Chapter 392: Bread and Dagger (90)
Chapter 392: Bread and Dagger (90)
The faint glimmer of dawn scattered its clear light.
Past the dead of night, the hour was now early morning.
The duel taking place in the backyard of the Yurdina estate was finally drawing to a close.
Marquis Yurdina wielded his sword with a seasoned skill befitting his age.
His sense of distance, in particular, was exceptional.
Whenever Delphine used her youth and stamina to close the gap, the Marquis countered with his signature footwork and finesse. It was a tactic so precise it was hard to believe it came from such a frail body.
However, time is an equalizer for everyone.
Unless one reached the dreamlike state of a Master, there was no way to stop the physical decay of aging. No matter how vast one's Mana was, limits always existed.
Marquis Yurdina had held out remarkably well.
The duel had lasted for several hours. It wouldn't have been strange for him to collapse from exhaustion halfway through, yet he did not easily reveal an opening.
The conclusion was reached in the most Yurdina-like fashion.
"You truly are talented, Delphine."
"Of course. Whose blood do you think runs through my veins?"
Within their respective ranges, the heavy breathing of father and daughter intertwined. Beads of sweat had formed on Delphine’s forehead as well.
To be honest, Delphine was surprised.
This was a father who had been bedridden with a serious illness for years. She hadn't expected an easy victory, but she never imagined he would hold out this well.
Delphine felt a mix of impatience and pride.
She was anxious to secure her victory quickly, yet at the same time, she felt relieved that the pillar of Yurdina was still standing strong.
Even so, she would be the ultimate victor.
A competitive fire blazed in Delphine’s eyes. Seeing this, the old lion burst into a coughing laugh.
"You foolish girl. Do you want the position of Head of Family that badly? If you had just waited as I told you, it would have been yours in a few years anyway."
"Father, you were the one who told me this."
As the woman steadied her breath, the sword's point trembled, emitting a chilling blue light.
It looked as if moonlight were dripping down the blade.
And the moment her breathing turned calm—
Whoosh!
Golden flames erupted from her sword. Even from a distance, the heat was enough to make one's skin sting.
"You said that the weight of all Northerners rests upon the shoulders of Yurdina... but what exactly is it that I have been seeing and hearing?"
"It couldn't be helped."
"So all those Northerners had to die and be injured because it 'couldn't be helped'?"
Marquis Yurdina did not answer.
Instead, deep blue flames began to rise from his sword as well. The flickering light resembled a lion's mane.
It was the spirit befitting the Master of the Yurdina Family, the Lion of the Empire that protected the North.
"This is the end. I hope... you do not die."
At that moment, the old man’s sword point dropped toward the lower left.
Guessing his intention, Delphine flashed a predatory smile.
"The same goes for you, Father."
The two swords remained motionless, pointed toward the lower left.
They circled each other, taking one step, then two, as if searching for an opening. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, they both kicked off the ground and lunged forward.
Delphine was faster. However, her opponent was a veteran swordsman who had spent decades on the battlefield.
He retreated slightly, creating a tiny gap between them. Simultaneously, his blade surged upward from the lower left.
Deep blue claw marks were etched into the air.
Five lines in total.
In his prime, the Marquis could manifest seven lines of the Golden Silk Sword, but with the passage of time, five was now his limit.
Nevertheless, their sharpness had not rusted.
If anything, through selection and focus, the strikes had gained even more ferocious power. Even with the same five lines of the Golden Silk Sword, there was a clear difference in level compared to Delphine.
Delphine hadn't even managed to take the initiative.
Naturally, she was forced onto the defensive, and thus, the Marquis did not doubt his imminent victory.
Until seven claw marks appeared before him.
The aura, burning like fire, scattered intense heat. The dark blue aura tried to wedge itself in and resist, but it could not overcome the numerical disadvantage.
With the sound of cracking, the dark blue claw marks began to shatter one by one.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
Finally, after intercepting the last claw mark, two golden threads drew an arc as light as a feather.
By the time the Marquis widened his eyes, it was already too late.
Two sword scars were carved into his chest, and the Marquis staggered back, falling to his knees.
The wounds weren't deep. But they weren't shallow, either.
Before he knew it, Delphine’s sword point was leveled at his throat.
"It's over."
At those cold words, the Marquis let out a series of chuckles.
Then, as if short of breath, he spent a long moment coughing and thumping his chest.
Marquis Yurdina looked up at Delphine with eyes full of resignation.
"When did you master the Golden Silk Sword to that extent?"
"I had an excellent teaching material, so I practiced a bit."
An excellent teaching material.
Was there someone else in this world who could manifest seven lines of the Golden Silk Sword?
It was impossible.
Therefore, Marquis Yurdina had no choice but to interpret Delphine’s words differently.
It was a sign for him not to ask.
What right did a loser, and a parent who had lied to his child, have to pry?
He spoke with clouded eyes.
"You've grown so much. Yes, a successor of Yurdina should be exactly like this... Do as you wish. Yurdina is yours now."
"Father, I want everything of Yurdina."
Delphine’s expression remained cold despite her father's acknowledgment.
If anything, she added a bit more strength to the hand holding the sword. The tip advanced slightly, and a small bead of blood formed on the Marquis's throat.
Despite this, the Marquis remained calm.
He spoke as if feigning ignorance.
"What exactly do you mean? If I hand over the position of Head of Family, you will naturally shoulder everything."
"The truth of the family."
Before the Marquis could offer any more excuses, Delphine growled, pressing her father even more fiercely.
"Who exactly is Seria's mother? Why did you hide her identity so desperately... and why was Alex trying to drive a wedge between humanity and the elves?"
"Seria's mother is a lowborn. I only kept it a secret because she didn't suit our family. And Alex acted on his own—"
"This is an order given as the Master of Yurdina."
It was a stern voice without a hint of hesitation.
Delphine warned him again, her face frozen in a cold mask. It was as if the bond of blood wasn't even a consideration.
"Tell me everything, now. And stop with the pathetic excuses."
The Marquis fell silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
"Ha... the way you talk is exactly like your mother. She was quite a spirited woman..."
"Did you not love my mother?"
The question flowed naturally from Delphine’s lips.
It was partly to draw out more information, but the question itself was sincere.
Delphine had grown up as an only child.
This was a stark contrast to other high-ranking nobles who had several children. Naturally, the household staff assumed the relationship between the Marquis and his wife was poor, a belief that was solidified when the Marquis took Seria's mother as a concubine.
And yet, for this man who had never once shown familial affection to act like this now...
It was more bewildering than absurd.
However, Marquis Yurdina did not easily give her the answer she wanted. With eyes that deepened as if wandering through memories, he muttered, dredging up the past.
"I wasn't a particularly talented swordsman. In fact, in terms of swordsmanship, my older brother and sister were far superior. I had some followers because I had a decent reputation, but you know, don't you? That there is only one law in Yurdina."
Delphine didn't bother to answer.
It was a question so obvious that anyone living in the North could answer it.
Survival of the Fittest.
That was the one and only law of Yurdina.
"Watching the retainers suffer under my hot-tempered brother and neurotic sister, I blamed myself countless times. I asked why I lacked talent, when I was confident I could build a better Yurdina than those two... and by extension, a better North!"
"In the end, you did become the Head of the Yurdina Family."
"Yes, but it wasn't through legitimate means. That night, a woman with hair as black as ebony came to find me..."
Hair as black as ebony.
For a split second, a certain man flashed through her mind, but Delphine quickly shook her head with a bitter smile.
While black hair was rare, it wasn't a unique genetic trait.
The reason she had thought of him was likely just because she had been preoccupied with thoughts of him lately.
Absurdly enough.
Delphine cleared her throat to cool her slightly warming cheeks. Then, she quietly listened to the Marquis's continuing voice.
"To me, who was suffering from inferiority and self-loathing, she spoke. She asked why I was grieving... she asked if I truly resented the gap that couldn't be overturned no matter how much I swung my sword until my palms tore."
The woman bit back a bitter smile.
To affirm or to deny.
In truth, the answer was already decided.