Chapter 39
Still, It's Better to Have One Fool
"Haa, haa."
The cold, blue air of dawn had yet to dissipate.
Nia's face, freshly awakened, was covered in sweat.
A woman shaking her long, black hair as she turned away and disappeared.
She struggled to grab onto that unwavering figure, but dirty mud and filth bound her feet, making it impossible to overcome the weight.
Nia, uneasy from the vivid dream, hastily threw off the blanket.
Then,
"...Hoo."
Ivanne's leg, a testament to her restless sleep, was draped over her unmoving legs.
The child was relieved, yet she couldn't stop the tears that had already welled up in her eyes.
"...Mommy."
What should she do if her mother didn't come even when the day broke?
The smiling faces at meal times, Ivanne who played with her without a moment of boredom, the comfortable sunset in the garden.
All those were scenes she could enjoy with peace of mind because Lucia would come to pick her up.
Unable to fall back asleep, the child curled up into a ball and buried her face in her knees.
Just then,
-Creak.
Surely this was the second floor?
Nia was startled, held her breath, burrowed into the blanket, and peeked out with only her eyes showing.
And as her eyes met the figure that had gently entered,
"...Shhh."
Lucia's face, slowly revealed in the dawn light, seeped into the child's clear Golden eyes.
"....U, uuuuuu...!"
"....!"
Nia muffled her voice as instructed, but unable to hold back her tears, she ran and hugged her.
She almost fell out the open window in the process, but her athletic abilities were not to be underestimated.
Lucia had only intended to check if the child was safe and leave.
But somehow, the warmth of the embrace soothed her heart, which had been devastated after seeing the Tree of Life.
The northern Training Grounds dedicated to the Black Knights of the Eldarion Imperial Palace.
'Sword Master, the Black monster has returned!'
These were the words that floated in the minds of the knights swarming in front of the Training Grounds.
The Black monster who mercilessly annihilated the warriors of powerful nations and had been in seclusion for five years.
The wild rumors that had grown during those five years made her a figure of great fear for those in the new Empire who had never seen her.
And after maternity leave, she was back.
Her return was announced to the Imperial Palace by a tremendous roar that destroyed the Grand Training Grounds, and the evidence of the ruins made it impossible to disbelieve the rumors any longer.
So, except for the frightened nobles, her popularity soared among the knights who revered the Sword Master.
Could anyone in this continent defeat her?
At this moment, the members of each royal guard who had gathered little by little at the entrance of the Training Grounds were all gazing at Lucia, who was sitting in the distant upper seat, their eyes shining with awe and adoration.
It was then.
-Tap tap.
Vernon was hitting his shield with the scabbard.
"Alright, alright, stop gawking and look over here~!"
"Ahem! Our Captain is a valuable person, so it's 1 silver to look at her. 10 silver within 20 meters! 1 gold to enter the Training Grounds~!"
"....Over here."
As Vernon and Gillianna gestured, Heath held out a flower vase that he had gotten from somewhere.
They were collecting money from the innocent knights as if they were collecting entrance fees for a circus.
Seeing this, Vice-Captain Berl, who was next to Lucia, clenched his fist and trembled.
"Those wretched...!"
As if the dignity of a knight was something to give to the dogs, Berl couldn't stand the sight of their past selves and ran towards them.
"Aren't you ashamed!? What are the members of the honorable Black Knights doing! Give it to me right now!"
As he snatched the flower vase, which was half-filled with money, from Heath,
"Vice-Captain! Isn't it just easy money anyway!"
"Ah, Vice-Captain!! Let's have a company dinner with that~! Captain! Stop them!"
"Give it here."
To have them do this in front of her and ask her to stop them, they were as shameless as ever.
"That's why our Black Knights are getting a bad name... Uwaaaa? What is this...!"
-Clatter clatter clatter!
Suddenly, glittering golds were pouring out of the flower vase that Berl was holding.
"30 gold. Is this enough for a sparring fee?"
Dozens of eyes turned to the sound of money flowing.
That included Lucia, who was sitting in the upper seat of the Training Grounds, lost in thought.
'...That brat.'
The ace of the Yellow Knight. The next Sword Master.
A woman with dark skin and an exotic appearance, her thick blonde hair tied up high, and long, coolly extended legs, was pointing at Lucia.
She was 20 years old, five years younger than Lucia, and was showing quite noticeable skill.
However, that was only by the world's standards.
Like all the Sword Masters of the continent, it would be more than 15 years before she became a Sword Master.
If Lucia, who had reached the pinnacle, were to intensively train her, she could reach it much faster.
But Lucia's gaze, which had turned away from her, was empty as if she had no interest.
In fact, Lucia's head was about to explode with the new information she had learned from the special mission, from the Black magic users to the Tree of Life.
She had requested a private audience with the Prime Minister regarding that matter and was watching the training at the Training Grounds while waiting for her audience time.
"Then, I'm in your care. Captain Lucia!"
In the end, she broke through Berl's defense and stood in front of Lucia, her eyes shining.
"Take the money."
It was a clear rejection.
But her short rejection caused an uproar among the aces of the Black Knights.
"Captain! If you spar with us once, can't we have a huge company dinner! Huh!?"
"Captain! Let's just eat something delicious! With 30 gold, we can rent out a high-end tavern!"
"...Delicious!"
-Clang clang.
Heath, with an expressionless face, had already snatched the flower vase and was shaking it as if to show it to Lucia.
Lucia, with a disgusted face, was about to open her mouth to the endlessly pleading people when,
Someone broke through the crowd and bowed.
"Yellow Knight, Vice-Captain. I greet Captain Lucia. Our clumsy member has caused trouble! For the previous incident, and this one as well. I'm truly sorry!"
A neat appearance built with solid muscles, tall height.
He was the Vice-Captain of the Yellow Knight, who was known for his steadfast and clean work under a conservative Captain.
He shouldn't be here, so he must have come to pick up the troublemaking member.
However, the next Sword Master didn't seem to want to leave.
Rather, she was wary of the Yellow Knight's Vice-Captain, as if hiding behind the unresponsive Lucia.
"Haa, Levi. You! What are you doing? Can't you come here quickly?"
As if this wasn't the first time, the Yellow Knight's Vice-Captain exclaimed, holding his forehead.
"I don't want to! I like the Black Captain!"
"What?"
"Are you pretending not to know now? I've submitted more than 10 applications to transfer to the royal guard!"
The eyes of the people around them widened as they listened to their conversation.
The Yellow Knight was the royal guard that directly served the Emperor, and they only selected those from particularly high noble families.
But the face of such a royal guard wanted to come to this place, which was treated like a criminal?
It was understandable to admire Lucia, but for a noble who valued background to make such an active offensive was an unprecedented case.
"Oho? Vice-Captain Berl. The sparring fee is 30 gold, so how much should we charge for the entrance fee? I'm starting to get excited."
"Entrance fee, you say. Don't even think about scamming. What is this, a mercenary group?"
Berl glared at Vernon's sly words.
"Hmph, can't you stop talking nonsense? Captain Ashan is here, so what are you saying...!"
"What are you talking about? Lucia is much stronger than Father, isn't she? I've been waiting for this day! So please let me transfer quickly!"
Another shocking second announcement caused a great commotion among the knights gathered at the Training Grounds.
"Eek! That knight! She was the Yellow Knight's Captain's daughter?"
"Wow, no wonder she looked similar. But the daughter is in another royal guard... Hahaha!! What is this!"
"...Total disgrace?"
The Yellow Knight's Vice-Captain, his ears turning bright red from the aces' teasing, eventually grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and began to drag her away.
"Let go! Let goooo! Captain Lucia! I only have you! I've been admiring you since the Academy days!"
Her desperate confession spread throughout the dedicated Training Grounds.
Seeing this, Gilli and Vernon were almost clutching their stomachs and giggling to the point of tears.
'She's quite skilled with the sword, but her head isn't right.'
That was why Lucia guessed it would take her 15 years despite her talent.
"Wow. I thought she was just a fearless puppy, but she's a completely outrageous brat?"
-Clatter clatter.
Gillianna grabbed a handful of gold from the flower vase and secretly stuffed it into her pocket.
"I know, it seems even the high-nosed Captain Ashan can't control one of his children."
-Drip, tap. Drip, tap.
Vernon also dropped gold one by one into his scabbard.
-Thud thud thud.
"Yeah."
Finally, Heath swept everything into his Magic Tool, an infinite space pouch, and put down the cleaned-out flower vase.
Lucia, watching the scene, said with an indifferent face.
"Still, there's only one fool over there."
Berl nodded vigorously at her words.
Soon, he began to hit the fools on the head and put the spat-out money back into the flower vase.
"I wondered why you were so sullen, so you're the Crown Princess? That's ridiculous. You haven't been swept away too, have you? Aside from the children's circumstances, if His Majesty and you step in, I won't stand still."
Commander-in-Chief Helbert Bengham, exuding a cold aura that was completely different from when he was with Lucia.
He was sitting in the Prime Minister's office, leisurely polishing his sword as if to show off.
"Ahem. But you're not even surprised by the Grand Sword Master news? Aren't you feeling empty as a swordsman?"
The Prime Minister, watching Helbert's reaction, didn't bring up the fact that he had been swept away.
It was because Helbert happened to be sharpening his sharp sword.
"Empty? What are you talking about! It's only natural. It seems a little earlier than expected, but I didn't think that child wouldn't reach it. Rather, even if she becomes an even more amazing being to the point where such a title is meaningless, that's only natural. Because she's my disciple and my daughter! Hahaha!"
Suddenly, when Lucia's story came up, he babbled like a fool and laughed cheerfully.
He was indeed the most notorious fool for his daughter.
"You're always so peculiar. Are you protecting her because she's the same kind? It's been a long time since you were called the Gray Devil..."
"...Unnecessary noise."
Prime Minister Federin, who had been with him since his youth, was reminiscing about his completely different self from now.
Helbert, who had hardened again, glared at him slightly and opened his mouth in a subdued voice.
"But, I don't know if it was a good thing."
"Are you talking about showing her that tree?"
"That doesn't matter, but somehow, getting involved with those who use Black magic... It's unsettling."
"Don't worry. No matter where you search on the continent, there's nothing that could endanger Lucia now. Hehehe."
Prime Minister Federin laughed, saying that his words were absurd.
But Helbert's still hardened face didn't seem to think so.
"...Fighting while protecting something is a different matter. I don't want to see her in such a dirty state anymore. I think the last war was more than enough."
Helbert met Lucia when he was 47 years old.
Finding that granddaughter-like 7-year-old child was on the day he arbitrarily went to see the child for the first time after a long journey, having been asked to be her guardian before she was born.
However, as he remembered it at the time, the young Lucia's condition was serious.
A truly empty child who had never properly talked to people, eaten food together, or shared warmth.
Count Kerban Cluer, whom he had always thought of as an inscrutable man, was close as master and disciple, but even he was surprised that he had neglected the child in this way.
Excluding formal education, interaction with the child was prohibited, the servants who changed every week were prohibited from saying private words, and even raising common animals was prohibited.
Even now, it was difficult to say that those were rules used to raise a child.
And of course, Helbert, as her guardian, ignored all those prohibitions and warmly taught the child swordsmanship, and that breathless pounding eventually became the child's first warmth.
That was how the sword became everything to the child.
Helbert's first feeling was pity, but it was perhaps natural that such a talented child became his greatest joy and a precious being to him, as he had no blood relatives.
The only child who needed him as family, not as a swordsman.
"Where are you going? Don't tell me."
"Didn't I say? I didn't want to involve her in this unless both of you agreed. So you have to tell the boring story? I don't want to be hated. Not even a little."
"So the conclusion is that you're running away?"
'...If I provoke her again and get wary of me, I might really cry this time. Sniff...'
On the surface, Helbert left with an indifferent face, but the fool for his daughter was still not recovered from the shock of that day when he received Lucia's cold gaze.
-Knock knock.
Before the Prime Minister's brow, which had been watching the door he had left through, could smooth out, he heard a knock.
"Come in. Captain Lucia."
