For a moment, no one spoke. They simply stared at the high noble lady, Katherine. Normally, the knights would have spoken up after hearing those words, but the status this young summoner possessed was not something they could challenge. The Grandwell name carried so much influence that defying it could ruin an entire knightly career, something humanoids valued dearly.
On the opposite side stood Gwendolin Rainstar, a name that had once reached even greater heights but had long since been forgotten. The knights gathered here knew nothing of her family's past, and Katherine intended to use that ignorance as her greatest weapon.
"Rainstar... you have a lot of nerve showing your face in a place like this, let alone trying to seduce the empire's future champions."
Katherine flicked her long golden hair with one hand while the other rested on her hip. Gwen clearly did not know how to respond. The moment her family name was mentioned, several of the knights instinctively took a small step back.
"Rainstar... that fallen house?"
"If I had known, I never would have approached her..."
"Did she try to fool us?"
The whispers grew louder, and the crowd surrounding them continued to swell as more people were drawn to the unfolding spectacle. Gwen lowered her head, her small hands clenching into fists, but she remained silent. Even though she had grown more confident, she still could not bring herself to stand up to Katherine when confronted so directly. Fortunately, she was not alone.
"Hah, what a shameful display from such a noble lady. Are you still angry because Gwen beat you a year ago? How pathetic for someone from such a prominent noble house!"
It was Astrella who came to Gwen's defense. The fairies floating around her shoulders stuck out their tongues at Katherine and the group of knights.
Katherine's face twisted with rage at Astrella's unfiltered words. The whispers among the trainees shifted instantly as curiosity spread through the crowd. Being defeated by the daughter of a fallen noble was not something a high noble like Katherine wanted made public, especially not in front of the empire's future elite knights.
"Silence, you insolent brat! How dare a half-blood raise their voice to me!"
Katherine snapped, her voice instantly losing its aristocratic composure. Her true colors finally showed as she glanced toward the knights standing beside her. The message she was sending was unmistakable, and several of them reacted immediately to defend her honor.
"You there. Such lies will not be tolerated in the presence of Lady Grandwell!"
One of the knights from Katherine's entourage shouted as he stepped forward to intimidate Astrella. He rested a hand on the hilt of his sword, trying to project an aura of authority that might frighten an ordinary student.
If Rusty had eyes, they would have narrowed. The situation unfolding before him was clearly heading somewhere he did not want it to. Either his summoner would be attacked or humiliated, perhaps even forced to apologize for something she had never started, all so Katherine could save face in front of knights he could not care less about.
"Lies? I didn't tell any lies! It's the truth! She lost, and she knows it!"
"Hold your tongue!"
Astrella didn’t seem to realize she was being threatened by the knights protecting Katherine, but Rusty was fully aware of the situation.
‘...The limitations placed on me have been removed.’
Fortunately for the group, there was something most people never noticed about the academy gardens. The restrictions on summoning creatures did not apply here. Their teacher, Quinten, was not present either. He was probably carrying the enchanted item responsible for enforcing those restrictions nor were they in the enchanted wagon that did the same. Here, Rusty could assume his full form to protect his summoner, and it seemed that if he did not, things could quickly get out of hand.
"You still dare to tell lies to insult Lady Grandwell?"
It was obvious that the young knight trainees did not care about the truth. They simply wanted to curry favor with the powerful Grandwell family. One of the knights drew his blade by a few centimeters, the metallic click echoing sharply through the quiet garden. Gwen flinched and pulled Rusty closer to her chest, while Astrella finally took a step back as the threat became unmistakably real. Katherine smirked, thoroughly enjoying the display of intimidation.
"Okay, that's enough."
Rusty had finally reached his limit, and now he had a legitimate reason to act. He was smart enough to know that if he attacked without cause, Gwen would be blamed for everything because everyone saw him as an extension of his summoner. Whatever he did would be judged as her decision, and he knew better than to attack humanoids without justification.
"R-Rusty, what are you?"
"Don't worry, Gwen. I'll take care of this. If you need a knight, then I will be your knight!"
His small body began to glow and shift, growing larger in a matter of moments. Light engulfed him as he expanded rapidly, forcing Gwen to let go while Astrella instinctively flinched in surprise. The fragrance of the roses vanished, replaced by the scent of twilight steel.
What had once been a small, harmless creature resembling a toy suit of armor grew into something enormous. The metal plates stretched, thick pauldrons materialized, and the tiny toy weapon transformed into a massive halberd crackling with lightning. When the light finally faded, a towering warrior of twilight steel stood before Gwen. The tip of his halberd rested only centimeters from the arrogant knight who had dared to draw his blade.
The sheer pressure radiating from Rusty's Goliath form was suffocating. None of the humanoids present were a match for him, and they knew it. The moment he appeared before them, every one of them instinctively took several steps back. They could sense his overwhelming strength through their own skills.
"Rusty, calm down."
Gwen called out to him, clearly afraid that he would do something everyone present would regret.
"I am calm. Now tell him to put away his sword and apologize, or he will be cleaved in half."
The knight trainees could not hear his words, but they could feel his killing intent. The man who had partially unsheathed his sword froze where he stood. He stared at the razor sharp tip of the halberd and at Rusty's accusing finger pointing directly at him.
“Ha, leave it to me, Rusty!”
Instead of Gwen, who was still frozen in sheer disbelief at the sudden escalation, Astrella stepped forward with absolute confidence.
“You cannot hear the summon’s words, but worry not. I will translate. Sir Rusty here says that you should sheath your weapon, or he will cleave you in two for disrespecting the great Gwendolin Rainstar, the lady to whom Sir Rusty has sworn his noble spirit to.”
“I did not say all of that... but it seems to be working, so keep going.”
It was obvious that Astrella was using far more words than he ever would, but once she finished speaking and the knights looked at him, they seemed to have gotten the wrong idea.
“A noble spirit? Could it be true?”
“Could he really be a noble knight spirit?”
“Do not ask me. He certainly looks the part.”
The young knight trainees started whispering among themselves again, many of them carefully studying Rusty's appearance. He was in his Goliath form, towering over everyone like a massive knight clad in heavy armor, carrying a halberd and a towering shield. Some of the trainees even seemed envious of his armor, their eyes lingering over every detail of his imposing figure.
“Such an intimidating presence. Maybe he really was a knight from ages past...”
Amid all the whispers and wild speculation, Katherine seemed to have been forgotten. She quickly raised her voice.
“A noble spirit? They are lying! How could someone like her form a contract with a heroic noble spirit? That does not make any sense!”
Katherine stomped her foot like the spoiled noble child she was, but the trainee knight who had partially drawn his sword was no longer putting on a brave face. Sweat trickled down his forehead as the halberd before him crackled with lightning and Rusty's visor began to glow a menacing red. It was obvious that he was afraid to face him, yet his pride as a knight would not allow him to simply retreat.
Fortunately for everyone, before the confrontation could escalate any further, shouts rang out from nearby.
“Students, what are you doing?”
It was not just Quinten. Several older knights in full armor had arrived alongside him. The arrival of the senior instructors immediately cooled the heated atmosphere in the Rose Gardens. Professor Quinten strode forward, his gaze shifting from Katherine to Rusty's towering figure.
Behind him stood two elite knights who appeared to hold the rank of captain. Their hands rested on the hilts of their swords, but their attention was not on Rusty. Instead, both of them were staring at the young trainee who had drawn his weapon.
“Explain yourselves.”
Quinten's voice rang out across the garden as his eyes settled on Gwen, seemingly assuming she had ordered her summon to threaten the trainee knights.
“You are guests of the Rose Knight Academy, yet I find my students causing a scene before the joint exercise has even begun.”
Katherine immediately straightened her posture, her furious expression melting into one of practiced innocence.
“Professor! Gwendolin's summoned monster was threatening the trainee knights. It drew its weapon against us without any provocation!”
The young knight who had partially drawn his sword quickly nodded, clearly relieved to have a convenient excuse to back away from Rusty's intimidating halberd.
"It is true, sir. The monster is unstable and dangerous."
Rusty pulled his weapon back and slammed the butt of his halberd into the ground, cracking the stone beneath it. All eyes turned toward him. Even Gwen, who had seemed unable to speak, finally gathered her courage.
"That's a lie! You threatened us first!"
Her eyes glistened with tears, as though she was about to cry. But she was not alone. Astrella quickly stepped in front of her, crossing her arms protectively.
"Professor, they are completely twisting the truth! This trainee knight drew his blade first to intimidate us simply because we spoke the truth about Lady Grandwell's past defeat. Rusty only stepped in to protect Gwen after he threatened us!"
She pointed at the handsome trainee knight, who had now retreated to stand beside Katherine, as though he hoped she would shield him from the lies he had spun to defend her honor.
The elite knight captains exchanged glances, their eyes shifting between the nervous trainee and the young lady standing beside him. One of the captains, a man with a scarred jaw and a heavy cloak, stepped forward.
"Is this true, young man? Did you draw steel against academy guests in the Rose Gardens?"
The trainee knight turned pale, his hands trembling as he fully sheathed his sword. Faced with the captain's unwavering stare, his confidence finally began to crumble, and a sliver of the truth slipped through.
"I... I was only trying to maintain order, Captain! They were insulting the lady. Their words were laced with venom!"
Even then, he clung to parts of his story, hiding behind a knight's duty to defend a noble's honor. The scarred captain looked thoroughly unimpressed. He stepped closer, his heavy boots striking the stone pavement to make clicking sounds.
"You. Come with me. The rest of you will also be questioned."
He turned toward Quinten, who gave him a silent nod.
"Astrella Fjord, Gwendolin Rainstar, you will come with me. I expect truthful answers to every question."
Although the confrontation appeared to be over, the difference in how everyone was treated was impossible to ignore. The trainee knights were rounded up and ordered to follow the captains. Rusty was forced to return to his smaller form before leaving with Professor Quinten. Katherine, however, despite being the person at the center of the entire incident, was simply allowed to walk away.
The heavy silence that followed was suffocating. Professor Quinten walked several paces ahead, his long cloak billowing gently in the breeze. He never looked back at Gwendolin or Astrella, maintaining a brisk pace that forced the two girls to hurry after him.
"This is so unfair..."
Astrella muttered through the bond band.
"I know... But what was that thing you mentioned earlier? A noble spirit? What's that?"
"Ah, that..."
Since Quinten showed no interest in speaking, Astrella took the opportunity to explain it to Rusty.
"A noble spirit is a special type of summon. They are usually legendary figures who once lived in history, people who reached the pinnacle of power in their respective classes. After they die, they can return as legendary summoned creatures. Most of them still resemble what they were in life, although their forms often reflect the legends they left behind."
“Oh… so a legendary knight would resemble an armored monster… like me?”
“That’s it.”
Astrella nodded, giving Rusty some time to think. He was no longer surprised by how strongly the knights had reacted after he was proclaimed a noble spirit. If they believed he was some famous knight from the past, it explained why their arrogant attitudes had vanished so quickly. A legendary figure returning from the grave commanded respect, and one calling them out for their lack of honor made the situation seem almost reasonable.
The thought amused Rusty. In truth, he was not even sure what he really was. Alexander and Aburdon, whose memories he partially shared, had both been legendary figures. One was a renowned hero, while the other was a legendary Demon Lord. In a sense, perhaps that made him a spirit born from legends.
Their small group eventually returned to the B1 class section they had left earlier, with Quinten escorting them back to their room. He did not look angry, only mildly annoyed.
“You brought a lot of attention to yourselves today. The Rose Knight Academy is a prideful place, and its trainees do not take kindly to being humiliated by outsiders, let alone by a summon.”
“But Professor, they started it. Katherine is the one causing all the problems!”
Astrella could not stay quiet, but before she could continue, Quinten raised a hand to silence her.
“The world does not always operate on fairness. Return to your rooms for now and do not wander around. We shall proceed with the joint exercise tomorrow as planned. Behave yourselves until then.”
The teacher seemed unwilling to oppose Katherine, or perhaps there was simply little he could do. While his magic was powerful, there were many others in Mystwood who possessed strength comparable to his.
“I understand…”
Gwen bit her lower lip and nodded faintly. She had lived through the fall of her own house, so she probably understood the harsh reality of noble politics better than anyone. Astrella wanted to speak up again in protest, but Gwen placed a hand on her shoulder and simply smiled.
“Good.”
Quinten nodded before turning his attention to Rusty, who had returned to his miniature form. He studied him with interest and even used his monocle to identify him once more. After a moment, he turned and walked away, leaving the two girls standing outside their room with countless thoughts running through their minds.