WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 4: Your Mask Is Thicker Than Your Makeup

──────

"Hyah!"

The hunting grounds on the outskirts of the territory were dense with towering old trees.

Father rode a sturdy black horse, reins in hand.

He was dressed for hunting, with a massive greatbow and a full quiver slung across his back.

What kind of outing was a trip to the hunting grounds?

I stifled a laugh as I watched Father's back ahead of me.

Apparently, even a father and son found it awkward to take a quiet walk alone together.

"Ride with me, Father."

I pulled hard on the reins and spurred my horse.

Before long, I caught up to him.

Father glanced at me from the corner of his eye, then looked forward again.

"You're quite skilled at riding too."

"It's basic."

"You were the one who couldn't even manage the basics."

"Come on. Why bring up the past?"

If I couldn't ride, I would have either walked alongside him or climbed on behind him.

No matter how much I missed him, the latter would have been a little weird. Like father, like son, I suppose.

"I never knew you had that side to you. Until recently, you could barely hold a sword properly."

Father's expression remained unreadable.

"You've grown a great deal in a short time. Was there some kind of catalyst?"

"I'm a Cardenos, aren't I? I was always a sapling destined to become an old tree. Maybe my wits just came to me late."

Before he had even come of age, Father had defeated ten full-fledged knights without a single loss.

There was a reason he was considered one of the Empire's greatest individual combatants.

I had inherited that bloodline in full.

That should be enough to explain my sudden improvement, more or less.

Father still studied me with doubtful eyes.

"The swordsmanship you displayed cannot be explained that way. It bears the weight of experience and time. It isn't something one can achieve in a short period."

"I just trained alone where no one could see. A little intensely."

"Was it to impress Azelin?"

Azelin had a fantasy about becoming a knight's beloved.

Julian, was it? I remembered that adulterer as a knight who had been formally appointed as well.

"Of course not. If there's someone I want to impress..."

I raised the corner of my mouth in a sly smile.

"It wouldn't be Azelin. It would be you, Father."

"...."

Father said nothing, only letting out a faint breath.

You'd think he could offer a word of praise after seeing how much his son had changed.

The old me would have grumbled about that.

Valdemar von Cardenos.

My father had always been that kind of person.

A stubborn man, blunt as a boulder, who never revealed what he truly felt.

Because he was so poor at expressing himself, I had mistaken it for Father giving up on me completely.

That was why I left the family. His indifference hurt too much.

When I returned several years later, the estate had already become a sea of blood.

There, I had to face Father's corpse, split in half.

Only Father's upper body remained, and its right hand was clenched tightly around something. Even in death, he had not let it go.

When I pried open Father's fist to find a locket inside, and saw the childhood portrait of me it held, I felt guilty.

I stayed by Father's side all night without leaving. It was a feeble act of atonement.

I'm glad I came back.

I hadn't regressed just to save the world.

I had returned to right the wrong of letting people go, to protect my people and give them peace.

I believed that without a doubt.

"It's not only your swordsmanship. Your mindset has changed as well."

Father spoke quietly.

"Becoming a knight's lord is not a bond formed through appointment alone. Knights have a duty to protect their lord with their lives, and a lord has a duty to preserve a dignity worthy of their respect. Only then can a lord earn the knights' respect and loyalty."

Thump.

A rough palm settled on my shoulder.

"That was who you were today."

"...."

"You are Cardenos as well. I am proud of you, my son."

It was the first time.

The first time Father had revealed how he felt.

I was about to answer, but I pressed my lips shut.

Men understood one another through their hearts, not words.

To change the subject, I brought up the matter I had been holding back.

"Father. I'm going to dismantle my Core."

Father's eyes widened.

"Dismantle your Core? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

A Core was like a mana heart or dantian.

Knights used their Cores to open Heart Furnaces and store aura.

I had already formed a Core and opened two Heart Furnaces. That was thanks to all the spiritual medicines poured down my throat since childhood.

But I was saying I would destroy the path I had already built. Anyone would think I had gone mad.

Father, who had been looking at me warmly a moment ago, now looked at me as if I were insane.

"More precisely, I'm going to rebuild my Core from the beginning."

A knight's aura was divided into two kinds.

Solar, of the sun.

Luna, of the full moon.

"Don't tell me you intend to weave Sun Rings?"

"That's right. I'll weave Sun Rings."

"Hah."

I expected him not to understand.

It had begun around twenty years ago.

The sun's radiant light had faded with this generation.

More than ninety percent of knights had accepted Luna into their Cores, while ring knights were now treated like old men relegated to the back room.

Solar had a higher ceiling than Luna. That was all.

Each time someone tried to weave a Sun Ring, they had to risk their life.

They had to endure the pain of their entire body burning away, imprison an unquenchable flame within their hearts, and guard that spark every moment.

It was dangerous, inefficient, and the flame they had worked so hard to kindle could vanish in an instant.

Luna, on the other hand, was safe and efficient, and the Heart Furnaces one had built would not turn to nothing.

For a young knight to abandon Luna and choose Solar was practically suicide.

In reality, it was the other way around.

They called her the mad Moon Goddess. Goddess my ass.

A planet-devouring Outer God was more accurate.

The Moon Doctrine and Luna had appeared out of nowhere twenty years ago and steadily expanded their influence.

Built upon the existing Sun Church, its far freer doctrine and Luna's ability to make people stronger without trials had been revolutionary.

But the people who had first preached the Moon Doctrine and Luna?

Every last one of them had been lackeys of an Outer God.

Luna was an invisible thread planted to turn humanity into puppets.

The game I had enjoyed in my previous life offered a clear example.

The species that worshiped Khala. The nerve cords that formed the source of Khala. Impure organs that placed them under an evil god's mental control.

Luna was the same.

As long as Luna remained within one's body, one would fall under the Outer God's control.

Just as Celine had.

"Why choose the difficult path when there is an easier one?"

My great ambition was ultimately to save the world.

To do that, Luna had to be severed. Not only for me, but so everyone could weave Sun Rings.

"If I take the easy road, I'll become nothing more than an easy knight. I should take the difficult road."

A knight was a stone. The more it was broken and carved away, the harder it became.

A true knight would willingly walk the path I walked.

"I think growing stronger without trials is a shortcut. A flower needs the right amount of stimulation to bloom. The stem of a flower that blooms that way is much tougher."

"I thought it was bluster, but you must be serious. You've changed a great deal."

Father paused before continuing.

"It is certainly an admirable thought, but it is dangerous. In my day, most knights died from the Solar flame. There is no guarantee you will not suffer the same fate."

"Thank you for worrying about me. But if you're going to believe in me, please believe in me until the end."

Father silently looked into my eyes. I held his gaze with my head held high.

Father had opened his Heart Furnaces with Luna.

Before long, he would change his mind.

"Do as you wish. As your father, I will not restrain your freedom."

"Thank you, Father."

Father belonged to the generation that remembered the old glory.

He clearly had not forgotten that era.

That was obviously why he did not interfere with my resolve and instead approved of it.

I turned my horse toward a side path and pointed ahead.

"Father. Let's make our way through here."

"The path where the groundskeeper scattered bait is over there. There won't be any animals this way."

"I know. That's why I'm suggesting it."

"You do love difficult paths. Very well. I'll join you."

Father turned his horse toward mine.

His interpretation was wrong, but I didn't feel like correcting him.

I just wanted to hunt longer. Alone with Father.

How could I possibly say that out loud?

* * *

Three or four hours passed in a flash.

On the way back, dusk descended and dyed the sky orange.

The hunt had been quite successful.

A horned boar as large as a house was loaded onto a wagon, and three or four servants struggled to pull it along.

"You're a good shot too. I should have given you a greatbow instead of a crossbow."

"It was nothing. The target wasn't even moving. It was too busy eyeing grain scraps and wiggling its rear."

I rode beside Father as we chatted.

It wasn't a particularly meaningful conversation.

We talked about trivial things, like how my stance had looked while shooting and how tough the beast's hide had been.

Even that made my heart swell.

Not once in my entire previous life had I ever spoken so comfortably with Father.

We had just reached the outer gate of the estate when it happened.

"Hm?"

A familiar figure lingered in front of the gate.

A young girl with pale platinum hair braided into twin tails. It was Celine.

"Y-You're back, Your Grace. Brother."

As I stared blankly, Celine approached hesitantly.

She carried a silver tray of cool water.

"You've been waiting here this whole time?"

How long had she been out under the sun?

Beads of sweat covered Celine's forehead, and her cheeks were flushed red.

"Here, Brother. Please have some ice water."

"The ice has all melted."

"...What? Ah! I just replaced it, but already?!"

A laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

Normally, this was something the maids would do.

After hearing about the father and son's hunt, she had apparently decided to do something thoughtful and volunteered herself.

"A-And there's something else I want to give you...."

Celine was that kind of child.

A sweet younger sister who feared me, yet crept closer because she wanted to be close to me. She was both admirable and heartbreaking.

As a way of telling her she had done well, I placed my hand lightly on top of Celine's head.

"......!"

Celine startled and hunched her shoulders.

Given all the cruelty I had inflicted on her, it was a natural reaction.

"Um, Brother."

Celine spoke in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

"Yeah. Go ahead."

"Am I really that much of a blockhead?"

"What?"

Out of nowhere?

I couldn't understand it at all. Why was she suddenly bringing up being a blockhead?

"Your Grace! Have you returned safely?"

The head steward appeared at just the right moment and bowed respectfully.

He straightened up and beamed at me.

Why was he making that face? It was creepy.

"Young Lord, I have good news for you."

"What is it?"

"You have a visitor. It seems they came to celebrate your birthday."

"Who came?"

"Lady Azelin of House Rosenthal is here. She is waiting in the reception room, saying she wishes to see you."

My face immediately twisted into a frown.

A carefree hunt with Father. A thoughtful welcome from my little sister.

For the first time since regressing, I was getting a taste of a perfect, warm everyday life.

Everything had been good until now.

What a way to ruin the mood at the end, damn it.

* * *

Creeeak.

The reception room door opened.

Valdemar and Astin entered.

Sip.

There was already a visitor inside.

Azelin sat on the sofa, sipping tea.

When she saw the two of them, she rose with elegant grace.

"It is an honor to meet the Black Lion of Cardenos. Have you been well?"

Her smile was as flawless as sunlight, and even the way she politely lifted her skirt followed proper etiquette.

She looked every bit the young lady who monopolized the affections of countless men.

"Yes."

Duke Valdemar gestured brusquely for her to sit.

Azelin calmly returned to her seat.

She had come to celebrate her fiancé's birthday, yet Valdemar's brow was deeply furrowed.

He felt as though a stone weighed heavily upon his chest.

How shamelessly would my son wag his tail this time?

And how would this inscrutable young lady coax my son again while making unreasonable demands of him?

Valdemar concealed his thoughts and sat at the head of the room.

"What brings you here without notice?"

"I only learned today that it was Astin's birthday. As his fiancée, I felt ashamed for being so inattentive, so I rushed here despite my embarrassment."

Her emerald eyes curved like crescent moons.

Azelin set down her teacup and continued softly.

"If it isn't too much trouble, may we change locations? There is something I would like to discuss with Astin in private."

It sounded like a polite request, but her meaning was different.

She was indirectly telling Valdemar to leave.

Valdemar rose with a bitter expression.

He wanted to end the meeting immediately.

It did not sit well with him to see his son so hopelessly infatuated with a woman.

But what could he do now? It was a political marriage arranged between their houses.

Besides, Astin would rather die than let Azelin go now.

"Why change locations?"

Astin spoke for the first time.

That brief tone sounded unfamiliar to Azelin.

"Astin?"

"Let's talk here. It won't take long."

The air in the reception room froze at his attitude.

Azelin's eyes trembled faintly with confusion.

"What's wrong, Astin? Is this because of what happened yesterday?"

Astin occasionally acted arrogant and indifferent in front of Azelin.

It was nothing. He was upset and throwing his own little tantrum.

Before long, he would be watching her reaction again, desperate to win her favor.

"You came to talk about breaking off the engagement anyway. We both want it, so let's get this over with."

"......!"

Azelin's eyes widened unnaturally, and even Valdemar drew in a sharp breath.

Yet after a moment, Azelin clicked her tongue softly to herself.

"What's wrong with you now, Astin?"

It was not the first time Astin had brought up breaking off their engagement right in front of her.

"That isn't why I'm here. I came because I wanted to celebrate your birthday. I even prepared a gift!"

Whenever Azelin smiled and talked with another man, or when she met someone without wearing the jewelry he had given her.

Astin would shout in anger that they should break off the engagement.

Then, before half a day had passed, he would come running back, crying his eyes out and begging for forgiveness.

It was the same predictable pattern every time.

Something must have happened yesterday.

Valdemar's thoughts had not changed much either.

Having watched from the side, he knew Astin's behavior inside and out.

While both of them thought little of the situation, Astin crossed his legs with almost absurd composure.

"Did you bring engagement annulment papers as my birthday gift? Great. It's what we both wanted."

"Astin!"

"You and Julian are already having an affair. Why would I maintain an engagement to an adulteress? We should break it off immediately."

"...Pardon?"

As if time had stopped, Azelin froze.

Valdemar flinched and stared at Astin.

"H-How could you make such a false accusation...."

Azelin lowered her head.

When she slowly lifted her face, it was wet with tears.

Azelin carefully put on an injured expression.

"Julian and I are only friends! How could you hold such a grudge just because I refused to go on a date with you? How could you slander my honor? Apologize properly, Astin!"

"Oh. Your mask is thicker than your makeup."

Author's Note

The posting time has not been decided yet, but I am thinking sometime between 6 PM and 10 PM.

I'll make an announcement once it is confirmed.

Footnotes:

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