Chapter 259: Coronation Ceremony (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 259: Coronation Ceremony (1)
A few days later, during the day.
I met Gerald in a secluded corner of the Butterfly Garden. Since he had decided to stay at the academy for a while, finding him at the guest lodgings had been easy.
Both Gerald and I held wooden swords. I was no swordsman, and certainly no match for a Sword Saint, but that didn't matter. This wasn't a duel of blades in the first place.
I stretched my legs and pressed down firmly on my knees to loosen up my body.
"You’re full of enthusiasm," Gerald remarked, his eyes tracking me like an eagle.
I gave him a gentle smile. "I just need to land one hit on my father-in-law."
Gerald’s lips twitched. It seemed he found the comment amusing, though he pressed his lips together to hide his smirk.
"Don’t call me father-in-law," Gerald said firmly, dropping into a combat stance with his wooden sword.
Is this some kind of reflex for him?
"Come," he challenged.
I took off my glasses and tucked them into my clothes. Taking a deep breath, I lowered my center of gravity and bent my knees slightly. I infused mana into my muscles and joints, focusing every ounce of my attention on Gerald’s movements.
Silence fell.
A few seconds passed.
Whoosh!
Gerald vanished from my sight.
I didn’t rely on my eyes; they couldn't keep up with a Sword Saint's speed anyway. But no matter how fast he was, it all came down to footwork.
The quiet flow of the wind. The swaying of the grass.
I sharpened my senses, instinctively tracking the sound of Gerald’s footsteps against the turf. Conscious thought was too slow, so I bypassed it entirely. I had to move my feet before a single thought could cross my mind.
I had to move unnaturally, abandoning my familiar senses. I focused entirely on the flow of mana, visualizing the structure of my entire body.
There you are.
I lunged, guided by this newfound intuition.
Whoosh!
"…!"
In an instant, Gerald came back into view. I had caught up to him.
I swung my wooden sword in one fluid motion. True to his word, Gerald didn't counter; he simply drifted back, effortlessly evading my strike. As he gazed at me, a unique light shimmered in his pupils.
Gerald kicked off the ground again.
I pursued him.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
I gave chase, matching Gerald’s movements again and again as we whipped through the grassy field. Once might have been a coincidence, but repeating it proved otherwise.
My raw speed was slower than Gerald’s. It was obvious he was going easy on me, moving much slower than he had during our actual duel. But the important thing was that I was successfully executing the technique.
"…!"
Suddenly, I lost track of him.
Only a flickering afterimage remained in my vision for a brief moment. Gerald had finally shown a glimpse of his true speed.
Thud!
From behind, Gerald tapped the crown of my head with his wooden sword.
"Ugh!"
Without [Basic Protection Magic] active, the impact was agonizing. I skidded to a halt and groaned, rubbing the top of my head.
"…Hehehe."
A laugh escaped me shortly after.
I had succeeded.
I couldn't celebrate openly in front of my "father-in-law," but internally, I was cheering. I looked at Gerald. Since I had succeeded, it was time for him to teach me the proper technique.
Gerald stared at me in silence. "Isaac."
"Yes?"
"Roll up your trouser legs."
"…?"
It wasn't a random request. It seemed he recognized the signs from experience.
I rolled up my pants. My legs below the knees were covered in hideous marks that spread like tree roots. Every time I had failed the technique during practice, the mana would rupture, leaving jagged, scar-like traces on my skin.
These marks, engraved by bursting mana, couldn't be removed by ordinary healing spells. Even if the physical wounds healed, the traces remained vivid. I’d heard they would fade over time, so I had no choice but to leave them be for now.
Gerald sighed softly, showing no sign of surprise, as if he had expected this.
"It took me a year to learn that technique. It took me well over twenty years to master it. I didn't have your magical talent. You accomplished the foundation in just a week."
Gerald looked me in the eye. "That is talent, Isaac. It is like raw iron. Only through endurance can you forge that iron into a peerless blade."
"…"
"But anything pushed to excess will break." Gerald planted his wooden sword into the grass. "I’m no expert in magic, so I can’t say much on that front, but if you continue to push yourself this hard, your body will give out."
"I’ll keep that in mind, Father-in-law."
"Don’t call me father-in-law." Gerald shrugged his shoulders. "…You passed."
I had been waiting for those words.
I clenched my fists and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to savor the moment. God, it had hurt like hell every time I failed. Eventually, I’d learned to dull the pain, but it still stung.
To think Gerald had trained for over a year just to learn the basics of this...
He’s incredibly tenacious.
"I’ll teach you 'Shadow Step.' Since you’ve crossed the initial barrier, the rest won't be difficult. A day of training should suffice. Mastering it, however, is up to you."
Shadow Step. So that was the name of the footwork technique Gerald used.
I chuckled. "A day sounds perfect."
"Do you have other business?"
"I have somewhere to be."
I had an appointment. The coronation ceremony in Düpfendorf. Morcan had sent word that everything was ready and that I only needed to make the trip. It was best to depart as soon as possible.
"I see… Then we should settle things quickly."
"Settle? What do you mean?"
"For protecting the Duchy of Astrea. Allow me to repay the debt. I promise you won't be disappointed."
"Oh."
Now that I thought about it, he had mentioned he owed me a favor before our duel. I nodded. "In that case, I’d be happy to accept."
There was no reason to refuse a gift from my father-in-law.
*
Eve Ropenheim was traveling to Märchen Academy by carriage.
She had finally been released following the lengthy investigation into the Baron Ropenheim incident. The ordeal hadn't been psychologically taxing for her, mostly because the thought of the daily life she would soon share with Isaac filled her with warmth.
She had shared her honest feelings with Isaac when he came to rescue her, and there was finally room for them to talk. Just the thought of having a normal conversation with him made Eve beam.
"I’m telling you, my brother is incredible. He’s the youngest Archwizard, he has a legion of followers, and he even rubs elbows with the Elemental Kings! The strongest warriors in the Empire would be finished with a mere flick of his finger."
"Well… I’m not very knowledgeable about wizards, but that sounds a bit far-fetched, miss."
"Why don't you believe me? It’s all true!"
Eve continued her relentless boasting to the coachman. Now that the Baron’s confinement was lifted and his familiar was gone, Eve no longer had to hide her affection. She bragged about her brother to everyone she met, though few believed her grand tales.
The coachman could only offer a forced laugh. Eve’s stories sounded like something out of a fairy tale.
"He’s grown taller than me now, and he’s become so handsome… He was so cute when he was little; I used to hug him all the time. Those were the days… He’s grown up so well."
"You certainly have a lot of love for your brother," the coachman said with a thoughtful smile. Listening to her, he could guess that their past had been a difficult one.
As the carriage arrived at Märchen Academy, Eve’s endless praise finally came to an end. She gathered her belongings, stepped down, and paid the driver.
"Take care of your brother, miss!"
"Goodbye!"
The coachman drove away, and Eve, humming a tune with a bright smile, passed through the gates of Märchen Academy. If her conversation with Isaac went well, she intended to cherish and love him even more to make up for all the time they had lost.
However.
"Isaac is currently away."
"What…?"
"He filed for a leave of absence and passed through the gates two days ago."
Standing in the Bartos Hall administrative office where she had stopped to report her return, Eve stood frozen.
She… missed him?
"Hmm? Miss Eve?" The faculty member waved a hand in front of Eve’s face to see if she was still conscious.
*
I was currently traveling across the Empire by carriage.
Flying would have been faster, but I didn't want to violate imperial airspace unless it was an emergency.
Inside the carriage, Hilde sat beside me in her human form, gazing out the window. It seemed to be her first time leisurely enjoying the scenery from a carriage. I kept her in human form to avoid the unnecessary attention and trouble her white dragon form would inevitably draw. I also kept her summoned to increase our Synchronization.
I held a high-intensity magic tool in my lap, training in my spare moments.
But anyway…
"Dorothy, are you sure you're not uncomfortable?"
"Why? I’m perfectly comfortable right now."
Opposite me, Dorothy and Alice sat side by side.
Dorothy was pressed against the carriage wall as much as possible, looking visibly strained and pointedly avoiding eye contact with Alice. Alice, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm. Whenever our eyes met, she gave me a relaxed, friendly smile.
"Well then…"
If she says she’s comfortable, I guess there’s nothing more to say.
We were on our way to Düpfendorf.
I was still trying to wrap my head around how Dorothy and Alice had ended up coming along.