WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Reformation of the Deadbeat Noble

Chapter 179

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Each Toward Their Own Path (2)

"Ahh, what nice weather! The sky's so clear, and the breeze feels great..."

Inside the carriage leaving Durkali fortress, Judith murmured while looking out the window.

She hadn't really said it because the weather was nice.

The cloudless autumn sky was blue as spilled paint, but strictly speaking, the breeze wasn't exactly pleasant.

Being in the continent's north, it ran a little cold.

But still...

'If I don't say something, this awkward silence is going to kill me.'

Judith, who'd been watching the scenery outside, glanced sideways.

Brett Lloyd's face came into view, him looking out the window just like her.

Right. They'd split off from Airen's party, the one they'd traveled with for about a year, and gone back to just the two of them.

Strictly speaking, thanks to Tarakhan's consideration, a driver was accompanying them until they left orc territory, but he never inserted himself into anything between the two of them beyond his chores and driving duties, so it hardly felt like they had company.

Which meant she had to spend the three months heading back to the fencing hall alone with this guy.

'...It never used to bother me before.'

Huu. She let out a breath too faint for Brett to hear.

All of this was Brett Lloyd's fault.

If this ridiculous man hadn't said those things to her... then she wouldn't be sitting here staring out the window in this uncomfortable atmosphere.

As usual, they'd be debating swordsmanship, or talking about things that happened on the road, or if not that, cracking jokes back and forth.

But she couldn't do that now.

No, it wasn't that she couldn't. It was just that looking calmly into his eyes had become difficult now.

Still, back in Durkali there'd been time to train alone, and when she did face Brett, others had always been around.

So even when he boldly, sometimes slyly, expressed his feelings to her, she'd been able to shrug it off easily.

All she had to do was snap at him, or send Illia to hurl curses on her behalf.

'Maybe I should've traveled separately.'

The thought crossed her mind briefly, but Judith shook her head.

She didn't want that. She wanted to go back to the fencing hall together with Brett too.

Before any of that, she didn't dislike being with him.

If she had to pick a side, it leaned toward liking it.

The reason she still couldn't make up her mind, hemming and hawing like this, was that in nineteen years of living, Judith had never once seriously thought about "love."

'Ugh, my head hurts.'

Turning her gaze from the window, Judith squeezed her eyes shut.

It was hard.

Feeling that someone was annoying, or that she disliked them, or that they irritated her, those feelings she'd never once confused.

But the feeling of liking someone else.

Taking it a step further, liking someone romantically, that was still overwhelming for her.

No, more precisely...

She was in the middle of thinking about the word "love," a word that made her face flush just holding it in her chest, when.

Smack

"Eek!"

A high-pitched sound slipped out of Judith's mouth.

She'd felt a warm heat beside her. The culprit, of course, was Brett Lloyd.

He'd been sitting across from her, but at some point he'd moved to the seat beside her.

Judith's eyes snapped open and she jumped, shouting.

"Wh, what! Why are you sitting right next to me without saying anything!"

"Not allowed?"

"No! I mean, it's not that it's not allowed, but why would you come sit right next to me when there's a whole empty bench?"

"Curious why?"

Brett asked with a calm expression.

But unlike his face, his voice was loaded with meaning.

Judith couldn't think of anything to say and just stammered at him, and Brett, smirking, answered.

"It's cold."

"...What?"

"I said it's cold. Guess it's because we're in the continent's north, it's chilly even though it's only October. That's why I sat here... why, did you expect a different answer?"

"...No? I wasn't thinking anything."

"Then I'll close the door, so go sit on the other side."

"Sorry. I came because I wanted to sit next to you."

"..."

"I said it honestly, so can I stay now?"

"...Do whatever you want."

Her face flushing red then pale, Judith glared at Brett before turning her head away sharply.

She'd always felt like she came out slightly behind in their arguments before, but lately it really felt one-sided. Irritation welled up in her.

Of course, she knew perfectly well that Brett's words and actions weren't just to tease her.

In his own way, he was trying not to put pressure on her, trying to express his feelings honestly without hiding them.

In other words, that infuriating way of talking that was so hard to take, it was the result of no small amount of thought and careful balancing.

That was...

"You annoying bastard."

...something she was grateful for.

"You piss me off so much."

...something she appreciated.

That someone would genuinely like and love her, someone whose personality was so foul that even having friends felt like too much to ask for... that made her happy.

That feeling gradually pushed down the irritation and the sense of pressure, growing bit by bit.

More so after the Durkali driver left, and the closer they got to Krono Fencing Hall.

That was why.

On a winter day with snow falling softly, Judith finally spoke her true feelings.

"I don't dislike you."

"..."

"To be a little more honest, I like you too. But... your feelings... I don't know if I can... accept them. I have no confidence, and I'm a little scared."

Accepting your feelings.

It was a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible, but Brett heard it clearly.

Swallowing hard, he stopped in the middle of the snowy path and looked at Judith.

Her words kept coming.

"I don't know if someone like me, who's lived doing every filthy thing at rock bottom, should even be in a relationship like that with anyone."

"I don't know if someone who knows nothing but the sword could keep a relationship like that going well."

"And if, just if... because of that, or for whatever reason, we became something like lovers and then ended up worse off than before... became the kind of people who couldn't see each other again, I don't know what I'd do. So... I think I still need more time."

"..."

"Sorry. That's a really selfish answer."

Finishing, Judith let out a shallow breath.

She felt suffocated. Irritated. She was furious at herself for only being able to give an answer like this to someone who'd worked up the courage to say what he did.

She closed her eyes and dropped her head slightly.

She was afraid to hear what came next.

That didn't mean she wanted this situation to keep going forever, either.

A different kind of suffocation than what she'd felt watching Illia and feeling deprived, or watching Airen and feeling inferior, rose up in her chest.

But that stretch of silence didn't last as long as she expected.

Grab

"Huh?"

Judith's eyes flew open in surprise.

Brett's hand had seized hers firmly.

It wasn't warm. But there was a steadiness in its firmness.

She looked up at the blue-haired young man. He smiled and spoke.

"Good thing it's not a rejection."

"...Huh?"

"Let's see. I guess you could call it a grace period."

"Eh?"

"No? That's how I took it. Don't tell me it was a rejection."

Judith shook her head side to side.

She shook it hard enough that it made a sound like wind.

Watching her, Brett smiled even wider and went on.

"More than friends, less than lovers. Shall we settle on that for now?"

"What?"

"If you don't like it, too bad. No, even if you don't like it, deal with it. I won't budge further than this."

"..."

"No need to answer. If you don't let go of my hand, I'll take that as a yes."

Declaring it with confidence, Brett Lloyd walked forward.

Still holding her hand firmly.

And Judith didn't let go.

No, if anything, she gripped harder, as if trying to chase away the chill in his hand.

"..."

"..."

The two swordfighters walked on like that for a long while, silent along the winter snow path.

But that only lasted a moment.

An unwelcome guest cut in front of them.

"Well, well. What is the world coming to."

"Broad daylight and you young folks are all over each other, huh? How's a person like me supposed to live with that kind of thing in front of us?"

"You said it. You've gone and broken our hearts... so, why don't you set down whatever you're carrying before you go."

A gang of bandits blocked their path, brandishing nasty-looking blades.

Judith's face went blank with disbelief at the sight. She was just about to raise a fist to teach the little pups a lesson when.

Thud!

Crack!

Thwack!

"Shall we go?"

"..."

The one who'd knocked the bandits out cold, wearing an expression a world away from his usual calm, was more than a friend, less than a lover.

Judith looked at Brett's visibly irritated face and laughed, ha ha.

"Just hold my hand again. It's cold."

* * *

The year turned.

By the end of January, the two swordfighters, who'd arrived at Alkantrea about two weeks later than expected, stood gazing at the front gate of Krono Fencing Hall with faces full of deep feeling.

A return after a year and a half, no less.

Not just any return. Both of them had come back with an accomplishment substantial enough to feel real pride in.

Judith's heart in particular felt like it might burst with how full it was.

'If he sees me now, what will the Hall Master say?'

She hadn't grown in exactly the direction the Hall Master had advised.

Ian had wanted her to gain some ease and breathing room as she experienced the continent.

So the endlessly rising flames of inferiority and self-loathing wouldn't torment her anymore.

'Don't need that.'

But instead of following her master's advice, Judith had pushed herself even harder.

She'd come back carrying a flame hot enough to make even Gorha, Durkali's great spirit mage, gape in shock, a fire that still burned and tormented her even now.

But she never once thought that was the wrong path.

'I just have to endure it. I can do that much, easily.'

No matter how miserable it felt.

No matter how much anger, sorrow, or irritation came with it, even if that petty feeling followed her for the rest of her life and tormented her, it didn't matter.

She'd accept all of it.

She'd endure it, one way or another.

And use it as fuel to climb to a level nobody else on the continent could match.

"Shall we go in?"

"...Yeah."

Judith looked at Brett and nodded in answer.

She was plenty nervous, but the anticipation that outweighed it made her feel like she was floating.

But then.

"...?"

As Judith stepped inside, a familiar sound reached her ears.

"This is..."

She wasn't the only one who felt it.

Brett felt it too. He frowned slightly, ears perking up as he thought.

The sound of swords clashing.

But it wasn't simply the sound of metal on metal, it was far more violent and intense than that, a clash of sound rarely heard.

'...Aura Sword! It's a fight between Masters!'

"Let's hurry!"

Judith said urgently.

Brett nodded. If it was a duel between Masters, whoever it was, it was worth watching.

The two of them moved quickly.

Sure enough, everyone, graduates and trainees alike, had gathered at the great training grounds to watch the duel between the two swordfighters.

And Brett and Judith, too, had no choice but to stare, dumbstruck, at the fight between the two Sword Masters.

"..."

"..."

Judith thought.

How many fights between so many formidable people had she watched up until now?

There had been countless sparring matches among seniors inside the fencing hall, and there had been the duel between Airen and Illia at the Proof Land.

She'd even witnessed Karakum's Five Elements Divine Technique, the greatest warrior among the orcs, back in Durkali.

Tarakhan and Halifa were also far from lacking in skill, wherever you went.

But the clash unfolding before her eyes now.

It was massive, majestic enough to completely eclipse every bit of that emotion.

And it was the same for Brett Lloyd, too.

Crackle

Crack!

Sometimes like a flash of lightning passing through.

Kwaaang!

Kwang!

Kwaaaang!

Sometimes like a giant's mace crashing down.

No, a shining stretch of time unfolded that couldn't even be captured by such flowery words.

Brett and Judith, along with the other swordfighters, couldn't even swallow properly as they watched the two fight.

They only came back to their senses when both fighters, as if by mutual agreement, sheathed their swords.

"Shall we stop here? Doesn't seem like this is going to settle anything even if we keep going."

"No. I win this, no question."

"Heh heh, then shall we go a bit more?"

"Shut up. Next time I come, I'll crush you completely, so look forward to it."

"Guess I'll have to train harder, then."

"The hell. You mean you've been slacking off until now?"

"Well, I can't win with words, that's for sure."

"Give it a while and you won't be able to win with a sword either. Anyway, I'm going on a date with Keira, it's been a while."

"Being single sure is rough..."

The fencing hall master's manner was refined beyond reproach.

But his opponent was different. The way he peppered his speech with curses reminded her of Judith.

Of course, the resemblance stopped at speech patterns. The old man's build, wrapped in muscle like iron plating, had nothing in common with her at all.

Of course, none of that mattered in the slightest.

Through the conversation with Ian, and through the skill shown during the fight, she'd realized who he was.

Having grasped his opponent's identity, Brett blurted out his name before he even realized it.

"Kun!"

One of the continent's three great powers, a monster among monsters, had broken his long seclusion and come to visit Krono.

"Hm?"

Ambling through the crowd like a tiger parting a path, the old man's gaze turned toward Brett.

It was only natural. Hardly anyone would fail to turn at the sound of their own name.

Kun narrowed his eyes and strode toward the person who'd so brazenly called his name.

But partway there, his path shifted direction.

"..."

A sharp, beastlike presence.

And an even fiercer glint in his eyes.

Both poured out toward Judith, not Brett. The faces of Brett and the swordfighters around them stiffened in an instant.

But Judith didn't flinch.

Fwooosh!

She layered the energy of the Five Elements Divine Technique over her burning-hot heart.

Whatever that still lacked, she filled in with sheer grit and stubbornness.

Her legs trembled violently, but she somehow kept her eyes wide open, and Kun studied her, watching her closely for a long while.

A moment later.

What came out of his mouth was more than enough to stun everyone gathered at the training grounds.

"You. Be my disciple."

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