Ch.206Sword Saint Society (3)

“Will you be okay? Not bringing your sister… just the two of us…”

Melody grew increasingly anxious as Llewellyn approached the campsite.

She even spoke up impatiently without waiting for Llewellyn to respond.

“If something happens, I’m not confident I can protect Llewellyn…”

“Since when did I become someone who needs protection?”

Though Llewellyn replied with a smile, Melody didn’t answer. The implication that he did need protection was subtly present, making Llewellyn rub his chin with displeasure.

He didn’t appreciate being protected by his sister, and he disliked the idea of Melody protecting him too. Though he tried to hide these feelings…

“Don’t you trust me…?”

Melody seemed to have noticed his feelings and became dejected.

Llewellyn had time to correct himself.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I’m not someone who only needs protection.”

“Still. You’re your sister’s brother… which makes you like a younger brother to me.”

What is she talking about? Llewellyn frowned, but Melody couldn’t see it.

“Aren’t you younger than me?”

When he voiced this, Melody’s expression changed. Her face scrunched up as if in disbelief. Llewellyn felt irritated.

“No, by any measure, I’m clearly older than you.”

“Age isn’t everything. Llewellyn, you’re often immature and childish.”

If someone had been watching, they might have dismissed both as childish and immature, but there was no such person present.

The conversation paused momentarily, allowing Llewellyn to shift his attention away from Melody and observe their surroundings.

A campsite had been set up in what was originally an open space.

Their belongings were modest, and the tents were shabby, but…

There was an undeniable atmosphere that couldn’t be ignored.

Just looking at the people gathered around the blazing campfire, yawning lazily, conveyed this impression.

It was an atmosphere that would deter any commoner, beast, or monster from recklessly approaching.

And Llewellyn knew this was indeed the case.

These were the Sword Saints.

They were the most exceptional swordsmen from across the continent.

Fittingly, everywhere Llewellyn looked, he saw tools and furniture for swords, and people wearing swords.

Whetstones set up, makeshift forges.

A swordsman sharpening his blade on a whetstone, then deftly twirling the sword in his hand.

That same swordsman silently returning Llewellyn’s gaze.

Llewellyn walked while trying not to let his guard down, and Melody, belatedly realizing where she had stepped into, began to show caution.

The two walked in a tense atmosphere. They crossed the surprisingly large campsite toward what they presumed was the Sword Saint’s tent at the very center.

Llewellyn had thought there would be just over 40 people and that the camp wouldn’t be large, but he was surprised by its vastness.

Looking closer, he could see why.

Sword inspectors in Imperial military uniforms and armor were busily moving around the camp.

They were expanding, managing, and helping maintain the entire campsite.

Maya wasn’t among them. That was a huge relief.

“Melody.”

“…Yes.”

“I asked you. What do you want to do?”

Melody quietly clasped her hands together, fidgeting with her fingers anxiously.

She answered with that attitude, but Llewellyn was persistent.

“Were you planning to meet Maya and do something with her?”

“…I was thinking of a duel. A duel guaranteed by the Sword Saint.”

As expected. Llewellyn swallowed a sigh, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.

Her subsequent thoughts were predictable too.

If she died fighting, her revenge would be complete and everything would end. If she won and Maya died, the Sword Saint would accept the duel’s outcome and there would be no problems.

But the troubling part was that this wasn’t the whole picture.

What if the Sword Saint didn’t like the duel’s outcome?

What if someone within the Sword Saints who didn’t want Maya’s death used trickery?

What if, just what if…

Melody, out of compassion, couldn’t swing her sword at the crucial moment and deliberately died?

Among all the possibilities, the last one was the most horrifying.

Wasn’t his purpose in cultivating divine power to prevent his people from dying, to keep them from suffering?

Just imagining such a possibility made Llewellyn feel twisted inside.

“Things might go well.”

It was obvious just by looking that Melody herself didn’t believe this. Llewellyn frowned uncomfortably, and Melody’s shoulders slumped.

“That’s highly unlikely. If the Sword Saint refuses to accept the outcome…”

“That won’t happen!”

A sudden cheerful voice. Llewellyn and Melody froze, looking at the person who had appeared before them without any warning.

It was a face they had seen before. The girl who had waved when the Sword Saints first appeared.

She gave the impression of a gallant and dignified girl. If seen without any prior knowledge, one might have thought she was pretending to be a girl.

Cheerfulness flowed naturally across her face, and she had a bright demeanor that seemed shaped by her innate temperament and environment.

She was the complete opposite of the vengeful Maya they had seen earlier. However, what couldn’t be ignored was the color of her hair and fur.

‘Is she… Maya’s sister?’

The girl wore black Imperial leather armor.

Her hair and the fur on her ears were the same light beige as Maya’s, and the shirt she wore under her armor was loose yet practical.

Even her appearance gave an impression of activeness.

From her tied-up hair to her faintly smiling face and brown eyes sparkling with cheerfulness.

Melody, who couldn’t see, was noticeably flustered, but Llewellyn wasn’t.

“Are you Maya’s sister?”

Her expression changed at the question. She opened her eyes wide and then burst into laughter.

Llewellyn blinked at the sudden laughter, and Melody looked puzzled.

“That’s right! I’m Maya’s sister!”

The nameless girl giggled at Llewellyn’s words, placing her hands on her hips and showing off.

Her bright attitude made it hard to believe she was a member of the Sword Saints.

Llewellyn blinked blankly.

“But Maya doesn’t have a sister…”

Melody said this, and the nameless dog-eared girl wagged her tail vigorously while pouting her lips.

“No fun! But you’re right! I’m not Maya’s sister!”

And then she smiled as if nothing had happened. Llewellyn felt a sense of déjà vu at her rapidly changing demeanor.

“I’m Maya’s younger sister! My name is Jenia! I’ll guide you around the Sword Saints’ camp!”

Without knowing the cause of that déjà vu, Llewellyn had no choice but to accept the guide.

*

“Maya doesn’t have a younger sister either. At least, Maya’s family in the Dueling School… has been troubled by the lack of an ‘heir’ for a long time.”

Melody said this as soon as Jenia began guiding them, and Jenia blinked as if she hadn’t known.

“Really? Sister never told me about her family, so I didn’t know!”

A pure, innocent response. While Melody was momentarily taken aback, the girl approached her as if unaware that Melody couldn’t see and brought her face very close.

“Then, then, can I call Maya ‘sister’~?”

“Uh, y-yes?”

Melody was briefly swept up in Jenia’s pace but quickly tried to regain control.

“Ahem, anyway. To my eyes, Ms. Jenia… you don’t look like a duelist. May I ask why you claim to be Maya’s sister?”

“Because I’m younger than Sister Maya!”

She doesn’t look it. Llewellyn swallowed his thoughts and looked at the girl.

The girl’s height and build were that of an ordinary woman.

Because of this, it was hard to believe she was younger than Maya.

Judging by appearances alone, Maya looked younger than Melody, and Jenia looked younger than Melody.

“You know Maya is nineteen this year, right…?”

“Yes!”

Jenia smiled brightly while Melody struggled to control her expression.

She painfully asked the girl who was taller than herself.

“…How old are you?”

“Seventeen! And you?”

“Twenty…”

Listening to the cheerful response and the painful admission from Melody, who had turned twenty this year.

Llewellyn thought, ‘I still don’t know Melody’s birthday, so maybe I’m still older.’

But thoughts were just thoughts. Llewellyn didn’t voice this.

Instead, he spoke while following Jenia.

“Jenia, if possible, please guide us to the Sword Saint—”

“Here’s Uncle Eddie!”

He tried to speak, but couldn’t.

Jenia interrupted Llewellyn and introduced him to a man sitting in front of a tent, maintaining his sword.

“Uncle Eddie! This is Mr. Llewellyn and Ms. Melody!”

“Oh, hello.”

The man called Eddie, who seemed a bit surprised, nodded his head, and Llewellyn awkwardly returned the greeting.

“Uncle Eddie is good with footwork and light swords! He’s also skilled with bows and crossbows, handles various weapons well, and is quite good at hand-to-hand combat!”

Perhaps because she was praising him right in front of him, the blond man called Eddie looked embarrassed yet pleased.

“It’s because he’s an Imperial Knight!”

At the last remark, he flinched and stiffened.

‘Eddie’ seemed desperate to cover Jenia’s mouth, but she didn’t stop talking.

“He’s been taking care of me since I was in the unit, so I’m closest to Uncle Eddie after Sister Maya and Master!”

Jenia boldly revealed him as a deserter, and the sword inspector warily watched Llewellyn listening silently.

Seeing his expression, Llewellyn spoke first.

“We’re enemies of the Empire too, so don’t worry about being a deserter.”

The deserter knight looked relieved but still eyed Llewellyn suspiciously for a long time.

Even after Jenia left to guide them to the next person.

“This is Uncle Hans! He’s good with shields, swords, longswords, greatswords, and even huge swords, and he likes big chests!”

“Big is always right.”

After that, Jenia continued to introduce Llewellyn to the Sword Saints’ inspectors throughout the camp.

Llewellyn thought it might be some kind of intimidation tactic, but…

He soon realized it wasn’t.

‘…It feels like she’s introducing her family.’

Wherever Jenia went, the Sword Saints’ inspectors welcomed her warmly and regarded Llewellyn with caution.

Through this, he learned quite a lot.

Although the Sword Saints were named as a group of sword inspectors gathered around the Sword Saint…

In reality, they gave off the impression of a large, diverse family.

The people they met reflected this.

From a gloomy-faced demon swordsman to a deserter knight, from a man with typical northern features using sword and shield to a thin, shifty-looking swordsman.

They were people with diverse backgrounds and stories, seemingly gathered from across the continent.

There was almost no sense that they had come to cause harm.

Rather, as the Sword Saint had said, it felt like they had come to settle.

Expectations for a new place to live, faint caution, and a composure that made such caution seem unnecessary.

Amidst this composure, Llewellyn realized the reason for the déjà vu he had felt earlier.

A girl freely roaming the campsite, receiving attention from everyone, smiling brightly.

A girl who had been a child soldier until the deserter knight took her away, now a deserter herself, naive about the ways of the world.

Though the circumstances were different, the girl’s treatment and attitude were very familiar.

She was like a certain cute dog who still roams around the temple, receiving affection and adoration from people.

‘She’s the same kind as Huey…’

As his wariness toward the Sword Saints subsided, Llewellyn found himself thinking this.

Perhaps the Sword Saints were similar to the temple.

Perhaps they could truly become good neighbors.

So when Jenia’s steps led Llewellyn to a large tent deep within the campsite…

He was able to enter with a softened expression.

“And this is Master! Everyone calls him the Sword Saint!”

After Jenia’s bright introduction, the giant smiled.

His eyes curved knowingly.

“I knew you’d come eventually.”

He nodded to Jenia with his eyes, and she smiled and withdrew.

Her exit was as quiet as her first appearance had been.

Llewellyn glanced at the spot where the girl had left and then rolled his eyes.

Toward Maya, who was leaning against a table in the tent.

Maya remained quiet despite Llewellyn’s gaze. She flicked one ear and glared at Melody, who seemed to sense the presence and shrank her shoulders to reduce her presence.

Naturally, only two presences remained prominent.

The most dangerous sword inspector on the continent and a newly rising star.

As their eyes met, the Sword Saint spoke.

“How did the exploration go?”

Despite his simple behavior patterns and incomprehensible thought process…

“Do you now understand why we came?”

The giant displayed his insight.

When Llewellyn nodded, the giant smiled with satisfaction.

“Then shall we begin our conversation?”