## Chapter 625 – 625. God’S Atlantis
625. God’s Atlantis
I left the Tomb of Swords with Seira.
She had changed from her training clothes back into her original attire. It was a dress that clung to her body for easy movement, yet still had an air of elegance. It looked similar to the formal wear that knights often wore.
As we walked together, we naturally fell into conversation. Once we started talking, our conversation flowed smoothly.
“Princess Arpis, you used a greatsword?”
And it wasn’t just any greatsword. It was a Zweihander, taller than she was.
“The disadvantage of the Tomb of Swords is that the training swords are limited to longsword forms.”
“It must have been very inconvenient during the duel.”
“I am also familiar with swords. The length of the sword is just a slight difference.”
From other people’s perspectives, that slight difference was not something that could be ignored.
Unlike other ordinary noble ladies, I had to talk to Seira about topics like training, martial arts, and knights.
“When did you first pick up a sword, Princess?”
“Hmm… I don’t remember.”
Seira raised her hand. Her hands were rough, unlike her beautiful appearance. They were calloused, and there were old scars.
I was a little disappointed. I would have preferred if her hands were smooth.
At the same time, I was also curious. With the power of Seira’s family, it would be easy to manage her hands using magic or items.
“I can’t pinpoint exactly when I first picked up a sword. I just remember holding a sword since I was very young. What about you, Sir?”
“I haven’t been holding a sword for long.”
In reality, it hasn’t even been four years since I started using a sword. I held a wooden sword in high school and picked up a real sword for the first time in college. If it weren’t for my trait, the Eternal Flow, I might still be struggling with the basics of swordsmanship.
“Ah, you were an exile. I understand.”
Seira lowered her hand.
I couldn’t help but ask her.
“Princess, may I ask why you don’t remove the scars on your hands?”
Her hands had become optimal for gripping a sword with the formation of calluses. But her level was too high for that to be an excuse. At Seira’s level, the presence or absence of calluses didn’t matter.
“They are proof of the training I have done so far. Every time I look at my hands, I am reminded of the training I have done, and I can regain my focus. And every time I look at my hands, I realize what path I am walking.”
“…You are amazing, Princess Arpis.”
“It’s just stubbornness.”
While talking to Seira, I intentionally brought up Elena’s name. Seira had a bit of an inferiority complex towards Elena, so it was perfect for provoking her.
“I have received a lot of help from Elena in many ways. The legion I belong to was also able to grow quickly with Elena’s support.”
“I can also support a legion. More than that, your title is a bit annoying.”
“Title? If you tell me which part is annoying, I will correct it.”
“You call that witch by her name, but you call me by my family name.”
“I can’t treat Princess Arpis carelessly.”
“Is it okay to treat Duke Baldert carelessly? Call me by my name too.”
“…If that is your wish, I understand. May I call you Princess Seira?”
“Yes.”
The issue of titles was something I secretly wanted. The closer the titles, the closer the relationship.
It was then. Seira suddenly stopped. Her head tilted upwards. I also stopped and followed her gaze.
A pigeon was flying powerfully towards the Arpis territory in the sky.
“Princess Seira, are there wild pigeons around here?”
“That’s not a pigeon, it’s magic. As you know, this area is a place where space-time teleportation scrolls or communication magic don’t work. So, methods of physically sending messages have developed. That magical messenger pigeon is a prime example.”
To use a space-time teleportation scroll, we had to go a little further away from here.
“Could something serious have happened?”
“I don’t know. It could be a simple report, or an incident might have occurred.”
“Shouldn’t we hurry back?”
“It’s okay. My father is in the city. And even if you and I go quickly, there’s nothing we can do.”
She was right.
This was Duke Arpis’s territory. It wasn’t an incident that I, an outsider, should interfere with.
We arrived at the city of Arpis while maintaining the same pace.
***
I entered the inner castle with Seira.
Knights, soldiers, servants, and citizens greeted Seira warmly. She was popular with the people. It was probably because she was a beautiful woman with a beautiful appearance and a personality that wasn’t picky.
We were guided by knights and soldiers to the audience chamber.
Finally, I met the Foolish Sword Duke, Noite Arpis.
He was sitting on a luxurious chair with his legs crossed.
Even while sitting, I could tell that he was a large man. If he stood up, he would probably be well over 2 meters tall. He also had a solid body trained with muscles.
He was a man with the same ash-gray hair and thick beard as Seira. The wrinkles around his eyes were gentle. He gave off the feeling of a free-spirited mercenary rather than a duke.
I knelt on one knee in front of Noite. All kinds of gazes from Noite, his vassals, knights, and attendants were directed at me.
“I am Sung Yoojin, a knight of Baldert.”
“Welcome, Knight of Baldert. I have already heard the news that you passed through the Tomb of Swords. And… you managed to bring my daughter back. Is it three months? You look the same, Seira.”
Noite smiled and didn’t hide his delight. On the other hand, Seira was still expressionless.
“You haven’t changed either, Father.”
“My daughter. Training is good, but also look around the world. I don’t want my daughter to be a frog in a well.”
“For a swordsman, constant training is important. You were the one who said that, have you already forgotten?”
“Hoo. You never try to lose a single word.”
Noite shook his head with a bitter smile and then turned his gaze back to me.
“Sir Sung Yoojin. You must have something to deliver to me.”
“Here it is.”
I took out the letter from my chest. A knight checked the letter and then respectfully handed it to Noite.
Noite quietly unfolded the letter and read the contents. There was no change in his expression. His eyes were as serious as when I first saw him.
“Do you know the contents of this letter?”
“I do not.”
Even if I didn’t know, I could roughly guess. It was probably a story related to the Empire’s Ten-Year System, and Elena was asking for his cooperation.
“The letter says that the reply should be sent through you. It seems that you have the trust of Duke Baldert.”
“I consider it an honor as a knight.”
“The contents of the letter are not an easy topic to decide on right away. It seems like it will take some time to make a decision, so can you wait?”
“It is also my duty to receive the reply. I will wait.”
“Listen.”
He said. All the vassals, knights, and attendants focused their attention on Noite.
“Sir Sung Yoojin has indulged in my game, passed through the Tomb of Swords, and even brought Seira back. Treat him as an honored guest. You may leave.”
It was an order to dismiss the guest.
I bowed to Noite and left the audience chamber.
***
After leaving the audience chamber, I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.
From the middle, Noite’s aura was pressing down on me. Whether he did it on purpose or not, I could clearly feel that he was not ordinary.
‘The Empire’s Five Swords. His reputation can’t be false.’
If we fought, I would lose 100%.
***
Noite looked at Seira.
He didn’t expect Sung Yoojin to bring Seira back. He sent him to the Tomb of Swords to provoke Seira, but he didn’t expect him to bring her back at all.
“What happened in the Tomb of Swords?”
“Nothing happened.”
“You came back with him, and you expect me to believe that?”
“……”
Seira shut her mouth tightly.
Noite didn’t try to force her to open her mouth. As a father, he knew that would only backfire.
“Okay. I won’t ask any further. You probably had a duel with him anyway.”
Noite’s eyes didn’t miss the slight flinch from Seira.
“Seira. I don’t know what you think of that knight. But he is not as outstanding a knight as you think. I don’t know why you are interested in that knight.”
“I talked to him on the way here, so I know that much.”
“Then what did you see in him?”
“……”
Seira closed her eyes for a moment. She remembered the duel she had with Sung Yoojin.
It wasn’t a duel to the death, but a duel closer to a sparring match. However, he risked his life in that duel. If he had made a mistake, he could have died from internal injuries. The recovery speed is faster in the Tomb of Swords, but it wasn’t a place where you couldn’t die.
“He is not a formal knight.”
“…Oh. That’s a bit unexpected. And?”
“If he becomes a knight of our family, he will be a great help.”
“For you to say such a thing. Did you perhaps fall for him?”
“……”
Noite coughed after receiving his daughter’s cold gaze.
“Ahem. I don’t know what you saw in him, but his actions are not those of a knight.”
Noite called an attendant and ordered him to bring information about Sung Yoojin. He handed the information to Seira.
“Recently, he killed Baron Estor. He brutally killed the baron’s soldiers and knights and left.”
“Baron Estor hired an assassin to kill him. It’s a bit unconventional, but he deserved to die.”
“A bit unconventional? If it weren’t for the Baldert family, he would already be on the run.”
“If Father were in his situation, would you have let Baron Estor live?”
“Why should I let someone who tried to kill me live? Seira. I am different from him.”
“Yes. You are different. That’s why I like him more.”
“As you can see from the information, there are some missing parts. Duke Baldert probably manipulated it. To conclude, he is Baldert’s hunting dog.”
A hunting dog.
It refers to those who do dirty work that cannot be officially announced.
“And be honest. Isn’t more than half of the reason you want to make him a knight of Arpis because of Duke Baldert?”
“It’s too much of a waste for him to be under that witch.”
“If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. But I won’t help you with this matter. Experience for yourself how difficult it is to acquire a person.”
“I don’t intend to receive help.”
“But let me give you some advice. There are rumors that he is fond of women. If you use your beauty, wouldn’t he fall for you right away?”
“……”
Seira glared at Noite and left the room without a word.
***
I received the utmost hospitality at the Arpis ducal residence.
The food was delicious, and the servants were very careful around me.
But I wasn’t satisfied. It was because I couldn’t hold a woman in my arms because I was watching the Arpis ducal family’s every move. If I attacked a maid, my head could be cut off.
It was also difficult to find a brothel in the city. It was because of Seira. Right now, Seira’s favorability towards me was at a decent level. If I went to a brothel here? It would only lower her favorability.
‘Looking at the flow of things, it seems like I’ll have to stay for about a week… I need to get as close to Seira as possible.’
I moved to find Seira. When I asked the attendants, they immediately told me where she was. The underground training hall. It seemed that she spent almost every day in the underground training hall when she was at the main residence.
I asked for her permission through an attendant and entered the training hall.
She was wearing a black training suit and swinging a Zweihander in the air.
“Do you want to train too, Sir?”
“I want to train with Princess Seira. There is a lot to learn from Princess Seira. If you don’t want to, I will leave right away.”
“No. It’s okay. Training with you is not bad. However, we can’t have a sparring match or a duel. This is not the Tomb of Swords, so it would be troublesome if something like last time happened.”
“Haha. That’s true. But…”
I looked at the table in the corner. There was water and white powder on it.
“What is that powder? Is it perhaps… drugs?”
