Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 42.1: “Knights”

~Manfred’s Perspective~

　The morning of July 21st, 317 in the Trier calendar.

　I – Manfred Brailsford – had been ordered by His Excellency, the Northern Governor, to take part in the Lockhart family’s early morning training.

　It all started when my subordinate, Philip Inglis, a squire belonging to the First Order, attempted to cut down an invited guest, Sir Zacharias. As punishment, the Governor General ordered him to participate in the Lockhart family’s training, but to be honest, I wondered if it would be a punishment.

　Of course, I had heard rumors that the Lockhart family’s training was very severe. In fact, Roderick Lockhart, the heir of the Lockhart family, has undergone rigorous training and actual combat in addition to training for the Knight Order. I was well aware of this.

　I had also heard rumors about Govan Lockhart, who is also known as Lionheart. Unfortunately, I did not know him because he resigned from the Knight Order before I was promoted to the Knight Order and holed himself up in his domain.

　I, too, am a member of the Brailsford family, which has produced Knight Commanders for generations in the Northern Governor’s Army, and I have received rigorous training from an early age. So, I thought that for me, who was ready to resign from the position of Knight Commander, no matter how severe the training was, it was not enough to punish me for it.

　Yes, until the mock battle began.

　As a preparatory exercise, we did some practice swings, but they were very different from the ones we did. We, too, put our everything into each swing. But their swinging was not to that extent. Except for children under the age of 10, their sword swings were more like slaying an invisible enemy than following a pattern. And if they swung their swords even a little too softly, they would be shouted at mercilessly, “You can’t beat your enemy with that!” “That’s no way to defeat an enemy!” Including Sir Mathias, there were more than ten people swinging their swords, but Byron Seedorf and Guy Jakes, squires of the Lockhart family, seemed to have it all figured out.

　The squires of this family do not hesitate to hurl abuse at anyone, whether he is the lord or the heir. As expected, they did not shout abuse at me, but I felt their eyes looking at me as if they wanted to say something.

　Even though it was only a ten-minute swing, I was still breathless from the fact that I had to keep swinging without even a moment’s rest. But this was just a preparatory exercise to warm up the body.

　As soon as the swinging was over, Sir Mathias gave the order for a mock battle to begin.

“Guy, you take on me! Byron, you take on Rod! Zack, you take on Brett and the other five!” (Matt)

　Sir Mathias named opponents one after another, but he never named our opponents. I asked him to include us.

“I would like to be included in the mock battle as well.” (Manfred)

　Sir Mathias had a slightly troubled look on his face.

“Our training is intense, so I’d like you to observe for today.” (Mathias)

　At the time, I thought that Sir Mathias was concerned about us.

“Is this an order from His Excellency the Governor. I’m sorry, but is there anything we can do?” (Manfred)

　However, it seems I was mistaken. At that moment, Sir Mathias’s usual gentle expression disappeared and he spoke to me with a stern look on his face.

“Even if it is an order from His Excellency the Governor, we cannot allow anyone who is not prepared to join the mock battle. The training of the Lockhart family is the same as actual combat. If you are not prepared to fight to the death, we will not allow you to participate.” (Matt)

　I was offended by that statement.

　We are knights, the shield of the empire. I thought we were always prepared to die, even in training, if we were on duty.

　When I told him this, he looked me in the eye quietly,

“Well, then, I hope you will follow the Lockhart family custom. In our family, anything is possible except instant death. You are not allowed to fall unless you faint. Is that acceptable?” (Matt)

　I shudder at his words, but I am also a commander in charge of the Knight Order. And I would not deny that I had been given this training as a punishment.

“I’m not going to deny it. I have no problem with being seriously injured or receiving the kind of yelling you just received.” (Manfred)

　Sir Mathias nodded quietly, said a word or two to Seedorf and Jakes, and then named our opponent for the mock battle.

“His Excellency, Commander will be matched by Byron! Platoon Leader Dias will be matched by Guy! Sir Ingris will be matched by Mel! …I’m counting on you, Miss Beatrice, to be my opponent.” (Matt)

　My opponent was decided to be Seedorf, a giant two-handed swordsman. Inglis’ superior officer, Kenneth Dias, was to be Jakes, and Inglis’ opponent was a girl named Melissa Marlon.

　My opponent, Seedorf, stood naturally, holding a huge wooden sword about 150 centimeters long, befitting his nearly two-meter frame. However, his body was overflowing with deadly energy that seemed to ooze out of him, and I felt a sense of fear as if I were facing a powerful monster.

　I held up the wooden sword, and without any signal to begin, the mock battle suddenly began.

　For a moment, I did not know what had happened. The moment I thought it had started, I was blown several meters away.

“Too slow! Always be on your guard on the battlefield!” (Byron)

　Seedorf’s curses came at me. Not only that, but he was flying toward me as I fell, swinging his wooden sword.

　At that moment, I sensed my impending death. And I realized, even after all this time, what was before was not a training exercise.

　I desperately dodge Seedorf’s sword.

　Then I rolled away and tried to keep my distance. But he would have none of it, and attacked, thrusting his huge wooden sword into the ground.

“Just rolling around won’t accomplish anything! Think of a counterattack! If you don’t stop the enemy in his tracks, there will never be time to get back up!” (Byron)

　I heard his words and swung my sword to slash at his legs. However, his quick footwork, which did not match his huge body, dodged my blow. However, I managed to stand up in the little time I had.

　After that, it was terrible.

　I was struck dozens of times with a two-handed sword like a club, and finally, my left arm was broken. At the time, I had equipped my left arm with the round shield used by the Knights, but not only was his sturdy shield smashed by a mere wooden sword, but my arm was also broken.

　As I crouched down holding my left arm, Seedorf stopped his attack and called for the healer, Lydiane Dupré.

“Lydiane! It seems we have a fracture. Please help.” (Byron)

　At that time, Lydiane was not participating in a full-scale mock battle but was practicing swordsmanship with a girl named Sharon Jakes, who was a magician. Lydiane was not a swordsman, but her skills were comparable to those of the knight class of our Order, and Sharon, who still looked like a young girl, looked more than a squire.

　I could not believe my eyes.

　The two of them were more than court magicians. I could not believe that they were showing such skill in swordsmanship.

　Lydiane stopped her practice and came to me with slow steps.

　Then, looking at my arm, she said to Seedorf, “Oh dear. You should go a little easier on them,” but there was no sense of urgency at all.

I was in extreme pain from multiple broken bones. I couldn’t help but want to protest her attitude, so I gave her a sharp look.

　Lydiane’s voice came back cold.

“If you have something to complain about, you shouldn’t have participated in the first place. It’s normal in the village.” (Liddy)

　She seemed to be talking to herself, but perhaps she also wanted me to hear it.

　While muttering to herself, she removed my equipment and applied healing magic. She was very skilled at this, and I could see that she was a first-rate healer.

It was then that I understood the root of the Lockhart family’s strength, yes, its very essence.