Chapter 87 – A Midday Date (4)


    Knight of Atanga, Argo.


    In the heart of the Empire’s capital, Argo’s face lit up with joy upon encountering a familiar face. The young man known by the alias Ivan. Though they had promised to meet again after bing knights, chance encounters were beyond their control.


    “Good to see you, nameless young man.”


    “Pleased to meet you, Sir Argo.”


    Argo was aware of the alias Najin, but since he hadn’t heard it from Najin himself, he refrained from using the name Ivan. Instead, he simply greeted the young man with a cheerful smile, calling him a nameless youth.


    “I’ve heard quite a bit about you. You’ve been causing quite a stir, haven’t you? I heard you even had a hand in something with Sir Griffin.”


    “It just turned out that way.”


    “Just turned out that way, huh? Sounds like you.”


    Argoughed heartily.


    “What brings you to the capital of the Empire?”


    “I apanied a friend who had business here, partly as a guard and partly for sightseeing.”


    “Sightseeing, huh? But why a forge? There’s much more to enjoy in Camelot.”


    “Well, about that…”


    Najin gave a bitter smile.


    “I was drawn by the sound of hammering metal and found myself in front of this forge.”


    “True, the sound of the forge’s owner working the metal is quite lively.”


    Argo nodded vigorously.


    Then he gestured to a girl sitting in front of the forge. The girl, who had risen from her seat, now stood beside Argo.


    “This is my squire, nsh.”


    Argo said, ruffling nsh’s hair.


    “I stopped by the forge to have a sword made for this child. Now that I can engrave the Atanga crest, I thought I should gift her with at least one sword.”


    Najin looked at nsh with a brief expression of admiration.


    The emblem of crossed swords and a shield engraved on the girl’s shoulder pauldron was a stylish design and one that Ivan held dear.


    Amidst their conversation, a piercing gaze was felt, and upon slightly turning his head, Najin saw nsh’s eyes staring intently at him. While Najin felt puzzled, Argo gave a bitter smile.


    “Ha, my squire seems quite interested in you. She always squints her eyes whenever she hears about you.”


    “Is that so?”


    “Indeed. On that day, pursuing the Demon Knight was her first mission. Having met you then, it’s no surprise you left a strong impression.”


    nsh still gazed intensely at Najin. Argo squinted his eyes and gently tapped nsh’s shoulder.


    “Apologize, nsh.”


    “I’m sorry.”


    “Not to me, to him.”


    “I’m sorry.”


    nsh bowed her head towards Najin, and amidst this, Argo stroked his chin. His squire showing keen interest in Najin and their chance meeting made Argo ponder before he spoke up.


    “If it’s alright with you, could you perhaps take a look at this child’s sword?”


    ***


    Damano’s Forge.


    This forge was under exclusive contract with the Knights of Atanga, and naturally, there was a space behind the forge suitable for testing swords. Upon recognizing Argo, the cksmith dly opened the way to the back.


    Arriving at the sparring ground.


    Argo’s squire, nsh, warmed up while facing her opponent. A man standing across from her, loosening his shoulders, was someone she had first encountered during the Demon Knight Verheigen subjugation battle, and since that day, he had not left nsh’s mind.


    At first nce, the man appeared to be her age.


    However, nsh knew that this man had single-handedly subdued Verheigen. Verheigen was a feared Sword Seeker-level adversary, yet how? nsh couldn’tprehend this.


    「A genius.」


    「He could surpass even Sword Saint Karan, possibly breaking his records. A once-in-a-lifetime genius.」


    「At the tender age of seventeen, he’s nearing the realm of a Sword Expert. It won’t be long before he reaches the Expert level.」


    The stories she had heard.


    The world called her a genius, and by objective standards, nsh was indeed a genius. There was no one in her age group who could match her, and she had a natural talent for wielding a sword.


    nsh was aware of her own genius and thepulsion to surpass everyone else her age.


    To her, Najin was an anomaly. Someone around her age, yet far surpassing her own realm. nsh was troubled by Najin.


    “Knight of Atanga, Argo’s squire, nsh.”


    nsh pointed her sword at Najin.


    “I ask for your guidance.”


    The conditions of the duel were simple.


    A pure sword fight, with neither mana nor sword aura involved. In such a rule, nsh was confident. She wouldn’t lose.


    Pure swordsmanship. The realm of technique.


    That was her domain. nsh had been swinging a sword since she could walk, a practice spanning 12 years. She didn’t rest on her talents and had always practiced her swordsmanship more diligently than anyone.


    ‘I don’t underestimate you, but.’


    nsh was certain she wouldn’t be outmatched in the realm of pure swordsmanship. She had faced the swords of numerous formidable opponents, mastered various sword techniques, and even managed draws against Sword Seekers under such rules.


    Thud.


    Thus, with confidence she wouldn’t at least lose, nsh took a step forward. She dashed forward, closing the distance and swung her sword. The sword sliced through the air with a clean trajectory.


    And Najin.


    “……”


    He watched nsh’s sword trajectory with an expressionless face and then casually swung his sword. Thud, and then ng. nsh’s eyebrows furrowed as her sword was easily deflected, but she calmly continued her sword strikes.


    The sword moved smoothly, drawing sleek trajectories. Yet, the result was much the same.


    Thud, and ng……


    The process repeated several times. Throughout, Najin barely swung his sword, only lightly flicking it aside or using a snap of his wrist.


    Ching!


    When a swift thrust, using the body’s sticity, was also parried, nsh’s eyes wavered. She knew her opponent was stronger, but this was uncanny.


    ‘How?’


    A strange sense of dissonance. nsh suddenly looked into Najin’s eyes and found the answer. As she swung her sword, Najin’s eyes were precisely following the tip of her de.


    Reading the trajectory of the sword and interrupting the strike before its force peaked. Realizing this, nsh felt a chill run down her spine.


    ‘Somewhere……’


    She had experienced a simr situation before.


    It wasn’t difficult to recall when it had been. About 2 years ago. To nsh, who was making a name for herself as an unparalleled genius, a swordsman had suddenly appeared.


    A swordsman who had single-handedly invaded the Knights of Atanga.


    Brushing aside the swords of the tense knights with his bare hands, he approached her and requested a duel. That swordsman, too, had swung his sword just like the man before her.


    Not too fast, nor too slow, just the right speed.


    A sword swung in sync with nsh’s pace.


    But her strikes were deflected all too easily.


    The exact same situation as back then made nsh grind her teeth. That’s why the memory had resurfaced.


    「This is disappointing.」


    That day, the swordsman had looked at her with cold eyes and said that.


    「Ordinary. No different.」


    「Merely faster than others.」


    The swordsman, who had left murmuring in disappointment, waster revealed to be Sword Saint Karan. That incident had left a deep wound on nsh’s pride. And now, a simr event was repeating.


    With a swordsman of a simr age.


    nsh couldn’t ept that fact. She boldly charged at Najin. The speed of her sword increased, and she varied the trajectory of her strikes. The prowess she demonstrated was not befitting of someone nearly a Sword Expert.


    Najin narrowed his eyes.


    Then, whoosh.


    For the first time, he took a step forward and assumed a stance.


    ***


    “What’s so interesting that you’re watching?”


    “I’m observing the duel.”


    The owner of Damano’s Forge.


    The master cksmith, Damano, sat on the fence of the forge, with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Flick, he lit his cigarette and took a deep breath.


    Then, whoosh.


    He exhaled a long stream of smoke, stretching his gaze. The sound of shing swords echoed loudly from where Argo was watching.


    “One of them is nsh… Who’s the other?”


    “A young man making a name for himself in the adventurer’s city, a key figure in the Demon Knight subjugation battle.”


    “Ah, that Ivan fellow?”


    Damano squinted as he watched the duel.


    “Huh.”


    He let out a long sigh.


    “If I’m not seeing things, nsh seems to be on the losing end? Without using mana or sword aura.”


    “Seems so to me as well.”


    “Isn’t she a child who wouldn’t fall behind even the mid-rank priests of the Order of the Sword in pure swordsmanship?”


    “Indeed. She’s extremely talented and hardworking.”


    No one denied that nsh was a genius. The world buzzed about her talent beingparable to that of a Sword Saint.


    But……


    Damano, his cigarette extinguished, focused on the duel between nsh and Najin.


    “Then what’s up with that young man?”


    “I wonder about that too.”


    No matter how intricate nsh’s sword trajectories were, they couldn’t reach Najin. He cut through, blocked, and deflected her strikes before they were fully formed. Such a feat could be dismissed as chance once or twice……


    ng!


    But when it repeats over a dozen times, it’s hard to call it mere coincidence. To achieve this, one would need to understand exactly what sword techniques nsh had learned and mastered, an almost impossible feat.


    nsh had mastered nearly dozens of sword techniques.


    Empire’s swordsmanship, Atanga’s sword, the Order of the Sword’s techniques, the Imperial Hero Aigar’s Guardian Sword…… It was impossible to fullyprehend all these techniques. Especially since Aigar’s Guardian Sword was a technique exclusively passed down to nsh.


    ‘Then.’


    Is he mimicking the Sword Saint?


    Damano, having never crossed swords with the Sword Saint, couldn’t know, but Argo did. It was something the Sword Saint often did.


    “Tsk.”


    Damano clicked his tongue as he continued to watch the duel.


    “nsh will take this quite hard.”


    “She needs it.”


    “Needs it?”


    “Stimtion, the frustration of defeat. It’s good nourishment, isn’t it? It’s necessary for progressing forward.”


    Argo smiled contentedly.


    For his squire, who had been keenly aware of this young man, this would be a good opportunity. Especially for nsh, who could becent in her environment, this duel would serve as a good vent.


    That’s when it happened.


    nsh assumed a stance. The moment Argo saw it, he frowned. It was a stance for executing Atanga’s swordsmanship. In herpetitive zeal, she was about to resort to techniques she shouldn’t.


    ‘This needs to be stopped.’


    Just as Argo was about to step in to halt the duel, Najin moved first. Before nsh could execute Atanga’s swordsmanship, Najin’s sword traced a clean trajectory and struck nsh’s sword.


    Straightforward, and determinedly direct.


    A strike that shattered the opponent’s stance.


    It was a technique that required in yet precise control of power, and Najin executed it wlessly. The moment their swords shed, nsh’s stance crumbled……


    ng!


    “Ugh…!”


    Eventually, nsh’s arm was flung upwards, and she lost grip of her longsword. The sword she dropped nged as it hit the ground.


    “……”


    With her lips tightly pressed, nsh spoke.


    “I concede defeat.”


    As she acknowledged her defeat, Argo stood still, eyes wide open. After a moment, he burst intoughter.


    ‘To think I’d see this again.’


    The swordsmanship Najin had just disyed.


    A strike that demolished the opponent’s stance and pressed down. Those distinctive moves and footwork were also in Argo’s memory. They were the same techniques that had defeated him several times when he was a squire.


    The technique Najin had used as if by habit, was undoubtedly tinged with Ivan’s remnants.


    Facing those remnants, Argoughed pleasantly. He had never imagined he would see his oldrade’s techniques again.


    ***


    “Well done. This is my gift to you.”


    Argo handed Najin a small chest, and upon opening it, a pair of leather gauntletsy inside. The leather was well-crafted, indicating they were high-quality.


    “Gauntlets are as important to a knight as swords and armor. Do you know why?”


    When Najin shook his head, Argo grinned and mimed throwing his glove.


    “It’s traditional to throw your glove before a duel. The louder the sound it makes when you p it down, the better the atmosphere.”


    Najin chuckled.


    “I gratefully ept.”


    “Good. And, thank you for crossing swords with this child. It was a big help.”


    nsh bowed her head to Najin. There was something different in nsh’s gaze, both before and after their duel. Najin smiled at nsh.


    “You are impressive. Your sword is fierce. I look forward to shing sword auras next time.”


    At Najin’s words, nsh’s eyes widened.


    Seemingly surprised, she fumbled with her lips before whispering in a barely audible voice.


    “Th-Thank you…”


    As Najin was about to leave, receiving their farewells, he touched his neck. He had felt a gaze on him for a while.


    ‘A subtle gaze.’


    He could sense the gaze, but couldn’t pinpoint its origin. Even as he looked around, he found nothing. As Najin’s gaze settled on a distant tower, one of the five surrounding the imperial pce, he felt as if the gaze might have originated there. After staring at the tower for a while, Najin shook his head. It must be his imagination. He had been overly sensitivetely……


    ***


    The old man stroked his white beard.


    His hair was white from the ravages of time.


    His skin was wrinkled, but age hadn’t bent his back or waist. The old man slowly rose from his chair.


    He looked towards a certain direction for a while.


    For there, he could hear the resonance of swords.


    The sh of swords, resonating even from afar. Sword Song, the only sound that could stir the old man’s soul.


    “Berlot.”


    “Yes, sir.”


    “Grey hair. Adventurer’s attire. Sunset-hued eyes. Investigate the young man who visited the city today.”


    “Yes, understood.”


    The Empire’s First Pir.


    The Empire’s foremost champion.


    The apex of humanity bearing the Seven Stars.


    “Interesting.”


    Gerd of the Empire smiled. Humming the pleasant Sword Song that had just caressed his ears, he watched the young swordsman who hade to the Empire for a while.