Prologue
In the western reaches of the Terius Continent, on my first day with the Arno Kingdom's knight order, I headed straight for the knight commander's office.
"Knight Commander, I'm here."
"Welcome, Master Lucian."
I was a commoner and a raw recruit, yet as a specially appointed Sword Master I outranked just about everyone in the building.
"Move. I'm sitting down."
"Yes, sir."
The Arno Kingdom had gone more than a hundred years without a Master.
To earn the title, you needed three things:
If you were a mage, you had to possess a unique magic formula of your own. If you were a knight, you had to be able to channel aura into your weapon and project it outward.
You had to be capable of single-handedly crushing an entire knight order.
And you had to receive the formal appointment from the nation's monarch.
Anyone who satisfied those three conditions was called a Master.
(*Le Maître)
I had become a Sword Master at the tender age of twenty-five—the youngest in the history of the continent—and the first such supernova to appear in the once-feeble Arno Kingdom in over a century. The royal family backed me to the hilt.
Thanks to that, I now held both the king's full political weight and the strongest martial power in the realm. In short, I was the real power behind the throne.
"So, Commander, what the hell is a Sword Master even supposed to do all day?"
"I've never actually seen one before, so I couldn't say for certain. But as it happens, the royal finance minister has requested an audience."
"That so? Tell him to come here."
"Yes, I'll pass the word."
"And they say my official residence needs work, so I'll be using this office for a while."
There had originally been a proper Master's manor, but after a century of vacancy it had fallen into disrepair. Renovations only started around the time of my appointment ceremony a little while back.
"A hundred years unused… I suppose that makes sense."
"All right, out you go."
Once the commander left, I stretched out on the long wooden bench and closed my eyes.
Damn, this thing's hard as a rock. What kind of knight commander's office doesn't even have a sofa? Once the renovations are done, first thing I'm putting in my mansion is a ridiculously plush couch.
I grumbled myself to sleep. Some time later—
Knock-knock.
"Pardon the interruption. The finance minister has arrived."
I rubbed my eyes, sat up, and stretched until my joints popped.
"Yaaawn… Yeah, come in."
The door swung open.
"It is an honor to meet you, Master Lucian. I am—"
"Skip the introductions. Get to the point."
"Yes. For a great many years, due to the absence of any Master of our own, the Arno Kingdom has been forced to borrow Masters from our allies in order to stand against the Cardis Empire."
"We don't need them anymore."
"That is exactly what we told them during negotiations."
"So what's the problem?"
"In exchange for those Masters, we have been ceding various trade privileges."
"And they don't want to give them back?"
"Precisely. They claim the new Master's abilities are… unproven, and refuse to renegotiate."
I felt one corner of my mouth curl up into a grin.
"Where's that bastard right now?"
"He is still in the guest chambers, waiting for further talks."
"Let's go pay him a visit. A few good hits should clear up any doubts he has."
"I shall guide you at once."
I followed the finance minister to the guest room. He knocked.
Knock-knock.
"Lord Stefan, we have come to resume negotiations."
The door creaked open, revealing a diplomat who already looked irritable.
"I believe I made myself perfectly clear. Arno's new Sword Master is still far too inexperienced— Wait. Who is that beside you?"
"The inexperienced guy. Got a problem with that?"
The diplomat went pale, then hastily corrected his posture and bowed.
"Forgive my rudeness, Master Lucian. I did not recognize you."
"Whatever. You don't need to send anyone anymore, so put the trade terms back the way they were."
"That would be extremely difficult. Furthermore, certain… unfortunate complications could arise for the Arno Kingdom if we are not careful."
He was being very calculated about it.
Of course he was—he hadn't been hit yet.
I widened my eyes and twisted my lips into a nasty smile.
"You trying to haggle with me?"
My hand settled on the hilt of my sword. He recoiled in pure terror.
"Do I look like some merchant to you?"
"N-no! A misunderstanding!"
"Is that so? Then convince me. Give me one good reason I should let you keep breathing."
I drew the blade and wrapped it in a cold blue aura.
"Eek! Th-that's… an Aura Sword!"
"Want a taste of it?"
"P-please spare me! The trade agreement will be restored exactly as you wish!"
"Oh? So you could do it all along. Why make me draw my sword over something so stupid?"
I dismissed the aura, sheathed the sword, and dropped onto the sofa.
"I'll let it slide this time. Next time we meet over something like this, I'll take your head."
"Y-yes! I will remember that!"
"Now get out. Go back to your country."
The diplomat fled with short, panicked steps. The finance minister bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you, Master Lucian. Because of you—"
"You get out too. And tell them this room looks nice, so I'll be using it for a while."
"Understood. I shall take my leave."
Man, this sofa is soft. I'm definitely claiming it.
Alone in the guest chamber, I stretched out on the plush cushions, tossed and turned for a bit, and drifted off to sleep.