Variables

At Hemingway's request, Alessandro set the Great Sword down on the floor instead of handing it to him directly.

From his past experience, he knew that the moment Hemingway took hold of the sword, he would collapse to the ground.

Fortunately, Hemingway did not question Alessandro's strange behavior. He simply walked three steps forward and bent down.

Hemingway, unconsciously tensing his muscles, tried to lift the sword.

However, as expected, the Great Sword did not budge an inch. He showed a look of embarrassment.

"I truly can't lift it."

A smile had already crept onto his lips. Gregory pondered whether he had ever seen his father beam like that before.

On the other hand, Hemingway stared intently at the Great Sword, lost in thoughts similar to Gregory's.

He suspected that the sword might be under a curse or bound by some restriction.

So far, no one other than Hemingway and Gregory's companions had tried to lift the sword.

With so few samples, it was impossible to know the conditions required to own the Great Sword.

Yet, like Gregory, he arrived at a single hypothesis: that the Great Sword was bound to Alessandro.

In the end, although the exact requirements or qualifications for owning the Great Sword had not been made clear, it was certain at this point that the sword responded only to Alessandro.

This hinted that the Great Sword was not a mere weapon, but a special entity that only the chosen could wield.

And if his speculation was correct—that the Great Sword could be bound to a specific individual—he judged that even if the kingdom investigated it directly, nothing would change.

After reaching this conclusion, Hemingway returned to his seat with heavy steps. As he sat, his face deep in thought for some time, he finally reached a decision.

"Very well. If you wish to have the Great Sword, then take it."

Gregory and Alessandro were both left speechless by his unexpected words.

They looked at each other with widened eyes, unable to hide their bewilderment.

No matter how high the status of the Radiant Light Order, the existence of the Great Sword was surely something that needed to be reported even to the king.

The immediate permission meant that Hemingway was willing to bear all responsibility for anything related to the Great Sword going forward.

It was an earth-shattering event that made Gregory and Alessandro want to dash around the reception room out of excitement.

"Really?"

A faint smile appeared on Alessandro's lips. However, Hemingway's words did not stop there.

"Yes. But a report will be sent directly to the Lucenberg family."

Normally, hearing such words would have made anyone anxious. Alessandro furrowed his brow and asked Hemingway cautiously,

"When you say 'report,' do you mean..."

"......"

Hemingway gave no response.

Gregory couldn't hide his embarrassment in the face of Hemingway's silent pressure. While Gregory quickly took the hint, Alessandro's face remained calm.

But soon, Alessandro noticed Gregory's serious expression and understood Hemingway's intentions as well.

"Do you mean you'll notify them that I've inherited the Great Sword?"

Hemingway nodded in answer to Alessandro's question.

"That's right."

According to the regulations of Arme, when a state-owned item is granted, the relevant family must be notified.

Hemingway himself had no desire to inform the Lucenberg family of this fact.

If the existence of the Great Sword became widely known, there would surely be trouble on many fronts.

Nevertheless, with the legendary sword before his eyes and someone within his own order able to wield it, he was prepared to bear whatever consequences might come.

Bound by the kingdom's rules, Hemingway had made this decision after much deliberation.

Conflicted feelings of confusion and joy swelled in Alessandro's heart. Unsure if things were truly going well, he carefully asked Gregory,

"So... what happens now?"

"Hm...."

Gregory thought that the Lucenberg family must not find out about the Great Sword.

There was a high chance the Lucenberg family would focus on the fact that Alessandro had inherited the Great Sword, and if that happened, they would try to observe Alessandro regularly.

If visits from the family grew more frequent, it greatly increased the risk of them discovering Alessandro's secret studies in pharmacology.

The family would likely want to evaluate Alessandro's swordsmanship at regular intervals, making it hard for him to focus on pharmacology.

In the end, perhaps Alessandro would have to walk the path of the sword instead of pharmacology.

Maybe the reason that Alessandro never studied pharmacology deeply in his previous life and brandished the Great Sword on the battlefield was because he, too, had chosen the path of the swordsman.

If things went that way, everything Gregory had promised Alessandro could be dashed to pieces.

To raise someone's hopes and then crush them—such a thing was unforgivable. Gregory desperately wanted to protect Alessandro's dream. He had already promised to take responsibility.

Gregory politely and cautiously addressed Hemingway.

"Father, if I may, I have two questions to ask."

Leaning on his elbow, Hemingway looked at Gregory with a lazy gaze and spoke.

"Hm... speak."

Looking at Alessandro with determined resolve, Gregory then directed his question to Hemingway.

He wanted to know what would happen if Alessandro gave up the Great Sword.

Specifically, he wanted to confirm that if Alessandro relinquished the Great Sword, there would be no need to notify the family.

His second question was whether, in that case, they could establish facilities for herbal research within the Dawn Knight Order.

Gregory was determined to keep the news of the Great Sword from reaching Alessandro's family.

Moreover, if the order had its own medical staff who could provide treatment directly, injured Dawn Knight Order could be cared for immediately during expeditions or training.

Gregory thought this proposal would surely appeal to Hemingway as well.

However, Gregory and Alessandro's hopes were dashed the moment they heard Hemingway's answer.

"Herbal research facilities, all of a sudden—what's the reason?"

Hemingway asked because he had no idea of Alessandro's personal circumstances.

It was simply inconceivable to him that someone worthy of the legendary sword would wish to give it up.

Even if he made a huge concession and agreed to set up a medical ward and staff for the order, Arme was already filled with people skilled in medicine.

Most importantly, he could see no connection whatsoever between the Great Sword and pharmacology, so Hemingway could only respond firmly.

"You can't... make it happen?"

"Stop spouting such pointless nonsense. Just being admitted to the kingdom's knight order is honor enough as it is. And give up the Great Sword?"

For Hemingway, it must have seemed a perfectly reasonable decision.

With the opportunity to greatly strengthen their forces by adding the legendary Great Sword, it couldn't have been easy for him to accept such a proposal.

Besides, as Gregory had said, there was no telling if anyone other than Alessandro could lift the sword.

Gregory stole a glance at Alessandro. Having failed to persuade Hemingway and now facing the prospect that Alessandro might be forced to walk only the path of the sword, a sense of crisis welled up within him.

Gregory felt responsible and guilty for the way things had turned out. But Alessandro was completely unshaken.

By now, Alessandro valued the camaraderie he shared with Gregory, who cared for him more than anyone else, much more than any fleeting desire to fulfill his personal dream.

Seeing Gregory step up so selflessly for his sake, Alessandro renewed his own resolve.

While Gregory was lost in thought, Alessandro looked directly at Hemingway and declared boldly,

"Then I choose the Great Sword."

Gregory paused at Alessandro's unexpected response. Was it because he couldn't fulfill the promise he wanted to keep?

Or because Alessandro, far from being dejected, answered so calmly and confidently in such circumstances?

Keeping his voice low enough for only Alessandro to hear, Gregory scolded him in a hurry.

"What are you saying? Take it back, right now!"

Alessandro patted Gregory on the shoulder and whispered,

"It's okay. I can achieve my dream later. And my dream has changed. I'll unite even Blandi and study every herb they have."

Seeing Gregory and Alessandro whispering, Hemingway cleared his throat, thinking something was up.

"Save the small talk for later. Let's wrap up the issue of the Great Sword."

Alessandro gave a broad grin, then bowed his head respectfully to Hemingway.

"Understood. Thank you for granting me ownership of the Great Sword!"

Just as Gregory and Alessandro were about to greet Hemingway and turn to leave, Hemingway stopped them.

"Wait. I still have something to say."

Gregory and Alessandro listened attentively as Hemingway continued.

"Thanks to the postponement of the war, we can now recruit new knight order members. There have been ongoing complaints about personnel shortages in the Dawn Knight Order, so this time, we'll be carrying out a large-scale recruitment."

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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