Chapter 136. It Shone Constantly
“…”
I blankly stared at that scoundrel, no, the young lord.
The summer wind blew gently… no, damply. As the earthy smell tickled my nose and a sudden—Whoooosh!—came through, a speck of dust settled right between my parted lips.
The texture of the dirt was gritty. But it wasn’t unfamiliar. I’d eaten plenty during my days as a vagrant in the Grey Zone.
To be honest, dirt is less about taste and more about texture. How should I put this? That sensation of it getting stuck between your teeth… every time your upper and lower teeth meet, it goes—Grrrk!—only those who’ve tried it would know.
So, why the dirt all of a sudden?
That’s because the situation right now is just as gritty.
‘Wh-What did he say?’
Apparently, he’s the young lord.
Let’s get this straight…
‘The guy we happily beat the crap out of turned out to be the young lord of the Eastern Continent’s most prestigious swordsmanship family?!’
…would be the summary.
‘Goddamn it.’
As soon as that realization hit, I couldn’t help but glare at Shine.
[…You knew?]
[I mean, I didn’t not know. He was trying to hide it, I think… but I’m well-acquainted with Lorutel’s swordsmanship.]
[Then why didn’t you say anything…?]
[Did you ask?]
Right. I didn’t ask.
I didn’t ask, but still…
‘That doesn’t mean you just don’t say anything?!’
This had to be some kind of twisted joke. Otherwise, there’s no reason not to mention that the scoundrel was the young lord.
“Nggh.”
“Why so quiet? Is the title of young lord not sufficient?”
“Give me a moment to gather my thoughts.”
“Your tone has grown rather polite, hasn’t it?”
“That’s because I yield to authority.”
“Such honesty.”
“Anyway, hush.”
Leaving the amused young lord behind, I retraced my memories.
To be honest, if I thought back to our first encounter, there were some suspicious things.
‘A camper who looked oddly well-off…’
And that guy just happened to come to Frik Mountain at this exact time?
Sure, let’s be generous and say that’s still plausible. But…
‘I should’ve known when he was loitering near the secret passage entrance.’
For some reason, he refused to leave that area. And not just that.
— “…Magic?”
— “Did you just say magic?”
The moment I revealed I was a mage, the hostility in his eyes.
Back then, I thought he just didn’t want to give up his campsite. But it was actually genuine hostility! Those awkward moments I felt now all made sense once I knew he was the young lord.
Still, I couldn’t stay stunned forever.
I gathered my thoughts and turned to face the young lord.
“First of all.”
“First of all?”
“I offer my apologies.”
“…For what?”
“You know, for this and that. I imagine the broad-minded young lord of Lorutel would be gracious enough to overlook it, but I may have offended you.”
“…You’re shamelessly humble.”
“I call it flexible.”
“Almost sounds like you’re mocking me.”
“My soul’s a bit twisted.”
I finished and let out a long sigh.
With the arrival of the Third Sword and the young lord of Lorutel, I was too tired to even be surprised anymore.
I felt like my soul had been sucked out. But unlike my tattered emotions, my reason remained calm.
‘Right, all I need to do is crawl to the capital.’
All my earlier plans felt pointless now, but the result wasn’t bad.
I managed to meet both the Third Sword, who oversees the Infinite Chain project, and the young lord in one place.
“So, about forgiveness?”
“…As you said, I am the broad-minded young lord of Lorutel. I shall overlook it.”
Still a bit of a grudge, but refreshingly handled.
But the real problem… was me.
“The thing is, I’m not so broad-minded.”
“…?”
“I mean, we brawled, right? But we’re the only ones apologizing… doesn’t feel right…”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Well, I just thought… if you’re the broad-minded young lord of Lorutel, maybe you could, y’know, offer a mutual apology. It’s all about trust and mutual understanding in any transaction, right…”
“Ha!”
The young lord sighed as if utterly dumbfounded.
Then he exchanged glances with the Third Sword, his expression basically said, ‘Is this guy serious?’
But this was all part of my plan.
‘You could call it… a test of the young lord’s character.’
A bit of recon to see how to handle future dealings. It’s not because my pride was hurt from apologizing first. So…
“…”
The young lord stared at me. A twitch in the corner of his eye.
I met his gaze without backing down.
Then I added, “Honestly, you were the one who picked the fight first.”
“…”
“Still, whatever. If you don’t wanna apologize, that’s fine. I mean, we powerless commoners don’t have much to say… mmph!”
Someone clamped a hand over my mouth right then.
“Mmph mmph!”
As I flailed, not yet finished speaking, a cold voice came from behind.
It was Parun.
“Seal your lips. Even dogs know when to bark and when not to.”
His whispering voice was deadly cold. The killing intent in it felt far too real.
‘You bastard! Don’t you have any pride?!’
Even if he’s the young lord of Lorutel, some pride should be preserved.
Besides, this wasn’t about my pride.
Demian and I were friends. My disgrace was Demian’s disgrace.
As I struggled, Parun pulled back with his hand still over my mouth.
Shine stepped forward as if in exchange.
[Tsk, tsk. Wretched one. Learn to be magnanimous. A man must know how to let things go.]
Mockery, of course.
“I shall apologize on behalf of that uncooked brat.”
With the air of nobility back on, Shine addressed the young lord.
“Hmph. Fine then.”
“In that case, shall we talk about the Infinite Chain…?”
“…Let’s.”
The young lord responded begrudgingly to Shine’s sudden shift in demeanor.
As I was being dragged away, I looked up at the sky.
On a certain date, atop Frik Mountain.
Twinkle!
A shooting star streaked across the night sky. That was Demian’s honor, and the pride of House Blando, falling to earth.
‘Demian, sorry I couldn’t protect it…’
And just then, the young lord’s voice rang in my ear.
“In any case… I suppose I was not entirely faultless. So I believe I ought to extend my humble apology.”
Twisted as the words were, the meaning was clear enough.
I stopped struggling and grinned.
The shooting star had vanished. But beside it, a particularly large star still shone brightly.
‘House Blando’s pride may have fallen…’
But mine still shone, steadfast in the night sky.
* * *
With that, the situation was temporarily resolved.
We gathered around the ruined site.
Crackle, pop!
The campfire crackled as an awkward silence settled between us. So, we had agreed to discuss the Infinite Chain… but the atmosphere was still heavy.
Which was no surprise, really.
The young lord and Shine. They’d just been throwing punches and calling each other calves and bastards.
Parun and I.
Still not quite over our grudge.
And the Third Sword?
He showed up and immediately oppressed us all with overwhelming presence. Honestly, good thing I’m a chill guy. Otherwise, if it were just the four of them…
Someone probably would’ve died already. And if that happened…
‘It would’ve been the young lord for sure.’
Most people would’ve been crushed by a tag-team of the Third Sword and the young lord, but Shine and Parun? They’re maniacs.
Even if they died, they’d take one down with them. And that one would obviously be the young lord, who’s still weaker than the Third Sword.
‘Wait a minute.’
Now that I think about it…
‘Am I the young lord’s lifesaver?’
Suddenly struck by the idea, I looked up slightly.
“So, listen to me for a seco—”
“Even dogs know when to bark.”
“You vile creature, keep your mad mutterings to yourself.”
These bastards, their reflexes were practically spinal.
I was left speechless. But I quickly gathered myself.
“No, I’m just saying, maybe it’s time we actually get to the point. What do you think, oh broad-hearted young lord?”
“…You really are petty.”
“I take that as praise.”
“Spare me the ‘broad-hearted’ nonsense. Just call me ‘young lord’ and be done with it.”
“Okay, young lord.”
“…”
Ah, was that not it?
“Ahem, so yes. Let’s get down to business.”
I cleared my throat to draw attention and looked over the four gathered.
Their reactions were mixed.
[Spare us the nonsense. And don’t forget to bring up the ‘Tomb of the Sword God’ at the end.]
Shine reminded me and stepped back.
[…]
Parun naturally left the talking to me. And the Third Sword…
“…”
His eyes were fixed on the fire, hand resting on his sword. That was his way of passing the mic to the young lord too, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t paying attention.
I could sense it clearly.
Sss, sss!
Fine threads of energy spread out in all directions.
He was focused, ready to respond to anything.
I nodded in respect for his professionalism and turned to the young lord.
Then suddenly.
‘Ah.’
One thing I’d overlooked came to mind.
“Would it bother you, if a mage spoke up first? I would hate to offend the ever-noble, ever-dignified young lord.”
Was that sarcasm too obvious?
“Are you seriously…”
His eyes flared. Yeah, it was sarcasm. But then, he let out a deep sigh. Unexpectedly.
“…Fine. At this point, what’s the use of pretense. I still despise mages to my core. But if it means getting what I want, I’ll gladly cover myself in filth.”
Basically, I’m the filth, but if it means screwing over Dekulan, he’ll tolerate me, which wasn’t a bad deal.
‘I was going to have Shine speak for me, but…’
That bastard’s temper made her unreliable.
So, was Shine useless? Not really.
Two heads are better than one. Three’s even better. And besides…
‘…If it weren’t for Shine, this meeting wouldn’t have happened.’
Or to be precise, Shine and… The “Sword Garden.”
That fictional group I’d made up clearly caught the young lord’s interest.
Even now, look.
Every time he glances at Shine, his eyes gleam with intrigue.
Anyway, I pushed aside my thoughts and was just about to speak…
“When suddenly.”
Before I could say a word, the young lord beat me to it.
“Before we proceed, I have a small curiosity.”
“Go ahead.”
I wasn’t obligated to answer.
But still, I had a bad feeling.
The young lord smiled, eyes gleaming.
That smile said, “I already know.”
“Then I ask.”
He grinned, more curious than ever, and posed the question.
And it struck me dead-center in the gut.
“Dekulan’s Red Flame.”
“…Was it you who stole it?”
