Chapter 23 – Reverse-Edged Sword (2)

“What’s your name, by the way?”

It was a bit funny when I thought about it.

We had been through so much together—destroying armor worth thousands of gold coins, commissioning a sword, almost collapsing the smithy—without ever introducing ourselves.

The old man seemed to have a similar thought, nodding as he replied.

“Huh? Now that you mention it, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet.”

Despite saying that, the old man, perhaps adhering to old customs, didn’t give his name first. So, I had to be the mature one and introduce myself.

“I’m Ian Barthow, a baronet. I look forward to working with you.”

“Otar Goldsmith. I hold the title of count, but I have no lands, so it’s just a title. Don’t worry about it.”

“Even if you had lands, I wouldn’t care.”

I was currently picking a fight with a countess who had lands, so why would I care about a landless count?

“Your arrogance will get you in big trouble someday. Do you think you’re the only genius in the world?”

“Yes, there are probably many like me.”

My goal at the academy was to defeat those geniuses and showcase the power of Baldo.

Honestly, I wished those geniuses would come to me sooner to knock me down a peg.

“By the way, Otar, speaking of geniuses, do you know anything about the next Sword Saint?”

Given Otar’s skill, I thought he might know something, even though he worked in such a secluded place.

“Ah, you mean that one?”

It seemed I wasn’t wrong, as Otar responded nonchalantly.

“Remember the White Rose you destroyed before? The client for that armor was the next Sword Saint.”

“The White Rose?!”

Learning that the White Rose I had wrecked belonged to the next Sword Saint made me inwardly cheer.

I had been wondering how to challenge her, and now I had my opportunity.

“Where is she now?!”

If she knew I had destroyed the White Rose, she would definitely harbor a grudge against me!

Excited at the prospect of achieving one of my goals at the academy, I couldn’t hide my enthusiasm and spoke rapidly.

“Do you think she’ll come to avenge the White Rose? If I throw the tattered remains of the armor at her, will she get even angrier? Maybe her sister will join the fight too――!”

“Shut up! You’re giving me a headache!!”

Raising his hand with the hammer, Otar made me close my mouth.

“Ugh…! It’s been a while since I shouted like that; my throat hurts.”

“…So do you think she’ll come for revenge?”

“Do you really think the next Sword Saint would be that petty? If anything, she’d be more interested in you. Besides….”

Besides, she’s currently on a journey. Hearing that, I couldn’t help but ask incredulously.

“What do you mean, a journey? The new semester has just started!”

“Do you think anyone at this academy can teach the next Sword Saint?”

Even in the academy, known for its top educators, there was no one who could teach her.

“She’s not just talented; she’s nearly a complete swordsman.”

She had already reached the level of a Swordmaster and only needed real battle experience, not just training or dueling.

Though it was called a journey, she was heading to places teeming with monsters and too harsh for humans to survive.

For her, gaining real battle experience was far more effective than training or dueling at the academy.

“How do I compare to her?”

“This is just my personal opinion, but she’s likely above you.”

“Hmm…”

Had it been anyone else, I might have ignored the comment, but Otar, with his knowledge of swordsmanship, had earned my trust.

Even though Baldo is the greatest sword technique, if the practitioner is weak, they are bound to lose.

‘But isn’t that actually a good thing?’

If I, with lesser physical abilities, could defeat her, it would prove the superiority of Baldo!!

However, since she wouldn’t be here anytime soon, I decided to ask about her younger sister, Rain.

“What about the younger sister?”

“Hmm… it’s unclear.”

Unclear? Did that mean the younger sister was strong enough that he couldn’t determine a clear winner between us?

“That’s good news!! Is the younger sister that strong?!”

“Huh? Oh, no, I see how you misunderstood. I meant her talent is unclear.”

“Unclear talent?”

“One time, their father, the current Sword Saint, told me something.”

“The Sword Saint?”

“Yes, he said the elder sister’s talent was one that comes around once in a thousand years, while the younger sister’s talent comes around once every fifteen years.”

“…Fifteen years?”

Fifteen years wasn’t a short time, but neither was it long. It seemed ambiguous when described as a talent that appeared every fifteen years.

“It’s not bad talent, but it’s not extraordinary either, so he said he was actually relieved.”

The position of Sword Saint isn’t determined by birth order but purely by skill. If their skills are similar, it’s settled through a duel.

Many had died in these duels to determine the Sword Saint, but it was necessary to find the strongest.

When Rain was born, the Sword Saint worried it might lead to tragedy, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Rain’s talent was far inferior to her elder sister’s.

“He’s probably the only one who felt relieved his child wasn’t a genius.”

“Is there no chance she’s a late bloomer or hiding her true strength?”

“Do you think the Sword Saint wouldn’t have noticed that?”

“That’s… true.”

He might have pretended not to know to prevent family tragedy, but the Sword Saint is a noble before he’s a father.

He wouldn’t have neglected his duty to such an extent.

‘So, what about Rain?’

In the original work, Leon didn’t have an elder sister, brother, younger brother, or sister.

If Rain isn’t taking Leon’s role in this world, then it should be the elder sister, but she’s not at the academy.

Given that the story’s timeline and the current year matched, it wasn’t a different era.

‘So is this an alternate reality or a different story with the same setting?’

Come to think of it, he had said to try it out but never mentioned putting it in his novel.

‘Then who am I supposed to defeat with Baldo…?’

Maybe I should provoke Jessica to defeat her father?

“Well, Master, it’s late, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“Alright. I forgot to mention, but I’ll be moving the smithy soon. I’ll send you a letter once the location is set, so don’t come looking for me in the meantime.”

Given the creaking sounds from various parts of the smithy due to my Baldo earlier, it seemed like it could collapse any moment.

“Sure, let me know once it’s decided.”

With a brief farewell, I left the smithy and headed to a general store to prepare for tomorrow.

While buying miscellaneous items like envelopes at the store and heading back to the academy, I ran into Hori carrying a large bag filled with something.

“Ah, no, I mean… Ian!”

Hori, who probably hadn’t heard the rumors yet, waved at me with a bright smile that didn’t fit someone accused of killing a person with a stone.

Seeing her, I quickly checked to make sure no other academy students were around and then approached her.

“Follow me for a moment, Hori.”

“What?!”

I grabbed Hori’s hand and hurriedly led her into a nearby alley.

I checked again to make sure no academy students were around, but I couldn’t be too careful.

“What is it…?”

Hori looked at me puzzledly as we entered the alley. Anyone would be startled if they were suddenly pulled aside like that.

“Sorry for the rough handling, but it would be a bit problematic if others saw us.”

“Others?”

“Yeah, given my current situation, it could cause trouble not just for me, but for those around me as well.”

I briefly explained to Hori what had happened since we last saw each other. Her face, initially calm, gradually turned pale.

“Why did you do such a thing?! If you don’t apologize quickly…!!”

“Apologizing would defeat the purpose of deliberately provoking them.”

This conflict would either end with Jessica ignoring me or me drawing my sword on her father.

“Anyway, just don’t talk to me or approach me at the academy, okay?”

“…Alright.”

“Good. So, what’s all that stuff you’re carrying?”

To change the subject, I pointed at the large bag she was holding. Hori glanced at it before responding.

“These are ingredients to make potions for a local shop. I got the job through the Alchemist Guild.”

The academy was established to cultivate talents that would benefit the country, so tuition and dorm fees were free upon acceptance, but living expenses were another matter.

Unlike noble students who received allowances from their families, commoners had to earn their own living expenses.

Even some poor nobles, like myself, had to take on adventurer-like tasks to make ends meet.

“That’s great. I’m glad you found work so quickly.”

“Thank you. By the way, did you change your sword?”

“Huh? You noticed?!”

We had only spent a few days together on the way to the academy, but I didn’t expect her to notice the change in my sword in this dim alley.

“Hori, you’ve got sharp eyes.”

“My father used to tell me that often. It looks like the scabbard color has changed a bit….”

“Heh… It’s not just the color that’s changed.”

Thanks to Jessica’s schemes, I had become an outcast on the first day at the academy, leaving me with no one to show off my reverse-edged sword to.

But since Hori brought it up, I finally had someone to show it to.

Drawing my sword, Hori squinted and pointed at the blade of my reverse-edged sword, commenting.

“This sword… it doesn’t seem to have a sharp edge on the blade part?”

“Yeah, that’s because it’s a reverse-edged sword.”

“A reverse-edged sword? Ah, I see the edge is on the back of the blade. But why use a sword like this…?”

“A reverse-edged sword is used for non-lethal purposes, like duels or capturing people.”

“Yes, I understand that, but… if that’s the purpose, why does it need a sharp edge on the back at all…?”

“It’s necessary.”

“Excuse me?”

The edge on the back is necessary.

Because that’s what makes it a reverse-edged sword.

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