My archnemesis.
That's the first thing that comes to mind whenever I see the woman currently dragging me toward the training grounds.
Elena.
An Imperial Knight.
Her achievements were ridiculous. She became a knight at nineteen and had already captured countless dangerous criminals across the empire.
And somehow, despite all that, she still found time to ruin my life personally.
Every time she caught me, she'd drag me off to train with her whenever she got bored—or whatever insane logic went through her head.
"So," Elena said without even bothering to look back at me, "what did you do this time?"
"Hm? Nothing much. They were just angry."
She merely hummed in response.
Obviously, she didn't care.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the knights' training grounds.
The place was packed with movement. Knights sparred across the arena while others trained in groups, the constant sound of clashing wood and shouted commands filling the air.
Without warning, Elena tossed a wooden sword at me.
I caught it instinctively and took my stance.
Yeah.
I knew the drill by now.
"Prepare yourself," she said calmly, grabbing a practice sword for herself. "Today I'll teach you more fundamentals."
Allow me to translate that:
'I'm about to beat the absolute hell out of you.'
Honestly, moments like this always felt bittersweet.
On one hand, the pain was terrible.
On the other hand…
If she was training me, that meant they weren't throwing me in prison or executing me.
For orphans, death was normal. People disappeared from the streets every day and nobody cared enough to ask questions.
But my situation was… unique.
If some random thug stabbed me in an alley, then that was just considered bad luck.
The Imperial Knights, however, were different. They couldn't act against me without evidence.
Not because they were good people.
No.
It was because making a move against me would put them in a difficult position.
After all…
I had a very special backer.
SWISH!
Sharp wind cut through the air as Elena's wooden sword slammed into my side.
"GAH—!"
Never mind.
I was getting the brakes beaten off me.
Every strike hurt like hell, and Elena showed absolutely no mercy despite the fact that I was still technically a child.
But honestly?
It would all be worth it once I got back to the warehouse.