Deadbeat Noble.
A name which stuck with Irene.
But now no one called him that.
They had no other choice.
Who out there would wield their sword as hard as Irene does?
Anyone who watched him would think that.
However, if one asks what kind of effort Irene Pareira was putting into it, few people would be able to give an answer.
Waking up from a sweet sleep in the early morning.
Then, doing swordsmanship training all day long, which was more painful than heavy labor.
And repeating it every day.
That was great.
It deserved praise and in fact, many admired Irene for it.
However, the people who focused on ‘why do you go to such lengths?’ And accurately pointed out the mistakes in it were…
‘Not many.’
Ian, Lulu and Ignet?
And now, Judith.
From the mouth of the person who seemed indifferent to others more than anyone else, praised Irene from the bottom of her heart.
“… thanks.”
Said Irene with a smile.
There were more things he wanted to say, but couldn’t. Even if he tried, he wasn’t sure he could express himself properly.
Judith, too, nodded without saying anything, as if aware of what was happening within Irene.
A warm air which was unlike her filled the room.
Bratt Lloyd, who was looking at Judith and Irene, said.
“I grew up.”
“…huh?”
“I turned her into a human. It took a lot of hard work to get here, so this is my way of thanking you.”
“… thanks.”
“It was nothing.”
“What is this bastard spouting?”
“I’m only stating the facts.”
Judith looked at Bratt with angry eyes, but Bratt didn’t budge.
Irene, who watched them, looked blank.
He felt it before, but Bratt changed. A lot more than Judith.
And it didn’t feel bad.
‘At least he looks better than the last time I saw him.’
Irene smiled as he looked at both of them.
The appearance of the two Expert Level swordsmen trying to kill each other.
Somehow, it felt warm to Irene.
Of course, it didn’t last long. If that wasn’t the case, it seemed like they would run to the hall again to resolve the fight.
So change the mood.
Irene thought to himself and said.
“I, now that I’m done talking, I want to hear from you guys too. Are you fine?”
“Hmm.”
“Umm.”
At Irene’s question, the two folded their arms at the same time.
It was funny to look at. But he tried not to laugh.
If he burst into laughter, they would gang up on him.
Fortunately, both were focused on the question and not Irene’s expression.
Looking at Judith, Bratt said.
“I’ll say it.”
“Okay. You tell him.”
“Well. Judith and I have been at the school the whole time, and it’s the same except for a few visits back home, but there isn’t anything fun to talk about.”
“It’s fine. Please feel free to talk.”
Irene said with a smile, and Bratt’s story began.
There was nothing special about it.
The story of hardworking swordsmanship training, the story of competing with outstanding seniors, the aspects which the schoolmaster and the instructors didn’t know, and the story of Keira Finn, whom Irene didn’t know well.
As he talked about other things, the topic was completely mixed up and after an hour or so, they were talking about the present and future.
And naturally, the three of them decided to go on a journey together.
However, in the process, Irene's plan was questioned.
“You said you were heading to Lation?”
“Huh. Why?”
“No, we were just on our way back from there before stopping here, and it was utterly disappointing!”
“That I agree with.”
“What…?”
Irene was shocked at what they said.
Lation was a major city in the Maios Kingdom, which was one of the five western kingdoms with many swordsmen there. And this was a place on par with Alcantra where Krono was located.
But why did Bratt and Judith say that?
His doubts were resolved quickly.
“They don’t accept matches. They were so scared of us, and when we showed our Krono ids, they moved away. Or put someone who wasn’t strong enough.”
“It was an exaggeration honestly… no, the city is definitely overdone. Such a strong sense of restraint in the people there.”
It was fun.
When they revealed the silver mercenary card they refused the challenge because the kids lacked quality, and when they later learned that they were trainees of Krono, they made excuses and postponed the matches.
In order to avoid any possible defeat and decline of their reputation, they made up excuses.
“Utter disappointment. Our swordsmen accept all challengers so I thought that Lation is the same, but no. It was hard to see Masters, and some famous swordsmen were nobles… I feel frustrated thinking about them, we are going somewhere else.”
“Different place?”
“Yes. We are going to Partizan.”
“Ah!”
Upon hearing Bratt’s words, Irene burst out in exclamation.
It was a city he knew.
It was because he was also planning to go to Partizan after Lation.
The history of swordsmen in Lation was short.
And there was no chance that challenges would be rejected if it was the Partizan city where swordsmen had more freedom.
So, the destination of the three was decided.
However, not all of the stories were done.
“Then, are you going to go with the Orc and the cat?”
“Ahhh.”
Irene had Lulu and Kuvar with him.
And it wasn’t a huge deal.
Kuvar was a good natured person and Lulu would be fine if someone kept telling her stories.
And Lulu liked Judith a lot.
And his friends should be fi…
As he was thinking, an unexpected person showed displeasure.
“Hm… hey…”
“Huh? What is it Judith?”
“So… it’s just a saying, but… then, there are superstitions around, and some nations take it seriously, and believe it’s true, so…”
“… are you talking about the black cat superstition?”
“…”
Judith’s eyes widened at Bratt’s tone.
However, she didn’t object. It seemed like she was really concerned about it.
Bratt sighed and opened his mouth.
“You even believed all kinds of strange superstitions about swordsmanship. Get some courage will you! You’re 18 and still believe in that black cat thing?”
It didn’t end with that.
Calmly explaining the origin of the black cat superstition and how it spread, Bratt listened to things she said and carefully told her that they had no basis.
Rather, he added that cats are beneficial animals and prey on mice which spread diseases and it’s good to have a pet regardless of color.
Irene who listened said.
“Lulu doesn’t eat mice.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. As Bratt says, the black cat thing is completely wrong. Rather, in the Hale Kingdom, the black cat is known to be a symbol of good luck.”
“Huh? I never heard of such a thing…”
“Really.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Bratt raised the question, and Irene answered proudly.
He was good at listening to others' opinions but he had no intentions of falling into Judith’s stubbornness.
With a flustered expression, Judith said.
“I’m sorry. I spoke all that without thinking. It’s your party…”
“It’s fine. You were at fault and fix that habit of talking nonsense.”
“This brat…”
“It’s okay, Judith. Don’t worry too much. And Bratt, don’t scold her too much.”
“Ah! This is reall…”
Knock.
When Judith couldn’t stand it and tried to grab Bratt.
The three turned their heads at the sound of knocking.
Then heard Kuvar’s voice.
“Is it fine if we come in? Or do you need more time?”
“Totally fine. We were just waiting.”
“Haha, then…”
“Hello! Judith! Uh, and you… Bratt?”
“Bratt Lloyd.”
“Ah, right! Bratt Lloyd! Nice to meet you. I’m Lulu.”
Lulu and Kuvar appeared at the right time.
Thanks to that, Bratt and Judith stopped fighting and the room was filled with a new vibe.
Of course, as it was the first time, it was a bit awkward.
“Hmm, Lulu introduced herself first. So I think it would be good to take time to introduce everyone again…”
Kuvar took the lead.
Moreover, he had something to close the awkwardness between them.
“This… whiskey? Isn’t this too precious…”
“Haha. It’s precious. I have been saving it to drink with precious people.”
A high quality whiskey he received from the merchants near Alhad.
Bratt, who was quite knowledgeable about alcohol, his eyes lit up at it.
“The bottle looks so luxurious. But is three bottles enough?”
She wasn’t the kind to drink.
She would occasionally drink beer, but she had no idea how strong whiskey was.
So it led to Bratt provoking her.
“Will it be enough? If you can drink this bottle by yourself, I will call you brother for a week.”
“What bastard? No, not even sister, but brother? Are you crazy?”
“Okay then. Doesn’t matter brother or sister! It’s hard for a kid who just began to taste alcohol to endure strong al…”
Bang!
“Great. Okay!”
Judith slammed the table and took the bottle.
She blew away the neck and grabbed it.
“Mr. Kuvar, can I drink all of this? They say it’s expensive, so I’m asking first.”
“Uh? Uhuh, that’s fine. But you might not be able to drink the…”
Isn’t that too much? But he couldn’t say.
Judith’s eyes seemed to burn with passion.
In the end, Kuvar couldn’t stop her and Irene couldn’t either.
Judith drank about a third of the whiskey.
Haa! With that said, she put it down and said.
“Wait—gulp! It’s a little strong, but this?” ⁽¹⁾
“…”
Exactly an hour after.
Judith lost it and kept hugging Lulu.
“Sorry Lulu… sorry Lulu… I’m sorry for thinking you’re a bad cat…”
“It’s okay. Judith I understand.”
“No, I’m sorry… sorry Lulu… sorry Lulu….”
“Irene! Get her off me! She’s so strong that I can’t move her!”
“Haha, such a nice sight.”
“…”
“…”
Lulu asking the woman to be taken away and Judith still repeating the same words, Bratt looking at her with a happy face, and Irene not knowing what to do.
Seeing them like that, Kuvar laughed.
‘It’s louder than before.’
Not a bad feeling. This was a nice feeling.
With a smile on his face, Kuvar poured the whiskey down his throat.
⁽¹⁾“But this?” Basically means that she thinks she will be fine even after drinking that much of the whiskey.
