How to Live as a Knight After the Ending

Chapter 54: Changes in Perception (2)

I swung my sword.

The blade flashed in the light, the sound of it cutting through the wind was heavy.

The place where I swung my sword now was a small clearing behind the Violet Fox Tavern.

Surrounded by other buildings and out of sight of prying eyes, it was the perfect place to train.

I swung my sword and focused my senses on that time.

‘Remember when I used the Nebula Silk.’

One swipe from top to bottom.

Each time, a faint starlight streamed from the tip of the sword, creating an afterimage in the air.

I moved my body.

With each step I took, a whitish starlight flickered behind my back, following the trajectory of my movement.

‘I won that fight because I knew the characteristics of my opponent.’

That fight sticks in my mind.

It was the time I dueled Martinez in the Golden Fields.

In terms of pure power, Martinez was much stronger than me.

I was able to win that fight because I knew the skills and talents of a Paladin like the back of my hand.

I was able to win because I realized how to use the Nebula Silk.

The Nebula Silk protects the wearer while increasing their overall physical abilities.

In particular, the Starlight Cloak, which can change its shape, is a feature that can be said to be a boon in itself.

It allowed the wearer to levitate for short periods of time, make quick dashes, and even use it as an offensive weapon if necessary.

Of course, there’s a reason why my opponent was still a bit of a mess.

But if I were to face him again, victory would not be as certain as before.

‘Power needs to be distributed.’

The Starlight Sword could be used with ease now.

However, the Nebula Silk, which he had just realized how to use, was not.

Although he hadn’t shown it, he was mentally exhausted from overusing the Nebula Silk that day.

I’ll need to use Nebula Silk often in the future, and it’s not good to waste too much power.

In situations where I can’t finish in the short term, I need to conserve power as much as possible.

‘Just the right amount of power at the right moment, that’s all I need.’

Power distribution is important.

If you max out from the start, you’ll be exhausted before you reach the finish line.

Knowing the importance of this, I practiced and practiced and practiced controlling the power of the Nebula Silk.

I thought, “Let’s adjust it so that I can hold it for a long time and not collapse from exhaustion,” but it was harder than I thought.

If I just wanted to spread it out strongly, I could just turn the power up to maximum but if I wanted it to be thin and long, it required a lot of attention.

It’s like working with delicate glass.

I had to walk a tightrope without leaning too far to one side or the other, because if I didn’t use enough force, the shape wouldn’t come out, and if I used too much, the glass would break.

However after a few times, I got the hang of it pretty quickly.

I realized that I would be able to fully realize the use of Nebula Silk in the near future, if not immediately.

‘It’s hard the first time you use it, but once you realize it, it’s easy after that. Thank goodness.’

When you don’t know how to use it, you don’t know how to realize it, but once you do, it’s as natural as breathing.

It’s like the difference between learning a skill and unlocking it but it’s too early to be happy.

There were still so many skills I needed to use.

‘It’s not just about the Starlight. Thinking about the future, I can’t keep being so optimistic forever.’

I don’t expect to achieve greatness but at the very least, I aim to reach the minimum level of a master.

Having thought that far, I stopped…partly because it was pointless to hold on to something that wasn’t going to happen, but also because I could feel someone’s gaze on me.

I stopped swinging my sword and turned around to see Ronan Roland, the man with the slit-eyes, watching me.

Oh, my God.

How long has he been watching me?

“Have you been watching me the whole time?”

“Oh no. Did I interrupt your training?”

“No, I was just about to finish, so what’s going on?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to join us for a meal to celebrate.”

He shrugged, for what seemed like a rather unimportant reason.

“Sure.”

*

At Violet Fox’s table were Diolan and Lorraine.

As we sat down, the food was brought out. It was a steaming bowl of omelet rice.

Osian took a bite, thinking it was a pretty small meal, and his eyebrows wiggled together.

‘Who made this?’

Lorraine and Diolan had similar reactions.

“What is this, why is it so delicious?”

“An omelet is this good?”

Their gazes naturally turned to the person who had brought the dish, Ena Grundt, the newest witch in Violet Fox.

She must have been quite embarrassed by this reaction, so she pulled the bright red hood over her head.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal. Not even the fanciest restaurant food tastes like this.”

With that, Diolan scarfed down the omelet.

Lorraine stared at the omelet with a serious expression.

“Did you make this with Witchcraft? It doesn’t make sense that it would taste like this otherwise.”

“Uh, it’s just homemade.”

Ena said in a stammering voice.

“I worked a few jobs to make money, and I used to work as a kitchen assistant, and that’s how I learned to cook.”

“And you’re this good?”

“I didn’t last long, I quit, but the chef was nice to me, so I worked my way up to assistant chef, even though I was supposed to start by peeling potatoes. He was sad when I told him I was leaving, he was really nice.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped.

Even those who don’t know the ins and outs of the culinary industry know that when you enter the kitchen, you usually start at the bottom.

But for Ena to work her way up to assistant chef meant she was really good.

Ena laughs wryly.

“I didn’t stay long, though, so I got out pretty quickly. I only know how to make a few things because I’m a quick study.”

“…This is serious. If Ena learns how to make more dishes, we might have to change this place from a fixer office to a restaurant.”

“Ms. Lorraine, could you please refrain from talking about other people’s visions for the shop?”

Ronan gently cautioned her, but Lorraine’s face didn’t straighten.

It was clear from the look on her face that she was very serious about turning this tavern into a restaurant.

Ena rushed to Ronan’s defense.

“It’s okay, I know how to cast!”

“……Casting? You can do that? Where did you learn that?”

“Well, I worked a few odd jobs and stayed at a distillery for a while, and I met a nice guy there who taught me…….”

“But they don’t make booze, they just make cocktails, you don’t need to go to a distillery.”

“Oh, I have a bartender’s license.”

“…….”

Osian, Lorraine, and Diolan exchanged glances.

Is this right?

Isn’t she a witch?

Why does she seem to be more competent in other things?

If she’s this versatile, shouldn’t she be quite good as a fixer even without witchcraft?

A common thought ran through everyone’s minds.

“More than that.”

Osian interrupted.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, you may speak, Mr. Osian.”

“Are there no other fixers here besides us?”

Lorraine, Osian, and Diolan were the only ones actually sitting down.

Each of them might be good but there were too few of them to call it a fixer office.

“You don’t have to worry about that. They’re busy right now, but there are a few more fixers here.”

“I see.”

“They’re all too busy to show their faces, but you’ll probably get to meet them sooner or later.”

“What kind of people?”

Ronan has an excellent eye for people.

The people he’s recruited, I have to admit, are very good.

If they’re Diolan and Lorraine seniors in the industry they must be famous fixers.

“Hmm. Who could that be?”

Lorraine stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“It’s hard to put into words. But, well, they’re not bad people. They might be a bit eccentric. We don’t know everything about them either.”

“Don’t know everything?”

“Some hide their identities, some don’t show their faces, and some only take orders when we’re not around.”

“So she’s one of them?”

Osian asked, glancing to one side and everyone looked puzzled.

Her? Does that mean there’s someone else here?

“What? I didn’t think I’d be found out already.”

A voice came out of nowhere.

“This voice is…….”

As everyone reacted with panic, only Lorraine’s eyes widened violently.

She was about to jump out of her chair.

“My sweet Lorraine, where do you think you’re going?”

Someone hugged Lorraine from behind.

The person hugging her from behind was a woman who exuded a picture-perfect beauty.

She looked to be in her mid-20s.

Her short hair was a two-tone blonde and pink, and her skin was as white as the snow.

Her face was full of color, and her body was alluring.

She exuded a maturity that made anyone passing her on the street turn around.

Lorraine, embraced by her, remained stiff and still, like a kitten facing its natural enemy.

It was a reaction Osian had never seen before.

The blonde woman hugged Lorraine and rubbed her cheek against her head, then turned to stare at Osian with sparkling eyes.

“Is this the new guy?”

The curiosity in her gaze was directed at Osian.

Curiosity about how he had discovered her.

“Are you showing up like this again to surprise people, Miss Seren?”

Seren smiled wryly at Ronan’s gentle point.

“It is one of my pleasures. Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Seren Gracia. What is the newcomer’s name?”

“Osian.”

“Osian. You have quite the eye. You’ve seen everything I’ve been hiding.”

“I just saw it.”

That was all Osian could say.

He didn’t use any special powers, he just felt something was there, and when he looked closer, he saw a woman standing there.

The presence was faint, and it seemed to be some sort of cloaking technique.

“Ms. Seren, was your request successful?”

“Yes. Here is the completion form.”

Seren pulled a piece of paper from her bosom.

Ena blushed and looked away, realizing that it had been drawn from quite a deep place.

Diolan coughed and awkwardly averted his gaze.

Osian only gave her an incredulous look.

Ronan stared at the paper, then took it in stride.

“Well, well. I see you’re still a prankster.”

“Isn’t that what someone who accepts that without thinking would say? You are such a boring man. How do you never get embarrassed?”

“Well, I’m very embarrassed right now.”

“Yeah. That joke was kind of funny.”

I’m not kidding.

Ronan frowned slightly, then opened the task completion form and read it.

When he was satisfied that she had fulfilled the request, he gave a small nod.

“Uh, sis, can you let me go?”

“Huh? Why~. I like cuddling with Lorraine like this.”

“You’re suffocating me!”

Lorraine made a pained sound.

Judging by the fact that Ronan didn’t stop her, it seemed like this had been a common occurrence between them before.

‘Seren Gracie.’

She appeared out of thin air.

Magic? No, it was a little different but it wasn’t witchcraft either.

A power that was neither witchcraft nor magic, but something else.

As Osian mulled over the possibilities in his mind, Seren’s attention turned to him.

“I heard on the way here that you’ve recently completed a big assignment even though you’ve only been a Fixer for a short time. Ronan has an eye for people after all.”

Seren even winked at Osian out of the corner of her eye as she said it.

She flashed a charming smile that would have melted most men’s faces in an instant.

‘Wow, you’re so pretty.’

But the words that came out of Osian’s mouth were grim.

“I was just doing what I had to do.”

“Hmph.”

Seren pouted and pulled away from Lorraine.

As Lorraine breathed a sigh of relief, Seren strode over to Osian with a bounce in her step.

“Even though you’re a new recruit, feel free to ask me if you have any questions. I’ll tell you anything you’re curious about. Oh, but of course, really personal and confidential information about myself is off limits.”

Seren, who deliberately flaunted her body, seemed to be asking if this was enough to convince him.

Osian stared at her with his piercing black eyes.

‘What, you’re really a new fixer?’

Seren had no idea what Ossian was thinking.

She’d heard Ronan’s pick had actually completed a big job but even considering that.

Someone this ‘complete’ was extremely rare, even in this entire city.

Plus, there was an unmistakable sense of intimidation in his gaze.

‘This is something I can feel from him.’

She’d felt it before.

A figure flashed through Seren Gracia’s mind, Violet Fox’s number one fixer, a living legend in the business and a fixer extraordinaire, Basilio.

‘This new guy is his equal?’

A shiver ran down Seren Gracia’s spine.