Episode 74: The Best Swordsman in the Country (3)
I think I’ve been really tired for a long time.
“after.”
I went out of the store to cool down my heated body. I let out the breath I had been holding and controlled my breathing.
My finger joints were numb from the extreme fatigue that was coming. I leaned back deeply on the bench in front of the store and muttered.
“… Me too, really.”
Is it because I finally have a chance to do some proper knife work after a long time?
In less than a minute, I sashimied three fish.
In simple terms, you can remove the intestines, cut the stone, and cut the sashimi in 20 seconds.
Speed is important, but ultimately, the most important thing about food is taste. Use nimble knife movements to bring out the freshness of the fish.
As a result, he came out, exhausted from receiving countless compliments and handshake requests from guests.
One of them said that I brought a dead fish back to life and called me the Messiah.
“I know it’s meant as praise, but… … .”
I smiled faintly and spread out my palm. It felt good.
If I could feel this way right now, I could even cut a grain of rice with my eyes closed.
After always slicing up unpleasant things like demons and people, catching a fish couldn’t be better.
At first, I thought it would take some time to re-adapt, but once I actually started using it, I got the hang of it quickly. In fact, I think I’ve renewed my prime.
“After I graduate, I think I’ll open a real sushi restaurant.”
While I was thinking like that, I felt a presence next to me.
I turned my head to see who it was. It was an unexpected person, Knox.
“Oh, what? Weren’t you busy?”
“The food is all gone thanks to you, Mr. Geumma. The boss said he’d finish it. Your friend is serving. I just came out because Chloe told me to go.”
Knox said this and sat down next to me. He took off the scarf tied around his head and shook his head to shake off the sweat. I stared at him in silence.
Knox had a pleasant smile on his face, despite being drenched in sweat.
The once cloudy pupils now had a strange color.
‘I feel proud for some reason.’
As I stared at him intently, Knox stopped wiping the sweat off his face with his hood and flinched.
“Well, do you have anything to say?”
The tone of speech was still stiff, like a historical drama. However, the hostility was clearly gone from his voice.
“By the way, what kind of part-time job are you doing all of a sudden?”
“… Kanggeomma, didn’t you say that? If you work hard and sweat, you’ll gain something.”
I tilted my head. But then the words I had said flashed through my mind.
“Oh, right. I did say that.”
“You don’t remember, do you?”
Knox asked incredulously. I shrugged.
“Of course I remember. Child, you really are a master of action.”
Knox scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. The corners of his mouth were visibly twitching. As if he sensed my gaze, his expression became hazy. He quickly changed the subject.
“Hmm, hmm. I don’t necessarily agree with what you said, Kanggeomma. But you definitely gained something. I learned the value of hard work.”
“Oh, that’s fortunate.”
Knox was more talkative than before. He asked me many questions about my work. I answered him with sincerity because he was quite active.
Most of them were trivial stories of work-related experiences. But Knox listened intently.
“I still can’t believe you’re the same age as me. You’re not lying about your age, are you?”
“…Is it okay if I just say I have a lot of social experience?”
As he said that, Knox withdrew his suspicious gaze. The moment he was about to stand up, thinking that the story was almost over.
“Wait a minute, I have something to tell you.”
I sat back down with a very serious expression on my face.
He moved his lips once and continued speaking.
“Normally, revealing family matters to the outside world would be considered a grave crime. So I tried to relay it through Chloe, but she wouldn’t answer the phone. Anyway, that’s not the important part.”
Knox took a deep breath. His pupils, filled with determination, remained calm and unwavering.
“Your investigation in Auditore is over. Fortunately, there are no suspicious circumstances. Therefore, we have canceled the request instigated by the Academy’s Senior Council. Instead, the Lord has started the Senior Council’s investigation. The fabrication of the request is a deception for us. Auditore is not their hunting dog, but a group that strictly maintains order.”
I listened quietly. It was a deliberately serious topic.
Knox furrowed his brow and opened his mouth again.
“I think an investigation team of unprecedented scale will be formed. It will be conducted thoroughly, given the target. Of course, I have decided to help out with the investigation team. This story has become long. Anyway, I wanted to convey this message.”
“… … .”
With that conclusion, I gathered my thoughts. The conclusion was that Auditore would never come after me. It meant that I didn’t have to think about the possibility of Auditore submitting to the power of the Elders.
It seems like one of the annoying things that had been occupying a corner of my mind has been solved.
Well, there’s going to be a bigger incident where Auditore investigates the Elders.
It’s none of my business anymore. After finishing my thoughts, I reached out to Knox.
“Thank you. That must not have been easy to say.”
He stared at my hand for a moment, then grabbed it.
“I didn’t really do anything. Rather, it was on my part… … .”
Knox trailed off.
The sight brought to mind Chloe and Knox in the store just a moment ago.
Perhaps because they were siblings, they got along well and quickly took orders and served food.
‘It seems like things have improved a little with Chloe.’
I laughed silently and patted her shoulder lightly.
He lowered his head with an embarrassed look. Then I stood up, shaking my butt.
“I’ll go in first. Come back after resting more. Oh, that’s right.”
As I was about to open the door halfway to enter the store, a question suddenly occurred to me.
Although we never used honorifics from the beginning, Knox is a senior in the year above me.
Moreover, as a member of the Auditore family, I belong to the pan class. I opened my mouth to relieve the questions that were floating around in my mind.
“Nox, aren’t you a senior?”
“Are you talking about a mountain?”
Knox asked dimly. I nodded in agreement and continued.
“Oh, the one who joined our club this time is a senior. I thought you might know her since you’re in the same class as Knox.”
“What a surprise you are interested in others.”
“… Is that the image I have of you?”
“From what I’ve seen so far, you don’t seem to be the type to care much about others. It’s far from being ‘selfish’… What can I say, it feels like you came from somewhere else.”
It stung for a moment. It felt like a small part of my life had been exposed. It was quite awkward for me to have been caught by Knox, who had only seen it a few times.
‘You’re quick-witted, perhaps because you’re a former assassin.’
Or maybe it was when you investigated me that you felt uncomfortable.
Kang Geum-ma, that means my past has been completely erased.
With Auditore’s information power, there was no way he would have missed that part.
That must be why he’s been staring at me with a question mark on his face for a while now. Since I’m trying hard to hide my expression, Knox can’t ask.
Still, the guy glances at me, his mouth still twitching.
A brief silence. The first to break the delicate air current was Knox’s voice.
“Anyway, I know Sanha because she’s in the same class. She’s a pretty unremarkable girl who just quietly reads books in class.”
“Even if there are no special features, each person has something unique, right? Isn’t there something like that?”
When asked, Knox stroked his chin and thought deeply. He opened his eyes half-heartedly.
“Hmm, but since you asked, I just remembered something. I wonder if it’s a singularity… … . Sanha is always the cadet in the middle of the class.”
“Midpoint? What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what it says. In all areas, such as written, practical, internship, and training, you are always in the middle ranks. Even if you do it on purpose, it would be difficult to do so.”
“I see.”
Knox, who had been speaking, shrugged his shoulders, a gesture that indicated he had nothing more to say.
I turned my head slightly and met Knox’s eyes.
The questioning eyes were staring at me. It was a face that had a lot to ask. Then, Knox’s lips moved.
“… Kanggeomma, you⎯.”
But I turned my body in a jerky direction. A small night breeze blew in my direction.
“Anyway, thanks for telling me. I’ll go in first.”
“… … .”
Aside from the gratitude, there is no reason for me to reveal more about myself than necessary.
It was a very practical decision, not a cold one. I didn’t want to create a sense of discomfort by talking lightly.
I opened the store door, ignoring the gaze. The pungent scent of alcohol enveloped my nose.
* * *
It was not until close to midnight that the lights at the Korean sushi restaurant turned off.
The customers who had been telling me to drink and pour left the restaurant one by one, feeling sorry and licking their lips. Among them, the old gentleman who was the first to try the raw fish kept grabbing my hand and saying,
“Young man, please be sure to contact me. I won’t be upset.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll contact you when I have time.”
I lowered my upper body and head. Only then did the old gentleman smile with satisfaction and get into the car. The shiny black sedan gave me a rough idea of his wealth.
When the commotion died down, President Mansour approached first.
“Master, I learned a lot today. I know it’s a bit odd to call this a thank you, but please accept this.”
He held out a well-trimmed piece of sashimi. But I frowned and spoke quietly.
“A sword is a lifeline to a swordsman. Can you hand it over to someone else so easily, sir?”
Mansour opened his mouth, waving his hand, as if he was taken aback.
“Ah, ah, I’m sorry if I offended you, Master. I didn’t mean it differently, but this sword just doesn’t suit me. I’ve always just sharpened my sword, but I realized it after meeting you, Master. A master should develop his own skills rather than his equipment… …!”
Mansour clenched his fists and chewed on his pledge. He humbly thrust the knife in with both hands. I let out a short sigh and nodded.
“Well, if that’s what you mean, then I won’t refuse.”
As he said that, Mansour bent and straightened his waist several times. His eyes sparkled like a child’s.
“Oh, I am truly honored that you accepted my sword, Master!”
“… How about not calling me ‘Master’?”
“Oh my, I started my life as a knife-fed person again by meeting you, Master. I don’t think it’s enough to treat you like a parent.”
“Just call me by my original name.”
The style of excessive spiciness is always tiring. I listened to his words with one ear and let it go, then turned my gaze to the sashimi.
The light flowing from the blade makes it obvious to anyone that it is an expensive item. In fact, if you look at the craftsmanship alone, it is closer to a weapon.
Even though he said that, a swordsman longs for a good sword. I cleared my throat and grabbed the handle.
“Hmm, hmmm.”
Until just a moment ago, it was a knife that I had been using with great care. But now that I think of it as mine, it feels strange.
As I gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, my first teacher came to mind. He was a man with a strong obsession with swords.
‘To me, a master doesn’t blame his equipment, after all the hard work he’s put into it.’
Whenever the master brought me a shiny sledgehammer, he would always give it a name. At that time, when I asked him, he responded like this.
― A good knife is like a chef’s alter ego. When you name it, the chef’s determination is put into it.
He spoke so fancyly and named the sashimi knife something like ‘Sovereign Sashimi Machine’.
At that time, I looked at it with pitiful eyes… … .
“Excuse me, Master. What’s the matter? Do you not like the sword?”
“No, I was just thinking of a name to give it.”
“I never thought about it like that, but Master is different.”
Mansour said with spit on his lips. I laughed bitterly, but thought about it for a while. Many words floated in my mind.
“…frost.”
Suddenly, I muttered. Was it because I wanted to leave a trace of my parents here? Suddenly, the word that came to mind was Ganggeomma’s main building. As I made up my mind, strength entered my clenched arms.
“… … Eternal frost.”
I smiled broadly. Not that I was satisfied with the name I had given.
As the saying goes, “the same vegetable tastes the same,” I reflected on myself criticizing my teacher’s naming sense.
I also felt secretly grateful to my parents here who gave me the name Ganggeomma.
