"Huff… huff…"

Dustin Aditi feels his exhausted body nearly give out as he lets out heavy breaths.

His eyes feel tired.

His body is sore from swinging his blade for so long.

Although he's trying to trying his best to keep his composure, it's getting increasingly difficult with the kind of pressure that keeps mounting on him.

'Was it a mistake to leave our hiding place?' Dustin sighs as he thinks to himself, glancing back to see the people he was tasked to protect. All of them appear scared, their bodies shaking, and their bulging eyes stare at the danger that keeps on approaching them.

Nine students and one Professor.

Their fear slightly discourages him, but he has to remind himself to keep fighting.

He has no choice.

Letting up, even for a moment, means death.

On this Snowy Mountain, he alone is facing a Cadre 3 Magivore—a creature of great power and destruction.

The Direwolf Warrior's abilities are not only diverse, but each of them contains immense destruction. Then, there's its Special Ability, the Compressed Air Blast, that Dustin can barely evade every time.

'Dodging puts a heavy strain on my legs. The footwork is too complex for my body to sustain, but I have no choice. If I move any slower, I'm dead!'

Once that happens, it won't only be his life, but the lives of the students that will be compromised.

'No… I can't let them die!'

Ever since his encounter with Evernight, the Knight of Shadows, his chivalric spirit has soared to unimaginable heights. The code he once abandoned for the sake of his family now shines deep within his heart, and his body rumbles with newfound energy.

Even if he weren't a guard of the Royal Academy, he couldn't abandon these people to save his own skin!

What kind of Knight would ignore the innocent?

Certainly not the kind he wanted to be!

Thus, despite the deep fear and terrible exhaustion that continually eat away at him, Dustin keeps swinging his blade. Despite being nothing but a mere Low-Rank Knight with an E Grade Armament, he doesn't let up for a moment.

Although his body is covered in all sorts of injuries, and a small puddle of blood has formed beneath his feet, he continues to stand.

Unable to bear the blood loss any longer, Dustin begins to stagger.

Then… he enters into a daze.

'After Sir Evernight left, we found a place. But we heard countless rumblings and suspected that a horde of Magivores was nearby. The students got scared and suggested we leave. I tried to make them stay, but the rumblings got louder, and they feared for their lives. In the end, the Professor also took their side, and we had to depart from the hiding place…'

His eyes become blank, his body slowly growing still as more blood oozes from his open wounds.

Without an appropriate Potion, it's certain he will die.

Death.

He has already accepted it.

But… not like this.

Not when there are so many people counting on him!

'We escaped the hiding place, only to be met with one of these creatures. I imagine it's a scout, one of the many that could be lurking in these mountains.' His body twitches in recall. 'I've been engaging in fierce battle with it ever since.'

The wounds on Dustin's body clearly tell of an intense fight, but the Direwolf before him barely has any injuries at all. All its wounds are light, and they have only made it more ferocious.

The more Dustin thinks, the more frustrated he is with his own inability.

But this outcome isn't surprising.

Magivores are divided into Cadres because of this gap in ability.

Cadre 1 Magivores can be taken down by ordinary people, while Cadre 2 Magivores have to be brought down by Low-Rank Knights or Mercenaries at the very least.

For Cadre 3, however, one needs to be a Mid-Rank Knight at the very least.

And this Knight must possess a C Grade Armament.

Dustin doesn't meet any of these conditions, so it's even a miracle it has lasted this long against such a terrifying beast outside his level of competence. Could it be because Direwolves are naturally meek, or because they hunt in packs? Perhaps Dustin is indeed a special talent, one who would have actually become a Mid-Rank Knight if he had learned the Aditi Martial Technique.

All of these factors could have culminated in his luck.

But for how long can a man be lucky?

In the end…

… Defeat is assured.

SPLASH!

Glimmering liquid sloshes in the air as a glass vial shatters on Dustin's head. The spilled Potion pours all over him, dripping from his head to the rest of his body like oil.

The sensation jolts him to life as he snaps out of his reverie.

'H-huh? This is…!'

He realizes that his injuries are being healed, and at a rapid pace, for that matter.

These effects… they're at least Grade 3 worthy!

"Don't you die on us yet, Mister!" One of the students yells, her eyes glistening with tears a she stares at him with desperation. "You have to save everyone here!"

"Yeah! Don't give up!"

"Keep it up! You can do it, Sir Dustin!"

Upon hearing their cheers, something stirs within Dustin that causes him to tightly clutch his blade and take a bold step forward despite all the growls ringing in his ears.

He is truly moved.

Their constant cries of encouragement give him strength.

'I can do this! Even if I know my limits, and the fact that winning against this thing on my own is impossible, I can—at the very least—create a window for everyone to escape.'

All he has to do is exhaust the creature's Special Ability usage, which can shoot at targets from a distance. Since Dustin can't block that attack, he can't afford to let anyone become a target by running away prematurely.

'I have to time this right…' He nods quietly. 'I'll hold on until it has exhausted its Air Blasts. Then, I'll give everyone the signal to run!'

A sudden thought enters his mind, causing him to shake in fear.

What if they encounter another Magivore on their path?

Who will protect them then?

If they die after encountering another Magivore, wouldn't all his efforts have been in vain?

Perhaps….

But, Dustin cannot help but hold on to something.

A mysterious feeling that tells him that everything will work out fine after his sacrifice.

—Hope.

It swirls within the young Knight, giving him strength.

"Let's do this!"

His feet kick away the snow as he charges at the Magivore in determination, swinging his blade and activating every single Combat Art he is aware of.

Anything… and everything that will make him last even a second longer.

He doesn't stop.

Until—

"Arghhhhhh!!!" After several minutes of this torturous struggle, he raises his blade and lets out a blood-curdling scream.

"Run! Run as fast as you can and don't look back!"

The Professor and students are dazed after hearing him say this, their eyes bulging.

But he continues, hurriedly speaking.

"There's no time! The Magivore's Special Ability is currently on cooldown, so it can't target you from afar. I'll also hold it back so it doesn't give chase. Don't waste this opportunity… RUN!"

Upon hearing this, the Professor nods.

As an experienced adult, he knows what Dustin says makes sense.

He is also rational enough to maintain some of his composure in such a dire situation, unlike the other students who are too caught up with the suddenness of it all.

"Come on… let's go!" The Professor tells the students, urging them to run along.

"B-but… what about him?" The girl from earlier stares at Dustin's back, her eyes glistening to reveal all kinds of emotions. Although she is a senior, having only a few more months before graduation, her emotions soar higher than everyone else's.

The Professor notices her concern, but quickly dismisses it, sighing loudly.

"He has painstakingly created this window for us with the resolve to die. Do you wish to waste his sacrifice?"

Only after hearing these words does the girl finally move.

She runs along with everyone.

But not after loudly shouting her parting words to the injured, barely conscious Dustin.

"Thank you, Sir Dustin! I owe you my life!"

Dustin smiles as he hears those words, though it is cut short by yet another desperate struggle with the Cadre 3 Magivore.

"Damn… you!" He firmly resists with all his strength. "You're not going… after them!"

He slashes with all his strength, only creating minor injuries on the beast while exerting himself even more. Then, he witnesses the powerful claw strike of the creature near him.

It's too near to evade.

'I have to block!' He hurriedly switches the trajectory of his blade, intercepting the blow before it reaches him. With barely enough time to firmly establish himself on the ground, his body is sent flying once the blow lands.

The Armament in his hands shatters into a dozen pieces right as his back collides with a nearby mountain wall.

"Puack!"

Blood leaves his seven orifices, and he feels a pounding headache as though his skull has been split open. Ringing sounds constantly hum in his ears, making him unable to even hear his own heavy breaths.

'This… Is this the end?' His thoughts quietly flow as the beast draws near to him. 'All of that effort, yet I couldn't even slay a single one.'

Still, he is joyful.

He managed to buy enough time for the powerless to flee.

Although it came at a pretty late point in his life, for the first time, Dustin received the acknowledgment he had longed to hear for the longest time.

Someone thanked him.

That student… she told him that she owed him her life.

Although it's a vain thing to desire, for Dustin, who has never heard those words before, a certain fulfillment courses through him as he smiles.

"Haaa… haa…" Misty breaths leak out of his bloody lips. 'Although I wish I could peacefully embrace the end like this, I still have so many regrets. I wish… I wish to hear more of those words. I wish to become a Knight who protects the innocent!'

It's too late, though.

Growls echo his drowning senses, and the silhouette of the advancing beast fills his sight.

'The end is here…' As he slowly closes his eyes, switching his blurred vision with sheer darkness instead, he suddenly hears muffled sounds and incoherent noises.

'W-what? What's that sound?'

He tries to pry his eyes open, but even more noises distract him.

"Attack!"

"Shoot all the projectiles with you!"

"It's only Cadre 3! Keep bombarding it!"

Within this maelstrom of confusion, Dustin finally forces his eyes open.

"T-this…!" His face turns stupefied.

Within seconds, his stunned countenance evolves into that of amazement and sheer joy.

For the Cadre 3 Magivore that gave him so much trouble is now being bombarded by projectiles on all sides, sustaining heavy injuries in the process.

This… is his chance!

He sees a piece of his blade still clinging to the hilt next to him and smiles.

WHOOSH!

His body becomes a blur, even to him… as he bravely charges forward amidst the torrent of assaults and stabs the terrified creature right at the side of its throat.

Instant death!

The Cadre 3 Magivore plops to the ground, no longer moving due to the severity of its wounds.

"Haaa… haaa…!"

Dustin stands atop its corpse, still tightly gripping the hilt of his blade.

He turns to see the crowd that has gathered behind him.

The Professor… the students… and the others whom they had separated from all those hours ago.

"Y-you guys…" He mumbles.

"We ran into them just minutes into fleeing." The girl from earlier beams as she approaches the exhausted Dustin. "We told them about your situation, and they rushed here to help."

Gratitude dots his features as he passionately stares at this student.

She didn't have to do this.

She could have been satisfied with having her life preserved.

Yet… she went this far for him!

Dustin had always thought Nobles, especially the High Nobility, were a selfish and arrogant bunch, and that the same applied to their children.

But seeing what this girl did for him, he can't help but re-evaluate this position.

"You all… managed to survive…" Dustin is amazed by the sight before him.

He can count hundreds, nearly a thousand people, in the distance.

"Not all of us." Seraphina Lindester steps forward and sighs. "Many of us died, but most of us survived thanks to—"

"Sir Evernight!" At this point, Dustin notices the Knight of Shadows.

He is currently being carried by a few Professors due to being unconscious. His mask firmly remains on his face, and every part of his skin is covered in darkness.

"Y-you know him?" Seth's voice echoes out, his blue eyes glistening in shock.

"Y-yes…" Dustin quickly nods, limping forward as he stares at his savior and inspiration.

"He saved us earlier. Killed dozens of Cadre 3 Magivores with ease." He quickly explains everything to the group, and after hearing a brief summary of what happened on their end as well, Dustin becomes even more dazed.

'Not just Cadre 3, but he even slaughtered so many Cadre 4. And those three Cadre 5 Magivores… did he also—?!' Dustin shudders immensely. 'This man… he's a monster!'

However, not long after thinking this, he shakes his head vehemently.

Sir Evernight isn't a monster.

No…

"He's a hero!"

"Indeed…" White mist proceeds out of Seraphina's lips as she hands Dustin a Potion to recover from his injuries. "Right now, we're making our way to Lumian Town. Hopefully, we can recover quickly and then leave this place as soon as possible."

As Dustin drinks the Potion, he nods.

That is indeed a wise choice.

The Sky Lantern Rays and Great Elephant Spiders are currently in Lumian Town, so hurrying there is their best shot at surviving.

"It's unfortunate that we've lost all our guards. The only combatants left are some students from the Knight Department and one Professor who serves as an instructor there. Even Earl Balric Wolfshade is dead. If we run into any other Magivores, then…" Seraphina's worried voice trails as she stares at the vast mountain before her.

As the current leader of this group, she has to consider all of these things.

However, her lack of experience and her current tumultuous emotional state make this task weigh too heavily on her mind. Although she feels like passing out right now, Seraphina knows she must hang on for the sake of everyone she is responsible for.

"I've recovered some of my strength. Although I'm sorely lacking, I'll do my best to protect everyone!" Dustin clenches his fist in determination.

"Thank you."

Dustin feels his heart thump loudly just from that single word of gratitude.

He now sees how addicting this feeling can be.

After tasting what it's like to be a true Knight, he already knows he won't be able to return to his previous mundane life.

'My father wishes to revive the Aditi Household through politics and wealth, but… I have found my own path.' Although Dustin wasn't certain before, he has never been any more sure than he is at this present moment.

'I will revive our Household by staying true to the chivalric code and serving the innocent of this Kingdom.' His smile grows broader. 'If I end up surviving here, I'll quit my job and become a wandering Knight. I'll help the people of the Randalorion Kingdom and hunt down evil!'

Naturally, Dustin knows what this means.

His family has chosen to ally itself with the Dark Guild, which means they will have to become his enemies. His parents are sure to be disappointed in him, and his brother will also reject him.

But he no longer cares.

Casting his gaze on the unconscious Sir Evernight, he can't help but smile warmly.

This is the man responsible for everything.

He not only saved him, but also changed his entire life.

'Even if I have to spend a lifetime, I will do everything in my power to repay this debt!'

This begins the journey of Dustin Aditi.

A man who will, one day, become a prominent figure in the Evernight Secret Society.

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