[Liel’s POV]

Opposite to Lucy’s fears, Liel tailored shortly to the cruel situations.

He slept on the grime flooring and didn’t freak out when a bug landed on his face, and he ate his meals with out criticism, even when it contained rocks.

Some knights marveled at his conduct, saying that he was certainly the son of the Duke of Marsen.

Others bemoaned the truth that they may guess on when he would begin crying.

In fact, Liel didn’t actually care what anybody mentioned.

Through the allotted break, the knights gathered round and chatted loudly.

“This time, we’re going to flatten the noses of the paladins.”

One knight mentioned, clenching his fist. Liel, who had been staring on the floor on the point out of paladins, turned his gaze within the course of the sound.

The person who shaved his head till his scalp was seen was a knight who had been on the academy for 3 years. Right here, he was the youngest after Liel.

“How can we beat them when our pure skills are completely different?”

Hemil appeared on the knight, who had as soon as been his pupil, with a pitying gaze.

Hemil was proper, there was an enormous hole between strange knights and holy knights by way of divine energy.

Often, assaults imbued with holy energy might flip demons and fiends black and maximize their harm.

Abnormal knights with out divine energy, however, needed to rely solely on their very own power to slash on the demons.

“It’s not inconceivable, in spite of everything, the Duke of Marsen’s knights have been awarded imperial commendations for beating the Knights of Pilia on a number of events.”

The Knights of Pilia had been an order of holy knights, straight below the Temple.

“Yeah, simply give it some thought. It’s good to dream huge.”

Hemil gulped down the lukewarm water. He would have most well-liked chilly water, however given the circumstances, he had no alternative.

“Come on. Liel, what sort of coaching has Duke Marsen been doing to make you so robust? Give us a sneak peek.”

One other knight requested, placing an arm round Liel’s shoulders.

The heavy weight on his shoulder made Liel lean ahead.

Liel racked his mind for one thing to maintain the great cheer going, however nothing got here to thoughts concerning the Duke of Marsen.

“I don’t often get to see the Duke practice, so……….”

In the long run, moderately than make one thing up, Liel determined to only be sincere.

The knight checked out him in shock when he answered.

“You sound unusually high-minded in your age, calling your father a duke.”

Not figuring out how to reply to his level, Liel merely smiled.

***

The daybreak air was simply starting to penetrate his pores and skin.

Kka–- Kkkaa–-.

“It’s a monster!”

The scout’s shout echoed by the barracks, accompanied by the cawing of crows.

Immediately, the loud night breathing of the knights ceased, and one after the other, they leaped out of the barracks. Liel stepped out of his barracks, too, and appeared up on the sky.

A black hen hovered above the knights’ heads.

The hen was majestic in measurement, and the feathers that fell from it had been as sharp as swords.

The hen’s legs, tucked beneath its hard-looking beak and huge wings, belonged to a land animal.

The hen flapped its wings wildly, and feathers fell in a bathe. The knights swung their swords on the falling feathers.

Liel, who had been watching, unconsciously caught one of many feathers because it fell beside him.

In the meantime, as if the flapping of the demon’s wings was a sign, small birds appeared from all instructions and commenced to encompass the knights.

The knights’ panicked actions slowed to a crawl as they realized they had been being attacked by what gave the impression to be minions.

The birdlike creatures had been a uncommon species that had by no means been seen earlier than, besides after they invaded past the Empire’s outer partitions a long time in the past.

It was no marvel the knights had been much less versatile than typical.

“Liel, come right here!”

Hemil was pushing his means by the birds and feathers that had been dashing towards him, as if he felt he needed to shield Liel even when he was about to die.

Then, as if on cue, Liel, who had been finding out the feathers expressionlessly, straightened up and grabbed them.

He didn’t break and scramble to catch the distant hen.

He merely waited for the second when the beast was inside vary of his sword.

A second later, the birds surrounded him in unison, and and not using a second’s hesitation, he slashed at them with a single blow.

Immediately, the birds crashed to the bottom, lifeless or with their wings clipped.

Hemil, shocked by his skillful dealing with, hesitated for a second, however quickly realized that Liel’s assault had disrupted the formation, leaving a niche.

“N, now!”

The sharp-eyed Hemil shouted, and the knights who had turned their heads shortly realized what was occurring.

Moments later, they dug into the weak hole and commenced to separate the birds in two on cue.

It wasn’t lengthy earlier than many of the birds had been lifeless, and one among them, with an injured wing, plummeted to the bottom at their ft.

Because it struggled to its ft, Liel crushed it along with his foot. He appeared up on the sky once more with numb eyes.

It was then.

A big hen, steadfastly staring straight forward, the king of the flock, craned its neck and appeared down.

The hen’s purple iris picked out each one of many ant-sized people.

Its lengthy, slit pupils darted about, as if looking for somebody.

Lastly, the hen’s eyes locked with Liel’s.

Then the hen’s beak opened.

[“Where is the king?]

Liel’s eyes widened as he understood the demon’s phrases. As a substitute of rest, his pupils had been crammed with marvel.

[You would know. Tell me where the king is].

“Rattling it, we have to get him so this mess can finish!”

Hemil muttered in a low voice, unable to include his irritation. He didn’t appear to pay a lot consideration to the demon’s phrases.

Nobody else was listening to him both, and it was solely then that Liel realized he was the one one listening to his voice.

After observing him for some time, the hen turned its head away. The hen then flew away and disappeared from his sight.

The opposite birds, who appeared to be his minions, adopted the black hen in unison.

The knights in battle formation wore dumbfounded expressions as they watched the demonic horde seem and disappear with out warning.

It was the identical for Hemil.

“What the hell.”

The folks round him raised their voices, questioning if they need to be chasing these demons.

“Keep alert, there might be others round.”

Hemil instructed, mixing in with the clamoring knights.

In the meantime, Liel stared unblinkingly on the spot the place the hen had handed.

For a second, he questioned if he ought to inform Hemil and the others about what the monster had mentioned to him.

However what stopped his mouth was–-.

“Even when it’s a human who reaches out to you, you should not inform them of the ugly sin at your ankles.”

Arinel’s phrases had been ingrained in him since childhood.

“Not even the gods will forgive us our sins.”

Liel lastly selected silence.

***

Idly chewing on a dried candy potato, I scanned the record of nobles. How lengthy their names had been, in contrast to mine, which was solely two letters.

“Lucy, you’ve been on the primary chapter for an hour.”

I heard my grandmother sigh from up forward, and I shortly shoved a dried candy potato into my mouth, feeling like I’d inadvertently let her down.

“I’ll get it collectively!”

I mentioned with a decided look on my face.

For a while now, I had determined that I’d take successor classes from my grandmother, if solely in the course of my trip. The concept was to take over as quickly as I graduated.

She had initially deliberate to show me intensively after commencement, however resulting from her superior age, her bodily power appeared to lower daily.

I used to be a bit of skeptical that I’d have the ability to end the course by commencement, which often takes a number of years, however I needed to do it for her well being.

However worrying about Liel saved distracting me.

“I believed you’d be much less apprehensive about Liel when you had been distracted.”

My grandmother laughed bitterly, as if she couldn’t assist herself.

I believed I’d, too, however it’s simply not in my coronary heart, Grandma…….

“Why do folks must make their names so lengthy? I imply, I get it, it’s a household identify, however take a look at it, Retimiers, Cartheon, they’re all so lengthy.”

Do these names even imply something?

I recited the names from prime to backside with sheepish eyes.

In fact, my mother and father most likely gave them to me as a result of they cared, however I couldn’t assist however really feel resentful that I needed to memorize all of them.

“If we go backwards, there are some quick names like yours, so why don’t you grasp in there?”

“Certain. …….”

I straightened my higher physique, which had been slumped to this point that it was nearly touching the desk, and glared on the paper once more.

I truthfully couldn’t consider that this was one of many sensible programs, however what the hell.

If I didn’t know somebody’s identify at an occasion or social gathering the place I used to be required to attend, I might be in huge bother.

Hoping to be half nearly as good as my grandmother, I pushed my ideas of Liel apart and stared on the record once more.

The immense sense of responsibility to the longer term appeared to focus my consideration.

Kaak–-.

Whereas I used to be nonetheless concentrating, I heard a crow caw.

I relaxed my forehead and appeared out the window, and the solar was slowly setting.

I ought to ask my grandmother to have dinner with me first.

“…….”

I turned my head to look in entrance of me and noticed that my grandmother was already sleeping.

She was leaning all the way in which again in her chair, trying very relaxed.

She didn’t used to sleep that a lot, however currently she’s been taking naps like this for no less than an hour or two a day.

I began to really feel a bit of unhappy, realizing that my grandmother’s bodily power was a lot decrease than after I was youthful.

I cautiously walked over to the sofa the place she was sitting and pulled the blanket over her lap.

In my coronary heart, I wished to take over as head of the household as quickly as potential, even when it was at this time.

In fact, I couldn’t due to my grandmother’s cussed objection that I’d by no means take over till I used to be an grownup.

I simply wished to develop up as quickly as potential in order that my grandmother might stay out her days in peace.