Episode 119: People of the Swordsman Family (2)
The morning after I returned home to Castle Sigurd, the swordmaster summoned me through Charon.
‘What’s going on?’
Judging from Caron’s tone, it seems like this is a rather serious matter.
Maybe that’s why the hand holding the study doorknob felt strangely tense.
Knock, knock.
“Your Majesty, this is Ganggeomma.”
-Come in.
As I entered the study, I saw the sword master standing with one hand on his back and his back turned around. He stood there blankly like a stone statue, staring out the window.
‘…What’s going on that’s making you create such an atmosphere?’
I was a little flustered and let out a cough. Only then did the inspector turn his head slightly. I opened my mouth calmly.
“I heard you called.”
“… … .”
There was a strange emotion in the swordsman’s pupils. It was a look closer to caution than hostility.
I felt a sense of foreboding. The air flowing through the study felt new.
Even at their first meeting, the inspector had a similar vibe.
“ha.”
The inspector stared at me intently and then let out a sigh. His breathing was full of detachment. He pulled out his chair and finally spoke.
“Sit down, I have something to tell you.”
“… Ah, yes.”
I sat down on the chair in a shaky manner. As soon as I sat down, the sword master’s lips parted.
“…Before that story, what did you and Abel do yesterday?”
“yes?”
A somewhat absurd question that popped up in a pretended serious atmosphere.
I asked him absentmindedly. He was holding a lot of weight and asked what he did with Abel.
On the other hand, the inspector stares at me intently. His mouth is shut tightly, but his gaze demands an answer.
I could sense impatience in his eyebrows that were fluttering intermittently. I scratched the back of my neck and said.
“… It was just nothing special.”
“What do you mean, ‘nothing special’?”
It was a strangely sharp question. I was very curious about this situation, but I tried my best not to show it and accepted the question.
“I came back right after dinner.”
“… Is that true?”
“yes.”
He answered firmly.
Because I didn’t want to be caught up in that overbearing attitude anymore.
The inspector stared at me with a suspicious look in his eyes. He stared into my eyes as if trying to gauge the true meaning of my words.
It is said that the intuition of the sword master is so excellent that it is even called an insight. It will be enough to look at it for a few seconds to determine whether the statement is true or not.
I don’t understand why you’re asking this question in the first place… … .
I just thought of him as a grandfather who loved his granddaughter very much.
“I see… … .”
The inspector repeated the same words over and over again. His eyebrows furrowed, then he burst into laughter.
“I feel relieved when you say it like that. Well, friends can eat together and do things, hahaha!”
“… … .”
“But―”
The inspector stopped laughing. He spoke with a sharp gaze.
“Next time something like that happens, I hope you tell me.”
“…All right.”
The stern expression on the inspector’s face relaxed completely. A soft smile appeared on his lips.
‘This guy is really something.’
I asked him the main point.
“Why did you call me?”
“Oh, that’s right. I almost missed the most important thing.”
After saying that, the inspector immediately took out a few documents and handed them over.
“Just get to the point. It’s not clear yet, but it could be very serious.”
“What do you mean?”
“First, take a look at what’s written here.”
―〈Personal Information〉―
▷ Name: Kang Geum-ma
▷ Born: July 7 (17 years old)
▶ Affiliation: Joaquin Academy 1st year Lang class (current student)
▶ Student number: G034666M431
▶ HP ː Estimating
―
It was extremely ordinary personal information. It was just a brief summary of information that could be called background check information.
Cadets at Joaquin Academy are treated as quasi-heroes. That’s why their personal information is automatically registered in the association system. Not just me, but all the cadets.
But a faint sense of anxiety lingered in the inspector’s gaze. He asked quietly.
“Is there anything strange?”
I shook my head.
“It looks like it only has the basics written down.”
“Oh my, this person has a keen eye for detail. Look here.”
The inspector’s fingernails tapped the bottom corner of the document.
『▶ HP ː Estimating』
The sentence with the red line drawn underneath. The inspector emphasized the text.
“This is the crux of the document. As you know, cadets are not eligible for hero point calculations. That is an unspoken rule between the Hero Association and all academies.”
The swordsman who was explaining frowned even more.
“But you see, your points haven’t been scored yet, but they’re being estimated. This is clearly a violation of the ‘rules’.”
“… Are you mandated by law?”
“No, it’s not illegal. However, it’s clear that this is something that has no precedent. As you know, a cadet’s main job is to study. I’m saying that each individual is already sufficiently evaluated within the academy.”
“then.”
The inspector opened his mouth only after a moment’s hesitation.
“The association says that they don’t consider you, Ganggeomma, a mere cadet.”
“… … ?”
“In the 40 years since the association was founded, no matter how excellent the cadets were, this has never happened, but those who carried out this work can be inferred.”
“If you say ‘ja’deul’, does that mean several people?”
“That’s right. Even though it may seem trivial, the HP department is the largest within the association. To put pressure on such a department, you’d have to be at least an executive of the association.”
The inspector lowered his voice and added.
“It’s most likely the influence of the two people, the President of the Heroes’ Association and Richard de Murat, the Vice President.”
The names that came out of the sword master’s mouth were all big names that could be counted on one hand in the worldview.
‘Changseong and the chairman of the association?’
The great giants who have no connection with me are watching me.
It was so sudden and embarrassing.
… Could it be because of the articles that came up a while ago?
Aggro headlines like ‘All-Mute Na-wa’, ‘Sashimi Kensei Reporter Assault’. Thinking about it made the veins on the back of my hand clump.
“I’m sorry I suddenly called you and brought up such a serious topic.”
As my expression hardened, the inspector handed me a teacup. The gentle scent of tea flowed out along with the steaming steam.
Then, the inspector tries to smile gently.
“Don’t be so serious. The association’s calculation of your hero points is questionable… … . I can’t help but think that it’s because you held a big event on the festival day, Kenma.”
“Oh, you mean Mao Lang.”
At those words, the inspector chuckled slightly.
“Haha, you should have taken it easy. You’re the only one who’s bothered by that.”
“sorry…….”
“What do you have to be sorry about? If a problem arises, you have to solve it, and it’s my job as your guardian to do that.”
I opened my eyes wide. The inspector looked at me warmly.
‘guardian.’
Those three words touched my heart.
It is a word that is very unfamiliar to me as a foreigner in this world, but at the same time, it is a word that I desperately wanted.
At this point, when my parents’ existence has suddenly disappeared, Geomje claims to be my guardian.
Just like my first teacher did for me.
Even if it’s just a thoughtless word.
Because these are the words that accepted me as a member of this lonely world.
It was difficult to express my feelings. My throat was choked and the tip of my nose was tingling.
There was a moment of silence. I brought the teacup I was handed to my lips. I felt warmth.
“I heard from Charon that in two days, you and Abel will be going to raid the Undead Dungeon?”
The tone of the swordsman’s voice became relaxed. He nodded quietly and answered.
“I see.”
The reaction is more calm than I thought. Then, of course, he would know what this journey means.
Besides, wasn’t that the grandfather who was interrogating me yesterday for going out with Abel?
However, the sword master only stirred the teacup in the air and showed no further reaction.
… After a while, the inspector added briefly.
“Take care on your way back. There is no better experience than actual combat. Well, you can go now. I’ll call you back if anything happens.”
“yes.”
I got up from my seat and headed toward the door.
Before turning the doorknob like that, I just turned my gaze and looked at the inspector.
The old man was just staring blankly at the sky. I closed the door for him silently.
* * *
Squeak.
The one who opened the study door again and came in was the butler, Caron.
The inspector still looked at the clouds with lonely eyes.
Caron approached him and carefully opened his mouth.
“… Are you alright, Your Majesty?”
“How could it not be okay?”
The swordsman smiled faintly. There was a faint sadness in the wrinkles around his mouth.
“…Why don’t you stop me? This is an undead dungeon. Aside from the danger, the young lady might get shocked.”
“Caron said. Despite his obvious superior-subordinate relationship with the inspector, he raised his voice. It was a different attitude from his usual polite manner.
“I think it would have been better if the Emperor had gone with us―”
“Caron.”
The swordsman cut him off. Caron’s shoulders shook at the solemn words. He bowed his head and hurriedly apologized.
“I’m sorry. I got excited without realizing it.”
“I know very well how worried you are about Abel.”
Tak- The inspector placed a teacup on the table. He sat down on the chair and continued speaking.
“But that’s why we have to respect Abel’s choice. He’s not a child anymore.”
“… … .”
“Abel can’t be dragged around by the past forever. I can help, but that would slow down his growth. And—”
Caron flinched at the confident words of the inspector that he heard belatedly.
“―Isn’t Ganggeomma going with you? No matter what enemy appears, he won’t be a threat to that boy.”
“yes?!”
Caron swallows his breath in shock.
“The world calls Kang Geum-ma an unparalleled genius. Huh- Not at all. That guy is not someone who can be defined by those standards. Especially when you wonder if he’s even a human being―”
The inspector’s eyebrows twitched. He suddenly stopped muttering.
Geomje was the only person who knew the true form of Ganggeomma.
The power that Kanggeomma showed on Avalon Island. The sword play that annihilated the 5th Corps Commander Agor with a single blow. A realm that transcends protection, such as the realm of mystery.
‘That’s something you can’t explain to anyone, and you shouldn’t tell anyone.’
If it reaches the ears of the demon tribe, they will definitely try to eliminate the strong sword demon.
The inspector calmly changed the flow of conversation.
“By the way, I don’t know who his parents are, but they really gave that kid a good name.”
Caron tilted his head.
“… I know this may be rude to your Majesty, but… your name is a bit unusual.”
“Hahaha, living up to the name is exactly what they say about that boy. Oh, and in a good way, of course.”
Amidst the laughter of the swordsmen, Charon pronounced the name intermittently.
“… Sword… Horse.”
Suddenly, the first encounter with the Ganggeomma flashed through Caron’s mind.
Jet-black eyes that were fleeting and boring. Black hair that was as black as I had ever seen in my life.
At that time, Caron felt a chill down his spine. However, he could not be rude to the guest he was supposed to serve.
Caron immediately wiped away his surprised expression with a poker face.
However, when meeting him on a night street, it was as if he felt a sense of fear, as if his appearance was the personification of the concept of darkness. When Charon met his gaze with Kanggeomma, he would shut his mouth with a gasp.
If I ran into you on the street at night, I would feel like I would freeze.
He is a boy with extraordinary force.
Moreover, the fact that he chose a sword as his weapon… … .
‘Maybe he treats the other person like a fish or something?’
Suddenly, I remembered an article I saw a few days ago titled, ‘It’s so petty that I want to die.’
At that time, Caron would have laughed it off, but if it was you, Sword Master… there’s a good chance that you would have said that.
As goosebumps ran down his back, Caron let out a sigh of relief.
To some extent, the words make sense. Originally, the inspector would not have allowed the young lady and another man to go out together.
Caron, who was waiting outside the door, expected the swordsman’s command.
But in reality, it ended with a light questioning.
Even though it is natural for an old man to speak out loud from the swordsman’s mouth.
Caron judged it.
The friendly attitude of the sword master, which was especially shown to Ganggeomma.
The reason why he even tolerated going out with the girl.
The more I think about it, the more the possibilities narrow down to one.
‘The sword master wants the sword master to stay by the young lady’s side.’
The insight of the swordsman is an intuition that borders on supernatural.
If only he had been excellent in military force, he would not have been above Changseong.
Charon knows that his lord’s excellence lies not only in his military power, but also in his ability to see through people.
He made a wrong decision? It was an absurd thing for a butler who had been assisting the inspector for almost 30 years.
After finishing his thoughts, Charon let out a sigh of relief.
It was a situation where he didn’t know whether to be happy or not, but he felt relieved.
‘The Demon of the Sword… … .’
As long as that boy is by her side, the girl will be fine.
Such confidence lingered in Caron’s heart.
On the one hand, it was bittersweet.
I had complicated feelings because she was a young lady I had raised like a daughter.
The sea that the young lady was prepared for when she entered the academy.
Finding a future partner at the academy is a natural procedure for a noble.
However, when it actually happened, Caron felt a sense of uneasiness.
Wouldn’t this be how you feel if your daughter brought home a son-in-law?
He is a beautiful child who is so precious that I wouldn’t mind putting him in my eyes.
‘You have become a lady before we know it.’
Charon smiled bitterly. Then he tilted the teapot and filled the empty blacksmith’s cup.
“… If you have any questions, please let me know at any time, Your Majesty.”
“Haha, thank you. As expected, you’re the only one who’s always by my side.”
Sulpit- Caron responded with a silent laugh.
