“I’ve heard that young men and women these days are quite forward. I even heard that some people sleep together before they’ve officially become a couple. However, I am the cautious type. While I do have a favorable opinion of you, Successor of Steel, I’d like to start by simply getting to know each other first.”
“…….”
“My father seems to be very fond of you, but I’m not quite sure about you yet. Perhaps sensing my heart, my father told me to stay by your side and observe you for the time being. Since I’ve personally had an interest in the Successor of Steel for a while now, I think I’ll follow my father’s advice.”
Sherizik delivered this ultimatum unilaterally.
Hearing those words, which felt like a bolt from the blue, I couldn’t say a single word. Humans are naturally helpless in the face of an incomprehensible, unknown terror. While I stood there, unable to even open my mouth, Sherizik departed with a coy gesture that was utterly mismatched with her terrifying physique. Even that gesture made my skin crawl.
“…….”
While I stood frozen to the spot, Liam was uncharacteristically quiet. Was he, as an ancestor of the Caravan family, suffering because his descendant was in trouble? With that thought, I looked at Liam, only to see his face twisted in a desperate attempt to hold back laughter. Seeing his twitching lips, a surge of uncontrollable rage boiled up within me.
There was no one on my side in this world.
「I believe that race doesn’t matter when it comes to love, my young descendant. As long as you love each other, what does race matter? A human and an orc can certainly be a match made in heaven.」
“Shut up.”
「Are you perhaps a narrow-minded man who only looks at a woman’s appearance? How disappointing. To think my descendant was a human so gripped by prejudice… Relationships between the sexes should be about looking into each other’s hearts—」
“Please.”
Anyway.
Orc Sherizik.
Has joined the Caravan Estate!
* * *
Quite some time had passed since Toma Rhapsody was restrained by the gods. Before I knew it, the Caravan Estate was beginning to regain its former appearance. The Rhapsody Legion and the Watchers of the White Family were still in a standoff. In the case of White, they were a small elite force, so they wouldn’t suffer much, but for Rhapsody, the drain on their resources must have been significant. To keep an army of that scale on standby indefinitely without performing any missions—a legion is an inefficient group that produces nothing while consuming a great deal. Their only reason for existence lies in their military might.
Well, for us, it was a stroke of good luck.
Since all their consumption took place within the Caravan Estate.
As our capital grew, Hailyn immediately reinvested the money we earned. They say money breeds money. She explained it was similar to rolling a snowball to make it bigger. Audrey also provided a lot of help in managing the estate. It seemed Audrey had let go of everything and was now enjoying the situation. Occasionally, she would spout nonsense like, “It was my mistake to trust swordsmen,” or “As I thought, it’s dangerous outside the blankets,” but the Face of Steel I learned from my Master was nearly invincible in these kinds of psychological battles.
Hailyn and Audrey were growing the estate automatically. White was guarding the area around Toma Rhapsody, putting pressure on the Rhapsody family in real-time. While everyone else was enjoying themselves, only Rhapsody was withering away. Seeing the situation, Tom had said:
“It’s thrilling that the tables have turned… but I also think the price they’re paying might be too high. A Great Family will never forget the humiliation they’ve suffered. Considering the future, wouldn’t it be alright to show them a little mercy, Young Master?”
Tom’s words were wise.
The thought that Rhapsody might harbor a grudge was certainly frightening. Edan Rhapsody had shown a surprisingly non-hostile attitude toward me. However, just because Edan Rhapsody was like that didn’t guarantee the rest of the Rhapsody family would be the same. 「Rhapsody」 was a force far too massive to be dismissed as just a single family. Even a minor figure from Rhapsody would have enough power to turn my estate into a wasteland. In that sense, Tom was right.
However.
“Is there even a way to show mercy?”
It was Sancho who countered Tom’s words.
The returned butler of Caravan, Sancho.
“The Young Master staked everything to turn the situation around. It is certainly a fatal blow from Rhapsody’s perspective. They might hold a grudge. But right now, there is nothing the Young Master can do. He cannot undo what the Nine Goddesses and Seven Chief Gods have already decided; the Watchers of White, who are performing their duty, won’t listen if he tells them to stop; and it would be strange to apologize, saying he didn’t know things would escalate this much. They are suffering massive losses in real-time; if he apologizes now, they’ll only be enraged, thinking he’s mocking them.”
“…….”
“In the end, this current situation is the best we can hope for. Furthermore.”
Sancho said, looking at me.
“The Young Master’s goal is too great to worry about the coming future. According to what I heard then, the Young Master will die the moment he turns eighteen. It’s as good as a fixed future. For the Young Master to survive, he must either abandon everything and run away right now, or surpass that terrifying Swordmaster by the time he turns eighteen. There are only those two options.”
“That’s true.”
“But the Young Master will never choose the former. He will stand his ground magnificently, just as the former Lord did. Then, the threats of the future won’t matter. If the Young Master is alive and well in the future, the Arhan of that time will no longer need to fear the likes of Rhapsody. Because he will have become a sword more powerful than the Foremost Sword of the Continent.”
Sancho was right.
Yes, Tom’s words were only right if I were a ‘master of an ordinary rural estate.’ I had a clear goal. And if I didn’t achieve that goal, there would be no future anyway. It wasn’t that Tom was stupid. It was because Sancho and I shared the same past. Because we remembered the moment when everything collapsed so easily, the moment when absolute violence destroyed everything.
“What the Young Master needs to do now isn’t showing them mercy, nor is it stamping documents to fulfill his role as a Lord. The Young Master must become strong.”
“…….”
“Do you remember, Young Master? The saying that only a Swordmaster can kill a Swordmaster. Those words weren’t made up just to break your will. It is one of the most famous maxims on the continent. As a sentence without a shred of exaggeration, the sentence itself is the absolute truth. Only a Swordmaster can kill a Swordmaster. A wizard who has reached transcendence cannot kill a Swordmaster, even the Dragons, the greatest of races, cannot kill a Swordmaster, and even the monster legions that rule the Northern Continent cannot kill a Swordmaster. According to myth, even the omnipotent Nine Goddesses and Seven Chief Gods cannot take the life of a Swordmaster.”
Sancho gripped my shoulder.
“The Young Master must become a Swordmaster. In my eyes, the Young Master is capable of becoming one. So, leave everything to us. Swing your sword and become strong. That is what the Young Master must do.”
* * *
I had now become accustomed to fighting as a 「Sword Runner.」 I had learned how to handle my wings skillfully and how to utilize my sword in the right places. Tom had said:
“All that’s left is training. 「Sword Runners」 grow stronger by honing their beliefs and solidifying their perspective on the world. As you experience the vast world, your soul grows, your ‘Mystery’ strengthens, and more wings sprout. Thus, when ten wings have sprouted, you finally gain the opportunity to become a 「Sword Expert.」”
Tom taught me the orthodox method of growth.
About contemplating oneself for a long time, training with the sword without rest, and sharpening oneself to a fine edge. That was the way ordinary swordsmen grew strong. But I must not choose that path. My talent was utterly pathetic, and I was a dullard among dullards.
And.
「Have you found a clue?」
There was no need for it, either.
“Not yet.”
The blood of Steel flows through my body.
A dullard among dullards, I reached the rank of 「Sword Runner」 in an instant thanks to the Authority of Steel. It was a realm I wouldn’t have reached even if I had trained my entire life using normal methods. Therefore, no matter how much I struggle here using the direct approach, I cannot climb any higher. To become stronger, I must utilize what has been given to me.
「Find it. Find the answer to the trial you have been given.」
The sword I devoured.
The blade that holds a legend, 「Soaring.」
I must digest it as soon as possible. I don’t know what is contained within it, but one thing is certain.
Once I digest this prickly blade, I will change.
And I will become strong. Much stronger than I am now.
“According to the witch, the owner of that blade was a legendary adventurer. Then wouldn’t it be alright to go on an adventure? Wouldn’t broadening my horizons and seeing the wider world help? But the current situation makes me hesitate to do that… With the Rhapsody Legion camped right at the entrance, I’m reluctant to leave my post.”
I agonized over it many times.
It felt like standing at a crossroads, wondering which way to go.
However.
“What choice should I make?”
That was a great delusion.
Why did I think at that time that I could make a ‘choice’? Choice is a privilege of the strong. The weak do not pick from options; they are pushed by the flow of the world and forced to walk paths they do not want. That is the law of the world. Therefore, back then, I shouldn’t have been agonizing over what to choose, but rather how to deal with the trial that would be given to me once again.
Because the power of choice was never mine to begin with.
* * *
The morning of that day was particularly overcast.
Dark clouds hung in the gray sky, and rain began to fall somewhere between morning and noon. Just as the raindrops started to fall, a knight appeared from the Rhapsody barracks, which had been holding its breath. They had been gloomy ever since Toma Rhapsody was restrained, but for some reason, the knight that day looked triumphant. As if he possessed something that could overturn this situation in a single stroke.
At the call of the old guard, I went outside.
When I stepped out, an astonishing sight met my eyes.
To be honest, I thought I was dreaming.
“……?”
The first thing I saw was a corpse.
Corpses of those wearing pure white armor and helmets. Starting from the Watcher I had spoken with just yesterday, the Watchers of 「White」 who had been diligently performing their duties were all dead.
It was an incomprehensible situation.
Who, how, and why?
I slowly turned my head.
Then, I saw a man wearing a pitch-black tailcoat. In the man’s arms, surprisingly, was Toma Rhapsody. The youngest master of Rhapsody, who should have been held by light while awaiting the punishment of the Nine Goddesses and Seven Chief Gods.
I still couldn’t grasp the situation.
I couldn’t understand what this was at all.
With vacant eyes, I looked at the man again.
The man’s face somewhat resembled Toma Rhapsody. There were also parts that resembled Edan Rhapsody. Emotionless, languid eyes. On the chest of the man, who was armed with a decadent atmosphere, was the sea emblem symbolizing Rhapsody. The man spoke.
“Are you the Sword Demon?”
The moment I heard his voice, I instinctively knew his identity.
“Paltry fighter Liam.”
The Master of the Free City.
The Family Head of one of the Great Five Families.
The most dangerous ‘doting father’ on the continent.
The Master of Seven Swords.
“The one who made my son… like this?”
Hugo Rhapsody.
One of the six Swordmasters had arrived in person.
