I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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176 Chapter

“What is the Kashmir Princess…?”

Helios mumbled to himself as he leaned on his chin, gazing blankly over the arena. The Kashmir, who had captured his full attention, was soaring in the air, plunging her sword down at Rainer.

‘As the swordsmanship teacher of Serenon, I expected she would handle a sword to some extent…’

Helios narrowed his blue eyes. While he hadn’t attained the mastery of swordsmanship, he had naturally learned how to assess skills through countless encounters with knights.

To be on par, or even hold an advantage over the Second Captain of the Knights, Rainer Ainheart—this was beyond impressive; it was astonishing.

Catching Helios’s mutterings with his keen hearing, Caesar maintained his gaze fixed on the arena and subtly raised the corners of his mouth. It was a soft smile brimming with satisfaction.

No matter how sour Helios’s expression was upon seeing Caesar’s demeanor, Caesar leisurely tilted his head and spoke.

“She is my daughter.”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know that here? If that’s the case, it’s borderline madness. What kind of fool…”

That simple declaration of being his daughter carried immense meaning. The confidence from sharing his bloodline, the pride of having such an offspring, and a sense of fulfillment. Helios, having discerned all this, scolded him with a tone of disdain, but Caesar seemed unbothered.

“How can you have such a talent by your side yet not say a word to me?”

Meanwhile, Noah Ainheart, who was blind to the arena, reprimanded Caesar in a subdued voice. His usually kind golden eyes sparkled like a predator before its prey.

In recent times, Noah had been heavily invested in nurturing talent. Though he was nearing retirement age, he had yet to find someone to pass on the position of the First Captain of the Knights.

‘Rainer, the only one with proper skills, refuses to be promoted, saying the Second Captain’s position is just fine…’

While he still had a good ten years left in him, finding and educating a successor sooner rather than later would be preferable. Aware of this, Noah was now fervently searching for his successor.

Yet, he hadn’t realized that such a candidate was right beside him.

“If such a person exists, as an old friend, shouldn’t you introduce her to me?”

“To a man who thinks of making my daughter his bride? I must be out of my mind.”

Noah fell silent at Caesar’s cynical jeering. It was a valid point, leaving him speechless.

Noah understood Rainer’s gaze as he looked at Kashmir. He knew that the only time his son truly smiled was in her presence, which made him anxious despite being aware of the old man’s foolishness.

The child who had been sickly since he was young had visibly lacked vitality. With empty eyes, he spent each day without meaning or purpose.

While there was little that could be done about his body, it hurt too much to see his spirit sickening as well, prompting them to send him to the countryside for healing.

“Father, I want to learn the sword. I want to become stronger and someone who can protect others.”

Perhaps it was divine providence; Rainer returned completely cured from that place.

Both physical and emotional ailments healed.

The first time the mature Rainer asked Noah for something was then. When his once lifeless golden eyes sparkled, Noah thanked the gods with tears of joy.

What transpired at the resort to cause Rainer to change so drastically remained a mystery. Whenever asked about it, Rainer would clam up like a clam. Not wishing to trouble the boy who had barely recovered, Noah refrained from pressing the matter.

After that, Rainer devoted himself to learning the sword. Noah was assured that there was something behind the urgency with which he acquired his skills, but he still couldn’t understand the reason.

As time passed, Rainer once again began to lose that vitality. While it wasn’t as severe as before, his demeanor, chasing only duty and justice, rendered him like a soulless machine.

Noah had poked and nudged him to take up interests other than swordsmanship, but nothing seemed to change. While he pondered whether to force a few months of mandatory leave using his power.

‘I hear you asked the princess of the Crisis family for a dance, only to be turned down. Is that true?’

Clearly, he thought it was a baseless rumor, but upon seeing Rainer’s face turning bright red, Noah realized that his stone-like son had finally learned what love was.

It was only natural that Rainer would then take an interest in Kashmir Crisis.

Knowing that the old man’s foolishness should not go overboard, he kept a watchful eye, but deep down, he wished to play matchmaker and help if he could.

“A daughter-in-law… how amusing.”

Just like Diego, who had just made a remark to him, there were many enemies surrounding his son.

Noah squinted his eyes shut and then opened them again. Although his voice was soft, there was something unsettling about it. Diego rested his chin on his hand, smiling slyly.

“What matters is the princess’s will, right? A third party shouldn’t interfere.”

Crown Prince Diego Solaritene always spoke this way, leaving others speechless with his infinitely reasonable tone. Unbeknownst to them, he slowly tightened his grip, guiding others to act according to his wishes.

“Not everyone has blood ties…”

Noah subtly averted his gaze at Diego’s muttering.

Diego’s bloodline referred to none other than the Emperor himself. The Emperor of this Empire. If the Emperor were to step in to mediate, who would dare oppose him? That was a warning.

“Exactly. If all one can do is rely on blood ties to achieve something, isn’t that merely a sign of incompetence?”

A new voice murmured coldly. Diego’s smile turned stiff.

‘So there is someone who could rival him.’

Noah couldn’t hide his complex feelings.

Absolute power that even the Emperor couldn’t touch. There was someone closest to the gods.

“You have to handle your own affairs, don’t you?”

Gentle eyes curled beautifully at the corners.

It was the Pope, Elioir.

Stealing a glance at Elioir’s not-so-gentle silver eyes, Noah sighed inwardly.

Noah remembered the moment he first met Elioir. It was when he was being inaugurated as Pope.

‘I heard the new Pope brought a bloodbath to the temple immediately upon his ascension, so I knew he was dangerous, but I didn’t think he would be this deranged.’

With his long flowing water-blue hair and elegantly adorned papal robes, the white face that seemed to embody beauty radiated a glow. If the sun god were to descend as a human, he would look just like that.

However, on the day Noah first saw him, his formerly black eyes, now laced with divine power, were neither compassionate nor holy.

What lingered in his gaze was madness.

His depth of darkness was unbelievable for an 18-year-old boy, and Noah feared that the Empire would soon face a tyrant. Even though he knew a chosen Pope couldn’t be replaced easily, he had contemplated confessing to the Emperor to impeach the Pope.

Contrary to Noah’s expectations, Elioir effortlessly fulfilled his papal duties. No, it wasn’t just effortless; he executed them perfectly, like someone born to rule. Shortly after, he completely uprooted the corruption within the temple and seized control of its leadership, thus proving himself a capable ruler.

Yet Noah still observed Elioir with an intense gaze. Elioir’s methods felt excessively cruel, and his rigidity bordered on terror. He achieved perfect results, yet one couldn’t help but wonder if such a darkness could be truly human.

‘At any moment, he could turn into a tyrant, so I remained heedful.’

Elioir did indeed change as Noah anticipated. Not into a tyrant, but a mad lover.

Over three years of watching Elioir, Noah never once saw him genuinely smile. The only expressions he wore were either mechanical smiles for external appearances or mocking sneers.

On the day of the grand aristocratic meeting concerning the Northern issues, when Elioir gazed at Kashmir, it was the first time Noah witnessed a sincere smile from him.

In retrospect, the Elioir who had seemed more like a perfectly sculpted statue than a human appeared to be becoming more human lately. The timing of his change coincided with Kashmir’s arrival, which Noah couldn’t help but acknowledge.

The Lion of the Sun was gravely afflicted with a fever.

“Indeed. People must handle their own affairs. They must rely on their own strength.”

As Noah ruminated on Elioir’s past, mired in regrets, Diego abruptly interjected.

Elioir turned to look at Diego, their eyes of contrasting colors colliding. In the exchange of glances, an electric tension seemed to crackle in the air.

Diego wore a pure, innocent smile—one that he often had when he was determined to pierce through others’ facades.

“As I previously mentioned, I consider involving power in gaining someone quite nonsensical.”

Elioir’s eyes narrowed.

Noah, resigned, ventured once more into the past.

‘Ah, so you are Marquis Ainheart. It’s a pleasure.’

He recalled the moment he first met Diego. The boy, less than half his height, had the face of a perfect ruler. With a presence that belied his young age, Noah became convinced that Diego would be the master of the next era.

Despite enduring daily threats of assassination due to the imperial succession struggle, the boy was mature. He swept through the social circle with charm, advancing politics with cunning.

Many praised Diego Solaritene as the perfect crown prince, but Noah could see that his core was empty. He radiated no vitality and remained utterly distrustful. Watching the young prince, who had become a prince but not a human, often made Noah feel a pang of regret.

The present-day Diego was different. While traces of excessive coldness remained, he now possessed vigor. It was as if he had finally found something to believe and rely on.

Noah was well aware that Diego’s change began around the same time as Kashmir’s arrival.

“……I agree. Whatever it is, it should be done fairly.”

Elioir spoke with smooth eloquence. The tension in their gazes was palpable. Soon, the attention of other noble peers turned toward them.

“Oh! At this moment, the princess is leaping into the air, seemingly creating stepping stones with mana! She’s demonstrating incredibly swift and skilled mana manipulation! What fantastic prowess!”

As the gaze of the arena shifted toward Kashmir, who danced through the air, the fierce standoff between Elioir and Diego faltered without hesitation.

The small figure freely leaping through the air. Long hair flowing like a dream. Swordplay akin to art. Sparkling madly with vibrant pink eyes.

Noah had no choice but to acknowledge it. Kashmir Crisis was indeed a lovable person. A strong yet tender person.

Being an elderly man, he long saw Kashmir merely as a talent, but young people of his generation would naturally long to love someone like her.

‘Stay strong.’

Noah quietly cheered on his son as he gazed down at Rainer, wearing a bright smile he had never shown before while facing Kashmir. The moment he began to help, noble families and the temple would get involved, so it was probably best just to remain still, as that would be the most significant assistance he could offer.

It was indeed a purgatory of agonizing love.

“Why is everyone so worked up over my daughter?”

Watching the unfolding situation, Caesar could only sigh in disbelief.