Chapter 190. Engagement – Breath
“Let’s have a word for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Noel Dexter called his son. Returning to the study, he had Leo sit and then stared at him with astonished eyes. Lena, who followed them, had a shocked expression.
“Since when?”
“About the day before yesterday.”
Noel nodded. He wanted to compliment him and pat his shoulder, but it wasn’t easy.
His son had surpassed him.
And by a significant margin.
Noel Dexter opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say for a moment, recalling the brief duel they had just moments ago. “Well,” he laughed helplessly.
He had prided himself on his swordsmanship.
He was the youngest knight the Aslan Kingdom had ever boasted, and amidst the harsh civil war, he had perfected his own sword techniques.
This process hadn’t seemed particularly difficult. When he held the sword, it would always guide him in the right direction, where there were definite answers. The perfect sword path always tempted him.
Back then, it felt odd that others despaired, unable to keep up with him and viewed him as a monster.
But of course, he never thought he was the best. There existed unattainable monsters known as Swordmasters in this world, and when he retired to Avril Castle for the first time, he encountered an insurmountable wall.
Even though the sword still guided him, it was more of a repetition than something new. It had become mere habit.
Only then did he understand.
The despair of hitting a wall, the cries of his drunken brother. He had just been lucky.
Yet, he held some pride in his heart. He presumed he had the skill to count on one hand across the entire continent and thought the wall that blocked him was the final gate to becoming a Swordmaster.
But even that was arrogance.
His son had surpassed him, yet was not a Swordmaster. Watching his senior ‘Arpen’ up close made it clear. Only now, with Leo in between them, did he realize the difference in their skill levels.
He was just an ordinary swordsman.
“What are you going to do now?”
Noel Dexter said. He was admitting there was nothing more he could teach, but his son nodded solemnly and spoke up.
“I want to become a knight.”
… Of course.
But Noel remained silent. He wanted to say he would write a recommendation, but it seemed unnecessary for his son.
So Leo spoke up.
“I want to meet the lord first. There’s still a lot of time before the knight entrance exam, so I want to gain experience as a temporary knight at Avril Castle.”
“… That’s a good idea too. Alright. Let’s see the lord tomorrow.”
His father, having nothing more to advise his son on his path, stood up. Half with pride, half with reverence, he placed his hand on his son’s shoulder.
“Your mother would be proud.”
“…”
“Well then, I’ll be going for a while.”
Leo saw his father off, saying he would set up an appointment with the lord. Watching his departing figure, he clenched his fist.
‘I beat my father for the first time.’
The past came to mind again.
The first round where he couldn’t even join the war due to his poor swordsmanship. Secretly volunteering only to be beaten to death by his father. He limped for days, and Lena went to the battlefield alone. She never returned.
The second round, where he joined the war with an engagement relationship. He met Katrina and fought fiercely, losing a thumb, and Lena lost an arm. Returning as a wreck, he married Lena.
In the third round, thanks to {Pass Technique}, he easily gained his father’s recognition. He fought Katrina fiercely and negotiated her return, only to be killed by Count Herman Forte while on guard duty. He still vividly remembers Lena breaking his wooden neck protector in grief.
And the third round where he didn’t go to war. This was the last round Leo remembered. The memory of trying hard to break up with Lena, which he doesn’t want to recall. Lena’s resentful face stayed in his mind.
The fourth round… He doesn’t remember. Min-seo, who was supposed to relay the memories, lost his mind then, so all he remembers are the final ending texts.
If that were all, he would only know the major events, but luckily, in the last moment when ‘I’ disappeared, I muttered some instructions.
Beware of Yuan and Viscount Bryna, or my uncle and Lena’s reactions when visiting my mother’s grave were strange. Mixed in were also some trivial stories.
No, they weren’t trivial. All were related to Lena.
‘I’ recalled memories with Lena to the end. Like how she hid to gift him a leather strap, or how she drank until she was drunk out of embarrassment to sleep with him, never letting go of his hand during their travels, and often kissed…
“…”
Why did I list such things? Why did I think these were important to pass on?
The ending text would have been far from a happy ending.
‘… Probably meant to tell Minseo to cooperate.’
It meant that I was happy enough, so let’s stop. It was something I pleaded earnestly knowing that I would not remember it.
Honestly, I wasn’t keen on it at first.
Thinking about the wounds Lena, who had received the breakup notice, must have had, it made me grit my teeth. I was still Minseo, so I blamed myself, but at the same time, I despised being Leo Dexter.
I couldn’t come out of the room while trying to sort out those complex emotions. The feeling of killing my sibling with my own hands came back, causing me to writhe. What held me steady was the message left by myself in the previous iteration.
We were happy.
I ignored all {events} and wandered around, so it was an earnest request to forgive .Minseo.
Although thoughts like ‘Is being happy all that matters?’ crossed my mind, that criticism rebounded back at me. So I couldn’t run away.
Leo shook his head. The sense of accomplishment of having beaten his father had long disappeared, leaving him with a bitter expression as he turned around, finding Lena, who seemed unusually silent, behind him.
“…Shall we go to the market? You said you were going to buy some leather straps.”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
Lena lifted her head. She stared blankly at Leo, then pressed her lips tightly together, saying, “Never mind.” She turned towards the backyard without another word.
“Lena?”
What now?
Leo, losing his reasoning, chased after Lena. She went to the empty lot, grabbed her sword, and started swinging it silently.
It took only a moment for her to realize she was acting foolishly. Dropping the sword, she turned around and spoke.
“I didn’t know you had improved that much. Congratulations.”
A calm voice, uncharacteristic of Lena.
She wore a serene expression. Though a faint smile appeared, her eyes didn’t laugh, giving off a pitiful vibe.
“I need to… try my best too.”
Lena turned around. Gripping her sword again, she swung it, with her white breath swirling in front of her.
Her breath soon dissipated in the cold wind.
* * *
Castle Avril is a mountain fort.
Though not very high, it was a castle built on a fairly rugged mountainside, so space was limited, causing the lord’s castle to double as a command tower attached to the castle wall rather than an independent living space.
And the owner of that command tower, Diallo Bryna, welcomed guests. He guided the guests to the reception room with a hearty laugh, saying, “Welcome.”
Being a mountain fort with strong military purposes, even the reception room for guests was somewhat rugged. The floor consisted of large stones no different from those in the castle walls, and there were no decorations to boast about.
The sparse furniture in the spacious room consisted of a table and crude furniture, but at least there was a clean tablecloth, showing some effort.
There was a tray of browned bread, three types of snacks, and two teapots. Noel Dexter bowed and expressed gratitude before taking his seat.
“I’m overwhelmed by the lord’s hospitality.”
When his father bowed, Leo followed suit out of courtesy. Lena, who had been silent since the day before, also bowed a beat later.
“Hahaha. For a retired knight, this is the least I can do… I apologize for the lack. If the merchant guild hadn’t stopped by, even this wouldn’t have been possible. Oh, I must get another teacup.”
Diallo Bryna called a maid to bring another teacup.
Soon, the four were seated at the table. Small talk ensued, with Diallo asking, “How has life been?”, “I’ve heard you still guide the soldiers occasionally. Your loyalty to the kingdom is unwavering even after retirement.” Then he turned his gaze to Leo.
“This is the son you mentioned yesterday?”
“Yes. I have been teaching him, and he has recently made remarkable progress in his swordsmanship. Before taking the knight order entrance exam, he wishes to gain experience at Castle Avril.”
“As a knight?”
“Yes. We are not requesting a formal appointment, an interim position would suffice.”
“Hmm…”
Diallo Bryna stroked his plump chin. From a side glance, he could tell that Leo was no ordinary young man, though he hesitated before answering.
Appointing a knight, even for an interim position, was a significant matter. For a typical lord, it might be an easy decision, but his position was slightly different.
Diallo was not just a simple lord.
This Castle Avril once belonged to the Cossack Baron family but was confiscated and had become a royal domain, with Diallo ruling it as an emissary.
An emissary of the king.
This title carried immense weight. Diallo, pleased with his position and not wanting to jeopardize it, pondered sharing the responsibility with someone else.
“I don’t doubt the knight’s words, but a minimal test might be necessary.”
The idea was to have the knights evaluate Leo’s abilities.
Due to its strategic military importance, the kingdom had dispatched four knights to Avril Fort. Diallo Bryna immediately summoned them and inquired if Noel Dexter’s son was fit to become a temporary knight.
As for me, I had no responsibility as I merely subjected myself to the knights’ evaluation and scrutiny…
“…I won.”
I needn’t have worried. Leo defeated the kingdom’s knights in merely six exchanges, leaving the summoned knights in shock.
It wasn’t the defeat in the duel that was the issue. The problem lay in the winner’s age and abilities.
“How can someone be that skilled at such a young age?…”
I had heard that he just came of age.
Though it wasn’t unheard of for someone to become a knight at that age—after all, Noel Dexter himself had become a knight around the same age.
However, becoming a knight and easily defeating seasoned kingdom knights were distinctly different matters.
The four knights glanced at Leo as if he were a monster. Upon realizing that he was Noel Dexter’s son, they all nodded.
“So, there are no objections!”
Diallo Bryna, who had observed the duel, burst out in a broad smile.
To nurture a great knight was indeed a testament to the lord’s virtue—how could he not be pleased?
“As expected, the son of a renowned knight is something special. We will grant him the temporary knighthood as requested. Since he wishes to gain experience, we will also assign him duties. As for a mentor…”
It was customary for rookie knights to have mentors. Diallo looked around, but the four knights shook their heads. None wanted to mentor a prodigy who was bound to surpass them swiftly.
Understanding this, Diallo refrained from mentioning the mentor further.
“Being a temporary knight, it’s fine without a mentor, right? I apologize to the retired knight, but could you, Sir Noel Dexter, oversee things for the next four months?”
Noel nodded, and it seemed everything would conclude smoothly until Lena burst out.
“Let me take the test too!”
Lena’s eyes blazed with determination as she stepped forward in front of the lord and royal knights.
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