The Knight’s Challenge

It had been over a week since Tang Wenxu arrived at the church. One day, Father Kant returned with two purple crystals in hand.

He instructed, “Guard these crystals carefully. They represent your identities within the kingdom.”

As soon as Kuroki Nao received her identity, she immediately set off to find work in Komi City, which was not far from the small town.

“Master, aren’t you curious about where I’m working?” Kuroki Nao asked him three days later, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

“No, it’s your freedom to work wherever you choose,” Tang Wenxu replied. “Also, please stop calling me ‘Master’ from now on. I hope you can treat me as a regular friend.”

“Alright, Master. No problem, Master.” Kuroki Nao stuck out her tongue, giggled, and then skipped out the door.

Three days prior, Kuroki Nao had secured her job. As Tang Wenxu watched her retreating figure now, an overwhelming sense of loneliness instantly enveloped him.

It was the same profound solitude he had felt when he used to lock himself in his room, numbing his mind with his computer.

Now, Kuroki Nao was off to work, Mia was almost constantly immersed in the world of the piano, and Father Kant, after sleeping until noon, would go fishing—though whether he was fishing for fish or people remained a mystery.

Tang Wenxu felt utterly hollow. He, too, longed to be busy like everyone else, but the thought of work always brought a wave of anxiety.

He had once held a brief job back on Earth, yet it had been far from smooth. As a spoiled young master, he was clumsy and inept, leading to his swift dismissal.

That unpleasant experience had left a lasting shadow over him. He dreaded being scolded by a boss for his poor performance, fearing the angry faces of humans, as if they were stripping away their usual smiling masks to reveal their true, terrifying selves.

Though it was shameful to admit, he simply did not want to work. When he had nothing to do, he would stroll through the small town, admiring its Florentine-style architecture, or practice his swordsmanship with a wooden sword in the courtyard.

When he grew tired of walking or weary from sword practice, Tang Wenxu would often find himself staring blankly at the children in the church. They always seemed to find something to play.

Tang Wenxu deeply admired these children, for they possessed an innate talent for discovering joy. Watching them, he felt increasingly like an old man observing his grandchildren.

Just like those elders, a thought echoed in his heart: ‘Come play with me…’ Yet, the children remained indifferent to the man who watched them with a foolish smile.

Kuroki Nao was a beautiful girl, and everyone loved beautiful girls—even children. This was a gift she was born with. They would sweeten their voices, calling her “Big Sister Kuroki” with every breath. As for Tang Wenxu, the children would openly express their disdain, remarking, “Oh, you mean that freeloading mister?” before promptly changing the subject.

Unaware of how poorly he was perceived by the children, Tang Wenxu often fantasized about them inviting him to join their games.

Once sufficiently rested, he would silently return to the courtyard to practice his sword. He believed that in this world, swordsmanship would eventually prove useful, allowing him to protect everyone in a crucial moment.

Indeed, his talent for swordsmanship was truly “fearsome.” Tang Wenxu could now defeat “that man.” However, “that man” was not Father Kant, but Myles.

Myles was the oldest boy in the church, twelve years old this year. He usually prided himself on being Princess Mia’s noble knight, but recently, this noble knight had fallen for someone new.

“Take this sword.” Myles threw a wooden sword at Tang Wenxu. “Duel me.”

“Duel? Why?” Tang Wenxu looked bewildered.

“Only the strong are worthy of giving Miss Kuroki happiness for the rest of her life!” Myles declared arrogantly, echoing the sentiment that beauty belongs only to the powerful, much like a knight of old.

“No, no, no, you’re just a child. How can I duel you?” Tang Wenxu waved his hands dismissively, observing the boy’s height of barely five feet.

“Further words are useless. Take this!” Myles raised his wooden sword and launched a flurry of thrusts at Tang Wenxu.

Seeing this, the children gathered around, cheering Myles on.

Tang Wenxu felt a surge of helplessness. If he fought back, Myles was still just a child; if he didn’t, the boy showed no sign of stopping. ‘Nao, you truly are a femme fatale,’ he thought.

Myles was the self-proclaimed second strongest in the church. Though he shouted out incredibly powerful-sounding ultimate moves like “Azure Dragon Burst” (self-proclaimed), “Gale Swift Blade” (likewise), and “Lightning Sword Dance” (…), his swordsmanship was essentially chaotic and disorganized—nothing more than childish flailing. He could shout out five different domineering names for what was simply a horizontal slash.

“Stop it!”

Tang Wenxu’s face was struck.

“You’re stronger now, alright? Just calm down first.”

Tang Wenxu’s face was hit again.

Myles used his actions to convey that he had no intention of stopping. With the children’s cheers fueling him, he intended to utterly defeat the adult before him.

Once he vanquished this “incompetent” adult, his status among the children would skyrocket. Both the children in the church and those outside would then call him “Big Brother Myles.”

Myles’s sword swung faster and faster, his ultimate moves growing increasingly melodramatic. In Myles’s eyes, Tang Wenxu was merely a coward in adult skin, and he intended to tear off that adult facade.

‘Why should this coward bring a smile to Big Sister Kuroki’s face? Why does she only smile at him? It’s not fair! I’m handsomer than him, I’m stronger than him. I’ll make Big Sister Kuroki smile at me.’

The more Myles thought, the angrier he became. He swung his wooden sword at Tang Wenxu with enough force to knock someone unconscious.

Snap!

The wooden sword clashed with another wooden sword for the first time.

Tang Wenxu moved. He no longer dodged, but began to wield the wooden sword in his hand. Since constant forbearance would only make the children more unruly, he decided to fight back—as long as he didn’t hurt the boy.

With his height advantage, Tang Wenxu was confident he could end the fight in a second. He just needed to give Myles a solid whack on the head, guaranteeing the boy would steer clear of him thereafter.

However, he couldn’t do that. Myles was just a child, and children were not at fault; they simply lacked proper guidance.

Tang Wenxu began to counter-attack with his wooden sword, but his target was not Myles’s body, but the sword in his hand.

With an adult’s strength, he easily knocked the sword out of Myles’s grasp.

Weaponless, Myles froze for a moment. Then, he saw a wooden sword swinging fiercely towards his forehead.

Too late to dodge, he closed his eyes in fear. Yet, the pain never came.

“Eh?” As the fatal blow failed to land, he opened his eyes to see Tang Wenxu had already retracted his wooden sword.

“Why didn’t you strike?” Myles asked.

“Being hit by a wooden sword hurts a lot,” Tang Wenxu said, gently touching his face, which still bore a bruise from Myles’s earlier strike. “I know that feeling all too well.”

“It’s not your pain, and I clearly hit you just now.”

“Silly child, precisely because I’ve felt that pain, I don’t want you to feel it.”

Myles lowered his proud head.

“You win,” Myles said, unwilling to accept defeat. “But if you can’t give Big Sister Kuroki happiness, I won’t forgive you.”

Why were Myles’s eyes often filled with tears? Because his love for Big Sister Kuroki ran deep.

“What does it matter who wins or loses? Aren’t you a self-proclaimed knight? A knight should have a knight’s magnanimity; only then will girls like you.” Tang Wenxu affectionately patted Myles’s head.

Myles immediately slapped Tang Wenxu’s hand away.

“You’re just a freeloader, don’t get so cocky.” With that, he ran off to play elsewhere with the other children.

‘A freeloader… so that’s how the children see me…’ Tang Wenxu resolved to find a job tomorrow to change the children’s perception of him.