novelraw Chapter 190: Engagement - Breath
Chapter 190: Engagement - Breath
190. Engagement - Breath
“Let's have a talk for a moment.”
“Yes, Father.”
Noel Dexter called his son. Upon returning to the study, he had Leo sit down and stared at him with astonishment.
Following behind, Lena looked stunned.
“Since when?”
“Around the day before yesterday.”
Noel nodded. Though he wanted to praise him and pat his shoulder, he couldn’t easily do so.
His son had surpassed him.
And by a significant margin.Noel Dexter opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Reflecting on the few brief exchanges in their earlier spar, he ended up laughing helplessly.
He had always been confident in his swordsmanship.
As the youngest knight that the Aslan Kingdom proudly boasted of, he had perfected his own swordsmanship through the harsh civil war.
This process never seemed particularly difficult. Whenever he held a sword, it guided him towards the direction he wanted to go, and there was always a clear answer. The sword path that pleased him greatly enticed him.
There was a time when his brother, despairing at not being able to catch up, and the surrounding eyes looking at him as if he were a monster seemed strange.
Of course, he never thought of himself as the best. There were those unapproachable monsters known as swordmasters, and when he retired to Avril Castle, he encountered a wall for the first time in his life.
The sword still guided him, but it was a repetition of previous answers, a mere habit.
It was only then that he understood.
The despair of a swordsman hitting a wall, and his brother's drunken wailing. He was simply lucky.
Yet, there was a sense of pride in his heart. He guessed that he was among the top swordsmen across the continent, and he assumed that the wall blocking him was the final hurdle to becoming a sword master.
However, even this was arrogance.
Even though his son had surpassed him, he was not a sword master. Watching his senior, Arpen, up close, he realized the gap between them, especially now that Leo had intervened.
He was just an ordinary swordsman.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
Noel Dexter asked. Admitting there was nothing more he could teach, his son nodded silently and then spoke.
“I want to become a knight.”
...Of course.
However, Noel remained silent. Though the words to write a recommendation letter were stuck in his throat, it didn’t seem necessary for his son.
So Leo spoke.
“I would like to meet the lord first. There is still a lot of time before the knight's entrance exam, so I want to gain experience at Avril Castle as a temporary knight.”
“...That’s good too. Alright. Let's meet the lord tomorrow.”
The father, who had no more advice to give his son, stood up. With half pride and half reverence, he patted his son's shoulder.
“Your mother would be proud.”
“...”
“Then I’ll be back shortly.”
Leo saw off his father, who was leaving to arrange a meeting with the lord. Watching his father's back, he clenched his fist.
‘I’ve finally beaten my father.’
The past came rushing back.
The first time around, he couldn't even follow the war due to his poor swordsmanship. Secretly applying, he was beaten severely by his father. He limped for days, and Lena went to the battlefield alone and didn’t return.
The second time around, he managed to join the war.
He met Katrina and fought a bloody battle, losing his thumb, and Lena lost an arm. They returned looking like remnants and got married.
In the third round, thanks to the {Unified Technique}, he easily gained his father’s recognition. After fighting Katrina fiercely, they negotiated and sent her back. During a guard duty, he was killed by Count Herman Forte. Lena’s image breaking his collarbone with her own hand was still vivid.
In the third round, he didn’t go to war.
It was the last round Leo remembered. He had tried to break off his engagement with Lena, an unpleasant memory. Lena's angry face wouldn’t leave his mind.
The fourth round... he didn’t remember. Minseo, who should have transferred the memory, had lost his mind, so all he remembered were the ending texts he saw last.
If that were all, he would have only known the major events of that time, but fortunately, ‘I’ had mumbled something in the last moments before disappearing.
Warnings about Yuhan and Baron Brina, how his uncle and Lena's reactions were strange when he visited his mother's grave, among other things, including very trivial stories.
No, they weren’t trivial. They were all related to Lena.
‘I’ had listed memories with Lena until the last moment. The time she hid a gift of a leather strap, the time they drank until they were embarrassed to sleep together, how they never let go of each other's hands while traveling, and how they kissed often...
“...”
Why had he listed such things? Why did he think it necessary to convey such details to the next in line?
Given the ending text, it wouldn’t have been a happy conclusion.
‘...It must be telling me to cooperate with Minseo.’
It meant that he was happy enough, so it was time to stop. It was an earnest request, knowing he wouldn't remember.
Honestly, he wasn’t initially keen on it.
Thinking about the wounds Lena must have received from the broken engagement made him grind his teeth. Still being Minseo mixed self-reproach, but at the same time, being Leo Dexter, he found it loathsome.
He couldn’t leave his room, struggling with the sensation of having killed his sister with his own hands. It was the message left by the previous him that kept him together.
That they were happy.
He, too, had wandered around ignoring all the {events}, urging Minseo to forgive.
‘Is being happy all that matters?’ he thought, but that blame came back to him. He couldn’t run away.
Leo shook his head. The sense of accomplishment from beating his father had long since disappeared, leaving him with a bitter look as he turned around to see Lena standing there quietly.
“...Shall we go to the market? You said you needed a leather strap.”
“...”
“What’s wrong?”
Lena looked up. She stared blankly at Leo and then quietly closed her lips, heading towards the backyard without a word.
“Lena?”
What now?
Leo followed Lena. In the open yard, Lena grabbed her sword and swung it silently.
After a moment, she acknowledged she was acting foolishly. Letting her sword drop, she turned to speak.
“I didn’t know your skills had improved so muChapter Congratulations.”
Her voice was unusually calm.
Her expression was serene. She wore a faint smile, but her eyes were not smiling, carrying a sense of desolation.
“I guess... I have to work harder.”
Lena turned around. She grasped her sword again and swung, the white breath she exhaled lingering in front of her.
Her breath was blown away by the cold wind and soon disappeared.
*
Avril Castle is a mountain fortress.
Although not very high, it was built on a fairly rugged mountain ridge, making space limited. As a result, the lord’s castle served both as an independent living space and a command tower attached to the castle walls.
The owner of this command tower, Diallo Brina, welcomed his guests. With a hearty laugh, he guided the guests to the reception room.
Due to its strong military purpose, even the reception room for guests in the mountain fortress was rather austere. The floor was made of large stones, no different from those embedded in the castle walls, and there were no decorations worth boasting about.
In the spacious room, only a table and some rough furniture were placed, but it seemed that some effort had been made as a clean tablecloth was laid out.
Golden-brown bread, three types of snacks, and two teapots were on the table. Before sitting down, Noel Dexter bowed in thanks.
“I am deeply grateful for the hospitality, my lord.”
As his father bowed, Leo followed suit, displaying the same courtesy. Lena, who had been quiet since yesterday, seemed lost in thought and bowed her head a beat later.
“Hahaha. It’s an honor to host a retired knight... I’m sorry there isn’t muChapter If the merchant guild hadn’t stopped by, we wouldn’t even have this. Ah, I’ll need another teacup.”
Diallo Brina called for a maid to bring another teacup.
Soon, the four of them sat around the table. After some small talk about daily life and Noel’s continued guidance of soldiers, despite his retirement, Diallo turned his attention to Leo.
“So, this is the son you mentioned yesterday.”
“Yes. I’ve been teaching him, and recently, he has made significant strides in swordsmanship. He wishes to gain experience at Avril Castle until the knight’s entrance exam.”
“As a knight?”
“Yes. He’s not asking for formal knighthood, just a temporary position.”
“Hmm...”
Diallo Brina stroked his plump chin. Though he noticed something extraordinary about the young man, he hesitated to respond.
Even for a temporary position, appointing a knight was a significant matter. While an ordinary lord might be pleased, his situation was different.
Diallo was not just a simple lord.
Avril Castle, once belonging to Baron Kazak, was confiscated and became a direct royal territory, with Diallo ruling as the king’s representative.
As the king’s representative, the weight of his title was immense. Although he was content with his position and often joked about it, he could wield substantial power under the guise of the king’s orders.
This included judicial, administrative, and even diplomatic and military authority.
He also commanded the national army stationed at Avril Castle.
Thus, a knighthood granted by Diallo was akin to selecting a royal knight, potentially provoking complaints from the knight order for overstepping.
‘But he’s the famous Noble Butcher’s son... it should be fine, right?’
After a moment of contemplation, Diallo decided. Unwilling to risk his position, he planned to share the responsibility with others.
“It’s not that I don’t trust your word, Sir Dexter. But there should be at least a minimal test.”
His plan was to have the knights evaluate Leo’s skills.
As Avril Castle was a military stronghold, four royal knights were stationed there. Diallo summoned them immediately, asking if Noel Dexter’s son was qualified to become a temporary knight.
I merely reviewed the knights’ assessments; hence, I bore no responsibility...
“...I lost.”
Diallo’s concern proved unfounded. Leo defeated the royal knight in just six moves, leaving the summoned knights in shock.
The issue wasn’t the defeat but the victor’s age and skill.
“How could someone so young...?”
He was said to be barely an adult.
There had been young knights before, including Noel Dexter, who became a knight around that age.
But becoming a knight and ‘easily’ defeating a royal knight in active service were entirely different matters.
The four knights looked at Leo as if he were a monster. Then, realizing he was Noel Dexter’s son, they nodded in understanding.
“So, there are no objections?”
Diallo Brina, who watched the duel, burst into a wide grin.
Producing a remarkable knight was a testament to a lord’s virtue, and this was a delightful surprise for him.
“As expected, the son of the distinguished knight is exceptional. I will grant you the temporary knighthood you desire. Since you wish to gain experience, I will assign you duties. As for a mentor...”
Assigning a mentor to a new knight was customary. However, as Diallo looked around, the four knights shook their heads. They didn’t want to mentor a prodigy destined to rise swiftly.
Diallo understood and refrained from mentioning a mentor again.
“He’s a temporary knight, so I suppose he doesn’t need a mentor? Retired though you are, Sir Noel Dexter, could you guide him for four months?”
Noel nodded, and it seemed the matter was settled—until Lena stepped forward.
“Please, allow me to take the test as well!”
Her eyes blazing, Lena faced the lord and the royal knights.
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