Chapter 354
Chapter 354
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 354
Chapter Title: The Swordsman's Conviction (6)
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After spending a night at the manor, Shirone headed to the dining room with Rian and Tess. Klumpf was seated at the head of the table, reading a newspaper, while Reina was busy preparing the meal.
Shirone, rubbing his sleepy eyes, bowed his head in greeting.
“Good morning.”
“Morning. Let's eat.”
Rian, rubbing his starving stomach as he sat down, asked Reina.
“Where's Rai?”
“He left at dawn. You think he's an unemployed bum with nothing to do like you?”
It started as a joke, as always, but this time her words had a sharp edge. As his older sister, she couldn't help but be concerned about her youngest brother leaving to become a knight errant.
“Tch, it's only been a day since I dropped out! And I'm leaving right after breakfast, too.”
Reina said as she ladled chicken stew onto a plate.
“You should rest for a few days. Shirone is here, too.”
Shirone said as he carried the plates.
“It's alright. I have to get back soon as well.”
He couldn't go into detail because of his promise to Gannan. More importantly, he himself was wondering why the Association President was looking for him.
A rather solemn atmosphere hung in the air, as it was the day of Rian's departure. But Rian, the man of the hour, wolfed down three plates of chicken stew and packed his things as if he were in a hurry.
His luggage consisted of nothing more than a backpack with a simple change of clothes and a day's worth of food. He strapped a leather scabbard to his body, slid the greatsword into it on his back, and approached Klumpf in the living room.
“Grandfather.”
“Yes. Are you ready?”
He was almost ready, but one thing remained.
The fact that he had defeated Rai would be a great source of courage for his journey ahead. But for that very reason, there was something he needed to clear up.
“What did Rai mean yesterday?”
Klumpf lowered the teacup from his lips and looked up at Rian.
“Why didn't he try to use Sword Kill? You know, don't you, Grandfather?”
“Ah, that.”
Klumpf smacked his lips and set down his teacup.
He'd been putting it off, worried it might give him a big head, but now that Rian was leaving on his quest, it wouldn't hurt to tell him.
“The sword you're carrying is no ordinary item. Have you ever heard of Objects?”
“An Object?”
Rian's eyes widened as he drew the greatsword. His heart pounded as the functions of Rated Control and Adamant Armament that Shirone had demonstrated last night flashed through his mind.
Hearing the conversation, Shirone and Tess also came into the living room and focused on the greatsword. Other than its domineering shape, the sword had no particularly distinguishing features.
Rian held the greatsword vertically and looked up at it.
“So this was an Object? Is that why he didn't try to destroy it? What kind of abilities does it have?”
Klumpf crossed his arms and legs.
“The sword's official name is . Its ability is as grand as its name. To put it bluntly, <idea> can, in any situation…”
“In any situation?”
Klumpf’s eyes sharpened as he enunciated each word.
“Never be destroyed.”
Silence fell over the living room.
“A-And?”
“Hm? What 'and'? I told you, it can't be destroyed. Whether you drop it in lava, cut it with a saw, or smash it with a hammer, it won't even get a scratch. Isn't that amazing?”
In a way, it was a swordsman's dream. But compared to Arman, which was packed with dozens of functions, it was admittedly, and disappointingly, simple.
“Uh, well… it's amazing. It's incredibly amazing, but… it's an Object. If a sword breaks, can't you just buy a new one?”
“Foolish boy. Do you have any idea how important a weapon's durability is in a real fight? Even in yesterday's duel, the battle would have been much harder if it weren't for .”
Rian had to admit that was true. No, looking back, had already saved his life once. It was the moment he blocked Ymir's straight punch.
Ymir's punch had crumpled the steel-made Signa and Exd like paper, but it couldn't destroy Rian's greatsword. If it hadn't been for , Ymir's fist would have pierced through the sword and shattered Rian's body.
“Anyway, that's the kind of sword it is. Rai didn't *not* try to use Sword Kill. He *couldn't*. He wanted that thing badly when he was a kid.”
Rian pouted. He could now confidently say he had become a respectable swordsman, but back in his childhood, Rai had been the pride of the family, shouldering all their expectations.
“Tch, then why didn't you give it to Rai? Why save it until now?”
“He doesn't like crude things. It wouldn't have suited him, either.”
He had asked with a sliver of hope, but the answer was not what he expected.
As Rian's expression soured even more, Klumpf’s lips curled into a wide grin.
“Kekeke, what were you expecting? Did you think I prepared it specially for you?”
“Who said anything? Stop with your useless mind-reading.”
Though Klumpf acted otherwise, Shirone could guess the truth.
Rai probably did truly want . Regardless of its function, inheriting the sword of a former family head was a great honor. But the sword was passed down to Rian.
Yet, Klumpf played it off as a joke, likely the heart of a grandfather who didn't want to burden his grandson.
“Since we're on the topic, shall I tell you the story behind ?”
“Huh? There's a story?”
Rian’s eyes lit up with interest. Despite his grumbling, it seemed he wasn't entirely displeased with 's unique ability.
“Of course. When I was young, I also went on a quest to train my swordsmanship, just like you. I single-handedly wiped out a group of bandits. They were formidable foes. I annihilated them, but I also suffered a fatal wound that left me on the brink of death. I dragged my injured body down the mountain. Then I came across a strange village that wasn't on any map. It wasn't much different from other villages, but strangely, the people were quiet and gloomy.”
Shirone's group held their breath, captivated by Klumpf's tale. It was the story of a fateful encounter between an Object and the man who would one day become a general of Tormia.
“There, I met an old man and his granddaughter, and by a stroke of luck, my life was saved. When I came to, my sword wounds were completely healed. I don't know how they treated me. The only thing that remained in my hazy consciousness was a phrase, like a chant, repeated over and over. Smile, smile, it went.”
Rian mumbled the word to himself before asking.
“Smile? What does that mean?”
“I don't know. It might have been a spell, or some kind of magic. In any case, the old man seemed to have chanted it all night. After I recovered, I looked around the village. There was an antique shop. A shop with many strange items. The most impressive thing was that they were selling glass bottles filled with colorful smoke. When I asked what they were for, the owner wouldn't tell me.”
As if getting to the main point, Klumpf took a sip of tea to wet his throat.
“Then, I saw a greatsword hanging behind the counter. That's the very you're carrying. I knew at a glance it was no ordinary sword. And as if possessed, I approached the owner.”
Rian swallowed hard, his expression tense.
“A-And then?”
Klumpf blinked, then said nonchalantly.
“Hm? And then? I paid for it and bought it, of course.”
Tension turned to deflation, and Rian’s exasperation spilled out.
“Are you kidding me?”
Klumpf frowned, displeased.
“What's with you, kid? You said you wanted to hear the story.”
Rian scratched his head.
He'd been had by his grandfather again. Did he really find it so amusing to tease his eighteen-year-old grandson?
“You got my hopes up for nothing. I thought you'd gone through some bizarre, life-or-death experience.”
“Puhahahaha! Am I crazy, to risk my life for a mere sword? Rian, remember this. A true sword is held not with the hand, but with the heart. In any case, it was a major decision to buy it. Treat it with care.”
“Tch. Such an old man's lecture. Anyway, if it was a major decision, how much did you pay? Since it's an Object, maybe around two million gold?”
“That? Eighty million gold.”
*Clang!* Rian flung the greatsword to the floor.
“Damn it! That's insane! You paid eighty million for a sword that just doesn't break? You could buy hundreds of masterpieces with that kind of money!”
“It's an Object, you brat! And it's my money, what right do you have to butt in? If you're going to treat it so carelessly, give it back! If you want to take it, cough up eighty million!”
“No way! You already said you were giving it to me, you can't go back on your word now!”
Rian hastily snatched the greatsword from the floor and hugged it to his chest as if someone might take it.
“What kind of swordsman throws his sword on the ground? That sword is too good for you! Go hang it in my room right now!”
“Why? Afraid it might break? I thought you said a true sword is held with the heart!”
Shirone and Tess watched the argument with bewildered expressions.
“…They really are two peas in a pod.”
“Indeed.”
After bickering for a while, they fell silent, seemingly exhausted.
In the end, Rian was the victor. He sheathed the greatsword and, as if to show Klumpf, tied the leather straps tighter than usual.
His huffing was short-lived; Klumpf recalled something and smiled.
This was the moment he had waited a full eighteen years for. Seeing it with his own eyes made the old man's heart tighten with emotion.
‘The more I look at him, the more he resembles me.’
Though he had little to no talent for swordsmanship, he had decided from the beginning that Rian would be the owner of .
He didn't pay eighty million gold because of its function. A sword that can never be broken. What could be a more fitting conviction for the Ogent family?
And in this moment, his entire philosophy was passed on to Rian through .
‘But it's truly strange. After paying the eighty million gold, I went back to find the village had vanished without a trace.’
Of course, if a colossal sum of eighty million gold had entered a mountain village, it was plausible that the entire community would relocate to a better place.
But there was a subtle feeling he hadn't mentioned to Rian.
Perhaps he had simply collapsed in the mountains from his fatal wound, and the month he spent going between the village and the house was actually just him wandering through a dream in a state of trance.
In any case, it was one of the most inexplicable events of Klumpf's life. Moreover, with the enlightenment he gained that day as a turning point, he rose through the ranks to eventually become a general, a certified Grade 3 swordsman.
“Grandfather, I'll be going now.”
Rian’s expression had shifted, and he offered his farewell with a burning gaze.
“Alright. The most important thing is to protect yourself. Remember that victory is not the only thing to be gained from a real battle.”
It was his way of saying it's better to avoid fights that can be avoided.
Rian, taking his grandfather’s advice to heart, bowed deeply with sincerity.
‘Thank you, Grandfather. For believing in your worthless grandson until the very end.’
Rian left the manor, seen off by his family and friends. A carriage was waiting at the main gate.
After looking at the carriage for a moment while thinking about his destination, Rian made a decision and turned back to Shirone.
“Shirone, keep up the hard work. Even though I dropped out, just think of it as me graduating early.”
“Yeah. You take care of yourself, too. Keep in touch.”
Rian turned to Tess, whose eyes were welling with tears. He had held it together so far, but now that it was time to actually leave, he couldn't suppress the surging emotions.
Rian gave her a gentle smile. She was a woman full of affection, unlike a typical swordsman, but he liked that about Tess. One day, the time would come when he could stand before her with pride.
“Tess, I'm leaving.”
“You jerk. Without a single word of discussion…”
“I'm sorry. I was thoughtless.”
Tess understood Rian's choice. And she was the one who should understand him more than anyone. But at the same time, she was also angry at herself for not being able to harshly push away such a thoughtless man.
“This is the last time I'm putting up with this. If you come back and still treat me so coldly, then…”
Rian pulled Tess into his broad chest.
“I'll come back stronger.”
Tess pressed her lips together firmly, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
‘You don't have to get stronger. As long as you come back alive…’
And she gently patted Rian's back and said.
“Okay. Make sure you come back stronger.”
Having said his goodbyes to everyone, Rian boarded the carriage. True to his nature of always charging forward, he never once looked back.
As the carriage departed, the space where the four of them stood felt empty. Such was Rian's presence.
Shirone watched the distant carriage and prayed.
‘Come back as a great swordsman, Rian. I'll work hard, too.’
May fortune favor Rian on his journey ahead.