"Never thought I'd come here again before I died."
Kardenos Castle stood tall in the center of the territory.
Hendrickson's eyes, looking up at the grand spires and walls, held a mix of emotions.
"It's changed so much in ten years."
"Just wash up and let's go. You stink, and I don't even want to walk beside you."
Kids these days, tsk. Always looking for the easy path, grumble grumble.
The cranky old man who'd cursed enough to wear out his mouth had suddenly become a different person.
No need to say it. It started after I showed him the Solar Ring.
Hendrickson saw through the respect and reverence inside me.
Money and sweet talk can't move an old veteran.
Genuine respect. That alone was enough.
From that point on, he listened to me, and in the end I got him to follow me all the way here, to Kardenos.
Hendrickson is the man who will give me regular instruction.
Leaving him in a stinking gutter would've been a problem in its own right.
"Calling you Elder doesn't sit right with me. Should I call you Master?"
"Master, my foot. I never said I'd take you as a disciple."
-Don't call me Master. I don't want a disciple better than me. It gives me an inferiority complex.
People really don't change.
I saw the future in his present.
At the end of it was the old veteran's final moment.
-I'll hold this place. Before we countercharge, put a sword in my mouth. Even if I die soon, I'm taking that bastard with me.
A final blaze of glory.
Even after losing both arms, his back as he refused to lose his fighting spirit taught me a great deal.
Even down to calling a retreat a countercharge. Hendrickson died true to himself to the very end.
I felt a lump rise in my chest.
Afraid my voice would waver if I spoke right away, I paused for a moment before opening my mouth.
"Then let's settle on Guest Retainer or Military Advisor."
"Military Advisor? You're telling me to teach other brats too?"
"You can do it. It'll all work out. There's nothing you can't do."
"What I hate most are young bloods. Brats with no common sense!"
He sounded like a stubborn old man, but he wasn't wrong.
An age of foretold ruin.
The limits of my strength alone are clear.
Bringing new talents into my fold is important, but just as urgent was reorganizing the existing forces.
The current Black Lion Knight Order has grown used to an easy path.
I planned to tear it up from the roots and transform it into a strong Solar Ring force.
For work like this, there's no better pick than Hendrickson anywhere in the Empire.
'It won't happen overnight, though.'
How could the fundamentals change overnight?
I looked ahead one year at the shortest, three years at the longest.
There's no need to rush. Even if it's slow, the proper path is to move with certainty.
"By the way, is that bastard in there?"
"Who do you mean?"
"You know. That inflexible, impudent bastard."
"Ah, the Head of Household has stepped out."
Father was at the Kardenos Senate.
To report the recent incident and prepare countermeasures against Rosenthal's retaliation.
The elders are probably throwing a fit, telling him to bring me back.
He'll wrap it up on his own end, I'm sure.
"That impudent bastard. I didn't even want to see his face, so this works out."
There was still loathing in his tone.
A traitor who abandoned the Ring and switched to the shortcut. He'd been calling him that even before we came here.
It was outright cursing his parents, but I understood well enough.
They'd been a close master-disciple pair, so the shock must've been great.
'It's a problem that'll be solved if Father weaves the Ring again.'
Blood will tell; Father is a warrior to the bone.
Returning to the Ring was only a matter of time.
We headed straight to the First Training Ground inside the castle.
Hup!
As we drew closer, the sounds of spirited shouts and clashing steel mixed together.
Dust was flying too; it seemed training was in full swing.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master, you've come!"
When I appeared at the training ground, my eyes met those of the gathered trainee knights.
The moment they saw me, they flinched. Then they swarmed toward me like they'd found prey.
Dozens of knights lined up before me in an instant.
With so many massive frames gathered like that, it was overwhelming.
Thud!
Then one knight was first to drop to one knee.
It was Garten, the squad leader who'd first crossed swords with me in a spar.
Starting with him, dozens of knights prostrated themselves before me all at once.
"You little brat. How much did you bully these kids?"
"What kind of crap is that? Do I look like someone who'd do that?"
"Like father, like son."
Look at this old man's mouth. Should I send him back to the gutter?
Garten raised his head with a solemn face.
"Please, Young Master! Teach us how to weave the Ring too!"
What?
As I mulled over the meaning, others raised their voices too.
"I want to learn as well! What you showed us was that impressive!"
"I'll gladly endure any hardship! Please let us weave the true Ring like you, Young Master!"
Their shouts rang out loudly.
All of them longed to return to the Ring.
I overwhelmed Julian, who'd opened three Paths with a single Ring. I knew well that my showing had been a shock they'd never forget.
'But to this extent?'
I'd expected only some curiosity, not that they'd get fired up so soon.
Pretending to be troubled, I rubbed my chin and glanced sideways.
'Well, well?'
Until moments ago, the old man had been red in the face, saying, "What I hate most are these young bloods."
And yet he was frozen like a fossil, mouth hanging open.
"So many young bloods with common sense?"
A pride that had been despised for decades and finally cast aside--dozens of young knights wanted to carry it on.
I laughed aloud and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Looks like I've got a mountain of bastards to whip into shape."
***
"Young Master. Who is that smelly old man?"
"No idea. He keeps following me asking for money. Look at him following us all the way here--beggar's stubbornness."
"......! Just where do you think this is!"
"Th-that bastard."
I was a little disappointed in the knights.
One-armed, old man, narrow eyes.
With that combination, anyone should sense he's no ordinary figure.
I formally introduced Hendrickson to the knights.
The knights' reactions were fiercely unanimous.
"Huh!"
"S-Sir Hendrickson?!"
"S-S-Sir Swordmaster, I greet you!"
"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you! Sir Hendrickson!"
The knights who'd been frowning at the stench quickly broke into grins.
To knights, a Swordmaster is a dream realm.
It got to the point where some even said they should ask for his autograph.
That was that, and this was this.
I quieted the noisy commotion and gathered the knights in one place.
I joined their ranks and spoke to Hendrickson.
"Please take as much time as possible and use the most grueling method."
I checked the knights and thankfully saw no signs of unrest. Each must have finished making his own resolve.
-The slowest is the most grueling, and because it's grueling, it's certain.
It was something Hendrickson had said during the war.
In the middle of a war, there's never enough time to build a framework and lay the foundations.
All we did was cram in a castle in the air, desperate to kill the enemy right in front of us.
As a result, humanity hit its limits and had to face a hollow destruction.
If it hadn't been for Lucia and me, it would've been destroyed years earlier.
Hendrickson stroked his beard with his remaining left hand.
"You know a thing or two. Speed isn't what matters--direction is. The slow path is the right path. Good. I'll teach you the most vicious, shitty method of my entire life."
***
"...."
The same sickbed for the fourth day.
Julian stared blankly at the ceiling.
He was reviewing the disastrous Duel and reining in the remnants of his emotions.
"Astin...."
The name slipped out between his cracked, dry lips.
Even with his eyes closed, Astin's face was vivid. His voice wouldn't leave Julian's ears.
-Move! Don't even touch me, you lowlife!
The thuggish Young Master who'd ignored him like a bug at the Academy.
-You're that fallen noble Julian? Why is a fallen man here? Go follow your mommy and daddy.
Those arrogant eyes that had mocked him with contempt.
He weighed the Astin of the past against the Astin of now.
After a long deliberation, he reached a conclusion.
"Astin has changed."
He reviewed the Duel.
The one who controlled his emotions from start to finish was Astin.
He clearly knew how to restrain his emotions; the one who couldn't was Julian himself.
The current Astin was not that childish rake from before.
-Why, didn't you know it'd turn out like this? You should've come prepared for this much. It turned out this way because you saw me as a fucking pushover and only thought about winning.
His words were a hundred percent right.
He'd underestimated his opponent and hadn't even considered defeat. As a knight, could there be a greater shame?
Astin was justified. No.
He'd been justified in venting his anger and justified in disposing of Julian--yet he'd shown mercy when that alone wouldn't have been enough.
"...I'm ashamed."
Julian rubbed his face with both hands.
Let's think from the opposite position.
A fallen noble's bloodline, erased even from the noble registry.
Had barged into the Grand Duke Kardenos house and challenged its legitimate heir to a Duel.
Since Astin won the Duel, cutting off his opponent's head would've been a just ruling.
"If that man had truly been swept up by emotion, I wouldn't be here."
He would've pretended it was a mistake and cut off Julian's head.
The dishonor of losing a Duel? A true thug values his own feelings over honor.
Astin was different. Completely different.
-Honestly, even wasting emotions on you guys is a loss. But why do you think I'm going this far? If I sent you back all fine, you'd never lose that filthy habit, would you?
Even his dagger-like words were all correct.
As he'd said, if Julian had returned physically intact, his mind would've stayed in that state too.
-If it weren't for me, you'd have been thoroughly crushed by someone else someday. It ended at this level because it was me.
Astin's handiwork, simply put, was physical therapy.
To exaggerate a little, it was physical therapy that saved his life.
"Really, why did I do that?"
Thinking about it now, it was strange.
Why had he caused such a mess over one woman?
At the time, he'd treasured Azelin so much that he hadn't known his life was precious.
Now it wasn't like that. Having experienced that he could actually die, the preciousness of life hit him hard.
"If I meet him next time."
Should he convey an apology, or convey gratitude?
His lips wouldn't easily part at all.
-You people are always like that. You don't listen even when I tell you. And you look down on the Infinite Ring as ghosts just spinning in circles. You can't even respect the knights enduring hardship.
Julian felt shame as a man and as a knight.
It was sincerity born from respect for the old knights.
The senior knights he himself hadn't even glanced at--Astin respected them from the bottom of his heart.
"......The Solar Ring."
Astin's figure lingered in Julian's mind like an afterimage.
Astin, holding a golden ring in one corner of his chest.
Bang-!
That was when the infirmary door opened.
"Julian! I'm here. How's your body? Are you okay?"
"...."
Azelin hurried to Julian's side.
This was the Rosenthal family's personal clinic.
Azelin had come to visit Julian every day whenever she had time.
Normally, Julian would've been moved by that and welcomed her.
'It's not just Astin who's changed.'
Julian closed his eyes and forced his mouth open.
"I'm sorry, Azelin."
"No. I should be sorry. Because of me, you ended up like this."
"No. Your beautiful face got scarred. It's all because of me."
"What are you talking about? My face ended up like this because of that rake Astin, not because of you."
Julian raised his upper body. There wasn't a single part of him that hurt.
It was originally a minor injury that would've been fine to move after a few days' rest. All thanks to Astin going easy on him.
He'd only stayed this long because of the Rosenthal family--specifically, Azelin's overprotectiveness.
Julian sat on the edge of the sickbed.
Azelin worriedly tried to lay him back down, but he stopped her.
"Young Lady."
Julian, who'd always called her name affectionately, cut her off flatly.
"We're not in a position to resent Astin."
"...What?"
"It's all something we--no, I--brought on myself. Feeling warmth first, challenging Young Master Astin to a Duel. It's all something I brought on myself."
"Why are you suddenly like this, Julian?"
It was a situation that had escalated into a problem between both families.
Julian felt a desperate sense of responsibility for it.
"Since I lost the Duel, you and I cannot be together."
"Don't do this, Julian. What does that Duel matter? You don't need to give me up just because you lost. Love is more important than honor. You said so yourself, didn't you?"
That was true. Once.
Julian rose from his seat. He coldly turned his back on Azelin.
"Thank you for everything, Young Lady."
"Y-Julian?"
"My feelings for you were sincere, without a lie. But I think the time has come for them to end."
That's the path for both of us.
"Julian! Why are you suddenly doing this?!"
Azelin's shout came from behind him.
"Come back! You know I have no one but you! If you leave too, what am I supposed to do?!"
Julian shut his eyes tightly and grabbed the doorknob.
There was no lingering attachment. His cooled heart didn't race even when he looked at the Young Lady.
Slam!
The door closed.
Left alone, Azelin stared blankly at the door.
Soon her brow twisted like a wrathful demon.
The root of all this misfortune.
"...Astin."
My reputation, my face, my love.
One man had ruined all of it.
He'd done all this just because she hadn't accepted his feelings once!
Grind!
She clenched her teeth until they ached.
"Astiiin!! I will never forgive you!"
Rosenthal remembers debts even in death.
She had to let that bastard know just whom he'd dared to touch.
Behind her stood Rosenthal.
Of course, if weighed on the same scale as Kardenos, the scales would balance.
However, just one person.
With the existence of just one person--not even a great house--the situation could be reversed.
'I didn't intend to use my friend, but I have to. Things have come to this.'
Each one of them was a giant who could shake the Empire's political landscape.
One person who could hold such giants in the palm of her hand with a single word--Lucia.
She was her closest friend.