wjnovel Chapter 139
Chapter 139
Chapter 139
Esmeralda’s loosened hair fluttered through the air.
Inherited from the Sword Saint, its ashen hue would normally have given off a dull impression, but the vividly gleaming ruby-red eyes shining within told that her personality was anything but ordinary.
“Indeed, you really do seem worthy of becoming my elder brother’s fiancée. Judging by looks alone, aside from me, it seems you’d have no rivals.”
Esmeralda carefully swept her gaze over Petra from head to toe.
It was something that could easily be taken as an insult toward the other party, but at her childish expression and cute gestures, Petra let out a small laugh and turned her head toward me.
“This little lady seems to be seeing me as a rival.”
“…Little? I can enter Bayern Academy next year too, you know.”
Esmeralda clenched both fists tightly as she retorted. At that, Petra widened her eyes and looked at me once more.
“She’s sixteen?”
“Well, she does look a bit small.”
Considering the Sword Saint’s build, there was a strong possibility she would grow taller later, but unfortunately, she disliked exerting unnecessary strength to move her body, including exercising.
Otherwise, why would the Sword Saint’s own granddaughter have trained in magic instead of learning the sword?
“I’m right in the middle of my growth phase now. I’ll catch up to you in no time, sis.”
Still, Esmeralda did not shrink back and stubbornly pushed through her will. Petra was also in her growth phase, but if I teased her any more here, it really felt like she might cry, so I gently smiled and changed the subject.
“Still, today’s prank felt a bit sloppy compared to usual. If we go by what you’ve done before, it would’ve been more natural for the knights to rush in and try to drag me away.”
“I actually was going to do that, but…….”
She shot a dissatisfied glance toward the knights standing behind her. One of them stepped forward, shrugged his shoulders, and replied.
“No matter if it’s a prank, how could we do something like that to a Sword Master?”
“…You told me it was scary to mess with him like before, and now you’re dodging it with words.”
Esmeralda glared at them with a look of disbelief. When the knights avoided her gaze and pretended not to notice, she sighed and turned back toward us.
“Anyway, I came out to greet you. I didn’t expect you to be together with your fiancée, though.”
“Where the needle goes, the thread must follow.”
When I shot back like that, Petra poked my side with her finger. When I glanced over, she glared at me with a reddened face, as if to say there were things I shouldn’t say in front of people.
‘It’s kind of fun.’
At first, I had been a little embarrassed and slow to adapt, but her reactions were always so varied that teasing her had its own charm.
“Let’s hurry.”
Perhaps displeased with the way we were acting, Esmeralda puffed out her lips and turned her body away.
The Sword Saint’s estate boasted a massive scale befitting his renown. At a glance, it even seemed larger than my palace—perhaps comparable to Carius’s.
We first headed toward the banquet hall where the Sword Saint was waiting. The gathering would begin tomorrow. What was prepared there was probably meant to welcome us.
Greeting familiar faces I hadn’t seen in a while along the way, we entered the banquet hall, where a splendid feast awaited us, along with the master of this territory.
“Hey, you rotten granddaughter!”
“Ahhh, I’m sorry!”
Of course, the Sword Saint first grabbed Esmeralda’s head and gave it a light twist. That alone made her cry out with a tearful face, but the Sword Saint showed no sign of letting go easily.
“Did you not know that forging official documents is something severely punished even among nobles? The responsible party even came directly to complain to me!”
“Uuuugh—!”
While wearing a pitiful expression, Esmeralda subtly sent a glance in my direction. It looked like a plea for help, but unfortunately, I had no choice but to look away.
‘I don’t want my head twisted at this age either.’
Even having reached Sword Master, compared to the Sword Saint, I was still nothing more than a firefly before the full moon. It was an opponent beyond comparison, so I quietly prayed for her repose in my heart.
“Petra von Leipzig greets the Sword Saint.”
Unexpectedly, it was Petra who stepped forward to help. She took a step ahead and lightly bowed her head.
A noble lady’s greeting usually involved lightly lifting the edges of her skirt to show respect, but Petra, who preferred trousers over skirts, looked far more natural that way.
“Hm, the young lady of the Leipzig family. I’ve heard much about you. Since we’ve met, would it be alright if I gave you a piece of advice?”
“I will listen attentively.”
Releasing the hands that had been restraining Esmeralda, the Sword Saint lifted his head with a serious expression. Petra’s eyes sparkled as she nodded several times.
Advice from someone of the Sword Saint’s caliber was something anyone who wielded a sword would wish for, so she focused intently, ears practically perking up, determined not to miss a single word.
“Get away from the man beside you as soon as possible. That one is the core of a storm. He may be quiet for now, but if you stay by his side with half-baked resolve, you’ll be ground down without a trace before you even realize it.”
“…….”
But an utterly unexpected remark came out of his mouth. Petra, equally taken aback, simply stared at me with her mouth open, wondering if she had heard him correctly.
Only Esmeralda, standing beside us after barely escaping her punishment, nodded enthusiastically in fervent agreement.
“With me standing right here, what kind of thing is that to say?”
When I voiced a small complaint at being treated like a bomb, the Sword Saint burst into laughter and stroked his beard.
“Am I wrong? Since entering the Academy, has there ever been a period when your life was peaceful?”
“…….”
Hearing it put that way, it did sound like he had a point. Still, I didn’t like it, so as I sulked, Petra let out a small laugh and spoke.
“Unfortunately, I’ve already fallen into the swamp, so it’s far too late to escape. I’ve given both my body and my heart entirely to this man.”
“Ho.”
The Sword Saint voiced his admiration at her resolute stance. Come to think of it, this was their first meeting. Judging by his expression, she seemed to have left a good impression.
“You’ve found yourself a fine partner.”
“Luck with people is something I have in abundance.”
I shrugged in response to the Sword Saint’s words. At that, he laughed heartily and pinched his granddaughter’s cheek.
“My granddaughter is the one who’s unfortunate. Ever since she first saw him at the start of the year, she’s been singing all day about wanting to marry him.”
“Hmph, you never know how things will turn out. And besides, a man like my elder brother wouldn’t be satisfied with just one wife.”
At her words, Petra let out a small laugh of agreement. She then nodded and, with a voice tinged with mirth, spoke to Esmeralda.
“I think the same. So do your best. Around this man, it’s nothing but formidable women. Let your guard down, and you’ll be pushed straight into the back room in one go.”
“…There are more?”
Esmeralda stared at me with a shocked expression. It was true that there were many attractive women around me, so when I subtly averted my gaze, she clenched both fists with a frustrated look.
“This isn’t something you can compete over. I’ll have to form an alliance with you, sis, and somehow establish a united front…….”
“You’re turning me into a philanderer.”
“Don’t bother making excuses. It’s the truth.”
I voiced a mild complaint, but Petra cut it off sharply.
“Uahahaha! Just like my disciple. It’s as if I’m looking at my past self.”
At the sight, the Sword Saint laughed loudly and patted my shoulder. I looked at him with narrowed eyes.
‘Your past self, my foot. You only ever dated one person your entire life.’
Knowing the Sword Saint’s settings inside and out, that kind of bluff didn’t work on me.
Since the actual gathering would begin tomorrow, it was said that today would end with a simple welcome reception.
Judging by the extravagance of the feast, it was anything but simple, but considering the host was the Sword Saint, I decided to let it pass.
“Still, the gathering starts tomorrow—are you really fine being this relaxed, Master?”
After finishing a satisfying meal, we had tea time.
As a guest, all I had to do was pat my stomach in comfortable fullness, but wasn’t the Sword Saint the overall authority of this territory?
To that, the Sword Saint replied with a relaxed face.
“This old man is just a figurehead anyway. The young ones should take care of the trivial matters themselves.”
“You only act like an old man at times like this?”
“What can I do? I really am an old man.”
So it meant he had handed everything off to his subordinates because it was bothersome. How carefree.
Petra and Esmeralda, having eaten their fill, went out for a short walk. From the terrace, I could see them strolling through the garden, looking far closer than before. I didn’t know why they had suddenly grown so close, but good was good.
“So then, what do you think of my granddaughter?”
“…Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
As I lifted my head with a baffled expression, the Sword Saint continued with a prim face.
“Perhaps because she inherited my disposition, once my granddaughter sets her mind on something, she doesn’t easily change it. Following you around is probably the same.”
At that, I could only scratch my head.
Just thinking about the matters immediately before me was already overwhelming. My relationship with Petra was something I had considered for a long time, so I could reach a conclusion after 충분한 time, but Esmeralda had been outside the equation from the start.
“Well, I’m not telling you to decide right away. Just make sure to give a clear answer when the time comes.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Facing his serious attitude, I responded sincerely as well. Then the Sword Saint subtly flared his presence and spoke to me.
“Of course, if you make her cry, you die by my hand.”
“…Pardon?”
“Even if you reject her, you die. So take good care of her.”
“…Ahahahaha.”
I let out a dry laugh.
He might have meant it as a joke, but the pressure of an absolute being poking at my entire body felt nothing like a joke.
…It was a joke, right?
Thud, thud, thud, thud—!
As I was chatting with the Sword Saint, rough footsteps echoed from the corridor outside. Soon, the doors to the banquet hall were thrown wide open, and a man boldly revealed himself.
“Leios—!”
“…Philip?”
Philip was one of the Sword Saint’s sons, and someone who would be considered Esmeralda’s uncle.
And one of the powerful individuals who had reached Sword Master before I did.
“I heard it. That you reached Sword Master.”
“Ah, yes. Well.”
I scratched my cheek with an embarrassed face and nodded.
Back when I had stayed here before, I often talked with him and had received advice and help regarding my training.
He was someone who had earnestly helped with my growth, so I held a favorable impression of him. But with a twisted expression, he shouted at me.
“At last I can challenge you to a spar, you pile of dog bones! How dare you seduce my beloved niece! I’ll never forgive you!”
…What?