046

“Keuh! Just as I thought!”

The man clutched his forehead and laughed, as if he had expected to be refused.

“I spoke to Bridget, and he said you wouldn't come.”

That was unexpected.

That kid Bridget, he's actually been talking about me properly.

He slung a massive sword onto his back and then dusted off his hands.

“I'm Bridget's father.”

“You must be Viscount Chestra. It's a pleasure to meet you. I should have been the one to visit and greet you first. Are you here for the graduation ceremony?”

This kind of thing happened occasionally.

Nobles who attended the ceremony even though they had no child graduating.

If they heard rumors of outstanding students, they would come to scout them.

These kinds of scouting attempts were often aimed at commoners or the children of fallen noble houses.

“I am here to scout, but not a student.”

He scratched his chin and looked at me.

I could feel the desire swarming in his eyes.

It was a gaze so pure and blatant that it was hard to believe he was a noble of the Empire.

“I don't know what Bridget told you, but it seems he spoke correctly. I enjoy teaching students.”

“He said you had him abandon his family's swordsmanship and taught him Vürhelm swordsmanship with basic stances. He also said he was beaten to the point of fainting by the young lady of Vürhelm. Ah. And recently, didn't he say he was almost beaten to a pulp by a commoner? That he fought and lost. Ah. There's one more thing. That you paired him up with an orphan girl, and then made the two of them fight a High Orc alone….”

“Bridget's exaggerations are worse than I thought. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Most of what you heard is probably incorrect.”

“Nah. My kid doesn't lie to me. He'd get beaten to a pulp if he did.”

I felt like cold sweat was trickling down the back of my neck.

Bridget, you were a more upstanding young man to your father than I thought.

“So I was curious. Just who is this teacher who captivated my son?”

Viscount Chestra tapped his chest with a finger.

It was the spot where I had pushed him with my shoulder during our clash just now.

“It wasn't a coincidence, you aimed for this spot on purpose, didn't you?”

As expected of a Chestra, I suppose.

“Yes.”

“My son was right. An eye that can see through swordsmanship with just a single glance. I want it. I really want it.”

“It's only because I've seen Bridget's sword many times.”

“But I've never met someone who could break it with a single step. If such a person existed, would I still be alive?”

A point slightly off-center.

That was the most central connection point in Viscount Chestra's swordsmanship.

I had struck that point to sever the faintly flowing connection of mana.

By doing this, I could break the opponent's sword stance with very little force.

It was a method I developed to protect myself while minimizing pain.

“Tsk tsk, what a shame. You're not the kind of talent that should be lecturing in a third-rate backwater like this.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Then suddenly, another voice interjected.

It was the voice of a relatively young man.

Hair of a pale, unsaturated blue.

A delicate face with sharp eyes that anyone would call handsome.

And yet, he also had a well-built physique.

His gait caught my eye.

It was the walk of someone who never doubted their high status and lineage.

He exuded the spirit of a noble hawk soaring through the sky.

A young man of that age, from a family that wields such a sword style…

“You must be the Young Marquis, Rodhilt Vürhelm.”

At my words, Rodhilt smiled.

It was a gesture that suggested it was only natural for him to be recognized.

“Are you the thief who so skillfully coaxed my delinquent little sister?”

“It's a misunderstanding.”

“She became so infatuated with you that she turned her back on the family and left. What was it she said? Something about saving the world.”

Good heavens.

“Our family has delinquents, but we never had a girl full of dreams. I came because I was curious what kind of scoundrel turned a delinquent into a dreamer.”

The difficulty of this parent-teacher conference is too high.

And what's more, this isn't me visiting their home, but them visiting me.

Hmm, what should I do?

“But, well. I'm a bit lost for words.”

“Yes, huh?”

“Our side was also preparing to recruit you. We were thinking of an administrator position, or perhaps a swordsmanship instructor. If you had wanted, we could have even offered you the vice-captaincy of our Vürhelm Knight Order.”

The vice-captain of the Vürhelm Knight Order.

It was a position incomparably higher than the knight-captain title from Viscount Chestra's family just moments ago.

But….

“I must refuse.”

“I knew you would.”

It's a position I don't deserve.

The Knight Order was a position that had to step forward whenever the family was in crisis.

It wasn't a place for someone like me, who could only see the sword well but couldn't wield one properly.

And if I were to take a position like an instructor.

‘I'd be trapped in the family, unable to do what I want.’

I looked at the two of them.

They came with different purposes, but the core reason was the same.

“You entrusted your students to Akarind Academy, and I have caused you worry.”

Bridget and Rozalin.

It must be because of family.

I slowly bowed my head.

“Akarind Academy is constantly changing. I, too, am filling in my lacking knowledge and guiding the students well, so… I would be grateful if you could trust and entrust them to us.”

Then, I slowly raised my head.

Before I knew it, the Young Lord Rodhilt had approached me.

His blue eyes stared at me as if to pierce through me.

I felt a chilling aura.

“Teacher Cassian.”

“Yes.”

“You know there's a family looking for you, don't you?”

….

“I found out while investigating our little delinquent. I've blocked the rumors for now, but be careful. The other family's power is on a scale that even our family can't handle alone.”

“….I will keep that in mind.”

It must be about the family I was supposed to be commissioned by.

I thought they would have lost interest since I was stuck in a third-rate academy in the Belmein Kingdom.

But it seems they still haven't given up.

“That's what I came to tell you. If you won't come to us, then don't go anywhere else. We're not foolish enough to place a dagger in another's hand.”

Rodhilt slowly stepped back.

The moment he left the training grounds, a butler stuck to his back like a ghost.

His movements were so swift I didn't even notice when he appeared.

He must have been an escort assisting Rodhilt.

As I watched them leave, Viscount Chestra approached with a keum, clearing his throat.

“I hate those Vürhelm bastards; they're so sinister. Don't you think?”

“Ahaha, ha.”

“Well, I'm not one to talk, having been turned down for the same thing. Damn it. Hey. I really came because of my son. Not for some weird, fishy purpose like that.”

Then, he took out a letter.

Even at a glance, the letter in his hand looked to be about six pages long.

Who on earth writes a letter in a huge stack like that?

“My son wrote on and on about you.”

“….Wasn't Bridget supposed to have gone to Viscount Chestra's domain?”

“I thought so too, but he said he was going somewhere for 'special training' or something. Didn't say exactly where.”

I hadn't heard anything from Bridget myself.

He must have had his own plans.

He wasn't the type to go astray or do anything strange, so I didn't worry too much about it.

“Did you see something in that letter?”

“Yeah, I saw the handwriting.”

“The handwriting?”

What he said was completely unexpected.

As if he knew I'd react that way, Viscount Chestra grinned and pointed to a corner of the letter.

“Tsk tsk, look closely. This handwriting here, how does it look to you?”

—…so I had a go with that guy Pan, but the way he moved his feet was so cowardly, deceiving one's eyes….

Hmm, no matter how I looked at it, the writing was just like Bridget.

“Not the words, the handwriting. The handwriting.”

“Is there some difference in the handwriting?”

“Hehe, they said you were brilliant with theory, but you're a complete dunce in areas like this. A swordsman, you see. The more skilled he is with the sword, the more his sword style appears in his handwriting.”

It was the first time I had heard of such a thing.

“In the end, it's about using the hand and how you handle lines and strokes. If you look at how the strokes in the writing bend and turn, the points of advance and retreat, you can see the sword. Try to think of the handwriting as a sword.”

Following Viscount Chestra's words, I tried to see Bridget's handwriting as a single sword stance.

And just by reading along with the characters, I could see Bridget's sword.

‘Huh…?’

It was a strange experience.

It was Bridget, but at the same time, it wasn't.

To be precise, it was Bridget's thoughts as he wielded the sword, clearly showing his weaknesses and the path he should take.

If I had to give it a name, it was the sword's will.

That was infused into the handwriting.

“How can this be….”

“The moment I saw this, I knew. The kid's attitude toward the sword has changed. Plus, he's started to find our family's swordsmanship wanting. Kehehe, that little brat.”

Even as he said that, a satisfied smile hung on Viscount Chestra's lips.

He had an expression that looked like he couldn't be more proud.

“It really is Bridget…. You must be very pleased.”

“Isn't it?”

Viscount Chestra laughed heartily and took back the letter.

“That's why I came to see you in person, to give you my gift. I was thinking of the knight-captain position, but since you refused, I'll have to give you this instead.”

Viscount Chestra took a pouch from his coat and held it out to me.

I took the pouch without thinking, but the sudden weight was enough to make my arm stagger.

I estimated it weighed over 30kg.

“This is…?”

“You said your body was frail, right? So I brought some medicinal herbs from my family's stores. I packed some jewels, too. The salary at a third-rate academy like this is obviously meager. As for your body, it'll get stronger in no time if you eat well!”

This heavy?

I immediately opened the pouch.

Inside, the highest quality gems, gold coins, and numerous medicinal herbs were all mixed together with dirt and dust.

It looked like they had been carelessly scooped up without any thought for organization, but not to the point that their value would decrease.

The value contained in this single pouch was… at a rough estimate, over several thousand gold.

“This is too much of a burden. Something like this….”

“I know how insolent my son can be. For such a student to meet a good teacher just a year after enrolling, the reward must be certain.”

“Viscount. It is time.”

“Right, I must be going.”

A soldier approached from the side.

He was a village soldier I had seen several times, and when our eyes met, he gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

“Well then, I must go for my audience with the lord. I came all this way, so I should at least see the master of the house.”

Typically, the ordinary nobles who came for the graduation ceremony ignored the Lord of Akarind.

But Viscount Chestra was different.

He was an unpredictable man.

“Oh, right. About the gift. There's one more. But after hearing what that young master said earlier, I'm not sure if this is a gift or not.”

“...?”

“Don't underestimate the infamy of a Chestra's son, just how much of a delinquent he was. You're the one who reformed such a son.”

What does that mean?

But Viscount Chestra just laughed heartily and left without any further explanation.

It was three weeks later that I understood his words.

Time flows by as you take care of the things that need to be done.

When the blizzard stops and the dark clouds recede, the sun is bound to rise.

Spring came, and with it, new students.

“Teacher! We have a huge problem!”

“….I've seen the documents too.”

Far more new students than I had thought.

The total number of new students who applied for admission to Akarind Academy was 272.

It was nearly double the number from last semester.

“Thirty of them from the Empire….”

Among them, the number of children from the Empire's leading noble families reached thirty, a truly unprecedented crowd.

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