Chapter 22

"Heinrich Updike!"

A young man with thick, curly blonde hair and large, round eyes like a deer lifted his head from the stairs when he heard his name being called. Standing on the second-floor staircase, Duke Updike of Svergen's border, with a stern face, shouted down at his son.

"When do you plan to correct that foul and vulgar language of yours? You, who are supposed to become the border duke of the Svergen Empire and show a dignified appearance, are acting so tastelessly..."

Despite his father's reprimand, Heinrich's innocent expression did not waver.

"But Father, Daniel is my savior and a hero of the Updike family. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't even have a son with such foul and vulgar language."

"This boy..."

Unable to deny it, Duke Updike could no longer criticize his son's reckless attitude. He glared at him fiercely and then clicked his tongue, leaving the spot. Heinrich, still shaking the shoulder of a knight wearing a cloak with the Updike family's emblem of a blue eagle, asked again.

"Come on, tell me quickly. When? Is he fully awake? Is that handsome face still as beautiful as ever?"

"Keke. Young Master, please let go and ask one thing at a time... I can't answer if you keep shaking me like this..."

Heinrich, who had been shaking the knight so hard that the blue eagle's wing was flapping, stopped and shouted.

"Alright, then? Tell me quickly. Hurry up!"

Sighing, the knight stepped back and straightened his disheveled uniform.

"Yes, he is awake. The whole Schendal Castle is buzzing with the news, so it must be true."

"Wow. Haha. I knew it. What kind of person is our Daniel? He wouldn't die so easily."

Letting out a cheer, Heinrich jumped around the knight who had brought the news.

"Did you hear anything else? Is he alright?"

"Probably. That's why the Empress Dowager must have sent a supervisor to the duchy."

"A supervisor?"

Heinrich, who had been bouncing with excitement, stopped and asked, "Who is being supervised? Daniel?"

"Yes. They say the reason is to send a steward to manage the duchy on behalf of the incompetent duchess. But the real intention is clear. They want to place a watchful eye on every move of the Duke."

"Insane. Who put that incompetent duchess in that position!"

Startled by Heinrich's rough reaction, the knight quickly looked around and covered his mouth.

"Are you the one who's insane, Young Master? What if someone hears you say such reckless things..."

"Shh, shh. Let go. Do you think I look like someone who gets angry easily! Who made Daniel marry that woman! Who did he fight for to end up like this!"

The knight struggled to calm Heinrich, who was pushing his arm away. Few people knew that the only child of the Updike family and the next border duke, this innocent-looking young master, had the nickname 'Mad Flower Deer.' His face was a contradiction. At first glance, with his boyish face and the blue eyes characteristic of the Svergen people, he seemed like someone who would attend banquets and flirt with noble ladies. But when he picked up a sword and started swinging it, there was no other way to describe him except as a 'Mad Flower Deer.' Heinrich, still fuming, hit the railing with his left hand and growled.

"Like that cunning old witch of Baiyan. What kind of mischief is she up to with my Daniel?"

"Young Master, please avoid saying things that could be easily misunderstood."

"No. I can't just sit here. I need to go right now."

Ignoring the knight's attempts to stop him, Heinrich suddenly ran down the stairs. The knight, startled, shouted after him.

"Young Master, where are you going?"

Holding the railing, Heinrich leaped up three steps at a time and shouted.

"Utrecht!"

*** As the midday sun began to tilt towards the western side of the Altas Mountains, Daniel, standing in the training ground, slowly closed his eyes. He had a habit of visualizing the upcoming situation before starting a battle. As his eyelids closed, the noisy sounds around him quickly faded away, like the darkness of night making way for dawn.

'Pomtak, Oks, Fluke, and Alber.'

Muriel Rosivalt, raised in a traditional knightly family, would face him with the standard longsword technique. In the Roschman continent, where the Svergen Empire was located, there were several famous swords that any warrior would covet, with the longsword being the most renowned. The most famous sword, with a short history but a legendary reputation, was 'Ascalon,' known as the 'sword that feeds on blood.' It was the sword of the first emperor of the Ningen Empire, 'Nicholas Ningen,' located west of the Altas Mountains. It is currently owned by the border duke, 'Balt Morenheitz,' the emperor's son-in-law. Within the Svergen Empire, the sword associated with the first emperor, 'Karl I,' was famous. 'Rinaldo,' which Karl I used personally, was passed down through generations of emperors and is currently enshrined in the office of Leopold Bolshtark II in Schendal Castle. There are a few more, but Daniel considered the heavy longsword 'Coldar' held by his sparring partner to be the best. Its hilt, devoid of any unnecessary decoration, and its blade made of the strongest known material, Damascus steel, could break most other swords before the twentieth clash. It was a powerful sword, made for a born warrior with the sole purpose of winning. After being bestowed by Karl I to his knight 'Oscar Rosivalt,' it has only had Rosivalt descendants as its owners. The last news Daniel heard about the sword was that Muriel Rosivalt had become the new owner of 'Coldar.' He thought he would never have a chance to own it, but now, the owner of the sword was his wife's bodyguard, or rather, her nanny. Is this what they call a heaven-sent opportunity? A thrilling excitement coursed through Daniel's body. He had heard from Dominic that Muriel Rosivalt took care of the duchess like a mother bird. He thought it was just a figure of speech, but seeing her ready to punch the duke, he realized she would fall for it.

"If I win, Coldar is mine."

"You clearly promised to grant me one wish, no matter what, without any conditions."

"Should I put it in writing and stamp it with the duchy's seal?"

Indeed. The bodyguard accepted his proposal without any hesitation. The reason Muriel Rosivalt agreed to the sparring was obvious.

'She'll probably wish for something to be done for her lady or to be left alone or... to be cherished.' Daniel, who knew better than anyone how blind love could make a person, smiled.

'Ha. Thanks to her foolishness, I'll get Coldar.'

A bitter smile crossed Daniel's face, and his ears, which had been blocked, began to hear sounds again. The gentle spring breeze brushing past his ears, the chirping of birds flying around the training ground, the faint murmurs of the crowd watching the two about to clash, and the intense gazes. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel everything. Suddenly, he became aware of his own life.

"Stay alive, Daniel. Being alive is what matters."

Yes. Because he is alive, days like this come. He could understand his mother's words a little better. A faint smile, like a crack, appeared on Daniel's lips. The calm voice of the bodyguard standing opposite him, carried by the wind, reached his ears.

"Shall we begin?"

The confident voice of someone who had never thought of losing. Daniel slowly opened his eyes and nodded, finding the auburn hair that matched his own eyes. *** Frida, looking around the crowd that filled the training ground, couldn't find a familiar face and turned to Dominic.

"Domini, where is Lord Riccardo?"

"He's in the herb garden."

"Alone?"

"Yes. He's grumbling that if everyone is here, who will take care of the garden. He says weeds will grow if left for a day."

It seemed as if everyone residing in Mohnheim Castle had poured into the training ground. There was not a single gap in the human ring surrounding the center of the training ground, where Muriel and the duke stood facing each other. Muriel, ready to clash, held her sword with both hands. Frida, anxious, crumpled the hem of her dress.

"Domini should have talked the duke out of it."

Unlike her, Dominic, who was calmly looking around, showed no signs of tension.

"Why should I? He wouldn't listen anyway."

As the noise grew louder, he leaned towards Frida and spoke loudly.

"I understand that you don't know much about the duke, but you should know now."

Seeing people trying to move forward, Dominic signaled the mercenaries guarding the training ground with his eyes. Pushed back by the strong mercenaries, the crowd retreated a few steps. Lowering his voice, Dominic continued.

"The lord is not greedy, but once he sets his mind on something, he doesn't give up. He doesn't care about threats or cooperation. He will get it no matter what."

"What do you mean? Is there something the duke wants from Muriel?"

It was a no-brainer. If not, why would Daniel, who detested making a fuss, do this?

"Didn't you hear? The winner gets Sir Rosivalt's sword, Coldar. The lord is probably doing this to give Sir Rosivalt a reason."

"A reason?"

"Think about it. If the rumor spreads that Sir Rosivalt's family treasure, Coldar, was taken, who would be the biggest target of ridicule? The duke who took the sword?"

Dominic's thick index finger waved back and forth in front of Frida's eyes.

"Absolutely not. The one who would be the target is Sir Rosivalt, who couldn't protect his family treasure."

Although he is the emperor's half-brother and a duke, even a noble can take a knight's sword with power. There are plenty of people who do worse things. But Daniel, despite his bad temper, was not a complete scoundrel. He was trying to give Muriel a fair reason to lose, even in this situation where the empress dowager had sent a spy to watch him. It was a risky move, but he was determined to do it. 'Three years after regaining consciousness, Duke Richard won Coldar's ownership a month after waking up.' The time it would take for this rumor to spread throughout the empire... probably about two weeks?

'This is going to be a headache.'

Frida, approaching Dominic, who was rubbing his face, huffed.

"So, Dominic, you're saying the duke will beat our Muriel? Our Muriel is the strongest knight in the north."

Our... Muriel? Dominic, crossing his arms, snorted.

"Our Daniel is the strongest in the entire empire. The undefeated Richard, the beast of Svergen's sword. Haven't you heard the rumors?"