Chapter 100: Long Time No See
Duke Thermion’s banquet was quite extravagant. It was no less extravagant than in the South, where we enjoyed its luxurious banquets.
There were so many different types of tarts. Starting with my favorite strawberry, then fig, egg, grape, blackberry…
“Goddamnit.”
I picked up a tart first. If I had to choose one food to eat as the world was ending, it would be tarts. If I had to choose a specific one, then I’d choose strawberry tarts.
“You really are addicted to tarts. It’s good that I told them to make some,” Leila said.
“Leila. Thank you,” I replied sincerely.
“Why thank me?” Leila looked at me and asked with a smirk. “You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“Anyway. You beat five candidates, subdued a knight, and didn’t get a single injury.”
“Well, yeah.” I shrugged and picked up another tart.
Of course, I had to eat three strawberry tarts. Since I worked hard today, three should be fine.
“There are quite a few people today, too?”
I sat down with Leila and looked around. There were a lot of people. They were all insiders, not outsiders.
“Yes. My father invited all the knights to the banquet,” Leila explained.
“Aha.”
I thought they were all familiar faces. Everyone was wearing banquet-appropriate attire, so I didn’t recognize them for a moment.
There was that big guy over there. His name was Quantas, right?
“I think Quantas was invited because he was the most talented among the candidates?”
“I see. So he’s almost treated as a quasi-knight?”
“That’s right. You broke that person.”
This was true. Still, his expression didn’t look bad. Rather, when he made eye contact with me where I had been standing far away, he smiled and even bowed his head.
I nodded in return and continued my conversation with Leila, asking, “By the way, how is your mother?”
“I saw her earlier, and she’s fine. She had a fever last night and then it went down, but she seems to be feeling better,” Leila replied.
“Thank god.”
What was wrong with the Duchess? I was going to ask, but Leila didn’t seem to want to talk about it in depth, so I didn’t bother asking.
“I think you’re really great.”
“Huh?”
“I knew you could do it, and you actually won.” Leila puffed out her cheeks slightly. “My family’s knight order isn’t a place for just anyone to enter.”
“When did I ever brag about winning?” I asked.
“No, it’s not like that… It’s just… I’m curious. I wondered what it would be like to live with a talent like yours.”
To most people, there wouldn’t be much difference between me and Leila. We were both born into families that were well-off in the empire and were considered to be the most talented.
However, in the eyes of the parties involved, it was different.
Leila was envious.
“I was thinking about how many candidates I could beat, and, um, I don’t know,” she admitted.
“You can win, too,” I stated.
“Huh?”
“Did you think you couldn’t?”
Leila looked at me with surprised eyes and asked, “Do you really think so?”
“Of course. You’re a genius.”
I guess she didn’t like my answer. Leila rolled her eyes and snatched one of the tarts off my plate.
“Hmph. I don’t know about other people, but it doesn’t make me happy when you say it like that,” she grouched.
“Is that so?”
“Well, I feel good when you say nice things to me. Oh, the tart is delicious.”
It was true. The candidates’ skills were definitely good, but there was a clear difference compared to the regular knights. I thought I knew why the Thermion Knights strictly managed their recruitment with the prerequisite of a ‘challenge’.
In that sense, with Leila’s talent and current ability at two cores, she could easily beat a candidate. However, the problem was that there was no way that Leila could have a proper duel with any of them since she was from House Thermion.
If they were candidates, they would want to join the Knights at all costs, but would they really try to win if they sparred with Leila?
Leila seemed to have lost a bit of her confidence. Therefore…
“You need a suitable opponent,” I said.
“What?”
“No. The tart is delicious.”
“Right?”
Leila would need an opponent or method to win and regain her confidence.
Well, I’d think about it slowly. It wouldn’t be too late to go back to the academy and think about it.
“I am Quantas Daggerweld. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Dane Sogres.”
After finishing my meal and walking around the banquet hall, Quantas came over to greet me.
“You are very talented. I know you are the same age as Lady Leila, but you are truly incredibly talented,” he said.
I grinned and replied, “You’re really skilled. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such heavy swordsmanship.”
“My skills are still lacking. I may be ranked first among the candidates, but I am nothing compared to the regular members.”
He was pretty good though. Even if he wasn’t well-known right now, he was a talented person with a bright future.
“Thank you so much for the advice you gave me. I will work harder and greet you more confidently next time.”
When he said he would greet me confidently, did that mean he would greet me as a knight?
“I’ll look forward to it,” I stated.
Dreams were best when they were big.
“Young Master, I enjoyed your fights. It was incredible spearmanship. You really showed me great technique.”
“Thank you.”
There were also big names.
“I am Ilad Lumen, third in the Knights hierarchy, after the Commander and Vice-Commander.”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Dane Sogres.”
“I am very glad to meet you. Ah, the thrill still hasn’t left me. It was like seeing Count Sogres on the battlefield.”
The other knights also spoke up.
Ilad Lumen, ranked 3rd. Just shaking hands gave me an idea of his strength.
“Do you know my father?” I asked.
“Yes. We fought together. The spearmanship that the count displayed on the battlefield was truly a feat no different from that of the god of war.”
It made me feel good to hear praise about my father.
“Young Master, you too have great talent, following in the footsteps of such a person.”
“I still have a long way to go compared to my father.”
By the way, I didn’t see Donny, who lost to me.
I asked Ilad, “It looks like not everyone is here.”
Ilad, who realized what I meant, gave me a hint, “Donny is currently training hard due to the shock of defeat. All of the other members are here, but Donny is missing.”
“I see.”
“It seems like it was quite a shock. I never thought he would lose.”
Well, who would think that? If you thought about it, I was just a freshman at the academy. But in this world, inexplicable things often happen.
“I hope he recovers quickly.”
“Yes. He’s a member of the Knights. It’ll probably be a good experience. In fact, once you rank 30th, you won’t have a chance to spar with anyone other than our own members. Isn’t it a peaceful time?” Ilad winked. “I too would love to spar with you if I get the chance, but I’ll hold back today.”
What great competitiveness His expression was smiling, but his eyes were different. Should I come to the duke’s mansion periodically to practice?
“They say that warriors become closer as they practice together, and you’re already having such a friendly conversation.”
At that moment, Duke Thermion arrived.
“Your Grace.”
Duke Thermion looked very pleased as he said, “You did a great job, Dane.”
“Thank you.”
“It was a great stimulus to our knights.”
“It was a great help to me as well.”
Even if I hadn’t sparred, I would have created my third core, but thanks to that, I was able to create dramatic timing.
Actually, thanks to that, my body relaxed a lot. Even though it wasn’t long, it was actually fun.
“It’s been quite some time since the war ended. I was worried that my knights would become like frogs in a well, but thanks to you, Dane, I don’t think I have to worry about that.”
As Duke Thermion said, it was a time of peace. The war was over, and small-scale localized conflicts occurred occasionally, but large-scale all-out wars like those of the past weren’t happening.
The military was necessary to maintain peace, but it also had to function properly when peace was broken.
The same logic applied to the Thermion Knights. Even if it was for political reasons, it was difficult to gain experience without war. Although Duke Thermion was the one who praised me, it seemed true that the knights were stimulated for the first time in a long time thanks to me.
“So I prepared a gift, however small it may be.”
As Duke Thermion gestured, the servant who had been waiting beside him approached and gently handed me a tray covered with cloth.
“Take a look.”
As I removed the cloth, I found something I had never expected.
Books.
But on the cover of the books… were words that only I knew.
* * *
“I heard from Leila that you, Dane, are very interested in ancient languages. You spend all day in the library reading books written in ancient languages.”
Ancient Archana.
“What a wonderful gift,” I said.
“It’s said to have been in our family library for a very long time. It was something our ancestors acquired by chance, but as you know, there was no way to decipher it, so it just sat there gathering dust.”
For something like that, the books were in very good condition. I was just thinking about whether I should ask Prince Edward if he could let me enter the Imperial Library because the books available for reading in the Academy Library were limited.
“I will gratefully accept, Your Grace,” I said.
“Yes. Come play with Leila whenever you want. I think of you as my son,” Duke Thermion said.
Those words moved me., but I still felt really strange. The person who cut me down in my previous life now thought of me as a son.
Of course, there were no hard feelings. It was a battlefield, and according to the laws of that battlefield, I was defeated and died.
“If only my sons were here, they would really like you.” He seemed to be referring to Leila’s older brothers. “One is out in the East, and one is wandering around… It would have been nice to have at least one by my side.”
This seemed to be the first time Duke Thermion had said something like this. Then he asked me for a favor.
“Please take good care of my Leila. Since her older brothers are gone, she’s been lonely a lot ever since she was little. However, after going to the academy with you, her expression has brightened up a lot.”
Now, he was speaking to me not as Duke Thermion, but as the father, Bout Thermion.
“Of course. I’m enjoying my academy life thanks to Leila,” I stated.
“Thank you for saying so.” Duke Thermion smiled brightly at that.
Suddenly, I became curious. “But is there another reason why the second young master is wandering?”
Children of noble families usually went on to attend the academy or stayed on at the estate while receiving training to become successors. This was especially true for a prestigious family like the Thermion Duchy. I thought it might be because of the disappointment of being pushed out of the succession plan, but that wasn’t it.
“…It’s my fault.” Duke Thermion sighed.
“I feel like I have caused inconvenience by asking unnecessary questions,” I said.
“No. What’s the inconvenience? Let’s talk about that later when we get the chance.”
The topic ended like this, and the banquet ended not long after. After that, I went for a walk in the garden with Leila.
“What about Ernest?” I asked.
“He followed the butler to the relic storage room earlier. He was so happy he looked like he was in heaven,” Leila said.
Hmm… I wondered if he’d pressure me to come again next time. No, next time I should show him my family’s exhibition hall.
“Dane, are you going to the forge tomorrow?”
“Yes. I already told His Grace.”
“What are you going to make?”
“I haven’t decided yet, so I wanted to take a look this time. They said that if you have a seal, there’s no limit to how much you can look around.”
Leila nodded at that and said, “Oh, good. The exams are over, I’m home for the first time in a while, and I’ve met up with everyone. It makes me think I need to work harder.”
“Work harder?”
“Yes. I’ll work hard enough that I won’t lose to any of the knights later. I really want to fight them now, but it seems like I’ll lose no matter what.”
Leila was the precious daughter of Duke Thermion. Naturally, no one would give it their all when sparring with Leila.
“Let’s spar again when we get back,” I said.
“Alright. This time, I won’t lose as easily.”
Leila was a good girl. She held no grudges and even if she got upset, she recovered quickly.
So, I became even more curious. Every time Leila brought her brothers up, she seemed to feel regretful.
“Your eldest brother is currently in the East, but your second brother is said to be wandering around, right?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. He’s wandering. I don’t know why. My father won’t tell me either.” Leila’s expression darkened again. “Fuu. It would be nice to know the reason. My eldest brother often sends letters, but my second brother doesn’t do that…”
Just as I cared about my sisters, Leila seemed to care about her brothers a lot, too.
We continued walking through the garden.
“Oh, you said you created one more core? How do I make one?”
“Let’s go back and I’ll show you the breathing exercise. It’ll be a little more difficult than when we were seven.”
“Hmph. I’ll know when I try it. You know what? Right now I have two cores, but later, I’ll gain four or five in an instant.” Leila then mentioned something she had forgotten for a while. “But when are you going to tell me your wish?”
“Wish? Oh.”
On my seventh birthday, we had agreed to grant each other’s wishes. I hadn’t told Leila my wish yet.
“Think about it quickly before you completely forget it. Where in the world can you find a wish that lasts for seven years?”
“Alright, alright. I’ll think about it.”
What could I ask for from this little kid?
“Well, actually, I think you’ll have a hard time deciding what to ask for. You have everything, right? Your eldest sister makes artifacts for you all the time… Hmm. What can I give you?”
As we were thinking deeply…
Ssssshhh.
I hear a sound in the grassy garden.
“An intruder?” I asked.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Leila stopped, nervous. Was there an enemy in the garden? It seemed like whenever I went into a garden, something happened.
“I sensed something.”
I looked towards the grass that was swaying in the wind. It was quiet now, but I could already feel it more clearly in my gut.
Someone was breathing.
“Come out before I make you,” I said, ready to gather my mana at any moment.
No, it was already being gathered so that if I sensed even the slightest sign of running, I could cast magic.
Surely it wasn’t Duke Thermion?
“…”
But then I heard a voice I had never expected.
“Oh my, you’re quite violent. I was just checking to see what kind of boy my little sister was walking with.”
Little sister?
Shhhhk.
The person who walked out through the grass was a man with rose-colored hair just like Leila.
Then I heard Leila’s surprised voice from behind me.
“…Delward?”
At those words, the man smiled and raised his hand.
“It’s been a while, little sister.”
