Magic Knight: Beginning

Hello everyone.

Chapter delayed again. Well, you can't avoid problems. Everything is dismal.

This chapter is unpretentious, light, as far as I could. A little everyday life.

Please write if you have any suggestions or questions.

Hope you like it.

Enjoy reading.

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* Ding. Ding*

Under the light of the setting afternoon sun, in a small space against the wall, there was a ringing of metal. The source of the sound was two blurry silhouettes that moved and collided all the time…. Rather, it was not silhouettes that collided, but their weapons.

The weapons in the hands of the silhouettes were different, one held an all-metal halberd and the other two one-handed swords. Each of their blows created a strong ringing in the quiet wasteland.

Making a dash, I struck with my sword until my opponent could regain his balance. As a result, the halberd was deflected, and a weak spot appeared at the armpit, in which I made a hit with the second sword. But this hit was stopped by the shaft of the halberd, which moved with incredible speed and prevented my sword from reaching the target in time.

Now we are in a hopeless situation, the "Judgment" is defending, and I can not attack, because my swords are pressed against his halberd. If I try to remove my sword for a swing, he will be able to hit me and when he does, I will hit back. Both will be injured.

Since this is sparring it will not be dangerous, but it is also a simulation of a real battle in which injuries affect performance. On the battlefield, any injury or mistake can cost a life.

Pressing each other with weapons, we did not move. As a result, I decided to take a risky step - I deliberately broke my stance and hit my opponent's leg with one foot.

As soon as my kick hit the opponent, I felt pain, like kicking a metal pole. The intense pain in my bones made my eyes widen involuntarily, and the muscles in my cheeks twitched slightly.

"Hahaha. Good idea, but doesn't work against me."

"Judgment" laughed merrily watching my suffering.

"Didn't you say you would fight at my strength limit?"

"Everything is right. Except, I can't reduce the strength of my body. So I'm sorry."

"Then you could relax your muscles instead of tensing them."

"Haha. It happened without my knowledge."

While I was indignant, playing the role of a disgruntled teenager, the "Saint" was smiling, amused by the situation.

Laughing like a cheerful grandfather who watches his grandson's mistakes, "Judgment" supported me by the shoulder so that I would not fall.

"Your progress is impressive. A little more and I'll have to be a little more serious."

"You are exaggerating. All sparring is child's play for you."

"Kid, don't underestimate your skills. As a true descendant of the Baret family, your strength grows very quickly and as a result, an old man like me is forced to use more and more strength in order not to embarrass himself."

Gently ruffling my hair, Istel smiled good-naturedly.

"But you yourself are downplaying your skills now. If it were your will, you would defeat me with one finger."

"Hahaha. It's right. But, Relzen, is it adult to mock a child? Just to constantly overwhelm you with your power is not training - it's just bullying."

"Isn't fighting a stronger opponent the most efficient way?"

"Yes. This is true…. That's why I try to be a little stronger than you. So that you overcome your current limit. I want to teach you, not scare you with my power."

Continuing to stroke my head, the "Judgment" expressed its point of view along the path of teaching.

"I am not afraid of your strength. You are my opportunity to become stronger, the one I must defeat in order to continue on my way. Fear is not a barrier."

"Maybe. The blood that flows in you will not let fear take over…. Here are just, you don't have to make me your goal to reach. I am already old, now my power is not as powerful as before. Moreover, I only take the 5th place in terms of strength among the "Saints", the first 4 places are much stronger than me… and there are 3 elders who can crush me with one hand…."

"..."

"... Boy, don't make me an ideal and a role model to be achieved and then overcome. Instead, get over yourself, get over your limits. Having overcome one limit, overcome the second, then the third, and so on until the end. Make it your goal not to defeat me, but to defeat yourself."

"I understand it. Overcoming past, present and future self is the way to gain strength. To achieve something, you first need to step over yourself."

"Haha. Well said. I'm glad you understand. One day you will be much more powerful than me."

Laughing with a kind laugh, in the eyes of Istel all the time there was tenderness and care as if he was teaching his own grandson. The old man, like a kind village grandfather, rejoices that his grandson understood his experience and knowledge.

"I think this is where the sparring can be ended. It's time to continue the mission that was assigned to me. Eh. If I had more free time. I'm sorry, but I have to leave again."

"Do not worry. It's your duty. Good luck to you."

Nodding to me with a good-natured smile, the old man did not waste his time, he took a step and disappeared, vanishing into thin air. I don't know which way he went, but I know the purpose of his mission - he is looking for a unicorn.

Even though the "Judgment" never told me about it, I still learned the meaning of his being here from Clem. And Clem learned this from Playat, who was very drunk.

*Sigh*

Looking at the place where the "Saint" had disappeared, I couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

[Eh. Sir Istel, although I understand you, I am very sorry that I cannot fully agree with you. I'm sorry, but I think a little differently and I'm not going to change my mind.]

The "Judgment" said everything correctly, you must first overcome yourself in order to become stronger. This is beyond doubt. But he is mistaken in thinking that I make him an ideal to be overcome.

He is strong, no doubt.

But I never considered it an obstacle and a goal for life.

I consider the "Saint" a step to be stepped on in order to climb even higher.

Although it sounds selfish, it is the reality.

The path to strength is a long ladder up, at the end of which is the true end and the limit of possibilities. And very often this staircase is built of skulls and bones.

Every day, I step on yesterday's self, and sooner or later I will reach the "Saints" and I'll make them my rungs.

Whenever I meditate, I take out a memory fragment that stores the data of yesterday's me and conduct a mental simulation of a battle, where as a result I cut off the head of yesterday's me. This is how I confirm the progress that has been made.

First of all, I myself am a stepping stone for myself.

Looking at the gleam of the swords, which have become blunt and cracked, memories of an unknown ancient temple from a dream popped up in my head, in which there was a sea of ​​blood, and corpses lay everywhere.

This dream never came again, but the memories haunt me.

A gradual increase in the amount of blood and mountains of corpses.

It is very similar to a ladder to power, it seems, but it is not, rather, it is the personification of more bloodshed. A cruel fate, where every step is soaked in blood, and the number of corpses is increasing every day.

As I was absorbed in the memory, I immediately had a vision of a gigantic mountain made of corpses, with a small straight path of human heads that led to the top.

[The stairway of bloodshed from mountains of corpses and the stairway to power are so different and at the same time so similar paths.]

Moving the sword, the blade cut the air, simultaneously reflecting the light of the sun, and one reflected beam of the heavenly body accidentally hit my eyes, blinding me for a second, pulling me out of obsession and further reflection.

*Sigh*

"Ugh. Again this illusion is before my eyes. Already tired of the appearance of images of the temple, mountains of corpses, and the throne. It's starting to get annoying."

A month has already passed since I saw that dream, it periodically pops up in my memory, annoyingly hinting at something. It is good that it does not affect the psyche and is more like an illusion.

"Eh. How quickly time flies. It seems like only yesterday I became a magic knight, but in fact, a month has already passed."

During this month, my strength increased significantly, fighting a strong opponent, and my body also reached a more or less stable state, so I began to put in a little more effort.

I am now able to use the North Wind Techniques at half strength without harming my body, and there has been a significant breakthrough in magic. I can now make full use of parallel thinking to cast small, complex spells, about 4 times in a row, after which my head starts to hurt. It's a pity, of course, that complex spells with great destructive power are not available to me, there is not enough mana, I would like to launch a Fire Meteor at Meris's house. Although the amount of mana I have increased, if you look in liters, then from 10 liters up to 16 liters, and this is due to constant self-torture, constant deprivation of mana to dryness. The masochistic way is the fastest way.

Well, this is where the big progress ends, the rest is trifles - I was able to control the Energy of the Limit a little better and realized that the golden ball of light in my chest responds to my strong selfish desires, rejoicing in time with me and ... that's all. More from the dodgy ball, I have not achieved.

After collecting all the rubbish that was left after an hour of sparring, I went to my room to meditate.

Today I slept only 4 hours and spent a lot of energy in battle, and at night I have to go on patrol again, all night trying to catch the unknown killer of bandits.... That is, all night I will try to catch myself.

Even though I haven't gone hunting for a long time, but they still try to find me, a whole month of night patrol is already getting on my nerves. A whole night without sleep and another mandatory morning workout, feeling like I work in a black company with an asshole boss.

After throwing out the trash, I made my way to my room and sat in the lotus position for meditation. Meditation is not a complete sleep, in this state I will be able to let my body rest and at the same time consolidate today's experience by replaying the mental battle countlessly.

…

Until the evening, while in meditation, I managed to kill myself many times and die many times at the hands of the Judgment. Once, I came close to defeating the "Saint", but my head was separated from my body.

When my eyes opened, the sun had almost disappeared below the horizon, now the beginning of autumn and the sunny days are getting shorter and shorter.

"Huh. How unpleasant it is to kill yourself .... I'll never get used to the sight of my severed head."

Although everything happens as an image, the enemy is still the same "I", so the sight of your dead body makes you unconsciously get goosebumps. Everything is too real, especially when your opponent's stomach is torn open, his intestines and organs fall out, and he has your face - it's creepy.

Having changed into shiny plate armor, the weak points of which were covered with chain mail, I was almost ready for the next night's patrol. And the final touch of the set of armor was a black cape, on which a red cross was depicted, it hid the sheen of metal.

Of course, the armor is not intact, I refused Tophelm, I don't want to wear an uncomfortable "bucket" on my head. Yes, it will lower my defense and make my head vulnerable, but with my reaction speed, I can dodge the arrow, and swords or spears are not even worth talking about, they are like children's toys.

Tophelm, like any helmet, limits vision and prevents the head from turning, it can be much more dangerous than an arrow in a real fight.

Against weak warriors, I do not need a helmet, and against strong ones it is useless. Even the strongest and most durable helmet will not protect against a ballista shot.

If a ballista bolt flies into your head, in a helmet, then you can only say "goodbye" to your body, because your head will fly away with the bolt for miles, without even making up worthy resistance.

…There are no ballistas in the city at night, so I don't have to worry.

And if someone strong attacks me, and I die, then .... then I'll die.

Well, I'll die and die, why bother?

I'll just die because I'm weak, that's my fate.

There is always someone stronger who can kill you, no matter what your defenses are.

Of course, I'm just not going to die, I will give a worthy rebuff, but the result is known.

Having fastened the weapon belt with weapons, and taking a small triangular shield, which is fastened behind my back on the lower back, I was completely ready ... to spend the whole night by the fire on a cold night.

Grabbing a bag of provisions, it's time to plunge into the darkness of the labyrinth of city walls.

…

Noise. Night. The crackle of a fire. And bright stars above the silent dark city.

As I expected, this is again a boring pastime.

Only in cliché stories, something unexpected happens when you don't expect it. In reality, everything is a monotonous routine that repeats every day.

No one will dare to attack the magic knights and become an enemy of the church, whether it be a bandit or a secret organization.

The Vikings may be an exception, they are crazy imbeciles, but they are not inside the country, and repulsed bandits will not dare to show their rat nose.

[How boring.]

Days of the same type are a circle of madness.

"Maybe after this night, we'll go to the tavern?"

"Sounds great."

"Heck. You know that we can be punished. Let's better take it with us."

Not far from me, three guys were discussing plans for the morning.

For patrols, a group of 4 people was assigned to one sector. And today I got these three as partners.

In the three hours spent with them, I managed to find out where the best booze is, and which whore is cheaper and softer.

Although yesterday there were similar conversations among my other partners. As for drinking, opinions differed, but about cheap whores, oddly enough, everything is the same.

Sitting comfortably by the fire, I quietly watched the starry sky while the men made noise.

For them, I am an empty place, they do not even think that I will hand them over with giblets, I occupy such a low place in the eyes of others. It's unfortunate... it would be... if I could don't not give a damn.

When you are not noticed, it is sad, maybe, but for an introvert, this is heaven.

Except I'm not an introvert.

Hm….

"I found out from Vales, the innkeeper, that fresh barrels of mead and dark ale would be opened this morning. And you want to just take it with you? Wouldn't it be better to enjoy a freshly poured cool ale? He'll get warmer quickly."

"Why didn't you just say so? If this is the case, can stay there all morning. The commander is probably drunk as hell anyway."

"Then it's decided. Let's go to the beginning of the opening.

What a funny scene - "Conversation of desperate alcoholics."

How quickly the topic of tepid ale can change people's minds. The speed of the maximum "change shoes" has been reached.

And if think...

It's decided, I'll go with them. (He thought for a moment.)

I am fifteen years old, I am already an adult, according to the people of the Middle Ages, I can. And I haven't drunk alcohol for a very long time, for fifteen whole years.

Another desire to drink increases the fact that there is nothing to do here, no one cares about me, I just lie like a log by the fire .... Boring.

Moreover, I got a salary, unexpectedly, now they pay me 12 silver. That's a lot of money in the eyes of the church for a man like me - a meat shield. And as befits a true meat shield, which is nobly called "Knight", I must adhere to the standard scheme. So to speak, follow the canon of the Roman rights of a soldier. In general, ... drink away all the money.

To be honest, I wonder what the ale and mead of the Middle Ages tasted like, for this a few coppers are not a pity.

All for the sake of science and experiment.

Having decided on the plan for the morning, I continued to wallow like a metal log by the fire, waiting for the sunrise and the crowing of roosters.

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Thank you for reading.