Book 3: Prologue: The Seal of the Sword on the Knight

Two travelers strode down a country road wearing big hooded cloaks, one light green and one grayish-white. They both had their hoods up, showing only a sliver of the bottom of their faces.

The two travelers walked for a long time in silence.

Eventually they came across an adventure team with five or so team members. The other party had more people, so the two travelers shifted to the side to let them through. The warrior in the front nodded calmly to the two, looking a little proud, but sincere, so he was tolerable.

There were not a lot of people in the team, but there were two who stood out. The two travelers examined them with interest. The warrior in the front had a head full of black curls; he looked strong yet flexible, like a black panther.

The holy knight walking behind the warrior had a cascade of golden hair that shone like the sun, and a pair of warm blue eyes. His bright smile almost blinded everyone around him.

When the group had passed, the traveler in the green cloak said, “What an energetic team! I don’t know who they are but they definitely looked strong. Perhaps they are one of the top three adventure teams in the continent? Which one do you think they are?”

The one wearing a gray cloak smiled. “I don’t think they are a famous team.”

“Why do you think that?” the green-cloaked traveler asked.

“Because I saw someone I know.”

“Someone you know?”

The gray-cloaked traveler nodded. “Yes, the one with the golden hair and blue eyes—he was my apprentice, but he has no possible chance of being in the top three teams.”

The green-cloaked traveler gasped “Your apprentice? Then he really is a holy knight? But he didn’t have proper footing, or the proper hand position. That’s unbelievable! That was your apprentice? I was wondering, for a moment there, if he was just dressed up as a holy knight, but he actually was the one that adventure team was protecting!”

“ …He is a holy knight, and the advanced kind as well,” the gray-cloaked traveler said with twitching lips.

Disbelief was written all over the green-cloaked traveler’s face.

The gray-cloaked traveler coughed loudly several times and then explained, “But that’s because the armor and the sword are not his equipment, but rather his seals.”

“Seal? I’m not sure I catch your meaning.”

The gray-cloaked traveler smiled faintly. “If a magician is wielding a sword and wearing armor, are they any use to him?”

“So as a holy knight you managed to make a magician out of your apprentice?” the green-cloaked traveler jested.

“That was just a fact. My apprentice is a holy knight …Or at least he thinks he’s a holy knight.”

The green-cloaked traveler stared at the departing team. After a moment he said, “Your apprentice is very interesting. Why don’t we follow them, and see what they are up to?”

“No, no, we will definitely be discovered if we try to stalk them.”

The traveler in the green cloak said, “Why? There are no thieves that could sneak up on us, only the archer, and with our abilities I don’t think we will be discovered by the archer either.”

The gray-cloaked traveler laughed and shook his head. “There are no thieves, but there is my apprentice. Believe me my friend, my apprentice aced every single field besides what is required to be a knight.”

“And he is a knight?” The green-cloaked traveler looked at his fellow traveler with an odd expression on his face.

“Yep, and thank the gods that he is a knight…”

The gray-cloaked traveler looked at the distant adventure team. “If not for the identity of a knight and the sword that seals him, what kind of great things could he do? It’s a truly curious thought.”

“If you are so curious, why seal him?”

“Because in this peaceful world, there is no need for great things,” the grey-cloaked traveler said with a sigh.

“Oh, so that’s why.” The green-cloaked traveler nodded in agreement.

The gray-cloaked traveler looked into the distance and said, “Also, as to why I was so determined to train a spell caster into a knight, there is another very important reason.”

Hearing that, the green-cloaked traveler asked seriously, “Why is that?”

The gray-cloaked traveler turned around and looked gravely at his companion. He explained slowly and painfully, “Because, back then, I forgot to choose a back-up knight!”