episode_0069

Of all the people that Blacksmith Frederick had met in his 70 years of life, the little boy in front of him was the most peculiar.

First of all, when you come in, you don’t feel any prayer.

I knew that the footsteps outside the door belonged to two people. I could guess who they were just by the sound of their footsteps, but it was quite difficult to figure out exactly ‘whose’ footsteps they were.

Of course, if those footsteps are ones you hear often, the story is a bit different. There are people with similar gaits, but no two people are exactly the same.

First of all, the sound of footsteps coming from behind belonged to one of the few disciples of Geomseong. He came under him to learn swordsmanship, but after learning half of it, he said, “This is good enough for actual combat,” and left without any reason. It was the fault of that incompetent disciple.

If he had studied until the end, he would have been talented enough to inherit the title of ‘Sword Master’, but the disciple’s goal was not simply ‘sword’.

He was a disciple who often stopped by to say hello, but Frederick would throw bowls, ashtrays, jars, and other things at his face every time. Of course, the disciple was never hit. He didn’t throw them to get hit in the first place.

But then, whose footsteps are those walking ahead of the disciple?

It was not as light as the disciple’s. Rather, it was a heavy sound of footsteps, as if tired. But at the same time, it was also a confident sound of footsteps that never stopped, as if there was some kind of confidence.

“Hmm.”

Even the sound of footsteps became more certain the moment they came near Frederick’s cabin. There was a point where it changed completely, as if they were climbing over a wall.

To be honest, it was a little interesting.

If you keep walking like this, the sound of your footsteps will definitely reach the door before your disciple, and the one who opens the door will probably be the one making those footsteps.

Frederick picked up the colander on the table. It was light because there was nothing inside, and even if he was hit by it, he wouldn’t be seriously hurt. Above all, if it was in front of the door, it would be difficult to avoid it in the first place.

Frederick, who was preparing with a colander in his hand, picked up the colander and waited quietly—

“Hmm?”

The footsteps stopped at the door.

So, to put it more precisely, I would say it’s one step before reaching the door.

As if he knew that the swordsman beyond the gate was holding something in his hand, he stopped walking.

And then the door opened.

There was nothing beyond the door.

“… … Don’t stay there, come in.”

The person who came in after waiting for a few seconds and after the blacksmith said that was a child who was still a little young to be called a ‘woman’. She was an age that the noble family would not know how to view her, but to the blacksmith Frederick who had lived for a little over 70 years, she was a girl who could be called a ‘child’ without any strangeness.

He was wearing fur clothes from top to bottom, and his forehead was soaked with sweat.

Did this child sense his presence inside the hut and open the door first?

Even so, he looked quite tired after coming all this way. His upper body looked as if he was holding back his breathing. His face was expressionless.

Above all, I felt a ‘feeling’ from this child, but I did not feel the ‘energy’ that is characteristic of those who have learned the sword.

As if I have no talent whatsoever in this area.

“Hello, Master.”

He saw the incompetent disciple coming in with a cheerful voice and a wicked smile on his lips, but Frederick, who was dispirited, let go of the basket he was holding in his hand.

“What brings you here? Who is this kid? Since he’s not alone, it looks like he didn’t come here just to chat like usual.”

“Yes, well, I have a favor to ask, so I’ll do it while I can.”

“… … .”

As he said that, the disciple’s gaze was seen turning towards the girl.

Oh my.

It’s been 15 years since I started feeling bored with everything in the world and went into seclusion.

Frederick had a feeling that he was about to discover something interesting for the first time in a long time.

*

The girl’s oddities didn’t end there.

“Yeah, you want to learn something from me?”

“Yes. I want to learn how to manage energy. I know that meditation can help me clear my mind and improve my physical condition. I would like to learn how to do that.”

“Hmm.”

Frederick narrowed his eyes and stared at the girl quietly. He thought she might be a little scared, but the girl didn’t even blink at his gaze.

To Frederick, it seemed that the girl was not hiding her energy perfectly, but rather that she was unable to express it in the first place. In other words, she seemed to have no talent in this area at all.

“You don’t seem to have any talent?”

But I couldn’t say for sure that there weren’t any. For some reason, I felt that this girl was different from the ordinary kids you see everywhere.

Was the cautiousness she showed when she came through the door just because of her personality?

“As for swordsmanship, maybe so. But I’m confident in what I already know.”

“Hoo.”

But when I saw that confidence in the girl, I felt something strange. It wasn’t just her showing off, but her firm expression seemed to have a corner of her that was certain of her belief.

“Also, I’m not asking you to teach me for free.”

“The price.”

Frederick looked quietly at the girl in front of him.

I think you said princess. Maybe you were talking about money.

“If I needed money—”

“It’s not money.”

—You must have been living much richer than you are now.

The words were cut off in the middle.

It seemed like this bold princess wasn’t talking about money.

“This is a story about the strong.”

“Strong?”

“Yes. Doesn’t your Majesty want a strong man who will fight with his life on the line?”

“… … .”

That wasn’t a wrong statement.

Life is not long anyway. If I can find someone to fight with my sword, there is nothing better than that.

but.

“… … Are you talking about the emperor?”

“No.”

The blacksmith’s prediction was spectacularly wrong.

“One of the Emperor’s children is a swordsman. I’m sure even the Sword Master will be satisfied with him.”

The princess looked straight into Frederick’s eyes and said.

“If you want, I can arrange a meeting for you.”

“… … .”

Those weren’t lying eyes.

Frederick turned his gaze slightly to look at Jennifer, but she simply leaned against the wall and shrugged her shoulders. A smile of amusement appeared on her lips.

“Hmm.”

Frederick once again made the sound of a thinking man,

“Good. It was free anyway.”

That’s what he said.

*

“… … .”

Does the princess have talent or not?

If you ask him about that, he would probably say, ‘I have no talent.’

But at the same time, I felt like something was strange.

Clearly, I have no talent. My ability to learn something was no different from that of ordinary people on the streets. I felt that it was unlikely that I would be able to properly learn the meditation method just by experiencing it for one day.

But, apart from that—

The princess was complete.

To be exact, I came to see the inspector when it was just before completion.

As if she had been doing nothing for months, not sleeping or eating, and focusing only on meditation, the princess quickly entered a state of mental and physical stability before Geomseong could even begin to teach her anything.

In an instant, my tired body was soothed and my ragged breathing became more even, to the point where it was hard to believe that I had been hiking just a moment ago.

“… … .”

There was a certain sacredness to the stillness and composure that made it seem as if they were simply continuing to do what they had been doing until now.

And Frederick wasn’t the only one who was speechless at that sight.

… … Did you somehow manage to bring about the future?

It was a ridiculous thought, but that’s what Frederick thought.

“… … .”

And after thinking for a moment,

“Sigh!”

He immediately struck the princess’s head with his palm.

I didn’t mean to be sincere.

But that doesn’t mean he swung it around as a joke. If he had not trained at all, he would have been hit in the head and lost consciousness.

However, the swordsman’s hand cut through the air.

The princess, who was sitting cross-legged with her hands on her knees and her eyes closed, just slightly moved her body back to avoid the hand by a hair’s breadth.

Even while meditating, you will hardly be able to feel the energy around you.

“Hoo.”

Geumseong made that sound.

I have no talent.

But it’s done. At this age already.

If we only consider age, it was much earlier than when Geomseong was the same age.

So, does that mean that the energy is also hidden? Does it mean that it has already reached a level of clarity that even Jennifer has not been able to reach?

If that’s the case, there would be no reason to come all the way here to learn meditation.

Slowly, the princess’s eyes opened. Her eyes, which were pitch black, looked up at the black castle and were calm. It was as if she knew what would happen next.

Its appearance was very similar to the Buddha statues seen in the East.

“You, don’t you have any serious intention of learning swordsmanship?”

“I have no talent.”

As if her work was over, the princess stood up and spoke.