Ch.176Chapter 176: Under the Night Sky

Father’s old story, which began with his failure to draw the dragon sword, continued without pause.

In the vast family hall, only my sister and I were there to listen.

Father’s expression, tinged with melancholy as he began his tale, showed no signs of diminishing despite the small audience.

It was quite a lengthy story.

Too long to recount in full.

But to summarize it briefly:

Father, who had a childishly impetuous youth not unlike my own ruined by inferiority complexes,

Failed to draw the dragon sword, nearly broke down, but then rose again in a coming-of-age story.

Unlike some others who needed to die twice to come to their senses,

He stumbled once, gained enlightenment on his own,

And became a great figure. This autobiographical tale naturally drew my attention.

How could it not?

Life is such that one can learn just by watching others walk.

And when that person is your father, there’s no need to explain further.

With each word from Father’s mouth, my ears perked up unconsciously.

I found myself nodding along to the bittersweet emotions conveyed in each of his words.

As Father continued speaking, I listened attentively, slowly nodding my head.

His voice, already compelling due to its melancholy, grew even more profound.

It was the story of a genius who once claimed life was boring because there was nothing he couldn’t do since childhood,

Who tried to prove his greatness by accomplishing what no one else could,

And who, facing the dragon sword that refused to reveal its pure white blade no matter how hard he tried,

Experienced frustration for the first time in his life,

And just as he was about to succumb to that frustration,

Met a woman who would remain precious in his heart forever,

Found the courage to rise despite his setback,

And instead of drawing the dragon sword, challenged the trial of the Sword Mound—a feat no less significant,

Which few had successfully completed throughout the family’s thousand-year history,

And magnificently succeeded, rising again.

This was the story of a certain man, told matter-of-factly.

Naturally, this was Father’s story,

And the woman who played a role no less important than Father’s was my mother, who gave birth to my sister and me but is no longer in this world.

Not from the Central Continent,

But the daughter of an ancient family from the Western Continent—whenever Father mentioned Mother, his expression resembled someone reminiscing about their first and last love.

Despite being able to remarry if he wished,

Father’s life story of longing for Mother, rejecting all marriage prospects, and raising us two with love was truly moving.

So much so that I thought one could live comfortably for life on royalties if they wrote a book based on this story.

As Father finished his tale, his gaze turned to me again.

The melancholy and longing he showed when first bringing up the story seemed even deeper now.

“You resemble your mother so much.”

These were the words Father had spoken when we talked alone before I left for the cradle.

And the expression on his face then was identical to the one I saw now.

As this memory surfaced, I began to guess what Father would say next.

“I think Felicia… your mother would have been truly happy to see you as you are now, if she were alive.”

His voice was much more composed than when he began his story,

Yet my body trembled slightly at those composed words.

Even without hearing a voice drenched in melancholy,

It was as if I had been infected by it.

#

“I’ll say it once more, go to the Sword Mound.”

“If you see what I, who once collapsed from failure, encountered at the Sword Mound,”

“You, who have found motivation but remain stagnant, might find some clue.”

“Failure? Success? What does that matter?”

“What matters is what you see there and what you feel.”

Waking from a light sleep and recalling the final scene of my fleeting memories, I found myself quietly repeating the encouraging words Father had given me.

Though it was a light sleep,

Perhaps because the confusion in my mind had cleared,

My body and mind felt refreshed.

“Hup!”

I lightly raised my body from the bed,

And turned my head toward the window.

Perhaps because my body and mind have been well-balanced lately,

The window still indicated it was midday,

Perfectly matching my promise to rest for about an hour before closing my eyes.

“Nnngh!!”

I stretched facing the window.

My mind, which had wavered in confusion at Father’s suggestion to undergo the trial at the Sword Mound,

Returned to normal thanks to the stretch with my arms spread wide.

But perhaps because my body relaxed along with my mind,

*Growl*

My stomach began to protest.

“Hehe…”

A faint laugh escaped my lips as I felt embarrassed.

“Whether I do it or not, let’s eat first.”

With those words, I headed to the dining hall.

It was the perfect time for a late lunch.

#

Thanks to filling my empty stomach with a late lunch at the dining hall,

And because my balanced body and mind regained comfort from the nutrients,

I could make a quick decision regarding the trial.

To get straight to the conclusion:

The Sword Mound trial?

I will do it.

But if asked whether I’ll do it right now?

No, I’ll challenge it after perfectly recovering my body and mind for a few days.

The result of the trial isn’t important.

As I quietly repeated to myself in my room,

What matters is what I see and feel there.

And to properly experience those important things,

I need thorough preparation.

Of course, while that’s the main reason,

There’s one more:

“…Have you been sleeping in your room all this time?”

I need to spend time with Shizu, who noticed me eating and instantly came to sit across from me in the dining hall.

The Sword Mound trial,

While not life-threatening,

Is difficult enough that recovery might require three days of sleep without distinction between day and night.

You’ll understand once you experience it.

Father, who laughed heartily when I said I’d think about it,

Briefly explained what the Sword Mound trial was like,

And advised me to prepare thoroughly if I decided to challenge it.

Yes, I need to prepare thoroughly.

So, before that…

“I heard from sis that you’re going to take the Sword Mound trial.”

“I didn’t give a definite answer… just said I’d think about it.”

“Sis said your face was filled with ecstasy when you said that.”

“…I need to work on controlling my expressions.”

“You don’t need to do that in front of me.”

“…”

“I’ll accept whatever expression Cal makes. Whether it’s a frown, tears, or anger, I’ll turn it into a smile when you face me.”

“You know what they say? If you cry and then smile…”

“But no strange talk.”

Though it might seem frivolous, I’ll share time with Shizu, chatting casually.

By the way, my intended words were cut off.

Whatever expression I make,

I wanted to be the first to say I’d change it to a smile when looking at her.

The pleasant time spent with Shizu in the dining hall passed quickly, like the ceaseless flow of conversation.

#

Night has fallen already.

While eating in the dining hall and chatting with Shizu, time flew by.

“Rest today. Tomorrow I’ll help you with anything you need for the trial.”

After watching Shizu’s back disappear as she left the dining hall with those words, I also got up.

Since I had a late lunch, I didn’t need dinner, so I had more time than expected.

And thanks to the hour-long nap,

My physical and mental fatigue had cleared enough that I could handle staying up a bit later.

So I headed toward my favorite place to spend the night.

It was one of the few places in this house that I hadn’t visited in a long time,

A place where I had carefully nurtured my dreams step by step,

But stopped visiting after realizing those dreams couldn’t be realized and falling into despair.

Well, looking back now, even those moments were precious.

Anyway, as my footsteps reached their destination,

My lips uttered a simple sentiment upon seeing Lanos’s outdoor training ground, which welcomed me exactly as I remembered it:

“…It’s been a while.”

People often feel awe when looking at natural landscapes formed over countless years of harsh weathering,

But for me, or rather for the people of Lanos, this training ground inspires awe without needing to see such natural grandeur.

At first glance, it might look like an ordinary training ground made of smooth marble glistening under the stars and moonlight,

But that’s just the impression from outside.

“Well then…”

Just taking one careful step inside the training ground,

There’s one element that makes you understand why it inspires awe.

This training ground has shared history with this mansion for over a thousand years.

What’s inside that inspires such awe?

“Whew, there are more marks than I remember.”

It’s the sword marks finely etched into the marble floor.

“Father and sister must have been diligently adding to them.”

As I continued my soliloquy, I carefully examined the training ground floor.

Most people would think a noble family’s training ground would always be kept clean,

And indeed, many families immediately repair any sword marks made during training or sparring,

But thanks to ancestor Lumen Lanos’s instruction to leave these marks intact as history,

The floor of Lanos’s outdoor training ground, unlike its appearance from outside, was so covered in sword marks that one might doubt it was marble at all.

The word “countless” doesn’t seem exaggerated.

Looking at the sword marks on the floor, all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

When I was young and first visited this training ground holding a sword,

Father advised me to leave my own sword marks on this floor and become part of history,

And I remembered my younger self answering bravely that I would do so.

I also recalled how I became increasingly twisted after realizing that was impossible no matter how hard I tried.

It was a shamefully embarrassing self-portrait,

“Sigh…”

But now it was a memory I could dismiss with just a sigh.

It had been so long since I’d been home,

And perhaps because of the twinkling stars in the night sky,

I felt unusually sentimental today.

“Since I’m feeling so sentimental, why not go all the way?”

So it was natural that such thoughts led to these words escaping my lips.

I held the dragon sword I had worn at my waist since leaving my room.

*Clink-!!*

As if sensing my will to draw it, the lock on the scabbard naturally released,

*Shing*

The pure white blade, the only gleaming component of the dragon sword, emerged from the scabbard, reflecting the starlight.

Instead of putting the scabbard in my left hand back into its holster, I placed it on the floor with a dashing gesture.

It was a sight that would earn a scolding from Fafnir dwelling in the sword,

But Fafnir had been silent since our brief conversation before I fell asleep in my room.

That was actually better.

I felt lighter thinking he wouldn’t mock what I was about to do.

What was I going to do?

Haha.

“I think I’ll perform a sword dance.”

Yes, a sword dance—something I hadn’t done since my regression.