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76th Chapter

“I had quite the dilemma figuring out what to give you since you never say what you want. So I prepared something I thought you’d love.”

Caesar handed me a box. I tilted my head and opened it.

And my eyes widened.

“Wow…

Inside the box was a sword.

My heart raced. With my mouth slightly agape, I pulled the scabbard out of the box. Even with the scabbard, the sword felt incredibly light. Almost entranced, I grasped the hilt and unsheathed it.

Swish.

With the sound of metal gliding, the sword revealed itself. I observed it closely with sparkling eyes.

It seemed to be made of high-quality steel, sharp and gleaming. There was a faint aura emanating from it, perhaps magical energy. The hilt was intricately decorated in gold, with a magic gem embedded at its center.

“Wow…

Admiration kept escaping my lips. After months of struggle and saving, the only sword I had bought at the local weapon shop when I was 15 was nothing compared to this. While I was mesmerized by the sword, Caesar smiled with pride and explained.

“This sword is made from steel found only in the North. It’s optimized for amplifying your aura. The magic gem set in the hilt helps regulate the flow of mana. In fact, I placed the order shortly after you arrived at this mansion, and it has finally arrived. It was crafted by Poros, the greatest blacksmith on the continent of Atara. Do you like it?”

‘Do I like it?’

I turned to Caesar after staring at the sword for a while. There was a glimmer of hope etched on his face.

I flashed him a radiant smile as if the world held no finer treasure.

“It’s the best gift ever, Father.”

The sword was my soul. My life began with a sword and would end with a sword.

Not only did I like the sword, but I was also infinitely happy that Caesar acknowledged how important it was to me with this gift.

“It would be even better if you could take this sword and chop up that Frama Young Lord or whatever, but… you declared that you’d handle it your way. So, since you’re handling it, don’t get me involved; just be sure to win at the Hunting Tournament and crush him flat.”

Caesar’s expression when mentioning Audi looked like a monster crawling out of hell. In that moment, even I, the Sword Master, shivered and forced a smile against the chilling aura he radiated.

‘It was hard to stop those two from running off to behead Audi.’

Since the royal ball, after hearing rumors of the incident between Audi and me, Aria and then Caesar through Aria tried several times to storm the Frama family.

‘You are my daughter. This is the Kashmir Crisis! Someone I deeply fell in love with for the first time in my life, so precious that I have to be careful even touching you! How can I just stand by and let such a person, my daughter, be insulted? No way. I want to smash my head into Debela’s wall just for not being present when you were insulted! Don’t make me, your father, feel more miserable than this. Audi Frama dies today!’

‘Me, me! Why do I hear that you’re trying to dominate the social circle while being a commoner’s adopted daughter, without even knowing your place? It’s for my sister! I jumped into the mercenary business, lived roughly, just so my sister wouldn’t be looked down upon ever again! I want to crush this damned social circle under my feet so that no noble can ever insult her! And how can I possibly tolerate such a pitiful punk insulting my sister? I can’t stand it! I will definitely kill that bastard!’

Somehow, amidst the passionate anger of the two, the sword came to my rescue, giving voice to the bittersweet truth I felt.

‘Don’t think I don’t want to behead that bastard. I want him dead more than anything. I… I am the reason… that bastard touched Kashmir.’ I wanted to torture him until he begged for death.

‘But why…?!’

‘The one who was humiliated was Shushu. Shushu said she would handle it her way.’

‘We must not interfere with that. Shushu does not wish for anyone to interfere.’

That day, the sword showed me respect. Even while unable to control his rage, burning with fury, he said he must respect my way, leaving his feelings behind.

‘The sword also respected my choice regarding the Märchen business and kept silent.’

The day after the royal ball, even though Märchen was found in the corner of the palace garden just before his demise, the sword kept quiet about how Märchen had insulted me. If Caesar and Aria had known that I had been insulted by both Audi and Märchen, it would have stirred chaos in the social circle, something I wished to avoid.

With the sword’s persuasion, the two suppressed their anger while respecting me. They looked like they wanted to dash out right away, yet still declared that they would respect my way; it was touching and precious.

“Uh, sister? Are you crying? Wait a second. Don’t cry… that damned bastard really… look at me, okay?”

“……I thought you didn’t want our interference. Were you upset because I told you not to go get him? Should I break him down right now?”

“Shushu. Don’t cry. If you cry… I don’t know what to do.”

An overflowing love filled my narrow heart until it overflowed; I think I cried a bit that day.

‘Was I unhappy all this time just for this moment to come?’

Happiness and unhappiness are equivalent exchanges, which makes me think this overwhelming happiness was the reason I had faced adversity until now. So much so that I felt happy right now.

‘So, I will definitely protect these moments.’

As I resolved again, looking at the three of them with affectionate expressions.

Bang!

“Damn it! Are you using the master key?! We agreed not to give gifts related to swords!”

“Do you think I didn’t know you like swords, huh?!”

Cal and Aria sprang up, both wearing furious expressions. There must have been some agreement between the three that I didn’t know about. I looked at Caesar, who seemed flustered for having bent the rules, and he mischievously smirked.

“He who will go to any lengths is usually the most loved.”

Bang!

As soon as he finished speaking, the two unleashed attack magic on Caesar. It was a familiar sequence for Caesar to block the incoming attacks with his aura.

A peaceful, indescribably happy day.

And the day of the Hunting Tournament approached.

“……Are you really okay with that?”

Maria, who had completed the preparations, asked again, having inspected me up and down. I smiled brightly at her, filled with worries.

“That’s enough.”

“But… you aren’t wearing any embellishments and are going to compete in the Hunting Tournament without any protective gear…”

“Maria. Who do you see before you?”

Cutting off her worried barrage, I stared at her. With her lips pressed together, she bent at the waist.

“You’re the young lady of the House of Crisis, my master.”

“And I’m the Sword Master Mir.”

Maria’s shoulders jolted. She was one of the servants sworn never to mention that I was Mir, so she couldn’t say the name. Seeing her tense up at the very mention of it, I confidently smiled.

Even I, while facing ferocious monsters, wore just a black cloak. Protective gear would only weigh me down and get in my way.

“The mana of a Sword Master is stronger than any protective gear.”

It was confidence that no solid armor could protect me better than my mana.

“Sister! Are you all set?”

As I descended to the first floor, Aria, Cal, and Caesar were ready and waiting. I nodded and flashed a bright smile. Aria dashed towards me, scanning me from top to bottom and frowned slightly.

“……You’re really going like this?”

“Ugh…”

Aria’s expression crumpled. As she blinked and tilted her head in confusion, I wondered if something was wrong.

“Is something strange?”

“No, no… it suits you. It looks amazing… that’s the problem.”

“What?”

“It’s too… deadly.”

Feeling déjà vu from the debutante ball, I raised a question mark over my face. Last time Cal and Caesar had similar reactions, and now Aria was the same.

‘What on earth… is the problem?’

Currently, my outfit was so plain that it was boring. The only exposed skin was a little above my knees and calves.

As I looked at Aria, who seemed unable to convey what her point was, Cal and Caesar, who were seated on the sofa, approached with serious expressions.

“……If she looks like this, it would feel right to exploit her. It feels dangerously appealing.”

“Exactly. It’s a little… thorny feeling.”

“Sister’s outfit isn’t revealing or vulgar, but it’s subtly deadly. It seems to incite one’s imagination.”

‘Where is it?’

Looking at Cal and Caesar seriously discussing my outfit, I became more confused. The outfit was simple to the point of being plain and had no vulgar elements at all.

“This level is a standard noble young lady’s attire, isn’t it?”

“……That’s true. But because you are wearing it, it feels off. It feels like betrayal.”

‘What are you even saying?’

I looked at Cal, who was making a strange face. He seemed unable to meet my gaze, avoiding eye contact.

‘Well, those three are just overly complimentary towards me.’

Thinking of it this way, I shrugged it off.

“Well, okay then. But there’s no time to change clothes, so let’s go.”

The dissatisfaction on their faces swelled, but there was no helping it.

At the clearing in front of the forest where the Hunting Tournament was held, several tents were set up, and many nobles were bustling about. The topic of conversation among numerous nobles was simply this.

“The Young Lady of Crisis from Kashmir is participating in this Hunting Tournament, isn’t she?”

Out of the blue, amid the welcoming banquet for the diplomats a week ago, the declaration of her participation in the Hunting Tournament by the Kashmir Crisis.

In stark contrast to Aria’s commanding and thriving presence in the social circle, Kashmir was exceedingly silent. A person so enigmatic that she wouldn’t show herself unless it was a significant event where not participating would be questioned.

Even when she did surface, there was an air of otherworldliness about her that made one feel a distance, making her jarring to be around. Rarely did she appear outside the palace or temple, leading to endless rumors surrounding her.

“Did you see her facing the Frama Young Lord at the royal ball? She looked really dignified.”

“I found her a bit rougher than dignified. Besides, she uses a sword. I wonder what her personality is like…”

“Did you see how His Highness the Crown Prince stopped the Frama Young Lord? Did you hear rumors that he is courting the Crisis Young Lady?”

“I heard that the Crisis Young Lady is close to His Holiness the Pope.”

“I heard that Count Einhart requested a dance at the last debutante ball.”

Whispers filled the air.

Friendly and hostile, the rumors floating around were unfounded with no way to discern their truths.

 

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