Chapter 53
Chapter 53
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Swordsman? Or Knight? (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"......Reading swords? Is that even possible?"
Nursele trembled as if shaking, though whether it seemed natural was another matter. Drnoa paid it no mind. Whether he was feigning ignorance or truly possessed the power to "read swords," it had nothing to do with her. She appeared utterly indifferent.
"It might be possible, or it might not. I've only heard about it myself, so I can't give you a definite answer. Still, the fact that you weren't devoured by that cursed blade must mean there's some reason for it."
"I suppose so."
Drnoa turned to Ban. Her face was tanned like a farmer's daughter's, yet it was unmistakably that of a princess. Even if her hair were disheveled or she wore even shabbier clothes, Ban believed he would still see her as one. She possessed an innate nobility that no mere appearance could convey.
"So this advice might be meaningless. But if you are one of its masters, the kingdom will never overlook you."
"..That's a scary thought."
"Indeed. But I hope it never comes to that. This advice should have no meaning—and it mustn't."
Ban smiled silently.
It was a story he had known for a long time.
The tale of the family that guarded the Kalsmori Library in the north.
The tale of the librarians who heard the voices of all things and recorded them in writing.
What did people call them?
Ah, right. They were......
§
His duty as Drnoa's guard—or more precisely, her companion—ended after just a week.
It might seem like a fruitless task on the surface, but he had earned a debt from a princess. Gaining the favor of royalty was a reward beyond measure.
Even so, Drnoa presented him with gifts one by one.
"It's a token of the royal family. No matter where you go, showing this will make the nobles of this land bow their heads to you."
It held great significance for Ban, who wasn't from one of the Nine Great Clans, unlike the others. Before departing, Drnoa left him with one final piece of advice.
"Grow stronger, Ban."
".That's a first for a farewell."
"It's not that you're weak now. But whatever you wish to protect, there will come a day when that strength feels insufficient. To avoid regret then, walk the path where you can grow stronger. Anyone else might not need to, but you do."
Though her blessing was Word Command, not prophecy, her voice carried more conviction about the future than even the children of the Iseo Clan.
Perhaps that's why. Even after parting with Drnoa, Ban struggled to shake off the compulsion she had left him with.
He had to grow stronger.
He wanted to grow stronger.
'Could I have cut her down?'
It was an audaciously irreverent thought—one that would get his head chopped off if overheard. But Ban thought this of everyone he met: Could I win against this person, or would I inevitably lose?
From the moment he picked up a sword, his world had become that way. It divided into things that could be cut and things that could not. In that sense, Drnoa was a peculiar figure. Physically, she hardly seemed a powerhouse... yet the power granted to her was on a level incomparable to a single blade.
Could one cut a Word Command?
To sever it, would he need to slice her voice? Or the world that obeyed it?
If she commanded him to kneel, would he have no choice but to obey?
Yeoryeong's power was calculable. Anya's White Flame was imaginable. But Word Command...
'There's no such thing as something that can't be cut.'
Ban’s eyes gleamed fiercely. Before his ambition, loyalty to the royal family lost its luster. He wanted no sword that crumbled at a mere word. The Sword God was one who could cleave anything in the world.
After finishing up in Tolzberry, they still had two more missions ahead. Reporting the demon sword's recovery would leave just one, but Ban asked to omit it. Kishin was far too valuable a sword to simply hand back. Fortunately, his companions didn't object. He had retrieved it alone, after all.
The missions proceeded without issue. After acquiring Kishin, Ban's skills had undoubtedly grown beyond his previous level. The title of strongest fourth-year felt inadequate; he had outgrown student benchmarks.
The missions wrapped up in no time. His swordsmanship wasn't just stronger—it was unshakable.
And then came the ninth: the graduation mission.
Everyone at the academy watched Ban and his group closely. It was only natural. They were the top contenders among the fourth-years. Nothing was more entertaining than speculating which knight order they would join.
"Hey, someone like Senior Ban has to go to the Royal Knight Order, right?"
"Would the Royal Knight Order suit Senior Ban's personality? He'd probably get bored and quit right away."
"Hey, if even Lucas is sticking it out, why couldn't Senior Ban? When it comes to knights, nothing beats the Royal Knight Order."
"......Hmm, if I were Senior Ban, I'd just head east and settle down. He could join the Cho Clan's martial society. Wouldn't the east feel more comfortable for him?"
"From what I heard, he lived between the east and central regions, not purely east. The Cho Clan might not be that welcoming."
"I think he'll go south. As a swordsman, nowhere's as fun as the south, right? Blood soaks the ground every day there."
Speculation abounded. When word spread that dozens of knight orders had proposed graduation missions to Ban, curiosity exploded. Where would this once-in-a-generation genius choose?
It wasn't just the juniors, either. His peers—and even Anya—kept peppering him with questions.
"So, have you decided?"
"......Do you know how many times you've asked that this week alone?"
"I-It's because you won't give a straight answer!"
"It's a secret. Secret."
"I'm going to the White Flame Corps."
"Yeah, that makes sense. It'd be weird if someone from the Nahar Clan didn't."
"......No interest in the lighthouse?"
It was an invitation north. Ban's eyebrow twitched. He couldn't say the north held fond memories, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. There, he had fought the most exhilarating battles of his life. And if he went to the lighthouse... well, his days probably wouldn't be boring.
"Not none."
"R-Really?"
"Really."
"Really really? Think about it. Promise?"
"No, when did I promise......"
It wasn't just Anya. Jeo came to him with a face brimming with pride.
"Ban! Come to Eustaine's sacred ground! The jungle and mountains will be your home, and herds of water buffalo racing with the sunset will be your daily companions!"
"Sure. That's on my mind too."
"......You serious?"
"Dead serious."
"Haha, good choice! Forget these crude human-made buildings. In Eustaine lands, you'll learn what it means to live with nature. How precious animal friends can be...!"
Yeoryeong wasn't one to be left out. She swung her short sword at him as she spoke.
"The Cho Clan already thinks of you as family. You know that, right?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure... I know."
"........Your reaction's awfully half-hearted."
"No, I think it's great. That's why I'm considering living at the Cho Clan manor."
"Huh? Really?"
"Can't I think about it?"
"No, it's just... I figured you'd want to leave anywhere you've already experienced."
"You got me there... Anyway, yeah."
"Hey, smart move. The Royal Knight Order's great and all, but the Cho Clan's martial society holds its own. No, honestly, we're better in a real fight. Those Royal Knight Order guys are all show to my dad—just one punch each."
"Got it. I get it, so focus on the sparring. You'll get hurt."
Even Macdead.
"Ban, join our Black Mountains Brotherhood! A warrior like you...!"
His words weren't worth repeating, so they were omitted.
Ban’s noncommittal attitude only fueled the rumors. He had supposedly promised to join dozens, hundreds of places. In the end, even the dean had no choice but to summon him. With a serious expression, he said,
"Ban. You know I care for you. Right?"
"......Ah, yes. Of course."
He hadn't received anything tangible to truly feel the affection, but nodding at times like this was what social life was about. The dean nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"As dean, it might be overstepping to meddle in this, but I'm curious. So, it's about time to choose your final mission... Have you decided what you'll take?"
"Hmm, well."
"The Royal Knight Order, then?"
Top students usually chose the Royal Knight Order unless they were from the Nine Great Clans. Prestige aside, nowhere matched its honor.
Ban shook his head.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter much which mission I take."
"......What do you mean by that?"
By academy tradition, the graduation mission came from the organization you'd join. Ban's words that no mission mattered sounded oddly off.
'No, surely not... It can't be that.'
The dean dismissed the thought that flashed in his mind. It was too absurd. But when Ban spoke next, the dean wondered if his "surely not" might be true.
"I have no intention of joining wherever I get the mission from."
"......What do you mean?"
It went beyond just bucking tradition. Ban slowly opened his mouth. To Anya, to Yeoryeong, to Jeo, and to every peer urging him to their place—he had said he'd visit.
He'd go to the lighthouse, to Eustaine's sacred ground, to the Cho Clan manor. Macdead's Black Mountains... well, depending on the situation.
If he wanted to visit them all, what did that make him?
"Ban, don't tell me......."
"I've realized it through these missions. The world is vast, and there are so many places I haven't seen... I'm still too young to tie myself down anywhere."
"You mean....… you won't serve a lord?"
A knight without a lord. In other words......
Ban smiled.
"I'm going to become a Free Knight, Dean."