ODKO | Chapter 24

Benjamin, clutching his tingling arm, hung his head in embarrassment. Cayenne clicked his tongue and scanned the people surrounding the training ground. The members, who had witnessed the shocking sight of the training captain kneeling in just two moves, began to slowly back away under Cayenne’s sharp gaze.

“Anyone else want to challenge my opinion with their skills?”

Even as the distance between him and the members grew, Cayenne rested his sword on his shoulder, looking for a sparring partner. The exchange of glances stirred the air of the training ground. Despite wanting to spar with the overwhelming commander of the knights, the atmosphere was such that no one dared to step forward easily.

“May I learn a thing or two?”

It was the Deputy Commander, Miles, who had previously suggested the wooden sword, who bravely stepped forward. Having watched the spar with Benjamin, his gaze towards Cayenne had subtly changed. Cayenne twisted his lips into a smile.

“Sure.”

The second spar began immediately.

Having confirmed the skills of the new knight commander with his own eyes, Miles didn’t hesitate like Benjamin. He drew his sword and readied himself to move at any moment. Cayenne, showing a willing demeanor, gripped the sword handle but didn’t draw it hastily. Seeing this, Miles’ expression turned resolute.

The rare sight of a duel between the commander and the deputy commander quickly heated up the atmosphere of the training ground. The surroundings, which had been deathly silent during the training captain’s overwhelming defeat, were now noisy with excited chatter and exclamations.

The only one with a troubled expression was Jack Carlson, watching the situation from outside the training ground.

Clang!

A sharp clash echoed. It was a level of intensity different from when he faced Benjamin. Cayenne’s eyebrows quivered with interest as he blocked Miles’ sword with the scabbard. Miles was desperate to put his all into it, faced with Cayenne’s arrogant attitude that he didn’t even need to draw his sword. The sword clashed and bounced off, leading to a second attack. Those with dull eyes couldn’t even properly grasp Miles’ attack due to its speed.

“Seems like the deputy commander didn’t get there by slacking off?”

However, Cayenne, leisurely dodging the speedy attacks, provocatively spoke. Miles pulled up the corners of his mouth.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Before the words were finished, a third attack followed. Miles’ sword, diving towards Cayenne, sliced through the air with a metallic sound. From left to right, from above diagonally, Miles’ sword scattered elegant sword light, but Cayenne blocked all the attacks without making big movements, leaving no gaps. Exclamations burst out at the rare level of sparring.

Jack just watched the dazzling trajectory of the sword with a serious expression.

Indeed, the Madison family wasn’t just called the Empire’s top knightly house for nothing. Jack clearly remembered how high Cayenne’s accuracy was with a bow when capturing the Viper. The archery skills were just an additional talent; Cayenne’s swordplay was almost at a miraculous level.

Thinking he might really die if he made a wrong move, Jack felt both anxious and curious. Was last night’s poor condition something he could just dismiss? Why did the commander, who seemed to have no match within the knights, have to return to the capital from the border? His mind was very complicated.

Is it really okay to leave him like this?

Just as Jack was mulling over his uneasy premonition for the third time, Cayenne drew his sword. The training ground was filled with a sharper, more piercing metallic sound than before. Jack couldn’t help but frown. The increasingly loud cheers from the members meant that the duel between the commander and the deputy commander was getting more intense. The flashing sword light that sparked with each clash was extraordinary. Even as a knight himself, Jack knew how unpleasant it was to have an external intervention lead to a draw during a spar, but he decided it was necessary to intervene.

If he overexerted himself and suddenly his condition dropped like yesterday, it could lead to a big accident.

Just as Jack was about to stop watching and intervene in the middle of the training ground, clang! With a chilling sound, Miles’ sword flew up into the air. The sword, scattering a dangerous light, landed on the dirt ground. Unable to withstand Cayenne’s attack, Miles had dropped his sword.

Before Jack could intervene, the spar ended like that. Miles clicked his tongue in genuine regret. Applause erupted from around them.

Good. Jack was relieved. Now was the perfect opportunity to stop Cayenne.

“I want to learn a thing or two as well!”

“Can I challenge too?”

Just as Jack was about to step forward, the knights who had watched the duels with the deputy commander and training captain excitedly raised their hands here and there. Because they always sparred with the same opponents, the appearance of a new face with overwhelming skills made their eyes shine with eagerness. Caught in the noisy chaos, Jack was momentarily flustered and looked around.

“Secretary, how about you have a go too?”

Facing so many opponents would be exhausting no matter how good his stamina was. This was troublesome… Cayenne pointed his sword tip directly at Jack.

“…Huh? No, I…”

With the training captain and deputy commander unable to lay a finger on him, it was obvious that challenging him would be futile. Of course, the other knights reaching out knew this too. It was merely a spirit of challenge to test their skills against someone strong.

Naturally, Jack had such a spirit too, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like doing it against Cayenne.

“That’s not it…”

“Come on.”

Jack tried to escape the situation with a gentle smile. However, Cayenne didn’t listen to his voice and pointed at the sword at Jack’s waist.

The smile that had appeared on Jack’s face slowly faded. It was then that he realized Cayenne had deliberately chosen him. That meant there was no way out of this situation.

Barely swallowing a sigh, Jack reluctantly drew his sword. Knowing that the sparring partner was decided, the members stepped back to make space, waiting for their turn. The sound of them retreating was annoyingly clear. He thought someone should intervene, but Jack shook his head. Since he had stepped forward out of concern for Cayenne’s stamina, perhaps it was fortunate that he was the next in line.

“If you don’t come, I’ll start first.”

Unlike before, where he had cautiously given the first attack, Cayenne spoke mercilessly. Jack, who had intended to stall for time, unconsciously hardened his expression with resentment. Cayenne was trying to appear as plain as possible, but Jack could tell.

That guy is definitely enjoying this.

Having no choice, Jack raised his sword, and at that moment, a sharp killing intent poured directly at him. Jack instinctively raised his sword vertically to block.

Clang!

The familiar sound of a clash exploded in his ears, and Jack swallowed a groan. The power of the attack, which he had only watched with his eyes, was on a completely different level when faced directly.

“Oh, you can withstand it?”

Cayenne didn’t continue the attack but pushed in with a test of strength. The small whispering voice slightly turned Jack’s reluctant heart. The enjoyment was blatantly obvious. Feeling annoyed, Jack furrowed his brow and pushed back against Cayenne’s sword with all his might. From the way Cayenne easily gave way, Jack quickly realized. He might not know about technique, but he had a bit more strength.

“Why are you doing this?”

Jack seized a moment to ask, but there was no answer. The second attack followed. The moment he sensed it coming, his knee burned. He hurriedly retreated, narrowly avoiding Cayenne’s sword slicing horizontally through the air below.

He dodged. Before he could feel relieved, the horizontal slash, not yet completed, twisted mid-motion and struck diagonally upward. Jack’s eyes widened as he swung his sword.

Once again, the swords clashed with a clang. To swing a sword upward mid-slash, is that even possible? Moreover, the force of the clashing swords was almost the same as the perfectly executed slashing motion. Jack, who was startled, caught sight of Cayenne’s smile.

The words about making jerky out of him if he revealed the secret might not have been just a threat. Feeling the seriousness, Jack’s spine chilled. By now, along with fear, Jack’s stubbornness also flared up.

As the swords clashed and bounced off, Jack took the offensive for the first time. It wasn’t a technique that would make Cayenne’s eyes widen, but he swung his sword down with all his might, and Cayenne easily dodged with a light movement. The distance that seemed so close yet unreachable was even more frustrating.