Chapter 189
Chapter 189: The Master of the Trade Route (26)
Led by Emperor Leonidas, the two Grand Dukes visited the Nord Mountains.
This historic visit would later be recorded even in the Academy’s textbooks.
Unlike the days when I had been merely a secretary candidate, I was now able to witness the event firsthand.
Though it was under watch, by Eric’s side.
「Impressive. To think you built such cities in just a few months.」
The emperor’s blue eyes gazed contentedly at the beautiful Royal Luton, and beyond it, at Fern and Angde.
Royal Luton was still under construction, but its sheer scale alone exuded grandeur.
“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty and Duke Harriet. Thank you for believing in us.”
The Grand Duke of the North expressed his gratitude in an even tone.
For the first time, he wore a faint smile at the successful development of his children’s cities.
“Royal Luton feels like a mirror image of Nord. And Angde closely resembles the capital’s central district.”
Perhaps it was thanks to the recent improvement in their relations.
After their resounding victory in the trade war against the United Kingdoms of the Northern Seas, the two Grand Dukes no longer wasted energy on needless rivalry.
“Fern was also impressive. It’s perfectly connected to Angde, forming an ideal bedroom town.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Duke Harriet.”
「How many more months until trade can begin, Duke Luton?」
The emperor envisioned the immense wealth that would flow in through the mountain range.
Along with the revival of the local economy that would follow.
“It should be possible as soon as my eldest son’s Royal Luton is completed.”
「Ah, yes. Royal Luton was quite the grand undertaking.」
The emperor turned his gaze slowly toward Eric and me.
His eyes held a hint of curiosity—why was I, known to be Echina’s close aide, standing on this side?
But soon, as if deciding he didn’t want to interfere in family matters, he refocused on Eric, who was at the center of the discussion.
「It seems a great deal of capital went into this. You must have gone through much hardship, Young Lord.」
Eric looked up blankly for a moment at Leonidas, who was now addressing him directly.
He had met the emperor three or four times in his life.
He was, after all, the eldest son of the Grand Duke of the North.
But never once had the emperor cast even a glance his way.
And now, for the first time, the emperor was showing interest in him.
Perhaps sensing that he was drawing closer to his ambitions, Eric responded in a soft voice.
“If it is for the everlasting peace of the Empire, I am always ready to give my all.”
「Thank you for carrying such conviction. Once it is completed, I shall visit this place again.」
The empire’s most powerful figure had promised to return.
At this, Eric bowed his head gracefully in gratitude.
“……”
The Grand Duke of the North and Duke Luton, who had been silently watching him, slowly closed his eyes and maintained a meaningful silence.
“I will make sure to present results that will meet Your Majesty’s satisfaction.”
With that humble remark, Eric stepped back.
Afterward, the two Grand Dukes and the emperor took their seats atop a high platform, where luxurious chairs had been arranged.
Their seats faced the newly established training arena in Royal Luton.
Preparations were underway for a celebratory match, marking the site’s historic inaugural duel.
“Your Majesty, we have also prepared a special duel to commemorate your visit.”
The knight commander reported to the seated emperor.
Perhaps it was due to the recent matches at the Imperial Academy, but Leonidas had been appearing at the dueling grounds more often these days.
「Very well. Who are the participants?」
“It’s the second daughter of the Luton family, Echina Luton, and our Imperial Knights’ vice-captain, Tot.”
The emperor, satisfied just hearing the names, rested his hand on his chin.
「A duel between the next top sword of the North and the top sword of the Royal Guard.」
This glorious match would take place beneath the most rugged mountain range in the North.
Perhaps because of that, not only Nord but even the distant capital had drawn a massive audience.
All three major newspapers had come to cover the event.
Among them were Mansachs and his father, Terry Mansachs, the president of Gold Morning.
And they weren’t the only ones.
There was also the one-eyed inspector Sonia, who had always admired Echina, and my younger brother, Ronie, who had recently grown quite close to her.
Perhaps this duel meant more than just a celebratory exhibition.
And I...
I had to hand a "cracked sword" to the woman who would stand on this stage.
Eric, who had stepped back earlier, now approached me.
He soon pointed to the sword hanging at my waist—the problem at hand.
“Time to get moving.”
“Understood.”
I turned away from him, indifferent.
At that moment—
“Ah, wait. Take this with you as well.”
Eric looked at me with a gentle smile.
At the same time, he pulled something very familiar from his suit jacket.
‘A recording stone…!’
It was the very thing I had used in the past when I dealt with the Nordique director who had been Eric’s aide.
He slipped the recording stone between my handkerchiefs with a calm expression.
“Just in case. It’d be a problem if you said the blade was cracked while handing over the sword, wouldn’t it?”
“You can count on me.”
I replied to his chilling remark with a faint, sly smile.
After that, I turned and walked toward the waiting area, keeping that same smile on my face.
But the moment I met Echina’s eyes—
Even the perfunctory, sycophantic smile disappeared completely.
“Roger…!”
A beautiful woman with long black hair flowing down to her waist.
Unlike the first time we met, she looked at me with a radiant expression.
In her brilliant golden eyes, there wasn’t a trace of distrust toward me.
In that moment, I was sure of it.
Echina truly was my complete opposite.
“Have you been well? Eric hasn’t been bothering you again, has he?”
“No, there’s been no trouble.”
Dressed in the signature black uniform of the Black Knights, Echina gazed out at the still-empty dueling ground.
No matter how skilled a knight might be, events of this scale were bound to make one nervous.
“That’s good.”
I stood beside her.
The Luton Sword in my other hand felt unusually heavy today.
“Your opponent is strong. He’s the second-in-command of the Royal Knights.”
“I know. But I’ll win.”
A firm conviction shone in her sharp eyes.
Though she had been helping with the family business, her edge hadn’t dulled in the slightest.
“I believe so too.”
I slowly handed the sword to the one who had made up her mind.
“Roger, this is…?”
“It’s the Luton Sword. Specially prepared for today’s duel.”
At the mention that it had been prepared just for her, Echina lifted the corners of her mouth.
Then, without any suspicion, she accepted the sword I handed her.
“Whether you use it or not is entirely up to you, My Lady.”
I added a carefully chosen line that wouldn’t arouse doubt.
As expected, Echina—who already trusted me—showed no signs of questioning it.
“Thank you, Roger.”
The Grand Duke’s daughter held the sword and began climbing the stairs to the dueling ground.
Then, as she turned her back to me, the sunlight casting a glow around her figure, I called out.
“Echina.”
Just as she had wished—without honorifics.
“...?”
The Grand Duke’s daughter slowly turned back to face me.
Hearing me speak in a different tone than usual, sensing the shift in atmosphere, she seemed to sense that something was off.
“Please… don’t lose.”
Echina didn’t say anything for a moment after hearing those words.
Then, quietly, she nodded.
I offered her a genuine smile.
A complete contrast to the one I had given Eric.
――――――
The Grand Duke’s daughter stepped onto the dueling ground.
The newly built arena was surrounded by countless rows of seats.
「Waaaaah―――!!」
The thunderous cheers directed at her were enough to make the ground tremble.
But Echina paid no mind to the crowd’s roaring voices.
She could only recall the single line spoken to her by one man.
“Got it.”
Murmuring to herself the words she hadn’t managed to say to him.
She closed her eyes briefly and offered a short prayer...
Then drew the sword the man had given her.
On the opposite side stood Tot, the vice-captain of the Royal Knights—said to be the second strongest in the Royal Guard.
He was a black-haired man, with a sharp, intense gaze reminiscent of Roger’s.
But the atmosphere he exuded was completely different.
Unlike a secretary who had always lived for others, this man had lived only with the sword. His eyes burned with singular focus.
“I’ve always wanted to face you, Echina Luton.”
“It’s a great honor to duel with you, Vice-Captain.”
――――――
A trumpet signaled the start of the match.
And as if on cue, the roaring audience fell into silence.
The emperor and the two Grand Dukes fixed their gaze on the two knights preparing their salutes.
It was impossible to guess who would win.
Though this was officially a commemorative exhibition, the air was heavy—almost as though a life-or-death decision for the Empire was about to be made.
“Haa…”
Echina regulated her breathing with practiced ease.
And then, the man in the white uniform before her made the first move—charging in.
She kept her eyes wide open and faced the incoming blade head-on.
KAAANG!!
Both of their weapons were one-handed swords.
Yet the sound that rang out was like a clash between an axe and a mace—thunderous and deafening.
“…!!”
It was stronger than when she had once faced Dalton.
Where Dalton had been a sly, speedy swordsman, this man overwhelmed with raw, crushing force.
CHAAANG!!
From the first exchange, Tot had already understood the gap in strength and began pressing the attack.
Echina, stepping backward, parried him while countering—Tot matched her movements perfectly, pressing forward, swinging again and again.
“Huup…!!”
Through this match, Tot sought to break the illusion that the North held the Empire’s best swordsmanship.
He aimed to restore the lost honor of the Royal Knights by defeating Echina.
His strikes came down relentlessly, like crashing waves with no mercy.
CRAAACK――――――!!
Both Echina and even her opponent, Tot, clearly heard that ominous sound.
Her sword had cracked.
‘A fracture… in the blade?!’
The Luton Sword was undoubtedly a masterpiece, invented through the craftsmanship of the half-dwarf, Schmidt.
Until now, its blade had never chipped so easily.
The unfamiliar kind of damage threw Echina’s mind into turmoil.
‘No way…’
The Grand Duke’s daughter, having momentarily distanced herself from her opponent, turned her gaze toward the spectator seats.
There stood I, wearing a serious expression.
‘Did Roger betray me…?’
The pupils of the black-haired knight quivered subtly.
And in that moment, as her heart wavered—
Tot charged again, swinging his sword.
Just as she hurriedly raised her blade to block—
KAAANG――――――!!
The Luton Sword finally broke.
The blade snapped clean in half and clattered across the dueling ground floor.
A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd at the brutal sound of destruction.
“Th-The sword broke…?!”
Ronie, who had been watching anxiously, cried out in shock.
Sonia, fists clenched tightly in both hands, looked down at Echina with desperate eyes.
「…….」
The emperor, in contrast, remained silent.
As he said nothing, Eric, seated at the end of the row, cautiously spoke up.
“As expected of the Royal Knights. Their swordsmanship is truly solid.”
“Echina has been spending more time on the family business recently, after all.”
Harriet responded in place of Eric.
That a family head from another house would speak positively on her behalf—despite not being family—made the situation feel strangely off.
「The Royal Guard has worked hard to surpass the North’s swordsmanship. Perhaps that effort bears fruit today.」
Even in this unexpected turn of events, the emperor spoke while gazing at the still-silent Grand Duke of the North.
However, even he did not rush to judge the outcome of the duel.
For he knew better than anyone the resilience of the Luton family.
The lion of the North never surrenders easily.
A broken sword would not bring them to their knees.
Just as one uses their molars when their front teeth are lost, even if their blade is shattered, they will fight on with a dagger.
“Haa… haa…”
Echina let out rough breaths.
Her opponent, Vice-Captain Tot, looked at her with a hint of pity, then spoke.
“My Lady, if needed, I can allow you to bring out a spare weapon.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Echina answered firmly.
Because what tormented her wasn’t the broken blade—
It was the pain of wondering if one man had betrayed her.
Or more accurately, the fear that he might have abandoned her.
And so, while Tot observed etiquette and gave her space, Echina once more turned toward the audience.
Then—
She realized something.
I had my eyes gently closed, offering a silent prayer.
“……!!”
Echina knew it well.
That I didn’t believe in any gods.
And yet, there I was, desperately praying for her victory.
Thanks to that, the turmoil in her mind calmed, becoming as still as a lake.
Then, she recalled the words I had said to her.
‘Please… don’t lose.’
Come to think of it, I had never once told her to win before she entered a match.
“Right… of course, he wouldn’t.”
At last, Echina was freed from the pain that had been strangling her mind.
And with a sigh of relief…
She was able to grip her sword straight once more.
Even if it was only half a blade.
“……”
Even Tot, the veteran knight, could feel it.
That she had returned to the sharp gaze befitting her reputation.
“It seems you’re finally ready to give it your all.”
The black-haired man gave a faint smirk as he raised his sword again.
Then, he began to imbue his blade with a chilling, golden aura.
As if he intended to end the duel in a single clash.
Echina had no intention of dodging.
Though her sword was only half a blade, she stared him down with unwavering resolve—as if she still had a hidden weapon in reserve.
With eyes that would no longer look back at anyone.