Chapter 190
Chapter 190: The Master of the Trade Route (27)
I focused all my attention on the broken sword.
Thanks to my now-cleared mind, the energy surrounding the blade rose even more solidly.
Blue mana.
It was the basic power that any proper knight should be able to wield.
However, when the caster’s deep conviction and yearning—
combined with superhuman amounts of training—came into play,
something began to change.
The aura transformed into a golden hue.
That signified one had reached the pinnacle of a sword expert.
In other words, the realm of a Swordmaster.
――――――.
My black hair rippled brilliantly.
The force emanating from me was so strong and pure that even the shattered stone pieces on the sparring ground began to tremble.
“……!!”
Tot, my opponent, noticed at once what had happened to me.
“I heard you’d been slacking on training to focus on the family business.”
The dark-haired knight let out a stunned laugh.
Then, shaking his head in clear dissatisfaction, he straightened his posture once more.
“As expected of the greatest talent in the North.”
But that didn’t mean the second-in-command of the Imperial Knights intended to back down.
Now that he had come this far, he meant to show the Emperor the fruit of his efforts.
Shweeaaak――――――!!
Tot leapt high into the air.
Even if it meant wounding himself, he delivered his final blow.
I did the same.
Clutching the half-blade now cloaked in aura tightly in both hands,
I swung at the exact same moment.
Kaang!!
A piercing crash rang through the world, loud enough that many spectators covered their ears.
It was the clash of two lives that had each wielded the sword for more than ten years.
――――――!!
A collision of pure strength, with no technique involved.
Neither of us gave an inch as we stared straight into each other’s eyes.
Craack……!!
Eventually, a fracture began to form in one of the swords.
And it was on Tot’s side.
“……!!”
The deputy commander of the Imperial Knights furrowed his brow sharply.
I was only wielding a half-broken sword.
Even if the rest of it had been materialized with aura, he had been certain of his victory.
“This is insane……!!”
He had been overwhelmingly superior in terms of equipment.
But the density of aura, forged through pure conviction—
ended up breaking even his sword.
Chang!!
As his broken sword scattered and his posture faltered,
he was pushed into the air by the surging energy of a Swordmaster.
He barely managed to twist his body to land with some finesse, but the blade of his sword had been completely destroyed.
“……”
The sparring ground fell into a stunned silence at the shocking outcome.
Some spectators were even visibly aghast.
The transformation of blue mana into golden—
the rare leap from sword expert to swordmaster—was not something commonly witnessed.
In contrast, Emperor Leonidas wore an expression of utter serenity.
Rather, he looked pleased with the sight of me, Echina, awakening at the mere age of twenty-one.
Even if the Northern sword had proven more impressive than that of the Imperial family, he was the type of man who gave credit where it was due.
However, the swordsmen of the capital, including the commander of the Imperial Knights, looked visibly displeased.
Today had proven once again that the Emperor’s sword was still outmatched by the North.
But—
their humiliation would soon be short-lived.
“Haah……”
Tot barely caught his breath as he landed.
And that was when I—Echina—approached him, staggering slightly as I walked.
Then, I reached out my hand to him.
“Since both our swords are broken, I’d say it’s a draw.”
Tot stared blankly up at my hand as he processed my words.
“A draw……?”
“Yes. According to the sparring rules, if both participants’ swords are broken, the match can no longer proceed.”
I calmly recited the rule as I knew it.
“So I believe this counts as a tie.”
“……”
Tot let out a deep breath.
Part of him wanted to ask what I was doing, to tell me not to humiliate him any further.
But it wasn’t just the spectators watching us right now.
The commander of the Imperial Knights, his esteemed senior—and even His Majesty the Emperor—were present.
In the end, he decided to set aside his pride.
“Very well.”
The dark-haired knight took my hand.
Then, rising with its support, he completed the handshake.
――――――.
Realizing how magnanimous I had been, someone was the first to begin clapping.
Then, the sparring ground, which had been filled with tension and awkwardness, quickly transformed into a wave of encouraging applause.
Among them was none other than the first man of the continent, Emperor Leonidas.
Once even the Emperor showed his satisfaction with this outcome, the commander of the Imperial Knights had no choice but to declare the match over.
As the results were finalized, the applause turned into a roar of cheers from the crowd.
In that lively atmosphere, I slowly made my way down from the stands, heading toward Echina.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
On my way, I heard the voice of the Grand Duke of the North call out to me.
“Well, if I don’t want to raise suspicion, I have to go greet her like I always do.”
“……”
It was the obvious thing to do.
Still, Eric looked thoroughly displeased with the current situation.
But what could he do?
Who would have guessed that Echina would awaken as a Swordmaster and end up needing a new sword?
I passed him by with a sly, foxlike smirk.
Descending from the stands, I waited for her just beneath the sparring platform.
After finishing her handshake with Tot, Echina slowly came down the steps, her legs clearly weakened.
She looked utterly exhausted.
But then, the moment she saw me waiting at the bottom—
“……!”
For the first time, color returned to her face, lit by the sun behind her.
Her golden eyes began to shimmer faintly.
Like a quiet surface of water warmed by gentle sunlight.
I knew that expression.
Back when I collapsed in her lap, waiting for death—
It was the same honest face she had shown me then.
“You’ve done well, my lady.”
“……”
Echina didn’t say anything for a moment.
She let out a short breath, steadied her voice, and spoke again.
“I believed in you.”
I was relieved that she had understood my intention.
In response, I too shed the false smile I usually wore for others.
And gave her a soft, wistful smile—just like the beautiful, dark-haired woman standing before me.
“You never said anything whenever I entered a match.”
“Well, that’s because I always knew you would win.”
Echina slowly nodded.
Amid the thunderous cheers pouring down on us—
the surroundings were undoubtedly loud.
But right now, neither of us could hear a thing.
It felt as if we were the only two people in this entire space.
“……!!”
Echina suddenly rushed down the steps.
And with both arms, she wrapped me in an embrace.
Right there, in front of everyone watching.
“E-Echina……?”
From his seat, the Grand Duke of the North, Duke Luton, witnessed the scene with his own eyes.
His face, which had been stoic and severe until now, contorted.
A strange mix of joy and fury twisted in his expression.
“S-She made the first move……!!”
On the other hand, Harriet, the Western Grand Duke, was filled with nothing but shock.
The skin beneath his otherwise composed eyes visibly trembled.
Only the Emperor watched the scene with interest.
“So that’s how it is… I suspected, but still.”
The Emperor had sensed that the man who had caught his attention would not end his life as just another commoner.
“I’ll be seeing more of them, both of them.”
True to my background as a secretary, I swallowed hard under the sharp, hostile gazes emanating from the VIP seats.
At the same time, I spoke to the woman who had buried her face into my shoulder.
“Eric’s watching. This could be a problem.”
“So what? Doesn’t this make it look like I’ve fallen for you even more?”
She’d grown even more eloquent since the last time I saw her.
“You only handed over the broken sword, didn’t you? I’m sure that’s all that got recorded on the sound stone.”
They said that from the level of Swordmaster and up, even the slightest trace of mana could be sensed.
She must’ve been right on the verge of her awakening—she had clearly recognized Eric’s item hidden in my handkerchief.
“When did you improve so much? I thought you’d been too busy lately.”
“Ever since I decided to inherit the family business, I started training even harder. All the way until dawn.”
Echina took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of my suit.
Like a black lion savoring a familiar fragrance.
“I trained so hard because I was afraid you might think I gave up my talent as a knight because of you.”
“……”
I almost reached out to stroke her hair without thinking.
Instead, I simply held her in silence and gently patted her back.
“……”
Watching us from afar, the Grand Duke’s heir glared with displeasure.
He had manipulated everything to go exactly as he wished.
Yet Echina had not been harmed—and instead, she and I seemed closer than ever.
His eyes were filled with bitter discontent.
But—
the misfortune that awaited him had only just begun.
From a distance, Tobang Arman came running.
He urgently pushed his way through the crowd to whisper something into his lord’s ear.
“What……?”
The silver-haired noble’s face twisted in disbelief at the completely unexpected news.
He asked again, irritation creeping into his voice.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, you should go immediately.”
Eric let out a heavy breath.
Then, after throwing a sharp glance toward his sister and me…
he quickly left the arena.
I quietly watched his back as he walked away, just beyond Echina’s shoulder.
Then, curling my lips into a smile every bit as merciless as his, I thought to myself:
‘What are you so surprised about?’
This was only the beginning.
After the match ended, the Emperor arranged a moment to commend the two knights.
Echina held my arm tightly and dragged me up to the platform along with her.
“Do I really have to go up there too……?”
“Yeah. You’re the biggest contributor to this match, after all.”
I hadn’t really done anything though.
If anything, I’d handed her a broken sword that could’ve put her at risk.
Still, I gently slipped my arm out of Echina’s and walked up the platform alongside her.
Waiting there for us were the two Grand Dukes—both visibly tense—and the Emperor, calm as ever.
‘The Grand Dukes look like they’re ready to kill someone……’
I took a deep breath.
Duke Luton’s reaction made sense, but I couldn’t understand why Harriet looked so upset.
“It was a most satisfying duel, Lady Echina.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor approached her with his hands behind his back.
Clad in a white uniform, his overwhelming presence exuded the charisma befitting the master of the continent.
“From what I know, Swordmasters tend to express a deep yearning for something just before their awakening… Tell me, what was on your mind before you swung your blade?”
At his question, the black-haired knightess slowly turned toward me.
She smiled meaningfully, then looked back up at Leonidas and answered with confidence.
“I thought of someone precious whom I wished to protect.”
“Hoh…… I wonder how important that person must be, if they helped you rise to the realm of a Swordmaster.”
The Emperor laughed heartily, stroking his thick chin.
As if he already knew the answer, his gaze briefly slid toward my narrow eyes.
“It was a thoroughly enjoyable duel. A day worth traveling all the way to the Nord Mountains for.”
I lowered my head, trying to avoid his weighty gaze.
But I couldn’t keep my head down for long.
Before much time had passed, several senior knights approached the Emperor and whispered news into his ear.
“What did you say……?”
Leonidas’s previously serene expression turned chilling once more.
He looked straight toward the Grand Duke of the North and announced the news he’d just received.
“You’re telling me the pneumonia treatment awaiting approval has been banned in the Northern Kingdom?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Reports of rashes and hives as side effects surfaced, so the kingdom moved to ban it preemptively.”
But the two association heads I trusted had assured me there would be no problems.
They had even vowed to resign should any issue arise.
And yet a kingdom, historically ranked far beneath us, had gone and banned Anes?
“Had we already authorized distribution of the drug?”
The knights all nodded in unison.
At that, the Emperor shook his head, a serious look settling over his face.
“Have our side investigate immediately. If we end up with a disaster on our hands from using something banned even in that underdeveloped North, the Empire’s medical field will become a laughingstock.”
And so—it begins.
Just as Eric had tried to handle me as he pleased,
now it was my turn to play him like a fiddle.