Chapter 137: Queen’s Table (3)
Manners are the ornament of chivalrous acts.
-Samuel Smiles-
“Be careful, Watson!”
-Tak
I pulled out a handkerchief and quickly caught the flying poisoned needle.
From the tip of the needle lodged in Irene Adler’s handkerchief, a liquid that dissolved concentrated potassium cyanide began to spread in an instant.
The woman who deliberately broke protocol to attack Watson was someone I had never seen before.
Estimated to be around forty, she disregarded the etiquette for using cutlery while removing bones from a grilled fish.
And to punish that, the Special Maid Corps fired a poisoned needle, which she deftly bounced off her knife handle to strike at Watson.
It was an act that felt very intentional. Of course, the Special Maid Corps would not let that go unchallenged.
Evading or blocking a penalty is immediately considered rude and invites additional punishment.
-Swish!
As expected, another Special Maid suddenly opened the dining-room window and threw a thin plate aiming for the back of the woman’s head.
“Oh my. My dress.”
The woman calmly bent as if unaware and smoothed her dress.
The plate thrown by the maid flew perilously between Watson’s and my heads toward the wall, but it did not shatter.
Because a waiting royal footman had caught it.
‘Was she trying to test Watson…’
Having evaded a penalty tied to a single rule violation twice, the woman could not be further sanctioned.
The woman, past forty, serenely picked up the fork and knife handles and manifested Sword Qi as she continued eating.
“…What just happened, Holmes?”
“You nearly got caught up in an ‘unfortunate accident’, didn’t you?”
“Hm.”
Watson quickly grasped the implication behind my words and glared at the woman.
Though the attempt to eliminate Watson had failed, the middle-aged woman did not offer even a single apology.
I watched the Sword Qi emanating from the woman’s fork and knife.
The blade’s length exceeded two finger-widths by just a bit.
Her fork was split into three tines.
In both total internal strength and skillful manipulation, she was a master superior to Watson.
But considering their age gap, it wasn’t a vast difference. Watson could catch up soon.
To pick a fight with that level of skill. I couldn’t fathom her motive.
What impure reason lay behind her actions to commit such an act in front of Her Majesty, royal officials, and the renowned figures of the martial world watching with sharp eyes?
“It seems my senior found me unpleasant.”
The answer was hidden in the aura the woman gave off.
The lady’s resplendent golden Sword Qi concealed a ferocity rivaling that of the unorthodox.
It was the kind of Sword Qi I had seen a few times while at Cambridge University College.
“The distinctive Qi Frequency of a practitioner of Golden Ecstasy1… an E-Mei Sisters’ top disciple. And of the Grenadier branch.”
Watson nodded.
The reason the woman showed hostility toward Watson was clear.
After enlisting, Watson trained in the E-Mei Sisters’ Fingertips technique at the Enfield Academy and was regarded as an informal disciple.
And among the top disciples, there were many who looked down on informal disciples.
Aboave all, the martial artists of Enfield Academy, who specialize in Fingertips — a technique that uses the Lute-Playing Finger as its foundation to launch projectiles of internal energy — belong to the Life Guards Division, one of the two major factions of the E-Mei Sisters..
The Life Guards Division is led by the E-Mei Sisters’ Mother Superior, Lantern Matron Florence Nightingale.
The Life Guard Division’s core internal art is the Great Tranquility Zen Method, which cultivates a stable internal force—suitable for precisely controlled internal techniques, essence medicine, and Fingertips.
Meanwhile, the faction taking the opposite path is the Grenadier, who train in the Golden Ecstasy method.
The Golden Ecstasy method develops an unstable yet fiercely destructive internal energy.
And the Grenadier’s famed ultimate trick condenses accumulated essence into a spherical form—the Thunderbolt Grenade.
Though its range is shorter than Fingertips, at impact the Thunderbolt Grenade creates a massive vortex of essence that rips apart everything nearby.
Some say that seven-tenths of the stories and widespread rumors in the martial world that the E-Mei Sisters show no mercy or commit crueller killings than those of the unorthodox trace back to the Grenadiers.
Because of this, Grenadier disciples maintained even closer ties with the British Army than the Life Guard Division did.
While it is true the Life Guard Division produced many excellent soldiers and military doctors, an even greater reason for the sisterhood’s reputation was due to the Grenadiers battlefield exploits.
“I don’t think this is the place to settle faction disputes or bully newcomers.”
“I agree, Holmes. It’s a feast prepared with effort, one can only wonder if it is truly necessary to conduct oneself with such a lack of grace..”
“You must understand. Picking on informal disciples is the petty act of lower-ranked top disciples.”
I saw the middle-aged woman’s eyebrow twitch across the table.
Despite the chatter around, she seemed to have heard everything Watson and I had been saying.
Well, we had spoken loudly on purpose, so it wasn’t an issue.
‘How dare they…’
I told Watson to understand, but cold rage was rising inside me.
To try to ruin my friend’s celebrated entry into society is absolutely unforgivable.
Touching someone mid-meal is unbecoming of a gentleman, but since they crossed the line first, there’s no reason to hesitate in exacting justice.
“Holmes. I’m fine, so don’t worry.”
…Except when the person in question, Watson, wishes to let it pass.
“Don’t strain yourself because of me. Haven’t you already expended a lot of essence today?”
I believed I hadn’t given the slightest hint, yet Watson had already seen through my intent to retaliate.
It was an insight so swift, precise, and astonishing that it was hard to believe it came from Watson.
“I don’t want you wasting your spirit on needless matters before your game of Sword Debate Chess with Her Majesty.”
Don’t add unnecessary risk before the grand event.
The hand making that request trembled faintly.
“As your physician and as your friend, I ask this of you.”
“…Don’t worry. I will behave like a gentleman in any situation.”
Watson worried that I might get into trouble if I attacked the woman, but my decision to overlook her rudeness and postpone retaliation was purely for Watson’s sake.
If I avenged Watson by striking a top Grenadier disciple, not only Watson but also the Enfield Academy who trained her could face troublesome consequences.
Above all, I didn’t want Watson to spend her thoughts worrying about me right now.
There was no other way than to maintain the Sword Qi as long as possible and endure the dinner’s trial.
Beating the Grenadiers would have to wait.
“Promise me. You won’t act out during the meal. Of course, I won’t let anyone else touch you either.”
“How reliable you are.”
Watson managed a strained smile.
Feeling sorry for her, I unconsciously downed the glass of Luxardo maraschino besides me.
The cherry liqueur that should have been sweet tasted bitter to me today.
“…Don’t overdo it.”
Watson nodded wordlessly.
She, exhausted from maintaining the Sword Qi, set down her fork and knife for a moment and slowly spooned the sea-turtle soup the attendant had brought.
Sea-turtle soup with fins aids digestion and promotes the absorption of vitality.
By taking a spoonful of sea-turtle soup mid-meal, Watson aimed to quickly replenish the essence she’d spent on the Sword Qi.
Soup made from a sea turtle that lives long in the water carries strong Water-Qi.
And what she had eaten a little earlier was a capon of the divinity fowl stuffed with century porcini and century truffle.
That dish was full of Wood-Qi and Fire-Qi.
Watson sought to harness the synergy of water generating wood to draw up the Wood-Qi of the two medicinal mushrooms while using water to counteract the Fire-Qi of the roasted fowl.
Even while concentrating on maintaining the Sword Qi, she calmly ate the dishes in an optimal order so her Elixir Field could absorb essence quickly.
‘Was I overworried?’
Watson was a far stronger woman than I had expected.
The dinner rules of the royal ball had been formed through an odd process.
Queen Victoria, having suppressed desires through her teens, became a party-lover in adulthood and enjoyed long meals.
And Prince Albert, who had lived frugally from youth and didn’t want to waste time on meals.
Their dramatic compromise produced a strange rule: if one could maintain Sword Qi or Sword Aura, one was allowed to continue eating as long as desired.
Of course, this was a trial in which masters who have completely reached the Peak Realm can easily surpass..
However, for Watson it was an immense challenge.
Though she had solved the issue of creating Sword Qi with the Snow Halation Iron Dagger and the Ancient Vicuna Wool shawl, stamina remained a problem.
Lacking cultivated power, Watson decided to overcome it with wisdom.
Over the past month, besides training to emit Sword Qi, she had received from me knowledge of culinary pharmacognosy.
By combining her medical knowledge with the new lessons, Watson opened a path forward.
All of this was an effort to efficiently replenish her essence during the long banquet and sustain her Sword Qi.
Through study and training she learned how to ingest meticulously prepared elixirs in a precise sequence to replenish her essence with maximum efficiency.
She couldn’t yet fully refill the internal energy used to produce the Sword Qi, but she could endure for a sufficiently long time.
Now all that remained was to watch like a hawk and guard so no one would interfere with Watson.
‘…I just have to do my job well.’
When I glared with lethal intent, the aged E-Mei top disciple quickly averted her gaze to avoid mine.
Trash who can’t even meet the eyes of a stronger martial artist.
Doubling the length of the Sword Qi projecting from my fork and knife as a warning, no one else dared pick a fight with Watson.
And two hours later, the dinner ended without any notable clash.
Throughout the meal, the gaze that captured everyone around the table belonged to none other than Her Majesty, the Queen.
With her Qi-Controlled Knife, she freely maneuvered the cutlery handle that projected a blade of aura to slice the meat
Furthermore, there was her ability to levitate food to her mouth without touching the utensils, the art of Vacuum Feeding.
As those witnessing the sovereign’s most exalted manner of dining gasped in turn, Watson and I were able to leave the dining-room calm and well-sated.
And just as everyone began to prepare to depart.
“Are you the Grand Hero Little Heavenly Demon? Her Majesty requests your presence.”
A royal footman came to fetch Watson and me.
It was the purpose of my visit to the court dance and the final trial.
“You will be given 30 minutes’ time to prepare.”
To announce the start of the Sword Debate Chess.
- TL/N: Golden Summit Heart Method ️