“…Are you saying you intend to duel your father?”
After finishing my private audience, I immediately explained the situation to Vallach. His reaction was beyond fussy.
“You brat! No matter how much your status has risen, a duel with Ludwig is reckless!”
I had only just reached the rank of Grand Sword Master. Vallach claimed that Ludwig had reached that level long before I was even born.
He frowned deeply, arguing that just as there are clear distinctions between low, mid, and high ranks among Swordmasters, the realm above them would be no different.
He was right, of course.
But what did that matter?
“If I had fought while thinking about defeat, I wouldn’t have made it this far,” I replied, sipping the Holy Water placed before him.
Vallach thumped his chest as if frustrated.
“Leave the agreement hanging on the match aside for a moment. Your current strength shouldn’t be hitting a wall. If you’re not careful, you might inadvertently place a limit on your own future growth. Moreover, you’ve only mastered the first secret technique!”
The student surpassing the master.
The idea of a disciple being weaker than the teacher was something rarely found in the lineage of the Sword Saint.
The successors following the First Sword Saint had only lost stars with each generation. By the time it reached Vallach’s master, it had dwindled to a mere five stars.
It was only after Vallach inherited that uncontrollably fading spark that the brilliant eight stars were brought back to life.
“My limit was right here. But you are different. You have infinite potential, so it would be better for you to solidify the strength you have for now.”
He described everything beyond those eight stars as a completely unknown world. The Star World—a realm said to have been reached by no one since the First Sword Saint.
However, I couldn’t understand what that had to do with a duel against Ludwig.
“Under the heavens, there is no man stronger than Ludwig. If you, who have not yet fully matured, use your father as the benchmark for the limits of human strength, then…”
He insisted that I shouldn’t do it. He asked why I was trying to create a ceiling that didn’t even exist. Vallach desperately tried to talk me out of it.
“I understand what you’re saying, Master. They say that if you raise a young grasshopper in a jar, it will never jump higher than the height of that jar for the rest of its life.”
I nodded with sincerity. I understood his point, but I didn’t agree with it.
“So. Are you not going to come watch?”
Vallach’s face turned various shades of red and blue. As he looked ready to scream, asking if I had listened to a word he said, I spoke again.
“No matter how strong he is, I will not define my limits based on him.”
Of course, Ludwig was strong—so strong that his like might never be seen again in this world. But he wasn’t necessarily the only one to possess unprecedented power.
I could think of several others right now. After all, I was a being who had watched this world flow through thousands of years.
The first Bartenberg, the Sword Emperor.
And the Sword Saint.
They had ultimately transcended the limits of humanity to become Transcendents. And they weren’t the only ones.
Long before the era of the Sword Emperor and Sword Saint, when the Grand War of Saints and Demons broke out.
The leader who commanded countless heroes, including Albert, was Arthur. He was a powerful Transcendent who borrowed the power of Hor to defeat the Demon King.
The things I had seen were far too exceptional for me to use Ludwig as the ultimate standard of strength today.
“And also.”
I looked at Vallach, who was simply scowling. I finally said what I had been wanting to say for a while.
“I don’t fight with the intention of losing. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t see any reason why I would be pushed back. So please, don’t dampen my spirits before the fight even starts.”
Listening to him was starting to make me feel a bit annoyed.
‘Hmph.’ I snorted loudly and tucked something back into my robe. I had prepared a Holy Grail as a gift, feeling sorry that he had only been sipping Holy Water, but my desire to give it to him had vanished.
***
A day had passed since Richard and the Temple Knights arrived at Bartenberg.
Last night, there was no banquet for the old family members seen for the first time in a long while, nor a feast to welcome guests.
They were simply given a place to stay. They even had to ask the knights for permission just to leave their quarters.
“Hmm. As expected of Bartenberg!”
The men of the Temple Knights were busy snickering at Bartenberg’s treatment of them as uninvited guests.
‘Treat them as guests, but treat them as guests who were not invited by Bartenberg.’
The eyes of those guarding them were full of welcome, yet they couldn’t even pretend to be friendly due to the Lord’s strict orders.
All the Knights of Bartenberg could do was exchange quick grins whenever they made eye contact with the Temple Knights.
“Well… hey there. Could I take a walk in the Small Sword Palace garden for a moment?”
“The Small Sword Palace?”
When Gide smiled warmly, the Bartenberg knight asked back, looking somewhat troubled.
“The flowers in the garden should be in full bloom by now. I’ve tended to them myself for a long time, so I really wish to see them.”
“Ah…”
The Small Sword Palace had become a masterless palace since Richard left.
Since it wasn’t the Capital Palace or the Great Sword Palace, the Bartenberg knight decided it wouldn’t be a big problem and nodded.
“I’ll have to follow you, if you don’t mind.”
“A walk alone is lonely. I’d welcome the company.”
Thus, the elderly man and the young knight stepped onto the path toward the Small Sword Palace.
Looking around, Gide was struck by a sense of nostalgic joy.
“Nothing has changed.”
“Not enough time has passed for things to change that much.”
The young knight let out a small chuckle. Gide laughed heartily as well, recalling the things he had experienced while following Richard.
It had certainly been eventful. With the constant storm of incidents and accidents, Gide felt as if he had been traveling for over ten years. That was how dense his time with Richard had been.
“We’ve arrived.”
The young knight pointed toward the garden. In the garden, yellow flowers—Gloria—were in full bloom. Gide’s gaze deepened as he walked through the flower beds.
Years ago, when he first planted these flowers, he had also planted a desperate wish in his heart. He had hoped that as the flowers bloomed, his wish would also come true.
“Haha… Yes, it really did come true.”
In the language of flowers, Gloria meant a glorious praise. Like that meaning, he had deeply hoped that glory and praise would accompany Richard’s future.
He wished for the young master to escape the despair of Mana Insensitivity. He wished for him to overcome his twisted personality and grow up receiving everyone’s respect.
Every time the flowers bloomed in the spring, Gide dreamed of Richard’s comeback.
Then, the wish actually came true.
Thinking back on it now, Gide’s very first prayer hadn’t been at Riot Castle, but here. Vivid memories began to flash through the old man’s mind in layers.
“Young Master Richard…”
At that moment, the young knight’s voice broke Gide’s reverie. The knight was turning his head to look far off at the Sacred Emblem of Hor planted at the Capital Palace.
“I heard he achieved many great deeds with all of you. He is hailed as the Hero of Baren, and they say he performed incredible feats on the Southern Continent as well.”
He had even united those stubborn wizards to defeat the madman Markus. Heat flickered across the knight’s face as he looked toward the emblem.
It was the look of a young boy admiring a heroic tale, the kind any man might have had at least once in his childhood.
“So, tell me. How is it?”
“How is what?”
“What does it feel like to play a part in saving the world?”
His voice was quite impatient. Gide didn’t answer. He simply gave a satisfied smile.
“Hey, Sir Gide! Don’t just smile like that…”
The young knight’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Nevertheless, he craved an answer. If he had become a Knight of Bartenberg at such a young age, he surely possessed outstanding talent and character.
However, the reason a knight spent his entire life sharpening and polishing his sword wasn’t solely to join Bartenberg.
It was so that it could be used where it ought to be used. To protect the weak from wicked thugs.
Of the many beliefs and justifications, the one fundamental reason that pierced through all of them was likely a sense of personal achievement.
“You will find out soon enough.”
The Saint whom Gide served was not the kind of person to ignore a sword that was restlessly waiting for the day it would be used. And this place was filled with precious, famous swords.
***
The duel with Ludwig was to be held in secret. With the sky already shattered, there was no benefit in causing further commotion.
“How far do you intend to go?”
As the sound of tearing wind continuously buffeted my ears, Ludwig asked. I looked back at him while riding atop a star. Similarly, Ludwig and Leon were standing on one of Vallach’s stars.
When our eyes met, Vallach turned his head away like a sulking child.
‘Hmph.’
He didn’t even realize I was trying to give him a good show.
“We’re going to a place with deep history.”
They didn’t pry further. They simply followed me as I led the way. After flying west at top speed for a long time, the edge of the continent appeared. Beyond it was the vast, blue sea.
We crossed over it without stopping. I took in the islands that appeared occasionally. Those places weren’t uncharted territory; they were islands clearly drawn on maps.
Some would have indigenous people living on them, and others would be home to monsters. The place I had picked for the duel was an uninhabited island where no one lived.
Although we had left Bartenberg early in the morning, it was already night by the time we reached our destination. After the long flight, an incredibly massive island began to come into view.
“Ooh! I’ve never heard of an island that looks that strange!”
Leon’s eyes filled with curiosity as if his mischievous nature had been triggered. Those following me sent glances demanding an explanation.
“The Sword Emperor and the First Sword Saint.”
As soon as I mentioned those two Transcendents, Ludwig and Vallach flinched.
“This island was their private dueling ground.”
Originally, it would have just been a large island, but their duel had changed the very terrain.
*Saaaaa—*
The giant island was riddled with gouges and hollows, making a sound like an instrument whenever the wind blew.
However, since human hands hadn’t touched it for a long time, plants like trees now covered the island’s scars.
I looked down at the scarred island from atop the star for a moment. In this very place, the Sword Saint was recognized as the Sword Emperor’s rival.
It couldn’t help but be an impressive location for Ludwig, Vallach, and me. But there was one thing that was different from that time.
“Now. Let’s begin.”
The recognition I would receive from Ludwig was not merely that of a rival. It was something a bit higher than that.