Translated by Mara Sov
Civil War Period Ran Gaston
Sweat poured from my body as I swung my sword in a frenzy.
What, what is this?
My vision is hazy, but my body is still moving; even when my mind is faltering, the sword techniques Ive practiced countless tis were executed naturally.
Ah, this
My sweat-soaked clothes clung to my body as my sword sliced through the air with a swift sound.
These were the mories of my Knight training.
Soon, a clash of steel ensued, the impact traveling from my hand through my arm.
After several blows were exchanged, we took a step back as the audience exclaid with bated breath.
Wow
Who is that boy? His swordsmanship is impeccable.
Ah, youre talking about the rcenarys son, Ran? Hes the sa age as the Young Master. How can a commoner like him wield a sword with this much proficiency?
The gazes of the audience gathered in the familys sparring ground, their exclamations, and mockery all turned into another weight on my shoulders.
As I struggled with this pressure and my own erratic breathing, I glared at the boy before .
Ran. A commoner. Soone unheard of and unseen. The son of a naless rcenary.
My shaking sword and trembling hands were a stark contrast to his calm and composed posture, further amplifying the chaos in my mind.
I had been instructed in the way of the sword since I was six, and ever since I could hold a sword properly, Ive rolled around with the Knights under the strict orders of the Marquis.
And yet, I cant defeat a peasant boy who never even received proper Knightly training!
How could this be?
The boy standing opposite of was also astonished.
That very expression on his face stroked a fire within , as a mix of rage and sha overwheld .
My mont of emotional turmoil is cut short, however, by a single clicking of the tongue.
Tsk
Amidst the countless voices, this sound was clearly heard by .
My father, the Marquis of Lafayette.
A war hero who rose from a re Knight to beco the Head of Lafayette with his overwhelming bravery and unquestioned authority.
The strongest Knight in the Kingdom.
And this very sa man was watching struggle against a commoner boy.
His disdainful gaze pierced my back like an arrow, causing to break out in a cold sweat.
To be seen like this, after all my hard work!
Driven by my desperation, I lunged forward once more.
Wooooooaaaah!
My war cry sounded more like a desperate scream, even to my ears.
Kicking the ground, the distance between us shortened quickly, and with a swing of my sword, a tallic screech filled the air as my arm buckled under the impact.
The full force of my swing, the one Ive put my all into, was blocked with absurd ease.
To soone unfamiliar with swordsmanship, the match may appear even.
But any capable fighter could surely see that I was at a disadvantage.
Even after using every technique I knew of, every dirty trick I could think of, I couldnt get past his defenses.
With such a gap between us, it was obvious why he didnt go on the offensive.
Because I was the Marquiss son.
He couldnt crush in front of the Marquis; at the sa ti, he also couldnt show a sloppy performance, so that was why he was stuck on the defensive.
That honest consideration, or rather, his genuine conduct made grind my teeth.
My arms were already throbbing from exhaustion and the gazes filled with disappointnt of the Marquis and the other vassals continued to pierce through .
It was simply too much.
The foul taste of blood spread in my mouth as I bit into my lips.
All the expectations derived from being the son of the Marquis and the best Knight in Francia had always haunted since childhood.
The Marquis may have been a great Knight, but he was not a good father.
He wished for to follow in his footsteps and beco the next generations Blue Knight. As such, in order to live up to his expectations, I had to endure grueling training since I was a child.
Theres no way Ive endured all that pain just to fail like this!
But just as I was about to charge again, a cold voice halted .
Enough.
My opponent sheathed his sword as if hed been waiting for those words, and I turned my stiff neck to look toward the highest seat in the audience.
The Marquiss cold, contemptuous gaze tore into .
Enough of this sha.
Ah.
The words of the Marquis echoed around my ears like a dark reminder of my own pathetic self.
The vassals looked at with pity, so even directed an understanding gaze at .
And my mothers eyes, filled with tears.
Ah, that was the final straw.
Im not done yet! Not yet!
I didnt even realize I was shouting.
I lifted my sword, infusing it with mana.
Y-Young Master!
I saw Ran flinch at the sight of my sword, now faintly glowing with my mana.
The basic qualification of a Knight, to be able to harness your mana, isnt sothing you can do just by being talented with a sword.
No matter how skilled you are, you cannot block a mana-enhanced sword with a normal one.
The tournants were ant to showcase ones talent, including those who hadnt had forr training.
I didnt even rember the rule forbidding the use of mana.
Nor did I consider that my opponent would be seriously injured by my actions.
Nothing crossed my mind at that mont.
I was simply desperate, trying to prove that all that ti spent on training and enduring the most torturous thods wasnt wasted.
But then, with a horrific screech, my sword exploded into a million pieces.
The fragnts of the broken sword scratched and cut , but I barely felt it.
My trembling vision fell upon a dagger lying intact among the remnants of my sword before following its previous trajectory.
You worthless piece of trash.
That was a fathers, not a Marquiss, sentint towards his 14-year-old son.
-
Ah, fuck.
I opened my eyes with a curse.
I had a nightmare of one of the worst monts of my life.
Young Master? Is sothing wrong?
Rubbing my eyes, I felt a sense of self-loathing as I looked at my escort Knight who looked worried.
We were on our way to Montpellier in search of the Princess.
Baron Domont tried to stop since the plague was still spreading, but I persevered.
Taking a large search party was foolish with the plague still ravaging the land and it could cause so rather serious misunderstandings if the subjects of the Marquisate saw their acting lord sneaking out of a quarantined city.
That was why I only took Sir Gaston with while we made our way out of the city.
Were both skilled enough to defend ourselves and we could move much faster this way.
The night sky was completely dark and silent except for the crackling bonfire around us.
I shivered for a mont as I recalled the nightmare, and with a fake composure, I answered him.
No, its nothing.
In retrospect, Ran now gifted the title of Sir Gaston, did nothing wrong on that day.
It just so happens that he, a once-in-a-century genius, had enlisted in the sa tournant as I had, and had received training from his father, a veteran rcenary. And to the Marquis, his pride ant everything.
It was a simple soul-crushing coincidence.
Because of that unfortunate coincidence, I spent many years wallowing in my self-hatred.
However, in a way, that day made into who I am.
I watched Sir Gaston stroke the campfire for a mont before opening my mouth.
Im sorry.
Hm?
Back then, in my foolishness, I might have seriously injured or even killed him.
Moreover, the Marquis banished Sir Gaston, who had defeated , to the mansion, under the pretext of being my escort. So, despite his absurd talent as a commoner turned Knight, he was essentially buried away.
My Lord. Forgive but I dont understand it
ItsIm sorry for many things.
Sir Gaston, who was a lot bigger than , scratched his stubbly chin in awkwardness.
Before I regressed, I developed an inferiority complex because of him and always tried to avoid the man.
Yet, this man remained loyal to until his death.
I should have apologized and expressed my gratitude to him ages ago. But since he wouldnt understand , I said sothing else instead.
Thank you for following , even in this plague.
I am your escort, My Lord. Its natural for to follow you.
I chuckled at Sir Gastons single-minded answer. The son of a naless rcenary seed far more Knightly than the so-called Blue Knight.
My Knight. Its your turn to rest, Ill keep watch.
Its fine, My Lord. I can still
If it were for only a day or two, that would be understandable. And If I had intended to enjoy a full nights sleep, I would have brought a more sizable escort team.
My apologies then.
He didnt argue anymore and covered himself with a blanket to lie down.
Looking at the campfire I allowed myself to beco lost in thought, and then I glanced at Sir Gastons figure.
A Knight with an unfortunate tale. Born a commoner, he remained loyal to his Lord until the end, but he died without ever being repaid for his loyalty.
So, I whispered a promise, an oath made to my most loyal Knight.
This ti, Ill make sure to repay your loyalty.
Had I never been defeated by Sir Gaston and won the tournant, would I have grown to beco just like the Marquis?
If that happened
I might have been unable to accept the flaws of this rotten Kingdom and its corrupt nobility until the mont I was led to the guillotine by the Revolutionaries; instead, I would have harbored my hatred and sharpened the blade of revenge against those who killed .
If theres a God out there, surely, he wouldnt have sent back just to give the opportunity to avoid my death. There must be a reason as to why I, of all the nobles who died in the Revolution, was sent back.
When I first returned, I admit I was simply resentful of my death and treated everyone no differently than the Marquis. My top priority was simply avoiding my fate.
But now, Ive changed quite a bit and ford many connections.
I know of the demons who laugh while drinking the pus and blood of this crumbling Kingdom. I know of the royalty and nobles driving this land to ruin with their greed and ambition.
And because I know all of this, I cant just sit back and wait for the right mont to reap the most benefits.
Eventually, the two Princes who are destroying this Kingdom must fall, alongside this Kingdom of Knights, where the so-called honorable Knights are the sa as most devils.
Before the stench of the decomposed bodies drives those desperate enough into a frenzy of hatred and madness, who will spill even more innocent blood in their quest for Revolution.
As if to mock my resolve, upon arriving in Montpellier, we wandered around for days.
What did they say, My Lord?
That they left so ti ago.
I couldnt hold back a grimace as I stepped out of a commoners ho.
Unlike the Marquisate which provided so dicine and food before the lockdown, the local lord here seed to have mismanaged the situation as there were residents, begging for rcy, clinging to , and nearly causing an uproar.
When we left the Marquisate, we brought a considerable amount of food, but now its nearly gone, as there was nowhere to purchase more even if we had the coin for it.
Tsk-. This is not going to be easy.
Sir Gaston and I both covered our faces and wandered around, barely making contact with the villagers.
After all, it would be unfortunate if either of us caught the plague.
I stared at the pits where the victims of the plague were thrown and burned.
There were comparatively fewer victims of the plague in this region.
In so villages we passed though, it was common to see bodies covered with flies by the roadside, and so places even beca ruins with no one around.
The most serious problem now was.
The people here hail the Princess as a Saintess and refuse to cooperate with our search.
Weve tried to assure them that we ant her no harm, and we even tried to threaten them with our noble authority
But we learned a pitiful amount. It was just the sa things I received from the Aquitaines rchants; that the Princess wears a full-length veil, moves with an escort, and mainly visits the hos of the sick at night to provide them treatnt before disappearing.
After a few days, I beca certain.
I think shes avoiding us.
Even my most loyal Knight sighed.
I understand his plight.
Truly, I do.
Being dragged out by his Lord, for a task he claims to be of utmost importance, only to chase after a Saintess or whatever his goal was during the most perilous outbreak of plague in recent tis.
Yes, it must be a little frustrating.
Honestly, Im at my wits end too.
Weve been asking the villagers for the whereabouts of the Princess, but since they appear to be cooperating with her, rather than us, its inevitably difficult to track her down.
Its certain that the Princess is mostly active during the night. All the testimonies we managed to gather match this. So what does she do during the day? Does she sleep? Or does she hide sowhere?
I thought that the damned Holy Church was trying to fra her as a witch, but turns out they werent so far off base after all.
If she wasnt treating the sick, the fact that a woman was covering her whole body, even wearing a veil, and is only active during the nightIt is almost comically easy to write her off as a witch.
Eventually, Sir Gaston and I looked at each other and sighed deeply while preparing to camp.
Stretching my sore body, I watched Sir Gaston tend to the bonfire.
Seeing the usually stern Knight show a small smile on his face, even I couldnt help but be elated as well.
With our provisions mostly depleted, we decided to hunt.
What was the use of having a bow if not for opportunities like this!
Normally, its a cri to hunt without permission in soone elses territory, but that only applies to commoners. Besides, the Lord of this land is holed up in his manor and wont co out anyti soon.
After a successful hunt, a wild boar was roasting over the fire, giving off a delicious aroma and the sight of the dripping fat ward my heart.
While we savored the at, I hoped that this string of good luck continued so that we may find the elusive Princess soon.
But our pleasant ti was brief.
Both Sir Gaston and I reached for our swords.
Soon after, faint footsteps approached our camp through the forest.
The person who erged from the forest was wearing a dark cloak as travelers often do.
It wasnt particularly large and beneath the cloak, I could see a long robe.
But the figure had a hood, a veil, and even gloves on their hands.
Whats this? Doesnt this getup scream Look at ! Im a shady person!.
Wait.
Hold on.
Ex-excuse .
A distinctive feminine voice ca out from the cloaked figure, followed by a rather loud growling sound.
Silence ensued.
And this woman, who was clearly too suspiciously dressed to be called a Saintess beca flustered.
Awawa-. I. I-Im sorry, r-really sorry, since weve just t, butumc-could you please share so food with ?
By the tone of her voice, she seed incredibly embarrassed. My brain struggled to keep up with this scenario, as all the tension in my body vanished.
You know what? Screw it. I should have tried to lure her out with food before, instead of going through all that trouble searching for her.
TL Note: Well well well, looks like em saint is a glutton!
Hehehehe I hope yall liking this, cause I almost killed myself translating this on a speed above the MTLer guy, so please share sum genesis love on NU reviews and of course sum MTL hate as well.
/genesisforsaken
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