“So there I was, ah!”

Hakin halted his steps, clutching his head as he felt a heavy pain while conversing with his colleagues.

“What the heck!”

Annoyed, he turned around to find a rather thick book lying at his feet.

The three of them were staring at the book with puzzled expressions when a voice came from the front.

“Ah, that’s my book.”

Their faces scrunched up instantly upon confirming that the voice belonged to Evenel. Unperturbed, Evenel picked up the fallen book and dusted off the dirt.

“Sorry, my hands must’ve slipped, and the book hit you in the head.”

Contrary to her words, her face showed no remorse. As if she had no intention of hiding her lie in the first place.

“Slipped, you say?”

It was clear to all three. A book wouldn’t precisely hit someone’s head if it had just slipped from one’s hands. It was obvious she was picking a fight.

Realizing this, their expressions grew increasingly hostile, partly because the target was Evenel.

“So, you did it on purpose?”

“If I did.”

She nodded her head without resistance. She had thrown the book with full force, aiming for that talkative head, almost begging to be noticed.

“What kind of rudeness is this?”

“Rudeness…”

It seemed the three still didn’t know who the real culprit was when it came to being rude.

“In an open space like this, who were you cursing that you thought this would be permissible?”

“Are you done talking?”

“Why would I be? I have so much more to say. You’re not planning to just let this go, are you?”

This was just the beginning. She had no intention of letting things slide at this point. If she had, she wouldn’t have taken such a stand in the first place.

Especially since she was already irked by the comments about her during yesterday’s training session.

‘Yes, this is a good opportunity.’

“Apologize.”

Evenel gave them one chance. If they were willing to acknowledge their mistake, she was willing to let it go.

“What did we do wrong to apologize?”

“You were talking indiscriminately about Knight Demil and his troops just now.”

“Ah, that?”

Realizing why she was acting this way, the three exchanged glances and said sarcastically.

“So, it’s a custom in Aodin to apologize for speaking the truth? As expected, you don’t disappoint.”

Her eyes dimmed as they openly mocked her, even clapping their hands.
It seemed like they were trying to make a fool out of someone, and Evenel had no intention of backing down here. So, she returned their mocking smiles in kind.

“Of course, if you don’t have the skill, all you can do is chit-chat from behind. I understand. If that makes you feel superior, it’ll ease your mind.”

“What did you just say?”

“Your Highness, if you lack the ability, you’re nothing special.”

The words seemed to grate on their nerves. Their faces reddened, particularly since they had belittled Evenel in the first place.

And that was exactly what Evenel wanted. If they couldn’t understand through words, then she had no choice but to use this approach. She had wanted to vent her stifled feelings anyway.

“How can you be so sure? That I’m… insignificant.”

In response to Evenel’s question, Ha Hyun answered with an air of certainty. He seemed a little too cocky, perhaps because he had been on a suppression mission recently, and she wanted to squash that arrogance.

“Isn’t it obvious? You think you’re great just because you can shoot a bit. We’ve been trained in both swords and firearms from a young age. You’re in a different league.”

“Ah, is that so? Just hearing about it doesn’t really tell me much. I’m quite confident in my shooting skills as well.”

Unaware that she was deliberately provoking them, the three exchanged covert glances before speaking as if granting her a favor.

“Then how about we use this opportunity to properly test those skills?”

“Test them, you say?”

“That’s right. Since you’re so confident, why not compete against us?”

“Ah…”

Evenel deliberately paused, appearing to ponder their offer. But she had been waiting for them to suggest just this and readily nodded her head.

“Sounds good. I was getting bored anyway. But we should make it interesting, shouldn’t we? Just doing it for the sake of it is boring.”

“Of course. If we win, you’ll kneel and apologize for what just happened. Ah, in front of everyone, naturally.”

“Fair enough. If I win, you’ll kneel and apologize to me, in front of everyone, for the rudeness you’ve shown. And you’ll refrain from making such comments behind my back.”

“Agreed. Let’s go to the shooting range we use.”

Willingly, Evenel followed them. The shooting range used by the 1st Knight Division was a bit farther away, and the atmosphere there was entirely different.
The knights gathered, chattering aimlessly, showing no signs of training. The training ground was more than just messy; one corner was littered with all sorts of garbage and alcohol bottles.

Her expression crumpled for a moment when she saw it.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Who’s that behind you?”