Stepping into the Spotlight – Part 2
It had been quite some time since Ju Cloud Low Dragonschultz had vanished from the academy claiming he simply wanted to see the place.
Many feared he had slipped away like he once had—disappearing without a word.
We had waited until our throats felt raw, yet he never appeared. We were still hopping from foot to foot in impatience when—
“Over there! Over there!”
A venerable old man dressed in plain, ordinary robes slowly emerged.
Following him was Edwin Lang von Dragonschulz, the high-ranking knight of Lebechia who had woven together and refined numerous sword techniques, contributing to the Empire’s Swordsmanship. He had come to Minerva Academy.
Except for the royal family, no aristocratic house had ever drawn so much attention. Had he remained in the political realm, the young man would have surely received an enormous position. Instead he had suddenly departed, leaving behind countless legends about Lebechia.
And now he stood right before us.
As Ju Cloud stepped forward, journalists from the papers surged forward in a frenzy.
Those who had come prepared to write articles and comments about the academic festival were joined by others who had rushed over the moment they heard the news. It was pure pandemonium.
“Dragonschulz-nim! Dragon... I mean, Dragonsschulz-nim! Please grant us a moment!”
“What is your reason for visiting Minerva Academy today at the academic festival?”
“Have you retired because of some health issue? Please tell us about that rumor!”
“Is today’s outing a prelude to your eventual return to the political scene?”
Questions erupted from every direction. Edwin stepped forward.
Though his father would do his best to answer every question, he explained that journalists needed to help maintain order. One question per person.
The reporters quickly adjusted, scrambling to squeeze in extra time for their inquiries.
Even though Ruhart Edan Hal Palasia had been the one to transfer the throne, Ju Cloud had abruptly retired. As a result, the prime minister’s seat in Lebechia had remained vacant until now.
Originally, a successor should have been chosen immediately, but no one had dared to accept the position. His extraordinary talent had been the cause.
Now that he had returned, the reporters—and indeed other political figures and nobles—were all brimming with questions.
“I have no immediate plans to return to the political realm. Today is merely a short outing.”
“Could it be that your health is not well?”
“Just fishing all day has made my legs a bit stiff. If that counts as an abnormality, then yes, it does.”
“Have you completely given up on returning? His Majesty the King even said the royal family stands ready to welcome you at any moment.”
“…I cannot give a definitive answer.”
No immediate return to politics, but he had not fully withdrawn either.
The ambiguous reply only drew even more eyes.
Lebechia did not revolve around a single man, yet he was still a large cog in the machine that kept the nation turning.
His presence commanded every gaze.
“…This should be enough, Father.”
Edwin, having ensured the crowd was packed, whispered carefully.
Ju Cloud nodded and raised a hand slightly.
He quieted the journalists’ questions for a moment, then pointed to one in particular and began.
“The reason you came to Minerva Academy. You mentioned you wanted to see the excellent young people.”
“That is correct.”
“How magnificent these young friends of yours are.”
“Is that truly all? Is there no other reason?”
“If I say there is none, no matter how hard you look, you will not believe me. So I will be honest. There is another reason. And I intend to reveal it right here.”
The journalists, along with everyone present, stirred with excitement.
Ju Cloud had always given vague answers before, but this time his tone carried the weight of something definite.
“Everyone. My son—known as the Kingdom Swordsmanship, or merely Swordsmanship, as it is called—do you all know it?”
Every head nodded.
The technique had no official name. It simply gathered the various sword arts within Lebechia, extracted their strengths, discarded their weaknesses, and created a concise yet powerful form of attack and defense.
Thanks to it, many stronger knights had emerged.
And the man who had invented it was Edwin Lang von Dragonschulz.
That was what almost everyone in Lebechia believed.
“Most people think my son was the one who led the effort. The truth is there is a young friend who poured in far more effort and help than my own son.”
“What…?”
“Lucian Theodore von Deodore.”
The old man’s mouth released the name of the academy’s rising star.
Right after, Lucian slowly walked out from behind. Edwin guided him to his side.
“This young man is the one who, together with my son, gathered Lebechia’s sword techniques and created the ultimate sword art. Coming to the academy was my greatest reason for visiting—it was to meet this young man.”
The entire assembly froze in shock.
Especially the nobles who had heard rumors about Lucian.
A boy who could barely wield a sword had only been practicing for a few months. Yet he was the hidden genius who had conceived the technique that had been circulating for seven years.
It was unbelievable. Impossible. It couldn’t be. But…
It was Ju Cloud Low Dragonschulz who was saying it.
He was no liar, and certainly no joker.
Moreover, his son—Edwin, the high-ranking knight of the kingdom—was not the type to pull such a prank.
“At the time, Lucian-student still could not handle swordsmanship properly. Yes, I know. But his body was dull. His eyes and mind excelled at examining and understanding the techniques he saw. He was better than most knights at analyzing and dissecting them completely.”
“So… Lucian Theodore von Deodore continued to refine the sword art, and Edwin personally swung the blade to verify it until you could create the current one?”
The reporter’s question received a smile from Ju Cloud.
Had someone else spoken those words, they would have been told to stop spreading nonsense.
But the one speaking was Ju Cloud Low Dragonschulz, and the one nodding beside him—Edwin, the high-ranking knight—was the man credited with inventing the technique.
It still felt impossible to believe, yet one could not possibly call it a lie.
In the end, everyone slowly turned their gazes toward the young man who had taken root as one of Minerva Academy’s top talents.
Lucian Theodore von Deodore.
They stared at him in silence.
“Well, say something, will you?”
When the silence continued, Ju Cloud spoke.
Considering that he showed deference to most people and was especially casual only with those he trusted, the closeness between the two was more evident than one might think.
“My name is Lucian Theodore von Deodore. I am truly sorry for not having spoken of this sooner. My swordsmanship was so poor that I hid behind my brother Edwin, letting him take credit for the technique we created together. It was all my fault. If you must criticize, please direct it at me, not him.”
“….”
“Moreover, I was not yet an adult, so stepping forward felt too heavy a burden. Therefore, Edwin had no choice but to bear everything himself.”
The journalists stood there in a daze for a moment before hurriedly scribbling notes in their books.
The royal bulletin would likely sell out in every outlet tomorrow.
Lebechia’s greatest sword technique was, in truth, the childhood work of a genius young man.
Even the method of handing it over to Edwin Lang von Dragonschulz while pretending not to care had been passed entirely to the knight.
What reactions would such news provoke? The reporters’ hearts were already racing.
“So… then, Lucian. Do you have any other questions?”
“If it is not too difficult, I will answer with all sincerity.”
He was the one who had created the sword technique most used and most perfectly refined in Lebechia.
Naturally, he would draw enormous attention from now on. Ju Cloud Low Dragonschultz was curious to see how he would navigate this situation.
Suddenly, a gaze felt directed at him. He turned his head slightly to the side.
In a corner of the crowded area, a man was staring at him.
A political comrade who had stood with him for tens of years, a battle brother, and the most trusted lord of all.
Ju Cloud nodded.
Looking at Ruhart Edan Hal Palasia nodding back—approval in his eyes.
Ju Cloud recalled the conversation he had shared with the king right after meeting Lucian.
‘Do you want to drag that boy up to the surface?’
‘That’s right. He himself has no intention of sinking deep, so floating around gently was appropriate.’
‘I know His Majesty’s intentions. But is there really a need?’
‘More so than ever. Lebechia needs more young friends like this.’
‘…But the war has already ended.’
‘Exactly. The war is over. Now is the time of peace. That is why we need them even more. There are people suited to war and people suited to peace. We two are suited to times of chaos, and you, your son, my son, and that young man are suited to these quiet times.’
Even during peace, it was insufficient.
Precisely because it was peaceful, more excellent people were needed more than at any other time.
Chaos was what seeped out after failing to achieve something proper in the preceding peace.
To ensure Lebechia flourished even more, one must make the most of this peaceful era, the late King Ruhart had said.
‘You called him a friend capable of building a household.’
‘Did you think higher?’
‘That’s right. In my eyes, he would handle a whole room easily.’
Ruhart’s eyes were that high. Even lowering it to “building a household” had been an understatement.
Lucian’s presence had clearly pleased the old king.
‘Then which room shall you assign him?’
‘I am not the king. His Majesty is here. Would you have me interfere in his august rule?’
‘The father of that king is also the late king. You must have some idea.’
‘…What room do you think I, and His Majesty the current king, will assign?’
Ju Cloud fell into thought for a moment before speaking.
‘As I see it… …you should assign him the room.’
The former king simply smiled without a word.