Look! It’s Lord Jin! Ah, he looked over here!”

“And the guy next to him… Kyaa! It’s Lord Sword!! He’s so cute!! And get this—he’s rumored to be even stronger than Lord Jin!”

“No way, those two together… haah haah, wonder which one’s the bottom. Haah haah. Personally, I bet Sword’s secretly the top… haah haah.”

As usual, while walking through the school grounds, the shrill squeals of fangirls echoed around us—waa kya waa kya.

There seemed to be one full-on fujoshi in the mix, but best not to poke that bear. I didn’t want to catch the rot myself.

“Sword, you’re a celebrity now too. How about it? Land yourself a girlfriend or something. You’d snag one in no time… W-wait, me!? I’m flattered, but…”

“Cut it out. I’m straight.”

Jin and Sword had finished up at the cafeteria and were strolling through the plaza.

In this school, those two were now the most famous knights around.

Jin went without saying—the youngest Holy Knight Captain ever.

And renowned as the strongest of his generation.

“I never imagined it’d feel this gross being fodder for people’s weird fantasies. What about you, Jin? You’re the popular one, right?”

“My one true love is KOG. Though, it’s so head over heels for you, it won’t give me the time of day.”

“Haha, guess it’s all about the intensity and endurance of your passion.”

Sword had grown close with Jin.

The guy dragged him into fights nearly every day, but Sword had come to see him like a gaming buddy.

Sure, he’d been pissed that one day, but deep down, Jin wasn’t a bad guy at all.

Innocent, brutally honest with himself, and head-over-heels for KOG.

That was more than enough to click with Sword.

And it wasn’t just Jin, either.

“Morning, Jin. Morning, Sword.”

As they entered the classroom, Lilibelt gave them a friendly good morning.

Zoid even acknowledged them with a curt nod—basic greeting level.

“Good morning, everyone! Lots of you have field training today. Hope you’re all geared up.”

Colonel Star swept in alongside them and wrapped up the greeting.

Today marked the first ever field training session.

Apparently, it was mandatory prep for the Holy Knight exam.

Makes sense—no way they’d certify someone as a Holy Knight who’d crushed it in sims but never seen real combat.

“Wonder what field training even involves. You know, Reina?”

“No clue, but I hear it’s stuff like pacifying conflict zones. I’m scheduled for another day, but is your brother doing it today?”

“Yeah. Members are… uh…”

That’s when Colonel Star called out the roster.

“Alright then—Sword, Jin, Lilibelt. You’re up for today’s field training. Head to the designated spot once you’re ready.”

And with that, the three of them set off for training.

…

“You two ever done field training before, Jin? Lilibelt?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, plenty. Heck, I’ve even seen real battlefields.”

Jin answered from inside the car—they were en route to the conflict zone now.

Today’s exercise: pacify a hotspot. Even the Earthguard Empire still dealt with the occasional uprising.

Like the resistance back in Japan.

Jin had battlefield experience already, but as Holy Knight Captain, he’d racked up plenty.

“I’ve done some too. Small-scale stuff, though.”

Lilibelt had as well.

(Well, I’ve got some under my belt too, I guess. Brutal as hell, but…)

His mind flashed to that fight in Japan—slaughtering a hundred foes.

Probably no one else had a baptism by fire quite like Sword’s first rodeo: pure hell.

“We’ve arrived.”

The driver was a 2nd Class Earthguard Citizen.

He spoke politely to the younger cadets out of rank deference.

Those folks mostly got stuck with grunt work.

Sword had seen it ad nauseam during his near-half-year stint in the Empire.

That’s why he’d always been extra courteous to them. But really, it was…

“Thanks for the ride.”

“N-no problem. Stay safe…”

(Just me trying to feel better about myself. Hypocrite…)

“Sword, you’re one weird guy… No need to be all polite with 2nd Classers.”

“Yeah… is he?”

They’d pulled up to a military camp.

It was pretty far from any city, hugging the border—more wasteland than anything, though buildings dotted the landscape here and there.

Resistance had a base tucked in there; mission was to force a surrender.

A guy who looked like the commander came shuffling over, rubbing his hands like he was scheming.

“Well, well! For field training, and all the way out here—what a trek! I’m Major Nez, in charge of this sector!”

This rat-faced major with the super servile bow came groveling up.

Not literally sesame-grinding, but his hands were going at it so hard, you half-expected smoke.

“We’ll be in your hands today. Nice to meet you.”

“This dump of a battlefield’s hardly worthy of a big shot like Lord Jin, but what an honor!”

Jin handled greetings; Major Nez slathered on the ass-kissing.

Jin outranked him massively—Lieutenant General, one step below full General. Obsequious was par for the course.

And then.

“Oh ho! And you must be Lord Sword! The honor!”

“How do you do.”

Sword had the rumors going—Road’s knight.

That put him on par with the next Holy Knight Captain, if not higher; Road’s personal pick could climb even further.

Hence.

“To share a warzone with you future pillars of the Earthguard Empire—peak privilege! Got a killer story for my kid now!”

Nonstop bootlicking for the pair.

“Lilibelt here! In your care today!”

“Ah, yeah. You too.”

“Total afterthought!”

Lilibelt got the commoner treatment—non-knight, so zero fanfare.

Blatant as hell, but classic meritocracy Empire. The retorts never changed.

“So, what’s the plan? Head out? If you want, I can pretty up the report for you. Lax post like this, easy to fudge…”

“Nah. Just loan us three KOGs.”

Major Nez straight-up floated slacking off.

Field training was a chore at heart; plenty of nobles and elites half-assed it.

But this crew?

Serious class prez type, plus KOG junkies Sword and Jin.

No chance they’d twiddle thumbs.

“Roger that! Right this way.”

Guided over, the trio boarded their KOGs.

They mobilized to the waypoint on-screen.

“First battlefield for you, Sword. Loosen up.”

“Y-yeah…”

(Why’s my gut twisting? Word was, engage only if they resist—mostly just suppression…)

Sword pressed on.

But those gunshots, explosions—they nailed the dread.

The battlefield choked with black smoke wasn’t about pacification.

What was unfolding was no gentle roundup.

“Why… are kids dying?”

Ahead lay the nightmare from that day.

Still haunted him—those desperate, reaching hands begging for salvation.

Powerless children.

And right there before his eyes: people who should’ve surrendered, gunned down anyway.

“Wh-what the hell! Isn’t this just about stopping them!?”

The moment they arrived, Major Nez’s comm crackled through.

“Update: Resistance refusing to surrender. Direct order from Lord Odin. Reading verbatim: ‘All non-Earthguard personnel in that sector’.”

Delivered in monotone, zero remorse.

“‘Kill them.’ That’s the command.”

An order for slaughter.

“`