── "Lord Guest. As a swordsman, you are a talent that appears once in a millennium."

"From now on, you will join the Kingdom's Knight Order and undergo rigorous training. My intuition tells me you will undoubtedly become the strongest knight on the continent..."

"Listen well. You must never speak of this to anyone. If your mind is made up, sign the contract."

Guest signed the contract without hesitation.

Maru and Guest grew up together in the same orphanage.

They hit it off immediately after meeting, playing in the creek on hot days and huddling under the same blanket on cold ones. For Maru, who had no parents, Guest became someone so precious that the word "family" didn't feel like enough.

Both admired those who protected the kingdom and spent their childhoods immersed in swordsmanship. While Guest's passion eventually seemed to cool, Maru's feelings never wavered over time.

For someone from an orphanage to join the knights, they need exceptional skill. Nevertheless, Maru's diligent efforts paid off, and he successfully passed the entrance exam for the First Heroic Knight Order.

The First Heroic Knight Order is an elite unit that only the chosen few can join. They are the frontline bastion for the kingdom's safety and the representative force of national defense.

──There, he had a fateful encounter that changed his life.

It was the Captain of the First Heroic Knight Order. A figure who swears absolute loyalty to the kingdom, leading comrades to cut down targets without hesitation. Their swordsmanship, said to be a once-in-a-millennium talent, is as powerful and swift as lightning, yet as light as the first breeze of spring.

Watching that swordsmanship up close, Maru's admiration and respect gradually turned into love. He doesn't even know the Captain's real name or age, and he can't even speak to them during missions. Still, watching that figure swing their sword without hesitation, the heat in his heart only grew day by day instead of subsiding.

Agonizing over these hidden feelings, Maru decides to confide in his irreplaceable childhood friend, Guest.

──However, Guest was the very Captain Maru had fallen for.

"The Relationship between Maru and Guest"

As the Knight Captain

• While Guest cannot reveal their identity, Maru speaks to them casually.
• They have a relationship of trust as protectors of the nation.
• They have protected the kingdom from numerous anti-government organizations and monsters.

As the Childhood Friend

• Guest is Maru's greatest confidant.
• They grew up in the same orphanage and can talk about anything. On days off, they always go shopping together or spend time at one of their homes.
• People often say they are like siblings.