37 – 10. Northern Meeting (4)
No Knight, Sir Derry tried to defeat Adele.
Why is he in Lichtenau, as an attendant?
I don’t know the exact reason, but whatever.
As an old comrade, I wanted to convey my gratitude and respect.
So I tried to give him the title of defeating a retired imperial knight.
Of course, I have pride as a knight, too.
It was not a problem at all as the opponent was the opponent.
Rather, it is more proud of yourself to win.
Fighting!-
“… .”
“Huh… ?”
However, in the next situation.
Even the seasoned imperial knight was slightly taken aback.
‘why… ?’
Will it show up, or will others notice?
I accepted Adele’s sword with utmost care.
I liked the picture of losing by a narrow margin like this.
But at one point, his sword was aimed at Adele’s neck.
And Adele’s sword touched her chest.
It’s not the way one side wins.
The situation of the draw was what Adele had intended.
“thank you. Sir Derry.”
“… .”
“But, I will only accept your heart.”
What kind of mind did Sir Derry have, and with what intention he swung his sword.
Even the part where you fold your sword at some point and try to defeat it.
Adele seemed to have already figured it out.
“… hahahaha.”
His number was read, very perfectly.
As a knight, is there anything more absurd than that?
Is there anything more mortifying than this?
However, realizing who the opponent was, Sir Derry shook his head.
Even if he was a knight of the imperial family.
Even if someone else had come, the situation would have been the same.
Rather, he thought of himself.
It was not enough even to say thank you.
“Did you reveal your true identity?”
Leaving behind the cheers pouring in from all sides.
Lord Derry asked Adele cautiously.
“… .”
Adele shook her head slightly.
From nob le mt l. co m
Maybe one day there will come a time when I can be honest.
There will be moments when you can no longer hide your secrets.
At least for now, let them know that won’t be the case.
“… okay.”
Fortunately, the thought enters Lord Derry’s mind.
Why did the emperor keep their existence a secret?
For the imperial family? for the empire? Neither.
It was for them, for those who felt sorry for them.
No sympathy, no sense of justice, no loyalty.
They were the ones who rushed towards the Witchbeasts only with revenge and hatred.
Even though he’s fighting with the demons right now.
The emperor hoped that someday they would live as human beings.
When I thought I should stop resting now, I put down my sword.
From nob le mt l. co m
Maybe they later because of their past.
I didn’t want to be led to the battlefield again by others.
That’s why the emperor kept Wolfhedin a complete secret.
‘If you’re not captured here because it’s Wolfhedin, it’s a relief.’
Those who have seen their battle even once.
I will shudder at the desperation, at the horror.
So the imperial knights too, not just because of the imperial order.
They kept their existence a secret, hoping that they would live like human beings.
“… and. actually.”
Lord Derry is about to say hello.
Suddenly, Adele opens her mouth and continues.
“Siennim told me to do it in moderation, no, gently.”
“… yes?”
“So if I won, it was a bit difficult.”
Shien, if she’s Sheen, he’s definitely the head of Lichtenauer.
Why is her name suddenly appearing?
Lord Derry tilted his head for a moment, then let out a sigh.
‘Is it like that?’
Oddly enough, that bright energy that I could feel from Adele.
It was the old knight who finally found out the reason.
* * *
“I-I can’t… .”
From nob le mt l. co m
Meanwhile, the heads of the northern households were each exclaiming.
Lord Derry is Lord Derry, but a young man named Adele was also surprising.
Even though he is old, he has risen to the rank of Imperial Knight.
He is a brave warrior who has slashed countless demons in the Great War.
Against him, I didn’t get pushed back a bit and even made it to a draw.
Even knights, let alone servants, cannot achieve it easily.
That young man had done such an amazing job.
Of course, all sorts of idioms came out of the mouths of the heads of households.
“great! Really great! Sir Derry was already active as an Imperial Knight even before the Great War. To show off that level of swordsmanship against someone like that.”
“genius. Genius is an understatement. It must be a gift from heaven.”
Sir Geon of Fiore is said to be a knight in his heyday.
Compared to Sir Derry, who was a former knight of the imperial family, he lacks a lot.
Lord Derry had been a knight since before the Great War.
In the middle of a fierce battle with the Witchbeast, he went into countless battles.
Experience, technique, and even the mindset, all of them would be said to be a level above Derry’s wonder.
Adele led to a draw against such an article.
From nob le mt l. co m
Maybe if I had led Dalian a little longer.
It may have ended with Adele’s victory, not a draw.
That’s what the noble family heads thought.
“I think I can understand why you have an attendant as an escort and not a knight.”
“It is. That’s enough to call him a genius. Heh heh heh!”
“A genius attendant of a famous swordsman! It suits you very well!”
In the meantime, after the sparring, Adele returned to Shien’s side.
Words such as hard work, great, and best came flying from all sides.
Adele just lightly bowed her head at those words.
Then, he stands next to Shien again and fulfills his duties as an escort.
Following him, Lord Derry again stood before the heads of households.
There was a very slight smile on the old knight’s face.
The family heads regarded that smile as just being happy to have a great junior.
Of course, that wouldn’t be the reason for Lord Derry.
“You have been through a lot, Sir Derry.”
“no. Even though I’m old, it’s always fun to swing a sword. Rather, I am really happy. To be able to share a sword with such a great opponent.”
“It looks amazing even to Sir Derry, who was an imperial knight?”
At the words of one family head, Lord Derry smiled, saying that if you say two words, you are nagging.
Then, he said that he had a question, and took off his luck.
“Lichtenau’s head of state. With such a great talent, why is he in the position of a servant instead of a knight? May I ask why?”
“ah… . I don’t think you can make an exception. As everyone knows, even if you can’t become a knight as an attendant, isn’t it an honor that you can only get if you go through a year of training and pass a test?”
Sir Derry nodded at Shien’s answer.
Certainly, if anyone was appointed as a knight because of their good skills.
Even if you don’t know your skills, you can’t see the most important mindset.
Although there are so many dead right now that the number of knights is the top priority.
Before the Great War, attitude was considered more important than skill.
To that extent, a knight could be said to be an honorable and noble position.
“understand. As expected, it’s a decision worthy of a master swordsman. I admired it.”
“It’s no big deal. Thank you again for showing me more wonderful swordsmanship.”
All of today’s official schedules ended in a friendly atmosphere.
All that was left was for the people from each family to fight.
It was a northern festival that could be called the flower of the meeting.
* * *
The main characters of the festival are the general citizens of the empire, not the heads of households.
There, people let go of their fears for a while.
Laugh and talk and have hope for life.
The more difficult times are, the more important it is to reassure the public.
If there were nobles in such a place for no reason, it would only be a hindrance.
So, Shien quickly returned to Liechtenauer.
“You worked hard today too, Adele.”
“thank you.”
As expected, Shien looked at Adele, who finished with a short answer.
It was the same when he defeated Sir Geon of Fiore and cut off his arm.
It was the same with Sir Derry, who was even a knight of the imperial family this time.
No matter how you look at it, he is by no means an ordinary person.
It’s not just that his talent for swordsmanship is outstanding.
Even with my lack of knowledge, I can’t even imagine myself.
I could see that such a great practical experience was laid on the basis.
“Adele. I am. I think you are amazing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Skill is skill, but that unwavering heart. It’s something I’ve seen before, but you don’t waver under any circumstances. Even in front of demons, even facing skilled knights. You don’t even see the eyes shaking.”
“… .”
I know very well what she meant when she said that.
But Adele didn’t say anything else.
And Shien didn’t add anything else there either.
If I say more, I’m sure I’ll be talking about Adele’s past.
“Thank you for today. Adele, thanks to you, I was able to show the firmness of Liechtenauer.”
“Is that because of me?”
“of course. What attendant would compete with the former Imperial Knight on equal footing. Even a decent article must be difficult. But you did it proudly.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with that.”
don’t you agree? What does that mean?
Blinking her eyes, Shien looks at Adele.
“I just showed my sword. We just fought. And it wasn’t me who showed the firmness of Liechtenauer, but Sien. You were the center of this place. So, I didn’t do anything.”
“that… .”
“Everything today was done by Shien-sama alone.”
If the other vassals had said that, they would have just laughed.
He would have thought that he was saying that for himself.
But since Adele is saying that, something feels different.
Relief, pride, and… .
“… thank you.”
It wasn’t out of loyalty, nor was it done out of a dark mind.
Looking at Adele, who spoke her words in a really simple, calm manner.
Shien smiled a very happy smile, albeit a very small one.