Early afternoon.
The hot, sweltering summer sun beat down on the ground, making it incredibly hot and uncomfortable for people, but despite this unpleasant heat.
Whoosh! Whoosh-!
“… … .”
The girl, no, she swung her sword silently.
Gulp… .
Sweat poured down her body in uncomfortable drops, but she did not give up.
A hundred strikes.
It’s not just a simple downward thrust, she has to use the most perfect downward thrust she can to be recognized as ‘one time’.
In that sense, she had now swung Levy’s downward strike more than 700 times, but she still hadn’t reached a full 100.
Because I have only been able to perform thirty satisfactory downward strikes.
‘The sword is truly a difficult thing.’
His mouth was so dry that he felt like he would collapse from exhaustion at any moment, but instead of collapsing from exhaustion, Levy was able to reflect once again on the profundity of the sword.
The more you swing it, the deeper it becomes.
Even if you think you are swinging it the same way, the trajectory you see each time you swing it is different and the heart contained in the sword changes.
So Levi.
‘… It’s fun!’
Yeah, it was fun.
The fact that you can focus so much on just one thing.
And the more you try, the more you will find yourself improving.
It’s not just swordsmanship that’s fun.
I am looking forward to learning archery from now on, and I am also looking forward to learning new etiquette and linguistics.
Not only that, I also want to learn how to cook for my teacher right away.
What a life where I can learn so many things freely!
I couldn’t be more satisfied.
…but.
“miss.”
Wince!
“You seem to be getting tired, so I think it would be best for you to take a break from training.”
“… … .”
“The knight also said that you must make sure to hydrate and rest, otherwise it will be toxic to your body. Honey, please stop now, young lady.”
“Hmm….”
Although everything was satisfactory, Levy still had difficulty adjusting to the sudden change in her living environment, and she spoke to her maid with a timid expression.
“I… I understand, so could you please stop saying that girl?”
“Oh my, why?”
“… I feel like I’m wearing clothes that don’t suit me or doing something out of line.”
Levi’s honest feelings.
Of course, it wasn’t that uncommon for her to be called ‘Miss’.
Even if it was a [fake life], she lived the life of a noble lady.
… but it was the first time I saw someone treat me with such sincere respect.
What is this?
For example, I’ve been living as a stage actor, and it feels like that life as an actor has become reality?
It was probably something similar to that, and Levy was sweating in a different sense.
Because this excessive treatment is so burdensome.
“Oh my, I’m sweating again. Even if I practice swordsmanship, I have to do it indoors. Your beautiful skin will be damaged.”
“… Oh, it’s okay. It’s just my skin, okay…”
“Your skin is important, too. You must not forget that you are His Majesty’s daughter. The position of the Marquis’s daughter is by no means light, and you must never forget the necessary dignity, conduct, and always be noble.”
“… … .”
“You must always be a role model for others, not only in swordsmanship but also in your appearance, so you must be someone who inspires awe in others. So please understand even if I say something harsh.”
“… Ah, um, I know what you mean, but even though she’s my daughter, she’s just an adopted daughter, so… .”
“Oh, was there anyone within the family who dared to persecute the young lady just because she was an adopted daughter?”
“… … .”
“If there is, please tell me right away. I will take care of it immediately.”
“… Oh, no, there was no such person.”
“Then that’s good.”
“… … .”
… It’s scary. No, it’s difficult.
It’s harder to deal with than a sword.
Dealing with this guy sounds like you’re going to bury him.
So Levi made up his mind.
‘I have to be careful with my words from now on.’
There is a risk that several people will die if you use your mouth carelessly, so let’s never use our mouths carelessly again in the future.
Levi, 19 years old.
It was a day when I truly felt that life as Tristan Youngae was more than enough.
* * *
– Yes, I will.
– … … .
– Oh, were you joking?
– Oh, no. Rather, I was surprised that you accepted it so readily, hehe…
Not long after the graduation ceremony, Levy received an adoption offer from the Marquis of Tristan, which he accepted without a second thought.
It was a natural thing.
I can’t stay in Master’s house forever, and it would be shameful to cling to him any longer.
She wanted to be helpful to her Master, not a leech.
So the offer made by the Marquis of Tristan was truly a godsend.
Even though she was about to become the daughter of a man she was already married to, she could not help but know that this offer was a miracle that could not be measured in money.
Above all else.
– Thank you, Master.
It was only natural to accept this, knowing that it was an overwhelming opportunity created through the sweat and tears of her Master, the first precious person in her life.
But, one thing.
If there’s anything that concerns you… .
– Ha, but there’s one thing I have to say. I… .
– Oh, I know that. You don’t have to reveal it.
– yes?
– Hehe, this is a gift. Use it well.
– … … .
What Levy was hiding.
That was precisely his origin and status.
She wanted to reveal this with her own mouth, but the Marquis stopped her and simply held out a ring and a piece of parchment, and Levy’s eyes widened as she watched.
– T, why is that… .
– The mother and daughter of the Polt family each kept one. They probably received it from their husband or father.
– … … .
– We collected it on our side, but I think it still has an owner.
– …Your Majesty, do you still accept me even though you know this?
– It’s not like I’m accepting it. It’s more like I’m asking for it. It’s more like asking if I can have a chance to have a talented child like you as my child. Hehe.
– … … .
Levy had many mixed emotions at this time.
He was astonished at the abundance of good fortune that came to him and wondered if he had been such a valuable person.
And without me knowing.
– Master… .
Instead of tears, a smile appeared as I called out to the bluebird that had brought me this good fortune.
She realized for the first time in her life that sometimes, when people are so happy, they laugh instead of cry.
And now.
‘How should I deal with this?’
Levi fiddled with his ring, enduring the touch of the unfamiliar maid who was wiping away his sweat.
The parchment the Marquis gave her… no, it was not something she wanted to write, but a ‘slave contract’ that she was forced to write after being kidnapped.
It’s already been a week since I burned that contract.
…just a ring.
This couldn’t be handled carelessly.
Although his status as a slave has disappeared, the [Mark of Obedience] still remains on his back.
And this ring is like a catalyst for such an imprint of submission, so it would be best to get rid of it.
‘That’s a bad idea.’
Is the imprint of obedience called a curse for nothing?
It is called a curse because once it is engraved, it does not easily disappear even if the catalyst is removed.
Even if the ring is removed, it would be easy for an illegal wizard or something like that to immediately create a new catalyst if they saw her imprint.
The answer was not to destroy the existing catalyst, but to extract the imprint of obedience itself from her body, and while we were finding a way to extract it safely…
‘You can’t take the ring off right now.’
Rather, it should be managed thoroughly.
This ring literally holds the power of her life and death.
So, after much thought, Levi decided to entrust the ring to someone else.
What are you keeping?
There is nothing more unsettling than that.
How could she, who is still so weak that she can only be protected, protect this ring?
I will leave it to you.
To the most trustworthy and reliable man she knows.
should.
“…Where is the master?”
“I know you’re with the Knights. I’ll guide you-.”
“Oh, no. I, I can go find it.”
Levy quickly walked away, wondering if the maids waiting in the distance would follow her.
She wanted to avoid having more than five maids following her every move, so she ran as if kicking the ground.
“miss!”
Levy heard a voice calling her from behind, but she didn’t stop, only apologizing in her mind.
Because I haven’t gotten used to the life of the Marquis Youngae yet.
… … Maybe it will take 5 years to get used to it?
The adaptation period for Tristan, a wounded blue cat who has been betrayed by many people beyond the petit bourgeoisie, was expected to continue for a while.
* * *
Swish.
Should we say that this is the training ground of a noble family?
When we usually think of training facilities, we usually think of just an ordinary parade ground or a gym, but the training ground where the Red Blood Eagle Knights train is like that.
‘How is there a waterfall in the training ground?’
The level, no, the environment itself was on a different level.
The flowing waterfall was not just a waterfall with water flowing down a stream.
A waterfall where a huge amount of water literally pours down in real time.
It is a spectacular sight that will leave you breathless just by looking at it.
But there is such a waterfall in the training ground.
It is said to be an artificial waterfall created by mobilizing a large number of wizards, but as you can see, even the classes that invest in training grounds are different when it comes to high-ranking nobles.
‘This is a waterfall.’
Of course, there weren’t only waterfalls.
Even though there is no sport called climbing, they have artificially created cliffs similar to this one, and there are even training facilities such as a 30-meter rope climb and swamp and sand areas.
‘Baek Eun Sa Ja didn’t have facilities like this.’
Well, it’s not strange that they don’t have facilities like this since they value individual training, but they are still a royal knights group, so this is…
‘Even if I don’t want to compare, I end up comparing.’
It’s like being in the minor leagues and then suddenly being brought to a top-notch training facility for Olympic athletes.
‘Hey, I should make house calls more often.’
Of course there were other facilities too, but the waterfall was the one that caught my eye and heart the most.
“… This is the best martial arts training.”
Waterfall hit training.
Lee Han was delighted at being able to do the training he had always wanted to do at least once.
Towards him like that.
“I’ve asked this before, but what the heck is this martial arts?”
“There are a lot of people who practice like me.”
“… That really must be a scary neighborhood.”
Veil, Vice-Captain of the Red Blood Knights.
He made a weary expression at the man who was happily laughing while doing ‘squats’ in a waterfall that was spewing water hundreds of kilometers deep in real time.
And I think so.
‘Martial arts, I don’t know what kind of place it is, but are there only perverts who enjoy such sadism?’
… It really must be a terrible neighborhood.
It was a veil that created irreversible misunderstandings about martial arts.
