Chapter 46
"Anyway, all those temple guys seem weird."
I stared at Julian, who was laughing like a maniac, with a dubious look. After laughing for a good while, he wiped the tears pooling at the corners of his eyes and gazed at me with eyes still brimming with the aftershocks of his mirth.
"Did you confirm that the Sun Mandala was engraved on both the lady's wrist and that guy's—no, your counterpart's—wrist after the oath?"
"Yes."
"Then it's definitely true."
Julian flashed a grin.
"The Sun Mandala can't be forged."
He spouted the textbook answer that every imperial citizen knew as common knowledge. Just as I'd expected, I let out a small sigh.
So what the hell does El want from me?
It was still an unsolvable puzzle. I pressed my throbbing brow and sighed.
I'm a swordswoman. Allegories and riddles were Aria's domain, not mine.
"Can I ask one more thing?"
"Of course. As long as it's within my power to answer."
Julian accepted readily. He looked utterly delighted. I pondered for a moment before cautiously opening my mouth.
"Do you happen to know a high priest named El?"
Lately, other suspicions about El's identity had been dominating my thoughts, but I voiced what I knew first.
Julian's face twisted into something truly bizarre at my question. It was like he was holding back laughter, feeling sorry for me, or finding it ridiculous all at once.
"El... the high priest... khh, El is, um... an old friend of mine."
"......Really?"
Julian, a friend of El's? I widened my eyes in surprise, and he shrugged slightly with his head tilted, before nodding with a perfectly composed face moments later.
"Yes. He entered before me... uhm... ah, I've received a lot of help from him."
His stammering was a bit suspicious, but my curiosity won out, so I asked earnestly.
"What kind of person is El?"
At that, the corner of Julian's mouth twitched like he was suppressing a laugh. He seemed to hesitate a bit before snickering.
"That rascal. I'll let him off the hook this once."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
With that odd mutter, Julian reverted to his usual saintly expression and spoke.
"El is... um, kind. Selfless... and... he doesn't even know how to get angry. He's a very good, very good boy. No greed, no ulterior motives or dark desires... ha... none. He has the temperament of the Sun God Ra himself. Yes! That's perfect! El is a friend like the incarnation of Ra!"
"......Isn't Ra the god with a fiery temper and a violent nature?"
Many called Ra a benevolent god, but if you read the myths, his strictness and foul personality stood out far more than any benevolence.
"That's exactly what I'm saying...! No, wait. I mean! He's a friend with a warm, gentle temperament like the sun!"
Julian, who had been struggling desperately to string together compliments, hurriedly corrected himself.
Why not just curse him out?
Whatever else, even a five-year-old could tell his assessment of El wasn't truthful.
El... isn't some super kind and innocent guy.
Truth be told, I couldn't quite understand Julian's reaction. To me, El was an angel-like figure I worried about surviving in this harsh world. He seemed pretty suspicious, but not a bad person overall—that was my take.
I gave Julian a dubious look for lying so blatantly to a question that wasn't even serious, but since his effort was admirable, I decided to play along.
"Anyway, he's not a bad person, right?"
"Lord Ra, forgive me... Of course not."
Whether he wanted to deceive me or not, I turned my head and bit my lip to stifle a laugh as he openly prayed. What a ridiculous guy.
He probably doesn't live that saintly in the temple... but the fact that he has a friend covering for him like this means he hasn't lived that badly.
I slightly revised my opinion of El with a smirk.
"Oh, and El is quite famous in the temple."
The sudden comment made me tilt my head. Julian's eyes crinkled mischievously.
"He's been nursing a love sickness for his first love for twenty years straight."
His lips, dripping with mischief, evoked the image of a playful boy.
El's first love...?
It felt a bit strange. I wondered who the object of El's love was, but since he was kind even to someone like me, I imagined he'd show boundless gentleness to the one he truly loved.
"......Thank you for telling me. What did you want to say to me?"
"Ah, it's nothing much."
Pushing aside my muddled feelings, I asked Julian. He grinned.
"If you're free sometime, would you visit our temple?"
"That's not hard... but is there a special reason?"
Nobles routinely visited temples to offer tributes and receive prayers for even small wishes, so going wasn't an issue. But his attitude felt off, so I pressed, and he chuckled.
"Truth is, there's this dog in our temple that can't get over you and throws a fit every day. It's got no guts to come here itself but bites and snaps at weaklings— a total menace."
"......Do they keep dogs in the temple?"
"Somehow, that dog ended up as the temple's top authority."
The words were utterly out of left field, yet they made perfect sense. I sighed and nodded.
"I'll visit sometime soon."
"Thank you. That should buy us a week without the hysterics."
What a weirdo.
I smirked at Julian, who sighed in relief. I felt him startle slightly at my smile but just took another sip of tea.
"Do you need an escort on your way back?"
"Oh, no. You've already treated me to tea; I can't ask for an escort too."
"Then I won't go far."
He rang the magic bell on the table, and not even ten seconds later, a servant knocked. I offered Julian a handshake as the parlor door opened.
"Take care on your way back. May the Sun's blessing always be with you."
"It was a pleasure meeting you. May you always dwell in the light."
Julian turned with his snowy silver hair fluttering, walking off with the servant. As I watched his retreating figure from where I leaned against the wall, he suddenly whipped his head around, narrowing his eyes and mouthing something.
......Sorry?
I tilted my head, wondering if Julian had ever done anything to apologize for, but he'd already vanished down the hallway.
A somewhat peculiar day passed.
"Feeling all loosened up?"
"Yes."
Kaiser looked down at me stretching in the empty training grounds' center, lightly rotating his sword-gripping wrist. In his white dress shirt and high-waisted formal pants, he shone like light itself. It hit me again that a handsome face needed no extra accessories.
I... I want to keep wielding the sword even if I quit mercenary work.
That's no issue. The ducal family has its own training grounds for blood kin. Practice whenever you want. Just be careful not to show your aura in front of others.
Yes! Thank you!
Ah, got time this Thursday?
No special appointments...
Then spar with me once.
......Pardon?
To check your skill level, and loosen up myself—it's been ages. Can't do it?
Ah, no. No problem.
That was how Kaiser and I ended up facing each other with razor-sharp swords.
"Shoo shoo. Don't hold back—kill your old man dead!"
"Rip him to shreds!"
Kal and Aria, who'd come to watch, cheered me on with their twisted words. Not a single word of support for Kaiser—it was almost pitiful.
"Raising those brats was all for nothing."
Kaiser clicked his tongue, giving Kal and Aria an exasperated look. I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity.
"Well then, please go easy on me."
I drew my honed blade from its scabbard at my waist and bowed, facing Kaiser. As fellow Sword Masters, we could spar with real swords and still control ourselves not to harm each other.
After a brief exchange of glances, we lunged simultaneously, swords aimed at one another.
Bang!
The clash of swords unleashed a thunderous roar across the grounds. A massive gust swirled between Kaiser and me. Even without drawing aura, the collision between two Sword Masters was intense in itself.
Sparring with someone on my level is fun.
Feeling a slight throb in my wrist, I grinned in exhilaration. Through the gap between our gleaming blades, Kaiser's face glowed with faint excitement.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A light probing exchange followed the initial clash. Even those caused the ground to crater slightly. Worried about the fallout, I glanced at Kal and Aria—Kal had already cast a barrier. Relieved, I swung freely.
Precise and clean, but heavy. Each strike sharp.
I ducked a vicious horizontal slash from Kaiser and analyzed his offense. His style resembled a knight's structured basics yet was wildly irregular, akin to a mercenary's.
As expected of Kaiser Crisis.
The name never absent from debates on the continent's strongest. His fearsome reputation proved true as powerful attacks poured forth. I blocked the heavy blows nimbly, gritting my teeth and swinging back.
I'd become a Sword Master swinging for survival without formal training, so I lagged in power, technique, and the years of experience Kaiser had. Skill-wise, I fell short too.
But knowing that.
Even though it was natural—I'd lived shorter, differently.
I don't want to lose.
A flame ignited in my usually calm core. Excitement and stubborn pride fell like kindling, fueling my heart.
I decided to change my attack pattern, which had focused solely on slashes. Feinting a swing at Kaiser's abdomen, I abruptly shifted, thrusting at his shoulder.
Kaiser's blade, guarding low, hurriedly blocked his shoulder. It didn't land, but it was enough to disrupt his rhythm slightly.
"......Your swordplay is quite irregular."
I grinned at him, his expression mildly surprised. Matching my racing heartbeat, I roughly undid my bound hair.
Long strands spilled through my fingers, dancing in the air. If asked why I, a swordswoman, kept my hair down to my hips, I'd say:
"No more kid stuff, Father."
It's because I'm strong enough that it never gets in my way.
Shiiik!
A fierce gale erupted as explosive black aura etched along my blade. Mana surged wildly through every vein linked to my heart. Soon, my body was shrouded in black light, my eyes turning red.
I had no intention of dragging this out. Kaiser wouldn't indulge a long fight anyway, and in a prolonged battle, my weaker stamina would doom me.
I planned to go all-out from the start.
"Ha, haha!"
Kaiser, who'd stared blankly at me, swept back his sweat-matted bangs and burst into hearty laughter. His eyes crinkled warmly as he looked at me—a smile from Kaiser I'd never seen.
"How could I refuse? As my daughter wishes."