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Translator: Lizz
A familiar face appeared about a month after Zechs arrived. It was the change of the season, when the cool breeze in the morning and evening started to feel pleasant. The leaves were finally beginning to change color all around the village, and the villagers were busy harvesting their well-ripened crops. Gateau showed up at such a time, appearing at the hut in his travel attire, perhaps returning from a mission.
Of course, it was always the same with no prior notice and barely a greeting. Leon served tea to his friend who had shown up after a long time, and as usual, he confirmed his safety with just a few words. It was a custom to not ask any prodding questions; Leon couldn’t even imagine the duties of a knight, nor did he think it was appropriate to ask. If this friendship were to continue, it was implicitly understood that touching upon his friend’s work was taboo. Besides, as long as Gateau was safe, nothing else mattered.
“I saw something interesting on my way here.”
“Something interesting?”
“A child practicing swordsmanship, and his technique looked familiar.”
Ah, Leon nodded.
“That must be Zechs. He’s my new apprentice.”
Zechs still disliked studying magic. Leon had feared that the boy would enter his library, but now he realized that was unnecessary; Zechs didn’t even try to open a grimoire. However, Leon felt uneasy about leaving the boy to do nothing; he had already received a considerable advance payment from the Iron Fortress. He wasn’t shameless enough to take the money and not do anything as a mentor.
So, after much consideration, he decided to teach swordsmanship for the time being.
Normally, mages didn’t learn swordsmanship, or rather, there weren’t any swordsmen crazy enough to teach a mage. However, Leon had been learning swordsmanship from Gateau since he was a child. He was simply interested, but he also realized at a young age that he wouldn’t be able to become a great mage, so he wanted to learn how to protect himself for the future.
He didn’t think teaching Zechs swordsmanship would improve the situation. Teaching him self-defense techniques probably wouldn’t be very meaningful either. Leon just wanted to feel like he was doing something. However, surprisingly, Zechs showed interest in the sword. After Leon taught him some basic techniques, he would disappear into the forest with a wooden sword; this had become a daily routine. Leon thought it was better for Zechs to be swinging a sword by himself than causing trouble in the village, so he let him be for now.
Today, too, he was probably swinging his sword in a place where no one could see. No, since that incident, Zechs had been careful to avoid being seen. He shouldn’t have been in a place where passing visitors might see him. This meant that Gateau knew about Zechs and went out of his way to find him.
“Oh, so his name is Zechs.”
Gateau sounded as casual as ever, but it made Leon break out in a cold sweat.
“You don’t say, the Iron Fortress…”
Seeing Leon’s tense face, Gateau gave a wry smile and lightly tapped his friend’s hand across from him.
“You’re too quick-witted and think too much, Leon. No, I wasn’t ordered from above. I just happened to be with Dariesh on the last mission. I heard it from him. He said he felt sorry for you because the child is quite difficult.”
It was common sense that the group of mages known as the Iron Fortress wouldn’t ask the knights to take Zechs away; Leon realized it now after giving it some thought, but the idea had indeed crossed his mind.
“I see.”
“I don’t know much about magic, but he seems like he could become quite a skilled swordsman if trained. What a shame. But his magical talent is amazing too, right?”
It was precisely because it was amazing that it was a problem. Leon couldn’t help but grimace, and Gateau laughed.
“You seem to be having a hard time.”
“…It’s my first time dealing with someone like that. It’s like he hates magic or something.”
“You’ve seen that before, right? Those who don’t want to admit they have a guiding vein and keep throwing tantrums.”
“No, It’s not like that. Rather than refusing to acknowledge his guiding vein, he refuses to learn. There might be a reason for it, but for now, I have no solution.”
It could be related to his complicated birthright and upbringing; Leon thought that much and hastily checked Gateau’s appearance.
Probably because he was on his way back from a mission, he wasn’t wearing his armor, which was likely packed on the horse outside. However, the cloak he wore bore the emblem of the knight order, and the sword he carried was standard issue. In other words, anyone could tell he was a knight.
“This is bad. You need to leave quickly.”
“What’s this? Quite the welcome for an old friend visiting after a long time.”
“It’s not that…”
However, he couldn’t continue; the door of the hut suddenly opened. No, Gateau must have sensed the presence. Unlike Leon, who turned around in surprise, he looked at the boy who entered with great interest.
Zechs, holding a wooden sword, seemed to quickly figure out who it was after realizing there was someone he didn’t know. The emotions in the boy’s eyes rapidly changed from surprise to fear, and then to hatred.
“…Tch!”
The moment he thought that Zechs moved, a loud cracking sound echoed through the hut. Astonished, Leon saw Zechs helplessly brandishing a broken wooden sword in the air, while Gateau, who was somehow holding his sword, held it up in its scabbard.
The moment he realized that his weapon was no longer usable, Zechs discarded it without hesitation. For him, the sword was not his true weapon.
Leon felt a tingling sensation as if an electric current had run through the surrounding magical vein. ‘This is bad’, he muttered silently. He thought Zechs was going to go berserk, but before his prediction could become reality, the boy, clad in an unusual killing intent, had been blown away and was rolling on the floor.
“Gateau!”
At his friend’s warning, the knight, looking startled, started to lower his weapon, which was poised for a follow-up attack. Leon was about to sigh in relief, but in the next moment, something like a lightning bolt shot past him, shattering the table in front of him. Before Leon could grasp the situation, Gateau, who had leapt forward, had struck the boy, who was still lying on the ground, in the stomach, preventing any further damage.
“You alright, Leon?”
Called by his name, Leon came to his senses and hurriedly ran to Zechs. Looking down at the boy, he noticed that his left arm was bent in an odd direction.
“You don’t need to break his bones, he’s just a child!”
As Leon hastily tried to perform a healing spell, Gateau grabbed his arm. The grip wasn’t very strong, but the pain was enough to make him scream.
“I’m asking if you’re okay!”
He realized it before being yelled at. Leon’s left arm had a burn-like wound, with part of the skin blistered, exposing the flesh underneath. Seeing his own injury, Leon gasped.
What would have happened if Gateau hadn’t knocked Zechs out at that moment? How much damage would have been done? And what about himself…?
He was chilled to the bone. His fingers, which had been stopped in mid-air, began to tremble.
Old Orga and the villagers called Zechs a monster, and that was true. They despised anyone with a guiding vein, calling them monsters, but this time they were right.
