Chapter 176: Chapter 199 - Nidavellir Dwarf Liberation Front (1)
Early in the morning, when everyone was still asleep, Vlad and Jager stood facing each other in the empty training hall.
Although the battlefield wasn’t filled with the intent to kill, the tense atmosphere between them evoked the sensation of a real combat.
"Co on, co at ."
Hearing Jager say he was ready, Vlad silently held his breath.
It was a sparring match with Jager that he had done countless tis in the past, but there was a reason he was particularly nervous today.
[As you know, Jager is the kind of swordsman who digs traps and waits. Be wary of his provocations.]
’Understood.’
The smiling figure with the lowered sword was full of cunning.
However, Vlad knew well that there was a glint inside Jager that was sharper than a snake’s teeth.
"Why? Do you want
to attack first?"
"..."
It’s not always necessary for swords to clash to begin a fight.
There are variables determined before a battle begins, and Jager had taught Vlad to secure as many invisible variables as possible.
It was as if he was mocking Vlad with a sneering expression.
"I should attack first. You’re getting on in years, and your joints must be weak."
"...Impertinent."
"And who taught
to be like this?"
"No, you always had the seed of insolence."
The position of the toes, the angle of the raised sword, even the constant shifting glances and gestures.
Though the swords hadn’t clashed, Vlad and Jager were already fiercely fighting, trying to deceive each other with traps and feints.
Finally, at the end of this preliminary duel, Vlad’s sword began to gleam under the moonlight.
"Then, here I co!"
"...!"
The heap of dirt thrown behind Vlad bounced loudly into the night sky.
An unpredictable speed.
Though he wasn’t using aura, the explosive power of Vlad’s charge was sothing Jager hadn’t anticipated at all.
’What the hell?!’
Clang!
With a loud crack, the frozen ground began to fracture.
Jager was pushed back, unable to withstand Vlad’s force, leaving a trail in the ground.
"You’ve learned a charming trick!"
"This is just a rush!"
Through the vibration of his trembling sword, Jager could see Vlad’s eyes.
His eyes were bluer than when he was a child and had gone beyond the ferocity of his youth, now reaching the realm of fierceness.
’They say he has the blood of a dragon.’
Though he wasn’t using aura, Vlad’s world felt palpable.
Vlad realized who he was and accepted his identity as Dragulia.
He was no longer just Jager’s apprentice but soone who had forged himself, as reflected in his blue eyes.
"Don’t stop. Keep the offense going."
Jager said, nodding as he saw Vlad’s eyes grow even bluer.
If you fail in a strike, you must never stop.
Opportunities will arise only through constant movent.
"Haaargh!"
Then, what now filled Jager’s gaze was the roar of a young dragon.
Amid the incessant barrage of sword attacks, Jager’s eye patch began to shift.
’...I can’t keep up.’
The thrust was as fierce as lightning, but its direction was as fluid as water.
Jager couldn’t hide his surprise seeing Vlad, who was able to embody completely different sword skills from others.
"You’ve beco a mix of techniques!"
"What do you think? Not bad, right?"
Though it was an insult, Vlad knew it was a complint, and he began to smile.
Seeing Vlad, who had grown more than expected, Jager also smiled fiercely.
"Impertinent!"
But that smile didn’t just co from joy.
It was the laughter of a predator that had found a weakness in its prey.
Thump! Thump!
From the tip of Jager’s sword, sophisticated counterattacks unique to the original master began to erge.
The tip of Vlad’s sword began to tremble due to Jager’s elegant counterattack to provoke the flow.
"Your center is still unstable, boy."
"...Argh."
Though his world was strong, his swordsmanship still had gaps.
Vlad, who had always compensated for that weakness with single-strike techniques, couldn’t help but show those gaps in front of Jager, who ticulously wrapped around his opponent.
"If this is all, you disappoint ."
"That... can’t be."
Vlad, blinded by the movent of his cloak, quickly widened the distance and escaped Jager’s trap.
However, the reason Vlad could smile despite the tilted montum was probably because he could see it was completely different from before.
"You still haven’t hit my shins, have you?"
"Ha. You’ve only learned to be insolent since you left."
How much have I grown as a person now compared to when I started?
The only person who can fully answer the question Vlad is curious about is probably Jager, standing in front of him at this mont.
The marks of their past training were still present in Jager’s world.
"This ti, I’ll break your shins so you won’t climb again."
"Does that an you’ll aim for the upper part instead of the legs?"
Though they were glaring fiercely at each other, both knights smiled as they raised their swords with joy.
Because it was ti to confirm how much they had both grown and how much they had nurtured.
Even after disappearing, the traces of their existence would remain, thought Jager, as he touched the patch on his eye.
***
"Did you win?"
"...What?"
It was the morning Vlad was supposed to leave Sturmar.
Vlad loaded the last of the luggage into the carriage and pulled Noir along with a limp.
"Didn’t you have a duel with Lord Jager last night?"
"How do you know?"
"How could I not know?"
Portly spoke excitedly, his cheeks red from the cold.
"The noise you two made last night was so loud that even I noticed. Probably all the knights and squires in the mansion know too."
"...Really?"
After hearing Portly’s words, Vlad glanced slightly toward the mansion.
As expected, just as Portly said, there were many knights lingering nearby.
"What are they so curious about? Eh, Portly?"
"Uhm..."
Portly’s fingers, which were counting the boxes, returned to their initial position upon hearing Vlad’s severe voice.
His shoulders shrunk, making his rounded figure look even rounder.
"I was just curious... If you don’t want to say, then don’t."
"I won."
"Really?"
Although Portly was surprised to hear that Vlad had won, he soon looked skeptically at Vlad’s limping leg.
"Is Lord Jager okay?"
"That’s because he cheated."
Looking at Jager, who was at the front of the line, Vlad bared his teeth in a smile.
’...He said he wouldn’t use aura.’
Jager’s world was a green glow, like the aurora in the night sky.
It was the color Vlad saw just before being struck on the shin the night before.
’Oops! I did it unintentionally.’
Why did it feel like he had lost despite winning?
He could still hear Jager’s mocking voice from last night, as he watched him suffer in pain.
"Vlad, Vlad."
"What?"
"There. The countess is looking for you."
"Eh?"
I didn’t realize because I was focused on Jager, but there was a gesture calling Vlad from the mansion’s entrance.
It was a gesture from Oksana, who had co out to see the group off.
"Was she calling ?"
"Yes, Vlad."
For so reason, there was a small tear in one of Oksana’s eyes.
However, the reason she tried to smile was out of consideration for Vlad who was right in front of her.
"If you had told
in advance that you were coming, I could have prepared more."
"..."
Vlad saw the bundles of luggage the maids were bringing out for Oksana.
They were all bundles containing clothes.
"In sumr, you should wear sumr-appropriate clothes, and in winter, you should wear winter-appropriate clothes. Now that you have beco a noble, you shouldn’t dress like you do now."
"I’m sorry."
Oksana said, caressing Vlad’s protruding neck.
Although made of high-quality fabric, the clothes that seed unusually thin were the sumr clothes Oksana had given Vlad when he was a squire.
"I cut it a bit bigger than before, so it will probably fit well."
"Thank you for your consideration."
"And also..."
A woman with whom it was always difficult to make eye contact.
Therefore, Vlad kept his head bowed for no reason, but he had no choice but to raise it when he felt a firm touch around his shoulder.
"What did you do with the cloak I gave you before?"
"...Ah."
Vlad unconsciously touched the fur that gently wrapped around his shoulders.
It was much thicker than the cloak he had given to Charlotte and kept him so warm that he could forget the winter cold.
"It’s an ermine fur cloak. This ti, don’t lose it."
As Oksana untied the old cloak and tied the new one with her own hands, Vlad was left speechless.
"Please take care of my son during this journey, Vlad, or should I say, Lord Vlad."
Looking into Oksana’s eyes, which seed sowhat sad, Vlad nodded silently.
Although she was soone else’s mother, the warmth that emanated from her penetrated deeper than the ermine fur cloak.
"Then I will leave."
"Yes."
Vlad bowed his head deeply, feeling tickled, and quickly found his assigned seat and entered.
He noticed Oksana’s eyes constantly watching him from behind, but he didn’t want to take away the ti for the mother and son to say their goodbyes.
"Wow... that cloak."
"What about the cloak?"
Nibelun, who was traveling on the roof of the carriage instead of the donkey he used to ride, began to laugh as he looked at Vlad’s new cloak.
"Could you lend
that cloak later?"
"Why?"
"My heating pouch is empty. I think it escaped because I hit it too much."
Nibelun smiled sheepishly as he shook his old heating pouch.
As he said, the pocket, which had thinned out, seed to contain nothing.
"This won’t do."
"Oh, co on, don’t do that."
Despite Nibelun’s pleading, Vlad just adjusted the collar of his cloak and didn’t give him the slightest chance.
"Find sothing else. This isn’t possible."
Realizing there was no hope, Nibelun’s ears drooped in sadness.
"Understood... But, can I ask you for a favor?"
"What?"
"Could you ask the one-eyed knight at the front to leave a bit later? I already tried, but he didn’t listen to ."
"Leave later? Why?"
In a winter like this, it wouldn’t be enough to leave before dawn, but Vlad couldn’t hide his confused expression when Nibelun told him to leave later.
"It’s just... there are people who haven’t arrived yet."
The wizard on top of the carriage let out a deep sigh as he looked at the castle gate in the distance.
"I think they’ll arrive if you wait a little."
"...Sotis I don’t understand what you say."
It was an incomprehensible advice from a wizard who deals with mysteries, but Vlad decided to heed it.
Since it was a world I had personally known, I knew very well that he didn’t speak in vain.
"Mother, I’m leaving."
"Yes, yes."
As Vlad approached Jager, Joseph and Oksana were saying their final goodbyes.
Although her words told him to leave, Oksana was still holding Joseph’s hands.
But knowing it was ti to leave, she let their hands part.
"I’ll always be here, so co back whenever you want."
"Yes, Mother."
Now, seeing his mother cry, Joseph made an effort to turn his head and look at the mansion.
The morning sun, shining over the castle walls, illuminated the mansion where he was born.
"...I’ll co back."
Contrary to what he said, the mansion felt sowhat distant, but Joseph decided to make an effort to return.
***
On a dark morning, a group of people approached the gates of Sturma.
The n, wearing thick hoods pulled up over their heads, constantly exhaled white breaths, as if unaccustod to the cold of the North.
"This is Sturma..."
A man who seed to be the leader of the group began to look at the walls of Sturma with deep eyes.
As they got closer, the majesty of the castle’s tall and strong walls left a deep impression on anyone who saw them.
"Stop! Whoever is ahead, please identify yourself!"
Although it was not yet ti for the gates to open, the n stood still, gazing in awe at the castle walls.
Seeing them, the guards of Sturma seed cautious, but ultimately had no choice but to lower the spears they were holding when they heard a word.
No, to be precise, it was because of the pointed ears of the n that beca visible when they lowered their hoods.
"We are from Ausurin."
Upon hearing the now familiar demands of humans, Baradis, the leader of the rangers, searched inside his chest and raised a docunt.
The emblem of Hainal was drawn on the beautifully sealed exterior of the docunt.
"...Elf?"
"This is a letter of guarantee written by Baroness Alicia Hainal."
The guards seed quite bewildered when they saw the elves in front of them, who were said to be difficult to see even once in a lifeti.
This is because Sturma is a place where it is hard to see not only elves but even the beastn who roam the continent.
"And if the knight, Lord Vlad, is in this city, I would like you to inform him that we have arrived."
The elves seek out Knight Vlad with the certified guarantee from Baroness Alicia Hainal.
The people whom the clairvoyant mage had been waiting for were now standing in front of the gates of Sturma.
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