Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Fragments
***
Clang——, Clang——, Bang——
The clashing sounds of weapons echoed throughout Shanter Castle.
In the vast training ground, a towering figure wielding an icy greatsword launched a fierce assault with continuous swings. The person-high greatsword was wielded with grand sweeping motions, surging with hissing ice mist, leaving frost wherever it passed, with dust and ice shards scattering in all directions amid the deafening thuds.
Under such dense and terrifying attacks, the petite girl’s clothes and ribbons danced in the wind as she dodged between the howling wind of the greatsword, her graceful figure like a light dance. Whenever she caught an opening, she would launch an even more ferocious counterattack.
The two figures constantly rotated and separated on the field, their battle rhythm heart-stopping fast. When it reached its climax, explosive ice crystal shards had already flown dozens of meters outside the field.
“Little Peipei, behind you, watch out behind!”
“Beautiful!”
“Come on, win this!”
“Ohhhh!”
The hunters, led by Hoover, were cheering with raised arms in the distance, looking just like fanatic fans at a concert.
I slowed my steps and turned my head to glance at them, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“Focus!”
Taking advantage of this opening, the Duke raised his ice-blue greatsword high and brought it down overhead.
The huge shadow pressed down with a suffocating pressure.
My pupils contracted violently as my footwork changed instantly.
Moon Step!
Whoosh——
The fierce wind danced by my ears, making my skirt flutter loudly.
Without relying on the thrust from ice pillars, my body moved at extreme speed, instantly darting dozens of meters away.
Landing lightly.
The next moment, the dust beneath my feet suddenly spread outward.
Boom!
The Duke’s greatsword fell to the ground, creating an explosive thud. Dust exploded outward, and fine cracks spread out.
I took a sharp breath, my toes working with my ankles to exert force again.
The entire process took less than half a second before my body rushed back into the battlefield.
White mist arose from my left hand.
Hiss hiss——
In just the blink of an eye, a forearm-length deep blue short blade had formed, with extremely cold frost mist bursting forth from the short blade, enveloping half my body.
Clashing with the giant blade emerging from the smoke and dust.
Bang!
After the loud crash, my feet retreated one step, my body briefly losing balance before quickly adjusting.
Then stepping forward, swinging the ice blade in a horizontal slash.
Bang! Bang! Bang——
“Hahaha! Remarkable, impressive!”
A deep laugh rang out as blue light blazed in the Duke’s eyes.
“Side waist! Abdomen! Above head!… Watch your feet!”
The attacks came like an overwhelming avalanche, each strike carrying incomparable pressure. For me who was used to my right hand, suddenly switching to wielding a weapon with my left hand made it impossible to adjust in a short time, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
But this was necessary training.
I gritted my teeth while desperately blocking while looking for chances to counterattack. Ice constantly collided with ice, the ground beneath our feet had long frozen solid, frost filling the air.
Crack.
A crisp sound rang out, and my heart jumped as I quickly retreated two steps.
The broken blade in my hand shattered.
…Still not strong enough, why can’t I match the Duke’s greatsword…
“Alright alright, that’s enough for today. If we continue, neither of us will be able to hold back.”
The Duke pointed at his greatsword, which had an obvious crack on it.
…What, so there was progress after all.
Then let’s stop here.
“Mm.”
I nodded obediently.
My body had already started trembling with excitement. If we continued, I wouldn’t be confident in controlling my strength.
“How is it, does everything work well? Any discomfort or inconvenience?”
Hearing the Duke’s questions, I looked down at my hands.
I was wearing a pair of pure black lace gloves, the style quite exquisite, embroidered with a round shield-shaped sunflower — symbolizing the highest craftsmanship of the Central Workshop.
The gloves used multiple layers of ruffled edges to enhance their beauty, extending all the way to the crook of the forearm, with beautiful sapphires embedded on the back as decoration, while the palm had undergone special treatment to prevent weapons from slipping.
At first glance they seemed as thin as silk, but they were actually highly skilled light chainmail, feeling very soft with no discomfort at all. According to the Duke, the gloves’ material was mixed with a small amount of melted moonstone, making it impossible for ordinary weapons to easily breach their defense.
Besides this, I was also wearing leg armor of the same style, protecting from toes all the way to the knees. In terms of appearance, rather than leg armor, they looked more like black lace stockings.
Paired with a black knee-length dress made of the same material as the hunter’s coat with high defensive capabilities, the whole outfit looked like… a gothic girl.
I have to say, it really suits Winter City’s style… or maybe it’s Wintermoon’s style?
In any case, this is the armor custom-made for me… though calling it armor doesn’t seem quite right, let’s just call it battle dress. The moonstone was leftover from the Thirteenth Moon, and because there wasn’t much, it was barely enough to make the gloves and leg armor. Similar dresses were custom-made in plenty, in all kinds of styles, so I no longer had to worry about damaging clothes during training.
There was actually also a heart guard, hidden in a secret place.
This was also why the Duke dared to attack me without holding back.
“No, I like it very much. Thank you.”
Who wouldn’t like clothes that are both beautiful and practical.
The Duke smiled happily upon hearing this.
“I’m glad you like it, no need to thank me… The weapon making is also reaching its final stages, expected to be completed in another two days. Regarding the control of ‘Extreme Ice’, I have nothing left to teach you, from here on you’ll need to practice on your own.”
Patting the dust off my body, I nodded again.
Extreme Ice, that is, the deep blue ice, I had almost completely mastered it. Although the Duke always praised me for my extraordinary talent, I knew clearly in my heart that it was because of his constant patient and careful guidance that I could grow so rapidly.
During this time, whether it was the Duke or the Madam, or even Parsifal, their care and love for me was from the bottom of their hearts, the purest kindness.
These are all people who truly care for me, just like Grandma Claire.
I must repay them, this has nothing to do with whether I’m Peylo or not.
“After the weapon is finished, you’ll be leaving, right.”
I looked towards the Duke and nodded lightly.
“Mm.”
“…Time really flies.”
The Duke looked around the empty ground, smiling somewhat sentimentally.
“Do you… remember this place?”
I hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook my head.
After this, the Duke’s eyes became somewhat dim.
“This place… used to be a grove, about 10 years ago. You were still small then, and Shanter Castle wasn’t as big as it is now.”
When these words were spoken, I keenly noticed that something had changed.
The Duke was no longer calling me Miss Sylvia.
He had always treated me as his daughter, this I certainly knew. So much time had passed, and even I had actually already accepted it by default, because there was no possibility of overturning it, the facts were right there.
But speaking it out so clearly like this was the first time.
The flying dust scattered with the wind as I slightly shrugged my shoulders.
The Duke continued speaking on his own.
“In the past, your two brothers liked to explore, always sneaking into the woods here, bringing back all kinds of strange things… At that time, you were only as tall as my knee… Tiny little thing, always wobbling along behind them. Every step you took, the little braid tied on your head would bounce once, I still remember that image clearly.”
“Sometimes, when the two of them competed to see who could climb trees higher, they thought you were too small and wouldn’t let you join. You wouldn’t listen, insisted on competing with them, but after climbing just a bit, you got anxious and fell down, scraping your knee raw, sitting on the ground crying loudly, refusing to let anyone help you up, insisting on riding on my neck and walking a round in the woods before you’d stop crying.”
“…You loved hearing me tell stories about knights and heroes, admired them so much, spent a whole period shouting at home saying you wanted to become a lady knight when you grew up. But then one day when your Sword Saint grandfather came to visit the castle, you were so embarrassed you hid behind your mother, not daring to speak to him… Now, you’ve really become a knight…”
“…When you were even smaller, I always liked patting your head, your hair was so soft, your eyes opened so wide, looking confused like a doll. Seeing you like that made my heart ache so much, I wanted to hold you tight in my arms, but feared that I was too rough and couldn’t control my strength, might hurt you… In my heart I really… loved you so much.”
These words were like fragments of memories, though scattered, I listened very carefully.
At this moment, he was no longer the powerful Pontifical Knight, no longer the majestic Duke of Shanter.
He was just a father.
“I remember your first steps, remember your first time calling me papa… Your first ride in a horned carriage, first time sleeping alone, first time eating cake, first time seeing the ocean, first time arguing with me… I remember your crying, your laughter… remember all your different appearances.”
“…There are so many, so many things, I remember them all clearly… But you, you don’t remember any of it anymore…”
His smile wasn’t sad at all, but it made me feel sorrowful.