WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 61

──────

Two Exiles (8)

I sat quietly, toying with the cold cup in my hand. Beer, the drink northerners supposedly went mad for. It did not appeal to me much. Even though I was well past twenty, I still did not really understand the taste of alcohol.

"It's not that I can't drink it..."

"Then why are you spacing out like that? You're not exactly a child anymore. It's already been three years since you came here."

Herman Hagenwald, Vice Commander of the Knights of Ash, looked back. Still holding my untouched cup, I followed his gaze and turned my head.

The noisy first and second floors of the inn were packed with food, alcohol, and Knights of Ash enjoying both. There was a banquet hall in the palace, but whenever the order had something to celebrate or a festival came around, they always came to this inn. The reason was simple. This place was more comfortable than the banquet hall. Northerners preferred something plain and easygoing over luxury.

"Keep drinking and you'll learn to like it eventually. Everyone starts that way."

"I don't think I will..."

"Don't make that face. Pour me a drink, youngest."

Like me, he had been sitting at the bar, but now he slowly stood and pulled several bottles from the shelf behind the counter. They had rented out the entire inn for the night, so neither the owner nor the bartender was there.

"Youngest? Who?"

With a bottle and two cups in hand, he sat back down and pushed one cup and one bottle toward me.

"You, obviously. Who else here is younger than you?"

"No, if we're talking age..."

"Age means nothing in the order. Do you think Rowen is commander because he's older than me?"

I could not argue with that. He was right. In the Knights of Ash, skill and experience came before age. Rowen held the position of commander because he was stronger and more experienced than anyone else.

By age alone, Vice Commander Herman and a few senior members had him beat. I let out a short sigh and poured dark wine into his cup. He accepted the drink with a satisfied look, took a sip, then spoke again.

"Once your knighting ceremony is over, you'll really be the youngest."

The knighting ceremony. The rite that made one a true member of the Knights of Ash. I stared at the red wine Herman poured into my cup and answered quietly.

"Yes. A little over a week left."

"So I'm right. You're the youngest. Am I wrong?"

"There are kids younger than me with less experience..."

"They're still apprentices. You'll be shedding the squire tag soon and officially becoming a knight. That makes you the youngest. Cecilia is going to love this."

Herman chuckled. I felt my mouth stiffen.

Cecilia Haska. A young lady from a prestigious northern family and one of the few mages in the Knights of Ash.

She had been knighted one year before me. Until last year, she had been practically the youngest in the order, both in age and experience, but the moment I was knighted, our positions would switch. Just thinking about being relentlessly teased by a girl a year younger than me already made my head throb. She was definitely waiting for that moment too.

"Let's stop talking about that. My head hurts."

"Haha! Is it that bad? Still, don't hate her too much."

"I don't hate her."

"True. I hear you're still studying magic hard. Rumor has it your family name will soon change to Haska. They say you're marrying into the family."

Moderately drunk, Herman laughed and teased me.

I took his joke in stride and sipped a little of the wine he had poured for me.

It really tastes awful.

Flavor or whatever, why would anyone drink something this bitter?

"Oh! Our youngest. So this is where you were?"

"The Vice Commander is here too. Are you two having some secret conversation?"

After I had spent some time chatting with Herman, new voices came from behind me. I glanced back and frowned. Senior members of the Knights of Ash. A few flushed knights were coming this way.

"The youngest didn't seem to be fitting in, so I was keeping him company over drinks."

"Really?"

"More importantly, Kyle, should you really be sitting around here? Don't you have plans with Cecilia? It's the festival that only comes once a year."

One of the senior members tapped my shoulder. I gave a casual nod.

"I do have plans..."

That was right. Today was the winter festival that came only once a year. Hailen, with its barren land, usually valued thrift and restraint as virtues, but every year, when snow piled high beyond sight, the whole city came alive for this one day colder than usual. People ate, drank, and made noise to celebrate surviving the year safely and to pray the next year would treat them well.

Plenty of people made wishes too. The north was that kind of land.

Most people here found happiness in simple daily life, not pleasure and luxury.

"I'll go first."

"What? You're leaving already?"

"Leave him be. They say he's already living under her thumb."

"Ah... true. That girl has quite a temper too."

"If you're going to do it, do it properly! Don't just fumble around like an idiot."

More snickering followed. With a sigh, I left the inn. The moment I stepped through the entrance, the sharp winter wind swept over my whole body. It was already evening outside.

As I looked around, I spotted a girl standing beside the inn. Wavy light brown hair nearly dark blond, and matching eyes. Cecilia Haska, daughter of House Haska. Her round eyes grew even wider.

"...Were you waiting?"

I asked without hiding my surprise.

"Yes. I was waiting."

"Since when?"

"For a while."

"Why did you wait out here instead of going in?"

"I was wondering when you would come out?"

Cecilia gave a small nod.

"More or less. Actually, Iris told me she'd handle the rest and said I should just go. I didn't have any real reason to refuse."

There was a lot of work in the order. Usually, Rowen, the commander, had to give the final approval, but in practice, Iris, the highest-ranking mage, stamped most of the seals in his place. Most of the members were knights, and they recoiled at the sight of paperwork. Because of that, the order's mages did far more than simply use magic.

"What were you going to do if I hadn't come out early?"

Cecilia asked with a sly look.

"I was going to find you first."

"Hmm..."

"What? Do you have something to say?"

"No. It's just that this is the first year you asked me first to look around the festival together. I thought it was kind of admirable."

"...I also find it admirable that you're being so obedient today."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

The moment her eyebrows rose, I turned away. I heard her grumbling behind me, but I let it go in one ear and out the other. It had already been quite some time since I came north. Our relationship was not a matter of a day or two, so I knew how to deal with her.

Our bickering lasted only a short while. We walked side by side through the city streets. The evening streets of Baldheim, capital of Hailen, were dyed in bright light. The greatest city in the north. It was always crowded, but today was even busier. Merchants called out from every direction, and countless people had come into the streets for the festival.

"Hot meat skewers! Freshly grilled!"

"Cold beer here! We have apple wine too! Stop by and try some!"

"Princess over there! Take a look at these hair ornaments. Aren't they pretty?"

"What do you think? I had a hard time getting this. It came all the way here from Renavik, the Federation capital."

The excitement grew stronger once we entered the shopping district. Families and lovers had come to see the festival. We walked leisurely through the middle of them, looking around, until we reached the city's central plaza.

The plaza was packed with an even bigger crowd than the shopping district. Merchants from other countries. Stalls lined up everywhere. Acrobat performances and bard songs unfolding in the middle of it all. Even people in one corner, tipping back cups as they gambled.

"Oh, what is this? Is that Kyle and Cecilia?"

One of them recognized me and Cecilia. The man with the long beard was Torvan, the greatest blacksmith in the city.

He was also the craftsman who specialized in making star iron swords for the Knights of Ash.

"Torvan."

"You two out seeing the festival again this year? Hic!"

Cecilia and I walked toward the corner of the plaza where Torvan stood. Despite the cold northern winter weather, the muscular blacksmith wore thin clothes and kept pouring down alcohol as he hiccupped.

"Are you drinking again?"

Coins and dice were spread across the stall counter. Cecilia looked appalled.

Torvan laughed and kept tilting his cup. Not far away, the awed voices of people watching a performance and the sound of a bard singing reached us.

"What else would I do on a good day like this? You kids know nothing."

"Haa..."

"Kyle. Do you have something to say to me too?"

Torvan turned his gaze toward me. Half-serious, I asked.

"My star iron sword is being made properly, right?"

My knighting ceremony was right around the corner. And each member of the Knights of Ash received their own star iron sword when they were knighted. But the winter festival had to overlap with it, and now I was worried it might not be ready in time.

"Of course it is! Stop worrying over nothing. You saw it a few days ago too, didn't you? It only needs the finishing touches now."

With beer foam stuck in his beard, Torvan thumped his chest.

"Seeing you like this, I don't think you'll make it in time."

"Haha. You underestimate me too much. Who am I? Am I not the best blacksmith in Baldheim, no, all of Hailen?"

"Anyone can say that..."

"It's your request that's too picky in the first place. What? Make me a sword that will absolutely never break?"

Stellarium. Also known as star iron. Star iron, the finest steel on the Velia continent, was extremely difficult to handle, but it had mana conductivity and durability to match.

Still, that was not enough for me. It did not have to look splendid. It did not need some incredible power. I only wanted it to hold my mana well and never break under any circumstance. Because of that, Torvan had complained endlessly about how a brat who had not even been knighted yet could be so picky. That had not changed even now.

"More importantly, did you leave in the middle? The others should be drinking themselves stupid at Caldra's Tear."

Again, cries of admiration came from the people watching the performance behind us. I answered casually.

"You know I can't drink. There's nothing for me to do if I stay there longer."

"That's true. Neither of you can drink. How can you call yourselves northerners like that?"

Looking back and forth between me and Cecilia, Torvan clicked his tongue. I shook my head and swallowed a sigh.

"Let's go. I feel like even I'm getting drunk."

"Have some proper fun before you go back! And no playing with fire."

Snickering, Torvan waved his thick hand. Cecilia sighed, just like me. I gave him a half-hearted wave back, then turned away.

"Where do you want to go now?"

"Let's go eat dinner. I'm hungry."

"Shall we?"

After that, I wandered around several parts of the city with Cecilia. Famous restaurants, stalls with long lines, and every sort of street spectacle.

As night deepened, the city lights grew brighter. People's laughter echoed from every side. I walked through the heart of that festival.

People living through a cold winter day. People who still did not lose their smiles. I took all of it in.

Has it already been three years?

Three winters and three festivals. Yet every year felt new. Even in the chilly weather, the city's heat showed no sign of cooling. As I pulled my collar closed, I somehow remembered the time I first came north.

Back then, I knew nothing. I was too young. I had fled the Empire as if running for my life and barely reached the north in the middle of winter, where I had been dying. If not for the hand of salvation that came down like a trick of fate, I would have frozen to death right there in the middle of the snowy mountains. Unable to return home, with no one remembering me or mourning me, I would have died like that.

If I had not met Yurian that day.

If Rowen had not been there.

Pointless thoughts followed one after another. Memories as numerous as the stars that rose in the night sky. They were different from memories of Earth. The young university student who had only longed for home was no longer here.

Family, a new home, a second homeland. At some point, I had begun taking daily life in this city for granted. There were so many new bonds. It was not that my nostalgia for the past had completely vanished, but still...

Dong, dong, dong.

The bell announcing midnight rang across the entire city. After wandering the city for a long while, I stopped. Cecilia, who was beside me, also stopped and turned to look at me.

"It's late."

"What do you want to do? Are we going this year too?"

"Do you have the key?"

"I thought this might happen, so I brought it."

Cecilia smiled mischievously. With a faint laugh, I followed her as she led the way. As if we had planned it in advance, the two of us stood below a tall bell tower near the city center.

The time had just passed midnight. The festival lights were slowly dying down. Cecilia easily opened the lock on the bell tower, then raised her index finger to her lips with a shh. I nodded without a word and climbed the spiral staircase inside with her.

And then.

"Ah..."

The moment the stairs ended, the city's scenery unfolded before my eyes.

From this bell tower, the tallest in Baldheim, the whole view of the capital could be seen at once.

"We were right to come, weren't we?"

I leaned against the railing of the bell tower. Beside me, Cecilia giggled. Directly below, we could see countless lights densely filling the city. Far beyond them, the mountain range covered in eternal snow gleamed in the moonlight. Everything was beautiful enough to feel unreal.

Beautiful enough that I wanted to carve it into my memory and remember it for the rest of my life.

"How was today? Did you have fun?"

The wind blew. Cecilia's light brown hair fluttered gently behind her. She glanced at me and asked.

"Yes. It was fun."

"Then you should be all right now, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"You, Kyle. Sometimes you got lonely by yourself. You said you wanted to go back to your hometown."

Ah.

Cecilia's calmly spoken words lodged deep in my chest. Just as she said, there had been times when I had been soaked in longing for home.

The house where I was born. The parents who raised me. The friends I had left behind.

I had not known when they were in my hands. I only learned after losing them. How precious they were to me. How necessary they were.

Only after I fell into this world, slept on the ground for the first time, held a sword for the first time, and killed for the first time did I truly realize it. How weak I was. How easily I could break.

"Still... I'm all right now."

After staring down at the city for a while, I murmured to myself.

"My knighting is soon. I can't stay a child forever."

I was no longer alone. I had a second home, a second family, and a second homeland. For someone who had nothing, every one of them was more than I deserved. Until now, with my knighting ceremony just ahead, I had never regretted it once.

Once the new year came, I would become a knight of Hailen. I would receive a star iron sword and be given a new family name. It was time to bury the name I had used on Earth in my memories. I could not live bound to the past forever.

"You don't need to force yourself to throw away the past."

As if she had seen right through me, Cecilia spoke.

"No matter what happened, all of that is part of you, Kyle."

"......."

"You still think of your parents a lot, right?"

I did not deny it. I gave a small nod and added.

"Still, it's much better than before."

"Is it?"

"Yes. I have a new family now."

"Who is your new family?"

"The people in the order. The people in the palace. Everyone who saved me."

Rowen, the commander, was like a dependable father and older brother to me.

Yurian, the crown prince, was like my only friend.

There were many other precious people too. I had built many memories over those three years. It could be called short or long, but to me, those days were more precious than any other time. I could not forget even a single moment.

"...What about me?"

Cecilia's quiet voice suddenly mixed into the passing wind. I reflexively turned to the side.

"Am I your family too?"

Cecilia was there, staring straight at me. Her light brown eyes were the same as always. Her hair stirred softly again. In the moonlight, starlight, and festival lights of the night, I gazed endlessly at her face.

"What... am I to you?"

Cecilia asked again. I could not answer. Reflected in her light brown eyes, I kept moving my lips. Strangely, the words would not come out.

"...Sorry. I said something pointless."

"......."

"Forget it. What I just said was just..."

"I like you."

My mouth opened on its own. Cecilia's eyes widened. She had the most surprised expression I had ever seen on her face. I forced my trembling voice out.

"I like you, Cecilia Haska."

"Ah..."

"I've liked you for a long time. Since you taught me magic. Since you took me out to the festival. Even when we studied together all night. All this time..."

I tried to keep speaking several times, then shut my mouth. Cecilia's eyes, looking straight at me, were clear.

"I do too..."

Lowering her head deeply, she murmured in a voice that was almost swallowed.

"I like you too."

"......."

"I want you to be happy. I don't want you to be lonely. I wish I could become your family. Forever. Like that..."

She could not keep speaking. Just like me, she swallowed her breath in a trembling voice, then slowly raised her head.

Clear tears had gathered in her light brown eyes. I brought my hand to Cecilia's cheek. I wiped away her tears. She did not avoid me.

The distance between us narrowed. I could clearly feel her excited breathing.

A warm touch reached my lips.

In the illusion that time had stopped, I wished desperately.

That we would see this view together again next year.

That this peace would last forever.

***

Inside the raging torrent of memories, Kyle saw countless scenes. They flowed like waves, taking many shapes.

Sometimes images, sometimes sounds, they shook Kyle's five senses at random.

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle...

Between the murmuring voices, Kyle felt his consciousness floating. The senses of his body, which had sunk deep, slowly pricked awake like needles. When the boundary between dream and reality had almost faded, the murmuring voice dug into his ears more clearly.

Kyle.

Kyle opened his eyes in an instant. His body moved on its own. Taking hold of the sword he had been hugging to his chest, scabbard and all, he knocked down the person who had suddenly approached him. With his left hand, he seized their throat and drove his sword down beside their head.

"Ugh...!"

Beyond his pale, hazy vision, someone was groaning. Kyle kept blinking as he breathed roughly. Each time his eyelids closed and opened, the blurry surroundings grew clearer. Only then could Kyle clearly see the face of the person pinned beneath him.

"Kyle..."

Golden hair and eyes. Elysia's eyes overlapped Cecilia's face. Soon, once the afterimage of memory had fully vanished, Kyle felt the tension locked through his whole body release at once. Black eyes and golden eyes stared at each other.

"Elysia..."

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried