HPDBC Chapter 19 – A Battle and Sword Saint
Chapter 19 – A Battle and Sword Saint
Chapter 19 – A Battle and Sword Saint
— Leon Greyrat —
I formed three stone bullets, changing the shape to be conical and sharp, and with a blast of compressed air, they were sent flying towards an assailant each as I ran forward.
The air blowing my hair back, I brought my sword to my side, letting the touki infuse into the blade as I struck forward, the tip tracing through the air faster than the speed of sound.
The assassins all cut down the stone bullets, but before they could react, my blade dug into the left swordsman’s side.
Remembering the feeling of when I killed the monsters, the way skin and flesh felt being cut, I continued the path of my swing, bisecting the man and creating a curtain of blood.
The momentum of my swing carried my sword toward the leader, weaving through the air as the edge approached his neck.
Clang!
Only to be blocked by his sword.
It wouldn’t be that easy, after all.
Sensing an incoming attack, I crouched my body as I let the leader’s sword slide harmlessly above my head, before sending out my blade to stop another attack.
But instead of blocking a weapon, I was surprised to feel my blade run through flesh, embedding itself into an assassin’s stomach.
“Gah!”
What? Why would he do that?
In my state of momentary confusion, the assassin grabbed onto my sword with one hand and brought down his dagger toward my neck, forcing me to leap back without my sword.
Damn... it was a trap.
That’s the North God style for you.
Not only were they unconventional, but with the wide range of styles and dojos, there was no way to know all the possible techniques.
Now back in front of Eris, I stomped my left foot, transforming the ground under their feet into mud that quickly buried them up to their knees.
“Fucking shit!” the leader shouted. “You think this is the end!?”
The leader then ripped out my sword from his comrade, killing him in the process, before throwing it toward me.
Right, he was a North God swordsman, after all.
And considering our quick exchange... likely Advanced rank, the same as me.
But while I was a good swordsman, rank-wise, I was an even better magician.
Forming a physical barrier with my hand, the sword shattered on impact, harmlessly bursting into a shower of metal.
Meanwhile, with my left hand, I formed a small fireball, the regularly red flames burning bright purple from the power and heat.
According to Roxy, one of the first lessons they teach you in Ranoa is to never use fire magic in a city, as with the lack of control once you launch the spell, it could quickly lead to disaster in such an enclosed and populated space, not even mentioning how most houses were built of wood.
Too bad I didn’t go to Ranoa.
“Bye.”
Flicking my wrist, the fireball launched forward like a bullet, and just before the leader could cut the spell in half with his sword, I willed it to explode.
Boom!
After the echoing blast, no death cries nor whimpers were heard, rather, there were only the sounds of quietly smouldering flames and the charred corpse of the leader smacking into the wall with a sickening squelch.
Releasing a small sigh, I turned back to Eris, ignoring my still-racing heartbeat.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
That seemed to break her out of her daze, as she looks up at me with the same eyes she had after I killed those monsters.
Though I could see a hint of relief there too.
“O-Of course I am! I was just... surprised, is all... Hmph! Needing to use dirty tricks like a surprise attack... No wonder you beat them so easily,” she huffed, turning to face away from me.
Smiling, I lightly patted her head as I began to sheathe my sword-
Oh... right, it broke.
I... hope Paul doesn’t mind too much.
I still had the smaller one in my bag, after all.
Hmm... I should probably start wearing that on me as a backup plan, huh?
Anyway, while it may have looked easy, it was still a fairly close battle.
Not in the technique, nor the stamina sense, but rather... with just one misstep... one small mistake, and I’d be dead, and Eris would be carted off to who knows where.
I wonder... without that ‘enlightenment’ from my spar I had against Paul... would I have died today?
Maybe... either way, I needed to get stronger.
“Eris!” Ghislaine yelled, landing in front of us with her sword drawn.
Looking back at the signs of battle in the alley, and the three corpses that were strewn about, the tension left her body as she then sheathed her sword.
“Well done, Leon. Did you get cut anywhere?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No. I was careful about poisoned blades, as they were North God swordsmen.”
“I see... the alarm was a malfunction, but considering this... it was likely intentional. Anyway, let’s head back. You can report to me there.”
Along the way, with my heartbeat returning to normal and the adrenaline draining from my system, I found myself with a realization.
I had just killed people.
Two directly, and one indirectly, as he was finished off by his comrade.
And... I didn’t care at all.
“Ghislaine... am I a bad person?” I asked.
Eris turned toward me. “What? What are you talking about?”
Ghislaine, meanwhile, simply raised her eyebrow, urging me to continue.
“I killed today... for the first time, and... I don’t feel any different. Is that wrong?” I asked.
Ghislaine simply shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, and I don’t think it matters. You did your job in protecting Miss Eris, and you would do the same for those you love, so you should be proud.”
“Right... be proud, huh?” I muttered.
Eris, meanwhile, decided to come close and grab my arm. “Don’t make such a pathetic face! You... saved me, right? Isn’t that all that matters?”
Smirking at her childish words, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
Right. I saved her, so I should just put these thoughts behind me.
Not like bearing guilt would change much anyway, and I would have to do the same if it happened again.
“Thanks, Eris,” I said.
“Hmph!”
Although she acted so dismissive, she continued to hold my arm as we made our way toward the castle.
I think her little vacation was quite beneficial, for more than just her swordsmanship.
Entering the manor, Ghislaine then went to report the incident to Sauros and Philip as Eris and I went to our respective rooms, and not a minute after organizing my things, I was called down by a maid to Philips office.
Haa... I needed a nap.
— Leon Greyrat —
“-And that’s the basics of it,” I said, finalizing my explanation of the fight.
Philip leaned back in his chair, bringing his hand to his chin in thought. “So it was a kidnapping attempt... and probably not for ransom either.”
“Those damn ingrates! Trying to lay a hand on my granddaughter! How dare they!” Sauros seethed. “Philip! Who is this scoundrel!”
So loud...
“Someone tripped the alarm while knowing that Ghislaine was escorting the two and setting up a trap at the precise moment... the leader of the operation, or at least a cornerstone of it, was definitely an employee of the manor,” Philip said.
“What!?” Sauros shouted, “Then find them and execute them for their crimes! No, execute their entire family!”
“It’s not so simple, Father,” Philip answered smoothly. “Not only would we need to find who is the insider, but also the mastermind behind them. There’s no use in someone from the manor taking Eris unless they were under someone’s employ. But... I wonder who... and what for...”
“Hmph! So weak-minded! But I suppose I’ll let you play these stupid games!” Sauros then turned to me. “Boy! You saved my Eri! I thank you for that!”
I simply bowed my head. “No need, Lord Sauros. It is in my job description, after all.”
“Indeed, but it is still admirable to stand tall in such a situation! You said your sword was destroyed, yes? I shall buy you a new one as a reward!” Sauros shouted.
“I thank you for your kindness,” I said with a smile.
Giving me one last approving huff, the man then stomped out of the room.
Shaking his head, Philip then looked toward me. “Leon. We have next to no information on this new enemy, and an enemy like that is the most dangerous.”
I nodded at his words.
They were right, after all.
An opponent is much more dangerous when you least expected them and knew nothing of their motives and abilities.
Well... unless it was one of the Seven Great Powers.
In that case, you were screwed even if you knew.
“It will have to wait for the situation to cool down, as it would be too obvious if it was done right after this, but we’ll have to set up a trap to see who’s behind this in the estate, and catch whoever is backing them as well. I will be using you for this if that is alright,” he said.
“As long as it doesn’t bring harm to my family, and I am not being sacrificed, I am fine with anything,” I answered.
This was my job, after all.
It’s about time I actually perform some duties befitting a guard.
“Good. I’ll keep that in mind,” Philip said cheerfully. “You can be excused now.”
Motioning for me to leave, I was about to get up before stopping myself.
I was confused about something...
“Master Philip... what exactly is the ‘alarm’ that you were talking about?” I asked.
“Ah. They are simply these,” he then pulled out a rod from his pocket.
“By blowing into it, it creates a sound that only beastfolk can hear. And at large distances at that. This is also one of the reasons we employ primarily beastfolk, other than Father holding a fondness for the race,” he explained.
So... a dog whistle?
“...I see. Why doesn’t Eris have one, if I may ask?”
“Ah. She used to, but she would blow it whenever she wanted Ghislaine to be with her rather than being used only for emergencies, so we had to take it away from her,” he said with a shrug.
...I see. That certainly fits the Young Miss.
— Information on the Six-Faced World —
Ancient History
Eris’ lips curled into a wide smile as she quickly got to her feet.
“Yes!”
At least she was excited.
— Eris Boreas Greyrat —
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To check if there are any interesting books,” Leon responded.
Going into the store, the stuffy smell that reminded me of the library entered my nose.
I used to hate such a smell, but recently I found that it wasn’t too bad.
If anything, it just reminded me of... no, never mind.
As he leisurely perused the shelves, Leon eventually spoke to me, “Are you planning on getting anything today? I only planned on having you guys navigate through the city with written directions, so until your etiquette lessons, it’s free time for you. Though... I do want to stop somewhere before going back.”
He then took a book off the shelf and lightly flipped through it before placing it back on the shelf.
“You have quite a bit of money saved up by now, right? Unless you’ve been spending it without me looking,” he said.
“Hmph! I’m not that stupid! A-Anyway, is there not anything interesting here?” I asked.
I knew from how much he visited the library in his downtime that Leon loved books, and I knew he wanted to buy some for his siblings.
But weirdly, he had yet to buy one the entire time he was here.
Was there really nothing interesting?
But he was looking through that last one quite eagerly...
“Hmm? No, there are a few intriguing ones. Like this one on the monsters of the Millis Continent. It’s just a tad over my budget, is all,” he shrugged.
“Over your budget? What does that mean?”
I always hated it when he used complicated words.
“It’s too expensive. I’m sending money back to my family, remember? Five gold coins... I would have to save for a few months to get this,” he said.
Five gold coins? That was nothing!
“Why is that-!?” I shouted.
“Shh,” he said, putting his finger on my lips.
To my embarrassment, I didn’t snap back at him, and instead relayed my question in a quieter tone. “Why is that out of your budget?”
“I send home around eight silver coins per month, so it will take a while to save up enough, even with my current savings,” he explained.
“Wait, how much do you earn?” I asked.
He was always quite secretive when it came to money, so despite teaching me for a year, I still didn’t know how much he made.
Well, maybe not secretive. I just never asked.
“One gold coin per month,” he answered.
One gold coin!?
But Father gave me two gold coins per month! And I didn’t even do anything!
“That’s too little!” I exclaimed.
He shook his head. “No. It’s actually quite fair. Well, at least when I agreed to it. Big Sis, how much do you make?”
“Five gold coins per month,” Ghislaine answered.
“See? She is a Sword King, and acts as both the manor’s guard and our swordsmanship instructor,” he said. “Considering I was only an Advanced-rank swordsman when I came here, a young boy, and also receiving her teaching on top of that, one gold coin is more than fair.”
Grr... I didn’t really understand what he was saying, but I knew that I still didn’t like it!
I would definitely ask for Grandfather to increase his pay when we got home!
“T-Then let me pay for it! I have money saved up, after all!” I said.
I had only bought a few small things, like meat skewers, and all of those were with Leon.
I didn’t really like spending money with him, though, since every time I did, he would turn it into an annoying lesson.
He turned to me with a smirk. “And did you bring it with you?”
My face turned red as I reached into my pockets.
No... I forgot to bring my money with me.
“Besides, I wouldn’t have accepted anyway. That money should be used for you. As for the book... well, Rudeus doesn’t need it. And as a gift, part of the importance is that it’s from me. Do you understand?” he said.
“No! I don’t!” I exclaimed.
“Hmm... you said that your mother gave you a stuffed animal a while ago, right?”
I nodded my head.
Of course, I remember.
I treasure that gift dearly, both as a gift from Mother and from Leon.
“Right. And it’s important to you, no? I know you brought it to my house, at least,” he teased.
“W-Why are you sneaking into my things!” I shouted, striking out my fist to punch his arm.
Catching my fist, he brought his finger to my lips again.
“Quiet. We’re in a small shop, so don’t be annoying.” I nodded my head with a glare. “Anyway, how would you feel about that stuffed animal if one of the maids got it for you? Or some random noble? You wouldn’t care about it as much, would you?”
I shook my head.
No, I really only cared about it because it was from... oh, I see.
“It’s like that. It holds value as a gift because it’s from me rather than the gift itself,” he said, turning back to the shelf.
As he continued, I kept thinking about how he sent most of his money home.
Why did he do that?
His family had a nice house, all things considered.
So, with my curiosity growing, I decided to ask him, “Why are you working so hard anyway? Isn’t your family comfortable?”
He nodded his head. “Yeah, our family is probably fine to continue living as is, and they even have enough savings to send Rudy to Ranoa, but... I want my sisters to have that chance too. Not necessarily having a life of luxury like a noble, but a comfortable life where they aren’t constrained by money.”
To let them live comfortably... that does sound like a Leon thing to say.
He really loved his family, huh?
Even though he wasn’t birthed from Zenith, that didn’t affect how close they were at all.
But if he, who was not related to them by blood, could treat them as family... does that mean he could do the same with me as well?
It must be nice... to have him as family...
“And,” he continued, “I like teaching you too, of course.”
My eyes met his, and inexplicably, I felt myself wanting to run away.
Not because it was boring, but rather, because of an intense wave of annoyance mixed with something else I didn’t know.
But luckily, I was able to keep myself in line, just barely, and turned around with a huff instead.
Anyway... he said that gifts were meant to have meaning, right?
I suppose I would get him something nice for his next birthday.
“Anyway, I have a few ideas for things to get here. It’s just a matter of saving up for a few months.”
Closing the book he was reading through, he then motioned for us to leave. “Here, I want to take you two somewhere.”
He then led us down the street toward an old shop, or at least, the front of it, before he told us to wait.
I hated waiting, but considering he asked so politely, I decided to abide by his request.
“Sorry for the wait. I had to put the final touches on them,” Leon said as he exited the store.
In his hand were two sticks with a red gem at the tip of each.
What the heck?
“According to my magic teacher, it is a custom to present the apprentice a wand after they cast their first spell,” he said, handing them to Ghislaine and me. “I know you two are swordswomen before magicians, so just think of it as a gift holding sentimental value rather than practical.”
Holding the wand in my hand with care, I was surprised when Ghislaine dropped to her knee beside me.
“I humbly accept, Leon.”
S-Should I do the same?
No! That would be way too embarrassing! And improper too!
Leon, meanwhile, just made a sour face. “Don’t do that, Big Sis. You don’t make me act like that under you with swordsmanship.”
She stood back up. “You’re right. But still... I thank you for this.”
Seeing how much she seemed to appreciate the gesture, I held the wand closer to my chest.
“Yeah. Anyway, sorry it’s a little late, I wanted it to have something from me rather than me buying everything,” he said with a shrug.
Both Ghislaine and I looked at him, confused.
“Huh? Oh, right. Eris, do you recognize the magic stone on yours?” he asked.
Magic stone?
I know the maids often handled them to refill the few magical implements we have at the manor, but the only other magic stone I’ve seen in person was...
“Yep. That’s from the Terminator Boar back in Buena Village. I, uh, hope you like it,” he said, scratching behind his ear.
What... what was this?
This annoyance... this warmth...
I wanted to turn away on reflex to vent out these annoying feelings that were bubbling to the surface, but just barely... I was able to hold myself back.
Even if I was stupid and arrogant to emotions... I knew I shouldn’t act that way after he did something so nice for me.
“I-I like it... thanks, Leon,” I mumbled.
His lips curled into a beaming smile. “Good! Now let’s head back to the manor.”
Leon... he made me feel annoyed, but weirdly enough, most of the time the annoyance felt... good.
It was confusing, and because of that, it was even more annoying.
But, oddly enough... I felt the urge to make him feel the same thing with me.
Yes... that’s right.
While I didn’t know many things, I did know one thing...
I wanted to annoy Leon.