Evan D. Sherden. Turns Twelve (5)
"Dungeon… Knight Commander…?"
"The last Dungeon Knights Commander officially retired and dissolved the position 30 years ago. After that, there have been no Dungeon Knights in the dungeon city of Sherden until now."
"But why would the Dungeon Knights… ? Huh, huh."
Evan's declaration had puzzled many. Aside from those who did not know what the Dungeon Knights were, everyone else who knew about them could not understand his choice at all.
"He can get everything he wants while just enjoying his life only because he was born as the Marquis' son. Then there was also his phenomenal appearance and his status which has to be considered too."
"I heard rumours that Master Evan was also behind the establishment of the Brotherhood Pharmacy…"
"Is that true? If I had such a business, I would never want to become the Commander of the Dungeon Knights."
"Is he doing it for his family?… Still, the Marquis' son is just too perfect."
There were so many murmurs and whispers the whole venue buzzed with them at that time, and it was difficult to determine who had said what. However, all the noise disappeared the next moment, when the King raised one of his hands.
When the venue became quiet, the King asked while looking at the Marquis.
"Why did you make that choice? Isn't the weight of the responsibility too heavy because that would burden Evan."
"This is Evan's choice, Your Majesty."
The King and the Marquis confronted each other head-on. The Marquis was proud, but the King still looked unconvinced.
'Evan, had volunteered to be the Commander of the Dungeon Knights? Why would you allow a child who is full of wonderful abilities to enter the dungeon without hesitation?'?The King kept thinking.
"No, wait… Perhaps? He is doing this because he wants to reject my offer! You didn't have to send him on such a dangerous path!"
The King quickly realized what Evan was worried about.
Evan's ability was far greater than Eric, the firstborn of the family.
He did not want to disturb his brother's right of succession to the noble title, so he had chosen to become the Commander of the Dungeon Knights as he was worried that he would have been supported by the vassals instead of Eric!
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but you are misunderstanding. Evan was not forced to be the Dungeon Knight Commander, but chose that position himself."
The Marquis firmly denied the King's allegations. Of course, his original thoughts weren't entirely wrong. Evan didn't want to fight over the position of the Marquis with his brother.
Still, he had chosen it himself.
It didn't necessarily mean that he was running away from the responsibility. Evan, as the Marquis knew, was not a kid that ran from something. He was always ready to face everything in his path and conquered all, and he was a child with the will of steel!
"Evan, are you here?"
"Yes, Father."
Perhaps if Evan knew what the Marquis was thinking, he would have shouted,
'If I faced everything head-on, I would have already been smothered to death by the first sign of death that would have presented itself. So that's just bullshit!'
But fortunately, he didn't know that.
Evan wanted to quickly resolve this situation and run away, so he hurriedly spoke out the lines he had memorized in advance.
"I am confident that the position of the Dungeon Knight Commander was made for me, and I already have the perfect knights in mind. These are the candidates."
Evan pointed to the people behind him.
At that time, the people noticed them too. First of all, they looked at Raihan and wondered why he was there. Next, they were amazed by the outstanding beauty of Shine and Belois.
It was also quite obvious that all of them except Raihan had black hair, but no one had recognized the fact that the people whom Evan had presented as candidates for the Knights were Rookies.
"He is just 12 yet and he's already recruiting members… ?"
"No matter what you say, he is different. He did all this at the age of twelve!"
"But entering the dungeon is only possible after you've reached the age of 18, so will they have a training period in the future?"
"If you used the power of the Marquis, it was enough to raise a commoner child into a regular knight. Although it would cost a lot more money, in this way could raise loyal people."
No one could realize their true power even though they had been presented before them. Loyalty? When the Knights were usually judged, their power was all that was considered!
Evan just smiled inwardly and then stepped forward again. In fact, this was the most important part.
"Father, I am well aware that my request can be seen as a banter of a child."
"No, it is not. We all know that you have the power and courage to achieve great possibilities."
"So, I want to go right into the dungeon to prove that I deserve to lead the Dungeon Knights and that my knights also deserve to serve under me. Shine, Belois, and Raihan will go with me!"
"… What?"
'Why did he not tell me anything about this before?'
The Marquis was amazed, but Evan's will could not falter so easily.
"Can those who have never experienced a dungeon not even dare to discuss about going in one? I would like to enter the dungeon to prove that I am eligible to become the Dungeon Knights Commander! I will definitely come back with the head of the floor master on the 5th floor!"
"No, what does he mean?! Evan will eventually become the Commander of the Dungeon Knights when he reaches adulthood six years later!"
"That's why this time is even more important. At the age of twelve, he has already declared that he will become the Commander, so many will be surprised by this, and they would consider it to be stupid. They won't say it out aloud but almost all of them think like that."
"… Um, Evan… But…"
That was true. Anyway, he could only be officially given the title when he was 18 years old. What would Evan plan on doing in the remaining six years or more?
Preparations? Training? Of course, he could do all of that, but it was difficult to get the experience that way. That was why there was no point in letting go of this opportunity.
It was not only necessary to reveal it in advance so that Eric's position as a successor was solidified and that the vassals' minds were cleared, but also that Evan wanted to be the Dungeon Knights Commander because he was capable enough to be one. This was also beneficial when the interests of the Marquis were being considered.
"I will prove it myself that I can do this easily. I will also make everyone look forward to the next six years."
But Evan's thoughts were different. The Marquis was very surprised as he faced Evan's unshakable eyes.
"Sir, I can vouch for the ability of Master Evan, Raihan, Shine, and Belois."
"Commander Mikhail?"
Before the Marquis could even answer, there was someone who had stepped forward. It was Mikhail D. Aerok, head of the Ironwall Knights and one of the country's strongest warriors!
Since he had actively started entering the dungeon, his strength, which had reached its climax, had grown further, and now he had already reached a level where even the Marquis, who was on the list of the strongest, could not dare to underestimate his ability.
"They have trained with Marquis' knights over the past few years, and have overpowered the knights in all fields. There is no shortage of talent and effort on their part, so there will be no problems in clearing the 5th floor of the dungeon."
"So, now even the Knight Commander has said that. My precious son is going to enter the dungeon, and he is also just twelve years of age!"
"For them, age doesn't matter at all… If Your Excellency Permits, and Your Majesty the King permits, I will try to find a place to help them increase their strength. Our Knights are always ready to help if necessary."
"Huh, huh."
In fact, this was what Evan had asked the Knights Commander to say in advance. The Marquis couldn't just nod his head when Evan said that he wanted to enter the dungeon, so Evan mobilized the Knight Commander to do some acting.
Of course, the Knight Commander had agreed. However, the understanding of the two was a little bit conflicted on how everything would work.
'Not to mention the abilities of the Master, the growth of Raihan, Shine, and Belois is also remarkable. When they enter the dungeon for the first time, their weakness will be revealed to some extent, but if they were to go all out from the beginning, there will be no such problem.'
The Knight Commander's judgment was right, but the rest of the people also had to be convinced that he was worthy enough to go to the dungeon. That Evan and his team were strong enough.
"Well, let me see?"
"Sire?"
"The son of the Marquis is really confident in his ability, so he won't run if I ask him to show the extent of his abilities, right? So, will you prove it before my eyes?"
The condition had been laid down for the permission of the King. When the Knight Commander and Evan stared at the Marquis, he was forced to nod.
Soon, the stage was set. As the preparations had already been done beforehand, it didn't take much time to clear some duel space. Lute Girls, who had been instructed in advance, began to play songs that gave birth to a sense of urgency!
"Oh, will we get to see Master Evan's skills?"
"He is 12 years old now, what skills could he possibly have? Still, it seems that his courage is just an act to show his worth in front of his Majesty the King. If he remains patient enough, he can easily grow strong in six years."
"Hey, that beautiful face shouldn't get hurt."
The nobles were about to see Evan's real abilities, and they were really excited about it. However, all they could do right now was guess.
However, not everyone gathered here was thinking the same.
"By the way, that kid, he looks really weird. Is it just me or is it really so?"
"Actually, that appears to be the case for me too. Strange, he feels the same as when the first Knight Commander appeared and then entered the dungeon."
"Ah, yes. That's it."
"Right… It's the peculiar feeling of a person who did not enter the dungeon but still somehow managed to hone and polish his strength from the outside."
The executives of the battle guild, who were at the forefront of the dungeon attacks, were those who fought in the high levels of the dungeon every day.
That was why their ability to measure the strength of an individual was also quite developed, not as much as the Knights Commander or Bernard, but still, many of them were feeling the aura emanating from Evan to be the same as the Commanders.
"They're both powerful! What is going on there? The rest of them are slightly average compared to Evan, but their momentum is also quite clear."
"Especially that handsome man. Raihan… Didn't you say he was a guy who only excels in his ability as a priest? But why is his aura like that, like… Well, he feels like an iron wall itself."
They didn't know yet, but the peculiar feeling they were experiencing were the ones that were given by those with a higher level of existence than the lower levels. They were the feelings of those who hid their strength and power on the inside rather than just showing external impulses!
Just by detecting these, the executives had no choice but to acknowledge their abilities.
"Then, first of all, we will conduct a three-on-three battle between three Knights and Raihan Drukas, Shine and Belois. Both real swords and magic are allowed."
"Huh!"
"A real sword and magic!? But who will be using magic?"
The start signal sounded while the crowd was still astonished by the rules that had come off harsher than expected. All of the knights moved forward quickly.
They charged, but when Raihan, holding his shield, opened his eyes wide and shouted, all of them turned towards him.
"What just happened?"
"You sound stupid, but didn't you just feel it? That's the ability to force people against their will! The Guardian's protection that Raihan Drukas is famous for, didn't you know that?"
"Huh, yes. Has he raised his shield to give the Guardian's protection to the rest of the team…? Oh, that's right! Yet it's still 3 to 3!"
Those who were clever enough soon realized in which field Raihan had been training.
In the end, some had been disappointed that he couldn't overcome his limitations, while others admired that it was a good way to protect colleagues and have them trust you and have faith in you. At least that was the case with the executives of the top two battle guilds.
"Wow, it will be great if a kid with that ability comes to the front as a tanker… "
"It's a really crazy ability that is worth appreciating. Just his skills with the shield are worth watching, but… Heh, there's nothing else to see here."
Some of the people who could guess the level of his shield art just by looking at Raihan's posture soon came to see what they had expected. All of the knights who had rushed over were completely blocked by his shield and were totally frustrated.
However, before they corrected their posture and subsequently attacked again, Shine, who had been rushing quickly from their blind spot, swiftly swung two daggers, wounding the knights.
The knights seemed to be expecting this. They tried to respond, but when they rushed to activate an ability again to prevent him from attacking them properly, they found that they couldn't do it.
"It's really not an ordinary skill. I haven't heard anywhere that there is a guardian who can force people's actions like that."
"Moreover, stopping all the attacks that came his way… Huh, it's remarkable. It's astounding!"
"That little boy is also not bad. His attack was blocked, yet he attacked when the knights were entangled. He is secretly attacking their gaps. His ability to measure time and attack accordingly is truly natural!"
Shine and Raihan worked together like a cogwheel, blocking the attacks of the knights and continuously inflicting damage on them in one smooth motion.
It was a dreadful situation. To attack Shine, you had to go through Raihan, but when you attacked Raihan, you had to be alert to Shine's continuous blows!
"Wow, He's getting faster and faster. How old is that guy? How can he be so fast?"
"This guy hasn't entered the dungeon yet, right?"
It was then that the knights retreated and tried to rebuild their line and attack again, but at that moment, their legs were stuck on the ground, and they could not move.
The steel boots they were wearing were stuck on the floor of the venue as if frozen together. They somehow escaped from the influence of this magic and tried to counterattack, but they couldn't stop the flying fireball and Shine's dagger rushing towards them. Finally, they surrendered.
"The end of the duel! The winner is Raihan and the others. Is there any objection?"
At that point, the Knight Commander declared the end of the match. He dared to affirm that it was a complete defeat of the knights. Although they did not have any murderous intentions, they did fight thoroughly to win, but they still lost.
Of course, as these were the knights who already knew the weaknesses of Shine and Belois, the results would have been quite different if they had taken the defensive posture from the beginning, which would have led them to an even prolonged battle.
But, even the knights weren't conscious enough to be able to do that on this occasion.
"We lost. Eventually, after all that time, we couldn't even break through Raihan's shield even once…"
"Raihan had already been training for a long time. I'm more surprised by Shine though. Oh my God. I was thinking of clearing my mind to attack and then backing down quickly, but he was already one step ahead of me always. I noticed them too late."
"Uh, Ms Belois can also use this ice magic?"
It was a very short battle, but that was why it left a more intense impression on everyone.
Raihan's ability to almost unconditionally attract the attacks of others to him had been the most overwhelming thing, but his unshakable shielding skills were also quite excellent.
There was also the boy who had moved quickly in sync with him and attacked through the gaps of the knights, and the girl that had made it impossible for the enemy to win by using magic against the three knights.
Everyone was stunned.
"That was gorgeous and cool! Is this the power of the Sherdens!?"
"If I'm right, it would not be a problem for them to get to the 5th floor of the dungeon! The children I thought were just pretty turned out to be quite strong in the end."
"The difficulty may be a little different depending on who the Floor Master is, but if they already have such polished abilities, they will be able to pass it without much danger."
"Going down to the fifth floor, you also have to take your level into account. It's not that difficult, and very easy to pass. Ha, especially for these talented kids."
The nobles were admiring the surprising elements of the battle they had just witnessed, while those who had fought battles themselves were just acknowledging and admiring the essence of the battle. In particular, they noted that Raihan and the others were working together as a "team" rather than as individuals. In fact, the ability to react as a team was the most important thing while attacking the dungeon.
"It seems that Evan's qualities as a team manager are sufficient judging by his ability to put those three together…"
"This is the quality that a leader must have. I already knew that he had good thinking ability, so I can understand that to some extent… But what about his powers?"
The atmosphere in the venue was crackling with excitement due to the unexpected victory of Raihan's party. Therefore, it was natural that more attention would be paid to the battle that would decide Evan's ability as a warrior and a fighter.
Evan wasn't worried, but he still nodded as he looked at the Knight Commander, who was smiling as if to give him a sense of security. Then, he stepped forward. Everyone was paying attention to him at this moment.
"Evan, do your best!"
"Huh, the princess is supporting him… Did you know!?"
"I saw them both in the Royal City. The two of them were walking around with each other quite a lot."
Princess Serena's unnecessary cheering had increased the chatter about her! Evan actually wanted to escape, but he held back because he knew that he might not be able to enter the dungeon if he left from there.
'Fulfill your promise, fulfil your promise.'
It was Mikhail D. Airock, who was about to fight against him.
Everyone had different opinions about this, but Evan thought that the Knight Commander was the best choice.
The Knights Commander would fight him because that would help Evan make others believe in his cause. Moreover, if it was the Commander of the Knights itself attacking him, then he would be able to battle against Evan without hurting him too much…
"Now we will be able to develop as we are going together with the Master…"
"I told you not to use that tone. Rephrase that sentence."
"Yes, But I think I'm fainting… "
"Of course, you're not, you fool."
A certain group of people were whispering amongst themselves.
There was a silver-haired girl with beautiful eyes, like blue sapphire, who was also watching.
"Then let's start. The Dalian method… is bare-handed fighting."
The vice commander, who was the referee, stepped on the stage and spoke calmly.
Mikhail and Evan took the same pose immediately. They had learned the same fighting skills and had the same spirit.
"What? That posture is quite unusual."
"Is it a unique fighting technique? No way, is there something like this at all… ?"
"The battle begins!"
While the crowd was mumbling, the vice commander gave the start signal.
Both boy and man clashed with a deafening roar.