WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

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

Chapter 7: Looks Like the Sword Has Wings, Not You

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The office of the head of House Cardenos.

Valdemar was reviewing documents detailing the estate's tax revenue.

A memory suddenly surfaced, and Valdemar stared into the fireplace.

As he watched the burning embers, he sank into deep thought.

Only one thing troubled his mind.

The strange behavior Astin had displayed in such a short time.

Winning thirty consecutive matches against apprentice knights.

The boy who had kept his distance from his father suddenly suggesting they go hunting.

Even declaring that he would break off his engagement to Azelin, after he had begged and pleaded with her for so long.

And he had not taken those words back.

"What could have changed him overnight?"

It was certainly a good thing.

How many times had he wished for Astin to come to his senses? In a way, that wish had come true.

Still, he could not identify the trigger, leaving him with unanswered questions.

His thoughts then returned to something Astin had said.

"I will forge a Sun Ring."

Solar, the Sun Ring.

It was no more than a forgotten ballad about knights, sung decades ago.

In truth, the only people who still bore Rings were those who had survived to this day.

The old ghosts simply could not let go of their stubbornness.

Knights who walked the Paths mocked those who forged Rings.

They called them old men hidden away in back rooms. Ghosts of the past. Fools trapped within their Rings, running in circles because they could not walk the Paths.

They were not entirely wrong.

Solar certainly had a higher ceiling.

A Swordmaster who had forged seven Rings and one who had opened seven Heart Paths.

If the two fought a duel to the death, the Ring knight would win nine times out of ten. Their destructive power was simply on a different level.

Yet only two Ring Swordmasters remained on the entire continent.

There were ten Swordmasters who walked the Paths. Three of them had already opened eight Paths.

Solar's supposedly greater potential was nothing but a theoretical illusion.

Unlike Luna, not a single knight in history had ever forged eight Rings.

"Ring knights are no different from moths. Entranced by fire, they hasten their own deaths."

Ring knights often died young. It was the price of carrying raging flames within their bodies.

There had originally been three Swordmasters who had forged seven Rings, but one had died suddenly not long ago, reducing their number to two.

Forging a Sun Ring was like walking through a blaze.

That was the decisive reason Solar had faded into history.

"If I take the easy road, I'll only become an easy knight. I have to take the hard road."

Astin's words had merit. More than that, they were right.

A Sun Ring was a scar carved over another scar.

There was always something to learn from wounds.

The Black Lion, Cardenos's symbol, was also founded on the Sun Ring.

Each Ring had to be forged at the risk of one's life, so their ancestors had urged their own bloodline to forge them.

A house carried on by children who survived mortal danger.

That was Cardenos.

It was why Cardenos had maintained its standing until now.

Thump.

Valdemar placed a hand over his chest.

His heart, cold and still for so long, beat once more.

He remembered forging his first Ring as a child.

He had run around excitedly, showing it off to his family.

He remembered forging his sixth Ring.

He had tried not to show it in order to maintain the dignity of the house head, but he had barely slept that entire day.

The lingering excitement of that day curled Valdemar's lips upward.

"I thought it had gone out."

A brief laugh slipped through the crackling firewood.

Perhaps the knight's ember he had thought extinguished still remained.

He indulged in the sentiment for only a moment.

Valdemar's eyes turned cold.

Theory and instinct were different. Romance and reality were different.

Valdemar had long since embraced the current of the new age.

The house head's reputation was directly tied to the family's prestige.

He could not allow himself to be pointed at and ridiculed like his old comrades.

What kind of knight was Valdemar now?

A Swordmaster who had opened seven Heart Paths and earned the respect of countless knights. The Black Lion of Cardenos, who had not fallen behind the times.

He would respect his son's choice.

He would respect it, but he still believed it was foolish.

"Astin. You'll admit it soon enough."

Valdemar considered his son's bold declaration half bravado.

Astin had certainly changed completely over the last few days.

But that was all.

There was an enormous difference between making a resolution and putting it into action.

There was an even greater difference between acting and succeeding.

'With the determination he has now, it wouldn't be strange for him to try.'

Astin might force himself to kindle that flame.

Valdemar expected nothing beyond that.

Luna was coiled within Astin's core.

To push through that tremendous repulsive force and forge a Sun Ring whose nature was completely opposed to Luna's?

It was, without exaggeration, a suicidal act that staked his life.

'He cannot succeed.'

Valdemar reached that cold conclusion.

Astin would give up midway through. It would be better if he did.

If he refused to give up until the end, the heat burning within him might cook him alive.

Even knowing that, Valdemar did not stop him.

Was he, like his ancestors, driving his child into mortal danger to test his worth?

He did not know.

Still.

"My son. Just don't die. There is nothing to learn from death."

Perhaps he was softer than his ancestors after all.

Valdemar swallowed his concern and picked up the documents.

* * *

Fwoosh!

Flames rose over the dagger's blade.

The wavering heat quickly warmed the air in the room.

It felt fundamentally different from controlling Luna.

Raw heat was completely under my control, moving exactly as I willed it.

"Okay. Perfect."

The Sun Ring was pulsing steadily.

A day had passed, so the aftereffects of the inner demon should have disappeared completely.

I cracked my stiff neck from side to side and threw open the door.

Cool air filled my lungs.

After staying cooped up in my room all day, every joint in my body felt sore.

In a good mood, I strolled leisurely down the marble corridor.

"G-Good morning, Young Master!"

"Yeah."

"Young Master! Your noble bearing is overflowing again today!"

"I told you, you don't have to flatter me."

Every servant I passed bowed deeply.

Was it because they still saw me as the old delinquent, or because rumors about yesterday's reception room had spread?

I didn't know why, and I didn't care to find out.

As I walked absentmindedly, my attention drifted outside the window.

The enormous iron gates opened, and a carriage entered.

"Hmm. It looks familiar somehow."

It was not a carriage engraved with the Black Lion crest.

It had a rather luxurious exterior and bore a peacock emblem.

What was that again? Which house did it belong to?

I searched my memories as I looked out the window.

"Y-Young Master!"

Urgent footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor.

An unfamiliar servant came running over, completely out of breath.

"What now? What's happened this time?"

"I, I have something to tell you... Huh? Th-They're already here!?"

I turned back toward the window, following where the servant pointed.

At that moment, the door of the carriage parked before the main gate opened.

"Ah."

Azelin emerged, showing off the hem of her splendid dress.

A rough male hand rested atop hers.

A red-haired man who had stepped out first escorted Azelin down from the carriage.

He had delicate, pretty-boy features, a straight posture, and a youthful smile.

Julian, the male lead of the secondary love line and the knight from the fallen nobility whom Azelin cherished, had arrived.

"Young Master? What should we do? Shall we invite them inside first? Or turn them away at the gate..."

I had warned them about their affair just yesterday.

'You're going to confront me head-on?'

Well, I had expected this.

I would have been disappointed if they hadn't.

"No. They came all this way. We should welcome them."

I hurried outside.

Several servants were already waiting beyond the main gate.

The servants, who had been gathered in small groups and whispering, all turned to stare at me.

Their faces were filled with confusion and tension.

They seemed to expect me to fly into a rage at any moment.

I calmly walked through the servants.

The pair walking close together in the distance stopped when they saw me.

Julian took a step forward with an easy smile.

"Please forgive my rudeness in greeting you, Sir Astin. Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do."

I scratched my chin and looked him up and down.

"You're Julian. That member of the fallen nobility who couldn't even meet my eyes when we attended the Academy. Your family name was... what was it?"

"Calvert. Have you forgotten?"

"Why would I remember a fallen house that isn't even listed in the noble registry?"

A crack ran through Julian's false mask.

Azelin's expression was even more entertaining.

Her face twisted viciously, as though she wanted to tear me apart at once.

A tragic couple separated by an engagement, and the disposable villain standing in their way.

For now, I played along with their tune.

"Sir Astin, you are being excessively rude."

"Did I say anything wrong?"

"Then I'll change how I address you as well. Young Master Astin."

"Do as you like. Sir or Young Master, what do I care?"

I snorted like a third-rate villain.

"Anyway, what are you two doing here? Did you come to grovel and beg, claiming yesterday was all a misunderstanding?"

Julian and Azelin glanced at each other.

A meaningful look passed between them, then Julian's face hardened with resolve as he moved Azelin behind him.

"Young Master Astin. I have a formal proposal for you."

Swish.

Julian reached into his coat. His movement was remarkably solemn.

"That's a glove."

"...!"

The hand searching inside his coat froze.

"You came to challenge me to a duel over Azelin, right? Your face says, 'H-how did he know?' I can see every thought written on it."

"......."

"You're not denying it."

Julian finally pulled out a white glove.

Whoosh!

The glove struck my chest and slid to the ground.

"Julian, the White-Winged Knight. I formally challenge you to a duel."

"The White-Winged Knight? An angel has descended, has he?"

What an embarrassing show-off. It made my eyes hurt.

I caught the glove before it hit the ground.

"What if I refuse?"

"I do not believe the legitimate son of Cardenos would run from a duel against someone from the fallen nobility."

"So if I say to hell with appearances?"

"How can you say something so vulgar!"

That came from Azelin.

"Have some dignity, Astin. Realize that every word you say damages your family's prestige."

"That isn't something a whore who gave her body and heart to another man should be saying."

"Astin! Watch your mouth!"

Julian stepped in as soon as I insulted Azelin.

They really were a match made in heaven.

I shrugged as obnoxiously as I could.

"Why drag this out?"

I passed them and jerked my head toward the training ground farther inside.

"Follow me. Let's settle this."

* * *

"A duel! The Young Master is dueling!"

The rumor spread through the estate like an arrow.

A live-blade duel between Astin and Julian.

The knights who had been training and the servants flooded into the training ground like a flock of sheep when they heard the news.

Once they learned what had happened between the two, the atmosphere split sharply in two.

"Oh my, that's Sir Julian? Isn't he so handsome?"

"He's trying to win love even against a political marriage! It's just like a romance novel!"

The flushed maids whispered among themselves.

A knight with a pretty face and the background of a house of the fallen nobility.

The story of Julian taking up a sword for a young lady bound by a political marriage was enough to stir the girls' romantic fantasies.

Naturally, the knights surrounding the training ground had the complete opposite reaction.

"What does that pretty-boy bastard know about political marriage?"

"He barges into someone else's home to steal the Young Master's fiancée? What romance? This is an insult to Cardenos!"

A duel challenge alone stained the name of Cardenos.

From the moment Julian entered this place, he had become the common enemy of the knights.

What was more, the Black Lion Knights had witnessed Astin's thirty consecutive victories not long ago.

To those who revered martial prowess, Astin was no longer the delinquent he had once been.

"Young Master! Knock that arrogant nose down a few pegs!"

"Show him the sword of Cardenos! Don't let your guard down!"

Julian's expression did not change despite the blatant hostility.

A house of the fallen nobility. Its entire fortune had been lost. The only thing that man had going for him was his face.

Julian had endured countless contemptuous looks and judgments.

He had always been the underdog, the weaker one.

In other words, he had made every effort to rise from the bottom to this point.

And there was one woman who recognized that effort.

Julian turned his head.

Among the spectators, he met Azelin's anxious gaze.

Julian gave her a soft smile and silently mouthed the words.

[I will come back.]

"!"

Tears welled up in Azelin's eyes.

She pressed her lips together and nodded gently.

A Cardenos knight acting as referee walked to the center.

"The duel will be fought with swords only, without aura. Do you agree?"

"I agree."

"I agree."

"This will be a nonlethal duel, not a duel to the death. If you inflict an irreparable wound upon your opponent or cripple them, you will be considered defeated. Do you agree?"

"I agree."

"I agree."

"The loser must accept the following. If Young Master Astin loses, he must break off the engagement himself. If Sir Julian loses, he must give up Lady Azelin and bear an indelible disgrace. Do you agree?"

"I agree."

"I agree."

"The duel will continue until one side surrenders or becomes unable to fight. It begins the instant the coin touches the ground."

Julian rested a hand on the pommel at his waist and glared at Astin.

Creak.

That shameless face.

His teeth ground together as he recalled all the atrocities Astin had committed.

"Do you know why you are standing here?"

"Why?"

"Because you think money and power can get you anything."

Azelin was a pitiful woman.

A woman who craved love, yet had never received true love.

Without understanding Azelin's true feelings, that man had kept her bound for years by invoking their engagement.

"You cannot win love with your family's wealth and influence. Azelin is not a shallow, materialistic person like you. She is simply a woman who wants to be loved sincerely."

"What are you talking about? She said herself that she wanted a ring and dresses as gifts."

"She only said that because she was gauging your reaction."

Julian believed he was different from Astin.

Once this duel was over, Julian would return to Azelin.

He would no longer hide it, and he would love Azelin.

"Azelin told me that you defeated thirty apprentice knights."

Naturally, it was a false rumor. Azelin had said so herself.

"Do you think dressing it up like that makes you something special? Do you think people will admire you? Astin, you cannot live without lies and deception."

Even at the Academy, Astin had been known as a worthless fool.

Womanizer, wastrel, swindler, delinquent.

He carried every kind of disgrace as a label without feeling ashamed. He did not even try to change.

He simply ran wild, trusting in his family's name.

"All of this tragedy is entirely your fault. Learn a great deal from today."

"Do you fight with your tongue?"

"...Ha."

Julian's jaw trembled.

Shing!

He drew his sword irritably.

Astin followed, lightly gripping his own sword's hilt.

At Astin's signal, the referee flicked a silver coin with his thumb.

Ting!

The coin soared into the air with a clear ring.

The silver coin spun as it reflected the sunlight, tracing an arc.

Whoosh!

Using the sound of the coin as his signal, Julian charged forward, kicking up dust.

Julian was an elite competing for top place in the Academy's practical swordsmanship department.

At his fierce speed, the knights involuntarily sucked in a breath.

As if he had wings, Julian leaped nearly ten meters in a single step.

Whoosh!

Faster than a bird, with a trajectory more fluid than a snake.

Just as Julian's sword swept toward his opponent's side.

Clang!

A deafening metallic crash rang out.

At the same time, a sword spun through the air.

Clang...

The sword stuck into the ground and trembled faintly.

Gasp!

The watching maids' mouths fell open, while the knights looked at Julian in confusion.

"So much for the White-Winged Knight."

Julian looked back and forth between his sword and Astin, his pupils shaking.

Astin sneered at his dumbfounded face.

"Looks like the sword has wings, not you. It's flying around everywhere."

"Ghk...!"

Julian's face flushed red, then pale.

His mind could not process what had just happened.

Astin had only given his sword a casual tap, yet the strength had left Julian's grip.

And when he came to his senses, this was the result.

"What are you doing? Go pick it up."

Astin pointed with the tip of his sword to where Julian's blade had fallen.

"I'm giving you a chance. If it ends like this, you'll only embarrass yourself. At least struggle before it's over, right?"

It was not mercy, but mockery.

Julian bit down hard enough to crush his lips.

'I made a mistake. I let my guard down. My hand just slipped.'

There were plenty of excuses he could use. Coincidence, mistake, luck.

After rationalizing it to himself, Julian picked up his sword.

Astin turned his gaze to the referee.

"Now that I've crossed swords with him, I get it. He could die and come back to life, and still never beat me with a sword. It won't be fun or impressive, so how about we both use aura?"

"Um... There is no issue, provided the other party agrees."

Astin stared at Julian.

His eyes asked for agreement.

Deep suspicion crossed Julian's mind.

'He suddenly wants to use aura?'

His thoughts began to race.

In truth, Julian's strength lay more in his aura than his swordsmanship.

Julian was a rare genius who had opened three Paths at a young age.

Astin, on the other hand, was a third-rate knight who had only opened two Paths.

If it became an aura battle, Julian held an overwhelming advantage in both quantity and density.

Then why? He could not figure it out at all.

Julian had no choice but to put aside his doubts.

"I agree, but are you sure?"

Vwoong!

Chilling aura wrapped around the blade, building into a fearsome presence.

Three blue Heart Paths running from Julian's core to his right arm, left arm, and lower dantian began to shine vividly.

"That is impossible! He cannot even be twenty yet!"

"Opening three Paths at that age... That's the level our captain had in his youth, isn't it?"

"Young Master! Take back what you said while you still can! He is no ordinary opponent!"

The knights, who had been celebrating only moments earlier, were instantly overcome by anxiety.

Astin did not care.

He gripped his sword's hilt tightly and sank into his inner world.

Fwoosh!

What rose along the blade was not cold moonlight.

It was a brilliant, fierce blaze, as if a fragment of the sun had been carved into it.

The blazing inferno swallowed the air of the training ground in an instant. Suffocating heat spread in every direction.

At the same time.

A reddish-gold Ring shone from the root of Astin's heart.

A perfect circle of flame, a Sun Ring.

A soundless outcry swept across the training ground.

In the silence, everyone's shock erupted.

A knight rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. Azelin blinked again and again. Julian stood with his mouth hanging open.

Celine, who had heard the news later than everyone else and come running over, stopped in her tracks.

Everyone at the training ground showed their shock in their own way.

Astin tilted his head at the gaze he felt from above.

When he looked up, a faint laugh escaped him.

'It's still too early to be surprised.'

A pair of eyes visible through the arched window.

Valdemar was looking at him with an expression that did not suit him at all.

Footnotes:

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