Chapter 120
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: 28. The Imperial Capital. (3)
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Allen gave his team members some free time. After all, their trip to the capital was nominally an outing, not business. …Honestly, how much of a loss would it be to come all this way to the capital and not even take in the sights?
And so, Gum-Chewing Inspector Natasha headed to his hideout to meet Sword Emperor Magnus.
The Sword Emperor was like an idol to all swordsmen. Naturally, meeting him was one of their greatest wishes. Natasha was no exception.
…I’m going to meet Captain Magnus…!
Of course, she wasn’t entirely without worries. Even though Odd-Eye’s master had told her to go see him, it felt a bit embarrassing to just show up out of the blue based on that alone.
She’d bought a flower basket as a gift, figuring it’d be awkward to arrive empty-handed. She had no idea if it’d mean anything to the captain.
With a mix of excitement and anxiety, she arrived at Magnus House.
Even Natasha, who barely blinked at most things, couldn’t stop her heart from pounding as she stood before it. But she’d come this far—she couldn’t back down now. Even if she got turned away at the front gate, she had to at least try.
“Who might you be?”
The gatekeeper eyed Natasha, who stood there holding a single flower basket, and asked who she was. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
“Uh…, I’m Natasha Gondor Via from the Allen Mercenary Corps. ……I was hoping I might be able to see Captain Magnus.”
“Ah…, do you have an appointment?”
“No…. Uh, if I say Yupi told me to come, he’ll know….”
Yupi?
The gatekeeper frowned slightly, wondering what nonsense this was. Plenty of people had tried to meet Captain Magnus this way, so he naturally grew suspicious. Out of all those who’d come without an appointment, only a handful had ever been let inside. He doubted this short, flat-chested woman was one of them.
“Hmmm.”
“……Please, just pass the message inside.”
After hesitating, the gatekeeper finally sent a messenger into the building. He braced himself to chew her out if this turned out to be a waste of time.
A short while later, the messenger came rushing back out.
“He says to bring you in!”
The gatekeeper’s eyes widened in surprise—he’d been sure it wouldn’t happen. Natasha’s anxious face lit up instantly.
“Please, come inside.”
The gatekeeper’s attitude turned polite in an instant. Anyone who could meet the captain without an appointment had to be someone extraordinary.
Natasha passed through the front gate and followed closely behind the messenger. It was spacious enough, but for the hideout of a renowned Sword Emperor, it wasn’t particularly lavish. From that, she could indirectly sense his character.
She soon arrived in front of the Sword Emperor’s office.
“You can go in now.”
The messenger said that and returned to his post. When she knocked lightly on the door, a deep, resonant voice told her to enter.
Ah.
Calming her trembling heart, she cautiously turned the doorknob.
The room felt warm and inviting, with sunlight pouring brilliantly through tall arched windows. There, Sword Emperor Magnus sat upright, handling his paperwork. If his presence seemed as sharp as a honed blade, was that just her imagination?
“I’m Natasha Gondor Via…!”
Natasha bowed politely and introduced herself. The middle-aged man with wrinkles around his eyes smiled faintly and beckoned her closer.
“I see…, Yupi sent you, did she?”
…Big sis?
No matter how she thought about it, Odd-Eye’s master didn’t look like someone Magnus would call “big sis.” She wondered if there was a misunderstanding.
“Uh, Ms. Yupi is still quite young.”
“…Ah, I see. Well, she might seem that way to you. …It really looks like Yupi big sis sent you.”
Magnus smiled kindly, like a friendly neighborhood uncle rather than the Sword Emperor. As he did, his eyes lightly scanned her from head to toe, as if sizing her up.
At that moment, Natasha let out a small “Ah!” and hurriedly lifted the flower basket she’d been holding up to her chest.
“I’m not sure if you’ll like it, but… do you like flowers…?”
“Oh, a gift? Thank you. You have such a gracious heart.”
“Not at all. I couldn’t possibly come empty-handed.”
Natasha gently placed the flower basket on the edge of the desk and stepped back a little.
Watching her every move meticulously, he slowly rose from his seat, grabbed his sword, and told her to follow him as he strode off somewhere. She trailed a few steps behind.
They arrived at what looked like a training yard in the backyard.
Ah—.
Standing in the center of the training yard, the Sword Emperor turned to face the female swordswoman again.
“Swordsmen converse with swords, don’t they?”
“……Yes, that’s right.”
And so, the man and woman drew their swords almost simultaneously. He nodded slightly, yielding the first strike to her. Of course, she had no intention of refusing. She only pondered how to make it the most perfect opening move possible.
Unlike Natasha, who gripped the hilt with both hands, lowered her stance slightly, and watched for an opening, Sword Emperor Magnus stood tall and relaxed, his sword dangling loosely like it was part of a casual conversation. ……But she couldn’t see it as a gap at all.
Still, she couldn’t just wait forever for an opportunity. Finally, she kicked off the ground with all her strength and swung her sword with a whoosh.
Of course, her strike was blocked by his sword effortlessly, almost pathetically so.
…Good.
From that single blow, the Sword Emperor roughly gauged her level. At the same time, he understood why Yupi big sis had sent this young woman to him. …It seemed she wanted him to give her some guidance.
Natasha swung her sword with all her might, as if pouring everything she had into it.
Back and forth their exchanges repeated. He dissected the essence of her swordplay piece by piece.
She definitely had a genius rare among her peers. …But beyond that genius, he sensed something else lurking beneath.
Enlightenment.
A profound understanding not just of the sword, but of martial arts itself, bubbling just below the surface. She simply hadn’t drawn it out yet.
Confirming that, the Sword Emperor’s eyes gleamed.
……Perhaps, in a dozen years or so, this woman could be his successor as the next Sword Emperor.
Yupi’s eye for talent was truly exceptional. To find someone like this.
At the same time, Sword Emperor Magnus’s gaze grew cold. If that was the case, then maybe she needed more than a simple spar.
He struck her sword hard, forcing her back a step.
“Brace yourself.”
With that curt warning, the air froze terrifyingly cold. Killing intent condensed to the extreme. He had become a sword himself.
—!!
Natasha’s body trembled instinctively at the killing intent, tensing like prey before a predator. Then came the brutal onslaught.
Each falling strike was truly overwhelming. If he’d meant to kill her for real, her body would’ve been cleaved in two with one blow.
Her movements were already growing chaotic. She was blocking somehow, but unnatural actions led to excessive stamina drain. The fight was effectively decided.
But this spar wasn’t just about winning or losing.
“Last one.”
In the midst of that dominating assault, Magnus made his brief declaration.
And his final strike—.
————!!!!!
The diagonal slash was perfection itself. The very realm all swordsmen yearned for.
She witnessed it with her own eyes.
Breathing. Stance. Motion.
Not a single flaw.
One could only wonder what level of talent and effort it took to achieve that.
A realm beyond awe, into reverence.
“Did you see it?”
Natasha couldn’t pull herself from that rapture for a moment.
“……I saw it.”
The Sword Emperor smiled warmly again.
That was enough.
Her qualification was proven.
“……You are now my disciple.”
Sword Emperor Magnus chuckled awkwardly.
“I must’ve been mistaken. I didn’t know you already had a master.”
“…I’m sorry.”
He waved it off, saying there was no need to apologize.
“So…, which mercenary corps are you with…?”
“The Allen Mercenary Corps.”
Allen Mercenary Corps, huh….
He rolled the name around on his tongue a few times, as if committing it to memory.
“Even if we’re from different groups, don’t think of us as strangers. Come to me anytime you need help…. And feel free to think of me as your master.”
It was far too generous for words directed at the Sword Emperor himself.
“This is too much kindness for someone like me…!”
“I’m thrilled to have a promising junior like you. No need to feel burdened.”
“……Thank you so much.”
Magnus smiled contentedly, thinking what a polite young lady she was.
May blessings follow her path.