"Whoa."
It was an act that made them momentarily forget their dignity, but no one could blame them. The sight was truly astonishing.
Next was water. Yuder shifted the energy surrounding the sword. The fire melted away, and in an instant, a swirling stream of water wrapped around the entire blade.
A sound reminiscent of a faint whirlwind echoed throughout the room.
Holding the sword, Yuder swung it around several times before slowly advancing.
"I'll demonstrate just this much to prove that it's real water. Does anyone want to touch it?"
Yuder watched as the examiners hesitated, torn between preserving their dignity and their fear. People are always afraid of what they haven't seen before.
They might have encountered swordmasters who envelop their blades with energy or archmages who wield elemental magic, but when the two were combined, even something familiar suddenly seemed strange.
The examiners were all speechless. No one dared to volunteer. Just as Yuder was about to withdraw the sword, the examiner seated at the far right spoke up for the first time. He was the man with the magically altered face.
"If no one else will, I'll do it."
"No, you mustn't. Your...!"
In that instant, the deputy commander of the Imperial Knights cried out in alarm but quickly closed his mouth.
'Hmm. It seems my guess was correct.'
Although the deputy commander had barely managed to restrain himself from revealing the examiner's identity, his reaction only served to further confirm Yuder's suspicions.
"It's okay, don't worry. I'm 'that one,' aren't I?"
The examiner seated at the far right grinned at the person trying to stop him, looking completely at ease.
If someone other than Yuder had been present, they might have been unable to guess why this examiner seemed so unconcerned.
The deputy commander of the Imperial Knights appeared to want to say something, but in the end, he just sighed and lowered his head.
"Please, do as you wish."
"Well, I intend to. Something interesting has finally come along, hasn't it?"
The man who fearlessly reached out to touch the water-encased sword and the one trying to stop him might have seemed insignificant if not for the fact that one of them was the deputy commander of the Imperial Knights. For those who knew, the situation held a different meaning.
The Imperial Knights were mostly composed of high-ranking nobles. Only those born into families that had served the imperial family for generations and had practiced diligently with the sword since childhood could pass the difficult exams and ascend to the highest ranks.
Naturally, promotions only occurred when one demonstrated both skill and noble lineage. To have risen to the rank of deputy commander in the Imperial Knights meant the person came from a family of at least the rank of count.
So, who was the one person before whom these individuals bowed and retreated? The answer was simple. It was a member of the royal family, the bloodline of the Sun God, who were said to be born with the power of light.
Royals were born with striking appearances: golden hair like sunlight and red eyes. The examiner before him must have used magic to disguise his appearance and hide these distinctive features.
In the world, there existed a transformative magic designed for such situations. It was, of course, a very difficult magic, so it was rare to encounter someone who had successfully altered their appearance using it. However, Yuder had once known a member of the royal family who could freely wield that magic.
That mysterious royal, who frequently changed his appearance—Yuder didn't know all of his disguises, but he was certain of a few. One of them looked exactly like the examiner standing before him.
'If I hadn't seen that face before, it would have been difficult to guess, no matter who I was. It's been a long time, but this magic is as sophisticated as ever.'
That person was none other than Yuder's predecessor, the first commander of the Cavalry, Duke of Peletta, Kishiar La Orr.
Among the numerous charges Yuder faced just before his execution, one was the charge of killing him. The case of the Duke of Peletta's murder had long been one of the biggest suspicions surrounding Yuder. It was also the only burden he had left on his own conscience.
That's because Yuder was indeed the one who had taken his life. It was the first mission he had carried out upon receiving the emperor's secret order...
To think he would meet the man he had killed so soon again. He had anticipated that joining the Cavalry would mean facing him first, but he never imagined he would be here as one of the examiners.
Suppressing his complicated feelings, Yuder offered his sword to the man who had risen from his seat.
"Please touch only the water surrounding the blade, not the blade itself."
Though he spoke politely, his tone carried an undercurrent of arrogance, a consequence of his efforts to suppress his emotions. The examiner seemed to pick up on this as well, shooting him a look that seemed to say, "What kind of crazy thing is this commoner doing?" But Yuder stood unabashed.
If the man Yuder knew was indeed him, he wouldn't get angry at this level. If anything, he might find it amusing...
"Hahaha. How interesting."
Yes, just like that.
As Yuder felt an odd sensation, the man reached out without hesitation. Yuder hadn't noticed it while the man was sitting, but once he stood up straight, he was taller than anyone else in the room.
While transformative magic could change one's facial features, it was difficult to alter one's physique. Yuder became more confident in his guess about the man's true identity.
Despite his size, the man's movements were not sluggish in the slightest; they were surprisingly leisurely and elegant. Even with a sword as large as Yuder's, it looked like a toy in comparison.
The moment the man's fingers touched the stream of water swirling around the sword, the examiners collectively shuddered.
"..."
The water that touched his hand rippled like ordinary water, splashing forcefully in all directions. It quickly stained both Yuder's face and the man's hand and clothes.
"It's real water."
"As I said."
"How dare you...!"
One of the examiners couldn't hold back from blurting out, unable to bear listening to Yuder's words. The man in front of him raised a hand and squinted, prompting the examiner to quickly close his mouth. Yuder looked directly into the eyes of the man, who seemed to find him interesting as he looked down at him.
Red pupils, like genuine jewels, hidden behind a mask of ordinariness.
The sight of those red eyes, which he thought he had eradicated forever with his own hands, shining vividly before him, felt both unfamiliar and strange. Had he felt this way when he first saw him in the past? He wasn't sure. He couldn't remember.
"Interesting. Impressive ability. Fearless too, considering your power."
"Would I fail if I had no fear?"
Yuder ignored the man's words, speaking only what was necessary. The man listened, then gently smiled, the corners of his lips curling upward.
"No, of course not. We can't afford to miss out on talent like yours."
"Thank you."
Yuder withdrew his energy from the sword. Now, all that remained was to head to the lodging where the successful candidates would stay.
"Number 423."
Just before exiting through the door, someone called out to Yuder from behind. It was the man with the red eyes, still smiling.
"I'll remember you. See you again."
Of course, they would meet again. After all, He was now the commander.
Yuder felt a pang of regret for not responding to the man's words as he pushed the door open and stepped outside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The number of Awakeners who passed the first-ever recruitment after the establishment of the Cavalry was 330. It was a remarkably large number, but this was expected since it was the first recruitment.
During this initial round, they still didn't know how to classify those who had awakened their powers or what kind of people were needed for the Cavalry. Information about the Awakeners themselves was also woefully inadequate.
However, as more information was gathered and they learned through trial and error, the number of successful candidates significantly decreased from the second recruitment onwards.
Eventually, even though they had established a system for continuous recruitment and testing of specialized personnel, the number of successful candidates dwindled to the point where not even one person passed in a month.
But all of that was a matter for the distant future. The faces of the first successful candidates were a mix of joy and nervousness as they gathered in the huge indoor training arena—the only place large enough to accommodate a group of 330 people at once.
"The commander will be here soon. Everyone, maintain your formation and stand at attention."
Managing them were not the Awakeners but the Imperial Knights. As a newly formed group with no established structure, it couldn't be helped.
The knights couldn't resist casting disdainful glances at the assembled Cavalry members. In their eyes, the Awakeners were nothing more than mysterious, lowly people of unclear identity.
Most of the newly accepted Cavalry members were intimidated by those glares, but there were also brave ones who brushed them off with a snicker.
"Look at those gazes. They'd die instantly if I waved my hand."
"Right? They look like they'd keel over after just five blows from my sword, yet they act all superior because they're nobles."
"Weak and repulsive."
"They don't know their place."
The blue-haired man and woman whispered so loudly that it seemed as if they wanted the others to hear. The stern-faced knight holding his spear turned beet red. He gritted his teeth but couldn't say anything due to the situation.
Seeing this, the new members who had been intimidated regained some of their confidence. It was a scene Yuder had witnessed in the past.
'Hinn and Finn. They were quite famous.'
The blue-haired twins were distinctive for their rumored ancestry, which included fairy blood from their family lineage. They possessed exceptional beauty and remarkable abilities, but their overly unrestrained personalities earned them the dislike of their superiors.
Eventually, they were said to have left the Cavalry after only a few years and returned to their hometown.
Contrary to their delicate appearance, as if they couldn't even pluck a flower, they possessed an impressive physical enhancement ability that left a lasting impression on Yuder's memory.