182. Senior’s Ax (1)
“Haa…. “Let’s take orders first.”
Ekki I sighed deeply.
She took out one of her confidential notes from under her cognitive decline robe and handed it to me.
“The Imperial First Sword Competition to be held this time will be open to the public.”
“To the public… ? Originally, it was only held between knights in the central imperial palace, right?”
I frowned.
“Yes, somehow, His Majesty the Emperor has increased the scale considerably. “It’s like trying to raise a celebrity.”
I took a deep breath at the words of the red swordsman.
No way….
‘Is this Irina’s intention?’
At the same time as informing everyone about the Empire’s Best Sword, I also praised him as his teacher.
From now on, I plan to let His Majesty know about me.
“You caught me properly this time….”
“Yes?”
“No, there is such a thing.”
I waved my hand leisurely.
Then, Ekina immediately followed her words.
“But usually, illegal betting is rampant in sparring matches like this.”
“Yeah, it feels like a racetrack.”
As someone from Goa, I was familiar with that system.
I have often seen street homeless people and gangsters betting their lives on such vain games.
“And, there is no law preventing you from appearing in this match as well.”
Echina’s red eyes flashed.
Even though she was in collusion with the crown prince, she did not seem to abandon her honor as a knight.
“The crown prince plans to hire them to weaken the opponent who will face his knights in advance.”
“That’s a thought worthy of Empress Rosanna’s son.”
Echina sighed deeply.
“No matter how much I do, it is difficult to understand this situation. “I can’t believe the crown prince of a country hires such a poor group of people.”
“If you get caught, it’s easy to cut off.”
I actually acknowledged the crown prince’s tenacity and meticulousness.
“You still don’t know who those private companies are, right?”
“Yes, I too….”
The next leader of the Knights of Crimson Flame had a bitter expression.
“Don’t worry, I will find out and come back.”
I silently patted her shoulder.
“You help me spar with those idiots here.”
“It seems like you are subtly using me as a punching bag?”
Echina had a sullen expression.
“I have not responded to that matter yet.”
She quickly turns her head.
As much as she is serious about the fairness of sparring matches, it seems like she doesn’t want to make her opponent suffer.
“Okay… ?”
But, no matter what you do.
“Hey, Allen!”
I called out to the blonde knight sitting on the sofa.
The closest person who serves Irina.
“Do you remember when the second princess’s mansion burned down a while ago?”
Arson of the mansion.
Ekina was shocked at those words.
“Yes, I remember. “I had a really hard time at that time.”
How hard did Allen go through at that time?
She trembled with her handsome face.
“So-. At that time, the knights worked day and night to repair and rebuild… “All I saw was heartbreaking.”
I put my hand on my heart with a very pitiful expression.
And, the world sympathized with him with sad eyes.
“….”
Ekina stared at me like that.
Her pretty lips are trembling.
“That’s right, if you get caught, you can catch anyone and kill them with your dual swords…” .”
Allen flashed her blue eyes.
If they found the culprit right away, they were going to kill him.
“Ha…. All right.”
Ekina eventually closed her eyes tightly.
“Instead, don’t have high expectations. “I may not know sparring, but I don’t know much about teaching.”
I pinched the hood of the Red Flame Swordsman’s robe.
And then, he playfully shook it.
“Don’t worry, sparring is something you learn by getting hit.”
She looked at her men intently.
They were all treated by me and were able to grow until now.
“Right, guys?”
“….”
The vice-captains nodded silently.
I was satisfied with their faithfulness and prepared to go out.
“Then, let’s spar together for a bit, and I’ll take a quick look around the stadium.”
I did not wear a uniform jacket.
In order not to reveal my affiliation, I decided to go out in just a dress shirt and dress pants.
“Oh, Miya-senpai is coming too.”
“Me too… ?”
Miya was awkward because she didn’t listen to anything until now.
She had tears in her eyes when she suddenly asked her to go out together.
“Yes, I think I need a ‘partner’.”
Partner.
Upon hearing that she would be taking on that important role instead of Ekina, Miya got up from the sofa with all her might.
“Is that so?”
She stretches out her body like an excited cat.
They stood side by side wearing just dress shirts instead of uniform jackets like me.
But, at that moment.
“Where are you going?”
Allen stood up.
Same goes for Richard.
He asked me carefully as I was accompanying Miya.
“Yes… ?”
Why are they suddenly acting like this?
When I tried to go out, everyone became restless.
“Oh, it’s no big deal. “I just have one request from Her Majesty the Princess.”
“Please?”
When I tilted my head, Bashu’s black eyes flashed.
“The princesses told me to take in every detail of Lord Veil.”
“Learn all the little things.”
Allen and Bashu’s eyes sparkled.
So, I looked at Richard.
“Really….”
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t help but snort.
“Yes, you can’t help it either. “Because it’s our knights who f*ck us as we’re told.”
I crossed my arms alone.
And, he made a cold request.
“Don’t worry, I’m just going to work.”
It looks like the princesses are asking the vice-captains about my well-being.
Going out alone with Miya in such a situation must have made you feel uneasy.
“I’ll be back soon, so just train hard.”
“So, you guys don’t have time to relax, do you?”
Ekina helped.
She tried to train her men, who were a level lower than her, in earnest.
“Let’s look at tenacity first. “You all have good physiques, so you’re confident you can hold on, right?”
Is it because you have been swayed by me all this time?
Ekina’s red eyes blazed like flames.
A brilliant golden aura flickered from the sword at her waist.
She became a full-fledged sword master thanks to the elixir I gave her and her various training.
I was ready to take out all the anger I had built up on them.
‘I need to do you a favor, guys.’
The knights hurried to raise her body due to Echina’s momentum.
Forgetting the princesses’ instructions, they hurriedly prepared for training.
Thanks to you, I was able to safely escape from the princesses’ gaze.
When I opened the front door, Miya carefully followed me out.
We barely escaped from the cramped office due to the large men.
“They are having a hard time too….”
“What?”
Miya tilted her head and asked.
“No, there is such a thing.”
I narrowed my eyes and smiled.
And then she came out to her stream with her.
I called for a carriage.
Afterwards, we sat across from each other on comfortable seats and headed to the center of the capital where the selection competition was held.
“Wow….”
From Noble mtl dot com
Miya stared out her window like a cat curious about the outside world.
With her eyes tightly closed, she felt a cool breeze.
“Senior, it’s been a while since you came out of the main office, right?”
“Yes. “In just one week.”
Her short hair is flowing.
The senior held her eyes wide open and pushed her hair towards her ear.
“Good.”
I stared at the dark circles under her eyes.
It feels like the color has become a little lighter due to the sunlight.
‘If I were an ordinary knight, would I have lived like Miya?’
She is the average knight of the empire.
However, unlike those who received favors or were members of factions, she fulfilled her duties honestly.
That’s what makes her different from others.
“Another car in this kind of weather….”
However, despite my praise, Miya instinctively put her hand into her breast pocket.
And, without realizing it, she was about to get hit on the carriage.
“Ah.”
Miya stopped flicking the cigarette pack with her palm.
Afterwards, she scratched the back of her head and said she was sorry.
“Ahahahaha…. “I’m sorry, it must stink, right?”
“No, it’s nice to see you as a senior.”
I smiled and waved my hand.
Then, Miya tilted her head cutely.
“Is it like me?”
She was originally a woman with sharp eyes.
However, after we became friends, everything he did felt quite cute.
“I feel like I’m being ignored.”
Miya looked at me with a sullen expression.
She looked like a black cat in pain.
“Are you ready to get off slowly? “Seeing how crowded it is, I think it’s near the stadium.”
I skipped out on her words.
Just open her carriage door and guide her out.
“Wow, I heard you look down on your senior so much.”
Miya stood up from her seat, poking my shoulder with her finger.
And, the moment she leisurely gets out of the carriage.
“… !”
A gorgeous downtown area spread out before her eyes.
And then, at the end, the huge circular stone stadium, Lastium, came into view.
“Wow… !!”
Miya’s eyes sparkled like a child in a fairy tale world.
Her eyes, tired from smoking and working, also became bright.
“Is this your first time coming to Lastium?”
“No….”
The short-haired woman stared at her father and her children walking up and down her street.
Then, without realizing it, she smiled bitterly.
“I came here when I was young. “With my father.”
At this point she knew that her family had fallen.
I understood Miya’s bitter expression.
“….”
She captures the world in her eyes with her sorrowful eyes.
She seems to have even forgotten about her cigarette, which she used to always have in her mouth.
Thanks to you, I wanted to allow her to enjoy her freedom more, even just for a moment.
“Shall we eat something for a moment?”
“Do you have time for that? “They said they came to work.”
Miya looked at me worriedly.
She seems embarrassed that she was caught being so excited.
“In the first place, you should eat well before going to work.”
I stood side by side with her.
And, she said with a grin.
“Let’s go, senior.”
Miya glanced up at me.
Because we had taken off our uniform jackets, we were both wearing dress shirts.
It was like a pair of man and woman dressed in matching clothes.
“….”
She immediately avoided my gaze and answered quietly.
“Okay, what about snacks…?” .”
We walked side by side together.
Evenly laid stone road.
Neat buildings built with white bricks.
There, I noticed merchants selling various delicious snacks.
We went to a pancake restaurant that looked quiet.
「Leon Oblet」
The faint smell of bread.
Miya kept looking at this as if she was attracted to it.
“Senior, would you like some pancakes?”
“Uh, yeah… ?!”
While she was shocked.
I headed to the pancake shop first.
This store is particularly quiet compared to other places.
The only guests were a brother and sister with black hair who were as tall as my waist.
“What flavor of syrup would you like?”
“Then, I’ll do it with honey. “It tastes best with a lot of honey.”
I ordered two pancakes for a man with a big belly.
Then, the merchant immediately started putting the dough on the grill.
“But this is surprising. I didn’t think you would like this.”
At this, Miya smiled brightly.
“When I came here before, my father bought me pancakes.”
Her eyes were faint, as if she was lost in her memories.
“….”
After saying that, the senior was silent for a moment.
She just blankly watched the dough cook until it became white.
In the store, the only sound is the laughter of a brother and sister standing next to each other.
“Okay, it’s out….”
The man moved the pancakes topped with honey on paper.
And, he even sprinkled nuts and gave them to us.
“How much?”
I naturally tried to take out the silver coins.
Then, the senior confidently blocked my arm.
“I will live, this is what seniors live for.”
Every time we met, she would take the lead and say she was her senior.
“Yes… ? “I will live this time.”
“No. “Thanks to you, I can come out like this.”
Miya slowly raised her hand.
Then, she teased me by lightly pinching my cheek.
“Thank you, Veil.”
The senior’s black eyes sparkle.
Afterwards, she took out two silver coins and handed them over to the merchant.
“….”
For some reason, I looked at that with joy.
“It sounds really delicious-.”
Miya glanced down at her pancakes in front of her.
Her appearance was like a cat with a fish in front of it.
“Tsk tsk….”
Is it because I watched her innocent appearance from the side?
I laughed without realizing it.
“What, again?”
“No, no-. “Go ahead and try it.”
Miya confidently refuted whether she thought she was looked down on again.
“You have to try the tasteless Boncheong bread! “Do you understand that you always hang out in the office and then eat out?”
She grunted and picked up the bread with a fork.
And then, the moment she raised her dainty fangs and tried to taste it.
“Oh… !”
An old silver coin that had fallen at her feet caught her eye.
“I’m sorry….”
The siblings were eating pancakes next to her.
Among them, the boy hurriedly lowered his head to pick up the silver coin.
“No, it’s okay-.”
Miya smiled and picked up a silver coin instead.
Then, the child’s clothes with lots of traces of energy caught my eye.
At first glance, these children look like their lives are not well off.
They were very nervous when they came to this downtown area, Lastium, with big intentions.
“Oppa, I’m okay…. “We can eat just one of us.”
“What do you mean, I got a lot of money today?”
There was something like black paint on the boy’s face.
The moment we saw it, we realized that the boy was a shoe shiner.
“Mister, please give us one more pancake.”
The merchant smiled and accepted the children’s silver coins.
“With this money, I can only eat food without sauce, is that okay?”
“Gwae, it’s okay!”
The boy stuttered and said.
And then, he whispered to his little sister.
“It will be okay if you spread as much of the sauce left on the paper as possible…” .”
Miya was listening to those words next to her.
She suddenly looked at her pancake on her fork.
It looks a bit damp due to a lot of honey.
The moment I put it in my mouth, the sweet taste seemed to pour out.
However, perhaps due to Miya’s sudden whim, the sweet taste became unpleasant.
“Guys.”
When she called her children, her siblings flinched.
“Yes… ?”
It seemed like he had an instinctive fear of adults.
If shoe shiners had the misfortune of receiving adult customers of poor quality, they would often not get paid or be scolded.
“I’m going to order another flavor, but do you want to eat this?”
Miya tried to pass on her pancakes to her children by making up a plausible excuse.
However, the boy who learned the world early firmly refused.
“No, you can’t receive food without paying for it.”
‘Huh… ‘Look at him?’
I watched that boy with interest.
Because it was like looking at my childhood.
“It’s okay…” . I accidentally asked for too much honey. “That’s why I don’t like it getting soggy.”
Looks like the eldest daughter leading a fallen family.
She skillfully persuaded the boy.
“That…” .”
“I can order it again-.”
Miya subtly pushed a pancake to her child.
Then, the boy hesitated for a moment….
“Thank you so much….”
He bowed his head to me and Miya and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you….”
My younger sister, who was missing her front teeth, also greeted me in a childish voice.
Miya responded with a gentle smile like her eldest sister.
“Eat deliciously.”
When the food disappeared, the senior, feeling empty, took out a cigarette pack from her pocket.
Instead of the pancakes of her memories, she chose her cigarette.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
As I stared at her, she put a cigarette in her mouth with an embarrassed expression.
“I usually like cigarettes better than sweets.”
She tried to ignite her fire, with her eyes half closed in a strange way.
“Because sweets make you fat…” .”
Just a little while ago, she was talking like an excited cat, asking for a generous amount of her honey.
Because of her, the corners of her mouth twitched.
Her senior was like the sisters at the orphanage who saved their own food when they were young and fed it to their younger siblings.
“Senior, don’t do that, just share what’s mine.”
I cut the pancake in half.
Then, he folded it with plenty of honey and offered it to her mouth.
“Now, try it.”
Miya looked down blankly at the pancakes I personally offered her.
Then, I looked around.
“Hap… !”
I closed my eyes and took a mouthful.
“… !!”
That moment.
Her eyes sparkled like a child’s as she tried to light a cigarette.
“Keuu-.”
“It’s delicious, right?”
Without realizing it, she kicked her military boots and shuddered with joy.
“Yes, definitely….”
Her teardrops also wrinkled up as if she was happy.
I felt like I now liked pancakes better than cigarettes.