AWWEWNR Chapter 15

After returning from the tea party at Thearine’s, Hanaella, still in a foul mood, headed to the Knights’ barracks instead of going home. 

 

She wanted to see if Shia’s arm had healed, and she also wanted to discuss the continuing covenant. 

 

It wasn’t late, but the barracks were deserted. With no way of knowing where all the Knights were, Hanaella stumbled into the lair.

 

She pushed open the heavy swinging doors to reveal a series of sliding doors, the largest of which was emitting a loud noise.

 

“This is all the next Legionnaire can do?”

 

“The next Legionnaire? He got lucky and got caught.”

 

“Who says he isn’t? Who would’ve thought that, out of all the people in the world, such an unworthy one would be the next Legion Commander.”

 

“Who knows, maybe some invisible black magic force chose him to be the next Legionnaire in the first place!”

 

At that time.

 

“If we just kill him, won’t they just pick the next Legionnaire again?”

 

One of the Legionnaires’ inane remarks caused the others in the room to erupt into a frenzy.

 

“Let’s kill him!”

 

“Yes, kill him and pick a new one!”

 

“Kill him!”

 

“Go kill it! Destroy him!”

 

Listening but unable to believe what she was hearing, Hanaella sped toward the center door. 

 

There, in the middle of the vast hall, stood Shia Batanvu Fernando, wielding a small wooden sword, against a group of legionnaires who were charging at him with gleaming greatswords.

 

‘What a bunch of bastards…!’

 

Hanaella quickly pushed open the sliding doors and stepped inside, casting her dark magic. 

 

Shadow Paralysis instantly paralyzed the bodies of several Legionnaires who were charging at him with their swords. Walking briskly toward Shia, Hanaella checked the number of Legionnaires affected.

 

‘The total number of paralyzes that can be inflicted at once is eight…’

 

“Are you all right, Shia?”

 

“…!”

 

Shia, who had been staring blankly at Hanaella in astonishment, was startled when Hanaella came to stand in front of him, and he bowed his head in greeting.

 

“Greetings, little darkness of Hayden.”

 

“Meet Hayden’s little darkness!!”

 

As Shia’s greeting ended, the non-paralyzed Knights Legionnaires bowed their heads in greeting, as if in agreement. 

 

The paralyzed Legionnaires could only roll their eyes in bewilderment, unable to move.

 

“What are you doing to ‘my’ Legionnaire now?”

 

She emphasized the word ‘my’ on purpose. The Legionnaires who weren’t immobilized by Hanaella’s words shared a look of confusion.

 

‘Disarm.’ 

 

She cast a dismissal spell, and the paralyzed were released from the spell at once. 

 

Their bewilderment was short-lived, and they quickly bowed their heads to Hanaella.

 

“Greetings, Darkness of Hayden!”

 

“I ‘overheard‘ some of your conversation in passing. You seemed to be questioning the qualifications of our next Legionnaire, Sir Fer… Shia.”

 

Calling him by his first name, rather than his surname, was a deliberate way of saying that the new Lord recognized that Shia was the rightful next Legionnaire. 

 

The others glanced at each other, unable to say anything. 

 

Hanaella let out a short sigh when she saw Shia standing there, holding a small wooden sword, as if uncomfortable with the situation.

 

“It is the dark power that chooses the next Legionnaire. If my father’s dark magic pointed to Shia Batanvu Fernando, then it is only natural that Lord Shia should be the next Legionnaire. Who would question that?”

 

No one spoke in response to her words. Then a voice, identical to the one she had heard before the sliding doors opened, interrupted her.

 

“But we’ve never known the new leader, my lady.”

 

‘If we just kill him, won’t we just have to pick the next Legionnaire again?’

 

The voice was unmistakable. 

 

Hanaella stared at the voice’s owner. He looked as sharp as his voice.

 

“The Lord didn’t gather us all together to confirm it, he just told us out of the blue that the next Lord was that idiot.”

 

“So, you don’t approve of my father’s choice?”

 

“Would you recognize it if you were the next ruler?”

 

The sharp-looking one made Hanaella’s brow furrow.

 

“I… with all due respect… our lives are at stake depending on whom the next Legionnaire is, so of course I can’t easily admit it.”

 

The burly man beside him scratched his head and spoke to her.

 

“It’s supposed to be the way it’s passed down from generation to generation that the next Legionnaire is chosen by dark magic.”

 

The sharp-voiced man said, “I am well aware of that.”

 

“The dark power chose him.”

 

“We just didn’t see it.”

 

“…”

 

‘Apparently, this one thinks Lord Shia was no better than himself.’

 

Hanaella glared at him, then walked over to the legionnaires closest to her, drew a knife from a sheath at her waist, held out her left arm, and slashed her palm with it. 

 

The legionnaires’ eyes widened in surprise, and Hanaella focused her dark magic on her left palm, which dripped blood onto the floor. 

 

It was a good thing she had read in the library how to choose the next Legionnaire beforehand.

 

“Can you see my dark power?”

 

Black smoke rose from the blood on the floor and the blood that soaked their palms. 

 

Some of it appeared to be black smoke, while others were merely colorless puffs, for the higher the level of magic in the body, the darker the appearance.

 

As the legionnaires nodded, Hanaella hesitantly raised her left-hand high into the air. 

 

Instantly, the dark energy from her blood floated in the air, pausing for a moment before descending on Shia, latching onto his body and quickly absorbing it. 

 

Turning her head, Hanaella spoke to the sharp-spoken man who had been watching Shia.

 

“Everyone has seen it, now you’ll believe.”

 

Hanaella took out her handkerchief and wiped her bleeding left palm.

 

“…!”

 

“Of all these people, my dark power has chosen Lord Shia. This is proof that my father’s choice was not wrong.”

 

“…”

 

“Let no one question this in the future.”

 

“…”

 

“And Lord Shia.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“It is not for a Knight to deliberately hide his power. Do not forget that to endure this humiliation is no different from to deceive me, your next ruler.”

 

“…”

 

“Do you understand me? Do not stand for it!”

 

“Yes!”

 

Pfft—!

 

The shrill-voiced bastard laughed mockingly at Shia’s bellowed reply.

 

“I’m afraid you don’t know what you’re talking about, Hanaella, but this little guy isn’t as powerful as you think he is.”

 

“That’s right, he’s the weakest among us.”

 

“Why did the Dark Magic choose him?”

 

The sharp-toned man’s words were echoed by the other legionnaires. 

 

Hanaella stared at the man with the piercing voice. It was clear he was fomenting conflict between the Legionnaires and Shia.

 

“Hah, that’s the next Legionnaire, isn’t Lady Hanaella’s dark power unstable? At this rate, the next Knights might be doomed…”

 

An instant.

 

In an instant, Shia’s wooden sword was pointed at the man’s throat. 

 

A thick, inky dark shadow emanated from it, enveloping the man’s neck, legs, and arms. 

 

For the first time, seeing the dark magic wielded by the Knights, Hanaella’s eyes sparkled.

 

“Disrespect to the next ruler is unforgivable, Vern.”

 

The legionnaires and the sharp-tongued man they called ‘Vern’ widened their eyes as if they had never seen such power of Shia before. 

 

Vern, struggling to free himself from the dark ropes, cackled in surrender as they tightened more and more around his neck.

 

“Cackle, ah, yeah, I got it, I surrender, I surrender!”

 

With that, Shia retracted the wooden sword she had pointed at him, and as the dark shadow from the sword disappeared, Vern was thrown to the ground. 

 

Gritting his teeth at the fact that Shia, of all people, had humiliated him like this, Vern drew his sword and lunged at Shia. 

 

Shia quickly raised his wooden sword and parried the blow.

 

“You, you blocked…? You didn’t dodge…? Uh, how?”

 

As Vern looked on in disbelief, Shia sighed and said, “I endured it because the commander of the Legion said it was natural to endure it.”

 

“…!”

 

“But the next Lord has told me not to put up with it.”

 

Clunk!

 

Shia’s wooden sword sliced Vern’s greatsword in half.

 

“So I won’t hold back anymore.”

 

‘A wooden sword slices a real sword in half!’ 

 

Vern and the legionnaires went white with disbelief. Hanaella glared at Shia. 

 

She suddenly wondered how he could have led the Knights when he hadn’t been given a fraction of her power.

 

“So… what brings you here? The Lord has called away the Legionnaire.”

 

Shia asked as he strutted over to Hanaella. 

 

Looking away from the handsome face that was suddenly so close to her, Hanaella replied that she had only stopped by for a moment, not wanting to go straight home.

 

“Well then, go about your business. I’ll go for a walk.”

 

“I’ll take you.”

 

“What? You’re coming with me?”

 

“Yes, I’ll take you.”

 

Compared to the flustered Hanaella, Shia opened the sliding door without a change in expression and waited for her.