ODKO | Chapter 10

Cayenne, his blade pressed just beneath Jack’s chin in a silent threat, cast a sideways glance at him.

In that brief moment, their gazes met—sharp blue eyes locking onto Jack’s, filled with unspoken interrogation.

It was a look that clearly blamed the disgraceful lack of discipline among the so-called honorable knights stationed in the Capital City.

“Uh, well… the guys are a bit out of it from overwork…”

How he had suddenly appeared here, how he managed to press a blade to Jack’s throat without making a sound—none of that mattered.

Jack was too busy scrambling for excuses, trying to justify his subordinates’ blatant insubordination. Sooner or later, the blame would land squarely on his shoulders.

If he had just said his name, everyone would have known who he was. But instead, with shameless ease, he had thrown out:

“Would you know if I told you?”

Looking at that face, who in their right mind would imagine he was the new Knight Commander?

Technically, Cayenne did bear some responsibility for the soldiers’ rampage. But Jack, someone deeply versed in the skewed hierarchy of the military, knew better than to question his superior’s accountability.

So instead, he just stood there, restless, not knowing what to do.

At this point, it almost felt like Cayenne was deliberately trying to set him up.

“Of course, if you’re just cutting down the baby snakes coming out of the Viper’s habitat, it’ll never end.”

Whether Cayenne was aware of Jack’s thoughts or not, he scoffed coldly at his desperate excuses. Jack’s furrowed brow seemed to relax for a moment—only to crumple again.

“Viper habitat… you say?”

“Don’t you know what a Viper is? It’s a monster born from the tainted energy of land abandoned by spirits.”

”…Ah?”

Now that he heard it, it did sound familiar—something he had learned during training. Jack blinked as fragmented knowledge flashed through his mind.

Cayenne, catching his confused expression, narrowed his eyes, his face growing even colder.

“What have you been doing all this time without even knowing that? Have you just been wasting time thinking about nonsense?”

“Why do you speak so harshly? I do know what a Viper is. As you said, it’s a monster born from tainted land, with its main body hiding deep underground in the form of a massive snake while it sends its young to the surface to lure and devour prey.”

As Jack dredged up his distant memories about the Viper, Cayenne’s sharp expression finally eased.

“You’re not a complete idiot, then.”

”…But is that really a Viper?”

It was his first time seeing one in person. No wonder he hadn’t recognized it.

“Yeah, first time seeing one?”

Cayenne asked as he withdrew the blade from Jack’s neck.

Jack could only nod dumbly, up and down.

Clicking his tongue, Cayenne sheathed the well-honed blade with an air of dissatisfaction.

“You’re like a greenhouse flower. No wonder the White Knights are furious—calling the Red Knights Repelz nothing more than a bunch of fake knights who just push pens.”

”…Uh, Squad Leader?”

The soldiers, who had been listening in on the conversation, finally felt the ominous shift in the air. Their voices trembled as realization dawned.

”…Who is that person…?”

The soldier’s expression shifted in an instant.

Cayenne was no longer just “that pale civilian.”

He had officially become “that person.”

A clear sense of disbelief filled the soldier’s face, and Jack felt a strange familiarity in that look.

Ah, right.

It was none other than the exact same expression he had worn in that tiny servant’s storeroom inside the castle.

Jack held back the urge to click his tongue in sympathy and instead widened his eyes, putting on an innocent, doe-like expression.

His face all but spelled it out—Yes, that unbelievable thing is true.

The blood drained from the soldiers’ faces in an instant.

“C-c-c-c-co…?”

Just like Jack had moments ago, the soldiers struggled to force out the word “Commander?!” but only managed to stammer like children learning to speak.

Some of those who had spoken the harshest words turned deathly pale, covering their mouths with both hands as if hoping to swallow back their past mistakes.

“Yeah, it’s your Commander.”

“Salute! Apologies for the disrespect!”

The soldiers, finally realizing Cayenne’s identity, belatedly adjusted their posture and stood at attention with fists to their chests, their faces pale. Watching the soldiers’ confused faces, Jack shared in their pain of mutual suffering. However, Cayenne surprisingly didn’t seem to have any intention of questioning the soldiers’ rudeness. He chuckled lightly, planted his sheathed sword into the ground, and stood up.

“Alright, let’s get down to sorting out the situation.”

From the small hill Jack had been occupying, Cayenne dusted off his hands. No one had any idea what he was planning to do. Jack and the soldiers could only watch in a daze at the unexpected actions of the Commander.

“Small fry, retreat 30 steps from your positions.”

“Yes?”

The soldiers, still not having recovered from their confusion, asked blankly at Cayenne’s order. Cayenne frowned at their undisciplined behavior.

“What? Yes?”

“Sorry, we’ll correct it!”

The soldiers were startled by the sharp gaze and overflowing charisma that was clearly visible even from a distance. As the soldiers who received the order quickly retreated 30 steps, Cayenne’s expression finally relaxed. Jack, who had been observing, also tried to sneak back, but Cayenne held him in place with his gaze.

“Squad Leader, stay put. Are you a small fry?”

“Oh, I’m not?”

“……”

Jack, who had naturally assumed that by the Commander’s standards, a Squad Leader would be considered a small fry, was delighted. He felt oddly pleased at being recognized for something so trivial. Watching Jack, Cayenne shot him a merciless look that said ‘idiot.’

“You have something else to do, so stay there.”

“Understood.”

Jack beamed. Regardless of Cayenne’s disdainful look, he was quite excited to be recognized as an exception by the Commander.

Then, Cayenne took something out of his combat uniform pocket. It was a small stone, about the size of a child’s fist. Jack immediately recognized it as something imbued with magic. However, he couldn’t tell what kind of power it held or what it was for.

“What is that?”

“A fire magic stone.”

Cayenne readily answered Jack’s question. Still, Jack couldn’t figure out what Cayenne was planning and just blinked.

“Things deep underground are blind and sensitive to vibrations. I’m going to lure out the Viper’s main body.”

Without being asked further, Cayenne tersely explained, understanding Jack’s curiosity. Ah, Jack silently exclaimed at the clear explanation.

“Everyone, prepare for battle. Be ready for the monster’s appearance.”

Though he didn’t seem to be speaking with much force, Cayenne’s voice was clear and well-heard even by the soldiers who had retreated 30 steps away. The soldier at the farthest end adjusted his grip on his sword and took a stance at Cayenne’s command. Jack was inwardly impressed by the seamless command from someone whose beautiful and neat appearance seemed more suited to the Imperial Castle’s banquet hall than a monster’s habitat.

The Madison family was a prestigious family known by everyone in the Empire. The first head of the Madison family was one of the five heroes who helped the Emperor establish the Empire, and even after the Empire’s founding, they were a famous knight family that produced the Emperor’s personal guards for generations.

Given that the young Commander came from such a prestigious family, Jack had expected him to be more of a figurehead like Rick Wyatt rather than a skilled leader, but it was completely unexpected. Jack felt a surge of some unknown emotion welling up from deep within his chest, and he looked at Cayenne’s profile with a somewhat enchanted expression. His straight nose and deep eyes were still as beautiful as ever. To have such outstanding abilities on top of that face, he was truly a heaven-sent Omega.

“Here we go.”

So Jack didn’t even realize that Cayenne had a fire magic stone in one hand and a sword in the other. When he snapped back to reality at Cayenne’s voice and looked at him again, Cayenne was tossing and catching the fire magic stone like a child playing with a ball. Once their eyes met and he confirmed that they were ready, Cayenne tossed the magic stone higher instead of lower. Jack reflexively watched the magic stone rise into the air.

Clang!

The next moment, a crisp sound echoed. Cayenne had struck the magic stone, which had reached its peak and was falling, with his sheathed sword. It was only natural that everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What the heck!!??”

“Commander, are you crazy…??!!”

The soldiers and Jack screamed in unison. Striking that hard magic stone with a precious sword, which was like a knight’s lifeline, was an insane act that their normal professional mindset couldn’t even imagine.

The swing was so clean that the magic stone, hit perfectly, flew far away in a large arc. Cayenne watched the trajectory of the flying magic stone with satisfaction, as if congratulating himself with an “Oh.” If it weren’t for the fact that he hit it with a sword, Jack would have clapped and said, “Nice shot, Commander!”

“The sword, the sword, the sword will get damaged!”

“You can just get a new one, what’s the big deal?”

To Jack, who was shouting in shock, Cayenne replied with a leisurely tone befitting someone from a golden spoon background. Wow… Jack was dumbfounded. Indeed, the difference in status and innate wealth was an insurmountable wall. Ordinary soldiers or knights with modest titles had to spend a long time saving their salaries to get a decent sword.