Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: In Earnest (6)
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*Slurp.*
I was so shocked, I even drooled.
I hastily wiped the drool from my mouth.
Honestly, I didn't know what to think.
Should I be surprised that the Empire's greatest knight had offered to make me her squire? Or should I be surprised at myself for refusing her offer without a second thought?
I couldn't tell which it was.
I found myself cautiously glancing at the Black Knight.
She seemed unfazed.
Even though a mere, insignificant squire had refused her offer, she didn't show the slightest hint of displeasure.
She simply stared at me for a moment before asking in a calm tone.
“I'm not the kind of person you think I am, Professor—no, My Lady.”
She replied to my answer.
“Are you trying to say my eyes have deceived me?”
“That's not what I meant. I just…”
“No need for excuses. It's not important in the first place.”
Even if her eyes had been wrong, the result would be the same.
In short, she was saying that the talent of the one learning didn't matter, whether they were gifted or not.
For in the end, she would place the world beneath her feet.
They were arrogant words.
But they didn't sound like an empty boast.
Because she truly possessed that kind of ability.
“I want to hear the real reason.”
The Black Knight asked again.
Her tone suggested she hadn't even heard my initial answer.
“The knights of House Gaznae won't take kindly to a kid with an unknown background like me inheriting your sword, My Lady.”
“I willed it, and that is enough. I am not one to seek permission for what I wish to do.”
The exact same question returned, not a single word changed.
She wanted to hear the real reason.
“It will surely tarnish your reputation, My Lady.”
“I don't want to leave the Cradle just yet.”
“I'm not confident I can fully inherit your sword, My Lady.”
I gave several reasons.
“No. That's not it.”
Each time, she would dismiss it as not being the real reason and ask the same question again.
“If I serve a new master so soon after leaving my old one, I'll be branded as a man of no integrity for years to come.”
The Black Knight tilted her head.
“You didn't seem like one to care about the opinions of others.”
I was at a loss for words.
In truth, I wasn't the type to be bound by what others thought.
“And if it weren't now, but later, would you accept my offer?”
As I hesitated, merely mumbling, her voice came again.
“How amusing.”
She was smiling.
As if she found it truly amusing.
“One word. A single word was all it would have taken.”
The teachings of the greatest knight of the era.
The supreme status of being the successor to the head of House Gaznae, the leader of the Eight Families.
A pact with the most powerful star.
The position of the next Zodiac Knight.
“These are the things you would have gained had you accepted my offer.”
Hearing it laid out like that, I realized just how incredible an opportunity I had kicked away.
“It is also a position some would risk their lives to obtain.”
The Black Knight was right.
The world was full of people who would leap into the fires of hell to obtain the things she listed.
“And yet, after refusing what everyone desires, you can't even state your reason.”
Her words left me stunned.
I felt as if I'd been struck on the back of the head.
Why did I refuse?
It wasn't out of loyalty to Gunther.
Gunther was the type of person who, rather than feeling betrayed if I served another master, would congratulate me instead.
The other reasons were the same.
The answers I'd given her weren't the truth, just excuses I'd cobbled together on the spot.
I began to ponder.
But no matter how much I thought, no answer came.
It was baffling. Absurd.
When I first returned to the past, I had vowed to become a knight this time.
Back then, the Beggar Knight was nothing more than a temporary shelter from the storm.
I had planned to leave the Beggar Knight without a backward glance and serve a new master the moment I found a proper one.
Anyone would do, as long as they were a great enough figure to make me a true knight.
As long as I could live a life different from my wretched past, anything was fine.
And now, such a being stood before me.
If I just accepted her offer right here, I could bid farewell to my miserable past life and live a glorious one.
The dream of becoming a knight, which I had so desperately longed for, was now within reach.
It was a chance to become a true knight.
And not just any knight, but a knight among knights, one who could aspire to be the next Zodiac Knight.
Compared to that, the Black Knight's eccentric and unpredictable nature was hardly a problem.
The same went for the Black Knight's past life, where she became a madwoman and slaughtered her own kin.
If I stayed by her side, there would be countless opportunities to change the future.
It's not too late even now.
As she said, one word is all it takes.
That I accept your offer.
“I…”
A single sentence saying I would inherit her sword was all that was needed.
“I…”
But.
“I…”
I couldn't do it.
Just one word.
That short answer seemed to be caught in my throat, refusing to come out.
“…”
After mumbling for a long while, I ended up hanging my head low.
I couldn't understand myself.
I had no idea why I was acting this way.
In my head, I knew perfectly well which path was better.
So why were my body and heart acting separately?
I thought and thought.
I looked back on my life, from my past to my present.
But still, no answer came.
“Hm?”
Lost in thought for so long, I suddenly realized the Black Knight was gone.
I must have been so deep in thought that I didn't even notice her leave.
In the distance, the dawn was breaking.
“Ah…”
I flinched and froze.
“I'm screwed.”
Class time was just around the corner.
It was only natural that I got a harsh scolding from Professor Dieter Rizzner during the descent training that started early that morning.
* * *
Professor Navian treated me with the same attitude as always, as if that day's offer had never happened.
“Hah.”
Under the pretext of drawing out the swordsmanship I had unconsciously displayed, I received and endured her brutal sword strikes, and the days passed without me even realizing how.
If there was one silver lining, it was that the severity of my nightmares had lessened.
If I couldn't even sleep properly in this situation, I probably wouldn't have been able to endure it.
But that was all.
Just because my sleep deprivation was resolved didn't mean my days became bright and energetic.
It was hell in a different sense.
“I'm going to die.”
Ever since that day, Professor Navian had been dedicating most of the guided sparring time to me.
Because of that, I was receiving tremendous glares from the other group members.
Among them, the stares from the sisters Selma and Emma were so sharp they were practically burning.
If looks could kill, I would have already been torn into a thousand, no, ten thousand pieces.
That's how terrifying the sisters' gazes were.
On top of that, I didn't know if it was just my imagination, but the gazes of those I passed by lately weren't friendly.
This was especially true for the female cadets.
They looked at me as if I were the world's most incorrigible scoundrel.
Had I committed some great wrong without even knowing it?
It was a baffling situation.
But I didn't pay it much mind.
Whenever I had a spare moment, I thought about the question Professor Navian had asked me.
I pondered and pondered.
The answer never came.
However, in the process of searching for an answer, I came to a realization.
“I've been too lax.”
Compared to my fiercely lived past life, I had become relatively complacent since returning to the past.
At this rate, I wouldn't even be able to survive the coming disasters, let alone prevent them.
Even while wandering battlefields, I was someone who trained by cutting down on sleep, despite my battered body.
“What on earth have I been doing all this time?”
I had fallen into a rut, just barely keeping up with the Cradle's classes.
“You fool. You idiot.”
It seemed I had unknowingly grown complacent, perhaps because this second life was a freebie.
“I'll start over from the beginning.”
I tightened the slackened strings of my resolve.
I dedicated nearly all my time outside of class to training.
Roman's swordsmanship.
Slashing, stabbing, upswings, and downswings.
I repeated those utterly simple movements countless times.
I was dissatisfied.
There was barely any improvement compared to when I first returned to the past.
Aside from the slight growth stemming from the physical development any boy in his growth spurt would experience, my sword skills hadn't improved one bit.
“Hap.”
I swung my sword down.
The worldly thoughts that filled my mind naturally disappeared.
And in the space left behind, new emotions filled in.
The impending, brutal war.
The imminent fall of the Cradle and the sacrifice of the cadets.
The collapse of the Empire and the chaos that would follow.
One worry led to another.
“Haaap!”
The more my fear grew, the more frantically I threw myself into training.
“Hey, hey. Take it easy.”
“Are you getting any sleep? You look terrible.”
To the point where even those who disliked me offered words of concern.
That's how obsessed I was with training.
I swung my sword again and again.
As I trained like that, my muddled mind began to clear.
And at a certain point, it became completely clear.
Fear and worry were no longer there.
The image of Roman was vividly drawn in my mind.
I thrust my sword, following the silver-white trajectory that extended from the 10-star knight's hand.
*Thud.*
I stomped my foot forcefully.
*Swoosh.*
I thrust my sword.
I could feel it.
My stagnant swordsmanship was moving forward.
In my mind, Roman's sword still flickered.
My sword followed its trajectory.
A silver-white flash, almost within reach but never quite caught.
I continued to swing my sword wildly.
The sword flows like water.
The two trajectories slowly began to overlap.
Then, they merged completely into one.
Roman, who had been thrusting his sword without rest, stopped and looked at me.
‘…’
His lips twitched slightly.
Roman began to move again.
As if he were dancing.
Fluttering, just like that time he ascended to the heavens.
As if possessed, I followed that dance.
*Tap.*
I leaped up, swinging my sword in an upward arc.
*Whirl.*
I spun around, my sword a blur.
As I moved forward again.
“Huh?”
My vision suddenly spun.
*Clatter.*
With the same momentum as my thrust, I tumbled to the ground.
The dull impact snapped me back to my senses.
“Ah…”
My spirit, which had been soaring as if to reach the heavens, plummeted in an instant.
The vitality that had surged through my body was gone without a trace.
I lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.
*Plink, plonk.*
Raindrops fell onto my face.
Come to think of it, my whole body was soaked.
I must have been so engrossed that I didn't even notice it was raining.
“Ugh, I'm dying.”
My body ached as if I'd been beaten.
Overcome with an exhaustion that made it hard to even lift a finger, I lay there and drank the rainwater.
*Gulp, gulp.*
After drinking the cold rainwater, I felt my senses returning, if only a little.
“How long has it been since I trained until I collapsed like this?”
A laugh escaped me for no reason.
I felt as if I had gone back to the past.
In my past life, lying on the ground staring at the sky, completely drained of energy, had been a daily routine.
Back then, I was too anxious to sleep if I didn't swing my sword like this.
I laughed at the pleasant feeling of exhaustion.
At the same time, it was bittersweet.
It made me realize anew just how complacently I had been living since returning to the past.
“It's not too late.”
I tried to shake off my regret.
“What? Not too late?”
Just then, someone's angry voice rang out.
“You, didn't you hear the announcement?”
A face appeared abruptly.
“Professor Rizzner…?”
It was Professor Dieter Rizzner, his expression grimly scrunched.
“The announcement to evacuate because of the storm came out a while ago, and you're still wandering around outside!”
Come to think of it, there wasn't a single person in sight.
I thought it was because of the rain, but apparently, it was because of a storm.
“Do you have any idea how many people are suffering in this rain right now, just to find you?”
Apparently, all hell broke loose when I was missing during the dormitory roll call.
A storm encountered in the boundless sky is incomparably fiercer than one on the ground. A monster that could swallow a kid like me without a trace.
“I-I'm sorry.”
“If you're sorry, why are you still lying there? Get up!”
“Well, I don't have any strength in my body.”
“You're a piece of work. Really.”
Sighing in displeasure, Professor Dieter Rizzner heaved me over his shoulder.
“Your hands…”
My hands dangling, I belatedly looked at them.
“Gasp.”
My hands were completely shredded.
I had recently ramped up my training intensity, but I hadn't realized my hands were in this state.
“Owowow. Owowow.”
Once I became aware of it, the stinging was unbearable.
“Someone who can't stand pain this much trained until his hands were in that state?”
Professor Dieter Rizzner chided me, sounding incredulous.
“Ah. I have to get my sword.”
“Oh, sure. I'm your squire. Is there anything else you need besides your master's sword?”
“…I'm sorry.”
“Get the sword later. Carrying a metal rod around in this weather is just asking to be struck by lightn—”
*Rumble, CRACK!*
Before he could even finish his sentence, lightning struck.
Right where I had been lying just a moment ago.
“Damn it!”
Professor Dieter Rizzner started running.
And then.
*CRACK! CRACK!*
Lightning struck in succession.
*RUMBLECRACKCRACKCRACK.*
Without stopping. Dozens of bolts.
“Ah…?”
Just then, a flash of light erupted overhead.
The entire world began to bleach white.
In that bleached world, I thought.
From now on, I should refrain from training on foul-weather days.
*Ruuuuuumble.*
A moment later, the thunder roared.
*CRACK.*
And the whole world turned white.