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284. Engagement Ep – Blue Lotus Moon

Spring has arrived, but the chilly northern lands still retained a thin layer of frost. The heavily armored knights had thick fur lining their armor, and their hands gripping the reins were clad in gloves.

These were the knights of the First Knight Order, reluctantly provided by Prince Arnold. They were hurrying along the road.

Usually, knights would remove their armor and load it onto the carriage during a move, but they rode on horseback fully armed. There was no squire to tend to them.

To save time, they made do with jerky and such from their saddlebags for meals, but they couldn’t sustain a journey of several weeks in this manner. Horses aren’t that convenient as a means of transport, after all.

To relieve the horses’ fatigue, the knights often took breaks, and there was someone who benefited greatly from this unintentional situation. Lera handed the reins to Ray with a guilty expression.

“Thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it, just go.”

– Hee-haw!

Kus snorted as if fed up. Lera’s horsemanship was so terrible that even the sturdy Kus was struggling. Lera attempted to pat its cheek in comfort, but Kus shook its head, refusing the gesture.

“Hurry up. They must be waiting.”

Ray packed the water canteen while Lera grabbed a sword and went to find Baron Arpen. The knight commander, Arpen, was busy handling several matters.

He was examining a map when he asked, “Is there no faster route? Is there no relay station in this direction?” Turning his head as he discussed the upcoming path.

“Are you here? Just stretch for a bit. I’ll be there soon.”

While the knights checked their equipment and took care of their tasks, Lera loosened her stiffened thighs from riding. Just as she repeated a few sword movements with the sword she gripped, Arpen approached. Without any extra talk, he raised his great sword.

Nodding, the duel began.

He claimed he would teach her swordsmanship, but Arpen had never taught anyone before. Thus, he only engaged in duels, and Lera had no choice but to learn on her own. Fortunately, there was a notable peculiarity in Arpen’s swordsmanship…

“I told you, if you block like that, this will happen.”

Arpen grabbed hold of the blade of his sword. Holding the hilt and blade apart as if wielding a spear, he pressed against Lera’s sword.

In this way, Lera had no choice but to be pushed back even if Arpen didn’t exert much strength. Initially startled by his unorthodox technique, Lera struggled to adjust.

Holding the hilt to maneuver while slicing at the opponent with the sharpened blade is a principle that seemed typically obvious. Arpen shattered that principle.

“Is there a rule that says you can’t grab the sword with your hands? It’s up to me.”

Though he sounded quite blunt, as Lera sweet-talked, “You’re amazing! It’s not just a rumor that you’re the greatest genius born of the Albasete Tribe!” Arpen swelled with pride as he explained the reason. Stripping away the self-praise, it summarized as follows.

He originally handled an axe.

And the biggest difference between a sword and an axe was probably the width of the handle; after facing Jacob Modred, Arpen thought he had to pick up a sword, but it was an uncomfortable weapon for him.

Its length (varying by type) was far greater than that of an axe, while the handle was incredibly narrow.

Even the average two-handed sword handle was a struggle for his bear-like hands to grasp, and even when held, the grip being too low made it difficult to control the swinging strength.

Axe handles, long enough to extend just below the head of the axe, were familiar to Arpen for regulating strength based on his grip.

Most would succumb to the notion that “If you wield a sword, you must abide by the way of the sword.” However, having seen many proud knights, Arpen disregarded that whole swordsmanship thing.

The grip and whatever… where I hold is the grip, and where I strike is the blade, right?

Due to that strange stubbornness, his swordsmanship developed in a unique direction.

With the blade intentionally dulled, Arpen began handling the sword almost like a stick, mixing it with the axe techniques he was accustomed to.

Once he mastered the technique of curling his palm to safely grasp the blade, nothing could hold him back. This was possible because he regarded himself and his weapon as one—he was a ‘master.’

Since it was his first time teaching anyone, he doubted whether it would yield results. This audacious fiancée must be wasting her time. No, more importantly, why would she want to learn from me when her boyfriend is a Swordmaster? That fleeting thought crossed his mind.

“Excuse me?”

Lera lowered her sword. Pressing the safe edge against her palm, she began to push him away, a motion reminiscent of Arpen’s swordsmanship.

After being momentarily surprised, Arpen grinned.

“This one shows promise as a student. Not bad at all. So, shall I show you one more thing?”

Releasing his grip on the hilt, Arpen held the sword upside down and drew it, creating a swishing sound—sword clashing against sword. Eventually, his cross guard locked against Lera’s.

“After this twist, ta-da!”

“Wh-what?!”

Arpen pushed his sword-holding hand inward. The cross-shaped guard caught Lera’s sword guard, and as he pressed his arm in, Lera was shoved aside in the opposite direction.

A simple lever principle.

Yet it was an unexpected maneuver, and with their arms entangled, Lera couldn’t counter. In an instant, his sword was nearly at her throat. Again, defeated so effortlessly, Lera seemed to realize something as she stared blankly at her sword.

Cutting and stabbing isn’t everything.

If necessary, one must throw off, exploit, and trip the opponent; weapon skills are just a means to topple the enemy—it doesn’t matter whether there’s respect for the sword or elegance attached.

Arpen’s swordsmanship boldly rejected that notion. But there was something puzzling, prompting Lera to mumble.

“Baron.”

“What? Want to see me do it again?”

“Why do you always wear those clothes?”

At the unexpected question, Arpen momentarily looked flabbergasted before understanding the intent behind her words. He replied rather curtly, “…So you’re a smart student who understands what one teaches. I don’t know either. I thought being a noble would be all good, but it doesn’t seem so… This lesson ends here. Get ready to depart.”

Baron Arpen Albasete spun around sharply. The rugged man, clad in clothing that didn’t quite match his rough appearance, predominantly in bursting silk, walked away with a gait so absurd it was almost comical.

He was the first and only native-born to become a noble, but he didn’t look very happy.

*

The knight order, including Lera and Ray, continued to ride steadily toward the Aster Kingdom.

Stopping at relay stations to change horses, they spent one night in a village near the Antalof Grand Canyon, not far from the gate.

Since the knights couldn’t cross the border unlawfully, they intended to stop at a church to contact Count Jacob Modred and seek permission while the knights took a brief rest.

It happened to be a night when the Blue Lotus Moon rose beautifully and vividly in the sky. With pleasant weather and too long without their own time due to the forced march, Lera and Ray received Arpen’s permission (“…You’ve struck lucky. Do as you please.”) and made their way to the camp near the village.

However, perhaps due to the tranquility, Ray and Lera didn’t converse. The weight of their father lay too heavily on their hearts.

After riding for a bit, Ray halted at the foot of a hill.

This was his second visit. There was something he wanted to show Lera, who had not come to the Antalof Grand Canyon before; he climbed the hill silently, and Lera, for a moment, could forget Dehorman.

A pure white canyon unfolded before them.

Chasms split the mountains and plains into dozens of strands. The scenery looked as if artificially hacked apart, and they both held their breath.

The legend that Todler Akiunen’s fought against the god Lachar, who seized Leisia, seemed quite plausible.

Akiunen, who swung two swords simultaneously, was the first Swordmaster of humanity and a king; how strong must he have been? If he could split the earth to create a canyon, perhaps wounding a god could be possible.

The white stone, ‘Manubium,’ said to have been created from the spilled blood of god Lachar, stood as proof. Truly, it looked as if blood stained the Antalof Grand Canyon, glowing under the blue moonlight.

“Ray.”

“Yeah.”

Lera called out but remained silent. After a moment, she opened her mouth again.

“Ray.”

“I’m listening.”

“…Take this.”

Lera pulled out a long leather strap from her waist and handed it over. It was a birthday gift she had purchased ahead of time from Abrival Castle… even though it wasn’t his birthday, Ray accepted it quietly.

“It’s a birthday present. I know it’s not your birthday, but just in case, I might not be able to give it to you.”

“…That won’t happen.”

“I hope so too.”

“Not hoping, but there’s absolutely no way that will happen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Lera shot him a glance. She seemed angry.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? I know you’re still hiding something from me. There must be a reason you aren’t telling me; I’m just not asking.”

“…”

When Ray fell silent, Lera exhaled, blowing away her anger. Under such beautiful scenery, she didn’t have much time left to be angry.

And the words she had spat out blaming Ray for her father’s death had now turned into wounds for her. Since she couldn’t take back the words she had said, Lera forced a smile. She hoped to be remembered as a good friend, at least for today.

“Hand me the sword. I’ll tie it for you.”

Lera snatched the sword from Ray’s waist. She intended to replace the worn-out handle with the new leather strap…

“Eh?”

“…Huh?”

Ray’s sword was vibrating softly.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

At times like this, she truly missed Minseo. Not knowing what was happening made Ray rub the back of his neck.

“Am I… possessed? Whoa!”

Feeling scared, Lera tossed the vibrating sword away. Perhaps because it was a keepsake from Ray’s mother, she didn’t think of throwing it away, but the sword fell vertically onto a rock, tipping and rolling backward.

No! No way! When the two of them rushed over, the sword had already rolled down the hill into the canyon.

“Wh-what should we do? I’m sorry. I’ll go get it.”

“Wait. I’ll go.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t such a deep canyon. Since it was a scenic hill, there was a seemingly created path by passersby, so Lera and Ray carefully made their way down, dropping small stones along the way.

Throughout this, Lera apologized over twenty times.

“Be careful. I’m sorry… because of me…”

“It’s fine. It’s pretty here too. Look. It’s even prettier than seeing it from above because the moonlight reflects on it.”

“True… I’m sorry.”

When they reached the bottom of the canyon and looked up, the white glowing cliffs and the blue lotus moon, along with the starry night sky, looked dazzlingly beautiful.

However, the fallen sword was still vibrating softly. It seemed the intensity had increased, raising Lera’s anxiety.

“Why is this happening?”

“It’s definitely possessed. It must be haunted. Ray, wouldn’t it be better to take that to the church? The Priest would surely… Oh!”

At that moment, Lera pointed to deeper into the canyon. There, the vibrating was accompanied by a flickering blue light that faded in and out.

Entranced by the gleaming canyon, they walked down a bit to find a comparatively spacious area. The upper part of the canyon narrowed just enough for the blue lotus moon to shine through, where a quietly glowing temple awaited them.

– “I told you it’s real! A mysterious temple. I saw it with my own eyes! It was on a night when the blue lotus moon rose…”

The hoarse voice of the senile old man, Boris Ainar, echoed.