Chapter 183, My Sword (2)

Translator: Lizzz

Editor: Hedge

 

Soft white bread made with plenty of milk.

 

Soup boiled with fragrant white mushrooms, carbonated water filled with sweet strawberry syrup.

 

And,

 

Red bell peppers with chicken breast inside, beautifully baked; green bell peppers baked with fluffy eggs; red bell peppers sautéed in olive oil with rounded grilled pork; green bell pepper clusters that could barely be recognized as salad thanks to the occasional cabbage.

 

Plants surveyed the table once and delivered a brief impression in a tone that was unmistakably mixed with a sigh.

 

“Again.”

 

Bell peppers have been served every day lately.

 

To be precise, bell peppers had been served since the day after he played the role of troublesome older brother. That day, Kalian didn’t say what conversation he had with Chase, and with a beaming smile, he put bell peppers on the dinner table. The head chef, who had thought the Princes were obsessed with strawberries, must now think they were obsessed with bell peppers.

 

Anyway, this was:

 

‘Oh my, our big brother has been acting like a big brother. But what to do? Adults don’t pick at bell peppers.’

 

A meal plan.

 

Rerik carefully spoke to Plants, who was barely managing to suppress his feeling of going crazy from his younger brother’s arrangement that would drive him around in circles until he too went crazy.

 

“Prince Kalian said that due to Count Manasil’s schedule, the timing couldn’t be adjusted, so he would go out first without eating and asked me to convey this message.”

 

And after preparing such a menu, he wouldn’t even come.

 

“…Is he trying to challenge me?”

 

Watching Plants mutter with the same expression as a king receiving a sarcasm-filled declaration of war from his lifelong nemesis, Rerik spoke up once more.

 

“If it bothers you, I’ll clear it and bring something new, Your Highness.”

 

Plants’ eyes narrowed slightly. He knew Rerik was saying this knowing he disliked bell peppers.

 

Bell peppers were just disliked for being bell peppers.

 

Unlike other foods he disliked for their strong aroma, he just disliked them. Knowing this, Kalian was probably playing this prank with the menu.

 

“Never mind.”

 

Rerik, who was one year older than Randel, came after Sillike’s matter was resolved, someone who became Plants’ attendant under circumstances somewhat similar to Ian’s.

 

The story that no one except Ian had volunteered to be Kalian’s senior attendant was quite famous. The same was true for Rerik. Plants knew that among those who had been hesitant to get involved in matters with Beurisen, Rerik was the only one who stepped forward.

 

Moreover, Rerik was the first attendant who did not monitor Plants’ every move and report somewhere. So he did not intend to trouble him over a mere preference.

 

Plants, who had been looking down at the table for a moment, spoke again.

 

“Sit.”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

To Rerik, who was asking again while being very cautious, not having understood well, which was a daily routine for him, Plants added an explanation.

 

“Let’s eat together.”

 

A menu full of bell peppers.

 

And such a large quantity too.

 

Watching Rerik, whose face looked like he was about to cry, Plants spoke once more.

 

“If you don’t want to, don’t.”

 

“No, Your Highness! I don’t dislike it!”

 

Saying there was no way he could dislike it, he quickly sat down, and Plants let out an irritated sigh toward Rerik, who was looking at him with a face full of emotion.

 

It was because he felt like troublesome people were increasing around him.

 

Whether knowing this feeling or not, Luci, who was occupying Plants’ lap as always, made meowing sounds.

 

* * *

 

It was a truly beautiful day.

 

The sunlight shone brilliantly on its own, and a gentle breeze carrying warmth blew softly.

 

After the black and brown horses stopped at the entrance to the Royal Forest of Cyries, the two people who dismounted entered the forest. It was Kalian and Kyrie.

 

The sound of rustling leaves as the wind passed through the forest continued to be heard.

 

Since returning the sword to Kyrie, the two had almost always sparred in this forest. There was the reason that Kyrie really liked this forest that seemed to resemble himself or Kalian, but the bigger reason was that as Kyrie’s skills improved, the enclosed training ground began to feel cramped.

 

While heading to that very place that had become a clearing perfect for crossing swords without having to consider other people’s gazes, Kyrie kept thinking about what had happened earlier.

 

‘Now you should do something other than being my shield.’

 

Kalian’s sword.

 

Naturally, it was something he had always dreamed of, and he had been working toward becoming that. But he hadn’t expected talk of the Knight appointment to come up so suddenly.

 

So Kyrie couldn’t greatly rejoice or be moved by the statement that a Knight title would be bestowed. He had just sat there with a bewildered expression before following Kalian out.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

After quite some time had passed, Kyrie called Kalian in a careful voice. When Kalian turned his head to look at Kyrie, Kyrie opened his mouth again.

 

“If I become a Knight, won’t it be difficult to serve Your Highness? The Princes cannot have Escort Knights.”

 

Hearing those words, Kalian answered in a light voice as if it wasn’t much of a problem.

 

“His Majesty already made that useless anyway. Rather, now I’m the only one without an Escort Knight.”

 

While it might not be the case for Kalian, Plants and Randel still had Escort Knights following them. Even though they were Rmain’s Knights, Knights were still Knights. If Kyrie took the role of Escort Knight in their place, there would be no particular problem.

 

“But I haven’t accomplished anything great enough to become a Knight yet. It wouldn’t be too late to bestow it after I build more skills and become qualified.”

 

He felt he had too many shortcomings to substitute for Kalian’s sword.

 

“To build skills, you need to become a Knight even more. You can’t just learn from me forever, can you?”

 

There were definite limits to growing alone.

 

Even though Kalian taught him by crossing swords almost daily, and occasionally he sparred with Plants or Arsene, that alone was naturally insufficient.

 

First, since Arsene was a Mage, battles with Arsene were closer to learning nimble responses to various situations rather than sword cultivation. And in Plants’ case, since Kyrie was holding back, it was difficult for him to provide great help in improving Kyrie’s skills. To be precise, it was closer to improving patience in hiding killing intent toward opponents or stepping back.

 

So facing the swords of various other people was absolutely necessary, but it was difficult to get such opportunities given his current position. In the ‘past’, there had been Bern’s Knight Order, and Kyrie had mingled with the Knights of that Knight Order.

 

“No matter how well you wield a sword, in those Knights’ eyes, you’re just an attendant. Not everyone in the world is like my older brother.”

 

As Arsene had explained earlier, for Kyrie to measure his skills fairly against other Knights, he needed to be in the same position. Prince Plants, who didn’t care about Kyrie’s status while learning swordsmanship, was rather strange.

 

Having said this, Kalian pointed to his own red eyes and continued.

 

“Kyrie, there are many people in the world who determine value by what they see. I don’t want to see your evaluation change because of such problems.”

 

So just as Rmain had given Allan a count title, just as Kalian dressed in splendid formal wear to attend banquets, there was definitely a need to take care of appearances too.

 

“I don’t misunderstand the reason, Your Highness. But it still seems too early. Moreover, if His Majesty bestows a title…”

 

Kyrie, who had been speaking up to this point, trailed off.

 

“Ah.”

 

Kalian made a sound as if he had realized something. It was because he had now figured out the real reason why Kyrie wasn’t pleased with the decision.

 

“It’s because of the loyalty oath, right, Kyrie.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Kyrie hesitated a bit before answering Kalian’s words.

 

If Rmain directly bestowed a Knight title, the procedure of a Knight swearing loyalty before the one who would become their Lord would be omitted. Kyrie disliked this point and had been making other excuses.

 

Kalian stopped walking for a moment and turned toward Kyrie, who was following behind. Then he looked up slightly at Kyrie.

 

“I won’t accept it. I won’t.”

 

What Kyrie had sworn to Bern, what Bern had sworn to Chase.

 

A future Knight kneeling before the one they would serve as their Lord, promising loyalty, and seeking permission for the oath to meet death before their Lord.

 

‘I shall permit it.’

 

“This time I don’t think I can permit it.”

 

Surely it was sacred and noble, and for Kyrie who didn’t remember the past, it would be the most important ceremony and procedure, but even so, he felt he absolutely couldn’t utter that simple answer of permission.

 

Kyrie, who had gauged what that one thing Kalian could not permit was, remained quiet with subdued eyes.

 

“Kyrie, the answer I heard here was already enough for me.”

 

The moment he said that what he had last shown to the Kalian of the ‘past’ was probably his back, everything had already been sufficient at that moment.

 

“That day you already became my sword. What more could be needed beyond that?”

 

Kalian said that the moment he had given Kyrie the sword again was an oath for Kalian.

 

Hearing those words, Kyrie smiled silently.

 

For Kyrie, whose hearing was better than others, even that quiet Royal Palace was always noisy. This place, where he could be far from such a place, was a rest for Kyrie.

 

The always pleasant sound of water. The sound made by the refreshing breeze. The quiet breathing sounds of Kalian, inhaling and exhaling. He felt as if even the sunlight streaming down would make joyful sounds.

 

In such a wonderful place, with a heart willing for anything, Kyrie opened his mouth.

 

“Once, Hina said something like this. She said she would live helping Your Highness until she died of old age. At that time, I didn’t really know how important those words were, but now I finally understand why Hina called me an idiot then.”

 

Actually, she had called not only Kyrie but also Kalian an idiot, but he couldn’t reveal that much.

 

Anyway, having begun this way, Kyrie properly faced Kalian and stood.

 

In the middle of the forest, on that vast ruin that was exactly like the inside of Kalian and Kyrie’s hearts, shattered, scarred, and utterly scorched,

 

“I haven’t memorized all the contents of the oath for the Knight appointment yet.”

 

And in front of him, he quietly knelt.

 

On that blackened earth, in front of Kalian, he knelt.

 

“Kyrie.”

 

“Your Highness, there are words I want to say.”

 

Kyrie stopped Kalian’s words and said this. Kalian quietly closed his mouth and looked down at Kyrie.

 

“I don’t want to make stiff formal greetings like other people.”

 

Though Kyrie was someone who unconditionally listened to whatever Kalian said, he didn’t want to hear only Kalian’s words about not accepting a loyalty oath. So he was being stubborn like this.

 

“In place of Your Highness, I will hold the sword and raise the shield. In place of Your Highness, I will die.”

 

“What. That’s ultimately the same as other Knights’ oaths.”

 

“I think I just need to speak from the heart.”

 

Kalian, remembering that memory once again, smiled silently.

 

“Just say you don’t want to memorize it.”

 

“Even without flowery language, I can just say what I want to say, can’t I?”

 

Kyrie wouldn’t know.

 

That even then, he had already made his own Knight’s oath.

 

Watching Kalian who was recalling that day’s events, Kyrie opened his mouth again. This time too, he began making a promise he had decided on his own.

 

But it was a very different kind of promise.

 

“If there’s ever a time when you’re overwhelmed or drunk again, I’ll carry you and support you. I’ll become strong enough that Your Highness doesn’t have to go ahead alone. I’ll become strong enough that you don’t have to worry about me and protect me.”

 

Not the elegant words of Knights who had seen and learned much, but like this, once again, Kyrie quietly laid down the promises he could make in front of Kalian.

 

“So that you won’t be left alone, so that you won’t be forgotten alone, I will protect you.”

 

That was Kyrie’s oath.

 

At those words, promised without wavering, Kalian, who had been looking down at Kyrie, closed his eyes for a moment. With his eyes closed, he smiled softly.

 

Because they were even better words to hear than those from that time.

 

“…Alright.”

 

The sound of laughter, and the quiet breathing sounds of inhaling and exhaling were heard again. Kyrie, who never carelessly listened to any of Kalian’s sounds, listened carefully even to those small sounds.

 

“I shall permit it.”

 

A good day.

 

A day when the flowing water was refreshing and the streaming sunlight was warm.

 

Kyrie became Kalian’s Knight.