Chapter 13: Are You Picking a Fight on Purpose?

Early in the morning, Victor leaned idly against the carriage, waiting for Gwen to come out of her house.

Gwen had just pushed open the door, holding a slender silver sword in her hand.

She was about to start her morning training.

As soon as she stepped out, she looked up and saw Victor’s carriage.

Gwen was momentarily stunned.

At the same time, Victor, still leaning against the carriage, nodded at her.

Gwen: “…”

So early?

It felt rude to leave him standing outside, so after some thought, Gwen spoke up.

“Want to spar?”

“I’m a mage,” Victor replied flatly, eyeing the thin silver sword in her hand.

Gwen’s face turned bright red. She turned her head away and muttered an “Oh.”

“Come in first.”

With that, she ran off to the training grounds to begin her morning exercises.

Victor, feeling a bit bored, stood at the edge of the training field and watched her.

A knight’s morning training was nothing more than repeated sword swings and strikes to hone their body.

At the same time, they practiced various combat techniques over and over again.

Gwen swung her sword for a while, but under Victor’s unwavering gaze, she started to feel a little self-conscious. Unable to hold back, she explained:

“Knights have to train every day, day after day.”

“I didn’t ask,” Victor responded.

Gwen: “…”

And so, one person trained while the other watched, both remaining silent.

After finishing her morning training, Gwen wiped the sweat from her forehead. She reached for the waterskin placed nearby, ready to take a sip to rehydrate.

A leisurely voice sounded from the side.

“Drinking water immediately after intense exercise isn’t good for your body.”

“…”

Gwen put down the waterskin. She had a feeling that if she drank it, Victor would start nagging again.

What was wrong with him today? Was he feeling unwell?

After morning training, it was time for breakfast.

Gwen glanced at Victor and hesitated for a moment before asking:

“Have you eaten yet?”

“No,” Victor answered succinctly.

Gwen: “… Then join me.”

As soon as he heard the invitation, Victor moved immediately, stepping into the mansion ahead of her without the slightest hesitation.

Gwen: “…”

She tried to scrutinize Victor with a righteous mindset, but every action and word of his was honest.

“Strange.”

Gwen muttered under her breath, shaking her head to push aside unnecessary thoughts.

At the dining table, Victor elegantly cut his food with a knife, bringing each bite to his mouth with practiced ease.

Gwen ate while watching him.

She hated to admit it, but Victor was truly pleasing to the eye. Even just watching him eat made her appetite grow.

His every move was poised and graceful.

If even Victor couldn’t be considered a noble, then perhaps there were no real nobles in this world.

Comparing herself to him, Gwen—despite being a woman—found her eating habits a bit rough.

Feeling both frustrated and puzzled, she couldn’t help but wonder.

Such a dignified and elegant noble… why had he done something as foolish as publicly confessing to the Duke’s underage daughter?

“…”

Forget it, it had nothing to do with her.

Victor had said he would handle it.

After finishing breakfast, Gwen donned her knight’s armor.

The silver-white plate gleamed, accentuating her fair and delicate skin. Her exquisite features carried a cold and distant aura.

She looked like a Valkyrie who had stepped out of an icy world.

Victor, on the other hand, looked at the white horse she was leading and asked:

“Do I need to ride as well?”

Gwen suddenly remembered that Victor was a mage, and it was impossible for him to walk such a long distance.

She had been careless! She hadn’t considered this.

As far as she could recall, Victor had never ridden a horse.

What should she do? Would they have to share a mount?

Gwen wrestled with the thought for a while, but in the brief moment of hesitation, Victor had already instructed the servants to fetch a suitable horse for long-distance travel from the stable.

A knight’s household was never short of fine horses.

Gwen watched as he prepared to mount another horse. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Victor swing himself onto the saddle with practiced ease.

“You can ride?” she asked, surprised. “You don’t look like a beginner.”

Victor ignored her. After all, Gwen could tell whether his words were truthful.

The more you speak, the easier it is to slip up.

But Gwen was right—Victor was no novice.

He was a veteran.

In games, he had even ridden dragons before.

The two set off, one in front and the other behind.

Since Gwen had to report to the knight order first, Victor simply followed behind her.

Neither spoke on the road, but Gwen couldn’t shake the awkwardness.

She turned to glance at Victor. He still wore his usual indifferent expression. Sensing her gaze, he met her eyes.

Gwen quickly turned away.

Victor, seeing her avert her gaze, continued admiring the scenery.

Upon reaching the knight order, the knights assembled for the journey were already prepared and standing in formation, awaiting orders.

As Gwen stood at the forefront, Victor was reminded of a powerful and flawless knight commander he had once seen in a game.

The same heroic presence, the same commanding aura.

Gwen, as usual, had the knights train first. Once the exercises were done, she addressed them from the platform:

“The support mage we requested has been found. Some of you may already know him.”

She stepped aside, signaling Victor to come forward.

Victor Clavenna.

In that instant, nearly every knight’s mind echoed with that name.

His notorious reputation was infamous. No self-respecting knight was unaware of it.

They all despised this villain. If they could, they’d love nothing more than to challenge him to a duel.

Yet, now that they were face-to-face with him, they found themselves hesitant.

Retracting their earlier boldness, they were suddenly reminded—he was a third-tier mage.

If he decided to kill them here, who could stop him?

Perhaps only Gwen, their knight commander, had a chance.

But rumors said Gwen was engaged to him…

The knights became even more wary of Victor.

Victor saw their respectful demeanor and, though his expression remained neutral, he was slightly disappointed.

He had anticipated some kind of dramatic confrontation—perhaps someone would challenge him, giving him the perfect excuse to crush them and establish dominance.

It seemed he had expected too much.

As a feared villain, his presence alone commanded enough authority.

Perched on Victor’s shoulder, Vega fell silent for a moment before commenting dryly.

“You were hoping for a cliché fight scene?”

“I just wanted some entertainment,” Victor admitted. “Otherwise, it’s too boring.”

After confirming the headcount, Gwen was about to announce their departure when a childish voice rang out.

“Gwen! You forgot your sword!”

A small boy, clad in armor that was slightly oversized for him, ran over while clutching a longsword.

The sword was almost as tall as he was, and its hilt blocked his vision.

As a result, he tripped over a rock and fell.

“Ah!”

The silver sword flew from his grasp, spinning straight toward Victor.

The knights were all startled—if he didn’t dodge, he could get seriously hurt!

Just as they were about to call out, Victor reached out his hand.

Was he casting magic?

“No! That sword has high magic resistance!” Gwen shouted urgently.

But Victor didn’t move.

Before everyone’s stunned eyes, he caught the sword by the blade, spun it smoothly in his grip, and pulled it back with ease.

The motion was so seamless that the entire knight order was dumbfounded.

Victor twirled the sword in his hand, making it dance effortlessly.

What the hell?

The sword of their knight commander, being toyed with in his hands?

Was he really just a mage???

Gwen stared at him, recalling their conversation that morning. With some resentment, she said:

“You can use a sword.”

Victor shrugged, expressionless.

“I’m a mage.”

Internally, he added:

A full-time mage.

Seeing the stunned expressions around him, Vega shot him a glance.

It understood.

Because… showing off was really satisfying.

Gwen snatched her sword back and ignored him. She turned to her knights and commanded:

“All knights, mount up! Move out!”