Chapter 203: A Day in the Life of a Certain Private Second Class 

～Private Allen’s Point of View～

“Oi, Allen. Training’s not over yet, so get up. If a second-class private like you folds this easily, what kind of example are you setting for the new recruits?”

“Y-Yes, sir‼”

The moment my superior barked those words at me, a spark reignited inside my chest. I hurriedly picked up the wooden sword I had dropped and stumbled back into the mock combat drill.

───My name is Allen.

Seventeen years old.

Born in a tiny farming village deep within what used to be the territory of Baron Mantester.

And now, I serve as a second-class private in the Arden Order of Knights, dedicating every waking day to becoming stronger.

Mantester was already considered a backwater region to begin with, but my village was mocked even among those frontier lands.

It was the kind of place so small it barely even had a name.

Merchants only passed through once every two weeks.

Yet tax officials came without fail once every month, squeezing every last coin they could from us.

Because of that, the village was always poor.

There were countless days when we had nothing to eat.

I can still remember hearing my parents cry late at night, trying desperately to muffle their sobs so I wouldn’t notice.

Honestly… there were times I truly thought we were finished.

……And then everything changed.

Our fat baron declared war on Arden—

—and got utterly crushed.

The Mantester territory was swallowed up by Arden so quickly it was almost frightening.

And the result?

Taxes became only a quarter of what they once were.

Apparently, if you submitted a request, they would even exempt you from paying altogether for a while.

Naturally, the villagers cried tears of joy.

Before anyone even realized it, the entire village was smiling proudly while calling itself part of Arden territory.

With life at home finally becoming stable, I decided I wanted to earn even more money.

That was why I enlisted in the Arden Knights.

Afterward, the strength I’d built through years of farm work was somehow highly praised during the entrance examination, and by what I still consider a miracle, I passed.

A year and a half of missions and relentless training later…

I had finally earned a promotion to second-class private.

At last, I was no longer considered a rookie.

“Allen! Don’t zone out while fighting‼ At this rate, you’ll never make first-class private‼”

“Sorry, sir‼ I’ll focus‼”

Currently, I live in the men’s dormitory for knights, sending two-thirds of my wages back home every month.

I want my parents to be happy.

More than anything.

“Alright, that’s enough‼ Ten-minute break for everyone‼”

“““““Sir‼”””””

The training grounds immediately loosened into chaos the moment the order was given.

Some men collapsed onto the dirt where they stood.

Others headed for their canteens.

I lowered myself onto the ground as well, leaning my back against the stone wall behind me.

The cool shade felt heavenly against my sweat-soaked skin.

And then—

“Hey there, youngster. If you don’t stay hydrated, you’re gonna collapse during training, y’know～”

Something smacked directly into my cheek.

“Gweh?!”

I turned in shock toward the culprit—

—and nearly stopped breathing.

Standing there was Vice Commander Dylan.

The number two man of the Arden Order of Knights.

“V-Vice Commander Dylan⁉”

“So you’re Allen, huh? Heard about you from your squad captain. Said you’re working hard to support your parents despite being so young. Pretty admirable, honestly.”

The vice commander leaned casually against the wall beside me and took a drink from his own canteen.

“I just… want my parents to live comfortably.”

“Heh. That devotion to family really does make you sound just like Ryu-sama. Come to think of it, aren’t you about the same age as him?”

“I turned seventeen recently.”

“Then yep, same age. Ahh, youth really is nice.”

“……Ryu-sama is the same age as me?”

If you started listing Ryu-sama’s accomplishments, there would be no end to it.

The Mantester War.

Territorial reforms.

The western front campaign.

Port city trade development.

Diplomatic relations with Hinomaru…

And countless others.

Still, considering his age, I figured he could only have personally handled one or two of those achievements at most.

If someone his age had truly done all of them himself…

…then he wouldn’t even be human anymore.

Surely the stories were exaggerated.

“So, Allen, got a girlfriend or anything?”

“……No.”

“Hahaha. Then you’ve already lost to Ryu-sama across the board. Apparently, he just recently married Battalion Commander Stingray.”

“Eh?”

My eyes widened involuntarily.

“You serious? Don’t tell me you had a crush on Stingray?”

“There’s nobody in this knight order who doesn’t admire Stingray-sama.”

“Fair point.”

Eighteen years old.

Appointed battalion commander at such a young age.

A genius swordswoman.

Beautiful silver hair.

A face so perfectly sculpted it looked almost divine.

A figure elegant enough to make women envy her and men lose their senses.

The first time I saw her, I genuinely thought the radiance coming off her would burn my eyes.

“So after Estelle-sama and Lena-sama… does that make her the third wife?”

“Yup. Pretty much.”

“Ryu-sama really is lucky.”

“Nope. Other way around.”

“……What do you mean by that?”

I stared blankly at the vice commander.

What on earth was this man talking about?

“Stingray-sama’s the lucky one for being loved by Ryu-sama. Honestly, she probably used up all the good fortune she’ll ever have in life. Hahaha.”

“S-Seriously…? Is Ryu-sama really someone so incredible that even the battalion commander pales beside him?”

“You haven’t seen him in person yet?”

“N-No, sir.”

“Listen carefully, Allen. Ryu-sama isn’t someone you compare by saying stuff like, ‘better than a genius battalion commander’ or ‘greater than imperial nobles’ or ‘the best diplomat in history.’”

“H-Huh…?”

At this point I was genuinely starting to think Vice Commander Dylan had lost his mind.

“You’ll understand soon enough. That man… isn’t someone ordinary people like us are even allowed to compete with.”

“Ordinary people…? You mean you, Vice Commander?”

“Yep. Compared to him, even Commander Silva is dust.”

“……There’s someone stronger than Commander Silva?”

“You’re still naive, young Allen. The world is much bigger than you think.” He smirked faintly before patting my shoulder. “Still, treasure your youth. You’re way more charming than I was at seventeen.”

“I-I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

Right then, a commotion stirred near the entrance of the training grounds.

“……Oh? Speak of the devil. Isn’t that Stingray and Ryu-sama?”

A man who must have been Ryu-sama had arrived together with our goddess herself, Stingray-sama.

Vice Commander Dylan’s face visibly brightened the instant he saw them.

Clearly, he was extremely close to the two of them.

────But then.

“Umm… why is Ryu-sama being dragged across the ground…?”

Stingray-sama was literally dragging him by the collar.

His body scraped helplessly against the dirt as she hauled him forward.

“That’s really the transcendent being you were talking about? Because I’m having trouble believing it.”

“Aah… well, whatever. Let’s go greet them first.”

The vice commander pressed a hand against his forehead in exasperation before hurrying over.

I followed after him.

“Ryu-sama, it’s been a while.”

“Oh～ Dylan. Long time no see.”

“What brings you here today?”

“I was peacefully rolling around in my room, and then Stingray forcibly abducted me.”

“Hahaha, same as always, I see.”

“That’s because you refuse to leave your bed for days at a time‼ Don’t make it sound like this is somehow my fault‼”

“Many mammals hibernate during colder seasons. There’s a non-zero chance that phenomenon occurred to me through astronomical probability.”

“Yes, yes, enough with the ridiculous excuses already. Honestly…”

I had never seen Stingray-sama make expressions like this before.

So the marriage rumors were true after all.

……But this sloppy-looking man was really the legendary Ryu-sama?

Sure, he was handsome enough to pass as nobility.

But he didn’t look intelligent.

Nor did he look strong.

Honestly, he seemed more like an unusually attractive commoner who had simply borrowed noble clothing.

Vice Commander Dylan tilted his head.

“Stingray, why’d you bring Ryu-sama here?”

“Well, the Arden Knights have more than doubled in size over the last year or two, right? So I figured over half the soldiers probably don’t even know what their lord looks like.”

“Fair point. It’d be strange for soldiers to never once see the master they serve.”

“Exactly. Normally, that would be unthinkable.”

Stingray-sama and Vice Commander Dylan both directed flat, unimpressed stares toward Ryu-sama.

“Don’t look at me with such passionate eyes. You’re making me blush.”

“That’s not admiration, those are exasperated stares‼”

“Ryu-sama really is Ryu-sama, huh? Hahaha.”

What was this person?

More importantly, he was far too friendly.

Was he really a noble?

“Alright then. As punishment, you’ll be sparring with the recruits today‼”

“WHOO‼ My workload just decreased‼ All hail Ryu-sama‼”

“I heard that, Dylan. Remember this later.”

Ryu-sama was dragged once again by the collar while grumbling endlessly under his breath.

Soon, a formation naturally emerged:

Ryu-sama alone—

versus one hundred recruits.

Stingray-sama and Vice Commander Dylan stepped aside to observe.

“Hey… are we really fighting the lord himself?”

“I-I won’t get executed if I accidentally hurt him, right…?”

“But I heard Ryu-sama’s actually insanely strong.”

Everyone looked nervous.

Honestly, this just felt like bullying.

Ryu-sama slowly drew his blade.

Then gently ran his fingers along the edge.

“……Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I fought using a katana.”

Though spoken casually, every single person heard those words clearly.

“Well then. Let’s begin. Take your stances.”

Every recruit raised their wooden swords.

The sound of nervous swallowing echoed across the training grounds.

───And then, in the very next instant.

“……Eh?”

Before anyone could even comprehend what happened—

every single wooden sword had been split clean in half.

And every recruit had collapsed onto the ground.

……Not even a full second could have passed.

Yet my own wooden sword had been neatly cleaved vertically down the middle.

Ryu-sama now stood behind me—

despite the fact that I had been positioned at the very back.

He hadn’t used magic.

There had been no preparatory movement.

No battle cry.

No sound at all.

Only a faint breeze brushing against our cheeks.

For some reason, the sight of Ryu-sama standing there calmly without even changing expression filled me with overwhelming terror.

No matter how much one tried to look up at him—

he existed somewhere far beyond sight itself.

This wasn’t merely a difference in level.

It was a difference in worlds.

And judging by the silence around me…

everyone here felt the same.

As if deliberately shattering the suffocating atmosphere, Vice Commander Dylan spoke up casually.

“Huh. Was Ryu-sama always this fast? And that swordsmanship too.”

“Oh, that. A certain nation’s First Special Forces Captain taught me how to maximize speed.”

“And the swordsmanship?”

“Ryoma beat it into me.”

“Ryoma… you mean that Sakamoto Ryoma? The swordsman hailed as the strongest in the world?”

“Yep, that one. Though outside of swordsmanship, I’m about a hundred times stronger than him.”

First Special Forces?

Sakamoto Ryoma?

What in the world was this man talking about…?

“Well, I’m heading home now. You deal with the recruits afterward, Dylan.”

“Ehhh?”

“Don’t ‘ehhh’ me. You’re the vice commander.”

“Fine then. In that case, Ryu-sama, next time you’re accompanying us on an inspection trip to the port city.”

“Ehhh.”

“No complaining‼ You are the lord of this territory‼”

And just like that, Ryu-sama was dragged away toward the port district.

……I could only stand there with my mouth hanging open.

“Alright, you lot! Get up already! Back to regular training! Go grab new wooden swords～”

“““““Y-Yes…”””””

Under Vice Commander Dylan’s orders, we trudged off with heavy steps to retrieve replacement weapons.

“Oh, and just so you know…” he added casually.

“Ryu-sama’s actually a mage.”

“““““……WHAT?”””””

A mage…?

Not a swordsman…?

Was it even fair for someone like that to exist?

At that moment, Vice Commander Dylan suddenly patted my shoulder again.

“See? Now you get it, right?”

“………………” nod

I could only nod silently.

And then—

those words etched themselves forever into my mind.

“Never forget this, Allen.”

“That man is────”

──────“the world itself.”