How a Wizard Survives (13)
How a Wizard Survives (13)
"Take a seat."
The Lion of the North, Reinhardt, offered me a chair.
It sounded like an invitation to the chopping block.
As a command-level Holy Knight, Reinhardt had numerous squires serving as adjutants...
They all stood behind their master like stone statues, staring directly at me.
Their faces said if I so much as put my hand in my pocket, they'd cut it off without mercy.
I finally managed to sit, and the Lion smiled thinly.
Compared to this, the impromptu trial right after fighting the Destruction Mages had been almost leisurely.
"You're Katrina's squire, aren't you?"
Luckily, Reinhardt wasn't the type to beat around the bush.
I'd been bracing for a swift execution, so I was relieved to be wrong.
'Thank goodness. He hasn't caught on that I'm a mage.'
"Yes, sir."
"I read your reports. I was impressed. It's not easy for a Wizardvein squire to receive this kind of praise. Especially a newcomer who's been in the branch for less than two months."
Reinhardt continued his uncharacteristic praise, which only made me more uncomfortable. The image of him treating Katrina so coldly was still vivid in my mind.
The Lion, silhouetted against the setting sun, asked casually.
"How is my niece, Katrina?"
"What do you mean by...?"
"I'm asking whether she's getting along smoothly without major difficulties, whether her relationships with her colleagues are amicable... trivial things like that."
So family ties did matter to him.
It was a little silly to ask a newcomer of less than two months like me... but honestly, there was no one better suited to answer.
Relieved, I launched into an enthusiastic explanation, though a bit bewildered.
"Lady Katrina's life is the very definition of diligence."
"Hmm?"
"She rises earlier than anyone in the branch to attend morning training. I'm not bragging, but because I commute, I've never been able to beat her there."
Reinhardt didn't look satisfied, oddly enough.
He shut his eyes tightly for a moment, then asked more specifically.
"What about her relationships with those around her? Any nobles she's close with, or even commoners or tradesmen... is there no one like that? I mean not just in the branch, but in the entire capital."
"The Inquisitors all respect Lady Katrina. And Lady Katrina is the very picture of integrity, so she deliberately keeps her distance from the capital's nobles."
I tried hard to deduce the examiner's intent, but...
Reinhardt still looked dissatisfied.
Now he spoke almost like a prayer.
"Still, she must go out occasionally, right? Reshutal is the heart of the kingdom. Isn't it a cultural capital overflowing with performances and gourmet food?"
"Going out... well, she does go on patrols..."
Crash!
Unable to contain his temper, Reinhardt slammed his fist on the desk.
His thick fist nearly broke the sturdy wooden office desk.
I froze, baffled by his anger, as he fumed.
"She gets deployed to the capital, and instead of making friends or finding a lover, she's just wasting her efforts like a fool."
"Wa, wasting her efforts..."
As I muttered over his harsh words, Reinhardt's squires flinched.
But Reinhardt raised a finger to calm them down.
Having vented his anger, he spoke almost as if grumbling.
"You've been on the battlefield with Katrina a few times, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have."
"Then you must be well aware of that child's skills by now. Tell me. Katrina is undoubtedly better than you in swordsmanship and has far superior equipment, so why is her combat record worse than yours?"
Well, that's because Katrina doesn't have a ridiculously talented teacher like I do.
I kept that retort to myself and stayed calm.
Actually, I was starting to understand what he meant.
"That, that is simply a matter of luck..."
"Still defending your master, are you? How admirable. Then let me tell you directly. That child wasn't born with the qualities needed for this work. She lacks the instinct and fighting spirit that you, I, and other Holy Knights possess."
Reinhardt harshly criticized Katrina without hesitation.
Actually, I knew it too.
I had even said it directly in front of Master and Ash last time.
Katrina's swordsmanship was top-tier, but in this field, that alone fell far short.
Moreover, even her swordsmanship was excessively textbook and rigid.
Considering the Rejection Magic exclusive to the Wizardvein Family, the assessment didn't change much.
She was too weak to fight the mages recorded on the Wall of Shame.
Even so, you're Katrina's uncle.
Aren't you supposed to be cheering her on more than anyone else?
As I valued my life and couldn't bring myself to say it aloud, he read my expression himself.
"Blindly cheering someone on isn't necessarily for their own good. I have no wish to apologize at that child's graveside."
"But Lady Katrina works harder than anyone in Reshutal."
"Do you believe effort solves everything? Well, I suppose someone naturally gifted like you might not understand."
The Lion even added a slight sneer, which was unlike him.
At his cold evaluation, something hot rose from my gut.
Now I understood.
Reinhardt intended to remove Katrina from the field before long.
He firmly believed that was the right thing to do for her sake.
Perhaps that path might truly be better for Katrina.
I had already proven my own usefulness at the branch in my own way.
On top of that, Reinhardt seemed to think highly of me...
Even if Katrina were pulled from the front lines, I wouldn't have to worry about being purged right away.
But such calculations didn't matter at all.
I was grinding my teeth at Reinhardt's merciless dismissal of Katrina's efforts.
"Not every Wizardvein needs to fight mages. That child just needs to find a suitable partner and live safely and peacefully. She'll have to pay a certain price, but it's far better than freezing up like her mother..."
Katrina had made an effort.
That is an undeniable fact.
I'd pushed my commuting time forward by five minutes, but it was still impossible to beat her there.
The other Holy Knights were no different.
And it wasn't just about time.
Katrina's longsword needed its leather grip replaced once a month.
No matter how well you care for it, leather soaked in sweat and blood inevitably rots away.
All the equipment she wore on her body was like that.
But such facts meant nothing to Reinhardt.
Even if I prattled on about them, it would be impossible to persuade him.
In the end, I had no choice but to try a different approach.
"...Sir. A squire's strength is a Holy Knight's strength. Do you agree?"
"Hmm? That's not wrong, I suppose."
Reinhardt slowly nodded even to my somewhat random statement.
I continued with my second question.
"I heard you are the strongest even within the Wizardvein Family. Is that true?"
"That is beyond doubt."
The Lion of the North replied with a bewildered expression, looking as if he suspected what was coming.
I decided to satisfy him by completing my messy three-step logic.
"Then if I become stronger than you, there will be no problem with Lady Katrina. Isn't that right?"
"What?"
It wasn't Reinhardt, but his squires who reacted this time.
They glared at me as if I had committed blasphemy.
Reinhardt, on the other hand, burst out laughing.
"Ha, hahahahaha! That Katrina, she's gone and seduced herself a man already."
He was clearly laughing loudly, but his eyes were cold and still.
A look that seemed to ask what the hell I was doing all this for.
I wanted to help Katrina achieve her goal rather than watch her struggle.
I believed I had that much talent as an Awakened One.
"Give it a shot. I'll temporarily hold off on Katrina's personnel transfer. But if you disappoint me even once, that's the end of it."
So he really was planning to pull Katrina from the field.
I struggled to keep my expression steady and sighed internally.
The attention of a powerhouse like the Lion of the North, Reinhardt, was more a curse than a blessing.
Still, it was something I brought upon myself, so I can't complain now.
"I will take my leave now."
I turned around to exit the office, but...
A cold voice flew at me from behind.
"Wait."
Immediately afterward, a sword sliced through the air between us.
Startled, I caught it.
What Reinhardt had thrown was the longsword he kept at his waist... he'd thrown it scabbard and all.
"Take it."
"S-Sir! No matter what, a mere brat like him..."
It must have been a valuable item, as his squires were even more surprised than I was.
I hesitated for a moment, then accepted his gift.
Since I was going to be worked to the bone from now on anyway, I figured this much was fair to take.
I gave a slight nod of my head and returned to the forge without a single side glance.
Only then, with Master in front of me, did I draw the blade, revealing an incredibly sharp and slightly heavy sword.
I didn't know what it was, but it was a material I'd never properly handled.
Master fell silent upon seeing it, and only after a long while did he finally speak.
"The Lion of the North gave you this as a gift? Is he insane?"
There was a hint of joking in his tone, but it was the first time I'd ever seen Master evaluate someone like that.
Worry began to outweigh anticipation in my mind.
"What in the world is this thing..."
"Adamantite. A special metal that completely rejects mana. High-purity Adamantite can deflect most magic. And it's especially effective against Demonic Beasts and demons."
"What's the purity on this one?"
"Roughly seventy percent?"
When Ash, wide-eyed, asked the question, Ulysses replied with a disbelieving laugh.
Seeing I was still trying to grasp the situation, he elaborated.
"At this level, this is a sword that could appear in legends or myths. For reference, your master Katrina's armor is only Adamantite-plated."
So it was so rare that even a Wizardvein bloodline could barely manage to use it as plating...
Exporting it outside the family was strictly forbidden, so it was effectively priceless.
Trembling at this unbelievable stroke of luck, I still put up a passive protest.
"Sh-she's not my master... I'll just call her Lady Knight, okay?"
"Alright. But what exactly did you say in front of that man to receive something like this? Let me learn a thing or two as well."
"I-I didn't say anything special."
My clumsy evasion was pointless.
As if she already had a rough idea, Ash scolded him.
"Don't pry too much, Ulysses. Jaeger's just at that age."
"Ah, was that it... Okay. Sorry, Jaeger."
"Th-there's nothing to be sorry about..."
The two of them exchanged meaningful glances and burst into amused giggles.
A little peeved at my teachers, I went to bed a bit earlier than usual.
I train every night, but on days when there's a battle, I adjust my condition like this.
The next morning.
I dragged myself along with reluctant steps, still worried.
The food at the Reshutal Inquisition Branch was usually excellent, so coming to work was not entirely painful...
But Katrina's reaction from yesterday kept bothering me.
'Surely she's not going to keep avoiding me, right?'
It would be laughably awkward after I'd run my mouth off so boldly in front of Reinhardt.
Fortunately, my worry was unfounded.
Katrina was someone who knew how to acknowledge her own mistakes.
"Jaeger, I apologize for yesterday. I unfairly took my anger out on you."
Seeing Katrina bow her head at a perfect right angle as she apologized made my tantrum in the office yesterday feel entirely worthwhile.
Half-jokingly, half-seriously, I answered.
"It's alright. For me, even that sort of thing from you, Lady Katrina, is a form of reward... so please feel free to do it often."
"..."
Katrina put on a straight face in earnest, just for a brief moment.
She managed to recover her smile, her gaze drifting to my waist, but she let it pass without a word.
Today, I had worn the sword Reinhardt gave me...
She clearly recognized it, yet she didn't react much.
'Had word already reached her ears?'
We had raised our voices in Reinhardt's office yesterday. Since Katrina had clearance to enter the command building freely, she might have overheard us.
Feeling utterly embarrassed, I decided to just pretend nothing had happened.
After a long, awkward silence, we soon returned to our duties.
For better or worse, we spent a lot of time face-to-face today.
Katrina had been carrying out guard duty even before her demotion to a regular knight, and today was her shift.
Since I was her squire, I could not go home on the days she was on guard duty.
We finished the day's training, which was more intense than usual, and began guard duty.
To fight off the cold night air, I brewed some tea and brought it to her. Katrina accepted it with a faint smile.
After moistening her lips with the tea, she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
It was a voice that sounded like it was being reluctantly squeezed from the bottom of her throat.
"Um... Jaeger."
"Yes, Lady Katrina."
"I got tickets for the opera this weekend... would you go with me? I just feel a bit... awkward going alone."
What a ridiculous thing to say.
Honestly, someone like Katrina could just pick anyone and go.
Frankly, refusing her proposal would be pure heresy.
I answered immediately to avoid any unnecessary suspicion.
But I couldn't help worrying about it afterward.
"If you're truly alright with someone like me... but are you sure it's okay?"
"It's fine."
"Still, I'm a commoner. Won't it damage Lady Katrina's reputation...?"
"Jaeger, I'll just make it an order. You are accompanying me to the opera this weekend."
A slightly fed-up Katrina squeezed her eyes shut as she commanded me, then rose from her seat on the pretense of patrolling the grounds.
I clenched my fist and followed after her.