Chapter 350
Chapter 350
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 350
Chapter Title: A Swordsman's Conviction (2)
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Klumpf sat in the seat of honor, arms crossed, a grave expression on his face. Next to him was Kuan, who had rushed over from the sword academy at Klumpf's summons.
Rian stood facing the two of them, his back straight, meeting Klumpf's gaze with an unwavering stare before he spoke.
“I made this decision. It's strange to ask for permission for something I've already decided, but please accept it.”
Klumpf heaved a sigh so heavy it felt like the ground might give way.
The blue-haired lineage was free-spirited and hot-blooded. He knew roughly how hard Rian had tried, and he could understand the boy's feelings about not being able to use Schema. But it had only been a year. It was too soon to judge the success or failure of his studies.
“...Are you running away? What do you plan to do after dropping out of the academy? Are you thinking of returning to the family estate to train on your own?”
“No. I'm going on a knight's pilgrimage.”
Klumpf clenched his jaw, his beard twitching. A complex mix of anger and exhilaration surged within him. How could the boy think so much like he had in his own youth?
Nevertheless, he had to oppose it.
Back when Klumpf was young, many undertook a knight's pilgrimage. The world was in turmoil, and unifying the realm by the sword was not just a dream.
But times had changed.
The sword was a tool for killing. Therefore, while there was no better training than real combat, it was a double-edged sword where a single mistake could mean the end of one's life.
“I won't say you're a child. You'll be nineteen soon, after all. But can you declare with certainty that there's nothing left for you to learn at the academy? Is the school truly such an insignificant place to you?”
“I've never thought about that crap. I just want to get stronger.”
This time, Klumpf let his anger show.
Being pleased that the boy resembled him was one thing, but letting him follow the exact same path as his predecessor was another. Above all, he couldn't push his precious grandson into a life of peril.
“Going on a pilgrimage to get stronger? Do you think you can still get your way by whining at this point?”
“It's not whining! I'm genuinely putting my life on the line...!”
Klumpf was firm.
“No means no. You can experience real combat when the time is right. First, you need to build up your skills to a point where you're ready to face the world.”
“No. I've already submitted my withdrawal papers. The decision has been made.”
“I had it canceled. This old man, nearly seventy, had to beg and plead with my junior here to get it retracted.”
“Grandfather!”
Rian raised his voice.
Putting aside the fact that his withdrawal had been retracted, the very idea that Klumpf had pleaded with someone on his behalf was suffocating.
Just as Rian, burning with emotion, was about to speak, there was a knock at the door.
Klumpf frowned, annoyed by the interruption, and said.
“What is it? We're in the middle of something. Come back later.”
“Great Elder, Master Shirone is here to see you.”
Rian turned toward the door with surprised eyes. His heart suddenly began to pound.
His best friend and the lord to whom he had sworn a knight's oath. He was the one person Rian never wanted to see him in such a state, no matter the reason.
Klumpf also knew what Shirone meant to Rian. He stroked his beard for a moment, lost in thought, before making a decision.
“Let him in.”
Rian's stubborn, bull-headed personality was impervious to reason, even from his own family. But Shirone might be able to change the situation.
The door opened, and Shirone stepped inside. Tess peeked her head in to survey the room's atmosphere, but Louis promptly shut the door, giving her no chance.
Rian unconsciously avoided Shirone's gaze. Shirone, however, paid it no mind and first greeted Klumpf.
“Hello, Elder.”
“Yes. I heard from Reina. You've been through a lot.”
He already knew what had happened in Kazra. Perhaps because of the ordeal, Shirone's aura had grown incomparably stronger.
But he had no time to dwell on Shirone's transformation now. Shirone, too, knew why Klumpf had summoned him, so he didn't beat around the bush.
“I heard Rian has dropped out of the academy.”
Klumpf scratched his head, making an exaggerated show of his distress.
“Yes. See if you can talk some sense into him. I've never seen someone so stubborn.”
“I'm in favor of it.”
Klumpf's hand, which had been scratching his head, froze. Not only Rian, but even Kuan, who didn't know Shirone, looked at him with surprise.
“In favor? You mean you think it's fine for Rian to drop out?”
“Yes. I don't know the circumstances or the reasons, but if Rian has made this decision, then I believe it's the right path for him.”
Klumpf struggled to maintain his composure.
He had thought Shirone's arrival was a trump card, but if he was going to act as Rian's advocate, things couldn't get more complicated. He would be a very tricky advocate indeed.
“Alright. As Rian's lord, your opinion is certainly worth hearing. But if that's what you think, you must have a valid reason, correct?”
Shirone turned his head toward Rian. When Rian, still seemingly unable to face him, quietly lowered his gaze, Shirone looked back at Klumpf and continued.
“I have no such valid reason.”
“What?”
“I don't know which choice is more efficient for Rian. But there is one thing I can guarantee.”
Shirone spoke with conviction.
“The Rian I know is not the kind of friend who would run away from any situation.”
Rian clenched his fists. Those words gave him more confidence than a thousand others could.
“It may be a foolish decision. But he is by no means trying to evade his problems. If that's the case, I believe it's my duty as a friend to support him.”
A sense of helplessness tickled at him, and Klumpf burst out laughing.
It was a beautiful friendship. And it was only human nature to want to protect something beautiful.
*‘Clever brat. He already knows my weakness.’*
This was different from dealing with Bischoff, the head of the family. When approached like this, Klumpf, a man of honor, found it impossible to be firm.
But as Shirone already knew, he was not a man who handled matters based on emotion alone.
“I understand how you feel. And your words are persuasive. But Shirone, that is merely a justification for you and Rian. You two still don't know the world. I, at least, have walked the path of a swordsman for decades. Do you think this is just about the academy? Not a chance. The day will come when dropping out today will come back to haunt Rian.”
Kuan raised his hand.
“I have something to say at this point.”
All eyes turned to Kuan.
It was Shirone's first time seeing Kuan, but he could tell from his aura alone that he was no ordinary person.
“To be honest, I didn't answer the General's call just to have a talk as a teacher. I felt I should deliver this in person.”
Kuan took an envelope from his inner pocket.
It was Rian's withdrawal letter.
“I respect you, General, and I want to help, but I cannot accept the retraction of his withdrawal. Teaching a student who has already given up on the academy goes against my educational philosophy.”
Klumpf grunted.
For Klumpf, it was one obstacle after another.
Kuan's stubbornness was legendary even at the sword academy; he was as obstinate as iron. It was no different even when facing a general who was a certified Grade 3 swordsman.
“I'm asking you a favor. Can't you let it slide just this once?”
*‘Grandfather...’*
Rian felt so frustrated he could barely breathe. Seeing the general pleading with a junior so far beneath him for his grandson's sake, he could feel his grandfather's love.
But Kuan was not an easy man to sway.
“This may be an irresponsible opinion for a teacher, but frankly, Rian has no future at the academy. Of course, there are technical aspects he can learn, but the evaluation criteria are strictly centered on Schema. There are emerging opinions that brain enhancement also falls under the category of Schema, but even so, it's not the kind of thing that can be taught in a school. As you know, there's a world of difference between education and practice. Furthermore, practice and real combat can be considered entirely different disciplines. We can't include points for winning a wrestling match against other cadets when it's not a true sword fight.”
Kuan's words didn't sound particularly offensive. As someone who had watched Rian from up close, Kuan was simply offering his honest opinion.
Silence enveloped the room. No one spoke.
Just then, Louis the head butler announced from outside the door again.
“Great Elder, the second young master has arrived.”
Rian's face twisted harshly.
Ogent Rai. Of all the times for his lifelong rival to come home. He was a person Rian didn't want to see, for a completely different reason than with Shirone.
As Rai strode in with a confident air, Shirone quickly stepped aside. He had only seen him once while working as a librarian for the Ogent family, but the impression he left was clearly etched in his memory.
Black hair, a cold face. His frigid demeanor was the same, but his aura was so intense you could feel how much he had grown.
Reina followed him in, and this time, even Louis couldn't close the door.
She came up behind Rai, her eyes glaring daggers, and shouted.
“Hey! What's got you so busy that you don't even show your face? Do you realize it's been a month since you were last home?”
Even the cool-headed Rai couldn't help but scowl at his older sister's nagging.
“I was busy. Couldn't be helped. I'm being dispatched soon, so I just came to pack. I'm hungry, so get me something to eat.”
Reina fumed, glaring at the back of Rai's head, before whispering to Louis to prepare a meal. Her brother was home for the first time in a while; she had to send him off with a warm meal, didn't she?
Rai approached Klumpf and bowed his head with crisp, military posture. Now that they were both soldiers, he couldn't be casual, even at home.
“Grandfather.”
“Mm, you seem to be doing well. Ah, introduce yourself. This is Kuan, a teacher at the sword academy.”
Rai's expression changed.
*‘Kuan? Kuan the Death Magician?’*
He'd heard a story after passing the certification exam and joining the military. It was unconfirmed, of course, but the name of the only swordsman to have survived an encounter with a Pungjang was definitely Kuan.
Rai turned to Kuan and bowed his head.
“A pleasure to meet you, sir. I am Ogent Rai.”
“Yes, I've heard of you. You have a fine disposition, just as I'd heard.”
Kuan accepted the greeting as gracefully as he could. His attitude was completely different from how he treated Rian.
*‘So this is the boy. The Ogent family's genius swordsman.’*
He had achieved Grade 10 certification last year and was already a Grade 8 sergeant. His aura was cold and sharp, as if Kuan were looking at his younger self.
Rai waited at attention, allowing Kuan to fully appraise him, before turning back to Klumpf.
“But why is a high-ranking official from the sword academy here?”
Reina crossed her arms and said.
“Rian dropped out of the academy. So Grandfather called him here to try and change his mind.”
“He quit the academy?”
Rai turned his head toward Rian as if to confirm if it was true. Rian glared back, his eyes wide. He might not be able to face Shirone, but he wouldn't back down from even a staring contest with Rai.
But Rai just scoffed and spoke as if he couldn't care less.
“What's the big deal? If he wants to quit, let him quit.”
Reina clicked her tongue.
“How can you be so indifferent? You're his older brother. Aren't you worried about his life?”
Rai walked past Rian and headed for the door.
“He was a lost cause from the start. It's better he gives up now. Hurry up and get me that food. I'm starving.”
Rian, whose gaze had followed the back of Rai's head, spoke.
“Wait a minute.”
And when Rai turned back, he pointed a finger between his eyes.
“You didn't go to the academy either, did you?”
“That's different. I didn't need to go. You, on the other hand, would be wasting your time even if you did.”
A grinding sound came from Rian's teeth.