Skolhart (5)

1.

The carriage speeds forward, cutting through the air as cold as winter.

Each time the horses’ hooves strike the ground, pale gray dirt splashes up like water.

The carriage rattles.

An awkward atmosphere fills the interior.

Inside the carriage, two women are making an uncomfortable journey together.

Well, perhaps only one of them is uncomfortable.

“…”

Yuriel cautiously lifts her eyes, studying the woman in front of her.

The woman is silently gazing out the window, her chin resting on her hand.

Her crimson eyes, visible beneath long, slender eyelashes, seem lost in thought.

Who could possibly guess what she’s pondering?

The woman in front of Yuriel is the Saintess, Eliada.

There’s no way Yuriel, merely an academy student, could presume to know the Saintess’s thoughts.

‘Ah… I want strawberry milk.’

Eliada would be disappointed if Yuriel knew she was thinking such a thing with such a serious face.

Just because she’s the Saintess doesn’t mean she’s constantly worrying about the world and feeling compassion for those suffering from illness.

She’s only the Saintess in title.

After being in the carriage for so long, her blood sugar is dropping.

Elia craves something sweet.

The first thing that comes to mind is her beloved strawberry milk.

Especially the strawberry milk with soft, chewy bits of fresh strawberry.

The carriage is traveling through the northern Skolhart Family territory, along the mountain range.

Their destination is the Duke’s mansion.

Eliada was the one who initially suggested this journey together.

Although their positions are different, they are both attending the Blood Offering Ceremony, so Elia had invited Yuriel to join her.

“How are my classes?”

Eliada, who had been blankly admiring the mountain scenery flowing by like waves, speaks to Yuriel, who seems unable to relax and keeps glancing at her.

“Yes, y-yes?”

Yuriel startles, as if she hadn’t expected to be addressed.

“Do you find my classes helpful?”

As a teacher, she’s curious about her student’s opinion.

She believes she’s teaching things that will help a swordsman grow, but she doesn’t know if it’s actually beneficial.

Asking Yohan or Hoth would only result in excessive praise, so she can’t make use of them.

“…The Mana Breathing class last time was beneficial.”

Yuriel says in a soft voice, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her hands.

“I haven’t fully mastered it yet, but just becoming more sensitive to External Mana seems to have improved my ability to control Internal Mana.”

As if she had been waiting to hear those words, Eliada smiles brightly and nods her head, humming.

“It seems you’re training well even after class. It’s impossible to master Mana Breathing with just one lesson. Consistent training is necessary. Do you know how long it took the Hero to learn Mana Breathing?”

“…The Hero?”

“It took him over 100 days just to sense External Mana. When I threw him into the World Tree Pond, he couldn’t even last a second and fainted from Mana Shock. He was such a crybaby.”

The Hero, Louis.

The Sword Saint, Adrean’s only disciple.

It’s surprising that even he, who is called a genius of swordsmanship, struggled to learn Mana Breathing.

“But… how does the Saintess know about the Hero’s past?”

Unless there’s a book related to the Hero’s past…

Eliada’s story just now wasn’t something that was publicly known.

Whether it’s true or not, the Saintess wouldn’t lie, so it’s not a fabricated story.

“It’s as if the Saintess taught the Hero herself…”

It’s chronologically impossible.

Considering her age, Elia wasn’t even born when the Hero was training under the Sword Saint.

“Ah…”

Eliada flinches.

It was an old woman’s slip of the tongue.

Wanting to tell old stories to young people is a chronic ailment of old people.

“…My teacher is a friend of the Sword Saint.”

It’s the same excuse she used on Louis last time.

She creates a fictional person and tells the story as if it were true.

Even if they have doubts, no one can prove whether it’s true or not.

She learned swordsmanship from the Sword Saint’s friend.

Eliada’s swordsmanship supports that claim.

Frankly, she’s skilled enough to be called the Sword Saint’s disciple, but considering the timeline, it’s impossible for her to be the Sword Saint’s disciple.

So, she created a friend of the Sword Saint, someone with comparable skill.

“Ah-ha…”

Above all, the job of Saintess has its perks.

There’s a stereotype that Saintesses don’t lie, so even if they do, people believe it as if it were the truth.

Yuriel nods her head.

“Perhaps… if it’s a friend of the Sword Saint…”

Yuriel trails off, as if she has something in mind.

“…Is it my Grandfather?”

“Grandfather?”

Eliada tilts her head.

Just saying “Grandfather” doesn’t tell her who it is.

But one person immediately comes to mind.

The person the Skolhart Family’s young lady would call Grandfather.

“Ah, you mean that bastard… I mean, Lyka van Skolhart?”

Yuriel nods.

“It’s not him.”

To Adrean, Lyka is more of a rival than a friend.

He probably thinks so too.

Although it’s pretty much the same thing.

‘Hey, I caught 10 more, you know?’

‘Get lost. I don’t associate with monkeys.’

‘I know you’re upset about losing to me again, but you have to keep your promises. You said you’d buy me drinks, so buy me expensive ones. For a noble, you’re so stingy. And what are you if you lost to a monkey?’

‘I told you to get lost.’

‘I told you to get lost~’

‘…Follow me, let’s have another round right now.’

‘Ooh, what should we bet this time? How about buying meat?’

It’s a trivial conversation they had on the way back from a victorious battle in the Mountain Goat Plains.

For the record, Adrean, who won the bet at that time, never got Lyka to buy him drinks until he died. The same goes for meat.

“Is Lyka doing well?”

It could be considered a rude question, but Eliada was curious, so she boldly asked about Lyka’s well-being.

She hasn’t done any separate investigations, but she hasn’t heard any news about Lyka.

Considering his age, it wouldn’t be strange if he had already been buried in the ground and turned to bones. No, that would be normal, and it would be strange if he were still alive.

“Yes, he’s not as active as he used to be, but… he’s serving as an elder in the Skolhart Family.”

He’s still alive.

He’s really persistent.

That’s probably why he can be called the Sword Saint’s rival.

If Lyka had only been younger, he would have passed the Sword Saint’s name to Lyka.

At the time, he thought that guy would die soon too, so he passed it on to a promising Knight Commander, but he never imagined he would still be alive.

“…But it seems like he’s about to step down from his position. At this Blood Offering Ceremony, my Grandfather has decided to give his sword to the winner.”

Passing his sword to someone else.

Passing it on to the next generation.

For a swordsman, it’s an action with many meanings.

It’s a request to the future generation to carry on his will, as he is stepping down from here.

Didn’t Adrean do the same?

Giving his sword to the Hero right before he died.

“Considering his age, it’s not strange.”

She feels sentimental.

She has experienced the deaths of acquaintances countless times on the battlefield.

However, dying in battle and dying of old age feel different.

She even feels a sense of loneliness.

…Should I say hello to that bastard?

Not as the Saintess, Elia, but as the Sword Saint, Adrean.

She’s conflicted.

If she greeted him in this state, saying, “I’m Adrean,” would he even believe her?

Of course, if she beat him a few times with a sword, he would believe her right away, but if he knew she had been reincarnated in this form, he would definitely laugh at her.

The guy who used to bet on who could build more muscles has turned into this soft, plump girl, so she would be the perfect target for ridicule.

Ugh… I don’t want to be ridiculed by that bastard.

Even when she met the blacksmith, Madin, in Ponica Town, she was ridiculed quite a bit.

At first, he was confused and hesitant, but after he calmed down, he laughed and teased her so much.

If you know Adrean, you can’t help but do that.

A feminine way of speaking.

A demure posture.

And even a Nun’s Habit.

There were so many things to make fun of.

If Madin was like that, Lyka would tease her twice as much.

Just imagining it makes her so annoyed that she wants to spar with Rael, who is driving the carriage in front, 100 times.

What did Rael do wrong?

He’s a bodyguard.

“How about you? Do you think you’ll win the Blood Offering Ceremony?Elia changes the subject to shake off her messy thoughts.

“Ugh… I…”

Yuriel’s shoulders slump.

Her posture alone is an answer.

“I placed 5th in the last Blood Offering Ceremony… I don’t think it’ll be much different this time…”

She doesn’t know how many people participate in the Blood Offering Ceremony, but 5th place isn’t a very good ranking.

“…My brother will probably place 1st again this time.”

“You mean the person we met in the plaza last time?”

“…Yes.”

Eric Van Skolhart, the top student in the Swordsmanship department, 4th year.

He’s the eldest son of the Skolhart Family and it is said that there isn’t a student in the academy who can beat him in swordsmanship.

His personality isn’t very likable, but more than anything else, his attitude of trusting his own swordsmanship seems likable as a swordsman.

To see how great he was, she had checked his grades with the authority of a temporary professor.

The pinnacle.

There’s no need to say more.

He had never come down from the top.

He’s a student with well-founded arrogance.

Will she be able to see his skills at this Blood Offering Ceremony?

Leaving aside his personality, she’s looking forward to his swordsmanship.

“Still, I’ll cheer for Yuriel.”

“…It’s pointless to cheer for someone like me.”

Yuriel muttered, staring into the distance.

“Yuriel is my student.”

“…Yes?”

“Isn’t it natural for a teacher to believe in and support their student?”

Elia said with a warm smile, like a ray of sunshine falling on the cold north.

“Be confident. The swordsman Yuriel that I’m seeing is definitely not a swordsman who should shrink and cower.”

“…”

“Will you respond to my belief?”

“…I-I’ll try my best.”

Yuriel’s heart pounded.

She wasn’t particularly praised, but Elia’s words felt like she was acknowledging her as a swordsman.

Acknowledgement.

It’s something Yuriel has been craving for a long time.

Just having that filled a little made her body feel hot.