House Strofe (2)
Grand Duke Kuenor brought his family over to our party. Even at a glance, his love for them was practically overflowing. A Northern Duke who was so warm toward his family. Chuckling inwardly, I observed Kuenor's family.
"So you are the Hero's party who has come to slay the Calamity."
The first to greet us was the Duchess. Appearing to hail from the central regions rather than the rugged North, her hazel hair was neatly tied up in a bun. Though I estimated her age to be in her late forties, similar to the Duke, the smile she offered us made her look no older than her early thirties.
"I am Hela Strofe, wife of Grand Duke Kuenor Strofe."
Her tone and gestures possessed an elegance befitting a highborn lady. Yet, it did not seem like the fragile grace of a greenhouse flower; rather, it felt like the composure of someone who had weathered all the storms of the political arena. While she was a far cry from the ruggedness of the North, the aura she exuded carried a charisma powerful enough to effortlessly suppress that very wildness.
"They are not hailed as Calamity-slayers for nothing," Grand Duke Kuenor said, clapping a heavy hand onto my shoulder.
This man seemed to be acting extra friendly just because he was in front of his family, but I decided to play along.
"It feels as though I have met true warriors for the first time in a long while."
"And it has been a long time since I saw you treat a guest so warmly," the Duchess said with a bright smile. "Welcome to Evernode. I hope you will make yourselves comfortable during your stay."
Having said her piece, the Duchess turned her gaze toward her children. First, the eldest son stepped forward and extended his hand. I took it, shaking it somewhat awkwardly.
"Luke Strofe, Vice-Commander of the Evernode Knights."
The Duke's son introduced himself by his official title. The future lord of Evernode. In terms of appearance, he was the spitting image of Grand Duke Kuenor. Especially that stern expression, and the way his eyes sized me up with suspicion.
"The tales of your deeds have reached even the North, Hero. I heard much about you during my time in the Royal Capital."
Luke scanned our party as he spoke. His brow furrowed slightly when his gaze fell upon Daphne and Marianne, who was dressed in her nun's habit, before his expression smoothed back out.
"...So the Saintess truly is not with you."
"There were many circumstances. Though I am sure you heard of them during your stay in the Royal Capital."
Seriously, this isn't some Saintess reverse-harem novel. Why is everyone so obsessed with finding her? I let go of Luke's hand, suppressing a dry chuckle. Luke shrugged, as if he had nothing more to say on the matter.
"I look forward to working with you, Hero. I hope that, together with Evernode, we can successfully vanquish the fourth Calamity."
Luke then gently nudged his younger sister forward. The child whom the knights of Evernode called the 'Iron-Blooded Princess.' It sounded like a nickname born of a prank. The girl's eyes darted around nervously, only meeting mine when I bent down slightly to her level. Her hair was pitch-black like the Grand Duke's, but her eyes were the vibrant green of the Duchess.
"I am Karin Strofe," the Grand Duke's daughter said, her voice carefully composed.
She was likely fiercely overprotected by the knights of Evernode, yet she didn't seem spoiled in the slightest. Perhaps unable to think of a grand greeting like her mother or brother, Karin mumbled her name and hesitated for a moment before suddenly thrusting her hand out toward me, just as Luke had done. I let out a soft chuckle and took her tiny hand in mine. As we shook hands, Karin's face lit up instantly.
"I look forward to... working with you."
"I-I look forward to... working with you, too!" Karin stammered out, her face flushing slightly.
Once Karin managed to squeeze out her greeting, the rest of my party members began exchanging introductions with the Duke's family one by one. Surprisingly, Luke still remembered Georg, who had been dispatched here ten years ago. Karin, on the other hand, froze in sheer terror the moment she saw Georg's massive frame. Tsk. Scaring a kid like that.
"I am Karin Strofe."
Meanwhile, Daphne looked as if she might either lung forward to squeeze Karin in a hug or faint backward from sheer cuteness. Confronted by Daphne's sparkling, intense gaze, Karin seemed to grow even more intimidated. She then turned to look at the expressionless Marianne with eyes full of pure admiration.
"My daughter is quite fond of you," Grand Duke Kuenor whispered to me. "Though I suppose there is hardly a child alive who doesn't admire the Hero." Glancing sideways, I saw Karin stealing frequent glances at me. Conscious of the eyes around her, she couldn't bring herself to look at me openly.
"I was hoping you might find some time later to have a brief chat with her..." Grand Duke Kuenor looked at me with a slightly sheepish expression. So this man is a father after all. I smiled and nodded. "I can easily make that much time. It's no trouble at all." "Right. Thank you, Elroy."
As I watched the members of House Strofe converse, Rhys quietly approached my side.
"As you can see, Lady Karin is the Grand Duke's late-born child. She is nine years old this year... making her fifteen years younger than Lord Luke. To the knights and soldiers of Evernode, she is practically a niece. Some of the older knights even dote on her like a granddaughter. You could say she is the beloved darling of the entire territory."
Rhys watched the Strofe family alongside me. "...In fact, I suspect the reason you faced such wariness from the Evernode knights might be because the young lady is so incredibly fond of you." Rhys turned to me and shrugged. "There were undoubtedly knights who thought, 'Let's see what kind of bastard has stolen our young lady's heart.'"
"What are a bunch of grown men doing acting so childishly?" Still, wasn't this infinitely better than the court nobles who had tried to put a leash around my neck? As I let out a dry laugh, Rhys scratched his head sheepishly.
"By the way, why 'Iron-Blooded Princess'?" That nine-year-old girl was the exact opposite of what I associated with the term 'iron-blooded.' At my question, Rhys chuckled.
"It was three years ago, when the young lady was six. She was just beginning to learn about the world through the books in the Strofe estate's library." A six-year-old reading on her own. The Duke's daughter is indeed extraordinary.
"At the time, she happened to read a story about the legendary 'Iron-Blooded Admiral' of the ancient navy. She must have been thoroughly captivated by the word 'iron-blooded,' because she began marching around with a solemn expression, telling the knights, 'You shall address me as the Iron-Blooded Princess!'"
Ever since, the knights, soldiers, and vassals had gleefully complied, calling Karin the 'Iron-Blooded Princess.' These people were absolutely wicked. "...How mortified is she going to be when she grows up and remembers this?"
"To be honest, we are all eagerly anticipating that day. In about six years, the word 'iron-blooded' will probably become a forbidden term throughout Evernode."
As I was snickering with Rhys, someone stepped up in front of me. "Hero." It was Luke Strofe, the eldest son of Grand Duke Kuenor.
He didn't harbor any particular hostility, but he did look somewhat conflicted. Having just returned from the Royal Capital, he would be far more familiar with Elroy's past reputation than the Northern knights were. It was only natural for him to react this way.
"I watched your departure ceremony. As a representative of Evernode, I should have greeted you and accompanied you here, but I was delayed by other duties."
"Please, do not pay it any mind. The knights of Evernode have already welcomed our party so warmly—" I glanced back at Rhys at this point, but he pointedly avoided my gaze. Yeah, you'd better feel guilty. "—that we feel right at home."
"...Is that so?" Luke continued to stare at me with a dubious expression. Then, his eyes hardened with resolve as he took a step forward. "Hero, would you care to spar with me?"
The moment those words left Luke's mouth, the ears of every Evernode knight and soldier in the vicinity perked up like hounds catching the scent of prey. "A fight?" "Who's sparring? The Hero and the young lord?" "A big match! Holy shit!" "You two, go clear the training grounds right now!"
Right. To these battle-maniacs, fights and duels were the ultimate form of entertainment. I stared blankly at the soldiers vanishing at the speed of light and the knights who were already setting up the arena, even though I hadn't even accepted the challenge yet. Rhys, who had been chatting amiably with me just moments ago, had disappeared into the crowd, and Georg was already joining the Northern knights in their excitement, completely ignoring me.
"The knights of Evernode do not welcome outsiders easily." Luke looked at me with a faint trace of hostility. I had grown so accustomed to that look by now that I barely felt a thing. "I wish to find out through our blades what it is that I might have misunderstood about you."
"...Sure, I don't mind. I'm not petty enough to make a fuss over a simple spar." Is 'dialogue and compromise' a foreign concept to the people of Evernode? With that thought, I accepted Luke's proposal. I needed to grow as quickly as possible. There was no reason for me to decline a fight against a powerhouse who held the rank of Vice-Commander of the Evernode Knights.
Two of the youngest soldiers had polished the training grounds to a mirror shine. I stretched, loosening up my muscles and joints which had grown stiff from the long ride.
Even if I get utterly thrashed?
I let out a soft chuckle at the Holy Sword's earnest advice. Just then, a female knight acting as the referee approached and held out an ordinary iron sword. "What is this?"
"...It would be inappropriate to use the Holy Sword in a friendly duel," she said, her eyes shifting to the weapon on my back. As I furrowed my brows in confusion, jeers and shouts erupted from the crowd behind me.
"She's right, Hero! Unless you plan on ending the duel in ten seconds, put the Holy Sword aside!" "It's been ages since we had a good duel, let us enjoy it!"
I frowned and glared at the knights, but they paid me no mind, continuing to clamor for me to fight without the Holy Sword. Do these idiots really think I'd unleash the Holy Sword's true power just to deal with the Duke's son?
The Holy Sword spoke in my mind. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but her voice sounded slightly petulant. Is she pouting? No way.
Yep. She's definitely pouting. I'd have to give her blade a thorough, loving polish later.
Before the Holy Sword could get any angrier, I quickly handed her over to the referee. I was slightly worried she might take her temper out on the female knight, but thankfully, nothing of the sort happened. With a wry smile, I accepted the ordinary iron sword from the referee.
A metallic click echoed as a foreign scabbard was placed in my hand. Come to think of it, this was the first time since my transmigration that I was holding a sword other than the Holy Sword. I stared at the weapon, which possessed a distinctly different weight and texture. The leather wrapping around the hilt was soft and slightly damp, and the blade was a bit shorter and lighter than the Holy Sword's. If I say this out loud, will she get mad again?
"Prepare yourself."
Luke's voice called out from across the field. He looked rather insulted that I was fighting him without the Holy Sword. Well, putting the Holy Sword aside was one thing, but what had truly wounded his pride was likely the jeering from the crowd.
Looking back, I saw my party members watching. Actually, only Daphne was genuinely cheering for me; Georg was subtly rooting for Luke. Marianne simply stared at me with her usual expressionless face. I chuckled, taking that as her own silent way of cheering me on.
Grand Duke Kuenor, who had slipped into the crowd of spectators, remained neutral. Beside him stood the 'Iron-Blooded Princess,' Karin, her eyes sparkling as she looked back and forth between Luke and me.
"Let's have a good match."
Ignoring my greeting, Luke took his stance. I smiled awkwardly and raised my sword as well.
Cheers and jeers filled the air. Voices cheering for me, voices cheering for Luke. Voices mocking me, voices mocking Luke. Without the Holy Sword's voice in my head, the surrounding noise felt much louder. Consequently, I focused even harder.
I observed my opponent's footwork, his breathing, and analyzed the minute twitches of his muscles and his combat tendencies. I registered only the certainties in my mind, discarding any doubtful assumptions.
"Both combatants, ready."
Crunch. The sound of Luke's boot crushing the dirt. I barely even heard the signal to start. Taking the sound of his foot launching off the ground as my cue, I raised my sword and deflected his incoming strike.
I was able to pinpoint the trajectory of his blade with absolute precision. A thought flashed through my mind: I can do this.
Clang—!!
I thrust my sword forward. Luke parried, sweeping his blade upward to block my strike. This time, Luke's offensive locked onto me. Stepping back, I recalled Marianne's movements. Tracing the veins of a leaf, guiding his blade away with the tip of mine—
Clang—!!
Tsk. The tip of my sword struck the flat of his blade; the technique had failed. Then again, he wasn't an opponent so naive as to fall for a skill I hadn't even mastered yet. Luke's face contorted as he pressed his advantage, forcing me onto the defensive. Once my rhythm was disrupted, I had no choice but to fall back. Looking at Luke's increasingly twisted expression, I apologized inwardly. Sorry, I wasn't trying to look down on you.
"Ugh!"
Block. Deflect. In the midst of the exchange, I slowly regained my breathing and began searching for an opening. As our offense and defense clashed and the battle reached a stalemate, Luke channeled his mana and pushed me back. The blade of his raised sword was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant blue light of magical energy. It was Aura.
"Is he really going all out?"
"Now this is going to be a fight worth watching!"
Aura. Aura, huh. I frowned, staring at Luke's sword. Come to think of it, the Holy Sword could not be coated in Aura. I looked down at the iron sword in my hand. The blade was already heavily nicked and damaged from our brief clash. ...Can I do it?
Luke lunged. Knowing the sword would shatter if I took his strikes head-on, I narrowly evaded his Aura-clad blade while drawing up my own mana. Thump. It was a novel sensation. The feeling of being connected to the sword. The feeling of dominating the weapon, making it completely a part of myself. The feeling of becoming a tree, planting deep roots into the earth of the blade.
*Whoosh.* I dodged the Aura blade once more. Sensing the lingering traces of magical energy in the air, I took a long, deep breath. A handful of mana flowed out from my heart, channeling directly into the hilt of the sword.
BOOM—!!!
A thunderous roar, like a lightning strike, reverberated through the grounds. I could no longer feel the weight of the sword in my hand. Across from me, Luke stared at my blade, his face frozen in utter bewilderment.
"...Well, look at that. It actually worked."
I took my stance and looked down at the weapon. A soft, silver Aura was shimmering along the length of the blade.