《Brand》 Prologue Prologue It was evil. That¡¯s the only thing that I can use to describe such existence standing in front of me. Scaly bleeding arms, bat-like wings with large bleeding veins, horns on the head, legs the same as a horse¡¯s, and the body is mostly covered in bloodied bony armor-like skin. However, this evil incarnate wasn¡¯t an actual evil being. After all, it wields a holy sword to eradicate Demons. Not only that, this creature was someone I know, and he is protecting me. *** ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯ll be called ¡®Axel¡¯.¡± As I look at the woman in front of me, she gives me a name that I never had before. ¡°Axel¡­¡± I repeated. ¡°Yes. Your new name will be Axel. I don¡¯t want you to live the rest of your life as a Number.¡± She said with a motherly tone. As she looks at me from the opposite side of the table, she puts an envelope with a wax seal on the table and slides it to me. ¡°Since I am your guardian, I want you to live a normal life like a normal boy would.¡± Before continuing, she lets out a dry laugh-like sigh to the side. ¡°Although I said ¡®normal¡¯, I can only send you to a military school.¡± I pick up the letter and turned it. On the other side, it reads as ¡°Clantara Holy Knights Institute.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Can you read it?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. I was taught how to read and write after I was saved by the Holy Knight Order.¡± I said with outmost respect. When I gave her that reply, she makes a gentle smile while resting her chin on her hand. ¡°I see. That¡¯s good.¡± She said while giving me a warm smile. I have a few questions, but I am in no position to ask her. After all, she is one of the people that saved me from being a slave to the demons. Making her displeased of my words is the last thing I want to do. ¡°Just like I said earlier, I want you to be a normal boy. You can ask me questions.¡± She reprimanded me lightly for being quiet. Since she has given me permission, I ask her first the most important questions I need to be answered, ¡°Why did you adopt me?¡± After asking her that, her eyes widened for a second, then closed while she makes a light chuckle. I may be wrong, but I feel like she expected me to ask this. ¡°Other than being unable to bear a child, the boy I found in that battlefield looked like the child I want to raise.¡± She said honestly. I don¡¯t know her fully yet, but I feel that there¡¯s no lie on her words. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you are in the past or now, but I do care about your future.¡± She added. ¡°A soul that tasted the fury of war will be drawn back to it no matter what. So I will raise you to make you strong.¡± While saying those, she pulls something from underneath the table. Looking at the item she placed on the table, it seems to be a bracer. ¡°Since you will be going to a Holy Knight Institute, I¡¯m expecting you to become a Holy Knight.¡± She said with a stern expression. I know and understand that she wants me to grow as someone who can be independent as a Holy Knight, but ¡°I¡¯m branded as a Demon.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She answered immediately. ¡°I¡¯m a Demon. I exist to kill people. I understand what you want me to become, but my existence is solely to kill. I am evil. I cannot be a Holy Knight.¡± I didn¡¯t want to be someone who disappoints her in the future. So even if I hate making a decision against her will, I will go against her at least only now. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± She said. Before saying anything, she stands up and walks around the table then stood behind me. When I turned towards her, she puts her palm on my chest while making a sad expression. ¡°Your Demonic powers as a Branded do not make you a demon, nor does it make you evil.¡± She then looks at me in the eyes with resolve. ¡°You may have killed some people, but you saved mine. To repay you, I will raise you to someone who would protect, not kill.¡± I wanted to say something, but her words weighed heavily on my chest and I couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°I don¡¯t want that boy I saw on a hill of corpses to forget his past, but instead, overcome it. You are not death incarnate. You¡¯re just a young man. Don¡¯t forget that.¡± As she pulls my head down to her bountiful and soft chest and pressed me against it, she caresses my hair lightly while whispering, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take care of you.¡± -will be continued- Chapter 1: Claire Elroy ¡°As your father have told you, Miss Claire, you will be sent back home the moment you have no-¡± ¡°I will become a Light Healer.¡± Cutting my maid¡¯s words, Elma, I reaffirm my objective. As the horses¡¯ hooves hitting the paved ground make sounds, it echoes inside the carriage while Elma and I wait to arrive at our destination. Right now, I am heading to a place where young men and women are taught to learn holy arts, Clantara Holy Knights Institute. That place teaches aspiring Holy Knights how to combat against the Demon Race. Although it¡¯s a place where they teach Holy Knights, they also provide teaching for healing arts for aspiring Light Healers. And my aim there is to become a Light Healer. ¡°Miss Claire, although I¡¯m in no position to say this, I don¡¯t want you to go fight in the frontlines.¡± Elma said with a concerned tone. Her words are filled with kindness and concern, I am fully aware of that. Yet her kindness irritates me due to my current situation. ¡°Are you going to be like Father, Elma?¡± I asked her. ¡°No, I mean¡ª¡± ¡°No. If I stay in that house, I¡¯ll end up like sister too. I don¡¯t want to become a political piece for his benefit.¡± I rolled my eyes to the window. Although I turned my head away from her, I could feel her moving to my side. ¡°Even so, there are other choices aside from being a Light Healer.¡± I rest my head on my arm while looking out the carriage window while ignoring Elma. Well, I intend to ignore her, but I could still hear her. Yes, she¡¯s right. There are other things I could be aside from becoming a Light Healer. However, not becoming a Light Healer would mean wasting my Gift. I want to tell her this, but this is something that I need to keep for myself. Only a handful of people know about my Gift. If this secret becomes known, there¡¯s a possibility I would endanger my life. It seems that Elma has finally given up in convincing me to turn back. She just sits there with her head hanging down. She¡¯s very unrefined for a lady who¡¯s in her mid-20s even if she¡¯s just a maid. While I look out the window, I could see vast wheat fields divided by a river. And beyond that, large mountains that touch the clouds could be seen. Legend says that this was created from an aftermath of a war against the Demon Race. Supposedly, this flat land used to be hills and the rivers were large lakes. As we continued with our travel, I notice that there¡¯s a young man walking alone on the road. He wore white clean clothes that looked familiar. His hair is purplish black so I can tell he isn¡¯t of local origin. ¡°Elma, isn¡¯t that the Institute¡¯s uniform?¡± I asked with my head out of the window.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Elma hurriedly peeks out the window to see the man I¡¯m taking about. ¡°Yes, Miss Claire. That¡¯s indeed a uniform of a Holy Knight.¡± She confirmed. As we slowly went past him, we could see that his face does indeed look like a foreigner. He must be an exchange student from another country. I suddenly realized that it was improper and rude to stare at a stranger so I pushed back Elma and returned inside the carriage. Strangely enough, the young man didn¡¯t seem to mind us. ¡°So that¡¯s what a Holy Knight in training looks like.¡± Elma said while looking impressed. ¡°He seems to be disciplined very well. He looks like a cold person with his sharp eyes though.¡± I commented. As Elma and I feel excited from seeing a student for the first time, we fall into silence once again. In that silence, I realized something. ¡°Mister, how far are we from the Institute?¡± I asked the coachman. ¡°About an hour, mistress.¡± He replied respectfully. So our destination is still roughly an hour away, we departed from a nearby town almost thirty minutes ago, and we haven¡¯t seen any buildings along the road during the duration of our travel¡­ Doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s been walking for more than an hour now!? ¡°STOP THE CARRIAGE!¡± The moment I yelled to the coachman, he pulls the reigns and the carriage stops with the horses screaming. After that, I immediately exited the carriage and stood outside. ¡°Miss Claire, what are you doing!?¡± Elma followed in a panic. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®What¡¯?¡± I retorted. ¡°That man has probably been walking for more than an hour under this hot weather. Have you not known of compassion?¡± ¡°Yes, your kindness is admirable, but we don¡¯t know who that person is!¡± she retorted. Though she tried to pull me back into the carriage, I stood my ground while waiting for the man to walk up to me. As he approaches us, for some reason, he only glanced at me for a second and then looked like he isn¡¯t stopping. When he walked past me, both Elma and I were surprised, very surprised that we stopped moving for a second. It was like he only glanced at an inanimate object and walked right past it. How insulting! ¡°WAIT A MINUTE!¡± I yelled at the man. It seems that I got his attention. He stops walking at turns his head towards us. Weirdly enough, his expression did not change like some sort of mask. ¡°Yes?¡± he said in monotone. ¡°Yes! You! Why didn¡¯t you stop walking?¡± because of what he did, I inadvertently got furious and raised my voice. He paused for a moment while making a thinking gesture. After that, he replied ¡°Why should I?¡± still in monotone voice. The way he reacts doesn¡¯t feel normal at all! Why did he even pause? Moreover, is he being sarcastic?! ¡°What do you mean ¡®Why should I?¡¯?! It¡¯s normal to react to someone who waited for you under this scorching hot sun!¡± I yelled again. Still, with a pause, he looks at me, then Elma, then the coachman while making a thinking gesture. For some reason, his gestures are more expressive than his face¡­ ¡°Oh, I see. You¡¯re trying to offer me good will by letting me ride your carriage.¡± He said with a slightly energetic tone. But was there a reason to explain it by detail? He¡¯s a weird person. Still, I¡¯m thankful that he finally realized my intention. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you finally understood.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the offer, but I can¡¯t accept since you are a stranger.¡± He immediately rejected. Just who in the world is this man!? Although I do understand what he means, he¡¯s being unreasonably dense! As he walks away, I chase after him and then blocked his path with my arms spread to the sides. ¡°Um, excuse me? I have to go some¡ª¡± ¡°I cannot let you pass without accepting my good will. Especially now that you stepped over my pride! I cannot allow it!¡± I announced. As I stood in front of him, he looks at me with a confused expression with his head titled to the side. ¡°I was told not to talk to strangers nor interact with them.¡± ¡°My name is Claire Elroy! What¡¯s your name!?¡± I don¡¯t know why, but for some reason, I feel like I couldn¡¯t leave him alone just by listening to the way he talks and react. Maybe it¡¯s just the heat getting into me. As I look at him, I can¡¯t tell what his thinking. As I stare at his dark brown eyes, they seem to be like looking directly at my soul. However, just when I was about to fall deep into those eyes, his voice shakes my eardrums as he says his name. ¡°My name is Axel.¡± -end of Chapter 1- Chapter 2: Axel Solaris It has been more than half an hour since we departed with this man named ¡®Axel¡¯. Ever since he entered the carriage, he has been quiet except after thanking me for offering my good will. At the moment, he has been sitting very still with his eyes closed. Although still, he looks more like stiff. ¡°Is he sleeping?¡± I asked Elma who is sitting beside me. ¡°It must be some kind of meditation? I don¡¯t know. Holy Knights have weird habits I suppose?¡± she replied unsurely. He has been doing this kind of ¡°meditation¡± for a while now. Although it¡¯s good that he¡¯s not causing trouble, but it¡¯s very unnerving for him not to speak. I know from the back of my mind that he¡¯s doing something. I just can¡¯t figure it out! Minutes have passed again, yet he is not showing any signs of engaging into conversations or look like he¡¯s open to one. To be honest, I¡¯m starting to get annoyed by this. ¡°Mister¡­ Axel, was it? Are you awake?¡± Elma suddenly asked. Although it was kind of out of the blue, it was a perfect chance to break the awkward silence. As he opens his eyes slowly, he says ¡°yes¡± with lazy eyes. ¡°If I may ask, where are you from? You seemed to have walked pretty far half an hour ago.¡± ¡°I had some business on the nearby town. I was waiting for someone, but they never arrived so I decided to leave.¡± After answering, he closes his eyes again like nothing noteworthy happened. He doesn¡¯t look like he cares about our presence at all! However, Elma seems to hate the silence and pressed on with another question. ¡°Was the person you were waiting a woman?¡± Because of her question, Axel suddenly moved and crosses his arms while looking like he¡¯s thinking about it. ¡°Well, the letter said that it was a woman.¡± ¡°Huh? You were supposed to be out on a date?!¡± Where did that come from, Elma!? That¡¯s just rude of you as my maid! Because of what she said, I had to pinch her side strong enough to make her twist her body in pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my maid¡¯s rudeness, Sir Axel.¡± ¡°What is a ¡®date¡¯?¡± he asked curiously. Because of his question, Elma and I froze into silence in surprise¡ªshock. I mean, it¡¯s a common knowledge among people! Why does he not know of such!? ¡°Did I say something weird?¡± Before I answered, I tried to calm my breathing and my smile from breaking from the surprise. ¡°T-that¡¯s actually a common knowledge.¡± ¡°I see. You must be a local here then since you know of it.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no. It¡¯s a common knowledge everywhere.¡± Although there¡¯s none, his cluelessness makes me imagine that there are question marks floating above his head. He looks genuinely unknown to such a simple thing. When I said it was ¡°common knowledge¡±, he holds his chin while looking genuinely thinking about it very deeply. It¡¯s nothing serious, but he seems to be thinking differently. ¡°Is this ¡®date¡¯ thing important?¡± Looking at how oblivious he is, I can see why the woman abandoned him. I admit that he doesn¡¯t look bad¡ªabove average I suppose. But his lack of facial expression would make any girl turn away from him. ¡°Well, if the other party is romantically interested, this is a major problem for you.¡± ¡°Romantically interested, like marriage?¡± he clarified. Because of what he said, I can¡¯t help but feel embarrassed and look away. ¡°W-well, they end up there quite often.¡± Although he¡¯s speaking of quite sensitive topics, he doesn¡¯t seem fazed by it at all. As a matter of fact, he seems oblivious that it¡¯s embarrassing! ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that, I have to go back to this ¡®date¡¯ you¡¯re speaking of because it might ruin someone¡¯s marriage?¡± ¡°No! I meant yours!¡± When I corrected him, he becomes confused with his eyebrows furrowed. How dense is this guy? ¡°Do you have any idea what romance is?¡± I asked him out of irritation. ¡°Unfortunately, no, I was not taught anything related to it.¡± UNBELIEVABLE! Just who is this man? How it is possible for a person to not know the concept of romance is? Just when I was about to speak, he quickly turns his head and suddenly kicked the door breaking it into pieces. But before Elma and I could react, a bright colourful circle of light shines in front of us from his open palms and in the next moment, an explosion occurs from the other side of the circle wall. The explosion was so strong that it shook the air and riled up the horses. Thankfully, the coachman was skilful in handling the horses and controlled their running. ¡°What was that!?¡± Elma panicked. Without any change in his expression, he stands by the broken door while holding on what¡¯s left of it. ¡°I forgot that there will be a change of Warders today.¡± He said while looking out the door. ¡°What do you mean?" ¡°It means that demons can slip into this territory for a short time.¡± Just when he said that, a large object¡ªcreature appeared in front of him¡ªbeside our carriage. It was a giant mouth with countless teeth. No eyes, no ears, no nose, just a giant mouth. It was an incarnation of fear. Elma and I could only hug each other while cowering in fear. We saw our lives flash before our eyes as the Demon¡¯s countless teeth gets closer and closer to us. However, Sir Axel remains unfazed. ¡°Blessed Steel of the Divine,¡± I didn¡¯t quiet hear his voice, but it sounded like he offered some sort of prayer while standing in front of the demon. After that, he jumps into the demon¡¯s mouth without any sort of weapon¡ªor so I thought. As he was about to land on the countless teeth, he pulls back his right arm and clasped something on the air. It was only for an instant, but I was able to see that he held something really tight that veins became visible on his hand. Immediately, he thrusts the same arm into the mouth of the demon without any change of facial expression. ¡°<>¡± In an instant, the Demon disappears like getting purified into the air like it didn¡¯t existed. Elma and I were so shocked that we couldn¡¯t react on time. Thankfully because the coachman stopped the carriage, we realized that we have left Sir Axel on the road after he killed the demon. We immediately run out of the carriage and towards Sir Axel while looking around if the demon was still there.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Did you kill it?¡± I asked while feeling shaken. ¡°Yes. It was a Spirit Demon of Fire and Earth. It leaves no trace when purified.¡± He said while caressing the land below him. ¡°I thought we were going to die!¡± Elma cried in relief while dropping on her knees. ¡°It was the weakest of the weakest of demons.¡± Sir Axel offered her a hand. Then, for some reason, he looks at me and approaches me. After that, he touches my forehead and raised my bangs while making a slightly concerned expression. ¡°You¡¯re cut.¡± He said. ¡°It must be from a splinter from the door!¡± I panicked. Now that he pointed it out, it suddenly stings and itches. I tried to pull out a handkerchief to cover it. However, he grabs my hand that was about to pull out the cloth. ¡°I was told that a lady¡¯s skin must be clean and clear of cuts. I¡¯ll heal it with magic.¡± He insisted. Before I could react, all of a sudden, I could feel my forehead getting healed. The healing magic feels like getting caressed by a high quality silk, smooth and relaxing. ¡°Thank you.¡± I touch my forehead to see if there was any blood. But as expected, there was none and it felt very clean. While I was still basking in awe of what just transpired, I didn¡¯t notice that there was a person that appeared out of nowhere. ¡°There was a Spirit Demon that slipped into our temporary defensive line.¡± The unknown person informed Axel. ¡°It was here, but I killed it.¡± He answered while giving the person a fist full of dirt. ¡°It was an earth spirit.¡± He added. I thought it was some kind of joke, but the unknown person accepted it and put it under his shirt. Immediately after that, he suddenly disappears like air. ¡°It seems that I have to escort you to a safe place.¡± He said while looking around us. After what he said, we were made to hurry into the carriage and let the coachman drive the carriage at top speed into the trees ahead of us. It didn¡¯t take more than half an hour before we could see the end of the tunnel of trees. During our passage through the trees, we encountered a few demon spirits that came out of nowhere. Thankfully, Sir Axel was there to kill them. I was surprised by the fact that he never stopped running and kept running around our carriage to protect us. Are all Holy Knights like him? ¡°Are we almost out of the forest?¡± I asked the coachman. ¡°Yes, just please hold on tight.¡± As Elma and I hold unto things to keep us from jumping off our chairs, more and more demons come out from the darkness like an endless swarming. All we could do was to wait and pray for our safety. Though scary, I looked outside the door where I could see Sir Axel running beside our carriage while jumping at the demons trying to attack us. After a few moments, he jumps into the carriage and flicked his arm like forcibly whipping out the stress of his arm. ¡°Everything¡¯s under control. We are also near the institute so you can rest easy now.¡± He said while massaging his right arm from shoulder to hand. Just like he said, the demons have stopped attacking us and aren¡¯t appearing anymore. I have no idea what is happening, but it seems like it¡¯s a common occurrence just by looking at his face. He seems used to it. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I offered him my handkerchief. He looked at the towel like it was something he saw for the first time. But after a second, he takes it, but wipes my cheek instead. It was so sudden that I couldn¡¯t react immediately! ¡°Wait! What are you doing?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted me to wipe the sweat off your face.¡± His cluelessness was genuine. He didn¡¯t know what I meant when I offered him my handkerchief. Still, he continues to wipe off the sweat from my face that I didn¡¯t notice before. ¡°BEHIND YOU, SIR!¡± screamed Elma. But before I could see the demon behind sir Axel, he clenches is fist and in one rotation, he punches the demon out of the carriage. The punch was so strong that the demon got smashed and disappeared without a trace. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said to Elma. Although being fully aware that she¡¯s still in her twenties, she¡¯s making a face of a maiden falling for a man. Geez, Elma. We don¡¯t know how old he is. Then all of a sudden, light enters the carriage. It appears that we finally have come out of the trees. At the same time, I could see Sir Axel¡¯s shoulders relax and he seems to have lowered his guard. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± He said while standing still on the carriage door. I peek out from the window on the other side of the carriage. And there, I finally saw it, the place where Holy Knights are raised and trained; Clantara Holy Knights Institute. Tall walls of cobblestone bricks, an open training ground with archer targets and dummy warriors, and even a temple could be seen from the at the mountain side not too far from the main building. While we continue forward to such amazing place, I notice that there are young men and women coming out of the same forest looking tired and exhausted. Some are even injured with light cuts and bruises. It seems that the battle against the demons wasn¡¯t just around us. That¡¯s weird. This place is supposed to be the safest part of this territory. Why are there so many demons that came out? While I was thinking of such, I noticed that there¡¯s a woman riding a horse and is coming towards us. She wears full armour but without the helmet. She doesn¡¯t seem to carry weapons either so I guess she¡¯s here to welcome us. ¡°WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?¡± My expectation of being welcomed got thrown out the window by her loud and angry voice. Although her face is one of the beautiful I¡¯ve seen in my life, her angry face sent chills down my spine. However, her anger seems to be not directed to me, but to Sir Axel? Without waiting for the carriage to stop, Sir Axel jumps out and approaches the woman on a horse. ¡°I was sent out as a substitute escort, ma¡¯am.¡± He said respectfully. The woman unmounts the horse and walks towards Sir Axel. And all of a sudden, she slaps him across the face so hard with her armoured hand; his cheeks got cuts and bled. Because of what she did, I couldn¡¯t help but jump out of the carriage as well and ran towards him. ¡°Wait! What are you doing?!¡± I stand in front between him and her. However, because of my rash actions, I made a terrible decision of standing in front of her. Just with her eyes alone, I could feel heavy weighs dropping on my shoulders and felt like cold water got poured down my back. She gives off a bloodlust of a true warrior that has been to countless battlefields. ¡°You. Who are you?¡± she asked in an authoritative tone. ¡°M-m-my name is, C-Claire E-Elroy, 3rd daughter of Baron Victor Elroy.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but let my tone shake, but I managed to fix it half-way. She is just too scary for me! B-but, I can¡¯t cower here! ¡°Enough about me! Why did you slap Sir Axel? He didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± I yelled at her. Before talking, she crosses her arms and her eyebrow rose in annoyance. ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything wrong?¡± she parroted. ¡°Yes! He didn¡¯t do anything wrong. As a matter of fact, he saved me and my companions!¡± Maybe it was because of what I said, Sir Axel suddenly got sent flying to the air while he spat out blood from the sheer force of the woman¡¯s kick that suddenly disappeared in front of me. It happened all too fast that I couldn¡¯t comprehend how it happened! ¡°So he saved you, huh.¡± Her tone was cold, but carried so much anger that I couldn¡¯t help but hold my breath from the fear that suddenly chocked me. Just when Sir Axel landed hard to the ground, the woman picks him up by the throat and then kneed him in the gut. ¡°This is your mistake!¡± after yelling that, she slams him to the ground so hard he left a mark. I have no idea what¡¯s happening right now, but she looks like she¡¯s about to kill him! I couldn¡¯t help but cry at how brutal she¡¯s treating him. ¡°W-wait, what did he do wrong!?¡± I cried out. With her foot stepping and grinding his cheek, she looks at me with really mad eyes. ¡°If he didn¡¯t leave his post, we wouldn¡¯t have to battle so many demons that come out at this time of the day! If he didn¡¯t go out, your life wouldn¡¯t be in danger! Everything that happened today is his entire fault!¡± she exclaimed in pure rage. Then after that, she clenches her fist and pulls back her left arm. For some reason, I could see the glove suddenly starting to glow with white light. I don¡¯t know what that is, but it feels very dangerous. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Force Arte, <>!¡± As I run towards her, she drops her fist down towards Sir Axel who isn¡¯t at the least resisting. He just stayed there lying on the ground like a living corpse. But just when her fist could land on his face, all of a sudden, the woman got blown away from Axel like the wind itself exploded in front of her. While mid-air, the woman makes an acrobatic action and fixes her posture and then lands perfectly on the ground with a battle ready stance. ¡°Lorene, calm down.¡± Looking at where the voice came from, I could see a woman walking towards us. She wore a pure white dress and held a silver staff with crystal ornaments on one hand and magical circles were on her right. Her chest was bountiful, and her lips were red like fresh blood. Her legs long legs peeked out from the slit of her dress and it felt very intimidating. Just by walking, she was radiating with an aura of unparalleled beauty and intelligence. She stood next to Sir Axel and then crouched to touch his cheek. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± She said with a tone filled with sadness. ¡°Why are you apologizing to him, Arsine? He¡¯s the one at fault here!¡± the woman complained. The woman looks at me with an expression looking for help. When I realized that she did, I ran towards her and picked up Sir Axel who has lost consciousness. Elma also came and helped me too. ¡°It was my idea to let him leave his post.¡± She announced. Because of what she said, the woman got surprised and made a face of disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re lying! You of all people wouldn¡¯t try to hurt the new knights.¡± ¡°I made him leave his post because I want him to expand the world he knows. And also, I wanted to train the new knights and healers we have by letting them fight weak demons.¡± ¡°Endangering them is out of the question! They¡¯ll run away if you scare them like that.¡± ¡°Endangering? So are you not confident on your own training regime?¡± With just words, the woman in armor got pushed back and received mental blows. However, it seems the woman in dress wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°May I remind you, Lorene. We are training knights, not raising kids. They may be sons and daughters from prestigious noble houses, but here, they are soldiers. They are meant to do battle.¡± The woman in armor received such a strong blow that she made an expression like she¡¯s chewing a bitter bug. She turns around in silence and mounted her horse. After that, she gallops away towards the wounded knights with her damaged pride. On the other hand, the woman in dress seemed a little regretful of what she did. She then rushes towards us and helps us put Axel into the carriage. Her face was fully of worry while looking at his wounded face. ¡°You poor thing.¡± She murmured. For some reason, she enters the carriage with us too. Elma and I didn¡¯t know how to react to her casual action, especially not after how she fended off that barbaric woman. While looking at us, she makes a smile like she was genuinely amused. ¡°May I know what your name is?¡± she politely asked. Because it was all too sudden, I couldn¡¯t react immediately and panicked. ¡°I-I¡¯m Claire Elroy, 3rd daughter of Baron Victor Elroy.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see. So, is it true that he protected you?¡± she probed. ¡°Yes. Along the way, a demon appeared out of nowhere and he protected us.¡± ¡°Did you ask to be helped?¡± ¡°No, he did it at his own volition. But we didn¡¯t know there was a demon until it attacked.¡± After I gave her a full answer, she makes a warm smile while caressing Sir Axel¡¯s hair. Her smile looked like a mother¡¯s smile. ¡°You did well, Axel.¡± -End of Chapter 2-