Chapter 31: Knight Exam Held

Let’s take a moment to talk about this world I’ve entered, the story of Brave Road.

Brave Road is about the protagonist, Aran, who, after defeating the Demon King, is betrayed by his party members.

The story follows his return and his quest for revenge against them.

Much like a game, each episode has a boss, and unsurprisingly, those bosses are his former party members.

Excluding Aran, there are six party members, which means the novel is divided into six episodes.

The point in time I’ve entered is before the story has even begun.

However, as I trained, fought, and grew stronger, time naturally passed.

Based on my knowledge of the novel and the events unfolding now, the timeline should be somewhere around:

‘The first episode, The Beloved Fallen Woman, must be over. The second episode, The Black Phantom of the Moonlit

Forest, should be underway. Surely, it hasn’t reached the third episode yet?’

The Northern episode, The Land of Ice, Iron, and Blood, is the fourth episode.

Since I haven’t done anything drastic enough to alter the timeline, the events should still progress in order.

‘The Beloved Fallen Woman was about taking down Luna, the priestess who was outwardly kind and compassionate but secretly depraved.’

Episode 1: The Beloved Fallen Woman

Luna had always been promiscuous and free-spirited, but her beauty and charm captivated everyone—men, women,

young, and old alike—keeping any rumors about her at bay.

When she awakened the unusual power of divine energy, she was forcibly revered as a saint and joined the Hero’s party.

Luna’s talents in healing magic and holy arts made her a valuable asset to the party. She even managed to fulfill her

role as a saint with surprising dedication, thanks to her stunning looks and natural charisma.

But all of that was just a façade to attract good men.

Unable to abandon her old habits, she would secretly seduce men in every village they visited, even making advances

toward Aran, who was young and handsome.

She was so alluring that even Aran once admitted in his memories that he had loved her bright and lively personality.

Before their betrayal, each of Aran’s former comrades had embraced one of the seven deadly sins.

Luna, in particular, succumbed to lust and transformed into a succubus.

The power to grow stronger through indulgence in pleasure was far more tempting to her than her divine powers.

‘Since the church didn’t allow her to satisfy her desires freely, she used her nationwide missionary tours as an excuse

to “serve” in a very different sense. In the end, Aran returned for his revenge and dragged her to a fate worse than

death.’

Even in her dying moments, she pleaded desperately to experience the Hero just once, making her end utterly

repulsive.

Episode 2: The Black Phantom of the Moonlit Forest

When the World Tree dies, the elves connected to it face extinction. To prevent this, Sira, the archer, fed the World

Tree demonic blood rich in magic.

The problem was that Sira, having embraced pride, ignored her people’s warnings about the dangers of the demonic

blood.

Overindulgence in demonic blood caused the World Tree to become corrupted, transforming the elves into dark elves

driven mad with insanity.

Ultimately, Aran had to destroy the Dark Elves and the Moonlit Forest he once vowed to protect, putting an end to

their atrocities.

Sira, insisting she had no other choice and had done her best, died screaming.

Knowing her deep love for her kin, Aran killed the monstrous Sira with a heavy heart, unlike the disdain he felt for Luna.

‘Later, it was revealed that Sira’s downfall was orchestrated by another former comrade trying to manipulate her.’

This sparked heated debates among readers about whether Sira was a villain or a victim.

“Phew, thinking about all this makes me feel gloomy too. Let’s stop here.”

Though I somehow ended up in this world, I hadn’t resolved to drastically alter the story’s course.

Even with my knowledge of the novel’s future events, as an ordinary person, I lacked the strength to confront the

former Hero’s party, let alone survive on my own.

Besides, I’d read until the very end of the story before being transported here. Without my intervention, Aran would

likely make it to the final episode anyway.

Of course, there were tragic parts, like the story of the Dark Elves, but…

Traveling alone and taking action in a fantasy world was far from easy.

The corrupted Dark Elves couldn’t be saved, and trying to meddle would have only made things worse.

Thus, my goal became simple: survive in the North.

However, this place is the stage for the fourth episode.

What’s more, The Land of Ice, Iron, and Blood is the largest-scale war story in the novel so far.

Even if I don’t intend to change the story, I’ll need to intervene here to ensure my survival.

The first step has already been taken.

I secured fresh ice crystals and saved Elaine, the captain of the escort knights.

Strictly speaking, that’s like adding an ally who didn’t exist in the original story.

But the villain’s schemes are still in motion, so I’ll need to thwart them if I want to prepare for the Northern episode.

“Well then, let’s get started.”

The first day of the knight trials had begun.

And so, the Snowflake Tower terrorist incident began.

Examinations tend to have a fixed schedule, as is often the case.

The knight exams also have designated periods for participation.

Typically, these are held every four months.

This makes sense since an exam requires a certain number of candidates to proceed, so it can’t be conducted too frequently.

Unless it were an exam with exorbitant fees, like the knight exam.

Here, the North exhibits its peculiarity once again.

In the North, the knight exams are held monthly.

Due to the culture that emphasizes strength, their slogan is, “Anyone aspiring to be a knight, come and challenge yourself!”

As long as there’s at least one participant, the exam is conducted.

The cost and manpower required for the exam? They don’t care about such trivial matters when there’s an aspiring knight.

What about the fact that at least two people are needed for sparring in the physical test? A current knight is more

than willing to step in for the applicant.

At first glance, it might seem like a very inclusive and open culture, but that’s far from the truth.

Let me put it simply:

Which would be more daunting, riding a Viking ship together or alone?

Or, which is harder, sparring with another candidate or going against an active knight?

In any case, the knight exams in the North are much tougher than elsewhere, so there are no lunatics who challenge it monthly.

Even the third squad captain, a man of both muscle and perseverance, who passed on his fifth attempt, didn’t

challenge it every month.

“Well, I did expect a large number of participants for this exam.”

Looking at the bustling crowd of examinees, I searched for any familiar faces.

I did spot a few.

There were people I had served with before joining the escort squad, some I had encountered on expeditions, and even…

“Hey, Luke! I was wondering where you’d gone!”

“Senior Jimmy? You’re taking the knight exam too?”

“Word’s been going around the squad about your knight exam preparations lately. Even the captain seems to have

been inspired. Three of us from our team, including me, decided to give it a go.”

Jimmy lightly tapped my chest with the back of his hand as he spoke.

“Don’t get too cocky just because you’re doing well, rookie. Let me show you the weight of the title ‘senior.’”

“Better stay sharp, senior. The cheetah’s already started running.”

“What’s a cheetah?”

Ah, the winter regions, seriously…

This exam was so competitive that even members of the escort squad were participating, but that was somewhat expected.

In the novel, Grace mentioned that key figures of the North attended the knight exam.

Logically, wouldn’t a larger crowd make the atmosphere of the exam more intense?

With the attention of Winter Canyon’s residents focused here, it would make it easier for the mastermind to make

their move, which is likely why they choose this time for their plan.

Moreover, even though the North’s knight exams are held monthly, the Northern Duke personally oversees the final

evaluations.

Due to the Duke’s recent expeditions, the exams had been postponed twice.

‘The problem is, I don’t know exactly when the incident will occur.’

If it were an event directly covered in the novel, it wouldn’t be too difficult to pinpoint the timing.

But since it’s a past event only briefly mentioned in the novel, calculating the timing requires some guesswork.

‘They won’t cause trouble on the first day when adrenaline levels are high among the northern warriors.’

The mastermind is meticulous enough to carry out a terrorist attack on Snowflake Tower, Grace’s front yard, without getting caught.

Such a person wouldn’t recklessly charge ahead just because the opportunity presented itself.

The knight exam takes place over several days, and with this particular exam being larger in scale, there are more

variables on the ground, making them even more cautious.

This is precisely why I decided to participate in the knight exam.

The escort squad’s range of movement is limited to Grace’s vicinity, which restricts their search efforts.

However, participants in the knight exam are excused from their duties during the exam period, allowing them more

freedom to move around during breaks.

Becoming a knight would grant me recognition for my relationship with Elaine and help prevent the prelude to the

Northern episodes.

It’s a win-win.

‘The knight exam consists of three evaluation categories: combat skills, character, and leadership.’

Of these, the main event is undoubtedly combat skills.

Character is assessed through a written test.

Leadership is evaluated through a simulated battle scenario.

Combat skills are tested in a tournament-style duel.

If the mastermind were to make their move, the most likely timing would be…

‘During the combat skills test.’

Even in a famous ninja manga I read in my past life, the villains caused trouble during the tournament matches.

“Greetings! To all the mighty warriors of the North who have gathered for the knight exam!”

Lost in thought, I was pulled back to reality as the knight exam finally began.

A woman with strikingly long white hair—Grace Northraine, the Northern Duke—was personally delivering the

opening remarks, signaling the scale of this event.

Such grandeur attracts examinees to flock here at specific times deliberately.

It’s much more impressive and honorable to pass the exam at a large-scale event, where even the Northern Duke

attends, than in a small-scale one with just a few participants.

“It fills me with great joy and pride to see so many warriors standing here, aspiring to become knights. With the

Duke’s name, I commend your courage and determination.”

When Grace’s straightforward words of praise were delivered with a smiling face, the determination of the

candidates became evident.

Though I was here for a different purpose, I felt the same way.

“As you know, there is no fixed number of successful candidates for the knight exam. I hope that everyone here

achieves outstanding results and rises as proud knights. Hah, there’s no need for long speeches. Show your fangs,

extend your claws as beasts, and roar! Proclaim that you are the strongest warrior of this land of ice and steel! That is

all!!”

“For the Winter Lion!!”

“For the North, the land of ice and steel!!”

As Grace’s speech concluded, everyone raised their arms and cheered loudly.

Caught up in the atmosphere, I too felt my chest swell and joined in the cheer.

Then, I made eye contact with a blue-haired escort knight standing beside Grace.

Elaine, wearing her usual indifferent expression, immediately spotted me among the crowd and gave a slight nod.

That silent gesture of support, more valuable than any words, made me smile and return the nod.

The first evaluation was a test of character.

‘It’s standard to have the theoretical test first, followed by the practical test.’

Driver’s licenses were like that, and so were computer certifications.

It would feel anticlimactic if the first test at the Northern knight exam wasn’t one of strength, especially after the

Duke had gone to such lengths to raise the tension.

Surely, no test in the North could be that quiet.

Boom!

See? There it goes.

A loud explosion echoed.

The character evaluation was conducted in this way:

Candidates were divided into groups, and each group was assigned a single evaluator.

The candidates entered the room one at a time, where the evaluator presented a question meant to test their chivalry.

The scores were determined by the responses given.

Anyone scoring below the threshold would be immediately eliminated.

In short, it was like an interview.

But unlike a typical interview, there was a twist.

Boom!

“Argh!”

With a deafening crash, the door burst open, and a candidate was flung out, tumbling across the floor.

His clothes were torn, and blood trickled from his face—his condition didn’t look good.

‘Seems like there’s been a mistake in assigning evaluators…’

The character test could vary wildly depending on the personality of the assigned evaluator.

Someone refined and composed, like Group 2’s Loron, might conduct a serious and introspective interview. On the

other hand, a physical powerhouse like Group 3’s Ki might throw the candidate into a real-life scenario.

If it were Group 1’s sub-leader Anduril, they might even play along and offer encouragement to help the candidate answer well.

‘But why do I keep hearing explosions from that room?’

Conversations with other candidates were prohibited to prevent cheating.

Though I had approached this with determination, the suspicious noises from inside were making me a bit nervous.

Surely, the evaluator didn’t have a dinosaur in there, challenging the candidates to survive.

“Next, come in.”

My turn came, and I rose from my seat.

While conversation was forbidden, eye contact wasn’t, and the other candidates waiting their turns gave me looks of

concern and encouragement.

I swallowed nervously and stepped inside.

Fortunately, the evaluator didn’t have a dinosaur.

Because the evaluator themselves was the dinosaur.

“Hahaha! Look who it is! I can’t believe you’ve come this way, Luke. Great to see you!”

The evaluator, whose rippling, rock-solid muscles were hard to miss, greeted me with a hearty laugh.

Despite being a knight, they weren’t wearing armor. Their hair was tied back loosely, and scars from missions and

training were scattered across their body.

It was none other than Rine, the sub-leader of Group 3 in the escort unit.

“Greetings, Sub-Leader.”

“Good, have a seat!”

True to their reputation, Rine—despite being a woman—was barely covering her upper body as she sat in the

evaluator’s seat.

If Ki was known for sometimes skipping shirts during training, Rine took it a step further.

A peculiar person who had joined Group 3 out of admiration for Ki and ended up becoming a muscle-bound

powerhouse.

I suddenly wondered if Rine might fall within Sophia’s range of interest.

She was well-endowed, after all.

Though it wasn’t her chest but her pectoral muscles.

“Hahaha. Luke, before we start the evaluation, let me make you an offer.”

“An offer?”

“If you join our group, as per the orders of my esteemed leader, I’ll give you a perfect score in this evaluation. What

do you say?”

Good heavens. Your Grace, Captain, the sub-leader of the escort unit is proposing corruption! Please, drag this

person out and save me.

“I’m sorry, but I must decline. I’ll take the test honestly and pass with pride.”

Since this could itself be part of the evaluation, I immediately refused.

Bang!

I flinched.

Rine slammed the desk and grinned broadly, baring her teeth.

“You choose the hard way! Then take it like a champ! Now, I’ll evaluate you with the strictest standards!”

And so began the trial with Rine the Mighty Musclesaurus, who roared like a beast.