Chapter 156
Chapter 156. I’m Counting on You
Late at night, I looked out the window and confirmed that the lights at the Training Ground still had not gone out.
“Arthas is on duty today, so no one should be using the Training Ground. Who is it?”
The knights of the Branch Residence used the Training Ground where the Knight Order headquarters was located. Only a limited number of people used the Training Ground behind the Mansion.
At most, it would be me and Arthas.
I wondered who it was, and at the same time, I thought it might perhaps be someone I needed to meet, so I changed into Casual Clothes and headed behind the Mansion.
A sweltering wind blew.
“This is exactly when I should be holed up in my room, enjoying the air conditioner and eating ice cream.”
I was gradually realizing just how much of a blessing air conditioning had been. How wonderful would it be if I could feel that cool breeze once more?
Of course, it was not as though I had simply been sitting around doing nothing.
I had tried using Mana to lower my body temperature, but it was not easy.
If I made a mistake with Mana control and failed to regulate my body temperature properly, I could end up going into shock. If possible, it was better to use Magic.
Among the books I had bought, there were some that dealt with Ice-Type Magic, so once I learned Fireball Magic, I would have to move briefly on to Ice-Type Magic.
What kind of expression would Young Lady Sapiela make if I pretended to fan her while using Ice-Type Magic to send a cool breeze over her? Just imagining it made me happy.
With such thoughts, I arrived at the Training Ground.
“Haaap!”
The shout was rough, but the Blade Path of the sword that was thrust out was clean.
The blade then sliced horizontally. That exquisite Swordsmanship proved that he had not been holding a sword for only a day or two.
I picked up a Wooden Sword lying nearby. Then I approached him.
“To think you are training late at night. Is something weighing on your mind?”
“……Hoo.”
Young Master Hamel, who had stopped his sword while catching his breath, glared at me. He turned around.
“Where have you been wandering around? I went to your room earlier, and you were not there. The Gatekeeper said you had gone out with Miss Eluna.”
“I stepped out briefly because I had something to do.”
“Planning to two-time someone?”
Before I knew it, the Wooden Sword he had thrust forward stopped in front of my neck. It had happened before I even realized it. I could tell his Swordsmanship had reached a high level.
Since it was Swordsmanship A-Rank, that much was only natural.
Come to think of it, there seemed to be some variation even within A-Rank.
I acknowledged that Young Master Hamel was outstanding, but I did not think he could defeat Dame Cassiopeia, who was also A-Rank.
Furthermore, Arthas, who was also A-Rank, was at a lower level than the two I had just mentioned. If so, that meant there were significant differences even among those of A-Rank.
“Two-time someone? If anyone heard that, they would misunderstand. Miss Eluna and I have no such relationship.”
“What did the two of you do?”
“I chose a suitable dress for her so she could attend Princess Ophelia’s upcoming birthday party.”
I swung my Wooden Sword and knocked his sword aside with a crack. Our swords began pointing at each other.
“Would you like to have a round?”
“That would not be bad.”
The first move was mine. I took my Sword Form, then manifested the First Form of the Merdiang Sword Art.
Whoosh!
A Blade Path formed with a force like that of a Live Blade. However, as if he had expected it already, the Young Master easily dodged the attack.
“What happened with your visit to the Ducal House?”
“Let us go inside and talk.”
“It is fine. I told them not to let anyone in except you.”
So that was why soldiers had been guarding the entrance. Just in case, I released Mana and sensed the body heat around us. As the Young Master had said, there was no one else.
“I concluded the contract. Though there were a few conditions attached.”
“What conditions?”
Whoosh!
A clean thrust came in. I deflected the thrust with the blade of my Wooden Sword. Then I unleashed the Sixth Form, Spiral Slash. I thought it was exquisite, but the Young Master raised his sword and blocked it.
Crack!
Our swords collided, producing a sound of friction. Without pulling our swords away, we entered a contest of strength.
“The Duke said he would grant me a Barony.”
“A ploy to bind you as a Retainer outright. So, what did you do? You naturally refused, did you not?”
“I accepted.”
The Young Master’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“Why did you do that? You are a Baronet of House Adeline, after all. Is this not what truly counts as two-timing?”
Strength suddenly pressed down. My Wooden Sword flinched and was pushed back, but I endured until the end.
Still, seeing that he did not immediately shout or throw things like he had in the past, I felt that my reliability had risen quite a lot.
“If I want to grow my company and support you properly, that method is the best one. Refusing would have been easy, but receiving a Barony again would be difficult. If I asked for something I had once refused, they would suspect me first.”
“Do you plan to live your whole life with a Double Identity?”
“I have not thought that far ahead. After trying it, I found that aside from being a little inconvenient, it is not bad. It has a certain thrill to it, too.”
Snap!
The contest of strength ended, and we each stepped back two or three paces. Then we took our Sword Forms and circled clockwise, searching for each other’s weaknesses.
“Are you worried? That I might betray you, I mean.”
“Hmph. Do you think I would flinch even a little if someone like you betrayed me?”
“I think you would cough blood.”
“Do not be ridiculous.”
Tap, tap!
The Young Master’s footwork quickened, and in an instant, he closed the distance. At that moment, he spun his Wooden Sword in a circle. The right? No, the left?
I had fallen perfectly for his Feint.
Thwack!
“Urgh!”
The Young Master’s attack struck my left shoulder. My sword was pointing to the right. I had missed his changed Blade Path.
If I had used Mana, I could have neutralized him before he attacked, but right now, we were using neither Mana nor even Aura and were sparring with pure Swordsmanship alone.
At least Arthas’s faithful instruction had helped me. Otherwise, I would have been beaten black and blue.
“If you had attached yourself to my side from the beginning instead of testing the waters, this would have been much easier, would it not?”
“You must taste the seasoning first if you want a proper dish.”
“You damned bastard. You have oiled that tongue of yours quite thoroughly.”
After that, we exchanged several rounds. I could barely dodge and block. Keeping myself from getting hit was the best I could do.
The Young Master, who had been continuing his offensive, abruptly stopped his sword.
“What I am worried about is something else.”
“What is it?”
Thwack!
While I was briefly distracted, I allowed an attack to land. My Wooden Sword cut through the air to the right a beat later than the Young Master’s Wooden Sword. Damn it, that hurt like hell.
Should I try using Mana?
“Ella.”
“Yes?”
“I am worried that Ella is completely taken with you!”
Whoosh!
Perhaps because he had too much on his mind, his Blade Path wavered slightly. Thanks to that, I was able to step back by a hair’s breadth.
Through that attack, I could tell. Young Master Hamel was agitated over his younger sister. I had to make good use of this opportunity if I wanted to land an effective hit on him.
Keeping his disrupted posture in sight, I asked.
“Is it because my Social Status is lowly?”
“No. What does birth matter? If we go by that logic, the very idea of me, the Third Young Master, trying to inherit the House would be absurd.”
“I think that is a little different. In any case, I am of Commoner birth. I was not born into a Noble House like you were.”
“Hoo.”
Young Master Hamel lowered his sword with a sigh.
However, I continued holding my Sword Form. After all, I had learned that it might be a Stratagem meant to lure the opponent into letting down their guard.
I had heard that on battlefields, all kinds of tricks ran rampant, such as throwing dirt to obstruct one’s vision.
“I want Ella, at least, to get married to an ordinary person. But you…… are not ordinary. You are an extraordinary bastard. Because you are extraordinary, you will be swept up in storms. The person closest to you will have an extremely difficult time.”
“Hahaha. I think you are misunderstanding something, Young Master. Haaat!”
I shouted and dashed forward. The startled Young Master raised his sword, but he was already too late. I once again unleashed the Merdiang Sword Art’s First Form, Diagonal Slash.
Thwack!
“Keugh!”
Then I continued the attack with the Third Form, Turning Slash, and succeeded in completely breaking the Young Master’s Sword Form.
I had been hit twice and struck him twice, so only now had we reached a tie.
“You bastard……!”
“If these had been Live Blades, you would already be a dead man. You should be grateful.”
“Shut up!”
The Young Master’s mouth twisted. However, he did not recklessly launch another attack. Was he waiting for my answer? I gave him what he wanted.
“Why are you only thinking about the Young Lady’s feelings? You have not even asked what I am thinking.”
“What?”
“I told you before, did I not? The Young Lady and I have no such relationship. I merely serve the Young Lady as her Attending Secretary.”
“I have heard those words until I am sick of them. Fine. That may be true now, but what about later?”
I could not answer that question.
The sparring briefly entered a lull.
“Damn bastard! You hit me cleanly. Damn it!”
Young Master Hamel, who was rubbing the waist and shoulder where he had been struck, threw his Wooden Sword to one side. Any further fighting would be meaningless. I threw my Wooden Sword aside as well.
As he massaged the injured areas, Young Master Hamel spoke.
“Will you still say you have no such relationship then, just as you do now? I am not writing a novel. I am talking about a future that is plainly visible. I believe I told you before. I know my younger sister better than anyone.”
“Did you not say that you wished for the Young Lady to be happy?”
“I did.”
“Then should you not respect the Young Lady’s choice?”
“Ha! You impudent bastard.”
However, because it was a Proper Principle, he could not refute me any further.
Young Master Hamel gave a faint laugh and approached me. I thought he might swing his fist, but he did not stop and passed by me, heading out of the Training Ground.
Then he threw out an unexpected remark.
“If I come to inherit our House, I will hold a grand wedding ceremony for you. I will raise your Noble Title, too. I will also grant you a Fief somewhere fine.”
“What if you cannot?”
The Young Master stopped walking. It took longer than expected before his answer came back.
“……Take Ella and run far away. Live happily where no one knows you.”
I sensed a sincerity like a last will in his words. I turned around and gave a Military Salute toward his back. Before long, his retreating figure disappeared from sight.
***
As I expected, the Young Lady did not go to the Academy for more than a week. To be precise, she had not gone since she shared a Banquet with Princess Ophelia.
If it had been a regular program, an education inspector would have come to visit, and a warning letter would have been sent to the Main House, but since this was a Special Course, it did not matter. It was not as though it granted a degree.
Moreover, since we had wielded the ultimate trump card of health reasons, the Academy authorities only worried about her health and did not take any particular administrative measures.
In truth, the Young Lady’s health had not been very good recently.
The days were growing hotter, and Sapiela, who was weak to heat, could not muster any energy. She often skipped meals, and she spent more time lying down than awake.
According to Arwen, it was not because she had any particular illness. She said Sapiela always suffered like this whenever summer came.
The timing happened to be perfect. It meant she had gained an excuse not to go to the Academy.
Perhaps because of my advice, and because Young Master Hamel had also taken action, Sapiela seemed to have decided not to associate with the Princess any longer.
The name that had been mentioned several times every day no longer came up at all.
At first, perhaps because she was bothered by it, Princess Ophelia kept sending people, but now, she no longer sent anyone or contacted her. Naturally, they had drifted apart.
And after a few more days passed, D-Day was one day away.
Tomorrow evening, Princess Ophelia’s birthday party would be held at the Royal Palace.
Unfortunately, there was now one reason why we could not move straight to the Princess’s birthday party.
An unexpected guest had come to the Mansion.
It was none other than Princess Ophelia herself.