The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 57

Time flew by.

The Grand Duke’s return party was just around the corner.

Lael lay on a hammock in the Special Guard, contemplating the upcoming party.

‘Hmm… the party is in a few days. Should I start leaning towards joining the Rein Knights?’

That would be the easiest way to participate in the party.

As a knight of the Grand Duke, there would be no problem wandering around the party venue.

“Hey, Lael. Move.”

Just then, a voice interrupted Lael’s thoughts.

It was the crazy elf, Reina.

She was disturbing his meditation again today.

Lael sighed and looked at Reina.

“Reina, do you know what the flower language of a four-leaf clover is?”

“A four-leaf clover? Isn’t it luck?”

“Yes. A four-leaf clover means luck. But the three-leaf clover next to it means happiness. People are missing out on a lot of happiness in their search for small bits of luck.”

“…Is that so? Three-leaf clovers and four-leaf clovers are the same species.”

The elf Reina, a child of nature, tilted her head.

A four-leaf clover is just a malformation of a three-leaf clover. They are the same species, so their flower meanings can’t be different.

However, instead of pointing out such trivial things, she asked something else.

“By the way, Lael.”

“Yeah.”

“What does that have to do with you lying on my hammock? I should be the one lying on the hammock imbued with the power of nature. You can lie somewhere else.”

“…It means you should value everyday happiness more than fleeting luck. Yield to me just for today.”

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

Reina shook the hammock back and forth.

However, Lael didn’t want to give up the hammock imbued with nature either.

Because he could take a good nap while lying here.

Lael ignored Reina’s complaints, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the hammock.

Thud- Thud-

“Are you guys fighting again? You have such a good relationship.”

“Gent! Lael is lying on my hammock!”

“Lael. Did you steal Reina’s hammock again?”

Just then, Gent, a member of the long-lived species cartel, came to Reina’s aid.

Lael opened his eyes, saddened by the reality that he had no one on his side.

“Hey, Gent. The flower language of a four-leaf clover is… Huh?”

Lael blinked as he looked at Gent.

He wasn’t wearing his usual casual giant attire, but a neat suit.

He even had a sleek, all-back hairstyle.

It was strange to see him holding a trowel in such a neat outfit… but Lael looked at Gent as if he were a wonder.

“Am I dreaming?”

“You’re seeing correctly.”

“Gent. Are you going on a blind date or something? Are you finally trying to continue the lineage?”

Lael scanned Gent up and down.

He didn’t know the giants’ standards of beauty… but Gent seemed decent enough.

“…It’s not that. Yuri will be attending the party soon, and I’m planning to participate with her. Today is the day Yuri inspects my outfit.”

“Party? …Why you?”

The party Yuri was attending was, of course, the Grand Duke’s return party.

This party was for the imperial nobles to celebrate the Grand Duke’s return.

In other words, it was a party only for humans.

No matter how close he was to Yuri, Lael couldn’t understand why Gent, a different species, was participating.

“They said they needed someone to act as a personal knight at the party. Reina is a woman, so she can’t play the role of a knight, so I ended up taking on the role.”

“…”

A siren went off in the head of Lael, the expert in medieval fantasy.

If that giant went to the nobles’ party, Yuri’s image would plummet to the ground.

The nobles of the empire, already steeped in discrimination and inequality, would never leave a giant alone.

This wasn’t a prediction, but a certainty.

‘Did they take Gent in the original story too? …No. I led this party, so it wouldn’t have been in the original story.’

The golden lifeline, Yuri, was in danger of being ignored by the nobles.

But it’s okay.

There’s an honorary knight of the Silver Cross Knights here.

Lael can take on the role of the knight.

“Sorry, Gent. Save that suit for your wedding.”

Lael got off the hammock, stood on the chair next to him, and patted Gent on the shoulder.

“Yay. The hammock is mine.”

Reina had taken over the hammock in the meantime, but he didn’t care.

“…What are you talking about?”

“I can play the role of the knight. No, why didn’t you tell me in the first place? Aren’t I more suitable than you?”

“…”

Was he asking because he didn’t know?

Gent was amazed by Lael’s confidence.

He wondered where that unfounded confidence came from.

“Anyway, I’ll go talk to Yuri, so wait here.”

Lael confidently entered the Special Guard building.

It was time to grab the golden lifeline tightly again.

*

Inside the Special Guard building.

Yuri’s personal maid, Isabel, was present again today.

“Lady Yuriell. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“…Yes. I guess so. I’m sorry. Isabel.”

Yuri took a deep breath and thought about the upcoming party.

This party was not an imperial event, but a party she was attending as the Second Princess.

No nobles had ever personally invited the weakest Second Princess before.

In other words, it was her first personal event.

Naturally, she couldn’t help but be nervous.

“However, it’s a shame that we haven’t been able to contact the Grand Duke even once.”

“…Yes. Well, the Grand Duke has a chronic illness, so.”

As a result of checking, it was true that the Grand Duke and the Rein Knights supported Yuri.

However, it was a shame that she hadn’t seen the Grand Duke’s face before the party.

“A personal knight is also a bit of a shame. Gent said he would help, but it would be nice to receive support from even one proper knight from the Rein Knights.”

“Let’s ask Lael. Isabel.”

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it… but the memories of the mercenary group keep coming back.”

Isabel recalled Yuri’s outing two months ago.

The day Lael took Reina and destroyed a mercenary group…

If something similar happened at the party, there would be no such disaster.

“Th, that’s… Lael will know how to distinguish between time and place.”

“I hope so too…”

Knock knock-

Just then, a knock interrupted their conversation.

Reina opens the door without knocking, and Gent knocks as if he’s going to break the door.

Only Lael knocks so politely.

‘Looking at that, he seems like a decent man.’

Isabel pondered with a sullen expression.

Of course, he saved Lady Yuriell and her life, so he is a decent man.

But… she’s just afraid of the possibility of a little remaining accident.

“Come in. Lael.”

“Yuri. Good morning. Hello Isabel too.”

“…… Yes. Lael.”

“Hmm.”

Lael touched the badge of the Honorary Knight on his chest upon hearing Isabel’s address.

Seeing this, Isabel lowered her head and spoke again.

“Good morning, Sir Lael.”

“Haha, Isabel. You too.”

“…”

Isabel shook her head at Lael’s proud expression.

‘This man is hopeless.’ He’s too frivolous.

Although he saved her life, public and private matters must be kept separate.

“Mr. Lael, what brings you here?”

“I heard you’re considering Gent as your exclusive knight for this party.”

“Ah, yes, it’s not entirely decided, but we’re testing…”

“Is it appropriate to bring a giant to a party for imperial nobles, Yuri? If you needed a knight, you should have told me.”

“Ah… yes! I was going to tell you, Mr. Lael, but… I didn’t have a way to contact His Highness the Grand Duke or the Rein Knights.”

Yuri smiled apologetically.

Because of Isabel’s persuasion and her memories, Yuri hesitated for a moment… but in truth, Yuri was also in favor of bringing Lael.

He was someone she could trust.

“Don’t worry. I told you, I’m not affiliated with them. I’m an Honorary Knight. Trust me with it.”

Lael proudly puffed out his chest.

The Honorary Knight badge gleamed, showing off its splendor.

“…Lady Yuriell.”

Isabel cautiously spoke to Yuri.

However, Yuri shook her head.

“It’s okay. I can trust Mr. Lael. A knight’s ability to protect their lord is what’s important.”

“I can’t deny that…”

In the end, the decision was Yuri’s.

Isabel lowered her head and followed Yuri’s words.

‘Right. Maybe I had too narrow a view.’

Yuri was right.

Perhaps she was angry not at Lael himself, but at Lael’s informal way of speaking?

Only then did Isabel truly understand her own feelings.

“Sir Lael. Then, may I ask you to assist Lady Yuriell?”

Isabel bowed politely.

“I’m happy to do it. Yuri, please take care of me.”

“Yes. Mr. Lael.”

Yuri smiled faintly and shook hands with Lael.

With him, she felt she could navigate the upcoming party well.

‘Please, just don’t cause any accidents, Sir Lael. I’ll trust you…’

The maid Isabel prayed to the goddess Gaia as she watched the two of them.

*

The backyard of the 4th District Orphanage.

Lael focused on training for the upcoming Grand Duke’s return party.

It wasn’t a war, but a party, but you never know when you might need to use your strength when people gather.

“Please, take care of me.”

Swish-

Lael smiled and drew his sword.

Rein had to go to the 1st District soon, so he couldn’t spar with Lael, but fortunately, there were knights in the orphanage’s backyard besides Captain Rein.

They were members of the Rein Knights who had become quite friendly.

“Thousand Slaughter Sword. First Form. Entering Heaven.”

Lael infused his sword with mana and rushed at the knight in front of him.

To embody the state of Entering Heaven, much sparring was needed.

“Hmph…!”

Clang-!

The face of the Rein Knight who received Lael’s sword turned bright red.

His head was swimming with blood because he had exerted too much force.

“Ugh!”

However, even so, he couldn’t withstand Lael’s sword energy.

He fell awkwardly to the ground, rubbing his sore back.

Whoosh-!

At that moment, a sword pierced towards Lael from behind.

Seeing the stab aiming for his side, Lael twisted his body and struck the side of the blade with his fist.

Seeing the trajectory of the sword change from the punch, the knight’s eyes widened.

“Y, you’re using your fist against a sword?”

“I just have a good sense.”

Thud-!

Lael smiled and struck the knight’s armor.

“…This is quite humiliating.”

Rein, who was watching Lael and the knight’s sparring, gave a bitter smile.

Even a month ago, the difference wasn’t this great… In just one month, he had become skilled enough to play with three Rein Knights.

‘He wasn’t even using his full power… The difference must be quite significant.’

If he was sparring with three early-stage Graduates… it was safe to say he had already surpassed a fully mature Graduate [a rank of knight].

He had already faced the wall of Sword Master.

Rein, who was called a genius, had glimpsed the realm of Sword Master when he was over 40, so there was no need to say more about Lael’s talent.

“Captain. What exactly is Sir Lael’s sword? Is it a sword from the Silver Cross Knights?”

Rein Knight’s adjutant, Kirie, asked, looking at Lael’s sword.

He had been active as a knight his whole life, but he had never seen such a sword.

“It’s not a sword from the Silver Cross Knights. In the first place, I’ve never seen that sword either. Perhaps… it’s a self-created swordsmanship.”

Rein knew all the swordsmanship in the empire.

It was a truly unfortunate story… but there was no such outstanding swordsmanship in the empire.

“Hmph… to create swordsmanship in his twenties. I’m worried that the knights will lose confidence.”

Swordsmanship is created by gathering teachings and realizations accumulated over generations.

To create such a sword himself, he might as well fight while shouting out the name of the technique.

“What advances the world is not the thousand steps of mediocrity, but the one step of genius. It’s an inevitable law of the world. Don’t have strange thoughts either. Lael is a genius beyond me.”

“…”

Kirie nodded, looking at Lael.

If they lost confidence in swordsmanship after seeing such a person, most swordsmen in the empire would have to lay down their swords.

“First Form. Entering Heaven!”

“Kuaaaak!”

Kirie felt a sense of wonder as he looked at Lael’s sword.

The combination of heavy sword energy and light swordsmanship blended strangely well.

It was truly genius swordsmanship.

‘Swordsmanship of a genius beyond the Captain…’

And Kirie… eventually arrived at a thought he shouldn’t have.

He heard that the Captain also fought while saying the names of his techniques when he was young.

Could that be… a common trait of talented people?

“Captain. I would like to participate in the sparring.”

“Okay. I should head to the 1st District soon. I’ll leave the management here to you.”

Rein patted his adjutant Kirie on the shoulder and left the orphanage.

And Kirie… looked at Lael and drew out his sword energy.

“Sir Lael! I will participate too!”

“Yes. Sir Kirie. Come on in.”

Lael smiled and looked at the adjutant.

Since Rein wasn’t there, it was time to play with the knights today.

“…Kirie Swordsmanship Chapter 1!!”

Kirie rushed at Lael, suppressing the blush on his face.

It was a sacrifice to become stronger.

And, a little later, he fell to the ground.

Sadly, nothing much changed in his swordsmanship.