19 – Episode 2. How to Regain the Favor of the Engaged Lady (9)
“Your attire…!”
No matter how curious she was, coming to a man’s bedside late at night dressed in schmooze can only be seen as a sign of wanting to share the bed.
“Even though you’ve seen countless other women’s bodies, what’s so special about this?”
“Is that why you came like this?”
“Ha. Forget it. However I come. Besides, I was wearing a cardigan from the start. What’s the problem?”
“…Fine. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Since the conversation will only end up making me look bad, it’s better to let it slide lightly. It’s ridiculous to have to be cautious because of Abel.
“So, what’s the matter? If it’s long, sit on the bed here and talk.”
“Just to avoid being thought of as a prude, leading the conversation naturally towards the bed.”
“Just leave.”
“Don’t want to? This is my place. If you want to leave, then you leave.”
“You’re being bossy.”
I sighed and got up from the bed. Sitting at the table by the window, I gestured to the other side.
“Sit here.”
It was a great spot with a direct view of the moonlight streaming into the room.
Rina obediently came over to sit across from me.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“It’s a bit of an awkward question to ask the person involved…”
Rina fiddled with the buttons on her cardigan and shot me a sidelong glance. Why was she dragging this out to ask something?
“Are you… really Abel?”
“What?”
For a moment, it felt like my heart sank.
I inadvertently revealed my hesitation at her question.
“…I just can’t wrap my head around it. Can a person change so much in just a few months?”
I barely managed to control my hesitation.
Is she doubting me? Does she really believe that Abel couldn’t have changed this much?
It’s a valid point.
If it really was Abel.
If the quest window wasn’t open beside me.
Instead of trying to change, I might have just wanted to do nothing at all. I might have truly intended to live as an unemployed person, like a real prodigal son.
But what can I do?
I’ve been possessed by Abel, and the quest is to kill anyone who doesn’t follow his words.
“Is it bad for me to try to change?”
“What…?”
“I asked if it’s bad to try to become a better person for you.”
“Well, that’s not… but…”
“Then it’s okay, right?”
I smirked and skillfully changed the subject.
Abel’s story becomes more poisonous the more you talk about it. Especially if it’s with Lina, it’s a conversation topic that must be avoided at all costs.
I only looked at her to change the topic.
The glossy golden hair shining in her moonlight looked particularly beautiful. Her blue eyes, shining as if they were jewels, were very charming.
“You still look beautiful, Lina.”
“W-what?”
Her blushing face and stammering in response to my compliment were cute. Even though she was an adult, it was clear that she lacked experience with men, which made it seem like teasing her would be fun.
“You, you again… like you do with other girls—”
“There’s only you in front of me right now.”
I smiled and spoke firmly. Lina flinched slightly.
“You’re the only person I’m concerned about right now.”
“Even if you say that—”
“It’s okay to say whatever about my past actions. But I hope you don’t think that all my current actions are driven by impure intentions.”
I really hope you don’t think that way.
I’m doing quests even when my life isn’t at stake just to get along well with Lina.
“If you really think that way, then the heartfelt letter I wrote for you, and the swordsmanship I taught you with sweat and effort, would no longer be considered favors.”
Even if I did it because of a quest, it would be bitter if the other person interpreted my pure intentions differently.
“…Sorry.”
Lina said with a slightly lowered gaze. I smiled again on my face and spoke.
“No need for apologies. Forget about my past deeds. So, what’s the real business? You didn’t come here to ask about this, right?”
Intentionally raising the tone of my voice to dispel the heavy atmosphere.
“After dinner, I showed my father the swordsmanship you taught me.”
“Oh, really? What did he say?”
“He was amazed at how you could make changes to the form without significantly altering the framework of the Sponryu style.”
“I see.”
Maybe I gained some favor points with Lina’s parents as well.
“You actually have talent in swordsmanship, don’t you?”
“Nah, if I had talent, my father wouldn’t have let me off so easily. Instead of sending me to the knight department, he would have sent me to the academy for administrative studies.”
I shook my hand from side to side, denying it.
Changing my career direction towards swordsmanship for such a trivial reason is absurd. I might end up on the front line fighting against demons for no reason.
Even if I were to work, I had thought of safely handling administrative tasks in the royal palace.
“Is that so…?”
“Okay.”
“Still, you seem to have a good understanding of swordsmanship. Can I ask you about the next skill?”
“Yeah… Huh? The next skill?”
“Yes. Since you understand the basics well, you should be able to explain the next skill, right?”
Hmm… Is that so?
I looked at the quest window that I had minimized in the air. The quest window was silent. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut at the unexpected turn of events.
Ah, darn it. How am I supposed to know about the next skill?
Even in the original work, it’s not described in detail after “Cheongsan Yusu”.
Although there is a brief description of the sword movements, that alone was insufficient for an explanation.
“…I haven’t even properly mastered what I’ve been taught yet.”
“It’s okay. You’re getting used to it little by little. And if I tell you in advance, you’ll be able to master everything at once.”
“No, I can’t. If I do that, you’ll overexert yourself again. I told you to prevent you from pushing yourself too hard.”
I spat out what seemed like a plausible excuse and wiped the cold sweat running down my back.
“Why?”
“Because you’re precious.”
“!”
Among all the looks I’ve seen from Rine so far, this was the most surprised. She opened her eyes wide and gazed at me absentmindedly.
“W-what, what are you saying?”
Looking flustered, she rolled her eyes back and forth. She slightly lowered her head and covered her face with the back of her hand.
The calluses on the palm facing me were so rough that they hardly looked like the hands of a young woman.
Even the places where calluses were torn were revealed. It must mean they are training rigorously.
“If you don’t like that reason, can it be because you don’t want me to be in pain?”
“Wouldn’t that be even weirder? Are you trying to catch me and mess with me completely? Just because I dress lightly, you think you can underestimate me?”
She played with her cardigan, creating a strange atmosphere. I chuckled and shrugged.
“Thinking like that is fine too.”
From Noble mtl dot com
She shook her head and looked out the window.
“Still, saying it’s precious is sincere.”
“…Why.”
“Huh?”
“Why are you saying that now? Then… why did you ignore me until now?”
A pained expression.
Her usually sharp eyes softened, eyebrows furrowed. Lips seemed to tremble as if tears were about to fall.
“Is it because I rejected sharing a bed? Or was it an issue that I wanted to become a knight?”
Sharing a bed? Abel, you nerd… Is this for real?
Did he release his s*xual desires with another woman because his fiancée didn’t share a bed with him?
Is this guy an onion? The more you peel, the more it keeps coming.
“It’s neither of those.”
“Then why?”
Separate from the quest, it was hard to say that you suddenly needed her now.
Saying you need her could be interpreted as pretending to be gentle again to use her this time as well.
However, there were no words I could offer her in this situation.
Not knowing the details of the past and believing there couldn’t be a good reason for Abel’s impulsive actions.
“Tell me. Why? Is it because of what Duke Houston said? Or do you feel the need to save face now? Whatever the reason, I can accept it calmly… so speak freely.”
I am not an oblivious person.
If I could accept any reason calmly, I wouldn’t have asked in the first place. It wouldn’t have come to this.
“How are you dealing with all this concern of yours?”
This was the best I could say.
Even though we are officially engaged, it would be uncomfortable to say I love you outright. Besides, with the current negative sentiment, sincerity wouldn’t be felt.
Moreover, for someone like me, who doesn’t actually feel love, it was quite a hurdle to use such words.
“What…?”
Whether Lena took my words as a confession of love or not, she shut her mouth tight with a beet-red face.
So, we remained silent for a while.
Thinking Lena took my words as a confession, and I regretted making pointless remarks, we couldn’t help but turn our heads away from each other, maintaining the silence until I couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Ah, anyway, let’s not force anything like that.”
“…But if we don’t put in effort like this, we can’t beat Princess Mine. No, it seems impossible to beat her. She’s truly strong.”
“Do you need to be so obsessed? With your skills, you could even join the Imperial Knights, considered the best in the Empire.”
“I could join. But I can’t become the best.”
“To be the best…”
How much value is there in being the best?
About honor, there’s no need to speak, and one can decide their own standing and position. It’s not common for a commoner journalist to be recognized for their skills and become a noble.
“Even if you don’t become the best, many people will admire you, won’t they?”
“I don’t want to be a journalist because I want to be admired. I want to be a knight because I need the strength to protect my family. You know that too.”
“Yeah…”
The reason Reina wants to become a knight is known from her past through a novel.
When she was young, Reina was attacked by monsters on the way home in a carriage with her grandparents.
Fortunately, knights arrived early, and she survived, but her grandparents, who threw themselves to protect her, succumbed to the monsters’ magic.
The shock at that time made Reina feel guilty.
Thinking that if she had the strength, her grandparents would still be alive and laughing with her, she gnawed at herself.
And that guilt led her to wield a sword until now.
If Reina hadn’t dreamed of becoming a knight, by now she would probably have married Abel, moved in high society, and soared as the wife of the Duke of Sirius.
“I need the strength to stand against anything. So, I have to defeat Princess Miné in any way possible.”
Reina, clenching her fist, spoke. He silently watched her. It was a dilemma whether to tell her the dreadful truth.
“You’re not the protagonist, so you can never beat Miné for a lifetime.”
In this cruel reality, he couldn’t turn away.
She probably wouldn’t believe it. She would deny it.
Because admitting that would be like tearing out everything she had fought for.
But it’s necessary to make her aware of the reality.
“…Perhaps you’ll never beat Princess Miné in your lifetime.”
“What? It’s something you wouldn’t understand without trying…!”
As expected, she exploded in anger.
“No, I can’t lose.”
I stated firmly.
If the foundation of this world is the worldview of the novel “The Swordmaster Becomes the Emperor,” then I can never win.
Because this world exists for the protagonist.
It’s even more of a one-sided affair.
I can confidently assert that she, a mere supporting character, has no chance of winning.
“You… right in front of me with that—!”
“But.”
I raised my index finger in front of her, intending to raise my voice.
“Maybe, just once, you might win.”
Now, before the story truly begins, it can be considered the best and last chance.
The basis for this was none other than the quest.
[Win in a sparring match with Mine 0 / 1]
A quest never sets an impossible clear condition.
I can be sure of that much.
Although this quest is a sub-quest, if it were a main quest, I would be in a situation where I would definitely die.
Until now, the quest has threatened me with ‘death upon failure,’ but there seemed to be no intention to kill.
Perhaps, but the one giving me the quest might not be trying to entrust me with the fate that should be given to the protagonist and the supporting characters who will be active in the future.
Otherwise, Clara and Lina wouldn’t have entrusted me with the role of fostering their growth.
If not, it wouldn’t give them any reason to kill me.
I’ve become an essential existence to the one who issues the quest.
“Just once… Then I won’t be able to win the next time?”
“Probably not.”
In the actual novel, Miné, upon seeing Lina’s abilities for the first time, allows several attacks in confusion, but ultimately, Miné emerges victorious.
From that point, Miné undergoes explosive growth, and she no longer has to chase after the princess.
“But if it’s okay, there’s a way.”
In the novel, Lina is finally able to reach Miné, but the present Lina, who hasn’t gone through trial and error, has no reason to be happy with such a trivial achievement.
Just like the quest suggests, victory must be achieved.
And inevitably, one must adhere to the content of the quest.
Since the hint to Lina’s growth lies with the Sirius spirit, I had to take her to the Magi Cleansing Water.
“Do you want to give it a try?”
“Just once…”
Lina hesitated with a murmur.
“Even though I don’t know anything, you probably won’t believe me. But if you can trust me, take my hand.”
I reached out my hand and said.
“How can you be so sure? I might lose.”
“Princess Miné’s talent hasn’t even fully blossomed yet.”
“What…?”
Princess Miné, inspired by Lena, unveils overwhelming talent by becoming a Sword Master in just a few months.
“Decide. Whether you will challenge her at least once, or forever chase after her backside.”
She looked at my outstretched hand, clenched her fist, closed her eyes tightly, and then opened them. With a determined look, she gently placed her hand on top of mine, as if two people seeking each other’s permission before dancing.
“I will. If I can defeat Princess Miné even once.”
To ensure her determination doesn’t waver, I gently held her hand, smiling.
“Alright, let’s give it a try.”