When I opened my eyes, I was greeted with a piece of unexpected news. The boy that Rakuhata guy had knocked out during the exam wasn't killed after all. A relief, I suppose. But as it turned out, that wasn't even the real surprise waiting for me.
As I was preparing to leave, a man—dressed in the unmistakable insignia of the Knight's Commission—approached me. He looked official, standing tall with a clipboard in hand. "Ria Saito," he said, his voice firm but formal, "you passed the entrance exam. You were the third-to-last person to leave the ring."
What? Passed? Third-to-last? My head spun trying to process it all. But before I could even think of what to say, the man continued. "The Knight's Commission sent me to inform you. Please attend the Knights' Inauguration Ceremony this evening. Do not miss it."
And with that, he turned and left, leaving me to digest the news in silence.
---
When evening came, I made my way to the Inauguration Hall. The grand building loomed before me, its towering spires and stained-glass windows shining faintly under the light of the setting sun. It was a sight to behold, but my mind was elsewhere. Thalia still hadn't returned from her mission. I had been hoping she would be here to congratulate me, but no such luck.
The hall was packed when I entered. Rows upon rows of seats filled with spectators and candidates, all buzzing with anticipation. It wasn't long before a man—clearly someone important—stepped forward onto the stage. His presence was commanding, and as soon as he began speaking, the room fell silent.
His speech was about the Knights of the Tàh—their founding, their purpose, their duty to protect the citizens and the Kingdom. It was grand, inspiring, and maybe just a little intimidating. But before I could get lost in the grandeur of it all, the ceremony took a more personal turn.
"And now," the man declared, his voice ringing through the hall, "we call on our War Knights."
The names were called one by one. "Matiho Sahara. Denishi Riseki. Sugasuchi Isorumi."
Sugasuchi? My ears perked up at the name. Wasn't that the guy I beat the crap out of during the exam? It seemed strange to see his name here, but then again, this wasn't about winning or losing. It was about skill, potential, and how well we displayed it. Maybe I should've expected it.
The three of them stepped forward to receive their uniforms. I'd read about knight uniforms in manga back in my old realm, but these were different. Sleek, dignified, and carrying an air of authority.
Then came the moment we'd all been waiting for. "Now," the man announced, "it's time for the Knights of the Tàh to step forward. We will only select three people, so please come forward if we call your name."
The room tensed as everyone held their breath. The first name was called: "Rakuhata Nagahi."
Rakuhata strutted forward, his usual smugness on full display. He looked my way and scowled, but I managed to keep my composure. I wasn't going to let him get under my skin.
The second name: "Tateshi Binjigoro."
A tall, grim-looking guy stepped forward. He didn't say much, but his presence was imposing.
And then, the third name: "Ria Saito."
Wait. Me? My heart skipped a beat. The applause erupted as I stepped forward, my steps shaky but steady enough. I could feel Rakuhata's glare on me, but I ignored it. This was my moment.
The man on stage wasn't done, though. Just as he was about to continue, someone whispered in his ear. His expression changed slightly, and he addressed the crowd again. "There has been a recent development. We will promote four people, not three."
The murmurs began almost immediately. Four? That wasn't planned. Who was the fourth? The answer came soon enough.
The doors at the back of the hall opened, and a figure emerged. He was dressed entirely in white, from head to toe, with hair as pale as snow and a blindfold covering both eyes. His presence was... otherworldly, like he didn't belong in the same space as the rest of us.
"Kai Kaminokari," the man on stage announced.
The room fell silent. Completely silent. You could hear a pin drop. Even the air felt heavier as everyone's gaze turned toward the new arrival. Rakuhata, however, didn't seem to take it well.
"What crap is this?" Rakuhata's voice broke the silence, his tone dripping with indignation. "Why did I, someone with noble blood, take part in this exam, only for someone from a branch family to overtake me?"
He didn't stop there. "Hey, you!" Rakuhata shouted, his voice rising as he pointed at Kai. "I'm talking to you!"
Kai didn't respond. He simply walked forward, collected his uniform, and turned to leave. His movements were calm, deliberate, and entirely unbothered by Rakuhata's outburst.
That only seemed to enrage Rakuhata further. "You think you can ignore me?" he yelled, reaching out to grab Kai by the shoulder.
What happened next was almost too fast to follow. A cry of pain echoed through the hall as Kai twisted Rakuhata's arm with a single movement. The noble boy stumbled back, clutching his broken arm in shock.
"You'll pay for this!" Rakuhata spat, his voice shaking with both anger and pain. "This is my strongest technique yet! I didn't use it in the match because I hadn't perfected it, but now you'll taste my wrath!"
He stepped forward, his body suddenly glowing with a golden hue. "Gold Technique: Golden Apex!" he roared. His entire body transformed, shimmering like molten gold. He gathered all that energy into his fingertips and launched it toward Kai in a blinding flash.
For a moment, I thought it was over. No one could survive an attack like that, right?
But Kai didn't even flinch. With a single motion, he raised his hand, and a gust of wind—no, something more than wind—rose up to meet the attack. The golden energy dispersed as if it were nothing, leaving the room in stunned silence once more.
Rakuhata fell to his knees, his expression a mix of disbelief and rage. Kai, on the other hand, didn't say a word. He simply turned and walked away, leaving the rest of us to make sense of what had just happened.
And as I stood there, watching the scene unfold, I couldn't help but wonder... just who was this Kai Kaminokari?
Before anyone could react, everything escalated in an instant.
With nothing more than a casual swing of his hand, Kai Kaminokari sent Rakuhata flying. No, not just flying—he went straight through the roof of the hall. The loud crash of shattered wood and stone echoed, and everyone craned their necks upward, watching as Rakuhata's body disappeared into the sky like some kind of twisted firework.
For a moment, there was silence. Only the faint creak of the broken ceiling remained. But then, faintly at first, we began to hear it—a sound carried down from above. It started soft, almost inaudible, but grew louder and louder with each passing second.
A scream.
And not just any scream. This wasn't the arrogant, rage-filled shouting Rakuhata had been doing earlier. No, this was something raw. A primal, gut-wrenching scream of fear. The kind of scream you let out when you realized your life was about to end.
"Master Kai, please!" the moderator called out, his voice frantic. He looked like he was on the verge of panic. "Master Kai, you need to help him!" But Kai didn't so much as flinch. He just stood there, his back to the moderator, completely calm and unmoving.
"Master Kai, please! Please, Master Kai, I'm begging you!" The moderator's voice cracked as he dropped to his knees, practically pleading now.
Still, Kai didn't move.
By now, Rakuhata's screams were deafening, and his descent became visible. He was plummeting back down toward the ground at an alarming speed, flailing helplessly in the air. If no one intervened, he would hit the ground in a matter of seconds.
And then, just as Rakuhata was about to meet his untimely end, Kai moved. With a flick of his wrist, as effortlessly as one might brush away a speck of dust, he stopped Rakuhata midair. The falling boy hung suspended, his body dangling by a single hair strand—literally. Kai had somehow grabbed hold of a strand of Rakuhata's hair, holding him in place like a puppet on a string.
The entire room froze. No one dared to move, let alone speak. We all knew it—if Kai had been even one second later, Rakuhata would have died. Flat-out splattered across the ground.
But Kai didn't seem to care. His face was unreadable, his blindfold hiding even the faintest glimmer of emotion. Without a word, he lowered Rakuhata down until he was close enough to the ground to drop safely. Rakuhata hit the floor with a small, barely audible thud.
For a moment, no one said anything. All eyes were on Rakuhata. His body was trembling, his face pale as a ghost. And then, someone noticed it—a damp patch spreading across the groin of his pants. He had wet himself. Out of fear.
Kai, though? He didn't even glance back. He didn't gloat, didn't mock, didn't even acknowledge what had just happened. He simply turned and began walking back toward the exit, his white robes trailing behind him like a ghost in the night.
Rakuhata, on the other hand, bolted. He scrambled to his feet and ran, his earlier arrogance completely shattered. He didn't even stop to grab his knight uniform. He just wanted to get as far away from Kai as possible.
As the door closed behind Kai, the silence in the room lingered. No one dared to speak. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
Who was this Kai Kaminokari?
I didn't know. None of us did. But one thing was undeniably clear: if Kai had participated in the entrance exam, we all would've lost. It wouldn't have even been a competition.
---
By the time the ceremony ended, the sun had long since set, and the moon hung high in the sky. I was exhausted—not just physically, but mentally. Everything that had happened today had left me completely drained.
Since it was already so late, I decided to stay in the lodge provided for the knights. The building was simple but comfortable, with warm lighting and soft beds that practically called out to me. I made my way to my assigned room, dropping my things onto the small table near the bed.
As I sat down, though, my thoughts drifted to Thalia. She still wasn't back. I had been hoping to see her tonight, to tell her that I'd made it—that I'd become a Knight of the Tàh. But she wasn't here.
I sighed, leaning back against the bedframe. "I'll find a way to tell her," I muttered to myself, closing my eyes. "Somehow."
With that thought, I let the exhaustion take over and fell into a deep sleep.