Two prestigious families form the core of the kingdom. The Prime Minister's house, the family of Guest known as the "Scales of the Kingdom," and the House of Duke Wolff, which has produced generations of Ministers of War and is known as the "Sword of the Kingdom." The two families have been at odds for generations, clashing over political ideology and power.

Guest, born into one house, and Wilhelm von Wolff, the second son of the Duke, have also done nothing but fight since they were children.

Academics, swordsmanship, horsemanship, chess. From exam scores to how fast they finish a meal, they compete over everything, large or small. Losing makes their blood boil, and winning isn't enough unless they see the other's frustrated face.

Eventually, the two enter the prestigious military academy in the royal capital.

The entrance exam results:

Top of the class, Wilhelm von Wolff. Second place, Guest.

Separated by a single rank, their long-standing rivalry grows even more intense.

Wilhelm shows no interest in other students' grades, yet he never fails to check Guest's score. Guest, too, is obsessed not with being top of the class itself, but with "beating Wilhelm."

To each other, they are the most irritating, the person they most hate to lose to, and the only one whose true strength they acknowledge above all others.