I held a new wooden sword in my hand. My grandfather also took out a wooden sword instead of a real sword for my sake.
As soon as the two of us prepared to spar, the knights quickly distanced themselves from us.
After all, it wasn’t just anyone but a sword master we were about to duel.
To ensure safety, everyone kept a considerable distance in case any unforeseen storm arose.
“Here I come.”
“Bring it on.”
With a short breath, I charged straight at my grandfather.
‘First, let’s go with my usual method!’
A resounding clang! echoed, so loud that it was hard to believe it came from wooden swords clashing.
“……..!”
With the first blow, my wooden sword was flung far away, leaving only the broken handle in my grip.
“Again.”
At my grandfather’s nod, a new wooden sword was immediately handed to me. Smiling, I gripped it once more.
‘This time, I’ll go with the textbook approach and deflect it.’
This time, my grandfather made the first move. I pretended to accept his attack, attempting to deflect it by dispersing the force along the blade.
This was the basic defensive technique anyone would learn when beginning swordsmanship training.
But perhaps because it was too basic, my grandfather’s sword took advantage of the gap I created while deflecting and pierced through.
Clang!
Again, my wooden sword snapped and flew away. I tried to defend, but his strength overpowered me.
“Again.”
My grandfather offered me a wooden sword without giving me a chance to rest.
Several more times, I tried to withstand his attacks, but each time, my sword would either break or get flung away.
“Hah, hah, hah…”
I was now completely out of breath, sweat dripping down from my forehead.
“Again.”
Since earlier, my grandfather had only been saying, ‘Again.’
Each time he attacked, my wooden sword would shatter or fly away, no matter whether I attacked or defended.
To an observer, it might have seemed like a pointless exchange. But I could sense that my grandfather was adjusting to match my level.
Bit by bit, I could feel subtle changes in his attacks.
“Good.”
With what felt like numb hands, I tightly gripped the new wooden sword.
I took a deep breath, trying to recall the feeling I had when sparring with Lucas earlier.
‘It’s hard to try anything new against my grandfather. But I have to try.’
Even though we were only using wooden swords, my grandfather exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure. The atmosphere was so intense it felt like he could crush me at any moment.
But if I got overwhelmed, I would miss this precious opportunity.
‘If I can do this against Grandfather, I can do it against Enoch too.’
If it works on my sword master grandfather, then it will definitely work on Enoch. No matter how much of a genius Enoch might be, he couldn’t possibly compare to my grandfather.
“Hup!”
With a shout, I charged at my grandfather.
Even though my hands felt numb, I could feel a connection flowing through my veins, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat.
For an instant, as I swung, I could see my grandfather’s near-defensive move in slow motion as he raised his sword to meet my attack.
“…….!”
In that moment, I saw it. Exactly where and how my grandfather was focusing his strength when he swung his sword.
I understood precisely where to let my wooden sword make contact and in which direction to deflect that force.
It felt like a part of my grandfather’s sword was glowing.
Every instinct and nerve in my body honed in on that one point.
‘Here, now.’
I could feel the heat rising from within, surging from my legs, through my waist, along my spine, to my arms, neck, and finally reaching my eyes.
Clang!
The familiar sound of wooden swords clashing echoed repeatedly.
“Hah…hah…hah…hah…”
I froze in place, maintaining the stance from my swing.
“It’s C-Cherrya victory!”
For the first time in my sparring with Grandfather, my name was called in conjunction with the word ‘victory.’
The sword that flew off was Grandfather’s, not mine. He looked at his empty hand, where the wooden sword had just been, and then at me, with a big smile.
“You found it.”
“……..”
Without a word, I gave him a wide grin, just like his.
“I’ve got the hang of it.”
Grandfather hadn’t been going all out. He adjusted his strength to match my level. But even so, the fact that I had managed to knock away the sword of a sword master was significant.
“Woo-hoo!”
“Cherrya, you’re the best!”
“We’re so proud of you!”
The excited Emblem Knights rushed toward me all at once.
“Crazy guys, get back!”
I screamed as I was quickly surrounded by sweaty men.
“Hahaha! It tickles! Move aside!”
It was a joyful scream.
***
The grand extermination campaign at the Lowes Mountain Range began.
This was a matter of great importance for the Lutinas Empire, requiring both the Emblem Knights and the Gray Knights to mobilize simultaneously.
Usually, crowds of spectators would gather to see both knight orders, but this time, no one dared approach the area around Lowes Mountain Range. Staying there could mean losing one’s life for no reason.
“To minimize the chance of monsters descending into the Baron’s territory, we’ll be encircling the entire range widely and gradually tightening the circle. Make sure the front line does not break.”
The Crown Prince, now in charge of the entire operation, gave his instructions.
“The front line must not collapse under any circumstances. Do not advance just because there are no monsters in front of you, nor should you lag if there are too many.”
He alternated his gaze between my mom, who had come as the head of the Emblem Knights, and Enoch, who was temporarily assigned as the Gray Knights’ commander.
“You must cooperate. Help those who fall behind, pull back those who move ahead, and keep the front line steady.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“We will do so, Your Highness.”
One by one, Enoch and my mom knelt and bowed their heads before the Crown Prince, who solemnly bestowed swords upon them.
“No casualties are acceptable. Nothing in this world is as precious as life itself, so forsake honor if needed, but do not sacrifice yourself.”
“…….”
“…….”
The Crown Prince’s words were laden with meaning. To a knight, who lives for honor, it was akin to telling them to die. But the Crown Prince was telling them to live.
Both Enoch and my mother kept their heads bowed without a word. A bitter smile played on the Crown Prince’s lips.
‘I quite like it. For now, staying alive ‘is what matters.’
I swallowed down the thoughts I couldn’t say aloud.
Honor, of course, was a noble pursuit, but it was something one could only enjoy if they stayed alive.
I found the Crown Prince’s speech to be exactly to my taste. What would have usually been a boring time was, for once, interesting.
Despite the gravity of the extermination operation, I felt my heart beat with excitement.
“……Thus, the extermination of the Lowes Mountain Range begins.”
The Crown Prince declared the war against the monsters, and a smile crept onto my face.
And that’s when the Crown Prince’s eyes met mine.
A sense of inner camaraderie from our past encounter at the imperial palace made me lift an eyebrow, acknowledging him.
“…..…!”
The Crown Prince’s face instantly turned red as he quickly looked away.
Was he seriously dodging eye contact so awkwardly?
Feeling slightly hurt, I pouted, and just then, Enoch, who stood before the Crown Prince, turned around to look at me.
‘What? Why?’
I mouthed, wondering what he was staring at, only to see him furrow his brows before turning his head back.
“That jerk….”
