Seffield gently stroked the cheek of the unconscious Cherrya.
He felt proud of his granddaughter for overcoming the obstacle, but at the same time, he could already foresee the countless hardships that lay ahead.
Having already reached the rank of Sword Master himself, Seffield’s worries were even greater.
He had been born a knight and had lived as one, dedicating his life solely to the sword. His only focus was wielding it.
But on this continent, achieving the rank of Sword Master meant gradually drifting away from the sword itself.
The sword of a Sword Master was powerful and honorable. The trajectory of its swings could change the fate of a nation, making it easy for political forces to exploit.
“Tsk. Well, his grandfather is Jade, so he’ll figure something out.”
Seffield sighed, glancing at Enoch, who was lying next to Cherrya, and furrowed his brow slightly.
There wasn’t much space, so he had no choice but to lay Enoch beside his beloved granddaughter. But it didn’t sit well with him.
Throughout history, never had there been three Sword Masters in the same country at the same time.
There were even rumors that a single Sword Master was enough to unify the continent.
And now, two Sword Masters had emerged?
How many people could truly celebrate this without ulterior motives?
“We can’t just be happy about this.”
Even if he wanted to boast about it to everyone, he couldn’t.
Seffield clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling.
Cherrya’s leadership of the Emblem Knights had already made her a target. King Pavan, wary of her growing influence, was looking for ways to eliminate her.
To make matters worse, they had falsely accused her of causing the conflict between Emblem and Gray instead of exposing the true instigator—the Carmedan Jungle.
“If they find out she has become a Sword Master, they’ll try to eliminate her before she even has the chance to grow into her power.”
Seffield listened to King Pavan’s words, feeling as though his blood had turned cold.
Considering the long history between Emblem and Gray, it occurred to him that the king’s absurd accusations might seem credible to some.
“Even if it’s a lie, more people will believe it than those who won’t.”
The heirs of Emblem and Gray had met and clashed fiercely.
They had abandoned their graduation exams and disregarded the academy’s students, engaging in a battle so intense that they inflicted fatal wounds on each other.
And of all places, this had happened in the infamous Carmedan Jungle—where sustaining such wounds was as good as a death sentence.
As a result of their duel, both Emblem and Gray had lost their heirs.
It was an incident that would surely captivate the entire continent.
If not for the fact that Cherrya and Enoch had survived, King Pavan’s despicable scheme would have been a complete success.
“Ha, how should I deal with these bastards?”
Seffield cracked his neck, loosening up after a long time.
Ever since news of Cherrya’s disappearance spread, the Emperor of the Lutinas Empire must have been beside himself.
And he was surely preparing for whatever Seffield, now blinded by rage, might do in Pavan.
Closing his eyes, Seffield focused on the sounds outside.
With his sharpened senses, he could even hear the carriage carrying King Pavan quietly slipping out of the academy’s back gate.
“A small fry like the dean? My son-in-law can handle that. As for me…”
Seffield opened the window and let out a sharp whistle.
In an instant, his trained Emblem messenger bird swooped down onto the windowsill.
“This one is for the Emblem Ducal House. And this one is for the Gray Ducal House. You can handle that, right?”
Tied to the bird’s legs were sealed letters, each bearing the crest of one of the noble houses.
After feeding the bird generously, Seffield threw it toward the sky, watching as it soared into the distance.
Although it was just a light touch, the messenger bird was swiftly flung out of the academy.
This probably saved at least twenty minutes of travel time.
“Mm… Grandpa?”
At that moment, Cherrya woke up and saw Seffield, calling out to him.
“Oh, my dear child!”
The terrifyingly hardened expression on Seffield’s face instantly melted away.
“Are you alright, my little one? My dear child! What on earth happened for you to faint?”
“I’m fine, Grandpa. But what about Enoch? Where is Enoch?”
“…You wake up and, instead of your own grandfather, the first thing you ask about is some strange man?”
Seffield grumbled in discontent.
Even so, he lightly tapped Enoch, who was still unconscious and lying next to Cherrya.
“He’s right here, see?”
Only then did Cherrya widen her eyes in surprise, realizing Enoch was lying beside her.
She examined him for a moment before furrowing her brows.
“…Is he alive?”
“Yeah. He’s perfectly… well, not completely fine, but he’s alive.”
“His face looks… really bad, though.”
Feeling suspicious about Seffield’s vague response, Cherrya raised a hand and placed it near Enoch’s nose.
Sensing his faint breath, her tense expression finally softened.
“Are we at the academy?”
“Yes. I brought you back here.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
Cherrya smiled sweetly, visibly relieved.
That radiant, affectionate smile made Seffield completely forget his earlier irritation, his heart melting in an instant.
“What exactly happened? You’re not the type to be taken down by mere beasts.”
“I found a strange place.”
“A strange place?”
“Yes. I managed to escape by using the sword technique you taught me to destroy objects, but…”
Cherrya’s expression grew complicated.
She winced slightly, showing signs of an impending headache.
“You can explain everything later. Right now, you need to rest.”
“…You’re right. I do need a little rest.”
Cherrya nodded and closed her eyes again.
Just knowing Seffield was by her side seemed to ease her nerves, allowing her to relax the heightened senses she always kept on guard.
Noticing this change, Seffield curled one side of his lips into a satisfied smile.
“Get some proper sleep. I’ll inform the knights that you’re safe.”
“That was my biggest worry… Grandpa, you’re the best.”
“Of course! No doubt about it.”
Seffield puffed out his chest with pride and gently stroked Cherrya’s hair.
“Since we’re being honest, there’s something I need you to understand—without misunderstanding me.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll explain in detail later, but I just sent messenger birds to Emblem and Gray.”
“Because I got injured?”
“That’s part of it, but…”
Seffield, uncharacteristically hesitant, glanced at Enoch, who was still lying beside Cherrya.
As soon as he did, the soft smile on his face vanished, replaced by a displeased frown.
“Why are you acting like that?”
“Well… in the letters, I wrote about…”
“Yes? About what?”
Cherrya’s eyes widened as she looked at Seffield expectantly.
Seeing the innocent and patient expression on his granddaughter’s face made him feel incredibly guilty.
Avoiding her gaze, he finally admitted:
“I wrote about the necessity of your engagement with that guy.”
“What?!”
Cherrya bolted upright in shock.
“Ah—ugh! Dizziness.”
But she barely managed to sit up before collapsing back onto the bed.
