章 149: Mask [3]
A little later, inside the carriage heading back to the Academy.
You can hear a bunch of people bickering noisily.
"So, noble sir, your goal is to wipe out all the demons on the continent? You knew something was going to happen at the Avilat gambling house too?"
"Right."
Paracelsus tried to brush off my immediate response, but perhaps harbored some doubt, he asked again.
"And you dragged us along for that?"
"Naturally"
I answered Paracelsus' question confidently. As if it was absurd, he let out a laugh, albeit dejectedly.
He glared at me.
"You're completely crazy, aren't you?"
"Are you looking to get punished for insulting a noble? Either way, didn't you not fight directly anyway ?"
"In Eldain, everyone's equal, you crazy noble. No matter how strong you are, do you think we could handle an upper-class demon with our current ability?"
Unexpectedly even if he had to put aside being brought along, he focused more on different matters, in other words, whether my comrades could actually win
Paracelsus. As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a surprisingly kind side.
Sure, he was a pain in the neck when I was playing the game, but he had his reasons, and once he joined the team, his crazy performance turned the public's opinion around.
In various ways, there's no doubt when it comes to performance
But my attitude never changes.
I crossed my arms and retorted as if it was natural.
"You and I are different. I survived that water prison because I'm not as weak as you. Besides, I succeeded, didn't I?"
I strangely poked at him.
I get that he tried his best, but if someone annoys me, I have to snap back to feel satisfied. That's one of the (admittedly sad) perks of being a ruffian, so I intend to make full use of it.
Either way, even If I do a good deed, I still get criticized.
So why should I bother doing good at all?
That doubt suddenly surged up
"Sigh…"
"Young master… You've always been like that, but it's too dangerous. Even from a distance, it was clear that was an upper-class demon at a glance. I actually think Mr. Paracelsus's words have a point this time."
Zitri said.
Of course, they don't know the demon I fought was one of the 72 Demons.
In the first place, the alchemy caused mana to go on a rampage, and other than me, who has an innate mana sensitivity, there was no one else who could properly sense it from a distance.
Leon, he was focused on controlling the undead, so he would have difficulty noticing it.
In a way, it's a relief.
"It's all in the past now. Nothing will change by dwelling on it."
"But sir, you should be careful who you fight. Otherwise, won't your girlfriend, or should I say, girlfriends ? Anyway, they would be sad, wouldn't they ?"
"Commoner, do I really need to draw my sword here?"
"Try it if you can, noble sir. If you think you can beat me in your battered state."
"Please don't fight like that. We're comrades who've been through life and death together after all."
Leon stepped in to stop us. His figure is like a pacifist. Anyway, Paracelsus…
As expected, this guy isn't compatible with me.
Thanks to him bringing up girls topic, the atmosphere is getting cold.
At worst, I might get the way of my last moment from Talia,
From Zitri, a bomb of nagging and reports to the family,
and a disdainful look from Eleanor.
If it reaches Princess Penelope's ears?
No need for more explanation from there, it would be the worst scenario.
Paracelsus almost gave them a suitable topic for that motive.
There's no reason for me to not be angry.
After a moment.
Leon looked at me and hesitated, then spoke up as if it was dubious.
"By the way, who was that woman fighting with you? I caught a glimpse of her before Mr. Nox cut down the demon. She wielded a sword that shimmered like moonlight. She seemed at least on par with Dean Noah."
"I don't know either"
I lied confidently.
[The trait 'Genius of Acting' assists the player's acting.]
At any rate, the only one who could see through this lie is Eleanor.
But she and I are in relations where we keep a lot of things from each other.
Besides, with the recent beast materials case, she's trying to stay on my good side. She probably wouldn't rashly accuse me of lying.
So I could be even more confident.
"I am still concerned about how Professor Aleph mentioned that she was dangerous existence… But I am not sure why, I think we're going to get involved frequently"
Talia shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as if feeling a chill. It was an instinctive reaction as a knight.
"By the way, Zitri, are you feeling better now?"
I turned my head to Zitri and asked. Zitri.
It is because she was the most shaken up during this journey.
Especially during the underground auction.
Even though Zitri lost her family's name and noble status, she still comes from a once-prosperous family,
The Rovelia family.
As someone raised as the precious daughter of a noble house, a shady place like a slave market must've been a huge psychological burden for her.
The other units at least trained to become knights or mages, so they're somewhat used to this kind of thing, but Zitri isn't.
'I'll have to take good care of her when we get back. She'll probably be emotionally fragile for a while.'
I thought lightly about it, then looked out the carriage window, resting my chin on my hand.
Then, trying to sound as nonchalant and ruffian-like as possible, I said,
"Don't worry about it. Just forget it."
"Thank you, Young master."
Zitri blushed a little. Talia, who had been watching closely, had a strange look on her face, making assumptions that reason to the bad direction.
I quickly shifted my gaze away from her to the front.
"I am sorry for breaking the mood, but I've got one more question."
It was at that moment.
Suddenly, Paracelsus, getting serious, spoke up to me.
"That water prison, you said? How exactly did you get out of that place? I saw you break the water prison with a sword, so don't even think about dodging the question."
'Damn it.'
As expected of Paracelsus
Even from a distance, it seems he has seen me use the [Moonlight Sword].
To make things worse, Paracelsus casually added the following words.
"At the very least, that wasn't Dark family swordsmanship. What was that? That sword that shattered like moonlight.."
"It looked like the one that woman who killed the demon was using."
Leon added.
After a brief moment of silence.
I came up with an answer to deceive my comrades.
Though it weighed on my conscience a little. I had no other choice.
"Well, as you said, it's not a Dark family swordsmanship. It's not something taught by my family either, You can say it's another Swordsman's style. Well, to be precise, Leon. it's just something I copied after seeing sword of the woman you mentioned"
"You copied her sword…?"
Talia was surprised, but Paracelsus seemed even more surprised.
You could tell by the way his pupil, visible through his monocle, rapidly dilated.
"A different swordsman's style… But why? You shouldn't have a reason to learn such things. The Black Sword has already reached the pinnacle of all swordsmanship, hasn't it?"
"I've heard the same. The 'Supreme Black Sword' is said to be the strongest sword…"
Talia perked up her ears and agreed with Paracelsus.
As a swordsman, they must be deeply interested in swordsmanship
"I made up my mind not to learn a half-baked swordsmanship. You know, only one person inherits all the Reinhaver family's techniques, and that's the direct successor who will become the head of the family. Only one."
The atmosphere grew solemn for a moment.
I continued calmly.
"Though the sword of Dark family is impressive, I thought that I wouldn't achieve what I wanted with this sword. So I simply started learning a different sword."
"…Such circumstance is…"
As expected, a model of knight…
Talia mumbled, on the verge of tears.
But wasn't there some truth in what I said?
Though it's true that recently Theo has given me an unusual amount of interest and support.
The rumor that he wants me to take the position of the next head of the family has spread so widely in the mansion that no one doubts it.
'Of course, I'm strongly refusing it.'
Besides, I needed to become an unrestrained, true knight, not a half-baked one.
If I didn't master proper footwork and swordsmanship and carve my name into the highest ranks.
The peak of the 72 demons.
Defeating Baal is impossible.
Knowing this, I planned to learn the [Moonlight Sword] from the beginning.
From the moment I decided to join Lunatic—or rather, even before that, I aimed for this.
I planned to learn sword from her, the three forms of the latter half, moving forward, and even mastering the tenth form that I haven't seen yet.
That's why I studied southern swordsmanship in Chaders and came here to Avilat to obtain the ancient dragon language scroll.
To surpass my limits and elevate the character of Nox von Reinhaver to the pinnacle, this process was necessary.
"Anyway, I have no intention of relying solely on Dark Family's swordsmanship. They're limited. A sword that I can't master until the end. That's not the level I'm aiming for."
I said arrogantly.
While Leon rubbed his chin for a moment, he responded
"Garen….. I've heard that the authority of the eldest son of Reinhaver is strong, and I suppose that's why."
I nodded at his words and crossed my arms lightly.
"Yeah. I believe he'll become the head of the family. The elders' council and others all support him. In that situation, I thought it was better to build my influence steadily rather than engage in a bloody battle."
I paused briefly before continuing.
"And this is the result. A new sword. Of course, I don't know the final form of this one either, so in the end, I'll have to learn another sword, but it was suitable for overcoming the situation at the time. That's why I used it. That's all."
"I will ask one more thing, Sir. Are you really not related to that woman? No matter how you look at it, that sword was too sharp and shocking. I've never heard of such a sword. And you learned it just by seeing it once? That's difficult even for me."
"I can do what you can't. There's no need to explain everything from your standard"
"Why do you want to defeat the demon?"
Leon asked, but I ignored him this time too, and said,
"I don't have any reason to talk about my personal matters."
Quickly drawing a line, I made him step back.
There was no need to talk about the Moonlight Sword and the demon here.
As the world continues to build up and the story progresses, it will all become clear.
Everyone will know soon enough.
I won't cause any more butterfly effects by revealing it to them now.
I only have a small hope that each of them find me annoying and grow faster.
While I was lost in thought, Paracelsus clicked his tongue and leaned back.
The guy lacing his fingers behind his neck and said.
"Haa, so many secrets. As expected from someone from Dark family."
"Thanks for the compliment."
I also crossed my arms and looked out of the rattling carriage.
The desolate land was visible through the window.
As I stared at it for a while, one thought crossed my mind.
Not anything else but the professor I met a little while ago.
'Professor Aleph… Our encounter happened sooner than I expected. I must eliminate him as quickly as possible. Before the situation becomes more dangerous.'
My eyes calmed down.
I might have to deal with him a little earlier than expected.
Perhaps the timing of episode 3 might get pushed forward.
While thought that, I forcefully closed my eyes despite not feeling sleepy.
Although I knew Zitri's persistent stare was still on my skin, I managed to endure it.
I felt thinking about the upcoming events made my head ache already.
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