novelraw Chapter 75 : Truth Does Not Change
Chapter 75 : Truth Does Not Change
Chapter 75: Truth Does Not Change
The day after Robin woke up. Imelda regained consciousness.
She had received treatment in time, so her injuries were completely healed.
To express her gratitude to Imelda, Serena manifested a spirit.
A puppy made of fire nestled into Imelda’s arms.
As she doted on the puppy, Imelda asked,
“While I was asleep, what did you two do?”
“We just ate and took care of you, Young Lady.”
“We had a deep conversation in bed.”
At Serena’s words, Imelda’s eyes widened into perfect circles.
The hand that had been stroking the puppy stopped.
‘It’s not wrong, but if someone heard that, they’d misunderstand.’
When Robin added an explanation, Imelda let out a sigh of relief.
The chatter continued.
They talked about what had happened, the current situation, and their plans going forward.
Whenever Serena made a remark that could cause a misunderstanding, Robin corrected it.
When he mentioned Count Wilcock’s invitation to dine, Imelda knitted her brows and asked for understanding.
“Could you wait just one day? It feels burdensome to go meet him right away. How should I put it, I need some preparation.”
“As much as you like. I only woke up yesterday myself. Take your time and settle in.”
While they were deep in conversation, Admiral and Collie stopped by.
They exchanged the usual greetings—how it was a relief she was safe, words of thanks—and left after telling her to rest comfortably.
Theodric also stopped by Imelda’s room, and Robin almost did not recognize him.
He had changed from ragged, homeless-looking clothes into attire befitting a noble.
The old man, who maintained a clarity of mind unbelievable for someone thought to have dementia, confirmed that Imelda was safe and left immediately.
“Grandfather is unexpected. He really looked like a noble.”
“Wandering around a count’s castle dressed like a beggar would be rude.”
The three ate dinner together and then parted ways.
Serena returned to her room to sleep.
Robin also considered turning in early, but he shook his head.
Ever since waking up, it had been an ordeal to suppress the itching restlessness in his body.
He did not know what kind of phenomenon it was, but he could feel a change after the battle with the Demon Tribe.
He did not know what it was exactly.
He simply wanted to test his lighter body.
Late at night. He went to the training yard.
“Sir?”
“You’ve come at last.”
There was already someone in the training yard.
Theodric greeted Robin, dressed far more neatly than before.
“Take it.”
When he tossed the longsword he was holding, Robin took it reflexively.
Drawing his own sword, Theodric said,
“You’re dying to know how far you’ve reached, aren’t you.”
“How did you know?”
“Because I was the same.”
Robin also drew his sword.
The two stood about ten steps apart, pointing their blades at each other.
“Come at me. With the best you can do.”
“You said you’d take me in as a squire. Are you keeping that promise.”
“I’ll decide after seeing what you can do.”
“May I use two swords.”
Theodric tilted his head.
Robin fetched a practice sword displayed in a corner and set it down on the ground.
“Weren’t you using two?”
“I’ll try with one first, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll face you with two.”
“Heh heh heh, you’ve got spirit.”
“I’ll say this in advance—don’t bring out any strange power like aura.”
“Understood.”
Robin took a deep breath.
Every time his heart beat once, the blood in his entire body coursed rapidly.
To the point that he could barely stand not charging out immediately.
Taah!
Fixing his gaze on Theodric, Robin charged.
“Huff. Huff…….”
He adjusted his breathing as beads of sweat poured down.
With one knee bent, he pushed himself up using the swords clenched in both hands as supports.
His strength and speed had both advanced a step beyond before.
Postures and techniques that had once been impossible were now within reach.
Even so, he could not surpass the old man’s sword.
That shocked Robin.
Thinking back on the knights he had seen so far, he had believed that purely in swordsmanship, he held the advantage.
‘I thought I could win if I excluded aura.’
It was a miscalculation.
Theodric’s swordsmanship concealed strength within its softness.
It had been a long time since he had been defeated purely by sword technique.
Drip.
Blood flowed from a shallow cut carved into Theodric’s arm.
After sheathing his sword, he wiped away the blood droplets with his finger and curled the corner of his lips.
“Not bad. Has Harold taken on a disciple? To think that brat’s sword would be passed on.”
The old man walked over to Robin.
Soaked through with sweat, Robin looked up at him.
“That brat… was he alive.”
“Huff… What… are you talking about. Huff….”
“Harold. The one who taught you the sword.”
“Hoo… I taught myself. Hoo…….”
As he was catching his breath, the old man suddenly shouted,
“Don’t lie! Mercenary King Harold. Didn’t you just display that bastard’s swordsmanship!”
“How do you know that, sir?”
“Because I’ve fought him. I trained to break that bastard’s sword, so of course I know it.”
He had not expected this.
Had he just faced a mercenary who once dominated an era?
Robin calmly stated the truth.
“I learned the Mercenary King’s swordsmanship by chance. I can’t say how I learned it.”
“…Is that true?”
“Of course. Why would I lie? If a great figure like the Mercenary King were my master, I’d boast about it. There’d be no reason to hide it.”
“So, judging by the way you speak, it really is true. Calling that butcher a great figure.”
Theodric stared blankly at Robin.
His excitement was brief. After helping Robin to his feet, he brushed the dust off him.
Robin asked casually,
“So what do you think? Any intention of taking me on as a squire?”
“Yes.”
“You made a good choice. Even if you smear shit all over the walls when you get senile, I’ll take care of you.”
Thump.
Theodric flicked Robin on the head.
“The condition I set still stands.”
“You mean getting my name back, right? According to Admiral, the count is viewing it positively.”
“Even if a margrave is the ruler of the north, he’s still the emperor’s vassal. No matter how powerful his authority is, rescinding a manhunt order is a heavy burden.”
“I even brought back a weapon of war and his son alive. What more do I have to do?”
“Ask him yourself. A meeting will be arranged soon.”
Theodric took the sword Robin had been using as a support and returned it to its place.
Robin swept with a broom, tidying up the training yard.
“You must have gained something from the spar. Come find me every evening. Bring that child Imelda with you too.”
“Will you teach us swordsmanship?”
Theodric nodded silently.
Robin bowed deeply, sincerely conveying his gratitude.
“If you’re done cleaning up, get going.”
Instead of leaving right away, Robin stared vacantly at Theodric.
Thinking he might have more to say, Theodric let him be, only for something outrageous to come out of his mouth.
“Sir, that dementia thing was a lie, right? How does someone suddenly become this clear-headed?”
“You impudent brat.”
As Theodric moved to flick him again, Robin hurriedly left the training yard.
In the now-quiet center of the training yard, the old man sank into thought.
In eyes recalling old days, a young mercenary flickered into view.
-You’re a knight commander? You look weak.
-Justice my ass. Does justice put food on the table?
-If you don’t like it, come at me.
Those were the days of boiling blood and youth.
The duel that began in the morning and ended at dusk was the first defeat Theodric tasted after becoming a knight commander.
-I take back what I said about you looking weak. You’re stronger than you look.
-You want me to join the knight order? No thanks. I can’t stand stiff old fogies.
-I’ll be staying here for a while. I’ll take challenges anytime.
A reckless man who guzzled alcohol in taverns.
An ill-mannered mercenary, uncouth and rude, with whom he crossed swords several times.
Sometimes they drew, sometimes Theodric won.
-Loosen up that stiff face. You’re not popular with women, are you?
-Don’t get cocky trying to uphold justice. If you cross the wrong line, you’ll end up dead.
-Thanks. That was fun.
The man who appeared like the wind left like the wind.
Perhaps some begrudging affection had formed.
For a while, every time he passed the tavern where the man had holed up, he thought of him.
How shocked he was later when that man made a name for himself under the epithet Mercenary King.
After achieving feats worthy of astonishing the world, the Mercenary King suddenly vanished.
Theodric never knew whether he lived or died.
“I’ll raise the successor you left behind.”
Robin said he had never even met Harold, but that didn’t matter.
Following the boy the first time had been mere whim.
He wondered what kind of nerve someone so obviously suspicious-looking had to wander around like that.
When he tailed him and stole a look at the boy’s swordsmanship, chills ran down his spine.
At the same time, a long-festering knot was undone.
A foul-mouthed, shameless butcher with no sense of embarrassment.
Yet a man lacking nothing to be praised as a hero.
Thinking that at least one trace of him remained in the world, Theodric felt genuine relief.
After completing her recovery, Imelda conveyed her intention to meet Count Wilcock.
Admiral said the count was busy with his duties and asked them to wait three days.
Since lodging and meals were fully provided, Robin and Imelda had no complaints.
Using the interim, Robin sent a letter to the Calimacos Mercenary Band.
With many reinforcements being sent to the front lines, delivering the letter was not difficult.
‘I hope this eases their worries.’
They might already have heard that a wanted man had come to Runeberg.
With the meeting with the count ahead, he wrote that he would visit if things went well.
In their spare time, they trained as expected.
Just as Robin’s physical abilities had improved, Imelda’s movements also became noticeably better.
‘It’d be great if she learned proper swordsmanship instead of just the basics.’
Theodric agreed with the judgment Robin made while watching Imelda.
When evening came, the three gathered at the training yard.
Theodric did not spare advice for Imelda as well as Robin.
“The basics are sufficient, so it’s time to move on to the next stage. I’ll teach you the swordsmanship I created.”
“Really? Grandfather’s own secret technique?”
“Yes. I devised it to counter the swordsmanship that brat Robin uses.”
Imelda did not know the background behind Robin’s dual-wielding swordsmanship. She tilted her head, but did not ask further.
Theodric demonstrated it for Imelda.
Standing beside her, Robin observed carefully.
Watching Theodric demonstrate with a single longsword, Robin understood why he had lost.
Unlike dual-wielding swordsmanship, which focused on offense, Theodric’s sword was flexible.
Swordsmanship that flowed and shed attacks like slick oil made it easy to respond to aggressive dual-wielding techniques.
In short, the matchup was unfavorable.
“Now that this brat Robin has grasped the principle, he’s become even harder to deal with.”
“As expected of you, sir. I won’t forget the teachings you bestow upon your squire.”
“You’re getting even stronger here? The gap’s widening even more…….”
Once the instruction for Imelda ended, Theodric sparred with Robin.
There was nothing new to teach Robin, who was already charting his own path.
What Robin needed was experience.
Even though Theodric taught him every principle of swordsmanship without omission, Robin still could not win.
“You can talk about swordsmanship, about matchups, but in the end, truth does not change.”
“What truth?”
“The strong win. In evenly matched skill, matchups can’t be ignored, but when the gap in ability is large, even that becomes meaningless.”
It was so utterly correct that there was no room for rebuttal.
When Robin’s spar ended, Imelda also requested a spar with Theodric.
Theodric readily agreed and corrected Imelda’s swordsmanship.
Robin did not miss this either.
One day, two days, three days.
With the dinner with the count approaching, Theodric’s instruction came to an end.
“Only three days of teaching and that’s it?”
“For you, Robin, this is enough. Imelda’s foundation is solid too, so as long as she doesn’t neglect her training, she’ll be able to digest it well.”
“Don’t you think that’s too short?”
“Don’t regret it too much. There’s much more to teach besides swordsmanship. We’ll keep sparring, so nothing changes.”
The old man waved his hand as if telling them to go do what they needed to do.
That was how important the meeting scheduled for tomorrow was.
Suppressing their regret, Robin and Imelda headed back to their lodgings.