277. Engagement Ep – Victory and Defeat

“Prophecy?”

Baron Albasete questioned. Sitting in his chair, he glanced suspiciously at Noel, his junior who had come to him after more than a decade, spouting strange nonsense.

“So, you’re telling me that becoming a Swordmaster and this strange feeling I have is the will of the God?”

“Yes.”

“Huh, that’s something…”

The baron crossed his arms and leaned back. As he crossed his legs, the silk outfit he wore seemed to scream, “I’m about to burst!” What a ridiculous claim. However, Arpen grinned, revealing his teeth.

“I quite like that statement. Am I to be considered a messenger of the gods? Hahaha! It would be absurd not to have such a holy mission assigned to a great warrior like myself.”

“……”

Such a self-congratulatory type…

Ray was at a loss for words. His father, Noel, cast a sideways glance at his son as if to say, “Look at this.”

Ray had no intention of confessing the truth to Baron Albasete.

He doubted that anyone in the world would believe him unless they were his father, yet Arpen nodded to himself, lost in self-admiration.

What followed was even more absurd. The baron scratched his head and asked.

“I was certainly talented. I mean, I hunted monsters at a mere age of fifteen alongside my childhood friend Druxa. But did I seem happy about slaying monsters?”

“…”

It wasn’t a question that begged for an answer. The baron crossed his arms like an ‘X’, adamant that this was not the case. Then he opened his arms wide! It was shockingly refreshing.

“Not at all! The trials of a Great Warrior, haha! That didn’t even feel like a trial. It was so easy that it disappointed me. So I sought other trials, you see. Do you know what that was?”

“…”

“You see, Druxa suggested we go to the ‘Ice Island.’ On the nights when the blue moon rises, it’s said that monsters shatter the frozen sea and come pouring out… But to me, hunting monsters wasn’t a trial. I wanted to achieve something more challenging than that. And that was…”

“You aspired to become a knight and a noble. Sorry, but I’ve heard that too many times from you already.”

Noel interjected appropriately. However, he couldn’t stop Arpen’s self-praise.

“Whoa. Quiet down. This is where it really gets interesting. There’s a young man here waiting to hear about my great achievements. Ahem! Wait a moment. How far did I get?”

“… You mentioned that you placed in the Maunin-Letii Tournament and became a knight. Your friend Druxa also placed but did not become a knight. He returned to your hometown while you remained in the capital.”

“Really? Ah, right, that’s what happened. I became a knight after placing in the tournament, but lo and behold, my friend Noel here wouldn’t have felt it, but the discrimination was immense. What knight is a warrior who uses an axe? Get out if you won’t use a sword, or at least change to a spear… there was so much noise. Ha! It made me feel so annoyed that I refused to change. Those guys from the Third Knights Order still do that, yet they should know I’m not one to mess with. Just wait and see. I’ll smash them to pieces…”

“Uh? But I heard you use a great sword? Did I get that wrong?”

That was Ray’s question. Noel Dexter let out a small groan. Arpen smiled brightly.

He neglected to mention how he got into the Maunin-Letii Tournament…

To top it off, Ray’s question was something Baron Albasete had been dying to hear.

No one would ask him; he was the kind of guy who carried around a great sword without even a sheath, so Noel prepared for a lengthy explanation. He poured him a drink and leaned back on the sofa. The story that followed was one he had heard dozens of times.

“Ah, that’s a great question! There was a moment that made me change from an axe to a great sword! Hah… now where should I begin to aid this promising young Swordmaster? Oh, I know! It was during the Nine-Day War. As the world knows, I stood with the Austin Kingdom, leading that grueling civil war to victory. Your father remained in the capital, but I traveled everywhere across the Asran Kingdom fighting. Noel, you should have come along; it would have been fun… but this friend stayed behind because he was married and had a child. Anyway, I traveled all around the country, getting involved in the factions of nobles and prevailing. If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t have won. That’s a given.”

Just when Ray felt a pang of realization, it was too late. Arpen turned his gaze away from the disinterested junior, focusing on Ray instead. His massive backside squashed the sofa, and Baron Arpen Albasete’s tale continued uninterrupted.

“I defeated numerous armies, including the well-off Pamphilly House, and persuaded the native tribes that had been lying low to join forces with us, and even visited the neutral Kamitsu Mage Tower to convince the mages…”

Ahem—

When exactly would he mention why he started using a great sword? The baron had a peculiar way with words. He kept reminding everyone that “until then, I used an axe,” making it awkward to interrupt.

Noel was dozing off, and Ray’s head was becoming increasingly hazy by the time the topic finally resurfaced. Arpen proudly proclaimed.

“…So, it was the night I was planning a strategy to wipe them all out. It suddenly hit me that I had become a Swordmaster. You, being a Swordmaster too, should understand, but the axe felt like a part of me, you see. Haha. Now all that was left was to smash the enemies. But due to the heavy casualties, I announced that I had become a Swordmaster. I thought the enemies would surrender at that, but… lo and behold? On their side, another Swordmaster had emerged. Count Jacob Modred… Damn it, now we’re the same!”

“Um… Baron, so the reason you switched to a great sword is… No, more importantly, the prophecy…”

At this point, he was no longer curious about why he had switched from an axe to a great sword. He just hoped that he could stop rambling and move to the point, but the baron waved his hand dismissively.

“Hold on a moment. I’m almost there. Since they had a newly emerged Swordmaster, oh boy, I thought the war would drag on. That’s when a significant event occurred. Paolo and Prince Petra de Klaus… both of them killed my father. And what happened then? They claimed they would seize the throne. No, what kind of nonsense is that? Two kings in one nation? Turns out they wanted to split the country in two and rule separately; what would you have done if you were in my position?”

“…Well.”

Ray answered dully. Whatever he said, he knew the baron would keep talking.

“Think about it! Wouldn’t that be absurd? I fought for years! A full three years! Three! Years!”

“…I see. That must have been hard to accept…”

“Exactly! And to think they’d negotiate peace that way? I couldn’t tolerate it. So I decided to settle this. I sent a letter to Count Modred. I can’t bear to see the kingdom divided like this, so I suggested we engage and negotiate. If one of us were to disappear, wouldn’t the peace negotiations currently happening in the capital become null and void?”

……What?

Ray, who had been so apathetic, suddenly perked up. Arpen grinned as if he had been expecting that reaction.

“Jacob accepted. We brought along just one witness each and met. I know it sounds boastful, but… it was the duel of the century.”

This was the very story he wanted to tell about his fight with Count Modred. Ray knew he was caught up in the baron’s words, but he couldn’t help but listen attentively.

Arpen Albasete was utterly pleased with Ray’s reaction as he reminisced about that final duel.

+ + +

“Is that Jacob Modred? He seems smaller than I heard.”

This was a little over a decade ago. A young Arpen in his early thirties asked.

At the time, Arpen was not yet a baron, and even as an enemy, he should have addressed Jacob, a noble, with respect, but he didn’t care. Provoking Jacob by mentioning his small stature.

Count Jacob Modred replied, somewhat dumbfounded.

“We’re not strangers, you know…”

“Is that so? I’m a stranger to you.”

“…We met in the capital. Five years ago at a banquet. You asked me why I, the heir of the Modred house, had become a Royal Knight.”

“Did I? Why did you become a Royal Knight then?”

“…Never mind. I thought I could communicate with you, but that was a foolish expectation.”

“What? Are you trying to play mind games and gain the psychological edge by making me say sorry? How sneaky you are!”

Hah!

Jacob scoffed.

And rightly so, because Count Jacob Modred was an extraordinary handsome man.

His family had passed down a sharp jawline, a distinct nose, and Jacob’s own exquisite lips, making him a beautiful boy in his youth and shaking the hearts of many ladies during his adulthood. Even as the Modred family faced economic decline, he still managed that.

To call such a count sneaky?

Well, coming from Arpen, whose eyelids were practically nonexistent and whose face was rugged and fierce, that was rich. He had never even held a woman’s hand, let alone married.

Not that Arpen had anything wrong with him. He was just too intimidating to approach… How could one not shudder even in broad daylight? If he had stayed in his hometown, the Albasete Tribe, it might have been different, but he had no chance of finding a bride in the capital, Barnau.

The still-young, slightly embittered Arpen Albasete said with a hint of disappointment.

“Really? Then there’s no need to beat around the bush. Come at me. As I wrote in the letter, it’ll be a life-or-death match.”

“……Alright. That’s just what I wanted.”

To fight a Swordmaster.

He was one himself, but the thought of battling a formidable opponent thrilled him. The axes in Arpen’s hands burst into blue flames.

Count Jacob Modred’s ‘Swordbreaker’ was similarly ablaze. The sunken blade shimmered with white glints, as the two great Swordmasters born from the Nine-Day War clashed.

But…

“Wahhahaha! Is this all you’ve got? Seriously? Not all Swordmasters are the same!”

With a slash that cleaved the earth, the blue aura-lit axe left a wide afterimage as it pushed Jacob back.

It was due to Arpen’s overwhelming physical ability. Every time he turned his hefty belly, the shockwaves erupted, and the smaller Count Modred was sent flying. Plus, Arpen wasn’t just relying on pure strength.

“Ugh!”

“Pahaha! How’s that? This is your first time seeing something like this? What about those knights and their axes, huh?”

Arpen skillfully wielded the axe with a 1m-long handle.

He could quickly switch from a short grip to extend and strike, and at times, he could grab the axe’s jaw to perform unexpected attacks. The axe head smoothly rose and fell, entering and exiting his hands without restraint.

What kind of knight uses an axe? He had polished his axe techniques through countless ridicule since joining the Third Knight Order.

Yet, the axe had a critical weakness…

“Uh-oh.”

“Hahaha. I thought becoming a Swordmaster was a loss for just me, but seems you’re in the same boat.”

The surface area of the axe was far too vast.

Unlike a sword where the aura could be densely packed, it spread thinly over the axe head, leading to higher consumption and weakness. Jacob Modred’s ‘Weapon Destruction Technique’ was gradually making its mark.

“…Breaking someone else’s weapon in such a sneaky way. Are you even a knight?”

“I’d rather not hear such things from a warrior who merely uses an axe. I shall be the victor!”

Jacob attempted to strike down Arpen’s already damaged axe in hopes of destroying it. Arpen Albasete seethed with rage.

“What of my axe! You bastard! Die!!”

Arpen swung the axe mightily.

Just then, Jacob exclaimed, “What?!” Flustered, the sword and axe clashed, causing the axe head to explode into fragments. Jacob got hit by the shrapnel and collapsed.

“Kyaaaaaaaak! Lee… I… urge…!!”

“What? Hahaha!”

Thinking he was doomed after losing the axe, Jacob’s condition was quite the sight. The fragments had shattered his chin and jaw halfway.

Arpen burst into laughter.

“Your handsome face looks even better now!”

“Y-you dare…”

“Yeah! Bring it on. Just a little more time, and I’ll win! Hahaha! This is just too funny for me to concentrate.”

“Ugh!!”

“Count! Wait a moment!”

As Count Modred bled profusely and collapsed, an observer who had come to watch the outcome jumped in and hugged him.

“You need to get treatment immediately. If not, you’ll die.”

“Oh! Let me go! I can’t…!! Ooh, let me go!!”

“Get a move on, you idiot, before you die.”

“Baron Albasete! You stop too! If we’re being technical, the moment you lost your weapon, you lost.”

“Who lost? Just because I lost my weapon, does that mean I’m gonna lose?”

Count Modred’s sword ignited fiercely. The observer accompanying Arpen firmly responded, “Yes.”

“If this goes on, you both will die. Let’s just say it’s a draw…”

“Draw? What the hell! The country is about to be split in two, and you’re talking about some ‘later’! Let go, huh? You won’t?”

It just so happened the observer he brought was a knight on both sides. When Arpen beat away the knight that had latched onto him, Jacob had already flailed for a while before losing consciousness.

Jacob’s observer shot a glance at Arpen before picking up the count and fleeing. Arpen couldn’t keep up and muttered quietly, “What a pain…”

He turned back to ask.

“Then, who won?”

+ + +

“Well… it’s hard to say?”

“Hard to say? Just hurry up and tell me. Who do you think won?”

“Maybe it was a draw? If there were no witnesses, both of you would have been finished.”

“That’s not it.”

Baron Albasete shook his head. He spoke as if the outcome was far too obvious.

“I lost.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Jacob being hit by the fragment was an accident. If I’d had the intention to take him down with the shrapnel, I would’ve won, but that wasn’t my plan. Therefore, I lost.”

“…That’s surprising.”

“What is?”

“I thought you’d fight tooth and nail insisting you won.”

“How are you viewing me? But anyway, that’s why I discarded the axe. When I faced him again, I felt I couldn’t win with an axe. It was only later I realized that wielding a sword revealed its title as the ‘King of All Weapons’ for a reason. It doesn’t lean to one side like an axe. The spear, on the other hand, leans towards ‘distance’. My friend Druxa who wields a spear knows.”

“I see…”

Ray nodded.

It seemed Baron Arpen had lost further words to add, as he quietly began drinking.

Yet, as Ray mulled over his tale, it struck him suddenly.

‘Holy crap! Listening to this guy’s story consumed an entire day!’

Outside the window, the sunset was glowing.

Arpen’s expression was… surprisingly refreshing. How annoying.