WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 45

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The Weight of Honor (2)

"You look a lot better. It is hard to believe you are the same man from a week ago."

Tower Master Kairon, who had been quietly watching Gerard, smiled faintly. Until recently, his old friend had been half dead, yet in a single day he had returned to perfect health. Gerard was the leading elder of the moderate faction, and in the tower's hierarchy he stood just below the Tower Master, so Kairon had every reason to be pleased.

"Are you really not in pain anywhere?"

"Nowhere. I actually feel better than before. Even my mana flow is smoother."

"...I still cannot believe it, even seeing it myself. They said it was terminal Magicite Syndrome, right? And he treated it alone."

Kairon's heavy sigh echoed through the quiet office. As far as he knew, Magicite Syndrome was an intractable disease that was extremely hard to detect early.

If it had reached the terminal stage, it was practically incurable. Yet Gerard, sitting across from him, looked healthier than he had before getting sick.

And only a little over a week had passed since he got out of bed.

"I feel ashamed. In the end, I did nothing..."

Kairon let out a long sigh and pressed a hand to his forehead. Gerard shook his head.

"Do not say that. Every mage in the tower knows how hard you worked, so why blame yourself like this?"

"But it is still true. I could not even identify your illness."

"Kairon..."

"We were lucky this time, nothing more. If we had not been, I might have buried my closest friend with my own hands by now. The thought alone is horrifying."

Kairon looked deeply troubled, as if he truly blamed himself.

He was the one who had diverted the research budget to Gerard's treatment despite opposition from the radical elders. Gerard knew exactly how he felt, so he could only look down at the table in silence.

"So, about that."

A short silence followed. Kairon spoke again, pressing the matter.

"Who is that young man, really?"

"...That young man?"

"Are you pretending not to know? The one who treated your Magicite Syndrome by himself. In a way, he is my benefactor too, yet I have not even properly greeted him once. Are you really going to come this far and still not introduce him?"

Kairon narrowed his eyes at Gerard.

"Well, if he does not want to..."

"Are you going to keep delaying with excuses again?"

Kairon stared at Gerard. This time, Gerard did not avoid his gaze.

"He really is an ordinary mercenary. Even if he is not, I cannot tell you."

Gerard would not speak about Kyle's identity. He stayed firm even after Kairon let out another long sigh.

Kyle was the benefactor who had protected Gerard's life and his only granddaughter.

In Gerard's eyes, Kyle was not the kind of person who liked making his name known everywhere. That much was clear. He could have risen as high as he wanted, as a knight of fallen Hailen and a former member of the Knights of Ash.

Yet he had deliberately chosen to live as a mercenary. Because of that, Gerard had spent the past week making sure Kyle could rest as comfortably as possible. So no one would meet him. So no one would bother him.

He had given him one of the tower's VIP guest rooms and provided every convenience. That was also why he had readily handed over his own pass.

"And at this point, getting acquainted has no meaning anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"He seems ready to leave. He may already have left the tower."

This morning, Lena had come to his bedroom early.

She had been holding the droplet necklace she had handed to Kyle yesterday. Lena repeated exactly what Kyle had told her.

"He wanted the relic settled quickly, so I arranged it."

"Settled the relic?"

"Yes. Half in Gold coins and half in Top-grade Magicite, slightly above market value. The Alenos grimoire was worth that much. There is already a line of mages waiting to study it."

"Wait, you sent him off just like that without even making an offer?"

Kyle had wanted two things from the tower. One was to dispose of the relics he got from the Alenos ruins, and the other was to find information about his curse and a way to revive the dead.

"It is time to let go. I feel the same regret, but that young man is not someone who can stay tied to one place."

Gerard was disappointed that Kyle was leaving too, but he did not ask for more. Kyle would not stay even if someone tried to hold him. Gerard had finally met a knight of Ash like his old friend who had died long ago, so all he could do was quietly wish him luck.

"More importantly, what happened on Marsen's side?"

Gerard glanced out the window and changed the subject. Marsen, leader of the radical elders, and his disciple Veronica. The moment Gerard woke up, those two had raised objections from every direction, specifically about Kyle's presence.

"If it is Marsen, there should not be a major problem. That young man is also a benefactor to our tower. You already testified he was a formally invited guest, and drawing a sword at the main gate..."

"..."

"No direct blood was spilled, and the situation was urgent enough to allow extenuating circumstances. In practice, outside the main gate falls closer to Kingdom law than Magic Tower law. Still..."

"Still?"

Gerard frowned when Kairon trailed off.

After a brief pause, Kairon continued.

"It was confirmed that Veronica sent a letter to her family, House Krabel. Right after you woke up, she used a messenger hawk inside the tower."

"She sent a letter by messenger hawk?"

"On the surface she looked convinced, but who knows. Your full recovery put Marsen, the leader of the radical faction, in an awkward position. House Krabel has long had close ties to House Belkart."

Kyle entering the tower as an outsider without permission had been settled by Gerard's testimony. Drawing swords happened outside the tower, and the merit of fully curing Gerard was enough to justify leniency.

Still, that did not mean there were no other options.

There were methods not bound by the tower, for example a duel between houses through proxies. That was a kind of right all nobles were born with.

"Surely they would not go that far..."

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself. Ignore it."

Just as Kairon dismissed his own worries as needless.

"Tower Master! Elder Gerard!"

The office door suddenly flew open. Opening the Tower Master's door without knocking did not happen unless something was truly urgent.

That meant something serious had happened.

"What is it?"

"Something terrible has happened. Right now..."

The young mage who had run over stood there with trembling lips and confused eyes. Kairon and Gerard's faces hardened at once. Then the young mage shouted as if driving in a final nail.

"Veronica challenged Lena to a duel! A formal duel in the name of their houses! The rumor has already spread, and people are gathering..."

***

After hearing the news, sudden as a bolt from the blue, Gerard and Kairon immediately headed outside the tower.

"What you just said, is it true?"

"Yes. The outdoor training grounds are already packed with people. Elder Marsen is there, and the other elders too..."

This had grown too large. Kairon looked to his side. Gerard stood there with the same rigid expression.

This is a disaster.

"It is here. Right here..."

The young mage stopped. The moment Kairon and Gerard saw the scene in front of them, their heads swam.

In the center of the tower stood the massive outdoor magic training grounds. A crowd had gathered there like storm clouds. Not just mages in robes, but support staff as well. There were easily several hundred in sight alone. Even some of the other tower elders were mixed in.

"Marsen, so you really went through with it..."

Kairon found Marsen Belkart on one side of the grounds and let out a bitter breath.

If this was truly a formal duel between houses, the tower could not interfere.

Since they were using the tower training grounds, he could temporarily suspend it with the authority of the Tower Master, but that would mean little. They could simply move and duel elsewhere. That was how sacred duels were among nobles.

And if this was a faction conflict inside the tower wearing the mask of a duel, it was even worse. Even if they put out the fire for now, they would clash again soon. If that was inevitable, it was better to settle it here. The matter had already started, and there was no turning it back.

"Lena! Lena!"

Gerard, who had been standing beside Kairon, hurried through the crowd. The mages recognized him a moment late and quickly made way.

"Elder Gerard?"

"Look, the Tower Master is behind him too..."

Ignoring the whispers, Gerard rushed right up to Lena. She looked at him with wide, startled eyes.

"G-Grandfather?"

"Lena, what is going on?"

Lena hesitated and glanced to the side. Kyle stood there fully prepared, as if he could leave at any moment.

"Please explain. How did this turn into a duel with Veronica?"

"Exactly as it looks."

Kyle nodded toward the opposite side. Gerard followed his glance. Veronica stood there with her purple hair. Beside her was a knight openly bearing House Krabel's crest. Elder Marsen was there too, along with other noble-faction mages who looked like his followers.

"Do you remember when I held a sword to her throat before entering the tower?"

Kyle asked Gerard, who was still speechless. Gerard immediately came to his senses. The whole course of events was obvious.

"If this were a matter between mages inside the tower, maybe. Right now, this is an honor duel between nobles."

"Is Lena stepping forward herself?"

His eyes moved to Lena. She had accomplished a lot for her age, but she was not strong enough to fight an elite knight of House Krabel. Mages were already at a disadvantage against knights, and with that level gap, the result was obvious.

"No. I am the proxy."

Kyle shook his head.

"You are the proxy?"

Gerard's eyes widened. Then he pleaded with Kyle.

"Stop this. You do not need to step in."

"..."

"I do not want to drag our benefactor into conflict inside the tower for no reason. I will handle this myself. You were planning to leave today, right? Go now. It has not formally started yet, so even now..."

"Even if the house's name and honor are stained?"

Kyle's calm question made Gerard flinch.

"I do not care about public reputation. No matter what anyone says..."

"If we let this pass here, they will bare their fangs again. You know this already. Grudges and debts have to be settled properly."

"That..."

He was right. Gerard could not deny it. He and Elder Marsen had never been on good terms. Not before Marsen became an elder. Not after Gerard himself became the youngest elder years ago.

Even if Kyle left now and they accepted the filth of being branded cowards, Marsen would not stop. He would use that as an excuse to torment him even more thoroughly. And Lena, his only granddaughter, would be dragged in too. Behind the radical leader stood noble-faction mages from many prestigious houses. That was unlike Gerard's lower noble line, which had only received its title in his generation after rising from commoners.

"And I already received one final request from Lena."

"What?"

Gerard faltered, unable to continue. Kyle looked straight at the old man's face.

"Do you trust me? No, do you trust my sword?"

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