Ending Maker Chapter 15
Ending Maker Chapter 15
Chapter 3 - Count Chase Household #4
The Count Bayel Household's departure trial was simple.
Face an opponent at the level of an ordinary knight and land a single blow.
It was incredibly simple and clear-cut, which meant there was almost no room for so-called tricks.
It tested skill alone, fairly and openly.
The current Count Bayel had passed the trial at the young age of twelve, and though Gale was not quite his father's equal, he too had passed at thirteen, younger than average, thanks to his innate martial talent.
Yuder's age was seventeen.
That was two years older than fifteen, the age at which an ordinary member of the Count Bayel Household passed the trial, but in truth, even attempting the trial this time was nearly a reckless gamble.
'A month at most.'
Before obtaining the Sun's Necklace, Yuder had found even physical conditioning difficult, let alone proper training.
So the period Yuder had spent training after obtaining the Sun's Necklace and beginning treatment was a month at the very most, and of that, the time spent practicing martial arts was less than fifteen days.
Moreover, Yuder was not fully cured even now.
The Nine Yin Meridian Blockage was healing and his stamina was gradually approaching normal, but by a knight's standards he was still frail.
'But.'
Count Bayel had no intention of humiliating Yuder in front of everyone.
Count Bayel had no intention of making the trial perfunctory, nor did he intend to go easy on his son.
'Victor, I will trust you.'
Those words had been written in the last letter from Victor, the household's old knight, which arrived the day before Count Bayel reached the estate.
The young master will pass the trial.
If Victor had said so, then he believed it.
Victor was not the sort of man to spout baseless claims.
'But even so.'
Count Bayel was human too.
Curiosity stirred.
What on earth had Victor seen to make him so confident?
It was a doting thought, but could Yuder perhaps possess martial talent surpassing his own?
His heart pounded.
More than anyone else present, it was surely Count Bayel himself who had awaited this trial.
"Father."
Gale handed a wooden sword to Count Bayel, who stood in the middle of the indoor training ground, and spoke in a low voice.
At the look in Gale's eyes asking whether he really needed to serve as the opponent himself, Count Bayel smiled bitterly, and Gale, finally giving up, shook his head and said quietly.
"Go easy on him."
"I will."
Count Bayel was none other than one of the Ten Great Swordsmen of the Saelun Kingdom.
Restricting his sword aura to the level of an ordinary knight was an exceedingly easy matter.
Having received the wooden sword, Count Bayel looked with a pleased expression at Yuder, who was preparing for the trial some distance away—or more precisely, at Yuder and Cordelia.
Gale, who was looking at the same spot, smiled gently and said.
"They really do make a fine pair, don't they?"
"Yes, truly a fine sight. Before I left on campaign, they didn't seem quite like that... They seem to have grown much closer in that time."
"It's because they're at that age."
A man facing his trial, and his fiancée worrying over him from close by.
What a beautiful sight it was.
Surely pretty and adorable words were being exchanged between them.
"Hey, you lunatic. Count Bayel is coming out himself. At least ask them to change the opponent."
"Come on, he'll obviously match my level."
"You're always going on about your Nine Yin Meridian Blockage."
"If I lose, you're going to Langesthei alone. Good luck with the main scenario."
"I really want to just hit you."
Cordelia, who had been whispering pretty and lovely words under her breath, spoke with a sigh.
"Fine, I'll trust you. You're Outboxer, so you'll manage somehow. Still..."
"Still?"
"Don't overdo it and get hurt. Got it?"
"Yellow Storm."
"What?"
"You really do take after your father."
"If I don't take after my father, who would I take after?"
"True."
Yuder ended the conversation with a short laugh, then straightened his shoulders and let out a long breath.
He turned to Cordelia one last time and said.
"Let's go together."
To Langesthei.
To change Yuder and Cordelia's main scenario.
Yuder grinned, and Cordelia snorted before lightly shaking her fist as if cheering him on.
"You've got this."
That was enough. Yuder adjusted his grip on the wooden sword and stepped forward, while Cordelia withdrew to where Count Chase stood.
"My lady, do you think the young master will be all right?"
When Dahlia asked quietly, Cordelia nodded.
"He'll be fine."
Because Outboxer009 had said so.
Cordelia swallowed the rest of her words and watched Yuder as if to see how he would handle it, and Yuder stood before Count Bayel.
"Let's begin."
There was no need to drag it out.
Count Bayel spoke the moment they faced each other, and as soon as Yuder took his stance, he launched his assault.
Every knight serving the Count Bayel Household learned Kingdom Swordsmanship.
Count Bayel kept his word.
Both the speed of the wooden sword and the force behind it were at the level of an ordinary knight.
But even so, it was a sword swung by one of the Ten Great Swordsmen. The attack was like watching the textbook form of Kingdom Swordsmanship.
And because of that,
'I can do this.'
Yuder dodged Count Bayel's sword.
In some ways it was a simple evasion, but for a moment, a glint of interest appeared in the eyes of the watching knights.
Half a step.
That was the distance Yuder had moved to avoid Count Bayel's sword. He had evaded Count Bayel's blade with the minimum of movement.
The count followed with another strike.
The forms of Kingdom Swordsmanship followed one after another as if measured with a ruler, and Yuder dodged every one of the count's attacks without a single block.
Seven times.
The moment he evaded the seventh sword strike, admiration burst out among the knights.
Count Chase's eyes lit up as well, and Gale looked as if he was about to cheer aloud.
And Cordelia understood.
Why Yuder had been so confident.
'He memorized it.'
The forms of Kingdom Swordsmanship.
The attack patterns used by the examiners in the Count Bayel Household's trial, passed down through generations.
If this had been an unrestricted spar, it would never have worked.
But this was a trial, and to make it a fair trial, the examiners' sword forms and attack patterns were restricted.
'What on earth is inside that head of his?'
It was so absurd she almost laughed.
But whatever the case, it was true that Yuder had the patterns down cold.
And what was impressive wasn't just that.
"Impressive."
Count Chase said.
He and Count Bayel had already sensed to some degree that Yuder had memorized the patterns.
And in truth, memorizing the patterns itself wasn't all that remarkable. After all, it was a trial that had continued for generations.
Memorizing the patterns alone wasn't enough.
That alone could never get him through the trial.
The ninth.
Yuder dodged again, letting the sword pass within barely a step of him.
Gale, who was watching, clenched his fist.
Yuder had martial talent.
Tremendous martial talent at that.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to evade the sword strikes surging before his eyes with such precision.
Count Bayel smiled as well.
Because he felt more keenly than anyone else present that Yuder's martial talent was the real thing.
But at the same time, Count Bayel thought.
Dodging alone is not enough.
By merely dodging, he could never fulfill the trial's condition.
'Come at me.'
Don't stop at dodging—press in.
Don't linger on the outside—step inside.
Count Bayel swung his sword as if scattering it. Yuder sidestepped to evade, and at that moment, Count Bayel's sword surged toward Yuder as if in pursuit.
A chain attack.
Attack followed attack in a rapid chain, forcing the attacker to push himself as well.
Yuder knew.
He had waited for this very moment.
Thud!
He kicked off the ground. It was no ordinary step—it was the Thirty-Six World Steps, a footwork technique.
The sword cut through empty air.
Yuder advanced as if gliding. Instead of pressing in head-on, he circled around the left flank and struck at Count Bayel's opening.
Crunch!
Count Bayel moved his left hand and caught Yuder's sword. Immediately after, Yuder released his grip and smiled with a sweat-drenched face.
"One hit."
That strike just now.
It hadn't been blocked by an ordinary knight.
It had been blocked by Count Bayel, one of the Ten Great Swordsmen.
For a moment, a deafening silence filled the training ground.
Count Bayel looked at Yuder, then burst into hearty laughter.
"I have lost."
"RAAAH!"
"Young master!"
Cheers erupted from all around. Victor's eyes grew red, and Gale rushed over in a single bound and embraced Yuder.
"Hmph, not bad."
When Count Chase spoke, Yuder, held in Gale's arms, looked at Cordelia, and Cordelia snorted before lightly punching the empty air with her fist.
'Nice play.'
Yuder smiled again.
And then, as if picking up where he left off, Count Bayel stopped his hearty laughter and turned to Count Chase.
"Arthur, I'm sorry, but I'll delay the departure by three days."
Count Bayel had originally planned to send them off the next day.
Because he had seen Yuder's martial talent.
Because he now knew the boy was by no means ordinary.
"Hmph, I'll wait."
Since Count Chase had given his permission, there was no one left to object.
And at that moment, the rotten fossil Yellow Storm understood why Count Bayel had created three extra days.
The reason Yuder had shown even greater delight at the fact that Count Bayel would personally take part.
'A bonus reward?'
Because the only thing Count Bayel would teach during those three days was martial arts.
Cordelia looked at Yuder, and this time Yuder responded.
He tapped the empty air with a lightly clenched fist.
* * *
Time passed.
Four days later, in the morning.
Cordelia, dressed in riding clothes instead of dressing up as if for an outing, stood in front of the carriage, tilted her head slightly, and then broke into a grin.
"Got some results?"
"I did."
Though only four days had passed, Yuder seemed a little more dashing than before as he answered with a faint smile.
The entrance of the Count Bayel Household.
There was one large four-horse carriage prepared by the Count Chase Household, along with four riding horses.
Riding in the carriage were four people: Yuder and Cordelia, her personal maid Maia, and her escort knight Dahlia. From the Count Bayel Household and the Count Chase Household, two escorts each had been assigned.
The gathering of the Twelve Northern Houses in Langesthei was, literally, a social gathering.
Moreover, since it was a gathering of underage children, there was no reason to put together a grand procession to boast of the family's prestige.
'Still, we do have companions.'
Yuder glanced at Cordelia, and Cordelia nodded very slightly.
It was the signal that preparations were complete for the "something to pick up on the way to Langesthei" that Yuder had mentioned before.
"I am truly delighted to be traveling with you to Langesthei."
"As am I. I'm very much looking forward to the journey ahead with the young master."
Since they were in front of Maia and Dahlia, the two of them, feigning cheerful laughter, each took their seats in the carriage, and Maia and Dahlia exchanged pleased glances before taking their own seats beside the pair.
"Well then, let's depart."
They had already said their farewells to both sets of parents, so there was nothing left to hold them back.
"Yuder! Come back safely!"
Gale, standing in the garden some distance away, called out again. Count Bayel nodded, while Count Chase snorted as usual.
'You know we're splitting it N ways, right?'
Cordelia's gaze went to Yuder's waist. It was because she had seen the coin purse Count Chase had handed to Yuder when they said their farewells earlier.
Instead of answering, Yuder pretended not to notice, merely shrugged, and turned to look out the opposite window.
To the northeast.
Toward Langesthei, the heart of the north.
"Hyah!"
With the coachman's shout, the carriage set off.
It was the start of the main scenario.