Episode 13
* * *
There, where he worked hard every morning with the knights of the Duke’s household, Dale pulled out a sword. It was the Stiletto, a favorite weapon of knights.
Turn the handle of the knife around and hold it, then lightly test the grip.
‘It’s just right.’
It’s a real sword with a sharp blade.
Likewise, the girl who confronts Dale, Charlotte Orhart, holds a frosty rapier in her hand.
A real showdown. However, from Dale’s perspective, it’s not much different from just accepting a child’s whining. He doesn’t even use magic, and Dale’s true weapon, the ‘shadow cloak’, goes without saying.
‘Fight me.’
The moment the man’s name came out of the girl’s mouth, Dale could sense it. He was also well aware of the Holy Sword’s bad taste.
What happened to the mother and daughter of the Orchard family, and why did they come all the way to the Duchy of Saxony? And why is the girl in front of me being so absurdly stubborn?
I will defeat the genius of the Duke’s family and prove that I can protect the Orhart family with my own strength.
It may be hard to say it through Dale’s mouth, but in the end it is the thinking of a child who does not know reality.
“Come at me with all your might.”
“You don’t have to say it, it will happen!”
That is why I have a duty to tell you. How harsh and cold the real reality is that this blonde young girl, Charlotte, is facing. As the one who brought this endless winter into her life.
Taat!
Charlotte kicked the ground and rushed forward, ignoring all emotion and filling the tip of her sword with a murderous intent.
‘… … !’
It was fast. It was hard to believe that it was the child’s movements.
‘I’m using the aura, even if it’s weak.’
Dale, who had a natural sense of battle, could guess without difficulty.
Just as a wizard generates magical power through the circle of his heart and uses that power to overlay the principles of the world, knights who have accumulated aura within their bodies can also use that power to transcend the limitations of their own bodies.
──The name and pride of being the daughter of the divine sword were by no means empty boasts.
Kaang!
The movement of grabbing the hilt of the sword and rushing forward is not ordinary.
Just as Dale was about to parry the rapier thrust, Charlotte snapped her wrist to twist the blade. She captured the entire ‘flow’ of the blades clashing, bouncing, and clashing again.
Just like a fish in water understands the flow of water.
A movement that is possible because he accurately understands the characteristics of the weapon called the rapier. A combat sense that can only be described as innate.
‘I’m overwhelming!’
The rapier’s thrusts, which deflect endless attacks and then snap back again and thrust persistently.
For a moment, a smile of confidence and victory appeared on Charlotte’s lips.
“… … .”
However, Dale was in no position to speak of others as the owner of a talent given by heaven.
Besides, Dale’s greatest strength was by no means ‘heaven-given.’
The experience and wisdom honed from living on the battlefield all one’s life is not something that a mere lump of flesh and blood that is not even two years old can achieve overnight.
The endless stream of sword shadows from Charlotte’s rapier never reached Dale.
At first, I thought he was desperate to block my sword’s endless attacks. I was wrong.
There was not a single trace of disarray on Dale’s face as he confronted her. And he had been able to vaguely realize this since earlier.
‘You’re not going to counterattack… … ?’
It only defends against Charlotte’s attacks and does not take any further action.
He felt relaxed. A relaxed attitude that always seemed to overwhelm him as an inspector.
‘Why can’t I reach you!’
The sharp, razor-sharp edge on the tip of the sword gradually fades. The composure that should be cool gradually becomes unstable and disordered.
‘Your father was the greatest knight on this continent.’
When Charlotte was born, her father was no longer in this world. But every time Charlotte went to bed, her mother would always tell her father a story.
The story of the bravery of the greatest swordsman on the continent, the divine sword Lord Badel.
Charlotte snorted as she listened to the talk of the magnates about the eldest son of the Duke of Saxony.
A genius prodigy who no one can match in swordsmanship and magic?
‘I am the daughter of the divine sword.’
So I thought that I could never be defeated by a sword. I should have.
He is being overwhelmed by a ‘wizard’ who doesn’t even use his aura and even has a circle carved into his heart, using only his sword.
After the fall of the Knights, the ‘Imperialist Nobles’ who had abandoned their homeland did not look kindly on the Orhart family.
Even young Charlotte could understand that the family was going downhill quickly. The number of servants was dwindling day by day, and the household’s treasures were disappearing.
Every time that happened, Charlotte thought back to the stories her mother had told her about her father, a father whose face she didn’t even know.
Divine Sword, Badel Orhart.
She believed that she had to protect the Orhart family in place of her now-absent father. As the proud and self-respecting daughter of the Shingeom.
My composure quickly crumbled.
Kaang!
Before Charlotte knew it, the rapier in her hand was flying around in circles in the sky. After flying around in circles in the sky, the rapier slammed down vertically towards Charlotte’s feet.
“ah…….”
In her hand, which is holding the hilt of the sword, a thin line of blood is drawn.
The first blow from Dale’s stiletto.
“Why… … .”
The outcome was decided by that one blow.
“Why can’t I win… … ?”
He knelt down weakly, looking at his rapier, which was stuck vertically at his feet.
“Lord Bardell, the Sword Master.”
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Dale opened his mouth quietly, recalling the memory of a white, dark winter night.
“It is said that after a showdown where they could not determine who was superior to the other world’s warrior, they both died together.”
It’s a lie. Dale of the previous life, the warrior of the other world, defeated Lord Badel with his own hands. The story after that was simply distorted to suit the Empire’s taste.
“He must have been the greatest knight on the continent, since he was so fierce that he could not even compare himself to that monster-like warrior.”
“… … .”
At those words, Charlotte swallowed softly.
In this world, everyone has different opinions about Dale from his previous life──’the warrior of the other world’.
Imperial hero, hound, patriot, butcher.
But one thing they all agree on at least is that he is monster strong.
The swordsman Bardel was the strongest of those who had ever faced that monster.
He was a knight with true nobility, so strong and proud that even the Holy Swordsman would not dare to hand over his business card. That is why Dale spoke the ‘50% truth’.
“The pride you have as the daughter of the new sword is not wrong.”
Affirming her calmly.
“But as you are now, you will never be able to protect the Orhart family from ‘that man.’”
After affirming, he spoke of the harsh winter he had brought upon himself.
“You are not a divine sword, and the holy swordsman’s sword is dozens of times stronger than mine right now.”
“How many dozens of times… …?”
It wasn’t a lie. At least, it was an unquestionable fact that the man was stronger than ‘Dale at this point in time’.
“Ah, ahh… … .”
That day, the face of the man with the ugly grin of a beast came to mind. Charlotte couldn’t even think of holding the sword, and could only tremble in fear.
The only thing that saved him was his mother’s sad and pitiful pleas.
He couldn’t protect anything. Those were the words of a powerless, fallen nobleman.
“Then what do you want me to do… … .”
Charlotte sobbed, shaking her delicate shoulders.
“I know that I can’t protect my family like this… … .”
The sight of a girl sobbing, unable to hold back her bursting sorrow.
“Because I’m a girl, and I’m not strong or powerful… … .”
A weakness where there is not a trace of the sharp coolness of the prosecutor who had been sharpened until just now.
“What on earth am I supposed to do… … .”
Dale bit his lip softly.
“Lady Charlotte’s sword later.”
After biting it, Dale said.
“You can become much stronger than you can imagine right now.”
It wasn’t a lie. Even with the shadow cloak, Dale’s maximum as a swordsman was clear, as he couldn’t use his aurors.
But this girl is different.
“Do you want revenge?”
“… … !”
“Then take my hand.”
That’s why Dale reached out.
It wasn’t some kind of shabby sense of debt towards Lord Barthel.
──I just remember the mockery of the Holy Swordsman who stabbed me in the back with his sword that day.
The man recalled the darkness of the empire he was loyal to.
“Why… … .”
“Because it’s worth it.”
At the unexpected answer, Charlotte blinks as if she doesn’t understand.
“Let’s make a promise.”
“promise……?”
“I, Dale of Saxony, will become the protector of the House of Orchard in the name of the Duke.”
Charlotte has a ‘talent for the sword’. Even if the current match ends in an overwhelming victory for Dale.
“Until the future you become strong enough to defeat that man.”
Dale said.
“I and the House of Saxony will serve as a shield to protect you with all our might.”
“… … At what price?”
But at Dale’s words, Charlotte looked cold and asked back. There is no goodness in this world that does not come at a price. So Dale answered.
“The sword in your hand.”
“… … !”
When she in the future blossoms her talent with the sword and is reborn as the ‘daughter of the divine sword’ in the true sense.
“I swear, right here and now, that one day you will become the sword that will be wielded for me and the Duke of Saxony.”
Through the ‘Oath of Servant’, her sword will be swung for Dale.
“This is our promise.”
Investing for the future. At those words, Charlotte remained silent.
But the silence did not last long.
“… … I swear on the honor of being a knight.”
Dale reached out, and Charlotte reached out in response, even if it was just a promise between children.
They hold each other’s hands, quietly strengthening their resolve.
Charlotte the Black.
Following in her father’s footsteps, the hand of a girl who will be reborn as another continent’s greatest sword and also known as the ‘Divine Sword’.
The hand of the knight who will later serve as the new ‘Duke of Saxony”s side and become his most loyal swordsman.
* * *
After the duel, Dale returned to the Duke’s Hall with Charlotte to tell her father of his resolve and convince him.
By now, the stories of Charlotte’s mother, Dale’s father, and Sir Helmut had been roughly organized.
“shallot.”
Vanessa Orchard, a young widow from the Shingeom clan, speaks out about making the best decision she can for her daughter as her mother.
‘Lady Charlotte Orchardt will be protected in the name of our House of Saxony.’
The Duke of Saxony nodded in agreement to his request. Now it was time to tell his daughter about his decision.
My immature daughter will probably cry and throw a tantrum, saying she can’t stay here.
But there’s no way around it. Dressed in all black and wearing a veil, Vanessa begins to talk to Charlotte.
Charlotte listened to her mother’s story in silence.
“Okay, Mom.”
After hearing that, I nodded quietly.
“shallot……?”
A daughter who I had no doubt would cry, throw a tantrum, and say she would never leave her mother.
I thought my daughter would be stubborn and insist that she didn’t need protection from the great nobles of the empire.
“I will become stronger.”
He just smiled and nodded, as if he understood everything.
What on earth happened in that short space of time? Not only the Duke of Saxony and Lord Helmut, but Vanessa also turned her head in surprise. Towards Dale, who was watching her determination.
“Until my sword can one day protect my mother and the Orhart family in place of my father.”
But Dale doesn’t say anything, he just silently watches Charlotte’s determination.
“Because I am the proud daughter of a new swordsman.”
Vanessa couldn’t stand it anymore and started sobbing, hugging her daughter.
