A Sword Inside a Sword
“So… you received it willingly?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding confidently, the four idiots reacted with a startled “Whoa!” Did they really think I’d swallow it whole? Right? Damn it, tell me it’s not like that! That was just the filler.
“Everyone, calm down. I’m also an Imperial noble like you.”
Refusing politely. I know, but I didn’t think I’d refuse. Of course, I waved it off.
But the Marquis and the young lords, and even the knights were pressuring me to accept. If I don’t accept this time, they said they’d never rise again?
It sounded too urgent, so I accepted. I did say thank you, of course. I didn’t think they’d wipe their mouths right there.
Even after receiving it, it felt uneasy, so before leaving, I secretly asked the Lasquer King if it was really okay to take this sword.
Then the King gave a strange expression and said the gift is between the giver and receiver, and it’s not his place to decide.
“No, just looking at it, it’s not an ordinary sword.”
“I may not have talent for swordsmanship, but I’ll stake my tail on this being a famous sword.”
“You don’t even have a tail, don’t say things like that carelessly, Wilhelm.”
“Then I’ll stake my left arm, whatever.”
“What are you saying, you crazy bastard.”
These kids are already acting up again after not seeing them for two weeks?
Truly amazing friends. These are the pillars leading the Empire.
“Little masters, please, I beg you to maintain your dignity.”
“The most undignified person here might be Count Karl.”
“I agree with Marquis Wilhelm’s words.”
“I also think so.”
“You all stop with the nonsense.”
Showing the blessed sword from the Church, the guys backed off with “Yes.”
Haa. I’m afraid that someday a rumor might spread that I have the Marquisate of Adria and the Imperial Countship in my grasp.
“Anyway, how did the business go? Good?”
“National secret. You want me to tell you that?”
“No, I could just tell you in a roundabout way.”
“Good.”
I also beat them up for good measure. Before the Lasquer uprising, the last thing I heard was that the knights who lost to me are currently in hell training?
No matter how much the son of Count Friedrich, he’s young, and he lost without even fighting properly.
But thinking about it, the ones who are wronged are those friends. Honestly, those young knights probably didn’t experience a proper battlefield.
The Empire and Lasquer clashed when my father was active, so more than 20 years ago.
Our Empire has borders with Abillesti and elves besides Lasquer, so war was inevitable, but Lasquer was different. Without war with the Empire, there would be no war at all.
At best, they’d just swing their swords at each other. They wouldn’t have suffered like me, rolling around and screaming.
Even if the suffering was similar, their mindset might have been different.
“Exactly, they border Abillesti but didn’t think of fighting because they looked down on each other.”
Sword and magic. Similar but never mixable. In such cases, one of two things.
They fight until death or avoid fighting altogether and live behind walls.
In the case of Lasquer and Abillesti, luckily they were in the latter. Saying “luck” here means that if they fought, the Empire would have eaten both.
The reason they were in the latter is because the Empire existed, and they didn’t want to be taken advantage of.
“More importantly, nothing happened while I was away?”
“Nothing? Ah, no. There was.”
“There was.”
“There was and there wasn’t.”
“Mm.”
…These guys. Starting again? I got beaten once, got beaten twice?
Here, they’re probably waiting for me to react with “Why! What happened! What is it!” No way.
“By the way, I don’t care about anything that happened to you guys. Remember that.”
“Uwa! Too much! We’re friends, right?!”
“When I feel life-threatening danger, I’ll ask.”
“We almost died!”
“Almost died? Why?”
“Boredom!”
“…”
They can say things like that casually. Truly amazing guys. The protagonist must be doing something special. I don’t think I could say that.
I was about to pull out the sword, but decided against it. Honestly, I secretly smiled. Ah, my pride is hurt. I shouldn’t have laughed.
“Anyway, I have to go home for a bit. Let’s talk about the rest later.”
“You’re not seeing Selena?”
“I heard she’s busy.”
Then the four idiots tilt their heads “Eh? How did you know that?”
Haa, these idiots. Asking obvious things. That’s why singles are like that!
“I contacted her via personal communicator. Every day while going to Lasquer.”
“Ugh. What? They already have communicators set up?”
Of course. What do you think of couples? They should be able to contact each other every day no matter where they go? Every time that happens, affectionate feelings overflow.
“Waa. Is this really a couple from a few years ago? Miracle.”
“If they’re a couple, maybe something gets closer.”
“Jealous. I want to date too.”
“Not the mandatory marriage in the social world. I want a real girlfriend at the Academy!”
Make one, you bastards. You said time is on your hands, right?
Use that time to work on something here and there. Maybe there’s a junior who’s hooked on a 5th year senior?
Frustrating guys. The two least popular groups: soldiers and returning students. These two can’t even date.
“I’m included in both, and I’m still included.”
“But Selena isn’t the only problem, right?”
“What do you mean, Joachim.”
“No. There’s also Eloise junior and Lavrenti junior.”
“I see.”
“Why exclude one? You should include Lepia junior too.”
…Damn. Thinking about that, my head suddenly hurts. There’s already a gaze from afar.
The eyes staring at me from ahead… it’s Eloise. She has that elf-like feeling.
She seems to be shouting with her eyes “After finishing your business, if you don’t come to meet me, do it yourself!” …What can I do. I have to go see her once.
*
I went to my family home. And I had to doubt my eyes.
“Come in. Karl. Did the business go well?”
“Come in.”
“…Yes. I’ve returned, Father. Mother. But, the woman standing behind….”
What? What is this. Why is this woman here. It’s already weird that she’s here, and I confirmed she was at the Academy earlier?
“Hello, Karl!”
The woman laughing “Hehe!” behind my parents is none other than Eloise. How did this elf end up in our family? I can’t even imagine the reason.
No, more importantly. Are you really okay? When your mother was in her prime, you were cutting elf heads?
“I didn’t know there were guests.”
“Hm? Ah, I see. After you went to Lasquer, I occasionally visited the family. I told them about you, and it was surprisingly interesting. My mom passed the content to Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
“…”
So, in short, I was pretending to be a storyteller. Damn. As expected, smart elf.
“Eloise’s story made it seem like you were close.”
“It was just removing some gganfs together during last year’s train terror.”
“That sounds like a comrade-in-arms.”
“…If that’s the case, a little…”
I was about to say it’s forced, but Eloise smiled “Hehe!” and said to come in and talk.
It had been about two weeks since she came to our family as a guest. But from the start, she left a good impression with her sociable personality, or rather, her straightforward personality.
My mother didn’t seem uncomfortable at all, so she definitely scored points in some way… but I can’t imagine what.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent special thanks. You helped a lot in Lasquer.”
Sitting with my parents, drinking a cup of tea, I explained the delegation story.
“It was nothing but a friendly match.”
“So that was unexpected. A friendly match at the King’s coronation celebration.”
“It was what they wanted. Exactly, it was the will of the Lasquer King.”
“It seems they wanted to stimulate the hardened heads and hearts of the knights.”
Father’s judgment was correct. The Lasquer King really wanted that.
“More importantly, what is this sword, Karl?”
“Ah, this? I received it as a gift, but I haven’t drawn it yet. Mother. Honestly, I’m not particularly familiar with this kind of sword.”
The reason I came home was because of this sword. I was going to put it in a display case somewhere because it’s bothersome to carry.
Thinking of it as a kind of trophy, I’d be able to brag about it later—
“Wait a minute. Karl? Can I see that sword?”
“Eloise? No, wait.”
Before I could stop her, Eloise took the sword. Then she suddenly drew it.
What is she doing in front of my parents? But the next words caught me.
“…Is this a sword?”
“What are you talking about.”
“No. From the moment I saw it, it was strange. What should I say. This feels a bit…”
“It gives off the feeling of being artificially covered.”
The one who received Eloise’s words was Father. Mother next to him looked at the sword that came out of the sheath and tilted her head “Strange?”
It’s a bit sad that only I don’t understand.
“It’s really strange.”
Eloise, who had been examining the sword from all sides, soon flicked the blade with her finger. Tick tick! As if something was wrong….
“Father.”
“Wait.”
Suddenly, Father brought the sword from the display case. Then he swung the sword casually?!
Clang! Clang!—
Before I could stop him, Father’s sword clashed with the gift sword. And with that strike, the blade shattered with a crash!
“Father?! Why are you doing this?!”
“Shh.”
Father put his finger to his lips and pointed at the shattered sword with his other hand.
Under the broken blade, another sword with a pitch-black color was looking at me.