An Unplanned Appointment
Behind the Valentine family's villa, at the training grounds.
"…"
"…"
There the two of them stood, lips pressed tight, staring at the man before them.
He had already entered his late forties; faint lines were settling into his face. Yet the body beneath those lines was far too vigorous to belong to a man of that age. At the same time, it looked like a wall that could never be climbed.
Tension hung over the training ground. A cold wind brushed past their bodies, sharpening every sense to a razor's edge.
The shield of the kingdom. The Iron Marchgrave.
Count Bernus Valentine.
In this moment, he could only be called their enemy.
"Heavier than I expected."
So saying, Bernus toyed with the manacles locked around his wrists. The solid-steel cuffs weighed fifty kilograms each. With one on each arm, he was stepping into the spar carrying a full hundred kilograms. Yet no one could deny that without even that handicap the match would have been a one-sided affair.
"I'm a little nervous… How about you?"
Milia tightened her grip on the halberd, an incredulous look on her face at the sight of him.
"I'm a bit nervous myself."
Schwarz answered her and sent mana flowing into the bracelet on his wrist. In the next instant a bright light flared, and the bracelet began to change shape. When the light finally faded, a gauntlet of deep black rested on his hand—so dark it seemed to drink the light itself. Even at a glance it was clearly the work of a master craftsman; golden patterns were engraved across its surface, and a faint glow shimmered along those golden lines.
Its true identity was an adamantium gauntlet—the prize he had received from the kingdom for winning the martial tournament.
"So that is the adamantium armament I've only heard of."
"Yes…"
"A splendid piece. Not something just anyone can possess."
Bernus spoke as Schwarz nodded, then closed his hand around the hilt of the sword at his waist. With a cold shing the blade slid free. Even someone ignorant of swords could tell at once that it was a masterpiece.
"If the wielder is unskilled, it is nothing more than empty ornament."
In the next breath Bernus leveled the sword at the two of them.
"…"
"…"
Cold sweat trickled down their spines; both swallowed hard. A spar with him was something they had never once imagined. A suffocating tension pressed down on them like a physical weight. Bernus smiled at them, but they could not smile back. The composure that only the strong possess—what they felt from him was little different from that.
"I'll yield the first move. Come at me with everything you have."
With those words he drove his sword into the ground and simply watched them. It was a completely open stance, yet not a single opening could be found. Overwhelming presence radiated from him.
"We hit him from both sides. Ready?"
"Yes, My Lady."
Schwarz nodded at Milia's words. Then the two of them split left and right and charged. Even so, Bernus merely watched them come, showing no reaction at all. An ominous premonition washed over them, but it was far too late to stop. Milia's halberd and Schwarz's fist streaked in from opposite directions—and then it happened.
"Ugh…!?"
"Kh…!?"
A sharp metallic clang rang out, and both of them were flung backward. Fingertips stinging, they scrambled to their feet. At some point Bernus had drawn the sword from the ground and casually swatted their attacks aside.
"Not bad."
He adjusted his grip, settled into a stance, and charged straight at them.
"Then I'll begin in earnest as well."
The three-way spar ended in Bernus's one-sided victory.
However…
"This man, honestly!! Going this far against the children!?"
Whether the outcome could truly be called a victory was another matter entirely.
"N-no, dear… I got hurt too…"
Bernus protested with an aggrieved look, rolling up his sleeve to show Melissa the scrapes on his arm.
"Be quiet!"
"Urgh…"
Even so Melissa snapped at him. Faced with her razor-edged presence, Bernus let out a low groan and averted his eyes.
"A live-blade spar against the children—have you lost your mind!?"
She shouted at him, then hurried over to Milia and Schwarz to check their condition. Bruises and scrapes—light wounds that would vanish quickly given their physical abilities—yet Melissa glared at Bernus as if even those were unforgivable.
"You and I are going to have a talk!"
"Wait just a moment… dear, ow! Let go of that and let's talk…!!"
A short while later Melissa pinched Bernus's ear and marched him into the villa, still scolding. It was a pitiful sight utterly unworthy of the man known as the shield of the kingdom, the Iron Marchgrave.
"They're gone."
"Yeah… they're gone…"
Milia and Schwarz exchanged blank looks and murmured to each other. And then—
"Pfft… Pwahahaha!!"
"Pff—ahahaha!!"
Unable to hold it in any longer, the two of them burst into loud laughter. Part of it was how utterly forlorn Bernus had looked being dragged away by Melissa, but more than that, the spar had driven home just how far they still had to go.
How long they laughed, they could not say. When the laughter finally subsided they rose and brushed the dust from their clothes.
"So. How was it? Fighting Father?"
"All I can say is… as expected."
Schwarz clenched and unclenched his fist as he answered Milia's question.
"Still… it feels like we've gotten a lot closer."
Three years ago a spar with Bernus would never even have been possible. Now, at least, they could make a fight of it. The road ahead was still long, yet one step, then another. If they kept following steadily, the day they reached him would surely come. Recalling the vow he had made to himself four years earlier, Schwarz nodded with a firm expression.
"Nnngh… Moving around like that really wears you out."
Milia let out a low groan and stretched her whole body while watching him.
"Shall I prepare some tea and sweets?"
Schwarz asked, knowing she always wanted tea and snacks after exercise.
"Mm. I'm going to shower first, so take your time."
She nodded at his question.
"Understood."
Schwarz gave a light bow and headed toward the mansion.
A short while later.
"Haaah…"
Milia sipped her tea with a soft slurp and let out a short sigh.
"After a good workout you really need something sweet like this. Want a bite?"
She cut a piece of cake with her fork and held it out to him.
"No thank you. Sweet things don't really suit me…"
Schwarz gently shook his head.
"Pity. It's so good."
"Just watching My Lady enjoy it is enough for me."
As Milia popped the cake into her mouth with a soft nom, Schwarz offered a faint smile. A light flush rose to her cheeks; she looked at him, then turned her head away with a prim expression.
"H-hmph…! Even if you say that, I'm not giving you any."
"Haha…"
Schwarz chuckled softly at her reaction.
They were in the middle of a pleasant tea time when—
"Wait a second. What time is it right now?"
Something seemed to have occurred to her; Milia asked Schwarz, her voice thick with unease.
"It's three thirty-two."
Schwarz checked the pocket watch he drew from his coat and answered.
"What!? Already!?"
"Is something the matter?"
He tilted his head at the panic that flooded her face.
"I was supposed to meet Neris at four!"
"Senior Neris? But as far as I remember, there was no such appointment."
Schwarz managed Milia's schedule around the clock; there could not be a promise he did not know about. Had he overlooked something? He spoke in a puzzled tone.
"I'll explain later! Just get ready to go out first!"
She stuffed the rest of the cake into her mouth in one bite and sprang to her feet.
"Understood, My Lady."
Schwarz nodded and started down the corridor. First priority was preparing Milia for an outing. If he called a maid right away, they should just make it in time. He hurried downstairs, returned with a maid to Milia's room, and while the maid bustled about attending to her mistress, Schwarz himself rushed through his own preparations for going out.
And so a somewhat noisy stretch of time passed by.