novelraw Chapter 45 : So Frustrating That He Showed It Himself
Chapter 45 : So Frustrating That He Showed It Himself
Chapter 45: So Frustrating That He Showed It Himself
Before Robin could open his mouth, Imelda spoke first.
“When you left the lodging this afternoon, you went out waving your arm like this.”
Imelda swung her arm through the air as if holding an invisible sword.
‘She saw that, huh. Guess I can’t help it.’
Just as Imelda said, Robin had the habit of swinging his arm when leaving the mansion.
Anyone who saw him might have thought it strange, but Imelda’s sharp eyes had caught it exactly.
Fortunately, at least, she hadn’t realized that Robin was talented.
He was about to say he dreamed of becoming a swordsman when Jessie spoke up.
“My lady, Robin is ten years old. He probably can’t even hold a sword properly, so there’s no way he’s a swordsman.”
“But I saw it!”
“Walking around swinging your arm may look odd, but that alone doesn’t make someone a swordsman.”
At Jessie’s cool-headed analysis, Robin felt as though he could breathe again.
‘Thank you, Jessie.’
“Jessie’s right. There’s no way I could be a swordsman.”
“Really? Reeeaally?”
“Yes, really. Come to think of it, my lady, do you usually enjoy exercising at this hour?”
When asked a troublesome question, one should change the subject.
It was a method Mirian often used.
“No! I was waiting because I wanted to play with you, Robin!”
Jessie pressed her forehead and shook her head.
Robin was startled that a noble lady had been waiting for him.
‘Even the first time we met, she was so happy to see me. Maybe I should take this chance to ask why.’
“My lady, do you really want to play with me that much?”
“Yes! Yes!”
“May I ask why?”
Imelda spoke as if wondering why he would even ask something so obvious.
“You’re the first one my age I’ve ever met! Everyone in this mansion, except for you and me, is an adult.”
“Then can’t you just go outside the mansion?”
“Father won’t let me.”
Robin was at a loss for words.
In short, it meant she had never had a friend before.
Until he met Jeremy, Robin too hadn’t had a single friend, so his heart ached for her.
‘If my lady has never seen anyone her age, that means Jeremy has never lived here.’
Thanks to Imelda, Robin had gained one clue.
He planned to work at Baron Tefir’s estate and gather information about Jeremy as well.
“My lady, you are of noble blood. You could meet misfortune if you were to wander outside carelessly.”
“To me, that sounds like overprotection, Jessie.”
“It is the baron’s order.”
There was no room for argument.
When a wealthy, powerful noble said so, one had no choice but to obey.
Still, that didn’t mean there was nothing Robin could do.
“My lady, I’ll be your friend.”
“Robin, we are the lady’s servants—”
“Great! Robin’s my friend now!”
Imelda beamed and grabbed both of Robin’s hands, shaking them up and down enthusiastically.
Jessie didn’t approve, but seeing Imelda’s radiant smile, she couldn’t bring herself to stop it.
“When I make a friend, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do!”
“What is it?”
“It’s, it’s… pretend play! Jessie, get things ready!”
Jessie hid her real feelings, disappeared for a moment, and then came back with a bundle.
Wooden dishes, knives, and aprons were spread out in the training yard.
“I’ll play the role of the perfect wife! Robin, you’re the husband who’s worked hard from morning till night! Let’s begin.”
In a flash, Imelda tied on an apron and began tapping a wooden knife against the cutting board.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said I’d be her friend.’
Tap tap tap.
The sound of Imelda’s toy knife striking the board filled the training yard.
In the mornings, Robin learned the duties of a personal servant from Jessie, and during lunchtime, he had free time.
After playing house with Imelda, he had figured out how to handle her.
All he had to do was give suitable praise and go along with whatever the innocent girl said.
Thanks to that, he needed only the mornings to learn his servant work.
“Good work. Remember, we have that thing in the evening, so don’t be late.”
“See you tonight, Jessie.”
Though he hadn’t expected it, every evening turned into pretend play, war games, doll play—endless games—but Robin didn’t mind. He considered it a good chance to understand Imelda better.
At lunch, he ate with the mercenaries and then looked around the marketplace.
Since the mercenary band’s next destination was the battlefield, they needed to prepare thoroughly.
Calimacos, Paul, Torgen, Mirian, Brandok, Felix—Robin carefully observed what each of them needed.
It seemed the reward they’d received from the Elize Merchant Company had been quite substantial, as none of them looked short on money.
‘I’m not sure what kind of gift they’d like.’
When the market tour ended, Robin looked forward to sparring with Calimacos.
They didn’t spar every day, but every other day, Calimacos agreed to a match.
With each sparring session, Robin’s skills improved drastically, though he was still no match for Calimacos.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
The day before the mercenary band’s departure, Robin faced his final sparring match.
“Oh? What’s this? You want to borrow a longsword?”
“Yes. I don’t think I’ll stand a chance with just daggers if I want even the slightest hope of winning.”
For the last spar, the entire mercenary band gathered.
Everyone eagerly anticipated the match between the strongest in the band, Calimacos, and the youngest, Robin.
Until now, Robin had always fought using two daggers, but this time, he’d changed his weapon.
Calimacos said confidently,
“We’ve got a spare sword, right? Lend that one to Robin.”
Felix rummaged through the shack and brought out a longsword.
‘There was a longsword there? I thought they only stored my weapons.’
The longsword Felix brought gleamed, made of fine material.
“Robin, win.”
Felix whispered his encouragement and returned to his seat.
With a sword hanging from each hip, Robin drew the one on his right side first.
A single longsword—that was the most weight Robin could handle.
“What’s wrong? Wielding two is too much after all?”
“Yes. I’ll begin.”
As Robin dashed forward, Calimacos drew his own sword at the same time.
Cheng!
The first clash.
At Robin’s aggressive attack, Calimacos lightly pulled back his sword.
‘My strength was dispersed. In terms of power, I’m at a disadvantage.’
But thanks to that, he had taken the initiative.
His following thrust aimed for Calimacos’s neck.
‘Just as I thought, he dodged to the right.’
Through repeated sparring, Robin had come to grasp Calimacos’s behavioral patterns to some degree.
Speed, strength, skill, battle sense—Calimacos lacked in none of them. But there was one flaw he couldn’t correct.
Because his left eye was gone, he was sensitive to attacks coming from his blind spot.
To completely block such situations, Calimacos simply avoided creating any instance where an attack could come from his left.
“Your upper body’s wide open.”
Calimacos’s sword blade came in, targeting Robin’s chest.
He had predicted this as well.
With his left hand, Robin drew the longsword and staggeringly blocked Calimacos’s strike.
‘I still can’t manage both hands properly.’
Blocking with the left-hand sword lasted only for a brief moment.
But for Robin, who fought in an accelerated state of thought, that brief moment was more than enough.
He brought down the right-hand sword that had been thrusting forward.
“Disappointing. That’s too obvious.”
Calimacos twisted his torso and pressed down on Robin’s left-hand sword.
‘Got you.’
Robin immediately let go of the right-hand sword, and his freed hand went to his chest.
Calimacos’s eyes widened.
Chaaak.
Calimacos expected a dagger to come flying out from Robin’s chest.
But that too was a feint.
Robin’s right foot kicked up the sandy ground, scattering dirt toward Calimacos’s eyes.
“You coward!”
Though his vision was momentarily blocked, Calimacos’s arms didn’t stop moving.
A mercenary as battle-hardened as Calimacos wouldn’t lose his edge over something like this.
Robin’s right hand came out of his chest area.
The mercenaries didn’t immediately realize what he was holding.
“It’ll be spicy.”
“What…?”
From a pouch no bigger than his palm, red powder scattered through the air.
Calimacos instantly stepped back, but the mysterious dust followed.
He closed his eyes and held his breath, but the itch on his face was unbearable.
“Did that brat Robin use poison?”
Paul shouted, voicing what the other mercenaries were thinking, but no one could answer.
Calimacos began to feel heat rising.
He had thought they would fight purely with swordsmanship; never had he expected Robin to use such a dirty trick.
“Sorry, but that’s how curious I am. There’s a lot I want to ask you, Captain.”
Before he knew it, daggers spun rapidly in both of Robin’s hands.
The twin daggers traced the shape of an eight, crossing over each other as they accelerated.
Calimacos swung his sword, scattering away the powder, but he couldn’t remove what had already stuck to his face.
Still keeping his eyes shut, he focused on his hearing.
He recognized the attack Robin was preparing.
The sound of daggers slicing through the air drew closer and closer.
Shiiik.
Relying on the sound, Calimacos swung his sword.
There was no clash.
Thud.
“……”
A small, warm palm touched Calimacos’s navel.
“I win.”
“…I can’t open my eyes. Someone bring some water.”
Felix fetched water and splashed it onto Calimacos’s face.
Only after the burning sensation subsided did he open his eyes.
Then he finally understood what had happened.
Robin’s hands were empty.
He wasn’t holding any daggers.
The daggers had flown past and landed behind Calimacos.
‘He threw them beside me to make it seem like they were charging straight in.’
Calimacos’s sword was raised in the completely wrong direction.
It was a sharp strike, but the aim had been off from the start.
“Cuuutieee! He beat the one-eyed captain!”
“Waaaaaah!”
With Mirian’s shout, Torgen and Felix cheered.
“The captain lost, huh? That’s a blow to your pride, hahaha.”
“You’re admitting it?”
“There was no rule about what weapons could be used. Still… I didn’t expect you to pull something like that.”
Calimacos admitted his defeat without hesitation.
In a real fight, Robin would have been subdued by sheer killing intent, but this was just a sparring match.
Even so, Robin felt uneasy.
What he truly wanted was to win through swordsmanship.
But with the mercenary band leaving tomorrow, there was something he had to ask.
“Now tell me—how can I become stronger than a knight?”
“Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve only just started to get a feel for it myself.”
Calimacos scratched his head and continued.
“How should I put this… it’s like expressing one’s will, kind of like killing intent.”
“You mean a power like aura?”
“No, not that. It’s completely different from aura.”
Frowning, Calimacos closed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts.
Before long, the mercenaries who had gathered around waited eagerly for what he would say next.
“For example, there are people who achieve such great feats they’re called heroic. Do you know what they all have in common?”
“A strong will?”
“Right. People admire them because they’ve done what ordinary humans can’t. A will strong enough to surpass the ordinary—that’s what’s needed.”
“That’s just another piece of mental nonsense anyone can spout. I’ve heard that a thousand times.”
Paul grumbled, echoing Robin’s own thoughts.
The others felt the same.
To become stronger than a knight with willpower alone? It sounded absurd.
If that were true, one could gain wealth, power, even become emperor, all through willpower.
“That’s why it’s hard to explain. This isn’t theory—it’s a matter of instinct. We breathe and exhale without being aware of it. We move our limbs freely as we wish. Do you understand the principle behind that?”
“Is there anyone in this world who does?”
“Exactly. It’s the same thing. I just came to sense it vaguely at some point. I’d heard before that such a realm existed, but I never believed it.”
Robin and the mercenaries looked at Calimacos, unable to understand.
Calimacos too felt frustrated, unable to explain it properly.
“Ah, fine. I’ll trust that you’ll all stick with me to the end. And thank Robin. I’ll show you directly.”
Calimacos took a stance, holding swords in both hands.
It was the same stance Robin had seen in the bandits’ hideout.