The Red Cape Knights consist of three Knights, and each Knight has a unit named after them. Their fame is well known, no need to mention it.
However, a Knight order cannot be made up of just three Knights.
The true core of the Knight order lies with the Junior-Knights, and there are over twenty of them.
Of those, fewer than five remained in the Capital.
There were over fifty Squires as well, but fewer than ten were left in the Capital.
At least, that's what Asia explained.
"Well, there are a few people who are at the level of Junior-Knight. The Captain of the Royal Guard is a former member of the Knight order, and there are those famous twins who serve as the Marquis's guards."
"Were they twins?"
Encrid interrupted mid-conversation to ask.
"You mentioned you met the Marquis of Octo, right? Yeah, fraternal twins. They don't look alike, do they? I was surprised too when I heard they were twins."
Asia was casual. That's how Andrew saw her.
Her orange hair, though a bit split at the ends, seemed to emphasize her liveliness.
Casual and lively. She seemed like a carefree girl from a farm.
That's the thought that crossed his mind.
In terms of looks, Esther the wizard or Kin Visar might surpass her, but in terms of charm, Asia, the Squire, probably captured the hearts of many men.
'With looks like that and such a bright personality...'
It's hard not to find her attractive.
What's more, she acted familiar with everyone, ignoring any sense of distance. The word 'uninhibited' immediately came to mind.
She joined the table naturally, eating and drinking as if she had been there yesterday as well.
"Pass me some bread, will you?"
The funny thing was that even Rem and the others treated her casually.
And she was a Squire of the Red Cape Knights.
Andrew found it difficult to adjust, but he soon discarded any serious thoughts.
'I give up.'
When you're involved with Encrid, nothing ever goes the way you expect.
It wasn't any different from the first time he went on a mission with the Captain.
Back then, too, nothing seemed believable.
'He acted like he knew where the enemy was hiding in the bushes.'
Not to mention, they fought while setting fire to the camp, and it was only after they escaped that Andrew realized—this guy was something else.
Now, the scale of the tasks had grown and the stakes were higher, but nothing had really changed. That's how Andrew decided to see it.
"Here."
Asia sliced a round loaf of bread and tossed it. Rem caught it in midair, spread marmalade on it, and began chewing.
Ragna cut some salted ham and trimmed the rough edges off the bread, eating only the soft interior.
"Picky eater, aren't you?"
Rem commented.
"If you're itching to get hit because you saw that woman fight, hold off until after the meal, you wild animal."
Ragna replied calmly.
"That woman? No, it's Asia."
Asia raised her hand to interject in the middle.
"Oh, right. Asia."
Ragna casually switched his tone. Asia even thanked Andrew, the owner of the mansion, for inviting her.
Of course, no invitation had been made.
She had just walked in and started sparring and having dinner.
Andrew responded with a polite, "Don't mention it", so as not to embarrass her.
"He's got a face I like over there."
Asia commented, looking toward Jaxon.
"Most women say that, but don't be fooled. He's met more women than you can count."
Rem added.
"They're all just friends."
Jaxon, unusually, responded softly. Asia looked at him and thought it was likely that many women were indeed drawn to him.
Just because he was her type didn't mean she had fallen for him immediately.
Asia looked across the table at Encrid, who was chewing his bread.
No matter how much she looked, he was still a strange person.
"I don't even have many female friends."
Encrid, sensing her gaze, remarked.
"I didn't ask."
"Wanna spar after this?"
Asia reflexively nodded.
"After I've digested a bit."
During the digestion process, they would have to organize what needed to be done.
Asia hadn't come here just for leisure.
"We agreed to hunt the Moonlight Beast, didn't we?"
"You've already given it a name?"
"It only appears under the moonlight."
Not everyone in the Capital was foolish or clueless.
They had identified the enemy's appearance, location, and the time it showed up.
Encrid, who was listening to the explanation, asked,
"Why has it been left alone then?"
It was said there were five Squires remaining.
There were also Squires and the city guard.
This is the Capital of a nation. Could there really be no one capable of handling this?
Of course there were. And yet, they missed it.
There were several reasons for this.
First, they had underestimated their opponent.
Second, aside from the Knight order, others were hesitant to reveal their own strength.
"Everyone's more concerned about their own safety. I can understand that."
Asia spoke candidly and added,
"One of the Squires got attacked. It was a serious injury. I'm not sure if he'll make it."
For a Squire, who was practically a Knight-in-training, to be taken down indicated that the so-called Moonlight Beast was a considerable threat.
"What about the priests?"
If someone had been attacked, why had the healing been insufficient?
A Squire is someone recognized for their talent, chosen from among hundreds or thousands.
Knights are a symbol of power.
And the Knight order consists of those preparing to become Knights.
Naturally, they are treated well. Not just well—exceptionally well.
Having a dedicated cook is a given, and they can always receive a priest's prayers.
With Divine Power, even serious injuries can be healed. At the very least, they'd be restored enough to survive.
"The priests in the Capital aren't here at the moment. The Royal Palace's personal priest has other reasons preventing the use of Divine Power."
Encrid recalled the temples he had seen while traveling through the Capital.
They existed. Not just one, but several temples.
Naurillia doesn't persecute religion, so there are several temples in the Capital, Nauril.
While it's not a holy city like Legion, there are still plenty of temples here.
And yet, not a single priest?
"To be precise, there's no priest who can use Divine Power. One of them has already fallen prey to the beast."
When the Moonlight Beast first appeared, the response was delayed.
It immediately targeted one of the priests who had awakened Divine Power.
As a result, that priest, a woman, is now barely clinging to life.
She's hanging on, but just barely, fighting to survive day by day.
The remaining priests capable of using Divine Power have headed to the border.
"Divine power is rare, after all."
For now, the palace's healer has been doing what they can.
There are also potions made through alchemy.
"They won't die."
Asia said.
She spoke calmly, but it sounded as if there was deep resentment behind her words. No, it was more like a firm determination to catch the beast.
"We will catch it."
Rem added weight to her words, speaking as though it was a matter of course. And that made sense, since hunts like this were familiar to Rem.
"Yeah, thanks. Your name is Rem, right?"
Encrid found Asia quite intriguing.
Was she always this sociable?
Previously, they hadn't had time to talk, nor was it the right situation, so he hadn't noticed.
Still, back then, he hadn't had a bad impression of her.
"The weather is gloomy again today."
Jaxon said in a detached tone. And he was right.
There wouldn't be a moon tonight either.
Besides, just because the moon appeared, didn't mean the beast would show up.
Why was that?
It was unclear. But it was something worth thinking about. The more you ponder, the more you can form a hypothesis.
"Anyway, a Squire was killed, and a Junior-Knight chased it but lost it. That means the beast is incredibly fast. If we just chase it from behind like before, it'll be hard to catch."
"Is there a reason the Knight order hasn't gotten involved?"
As Encrid finished his meal and cleared his plate, a maid served him tea.
Asia, after popping half an apricot into her mouth, grimaced.
It seemed too sour.
"What do you think?"
There was no need to ask twice. It was because of the situation at the Royal Palace.
"We serve the Queen."
They didn't leave the Queen's protection solely to the Royal Guard. It was about defending the throne.
"So what about you?"
"The Marquis's power is enough to whisk away a few Junior-Knights. They say he's raised so many serpents in his belly that they call him Hydra's Gut."
At this, Andrew gave a meaningful glance.
See? That's what everyone calls him.
Encrid nodded lightly.
He had recognized from the start that the Marquis wasn't someone who revealed his intentions easily.
But so what?
The important thing was that the Moonlight Beast was connected to the Black Blade, and they needed to find the leader of the Black Blade.
'Jaxon's sworn enemy.'
Whether they captured, killed, tortured, or turned him into jerky, that was Jaxon's business.
But the search itself would be serious.
It was about a comrade. Though not explicitly stated, it was as good as a request.
The first reason for capturing the Moonlight Beast was this.
The second was for the sake of those who had been harmed.
The third, well, that was the Marquis's request.
Whether the opponent was Hydra's Gut or some sneaky snake, it didn't matter.
"So we've got time until tomorrow, right?"
Encrid asked. They couldn't do anything until the moon was up, after all.
Unless the clouds suddenly parted in the middle of the night, Asia wouldn't be able to do much either.
"Yeah."
"So?"
"Let's do some more."
Asia's eyes lit up as she spoke.
Encrid was also eager to cross swords with her again.
"I'd like to spar with the rest of you, too."
At this, Asia's excitement flared even higher. If Sinar had been present, she would have wanted to douse her with water right away.
Rem and Ragna responded to the challenge.
"Sounds good."
"I'm up for it."
Neither of them were the type to back down.
"Count me out."
Jaxon shook his head.
"I'll join."
Dunbachel added in a voice lower than usual.
"Great!"
Asia exclaimed with enthusiasm and headed outside.
The sparring was about to begin.
Everyone moved. Andrew followed as well.
The five trainees, who had been practicing on their own, stopped what they were doing and watched the sparring eagerly.
Even Mac found time to watch.
This was a sparring match between Junior-Knights. Missing it would be a loss.
Of course, just watching wouldn't instantly improve their skills.
But watching allowed them to mentally experience the outcome in advance. And that made a huge difference.
For them, this was considered a stroke of luck.
Encrid took everything seriously.
Asia was more excited than ever, sparring, eating, drinking, and eventually taking over a room in the mansion.
The sky grew darker, and eventually, rain poured down.
It seemed they wouldn't be seeing any moonlight for a while.
In the meantime, Encrid learned more and more.
"Hey, do you think all Squires are the same? Are all Knights the same? Were all mercenaries the same? Shall I talk about the ranking system of Naurillia's soldiers? Just because someone's a lower-ranked soldier, does that mean they're all on the same level?"
No, they're different. Even among lower and mid-ranked soldiers, there are clear differences in skill. And the higher you go, the more pronounced the gap becomes.
"When you reach the level of a Junior-Knight, the difference can be quite large. And I'm about average."
She had been acknowledged for her talent but was middle-of-the-pack in terms of skill.
"There are some Jumior-Knights who are clumsy and can barely hold their own for a few rounds, but there are others who can spar against Knights."
Asia's eyes sparkled as she spoke. It was as if she was declaring that she, too, would keep moving forward without stopping.
"Right, I didn't know that."
It was too far and too high to be seen.
Only after climbing did the differences between them become apparent.
For example, in Andrew's eyes, Asia, Encrid, Rem, and Ragna all seemed like the same kind of monsters.
However, during the sparring matches, Asia never once managed to defeat Rem or Ragna.
Whenever Rem and Ragna faced off, Rem never managed to beat Ragna.
And Encrid…
"Is it right to stubbornly stick to the Correct Sword Technique to break the Illusion Sword Technique?"
He was repeatedly beaten by Asia.
Encrid judged that it was difficult to defeat her in sparring.
'Illusion Sword.'
He knew what her technique was. Through pondering and reviewing, he figured out how it worked.
It planted illusions and locked down the opponent's field of vision. It disoriented the sense of distance. On top of that, it incorporated speed.
No, it didn't just rely on speed. Previously, he had tried to anticipate that and strike, only to be caught by the Fluid Sword Technique.
Within the Illusion Sword, there hid a sword whose movements were unpredictable.
It was deception in its purest form.
She had thoroughly mastered the Illusion Sword and wielded it as her weapon.
Encrid smiled whenever he thought of it. The more challenging it was, the more motivated he became. That was the core of who Encrid was.
The rain poured for four days.
Pondering, reviewing.
Sparring, training.
After those four days passed, the weather cleared up with bright sunshine.
They rolled in the mud while sparring, washed up, and chatted.
While discussing how to catch the Moonlight Beast, Asia had, before anyone realized it, become friends with everyone.
"Wow, a wizard? That's fascinating."
She even got along with Esther without any awkwardness.
"Is this yours? What's wrong with your eyes? Wait, can you understand me?"
She also greeted Odd-Eyes warmly.
Her sociability was not just good—it seemed like it was her special talent.
Encrid occasionally heard bits of her story.
"I'm from a commoner background, it's a typical story. I happened to pick up a sword when I was young. Realized I had talent."
"I have one more goal besides becoming a Knight."
"It's not something I'd normally tell anyone. Here I am spilling all sorts of things. You're a bit strange. You have a knack for making people let their guard down."
And so, on the fourth day, just before sunset in the late afternoon…
"There will be a full moon tonight."
Jaxon said. The sky was still visible before sunset. Encrid, standing in the middle of the training ground, looked up. The sky was clear and high, without a single cloud.
Jaxon was right. Even though the sun had not yet set, the faint outline of the moon could be seen.
It was the shape of a full moon.