Chapter 29: Twilight (3)
Chapter 29: Twilight (3)
There was no need to deliberate over the winner of the duel of honor.
My limbs were still perfectly attached, while Meken, his face flushed a deep crimson, was being carried to a temporary barracks supported by his knights. Everyone present understood what had just transpired.
A 「Sword Runner」 had been defeated by a 「Sword Walker」.
A seasoned knight, recognized as a powerhouse not just in this backwater village but anywhere he went, had lost to a green, rustic boy.
“It’s… it’s impossible. How… just how?!”
Meken screamed, glaring at me even as thick blood dripped from his wounds. The knights restrained him as he tried to lash out, dragging him toward the barracks. Even after he was inside, his voice thundered out for all to hear.
“It’s a trick! That cur dared to use a trick against a knight in a sacred duel of honor!”
Amidst the lingering commotion, the apprentice knight who had served as the referee looked at my exhausted form and spoke in a low, heavy voice.
“…What do you wish to receive for your victory in this duel of honor?”
The knight did not speak down to me.
I couldn't tell if it was because I was a powerhouse who had defeated their vice-captain, or if the apprentice knight was simply a polite individual by nature.
Only one thing was certain.
As the victor, I was entitled to demand compensation.
And in a situation like this…
“I would like to know what I am entitled to receive.”
It was better to be a bit more assertive.
In this moment, standing before the apprentice knight, I became Mary, the mercenary swordswoman who had survived countless commissions as a woman; I became the assassin of the Free City Crowde, who had always engaged in battles of will in the underworld; and I became Knight Petel, who had always stood firm and fought for his master.
It was a pressure that a mere apprentice knight could not hope to withstand.
“Every. Single. Thing.”
At my demand, the apprentice knight let out a short sigh.
However, no words followed about me being arrogant or asking if I thought this was a merchant’s negotiation. Having won the duel of honor, there wasn't a single knight present who could ignore me.
My appearance as a callow youth and my slight, feminine frame were no longer issues. As I have always said, in the Iron Kingdom, might is law.
And by defeating a 「Sword Runner」, I had proven myself.
Whether I was covered in blood, gasping for air from exhaustion, or my limbs were trembling from overextending my sword—no one here could look down on me.
“I shall explain.”
Yes, this is the Iron Kingdom.
“There are three things you may demand, Young Master. If you choose one of these three, Vice-Captain Meken will grant it upon his honor.”
In the Iron Kingdom, the strong take everything.
“First, the first option is…”
*
After finishing my conversation with the apprentice knight, I returned to the mansion to rest. I have no idea how long I slept. When I finally woke from my long slumber, much of my fatigue had vanished.
The damage accumulated in my body seemed to have been greater than I thought.
The duel with Meken had been fierce. The result was good, but the process had been grueling. If I had slipped up even once, I would have been the one losing an arm.
The stress from extreme tension, the strain of forcing Petel’s sword techniques, and the immense damage dealt to my body by squeezing my heart to its limits—it was all staggering.
Because of that overwhelming damage, I had done nothing but sleep like the dead.
I faltered several times as I tried to push myself up from the bed. A terrible muscle ache throbbed through my entire body, making it difficult to move. As I struggled to sit up, I felt a weight pressing down on my thighs.
“Seol-yoon?”
There lay Seol-yoon, fast asleep and breathing softly. On the nightstand next to the bed sat a bowl of white porridge, steam still rising from it. As I sat there, confused by the situation, Liam spoke.
「The girl looked after you while you did nothing but sleep as if you were dead.」
“……”
「Her devotion was quite something. She seemed very worried. Could it be that she has feelings for you? Ho ho, it will be troublesome if young people start falling for each other this early—」
“Stop playing such strange jokes.”
I glared at Liam. Seol-yoon remained asleep, her head resting on my lap with her eyes closed. Listening to her rhythmic breathing, I gently moved her light head aside.
Now that I think about it, she did say something like that. That she can’t just pass by a sick person.
I recalled something Seol-yoon had said in passing when she was helping Petel shortly after I arrived at this estate. It seemed Seol-yoon had her own circumstances as well.
“Looking at her like this, she really is just a young girl.”
Instead of her usual warrior’s attire, Seol-yoon was dressed in comfortable, light clothing. In this state, she looked less like a genius swordsman and more like a delicate girl exactly her age.
Without thinking, I almost reached out to touch her hair, but I stopped myself. There were things more important than the impulses of a teenage boy.
「Indeed. It is probably best to stop right there.」
I snapped back to my senses at Liam’s words.
After covering the sleeping Seol-yoon with a blanket, I stood up and took a few spoonfuls of the white porridge.
“It tastes bloody awful.”
It was bland and far too watery. It was clearly the work of someone who had never cooked a day in their life.
Even so, I finished it all without leaving a drop.
The lack of flavor meant her skills were clumsy, and that clumsiness meant she had brewed this porridge while worrying with a sincere heart. I am usually a sensitive and suspicious person, but at the same time, I am a man of much affection who cannot be cold-hearted.
While I was nodding to myself, impressed by my own warmth, Liam threw cold water on the moment.
「Your paranoia is truly something else.」
“Still, one must do what one must do.”
…Well, let’s just pretend I didn't dip a silver spoon in and out to check for poison.
After finishing the porridge, I went out to change my clothes. When I returned to the bedroom, I saw Seol-yoon sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She spoke with a voice still thick with sleep.
“…You’re awake?”
“Yes. Thank you for the meal.”
Seol-yoon stared at me blankly for a moment before asking.
“Was it good?”
I didn't answer.
“I asked if it was good.”
Seol-yoon was persistent.
*
I went outside with Seol-yoon.
After asking ‘Was it good?’ eight times, Seol-yoon finally asked a question I could actually answer.
“You remember the promise, right?”
The promise.
Yes, I had made a promise to Seol-yoon.
“Yes.”
I had agreed to cross swords with her if I survived.
And I had survived. Since I was alive, I had to keep my word.
However.
“But…”
There was something I had to do first.
“I would like to wait until after Petel’s funeral before we clash blades.”
My kind neighbor.
I needed time to send Petel off with the respect he deserved.
“Fine. That knight was a good man.”
Seol-yoon nodded with her characteristic expressionless face.
My first neighbor had left this world.
“You are a good person too, Seol-yoon. You looked after me while I was asleep. Honestly, I was moved.”
Those who have departed must be sent off with proper honors once more. Only then can those left behind continue to live.
I smiled at my second neighbor, Seol-yoon.
Seol-yoon looked at me for a moment, and then a small smile played across her usually stoic face.
“Don't think you can win me over with that. Like I said before, you’re not my type.”
“Is that so?”
“So, was it good?”
“……”
A few playful words were exchanged. After that, we climbed up the ridge. On top of the hill, where the orange sunset was clearly visible, lay Petel, his body stiff and cold.
“…Petel, you worked hard.”
Looking at Petel, who was frozen like a statue, the funeral rite we chose was the 「Rest of Fire」.
“I tried my best to prove the worth of your life; I hope you had a good view of it from wherever you are.”
This was a funeral custom of the Goddess Markia’s Order, which Petel had believed in. According to their doctrine, to return to the embrace of the Goddess who symbolizes the sky, the body must be burned so the soul can be sent up as smoke. Both Seol-yoon and I were atheists who did not believe in Goddess Markia.
“May the Maiden of the Sky embrace him.”
“May the Maiden of the Sky embrace him.”
But for this moment, as we burned Petel’s body, we clasped our hands and prayed for his soul just as Petel would have done in life. We hoped he would find eternal peace by the side of the God he had sought.
“…The sunset is beautiful today.”
“It is. This village has at least one good thing going for it.”
“I told you, there are many good things besides this.”
After the funeral was over, the orange sunset dyed the sky. Today’s twilight was somehow deeper and redder than usual. Looking at the world being stained by the light, I was lost in sentiment for a moment.
Seol-yoon seemed to be feeling the same.
We spent some time idly watching the sunset.
「You are quite leisurely, my young descendant.」
…Unaware of what was unfolding down in the village.
「It seems the reward you demanded for the duel of honor is bringing quite a storm with it.」
“…I don't think what I asked for earlier was that grand.”
「It was grand. You just don't realize it yet.」
Hearing Liam’s words, I slowly opened my eyes.
The thing I had chosen before I collapsed into sleep.
The last of the three options the apprentice knight had explained.
「It seems you are destined to live a life without a moment’s rest.」
I couldn't understand why that would bring a storm. At least, not until then.
*
Inside the most lavishly decorated tent of the temporary barracks established by the knights, Meken lay groaning in pain.
“You must not move for at least a month. Fortunately, your opponent seems to have shown mercy; the cuts were clean, so I was able to reattach them… but it will be difficult to hold a sword as you did before. Your nerves will be dulled.”
An old healer, rushed in from a nearby city, gave his diagnosis. Hearing this, Meken’s face turned even redder.
Was it because he was told he would struggle to hold a sword?
No. It was the words before that which grated on him.
“He showed… mercy?”
“Yes. I do not know who your opponent was, but he clearly understands the ways of chivalry.”
“Heh, hehahahaha!”
Meken laughed as if he had gone mad, then suddenly awakened his second heart and glared at the healer with the eyes of a predator. The fluctuations of his 「Mana Heart」 surged violently, and a low growl escaped his lips.
“You, are you mocking me? Do you wish to die? A mere backwater healer dares…”
“Vice-Captain! You mustn't!”
“Let go! This man…”
The knights rushed in and barely managed to restrain Meken.
The healer, his face pale as a sheet, scrambled out of the tent as if fleeing for his life. Meken panted heavily, staring fixedly at the spot where the healer had been.
“I hope you lot don't think the same.”
“……”
“This… this was an unholy duel. That brat definitely used a trick. That wasn't a level of hardness a mere 「Sword Walker」 could possess. Yes, he used a magic tool. Or if not that, then… yes. A Black Mage! Weren't there rumors of a Black Mage being here?!”
“…Vice-Captain.”
“It wasn't a young boy, but a golem made by a Black Mage. Yes, they put out a doll that looked like a boy. That explains it. Or perhaps a Black Mage hiding nearby cast a curse on me—”
As Meken’s rant continued, the expressions of the knights darkened.
It was all nonsensical, grasping at straws. Meken likely knew that himself. But if he didn't believe it, he wouldn't be able to endure.
He could not accept the fact that he had been defeated by a mere 「Sword Walker」, the humiliating truth that his arms had been severed by a boy who looked like an easy target.
Meken panted, radiating killing intent. Even wounded, he was a 「Sword Runner」, and everyone fell silent under the weight of the killing intent he poured out in earnest.
And then.
“What a pathetic fool.”
The pressure Meken had spread like a beast’s roar vanished in an instant.
“Did I not tell you? Unfledged wings are nothing more than scraps of paper.”
“……”
“I warned you that when you met an enemy harder than yourself, you would be shattered and broken miserably.”
“How… how are you here?”
At the sound of the calm, echoing voice, all the knights looked toward the entrance of the tent. There stood an old man with a magnificent beard. The old man was clad in shimmering silver armor, standing firm with eyes that shone with a piercing light.
The air inside the tent seemed to revolve around him.
The killing intent Meken had spread was completely extinguished before the old man.
The meaning of this was simple.
“Did you think you were the sky itself in this backwater? How arrogant. The world is overflowing with the strong, and anyone can possess the teeth to crush your unfledged wings.”
Only a 「Sword Runner」 or a swordsman of an even higher realm could suppress the aura of a 「Sword Runner」.
“How did you get here, Sir Bermartin?”
Sir Bermartin.
“Why would the noble… Knight Commander come all the way to this rustic corner…”
The Knight Commander of the 「Yellow Elephant」, the order to which Meken belonged.
The old man, Bermartin, looked at Meken, gave a dismissive snort, and spoke.
“I have graced this place with my presence because of your inadequacy. A man who holds the rank of Vice-Captain started a duel of honor on a whim, and to top it off, did you not lose?”
“…Could you have already arrived here from the capital?”
“Do you think I came alone? I, Bermartin?”
As he spoke, Bermartin threw open the entrance to the tent. Outside, countless knights were visible. They were all heavily armed.
They wore helmets that concealed their faces, and even their horses were draped in thick armor. Furthermore, behind the knights, mages bearing insignias could be seen.
It was a force of a scale that looked as if they were going to war.
As Meken stared at them blankly, Bermartin spoke.
“You idiot. Do you think the position of Vice-Captain of a Knight Order is a light one? With power comes responsibility. And that responsibility is not yours alone; our Knight Order must shoulder it as well.”
Bermartin let out a long sigh and continued.
“The boy who broke your wings demanded the 「Flag」 in exchange for sparing your life.”
“…What?”
Meken’s eyes trembled.
A knight who wins a duel of honor has the right to choose one of three demands if they do not take the opponent’s life.
First, to confiscate all the property and belongings of the defeated knight.
Second, to tarnish their honor to the utmost and brand the defeated knight as a slave. In this case, it is considered a dishonor worse than death.
Usually, if life is spared, one of these two is chosen. They are the most valuable things one can obtain without killing the opponent.
The third and final option was a demand that almost no one ever chose, as it provided little practical gain and placed a massive burden on the losing side.
“Why… why on earth?”
“Why? You fool.”
The 「Flag」.
To explain in detail: the loser must restore all the tarnished honor of the winning knight to its original state. Furthermore, the losing side must use every means at their disposal to elevate the ‘honor’ of the winning knight. Truly, every means must be mobilized.
It was a demand that the realistic knights of the Iron Kingdom, who pursued practical gains, mocked as a ‘stupid old tradition.’
“Because the boy who defeated you possesses a conviction as hard as steel.”
And yet, it was the most knightly of the three demands.
“I am curious. To think such a romantic swordsman still exists in this age.”
“……”
“A boy who becomes a Proxy Warrior for a departed knight, wins a duel of honor, and then demands the Flag? It sounds like the beginning of a chivalric novel. Hahaha.”
Bermartin grinned.
“I won't be satisfied until I see his face for myself.”
Having laughed, Bermartin stroked his beard once.
Then he added.
“Ah, and there is one more guest.”
“A guest?”
“You brat, how do you think even I, Bermartin, could have gathered this many knights and mages alone?”
Bermartin cleared his throat and spoke.
“Immediately after the Flag was demanded, the apprentice knights here contacted us. They said an obligation had arisen to elevate the honor of the knight, ‘Loyal Petel.’”
“……”
“So, while we were preparing, a very great personage came to find us.”
As Bermartin spoke, the vast army outside split down the middle to the left and right.
“It seems that the knight ‘Loyal Petel,’ whom you challenged to a duel of honor, was no ordinary individual.”
From the center of the parted ranks, the clicking sound of high heels echoed.
“I wonder what could have caused one of the most influential nobles in the Iron Kingdom to travel all the way to this remote backwater recently…”
“An influential… noble? What do you mean…”
“You will see for yourself. Show proper respect, unless you want your head to roll.”
As everyone bowed their heads, a woman walked into the tent. Immediately, Bermartin spoke in a voice that was respectful and stern, quite different from the one he had used with Meken.
“The mistress of the Watchers who protect the Iron Kingdom. Show your respect to Duchess Daisy White, Vice-Captain Meken of the Yellow Elephant.”
Daisy.
Petel’s former master, the one who had searched for him so desperately, his close friend since childhood, and the girl who had loved him.
The Daisy who entered the tent was no longer a girl. She was a mature woman, and even the family that served as her background was no longer insignificant.
White.
The moment he heard that name, Meken’s eyes shook with panic.
It was only natural.
“Was it you who challenged my Petel to a duel of honor?”
One of the five most powerful families on the continent.
“You will come to regret not dying in that duel against the child who stood as his Proxy Warrior.”
The guardians of order. There was no one on this continent who did not know the 「White」 family.
“I will make sure of it, personally.”