episode_0134

Strictly speaking, vacation is like a vacation for working people.

Of course, compared to that of workers, it was very long, and children whose social status was sufficient to attend academies often spent their vacations comfortably rather than working.

Claire and Leo could have done the same.

However, both of them had a strong desire to improve. Leo and Claire did not hesitate to train hard throughout the summer vacation to improve their swordsmanship skills.

Moreover, the two met ‘Geumseong’ during the semester. The time they were able to learn from each other was very short, but during that time, the two were able to receive the title of ‘disciple’ from Geumseong.

And I also heard that I can come and learn whenever I have time.

The vacation period was, of course, a great time to do that.

With that in mind, Leo and Claire planned to head north immediately after the princesses’ visit.

Of course, it would be nice if life always went according to plan.

“Claire, you stay.”

Of course, it wasn’t always like that.

“Mother?”

However, things did not always go as planned or desired.

“It is a good thing to inherit Grace Ryu’s swordsmanship. If you have a good teacher like Geomseong, it would be right to be thankful and devote yourself to swordsmanship. It is not an opportunity given to just anyone.”

“Mother, then—”

“But.”

Baroness Grace let out a small breath and spoke to Claire.

“Claire, aren’t you at an age where you should be preparing for marriage?”

“… … Yes?”

Claire’s face became blank. She looked at her mother with her mouth slightly open, and there was an expression on her face that said, ‘What is that?’

“I’m not saying you should get married right now. It’s something you can think about slowly when you become an adult. But even so, you should have basic knowledge. ”

Claire’s face gradually turned red as she listened to the story.

“At least… …I have to make sure that I carry myself like a ‘young lady’. Let’s focus on that during this vacation.”

“But, Mother—”

Although Claire spoke with an expression that seemed to suggest she was throwing a tantrum, Baroness Grace’s thoughts seemed firm.

“Claire, aren’t you our daughter? I think you should receive a proper education so that you won’t be a blemish when you marry someone.”

And those words contained an affection that could not be hidden.

Claire was left speechless.

Seeing Claire’s bewildered expression, the Baroness spoke with a small smile on her lips.

“Still, if you can improve your appearance enough to represent us during this vacation, I can allow you to go north during the winter to receive swordsmanship training.”

“Yes?”

And when Claire heard those words, her eyes widened.

“Is it real? Is it real, Mom?”

As she spoke, the Baroness let out a small sigh as she watched Claire jumping around in her seat.

“… … Yeah, but first, let’s do something about that reckless behavior.”

*

“Hehehe… … .”

After hearing Leo’s story, Black Knight Frederick laughed in vain.

“It seems that people’s perspectives don’t change that easily even as time passes.”

And he said, shaking his head.

“Even a household that is so awake can’t help but think that way.”

Frederick, who was muttering like that,

“Well, even if I think it doesn’t matter, other nobles might think differently.”

And he nodded as if he understood that not a single disciple had come.

“Well, that’s good. I’m sure that kid can easily overcome such adversity. I hope I can teach you both properly in the winter. ”

Frederick folded his arms and spoke.

“Then, first of all, let’s try calming our minds with meditation.”

“Okay.”

Leo nodded with a serious expression and sat down.

That was at the end of July.

*

A month is a very short period of time under the sword master. The sword master has been honing his swordsmanship for his entire life, that is, for decades, and it naturally takes a corresponding amount of time to learn all of his swordsmanship.

But even so, it’s not like there was no progress during the month.

Leo was able to approach swordsmanship with more certainty and composure, and the tip of the sword he swung became much sharper and more precise. Up until now, Claire’s swordsmanship skills had been almost equal, but now, it was to the point where he thought he might win by a small margin.

Even though the weather was getting warmer, it was still quite helpful to stay in a hut built on a cliff or something. It was training in itself to stay in a building that was barely able to block the wind, and that too on a very rough road.

So, even though his body was uncomfortable, Leo felt satisfied as he felt that he was growing steadily.

“Hmm.”

As I was calming my mind through meditation as usual, I heard Geomseong making a sound.

I opened my eyes slightly and looked up at Geomseong. Geomseong was resting his hand on his chin and looking at the thin wall of the hut. Of course, he wasn’t looking at the wall, but at something beyond it.

“It seems like we have an uninvited guest.”

As he said this, Black Frederick placed his hand on the basket full of herbs on the table.

“Couldn’t that be Teacher Jennifer?”

“That’s not his footsteps. If it were him, he would have come without even hiding his voice. And he wouldn’t be this unstable. ”

Frederick’s eyes narrowed. It was the first time he had heard the sound of footsteps, but he did not think that it belonged to someone so powerful that he could oppose the Black Swordsman.

On the other hand, I could hardly feel the killing intent. Usually, those without skills cannot hide their killing intent, so they spread their presence in all directions and fail to surprise attack. If they had skills, they would hide their killing intent, approach, and cleanly strike down their target with one swing of the sword.

So, is he really a visitor? Or is he someone who got lost while climbing the mountain for fun?

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.

Frederick thought, clutching the basket tightly in his hands.

“… … .”

The opponent came straight to the door of the cabin of the swordsman Frederick without any hesitation and opened the door proudly.

Frederick guessed when the door would open and threw the basket right away.

As the door opened, the basket flew away, scattering the herbs inside in all directions—

Exactly, it hit the center of the forehead of a girl who was opening the door and coming in.

“Huh!?”

At the unexpected and cute sound, Frederick blinked. Leo was the same. He was sitting cross-legged, with only his upper body turned to look at the door.

The girl who was lying on the floor with her buttocks pressed against her head looked quite slender at first glance. Of course, that doesn’t mean she didn’t have any feminine beauty.

To the girl who was rubbing her forehead with tears welling up in her eyes,

“Sylvia?”

Leo asked in a slightly bewildered voice.

The girl named Sylvia blinked as if she had just realized that she was sitting on the floor. For a moment, she seemed to have forgotten that her forehead was sore.

The girl, who had been staring blankly for a moment, then suddenly showed a surprised expression—

“Again!”

He shouted like that—

*

I hit my forehead against that basket several times and then forgot about it.

Well, it’s only natural since I haven’t seen you in months… … But it’s still embarrassing.

Not only was Geomseong second, but Leo inside also saw me.

“Hoo.”

I went back in time a few seconds, pulled myself together, and opened the door again.

The door, which did not look like it had been made by a professional, opened with a creaking sound.

And then what caught my eye was a basket flying towards my face.

I lifted the hand that wasn’t holding the doorknob and took the basket.

chuck.

Luckily, it wasn’t really trying to kill me, so I was able to catch the basket pretty coolly.

“Hoo.”

Frederick let out an exclamation he had heard a few times before.

“Sylvia?”

This time, a voice of literal surprise was heard, one that contained no absurdity or bewilderment.

I pretended to be as relaxed as possible and calmly placed the basket I was holding on a nearby table.

“Silviara.”

Frederick looked thoughtful for a moment, then a somewhat ferocious smile appeared on his lips.

“I see. You must be the kid who was active in the last battle.”

… … What could it be?

Why do I feel like your reaction is different now than when we first met?

For a moment I thought that maybe Frederick remembered me, but fortunately that didn’t seem to be the case.

Rather,

“If he is my disciple’s close friend, I think it would be good to see his skills at least once.”

He was holding a sword.

No, wait a minute.