01x02 - Fia and the Knight Brigade

[bunniefuu]

Ever since the rite of passage,

I've been able to recall
my life and powers

from my previous life
as the Great Saint more clearly.

And I've gotten pretty good
at magic in the three months since

I accepted my abilities
and trained them.

I'm going to become a knight!

I think I just need
to fend off the examiner's

attacks ten times to pass the first exam.

You're too weak!

Leon?!

Is there no one here
who can block my sword?!

Here I go!

Too weak! Too slow!

Damn it!

Too slow!

Was the first exam always like this?

- EPISODE 2

- FIA AND THE KNIGHT BRIGADE

Yeah, Leon has no intention
of letting anyone pass.

Hey...

Who is this hunk?!

What does he want from me?!

I-Is my outfit messed up or something?

Or do I still have the fried egg
from breakfast on my face?

No, sorry if I bothered you.

It seems our examiners
are a little unique.

All right, good.

Next.

Five, six...

Keep it up!

Though,

I suspect that they'll
start letting people pass

in a hurry once there aren't
that many examinees left.

So I think we'll have
a better chance of passing

if we're toward the back of the line.

What do you think?

True...

Thanks for the kind tip.

Fia! Don't you dare run!

Step forward!

He's my older brother.

I'll have to go since he's calling me.

You've got some gall trying
to flee from me.

You'd better not be getting full of
yourself just because you have

a black-ish dragon-ish
something as your familiar!

A black-ish dragon-ish something?

Familiar? She has
a monster as a familiar?

I was trying to hide
the fact that I'm the

Great Saint until
I was sure I would be safe!

What are you waiting for?!

Bring it on!

Fine, then.

Here I go.

I need to get this over
with before he yaps even more.

Invigorate.

Attack x1.2.

Speed x1.2.

He's strong.

Which means...

Invigorate more.

Attack x1.5.

Speed x1.5.

Sh-sh**t, people are looking!

Thank you, examiner!

You went easy enough on me that I
just barely managed to block ten times!

W-Well, then, pardon me!

Thank you for the opportunity!

We hereby begin the second exam.

You have one hundred minutes.

Begin!

For the last exam, you'll be engaging
in three minutes of mock combat.

You will be given swords
dulled for training.

You're also free to use your
own iron training swords.

The iron sword Dad gave me
when I passed the right of passage.

Actually, I imbued it with
double attack, double speed,

and enchanted it with camouflage magic so
it looks like any other ordinary sword.

Enchanting weapons is a
lost technique in this day and age.

No one will notice.

Just watch how I fight!

Next!

Thank you for this opportunity.

Oh, it's him.

He's evenly matched with the examiner.

Is he going to win?

No one else has noticed,

but I can tell from having been
the Great Saint in my past life...

His arm...

His right arm's broken.

Look out!

I'm sorry.

You aren't hurt, are you?

Just crossing swords must
be excruciatingly painful.

Protection to the right arm.

The exam is still going.

You should get back.

R-Right.

Thanks.

It's a simple spell, but it should keep
the pain at bay for five minutes or so.

Those standing at the back!

That voice!

Our group's done with the
examinees we've been assigned.

We can handle a few more.

I knew it! Ardio!

The Knight of Ice himself
is going to spar with us?!

Oh man, what an honor!

No, it's not an honor!

See?

My brother doesn't
know how to hold back.

You're next, Fia.

Come at me as though
you intend to k*ll me.

I knew it wouldn't work out
the way it did with Leon.

I got this magic stone during
the rite of passage.

I've imbued it with magic. Watch this!

Feel my Zappy Sword, Brother!

You ought to work on your vocabulary.

It's always a lecture with you.

All right.

Let's begin.

Thank you for this opportunity.

Here I go!

Behold the power of my Zappy Sword!

What have you done?!

It's a status ailment.

Touch this sword, and you become stunned.

I win.

Time's going to run out
before you can move.

Which means I win
and get accepted by default.

Are you happy winning
in such a cowardly way?

A win's a win.

Time's up!

Yay.

Everyone's staring at me again!

I passed!

Thank goodness!

That makes me a knight!

Let's see...

We have to file paperwork to apply
for the dorms, don't we?

But first, let's see
where I'm being assigned.

Looks like we were both accepted, huh?

You're the guy from the exam.

Mind if I introduce myself?

- I'm Fabian, son of Marquess Wyner.

- SON OF MARQUESS WYNER

- FABIAN WYNER

- Huh? I thought marquesses
were just urban legends.

They actually exist?

It's my father that's a marquess,

but I assure you we're
neither monsters nor ghosts.

Oh, no, I didn't mean that.

I'm the second daughter
of the Ruud family, Fia.

Nice to meet you.

May I call you Fia?

You can call me Fab.

I've been meaning to thank you.

I'd hurt my arm during the exam,

but the moment I held
the sword you'd picked up for me,

my pain went away like
it was never there.

Thank you.

He doesn't seem to have realized
I'd used healing magic on him.

So your arm's all better now, huh?

Yup.

It'd be embarrassing starting off
as a knight with a broken arm.

So I guzzled healing potions,
struggled through the pain,

and had a saint cast healing magic on me.

That must have been awful.

Thanks again for picking
up my sword at the exam.

You might be a goddess of good fortune.

Crap! Crap!

He's one of those natural-born womanizers
I hear that a lot of nobility are!

Fia...

I noticed you were assigned
to the First Knight Brigade.

Just like me.

What? The First Knight Brigade?

Yup.

There are twenty brigades in total.

- The First Knight Brigade, who guards
royalty, and the Second Knight Brigade,

- NÁV KINGDOM BLACK DRAGON KNIGHTS

- who guards the castle, are generally
for those who have served

- for at least ten years.

We're apparently the only ones on record
to have ever been assigned as newcomers.

How did we get into such a
super elite group?!

Wait, royalty means...

They're descendants
of one of the three of my

brothers who abandoned me
in my previous life.

And I have to protect them with my life?!

I-I don't know if I can.

I'm not going to leave them
for dead or anything, am I?

Fia?

Oh, no...

I was just wondering who the
members of the royal family were.

Ah.

There are only two members
of royalty at the moment.

His Majesty the King and his brother.

The king is apparently
incapable of loving women.

So his brother is said to be
the heir to the throne.

And I'm sure you're aware, but he is also
the grand master of the knight brigade.

The grand master?!

It looks like you didn't know.

I'd heard all sorts of rumors,
but I didn't know he was royalty.

He'll be introducing himself at
the entrance ceremony tomorrow morning.

You ought to have a good look.

It's so grand!

The mood changed.

I see...

So he's...

- NÁV KINGDOM BLACK DRAGON
KNIGHT BRIGADE GRAND MASTER

- SAVIZ NÁV

First, let us celebrate our new comrades.

Let us pledge ourselves to
a life of poverty, chastity, and faith.

We will pillage none,
exclude none, and yield to none.

Let us hold true to the ten
commandments of chivalry and dedicate

every last drop of our blood
to the kingdom and its people.

May all of heaven and Earth be with the
Náv Kingdom Black Dragon Knighthood!

May all of heaven and Earth be with the
Náv Kingdom Black Dragon Knighthood!

Wow...

I've never seen anyone capture
people's hearts the way he does.

It must be both talent
and a result of his track record.

But he really is amazing.

He looked at me.

I think?

Nah, there's no way, right?

How self-conscious can I be?

Next, the new knights will
make their introductions.

Fabian Wyner.

I, Fabian Wyner, speak
on behalf of the new knights.

- Hey, I saw a red-haired
woman among the new knights.

- As members of the Náv Kingdom
Black Dragon Knight Brigade,

- Who is she?

- Sir.

- we, two hundred new knights, will uphold
the Ten Knight Commandments,

- She's Fia of the Ruud family of knights.

- She's been assigned to
the First Knight Brigade.

- That one, huh?

- and pledge to dedicate every last drop
of blood to the kingdom and its people.

- I see.

Well done.

You didn't stammer once.
That was impressive!

I'm not sure most people would consider

that the bare minimum
for a job well done, but thanks.

Next, a distinguished new knight
will be demonstrating combat:

Fia Ruud of the First Knight Brigade!

And she will be up against...

E-Er...

The Black Dragon Knight Brigade
Grand Master, Saviz Náv!

What?!

Are you messing with us?!

Who is that little girl?!

No way... Really?

Grand Master, this is going to
be a one-sided slaughter!

S-Silence!

I can't... I'm so nervous,
I can't even move.

Fia!

Brother!

The opportunity to cross swords
with Grand Master Saviz

is a once-in-a-lifetime
bout of good luck.

It's fine if you die.
Just fight for as long as you can!

Die?!

Right. Of course.

My brothers are fanatical
knight dorks.

Wasn't it always my dream
to become a knight, too?

I'm finally on my way
to making that come true.

I have nothing to be afraid of.

I've calmed down, thanks to
my brothers' dumb comments.

Fia Ruud.

I won't attack you whatsoever.

Come at me with everything you've got.

Invigorate.

Attack x3.

Speed x3.

I've strengthened myself to my limit...

But what the hell?

I have nothing on him other than speed.

He's a total freak.

I, Fia Ruud, am grateful
for the opportunity to spar with you!

Sh-She's so fast!

Hang on, the sound
of her sword clashing...

That sword must be awful heavy!

The fight is over!

The winner is Grand Master Saviz!

My victory is forfeit.

I declared that I would not attack,
and I broke my promise.

Fia Ruud, show me your sword.

Huh? Right...

Cyril!

Yes, sir.

That sash is the color
of the First Knight Brigade.

So he must be...

- How may I help?

- CAPTAIN OF THE FIRST KNIGHT BRIGADE

- CYRIL SUTHERLAND

- Captain Cyril...

He's my boss!

Hold the sword.

We'll spar.

An iron sword broke this mithril sword!

This sword is enchanted with enchantment
magic that enhances speed and attack,

as well as camouflage magic
to hide those enchantments.

Crap!

I'm sure your subordinate
there knows why that is.

Isn't that right, Fia?

Normally, you'd only apply an attack
increase of ten or fifteen points at most.

But I doubled it, so the Grand Master
ended up being absurdly powerful!

This sword could be a national treasure.

It increases attack by several
hundred points.

Holding this sword makes me
feel like a beast.

Fia, what is this?

That sword...

I received that sword from my father
when I completed the rite of passage!

Wh-What did you say?!

I merely picked that sword out
from the armory!

I would have no doubt provided
it as tribute to the kingdom

if I had known it was
such a ridiculous magic sword!

Hold it.

I have one more question.

Why were you so focused on my left?

Chivalry.

You had promised not to attack.

I felt it dishonorable to hit
you in your blind spot.

You brought this magic sword with
you with every intent to beat me.

And you speak of chivalry?

Uh-oh.

He isn't going to let me go
unless I tell him the truth.

Yes, you are correct.

I thought it would be discourteous
not to do everything I could to win.

I attacked your left
because your left leg is injured.

What made you think
my left leg is injured?

Huh, well, I mean,

when you walk, your left
foot is on the ground

for a little less time than your right.

And when you stand, you place ever
so slightly more weight on your right.

The only reason someone
as well-trained as you

would be off balance is
if you were hurt.

Did I say something odd?

I see.

I'll remember your name.

Th-That concludes the entrance ceremony!

It's true that my injury
hasn't fully healed.

There are only a handful
of people who are aware of that.

And her calm,

collected eyes as she watched me earlier

while the other newcomers
were as excited as they were...

The eyes of someone observing and
analyzing the situation dispassionately,

unaffected by those around her.

She's a leader.

Fia Ruud...

Who is she?

- So, what are our newbies like, Ronan?

- CAPTAIN OF THE SECOND KNIGHT BRIGADE
AND COMMANDANT OF THE MILITARY POLICE

- DESMOND RONAN

- Dunno.

- What are you talking about?

- It's been a week
since they were inducted.

You said you'd see for yourself
as the leader of the military police.

That's why I've been
letting you deal with it.

That one...

Fia is special.

I played a few games of chess with her.

No matter how weak or evenly-matched
her opponent, she always wins by a hair.

She's subconsciously
assessing her opponents

and making adjustments
to gain a slight edge.

Why does she do that?

When did she gain such a
skill? Who knows.

I've never seen you stumped trying
to understand someone's behavior.

On the other hand, under normal
circumstances, she shows no wit.

She had no idea Fabian had cut his
hair by three whole centimeters.

A normal assessment would place
her among the incredibly obtuse.

That's a mysterious character for sure.

What about you, Enoch?

- CAPTAIN OF THE THIRD MAGE KNIGHT BRIGADE

- ENOCH

- We've established
that that sword could have only

- been made three hundred years ago,
during the High Golden Age.

- Its attributes can be modified at will.

Which means that
the stronger the wielder,

the more its speed
and damage output is increased.

There've only been three such modifiable
swords discovered in the kingdom.

So how did one show up here?

I'm certain there's a line
that goes through

all of these incomprehensible questions.

I just can't see that line.

Speaking of which,

I've only given you permission
to make inquiries.

Fia belongs to my brigade.

She's one of ours.

Please don't keep following
her around anymore.

I'm just doing my job!

Stop treating me like
some creepy stalker!

Now, I hear that "your" Fia is going to a

monster hunt with
the Sixth Knight Brigade tomorrow.

That's right.

Every newcomer is required
to do so in their first year.

Let's just hope nothing goes wrong.

EPISODE 3
THE SAINT'S STATE OF BEING