Chapter 59: Just Living (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: Just Living (6)
Suleiman was the second Sword Master on the continent.
This meant he was the second oldest living person to have set foot on the Path of the Sword. Of course, the time one spent as a Sword Master didn't perfectly correlate with strength, but the years of experience gained after enlightenment could not be ignored.
Simply put, Suleiman was strong.
His swordsmanship was a perfect reflection of his personality—heavy, yet far from sluggish.
Whoosh!
Every time Suleiman’s sword moved, the air seemed to tear apart. The blue light of the aura flickering at his blade’s tip left afterimages in its wake before vanishing.
In contrast, Calian’s sword was fiercely fast, yet it moved in near silence.
His blade sliced through the air that Suleiman had just rent, weaving like a sudden downpour through the gaps in Suleiman’s thunderous assault.
Slash!
Suleiman’s sword lunged for Calian’s neck. Calian spun away to dodge, thrusting his own blade toward Suleiman’s momentarily exposed flank. When Suleiman deflected the attack with a sweeping motion, Calian immediately changed his target to Suleiman’s heart.
They exchanged one lethal strike after another.
Neither of them held back.
What Calian had requested was no gentle spar.
Gray Brissen. And Evan Brissen.
The day would inevitably come when he would have to cross swords with them. To face them, he needed to know his own limits.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
And so, Suleiman was helping Calian push past those limits.
A blue aura shot toward Calian’s shoulder, but he was already gone. In his place, a sharply honed magic sword flew in from behind Suleiman. Having slipped behind his opponent in the blink of an eye, Calian’s blade was already inches away.
He was fast.
Calian was so fast that even Suleiman occasionally lost track of his movements. While Calian lacked physical strength, making his strikes less powerful, the speed of his sword was extraordinary.
Suleiman pulled his sword back and slashed upward to meet the magic sword.
Clang!
An endless exchange of slashes, blocks, strikes, and deflections followed. The training room filled with the sounds of steel clashing against a mass of mana sharper than any blade.
Deflecting Suleiman’s sword once more, Calian tightened his grip on his hilt.
Clang! Clack! Clang!
Four rapid slashes instantly targeted Suleiman’s vital points. Suleiman poured strength into his sword, parrying every one of Calian’s strikes.
It was a remarkably sharp attack, but Suleiman had defended against it without much trouble, which brought a wide smile to Calian’s lips. As an even stronger killing intent surged toward Suleiman, an identical aura erupted from the Sword Master, attempting to bind Calian’s limbs.
Step!
Calian’s feet moved as if stepping on air.
Knowing Calian’s figure would vanish, Suleiman quickly thrust his sword to block his path. In response, Calian deflected the blow with a smooth, sweeping motion along the flat of his blade.
Suleiman forcefully pulled his redirected sword back. As if he alone were immune to the laws of inertia, he showed no hesitation in extending or retracting his blade. He swung the retrieved sword straight toward Calian’s upper body. Calian angled his blade once more, letting the attack slide off.
Suleiman grinned.
“If we keep dragging this out, how will we ever find the limits of Your Highness’s power?”
He immediately concentrated his strength into the sword in his hand.
Hummm!
Suleiman’s sword let out a low vibration as the blue light of his aura deepened significantly. He had infused far more power into his blade.
Sensing this, Calian’s eyes narrowed.
Boom!
Suleiman kicked off the floor with explosive force, launching himself forward.
He raised his sword overhead and brought it down with enough force to split Calian in two. Calian quickly raised his own sword horizontally to block. A chill cold enough to freeze the blood in one's veins flowed like mist down Suleiman’s blade.
But at that very moment—
Calian’s sword flickered like a dying flame and vanished.
“…”
It had failed to withstand Suleiman’s aura, which was several times heavier than his own.
This happened while their blades were locked in direct contact. With Calian’s sword suddenly gone, Suleiman’s descending blade lost its support and plunged downward.
Faced with this unexpected turn, Suleiman gasped and tried to pull his sword back, but Calian was a step faster.
The moment he felt the mana forming his sword disperse, he twisted his body. As a result, the tip of Suleiman’s sword did no more than graze the side of his face.
A long, thin line of blood appeared on Calian’s cheek.
Yet, instead of worrying about the wound or dwelling on the critical issue of his sword vanishing, Calian instantly manifested another blade.
Whoosh!
Having escaped the range of Suleiman’s strike, Calian disappeared. Suleiman instinctively twisted at the waist, turning to thrust his sword behind him.
Seeing his move anticipated, Calian lightly stepped on Suleiman’s thrusting blade and launched himself into the air. Then, using the momentum of his descent, he drove his magic sword downward, aimed precisely at the crown of Suleiman’s head.
Suleiman quickly angled his sword to block the strike, then immediately thrust forward. The fierce clash of blades echoed once more.
Clang!
With their swords locked, Suleiman and Calian met each other’s gaze.
This time, Calian grinned.
A low vibration, similar to the one Suleiman’s sword had made earlier, resonated from his blade.
Hummm!
The condensed mana, which had resembled shards of glass, took on a blue glow. He had coated his magic sword with aura.
Calian’s fighting spirit was more intense than ever.
I have an ace up my sleeve, too, his sword seemed to say.
Whoosh!
Without waiting, Suleiman thrust his sword again. Calian’s feet moved even faster, and his magic sword, rippling with blue light, came crashing down toward Suleiman’s shoulder. Suleiman angled his blade and lightly deflected it. When his attack was blocked, Calian reversed his grip and slashed upward, which Suleiman parried aside.
Step!
Calian vanished from Suleiman’s sight once more.
Knowing that chasing afterimages was pointless, Suleiman expanded his senses, thrusting his sword toward where he felt Calian’s footsteps heading. However, his blade only cut through empty air.
Calian isn’t the type to use the same attack twice after it’s been read.
Only after the thought crossed his mind did Suleiman realize he had been tricked. He spun around, but it was too late. Calian was already on the opposite side, swinging his sword toward Suleiman’s neck. Startled, Suleiman barely managed to block the attack.
Clang!
Calian’s sword stopped just shy of Suleiman’s neck.
A long cut opened on Suleiman’s neck, and blood began to flow.
And at the same time—
Hummm!
Suleiman’s sword cried out once more.
The aura permeating his blade turned the color of the deep sea.
Feeling the far more menacing energy, Calian’s eyes widened. Unbelievably, the intensity of Suleiman’s aura had deepened yet again.
With that, Suleiman raised his arm high.
And brought his sword straight down toward Calian.
Dangerous.
This isn’t a strike I can deflect.
Every one of Calian’s heightened senses screamed a warning.
He gathered all the aura he had left for self-defense and transferred it to his sword. Then, with all his might, he slashed upward to meet Suleiman’s rapidly approaching blade.
CRASH!
A roar louder than any sound they had made so far erupted.
Crack!
A fissure ran down Suleiman’s heavy sword.
At the same time, Calian’s sword lost its light, shattered, and vanished into thin air.
He had reached his limit.
*
A long crack ran down Suleiman’s sword.
As he stared at it, a long scratch formed in his heart as well.
It wasn’t because of the sword. Of course, it was a pity that his beloved blade was damaged, but Suleiman’s heart was not so narrow as to grieve over such a thing.
He had heard that strange saying somewhere before: There's no point in raising a daughter.
Right.
And maybe, just maybe, he might have heard There's no point in raising a son at least once in his life.
But seriously, how could this be?
His own father’s neck was still dripping with blood!
“What if it leaves a scar? How could you let your face get hurt! Are you alright everywhere else? Nothing is broken, is it?”
Yan had burst through the training room door as if to break it down, rushed straight to Calian, and was now fussing over him as if he were made of glass. Suleiman, who had always considered himself a broad-minded man, grumbled at the sight of Yan fretting over Calian’s hairline scratch, which was already healing on its own.
“I swear, that kid of mine doesn’t feel like my kid at all.”
A soft giggle sounded beside him. It was Hina. Her hands were glowing as she healed the wound on Suleiman’s neck.
Of course, they weren’t the only ones who had rushed over, startled by the loud explosion. All the knights who had been in the inner castle with Kyrie had gathered. Thanks to this, Suleiman had one more grievance to add to his list.
He had clearly won the duel. He hadn’t even used up all his aura, so it was a fairly comfortable victory.
Yet, Calian’s shattered sword had left no trace.
Suleiman’s sword, on the other hand, had a glaring crack in it.
The scratch on Calian’s face was already healing thanks to the power of blessing, while Suleiman had a half-span-long cut on his neck.
“Your Grace… did you perhaps… lose?” Yuran had no choice but to ask, his voice hesitant.
Suleiman was left speechless, and Calian burst into laughter.
*
In the morning, light had shone from the hollow. In the afternoon, an explosion had echoed from the training room. With Calian’s arrival, the normally quiet land of elephants was in an uproar.
That evening, a grand banquet was held.
It was a lively, bustling gathering where everyone came together to enjoy themselves: Calian and Suleiman, Calian’s companions, Alan’s family—Rachel and Veronica—and even the twenty knights who had escorted Calian.
There, Calian finally got to hear Suleiman play the violin, which he had been greatly looking forward to. It was a performance so magnificent it was hard to believe it came from hands that wielded a sword. Calian was genuinely moved.
A moment later, Suleiman set down his violin and came to sit beside him.
“That was wonderful. I knew you were skilled with a sword, but the violin as well? Truly amazing.”
“We are Siegfrieds, after all. Even if we can’t wield a sword, we must be able to play the violin,” Suleiman said with his signature hearty laugh.
His wound, treated by Hina, had healed significantly. Seeing Calian inspect the cut on his neck, Suleiman waved his hand dismissively. “A scratch like this doesn’t even itch!”
“It was a great help. Thank you,” Calian said with a smile, expressing his gratitude once more.
Thanks to the spar, he had learned that his sword would vanish when facing a force beyond its limits. More importantly, he now knew exactly how much force it took to make his magic sword disappear, which was the greatest gain of all. If that had happened in a real battle, it would have been incredibly dangerous. Now, it was time to train in maintaining the sword’s form while wielding both aura and magic.
“I am glad to hear it was of help,” Suleiman said, his face slightly flushed. He could easily use his aura to prevent himself from getting drunk, but he chose not to dispel the alcohol’s effects.
Calian poured wine into Suleiman’s glass. Suleiman offered some to Calian, but he shook his head.
As the knights became moderately drunk, the hall grew quite noisy. Calian had hated listening to Hale Latran’s drunken racket, but now, he found the lively atmosphere rather pleasant.
As Calian sat quietly observing his surroundings, Suleiman spoke up beside him.
“A fast sword style isn’t particularly unusual, so that is fine.”
Calian turned to look at him.
Suleiman continued in a low voice, “But putting weight into your waist first when slashing horizontally or after a flurry of strikes—that is a characteristic of Secritian knights, Your Highness.”
Proving his reputation was well-earned, Suleiman had accurately analyzed Calian’s swordsmanship.
“Thanks to my son, my ears are practically calloused from hearing about you. Naturally, I also heard how much you used to detest swordsmanship. Yet, you wield the swordsmanship of Secritia, set foot on the Path of the Sword in mere months, and have accumulated a vast amount of aura in that time. It should have been barely enough time to learn how to control aura, but you move as if you already know exactly how to manipulate and accumulate it… It is a bit strange.”
Calian waited for Suleiman’s next words without any change in his expression.
Suleiman tapped his thigh. “Here in Kairis, we place our center of gravity in our legs. In isolation, whether you use your waist or your legs could just be a personal habit. But when woven together with other conspicuous differences, it will sow seeds of suspicion. Others might not notice, but Margrave Brissen certainly will. You must be careful.”
He meant that while using Secritian swordsmanship alone wasn't strange, when connected with other circumstances—like Calian's sudden, drastic transformation—it could lead to suspicions about his true identity.
Instead of answering, Calian simply stared at Suleiman. Reading the meaning in his gaze, Suleiman grinned.
“This is Siegfried. Even if the head elephant figures out what’s inside the shell of the Third Prince, there’s nowhere to use that information. Just promise to spar with me again sometime.”
At those words, Calian gave a brief reply. “Thank you.”
Suleiman poured wine into Calian’s glass. He wasn’t forcing alcohol on him; it was merely to make their conversation look natural to those watching.
“I am rather curious as to how you ended up like this. Would you mind telling me?”
Calian chuckled softly and shook his head. “One thing led to another, and now I’m just living.”
Suleiman let out a hearty chuckle at the answer, glanced at Yan, and then looked back at Calian.
“Does that fellow know the truth?”
“That’s something I’d like to ask as well. Whether he’s noticed and is pretending not to know, or if he truly doesn’t… I’m not sure either.”
“He probably knows,” Suleiman said with a smile, briefly recalling the kind of person his son was. Then, his smile faded, and he quietly added, “…Surely, he can’t actually be clueless.”
Surely not.