Chapter 28: Evernode. (2)

TN: Sorry for the delay, I realized I set the upload time wrong.

"Were you practicing?"

Marianne asked as she walked over to me. I nodded and began swinging my sword again. I tried reducing my speed, making the swing itself slower. I tried one movement at a time, but it still felt wrong. I shook my head and dropped the blade again. The sweat I'd shed during the movements quickly cooled in the cold night air.

Marianne stared at me as I swung my sword. I turned to face her again, wiping my forehead with the hem of my robe.

"...Are you going to train as well?"

Marianne nodded. The spear she held in one hand clattered to life. I glanced at Marianne's spear. It was an all-metal spear from the shaft to the pommel, with a tarnished spearhead that looked particularly old. It must be a powerful artifact.

(I think it's a Holy Spear.)

The Holy Land was really determined to help me. The Holy Spear is an artifact Arjen used in the original story before he got the Holy Sword. I remember it being quite powerful. It's comparable in value to the crown I received. 'Does this mean that Marianne has passed some sort of test imposed by the Holy Spear?'

Marianne turned her head toward the Holy Sword. More precisely, her gaze was directed at my right arm, down to my hand, and across the sword.

"May I ask what kind of training you've been doing?"

I was surprised. This was the first time Marianne had ever asked me a question, let alone approached and spoken to me. I wondered if she'd be okay with me answering honestly.

(There is no shame in answering questions, Elroy. I cannot tell you everything, so find your own answers.)

I nodded slightly at the Holy Sword's words and opened my mouth.

"...Hmm. That's a bit complicated to explain."

"I assume you were looking for something?"

It was a valid question. Either that or my movements were plain and simple. I shook my head and sheathed my sword. I should spend the rest of the day talking to Marianne. I beckoned Marianne to the campfire.

"What is gentleness in martial arts?"

Marianne tilted her head at my question.

"I suppose that's why you kept moving like that."

"Was it a meaningless action?"

Marianne didn't answer my question straight away, but instead, she snatched up her Holy Spear and hurled it at a leaf that the wind had blown. The spear was fast, but it also seemed very slow. She retrieved the thrown spear and showed it to me. She had pinpointed the vein in the center and pierced it with the tip of her spear. I stared at the end of Marianne's spear, wide-eyed in amazement.

"That's amazing. How did you do that?"

"... It's hard to describe the process in words."

Marianne reached out and pulled the leaf off the tip of the spear. A gust of wind blew it back into the air. 'If I was asked to pierce a leaf with the tip of the sword, could I do it? No. It wouldn't cut through it, and it wouldn't even graze it. I would just blow it away.'

"Still, if you want, I can repeat it until you understand."

With that, Marianne swung the spear again, smoothly and simply. It was the same motion as before but looked slightly different the second time I saw it.

"...Can you show me one more time?"

Marianne wasted no time and swung the spear again. It didn't look so different the second time. It was a movement I thought I could copy, but I couldn't picture myself moving the sword using the same path.

(They don't call it 'profound' for nothing, Elroy.)

The Holy Sword spoke up.

(The slightest difference in movement, the pacing of your breathing, the mana circulating in your veins, your heartbeat; all of those things coming together so naturally that you don't even have to think about it. That's what it means to be aware.)

A flick.

Marianne's spear flashed before my eyes again. The tip of the Holy Spear pierced the leaf's veins without missing a beat this time. I watched Marianne's every move with rapt attention, and she repeated it without complaint.

"Mm-hmm. Thanks for showing me."

I nudged Marianne's hand to stop her. If I let her, she'd keep swinging the spear until the sun came up. I sighed and looked up at the sky. The trees jutted into the night sky, and the stars, tightly packed together, looked like they were about to fall.

"Would you like to take a swing with the sword?"

Marianne, who had been watching me the whole time, asked. I blinked, then picked up the sword and stood up. It would be nothing compared to what Marianne had shown me, but I knew I could learn something new.

"...How do I swing it?"

"Just like I did."

'She wants me to pierce through a leaf.' I gripped the sword and assumed my stance. I put my left hand down, and my body relaxed. 'If I swung with both hands, I'd be wasting my time rather than catching a leaf.' I turned and waited for a leaf.

Then a broad leaf fluttered and soared into the sky. With a sweeping motion, I thrust my sword upward to pierce the leaf, but...

The sword tip didn't pierce the leaf but merely sliced through it. I watched the leaf blow away in the wind and bit my lip. I prepared again. Marianne wouldn't have expected me to stop there, so I retook my stance. I swung my sword at the flying leaves again and again, remembering the movements Marianne had shown me.

"...This is a lot harder than I thought."

I looked down at the leaf I had accidentally cut in half.

(That's a suitable training method. Since you are persistent, this could actually be effective.)

This makes me feel like everything I've been doing is pointless.

(It's not pointless. After all, martial enlightenment comes from experience, and the act of seeking answers in any form will be meaningful.)

The Holy Sword spoke as if to comfort me. I waited for the wind to blow again. I didn't swing the sword this time; I just stood still and watched the leaves fly.

"Wait a moment."

I don't know when she got close to me, but Marianne was before me. I stood stiffly and watched as she touched my wrists and my sides. Marianne stood like that for a while, less than half a step away from me, and then she lifted her head. Emotionless golden eyes, lemon-colored with a hint of glow from the campfire, looked at me.

"You can relax a little."

With that, Marianne touched my elbow and lifted my arm slightly. I stiffly shifted in response to Marianne's touch, then eased back a little. Marianne then moved behind me and began to move my feet and hands.

"I was swinging the spear with this feeling."

A leaf flew by. With a very light push on my arms and legs, Marianne guided the tip of the Holy Sword toward the leaf.

Marianne's hand left my elbow, and I tried to extend my arm in the same path.

Of course, it didn't miraculously work; the leaf fell to the ground in two pieces, only to be picked up again by the wind. Stepping away from me, Marianne stared at me. It was as if she asked me if I knew what it felt like.

"It's hard. I can see that just because your body knows doesn't mean it's all right."

If it weren't for the sharpness of the Holy Sword, I could have pierced the leaf without ripping it apart. I scratched my head in confusion and answered Marianne. Clearly, no thought was involved in her movements. What kind of enlightenment could produce such fluid movements?

"If you need any help, just say the word."

"...Sure."

I nodded, sheathing my sword. A star twinkled at the tip of Marianne's spear. As an owl hooted, I stared into the campfire, lost in thought.

***

As we emerged from a thicket, a deceptively vast plain opened up. Dotted with rocks and wildflowers, a narrow stream branched off into several forks and trickled through the forest. According to the soldiers, if we followed the creek until it met the river's mainstream, we would eventually reach Evernode.

The group paused to let our horses drink. The sunlight on the stream was beautiful. If only it weren't like this for the past twelve hours.

"I wonder what time it is."

The days are getting longer and longer. I chuckled as I looked at the sun's position, still hovering around like it was early afternoon. My body told me it was evening, but my eyes saw the rays of light shining on the field. I frowned at the discrepancy.

"It's seven o'clock. Evernode is only a short distance away, so we should reach it without any more breaks."

Georg said, climbing back onto his horse.

"It can't be seven in the morning, can it?"

"Have you been sleeping on your horse all this time?"

Georg said, but he was also squinting at the sun. 'If only it were snowing.'

"The sun is almost non-existent in the north during winter."

"I know."

Georg said so. This guy, I feel like he's aged the more we traveled. The fact he habitually recounts experiences must mean that he suffered quite a lot here. I got on the horse, leaving behind Georg, who started talking about when he was dispatched to the north.

"Just a little further on, we'll reach Evernode's castle. We'll meet Archduke Stroff there and get an update on the situation."

There was a hint of excitement in Georg's voice. He sounded like an old man catching up with an army buddy. With a wry smile, I led my horse up the creek.

The creek flowed down a gentle hill. As the sun turned from early afternoon to sunset, a knight reined his horse beside me and pointed forward.

"There, I see Evernode."

I halted my horse and saw two flags atop a high castle tower. The two flags stood side by side. One, of course, was the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Kairos. The other, which stood proudly and arrogantly alongside the kingdom's coat of arms, was the sigil of House Stroff, the rulers of Evernode.

"...Are they here to greet me?"

The gates of Evernode stood wide open, flanked by dozens of soldiers with visors pushed down. They drew their sword and held it solemnly in front of their chest. And then, at the end of the line, a man sauntered forward, each step like a gust of cold northern wind.

The man stood proudly at the end of the line. Dressed entirely in sackcloth. A large cloak of gray fur fluttered in the wind. He had the presence of a giant mountain.

The man's gaze dropped down and met mine. His gaze was ice-blue and frozen. Without taking his eyes off me, he spoke in a stern voice. I remembered that he was popular in the original for his sternness.

"Welcome to Evernode."

It was Quenor Stroff, Archduke of the North.