wjnovel Chapter 141
Chapter 141
Chapter 141
With the Sword Saint’s intervention, the spar between Philip and me came to an end.
However, the remark the Sword Saint made at the end was more than enough to flip the atmosphere in the hall upside down.
Perhaps because she was the Sword Saint’s granddaughter and monopolized everyone’s affection, every single Sword Master present had their eyes light up and challenged me to a duel.
It almost turned into Pandemonium! once again, but the mood was brought back under control by Philip’s words as he stood in front of me.
“As you all saw, he’s a man skilled enough not to be pushed back by me. If you don’t want to smear my father’s name with a defeat, think carefully about how you conduct yourselves.”
A cold statement telling those who lacked confidence in their skills to know their place and back off on their own.
The Sword Masters who stood on a similar level to Philip and me shrugged and said they would follow the Sword Saint’s opinion. Those below them still wore dissatisfied expressions, but in a situation like this, there was no way they could step forward.
And so, the commotion fizzled out without conclusion.
Since the gathering was set to begin tomorrow evening, the night had grown late, and the Sword Saint excused himself.
I also washed up and returned to the room I had been assigned to go to sleep, only to find two familiar women sitting atop my bed.
“…Just so you know in advance, I didn’t have a hand in this.”
Esmeralda spoke with a slightly sulky expression. Judging from the look in her eyes that clearly said she didn’t like this at all, it seemed this whole affair had been cooked up by a grandfather and uncle who loved their granddaughter far too much.
Who could have possibly predicted it? That someone like the Sword Saint, or even his son, would go this far for the sake of his granddaughter.
When I shook my head, saying I’d been deceived without even realizing it, Petra, who was beside her, let out a small sigh.
“My heart hurts because my fiancé is too popular.”
“I agree. To think you had close ties with other women while already having a fiancée.”
“…Esmeralda, I don’t think you’re in a position to say that.”
A bitter smile naturally formed on my face. In response, Esmeralda answered with a shameless expression, saying she was an exception.
“I’ll be enrolling in the Academy before long anyway. I was planning to wait until then, but I never imagined Grandfather and Uncle Philip would do something like this.”
“I’ve been indebted to my Master and to Philip for quite some time. This 정도 of trouble is something I can laugh off.”
I flopped straight down onto the bed.
After the Academy Closing Ceremony, I’d gone around my territory to check on things, then came here and even sparred with Philip.
Tomorrow’s gathering would start in the evening.
Since waking up leisurely in the afternoon and preparing would still be more than enough, I lay there brushing my hair back and looked at the two perched on the edge.
“You two should go back and sleep now too. Or what, are you planning to sleep with me?”
“This guy really has no filter at all. That kind of thing is still too early!”
Esmeralda tugged at the skin beneath one eye with her index finger, stuck out her tongue, and told me not to even dream of it. Then she grabbed Petra’s hand and headed out.
“…….”
Petra herself glanced my way with an expression that seemed to linger with a bit of regret.
Still, perhaps because the place was the place, she decided to restrain herself. Swallowing her disappointment, she carefully waved her hand so Esmeralda wouldn’t see. I nodded back, wishing her good night, and turned off the mana stone lighting the room.
“…….”
A dazzling light slipped through the gap in the curtains. Perhaps because a breeze was blowing in through the window I’d left open overnight, that intermittent ray of light shining on my face made me frown without realizing it.
“Ugh…….”
Part of me wanted to sleep a bit more, but since I was already awake, I figured I might as well move my body a little and climbed out of bed.
After a quick wash, I headed to the training ground where I’d sparred with Philip yesterday, only to find about ten people already there.
I’d heard this was a place only the Sword Saint’s direct bloodline or those holding key posts in the territory could use, so it was usually quiet. As I tilted my head in confusion, my gaze turned toward the sharp sound of friction coming from the center.
“…Petra?”
Petra was fiercely exchanging blows with an unfamiliar knight. At a glance, he seemed to be around mid-level Sword Expert, roughly on par with Petra.
“Ah, you’re finally awake.”
One of the onlookers turned his head and greeted me. At Philip’s greeting, I gave a slight nod and stepped closer, only to recognize several familiar faces.
“…What are you all doing here?”
“She’s your fiancée, right? She was training while being mindful of others at the estate’s shared training ground, so we brought her here and took a look at her swordsmanship for a bit.”
They were all people of the Sword Saint’s bloodline, each a Sword Master holding key positions in the territory such as knight commanders.
Still, with the gathering scheduled to begin this very evening, they should have had plenty to do. Why were they watching over Petra’s training instead?
“…Don’t tell me you all ran away because you didn’t want to work?”
At my words, they all played dumb and turned their heads away. Not everyone who reached such heights devoted themselves to both martial and administrative pursuits like the Sword Saint.
Most of them had trained single-mindedly with the sword, and strongly tended to avoid fields mixed with clerical or administrative duties like gatherings.
“If we’re there, we’ll just get in the way. We filled the lower ranks with smart kids, so they’ll handle everything on their own, right?”
Philip spoke with a brazenly confident expression. The knight commander beside him and the other Masters all nodded vigorously in agreement.
‘A bunch of old men at that age trying to dodge work.’
A dry laugh escaped me, but it wasn’t my problem anyway. As I shrugged with a faint chuckle, the doors to the training ground burst open and a crowd rushed in.
“You’re here!”
They were members of the various knight orders under those present. With urgent expressions that didn’t care whether a duel was in progress or not, they ran over and surrounded their commanders, clinging to them.
“You need to come right away. There are already dozens of guests to receive and issues to deal with.”
“The Gathering of Sword Masters is an event representing our territory. The Sword Saint personally emphasized this, so there can’t be even the slightest negligence!”
At their near-pleading 모습, the commanders opened their mouths with hollow expressions.
Though none of them could be handled even if everyone here banded together by force, the commanders only sighed heavily as they were dragged away.
“Leios…….”
Philip, one foot at the training ground entrance, looked back at me with pitiful eyes, silently asking for help. I merely gave him a deep smile.
I’d said it was fine, but the grudge from what happened just last night still lingered in a corner of my heart. After offering a brief prayer for his hardships, I turned away without mercy.
“……?”
With the knights storming into the training ground, the duel was temporarily halted.
The knight who’d been crossing swords with Petra was also hauled away without protest, apparently dragged off by his commander, and soon only the two of us remained.
“Did you sleep well?”
Only then did Petra notice me. With her face soaked in sweat, she smiled brightly at me. I stretched and replied.
“I wanted to sleep a bit more, but my body felt too restless.”
Back in my original world, I loved lazing around and taking long naps on my days off.
But ever since coming to this world, every day had been a series of moments that forced me to stay on edge.
As a result, waking up early and honing myself became a habit, and I tried to avoid unnecessary rest.
“It feels like we were cut off halfway and you’re not satisfied. Want to spar with me for a bit, just the two of us, for the first time in a while?”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”
Petra grinned and nodded. Her body was warmed up already, and as if to show the成果 of her accumulated training, she swung her sword vigorously. At this rate, it seemed she’d soon reach mid-level Expert.
‘Alice was on the verge of upper-tier. If she pushes just a bit more, she might catch up.’
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I’d sparred with Alice. While I’d been busy with various matters, she’d only dueled with Elisia, and I’d half-listened when she boasted about her progress.
‘I should pay her more attention.’
It was true that I’d been neglectful of the rest of the group while focusing on Petra, so I felt a slight pang of guilt.
Next time I saw her, I should take her somewhere nice and buy her something good to eat.
“…Leios?”
“Ah, sorry. Let’s start.”
Snapped out of my brief distraction by Petra’s call, I regained focus.
Soon, we faced each other in the center of the training ground.
When sharp, real blades—not practice swords—were aimed at each other, tension clearly surfaced on her face.
“Come at me with everything you’ve got. I’ll just focus on blocking for now.”
“Okay.”
Petra nodded lightly and took a deep breath. Then, as if speaking to herself, she murmured softly.
“Streunde Rosen.”
The swordsmanship she’d shown before—her own style, independently refined from the Leipzig family’s vision. As thick aura began to gather over Crimson Lotus, I let out a quiet note of admiration.
‘She really must have trained hard.’
Compared to when she’d left the Academy and gone to the temple to obtain Crimson Lotus and White Lotus, her growth was on an entirely different level.
Soon, a sharp single slash pierced the air. When the long red trajectory reached right before me, I stepped forward and blocked her attack head-on.
Clang—!
The piercing sound stabbed at my ears. Though I hadn’t used my full strength, perhaps frustrated that her opening strike had been stopped, Petra furrowed her brow and quickly reset her stance.
Whirr.
Crimson Lotus spun along a peculiar trajectory. Gathering momentum, it then slashed toward me at a speed even faster than before.
“Oh?”
That familiar movement made me voice an involuntary question.
I stepped back once more and avoided the attack, but her sword clearly bore a form similar to the Sword Saint Style Secret Art: Sever that I’d taught her.
“The Sword Saint Style Secret Art you taught me was too high-level for me to use as-is. So I modified it on my own.”
“…That’s impressive.”
I spoke with genuine admiration.
The Sword Saint Style Secret Art was a swordsmanship created by the transcendent figure known as the Sword Saint. The underlying principles weren’t something one could easily grasp.
Even if its level was lowered, adapting it to suit oneself was difficult even for me. Yet her sword clearly took form with a firm will behind it.
Which meant—
‘She grasped the essence of the sword technique in such a short amount of time?’
She truly was a genius.
Not a cheat like me, propped up by status windows and system assists, but a pure-blooded genius.
I felt a slight twinge of envy, but she must have her own hardships as well.
“Hah—!”
With a spirited shout, her attacks continued. But without the same brilliance as before, they were all easily blocked by my light movements.
“…….”
Petra paused in place, steadying her roughened breathing. Seeing her look slightly strained, perhaps due to having already sparred once earlier, I was about to end it—but noticing my intent, she spoke first.
“Just once. Let me try just one more time.”
“…Alright.”
I nodded lightly at her eyes, filled with resolute determination.
Curiosity even stirred as to what she intended to show next. As I waited for her to gather herself, Petra raised her sword high, crimson aura surging thickly above it, and spoke.
“Last Stardust.”
“…You even copied that?”