Ch.102EP.27 – The Knight Doesn’t Want to Be Reinstated (1)

Early afternoon.

The scorching summer sun beat down on the ground, making the weather unbearably hot and stifling for people, but despite this unpleasant heat.

Whoosh! Whoosh-!

“……”

The girl, no, she was silently swinging her sword.

Drip…

Sweat poured continuously, unpleasantly soaking her entire body, but she didn’t give up.

One hundred downward strikes.

Not just simple downward motions, but each strike had to be as perfect as she could make it to count as “one.”

In that sense, although she had already swung her sword over 700 times, Levi still hadn’t completed a full hundred counts.

She had only managed thirty satisfactory downward strikes so far.

‘Swordsmanship is truly difficult.’

Her mouth was parched, and she felt like she might collapse from exhaustion at any moment, but instead of giving in, Levi was reminded once again of the profound depth of swordsmanship.

The more she swung, the more she realized its unique depth.

Even when she thought she was swinging the same way, each strike showed a different trajectory and carried a different feeling in the sword.

And so Levi.

‘…This is fun!’

Yes, it was fun.

The fact that she could focus so intently on one thing.

And that she could discover herself improving the more she practiced.

It wasn’t just swordsmanship that was enjoyable.

She looked forward to learning archery later, as well as new etiquette and linguistics.

Not to mention, she wanted to learn cooking for her master right away.

To be able to learn so many things so freely…!

Nothing could be more satisfying.

…However.

“My lady.”

Flinch!

“You seem to be getting tired. I think it would be best to pause your training for a while.”

“……”

“The knight also said that you must properly hydrate and rest, otherwise it will be harmful to your body. Honey, please stop now, my lady.”

“Umm….”

While everything was satisfying, Levi still hadn’t adjusted to the sudden change in her living environment, and she timidly said to the maid:

“Um… I understand, but could you please stop calling me ‘my lady’?”

“Oh my, why?”

“…It feels like I’m wearing clothes that don’t suit me, or doing something presumptuous.”

Levi’s honest feelings.

Of course, being called “my lady” wasn’t particularly unusual for her.

Even if it had been a “fake life,” she had lived as a noble lady after all.

…But it was the first time someone addressed her with such genuine respect.

How should she put it?

It was as if she had been living as an actor all this time, and suddenly that theatrical life had become reality.

That’s what it felt like, and Levi was sweating for a different reason now.

The excessive treatment was overwhelmingly burdensome.

“Oh my, you’re sweating again. This is why you should practice swordsmanship indoors; your beautiful skin will be damaged.”

“I-it’s fine. My skin is, well…”

“Skin is important too. You mustn’t forget that you are His Excellency’s daughter. The position of a marchioness is by no means trivial, and you must never forget the necessary dignity, behavior, and always maintain a noble bearing.”

“……”

“You’ve become someone who must always set an example for others, so not only in swordsmanship but also in appearance, you must become a person who inspires awe in others. So please understand even if I speak harshly.”

“Ah, I-I understand what you mean, but even as a daughter, I’m just an adopted child, so it’s too…”

“Ho, has anyone in the family dared to mistreat you because you’re adopted? Such an outrageous person-?”

“……”

“If there is such a person, please tell me immediately. I will deal with them at once.”

“N-no, there’s no such person.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

“……”

…Scary. No, difficult.

More difficult to deal with than the sword.

When this person says “deal with them,” it sounds like she means to bury them.

So Levi resolved:

‘I need to watch what I say from now on.’

Since careless words might lead to several deaths, she decided to never speak carelessly again.

Levi, age 19.

It was a day when she keenly felt that life as the Lady of Tristan was indeed too much for her.

* * *

– Yes, I will.

– ……

– Oh, was that a joke perhaps?

– N-no. I was just surprised by how readily you accepted, haha…

Shortly after the closing ceremony, Levi received an adoption offer from Marquis Tristan, which she accepted without a moment’s hesitation.

It was only natural.

She couldn’t indefinitely impose on her master’s household, and continuing to cling to him would be shameless.

She wanted to be someone who could help her master, not a leech.

Therefore, the Marquis Tristan’s proposal was truly heaven-sent luck.

Although it meant becoming the daughter of someone she had almost married, she knew that such an offer was a miracle that couldn’t even be measured in monetary terms.

Above all.

– Thank you, Master.

This was also an excessive opportunity created through the blood and sweat of her master… the first precious person in her life, so accepting it was only natural.

However, there was one thing.

If there was something that concerned her…

– B-but there’s one thing I must tell you. I…

– Ah, I already know about that. You don’t need to reveal it.

– What?

– Haha, this is a gift. Use it well.

– ……

What Levi had been hiding.

It was her origin and status.

She had intended to reveal it herself, but the Marquis stopped her and handed her a ring and a piece of parchment, which made Levi’s eyes widen.

– H-how did you…

– The mother and daughter of the Fault family each had one. Probably received from their husband or father.

– ……

– We’ve confiscated them for now, but I thought they should rightfully belong to someone else.

– …You know about this, and you’re still accepting me?

– I’m not just accepting you. Rather, I’m the one making a request. I’m asking if you could give me the opportunity to have such a talented child as my own, haha.

– ……

At this moment, many emotions crossed Levi’s mind.

She was bewildered by the thought that she could be so valuable and was simply astonished by the overwhelming fortune coming her way.

And unconsciously.

– Master…

Calling for her own bluebird who had brought this fortune, a smile appeared instead of tears.

Sometimes, when people are too happy, they smile instead of crying—this was something she realized for the first time in her life.

And now.

‘What should I do with this?’

Levi endured the unfamiliar maid’s touch as she wiped away her sweat, while fidgeting with the ring.

The parchment the Marquis had given her… or rather, the “slave contract” she had been forced to sign when she was kidnapped.

It had been a week since she burned that contract.

…However, the ring.

She couldn’t just dispose of it carelessly.

Although her slave status was gone, the [Mark of Obedience] still remained on her back.

And this ring was like a catalyst for that mark of obedience, so getting rid of it would be best, but.

‘That would be the worst option.’

There’s a reason why the Mark of Obedience is called a curse.

Once engraved, it doesn’t easily disappear even if the catalyst is removed, which is why it’s called a curse.

Even if she got rid of the ring, if illegal mages saw her mark, they could easily create a new catalyst.

So rather than eliminating the existing catalyst, the answer was to extract the Mark of Obedience itself from her body, and until she found a safe way to extract it…

‘I shouldn’t get rid of the ring right now.’

Rather, she needed to manage it carefully.

This ring literally held the power of life and death over her.

After much deliberation, Levi decided to entrust this ring to someone else.

Keeping it herself?

Nothing could be more dangerous.

How could she, still weak and in need of protection, safeguard this ring?

So she would entrust it.

To someone reliable, the most dependable man she knew.

None other than.

“…Where is Master?”

“I believe he’s with the knights. I can guide you-“

“N-no, it’s okay. I can find him myself.”

Levi quickly moved her feet, fearing that the maids waiting in the distance might follow her.

Wanting to avoid the situation where five or more maids followed her whenever she moved, she dashed forward as if kicking off the ground.

“My lady!”

She heard someone calling her from behind, but Levi only apologized in her heart without stopping.

She wasn’t yet accustomed to the life of a marchioness’s daughter.

……It would probably take at least five years to get used to it?

The adaptation story of the wounded blue cat who had gone beyond commoner status and suffered many betrayals was set to continue for a while.

* * *

Swoosh.

Indeed, what should one expect from a great noble family’s training ground?

Usually, when one thinks of training facilities, they imagine ordinary drill grounds or perhaps gym facilities, but their training ground—the Red Eagle Knights’ training ground—was on another level entirely.

‘How can a training ground even have a waterfall?’

The level, or rather the environment itself, was in a different dimension.

The flowing waterfall wasn’t just a small stream trickling down.

It was a literal waterfall with an enormous volume of water pouring down in real-time.

Just looking at it was breathtaking.

And yet, such a waterfall existed in the training ground.

They said it was an artificial waterfall created by mobilizing many mages, which showed that when it came to great nobles, even the class of investment in training facilities was different.

‘Now this is a waterfall.’

Of course, that wasn’t all.

Even though rock climbing as a sport didn’t exist here, they had artificially created similar cliffs, as well as 30-meter rope climbs, swamp areas, and sandy terrain for training.

‘The Order of the Silver Lion didn’t have facilities like these.’

Well, they emphasized individual training there, so it wasn’t strange that they lacked such facilities, but still, they were a royal knightly order…

‘I don’t want to compare, but I can’t help it.’

It felt like going from a minor league to an Olympic-level training facility for top athletes.

‘Wow, I should visit home often.’

While other facilities were impressive too, the waterfall was what captured his attention and heart the most.

“…Training under a waterfall is indeed the best for martial arts.”

Waterfall training.

Ihan was pleased that he could finally try this training method he had always wanted to experience.

Toward him:

“I’ve asked before, but what exactly is this martial arts thing you keep talking about?”

“It’s a place where there are many people who train like me.”

“…That sounds like a terrifying neighborhood, I must say.”

Vale, the vice-captain of the Red Eagle Knights.

He made a disgusted expression toward Ihan, who was happily doing squats under the waterfall that poured hundreds of kilograms of water in real-time.

And he thought:

‘Martial arts, huh… I don’t know what kind of place it is, but is it full of perverts who enjoy such masochism?’

…What a truly terrible neighborhood it must be.

Vale was developing an irreversible misunderstanding about martial arts.