“The world has really developed a lot.”
While waiting for departure, the Sword Saint gazed at the airship and shared his thoughts.
“When I was young, I never thought humans would be flying in the sky.”
Wasn’t there more clashing of swords than guns in the Sword Saint’s younger days?
Just a few decades ago, swordsmen wielding karate were leaping with much greater ease. There were still guns and cannons back then, and despite the ammunition being a hassle, guns were still favored by most armies due to the high cost of bullets, which were just beginning to be mass-produced. That’s why they included cumbersome features like the ‘magazine cutoff switch’ in firearms.
But in modern warfare, with fighter jets flying and steam-powered cars and machine guns in use? Well, it was fortunate that the warlords in the north couldn’t operate such modern weaponry.
“Even so, the greatness of your swordsmanship, Sword Saint, hasn’t diminished.”
“……”
At the flattery heard from the side, the Sword Saint turned his gaze. Naturally, it was Jayden.
Jayden had been glancing at me and Alice for quite some time, as if he wanted to introduce the Sword Saint. But I was keeping my distance from Jayden, while Alice was in a huff.
She must have been miffed that I called myself ‘sister’ before calling Jayden ‘brother.’
It was just that, while I wanted to say the same thing, I knew Alice might explode in some way, so I decided to stay silent.
Instead, I just vented my frustration on Jayden.
“I am Jayden Fanggriffon, Captain of the Gryphon Order.”
“Then you must be a prince.”
The Sword Saint glanced briefly at me before continuing.
“Unintentionally, I seem to have taken in both of your younger sisters as my disciples.”
At those words, Jayden’s mouth dropped slightly. His look toward me was incredibly burdensome, so I subtly looked away.
“Is that so?”
Excitement was evident on Jayden’s face. The Sword Saint had accepted two of the Emperor’s children as his disciples, so Jayden thought he might be accepted too.
“Seeing such a mature brother, it seems your skills come from your family legacy.”
Then he looked back at Alice and turned to me again. The gaze he had when looking at Alice was different from the one directed at me.
He must have sensed something when he saw how I fought during training. While he hadn’t seen Jayden’s skills firsthand yet, if he understood that my movements were ‘tricks,’ he’d surely be curious about Jayden’s abilities.
To the Sword Saint, that would serve as a hint for the puzzle. Solving puzzles like that… that was so typical of the Sword Saint.
“Hm.”
The Sword Saint made a sound as if deep in thought and then said,
“Captain of the Order of Knights.”
He smiled a sly yet satisfied smile.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how well the Empire’s Order maintains its swordsmanship.”
Upon hearing that, a large question mark appeared over Jayden’s head. It would definitely feel like some game dialogue.
“I’ll be honored to welcome you any time!”
…Hmm.
Watching those two, I thought about it.
Once I gather all the information, I’ll need to rewind time to the beginning.
If those two got excited, I could only expect a much more troublesome situation than calling Jayden ‘brother.’
*
After offloading supplies, the transport ship moved faster than when it had been loaded with supplies. While it was still getting faster, it was still significant enough to reach the Imperial Capital even quicker than riding in a steam car or a train.
Well, considering that a typical running steam train moves at about 100 km/h, an empty transport ship would be much faster in terms of absolute speed.
Even when I departed and arrived, there wasn’t a grand welcome. I was a crown princess, but it was hard to prepare such welcome ceremonies every time, as I had to travel frequently. The same went for Alice, who was known as the ‘only blood-related’ true princess.
However,
“What’s with all this commotion?”
The Sword Saint asked while looking out the window of the slowly landing transport ship.
Outside, knights in white uniforms were lined up.
There seemed to be around twenty of them? Some looked relatively young, while others were older. Still, they appeared younger than the Sword Saint.
And behind those knights, soldiers in standard army attire were around, lined up and waiting.
“Is it because there are two princesses?”
“No.”
Alice and I shook our heads simultaneously. Looking at Alice’s expression, it seemed she had an inkling. It was probably the same thought running through my mind.
“…Perhaps, it seems Jayden has stirred something up.”
Although the Northern Region and the Imperial Capital were quite far apart, there was a working telephone line.
Just a single comment that the Sword Saint was coming could be enough to prepare this kind of welcome ceremony.
“Hah.”
The Sword Saint chuckled in disbelief, then turned to me and said,
“See? This is why I’ve been hiding in the mountains.”
This welcome ceremony was probably more of a spontaneous event organized by the people at this air force base and the knights from the capital rather than an official one. They probably gathered as long as it didn’t interfere with their duties.
I guessed there were many who wanted to come but couldn’t.
“……”
As the airship got closer to the ground, the faces of the gathered knights and soldiers became clearer. Upon closer inspection, there were not only foot soldiers among the gathered soldiers. Quite a number were wearing the darker-coloured attire of officers, contrasting with the foot soldiers’ uniforms.
Among those in officer uniforms, one familiar face stood out.
It was Jennifer.
Dressed in a military uniform quite similar to the one I was wearing, Jennifer stood proudly, looking up at us.
To briefly express the expression on her face, it looked like ‘holding back a laugh.’
Seeing her so eager to tease her master, deep wrinkles formed on the Sword Saint’s forehead.
*
“The Imperial Capital is always bustling.”
“It’s been nearly ten years since your last visit, hasn’t it?”
“Seems it has become more chaotic because of you, Jennifer.”
Jennifer, who had been in the Imperial Capital for academy-related matters, ran over as soon as she heard her master was coming and joined the welcome ceremony.
And even while leading the way to the Sword Saint’s room, she kept teasing her master.
“It’s you who chose to personally come to such a chaotic place, isn’t it, Master?”
“……”
The Sword Saint had nothing to say to that. Perhaps he understood that responding further would just be futile, or maybe he felt it wasn’t worth it.
“Where will I be staying?”
He suddenly asked me.
“……In the Imperial Palace.”
At my answer, the Sword Saint’s expression became much more promising, so I hurriedly added,
“For now, you’ll be staying at a temporary lodging, and soon I will arrange a place for you outside the palace.”
“Oh come on, there’s no better place than the Imperial Palace for Master to stay. After all, you made such great contributions in the last war—”
The Sword Saint’s hand flew out, but Jennifer sidestepped it.
“My plan to stay quietly is completely ruined.”
Gazing solemnly at his hand that sliced the air, the Sword Saint sighed deeply.
…Hmm, should I apologize?
But to be honest, the biggest reason for this situation becoming what it is now was due to Jayden.
Though the cause lay with me, still, the flow of events had certainly stemmed from Jayden’s excitement. If he hadn’t informed them about the situation in the Imperial Capital, there was no way the Sword Saint would be this angry!
“Alright then.”
The Sword Saint suddenly spoke in a calm voice.
“Since I’ll be near my disciples, I’ll do my very best to teach you all.”
“……”
His voice and expression were much more peaceful than when he was frowning earlier—
—So, it must be my imagination that he looks angrier than any expression I’ve seen so far, right?
Instinctively sensing something, I noticed Jennifer quietly whistling beside me.
“You guys are in big trouble.”
“……”
“That state of Master is ‘serious.’ Sylvia, be grateful. This could be an explosive opportunity for your swordsmanship skills to skyrocket.”
…And my body would probably end up crumbling under the explosion.
“Well, then, I have business in our territory—”
“What do you mean by that?”
Even I, who felt nothing, sensed something, so Leo, who had been practicing swordplay for a while, seemed to keenly feel the threat to his life.
But of course, the Sword Saint had no intentions of letting Leo go easily.
“Does it make sense for just you to be absent when the other disciples are receiving training? What happened to your plan of grinding your skills while staying together in the same cabin with me during the remaining vacation?”
Then, the Sword Saint looked at Alice and me again, smiling gently.
“There should be at least one room left in the palace, right? It’s not like it has to be in the palace itself, right?”
“……”
Hmm.
It seemed this person was truly serious.
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