"I've been meaning to have a proper talk about this. Honestly, what exactly do you people at the Mourning Specter think my disciple is?!"
The Sword Saint, Thorne Louwell, was renowned as a swordsman whose skill, technique, and body were all in perfect harmony. His swordsmanship spoke for itself, but his contributions to the development of the art were nothing short of extraordinary. The Thorne-style swordsmanship he had refined from the techniques he originally mastered was now widely recognized throughout the Empire. The overall strength of his school was said to rival even Hunters who had boosted their base abilities by absorbing Mana Materials.
The nobles placed great trust in him, and among the populace his school was regarded as one of the military forces protecting Zebuldia — on equal footing with the regular knight order. It was still fresh in memory that he had dispatched Luke to serve as security at the White Sword Assembly. In other words, he wielded enough authority to send a killer to an important gathering, and enough influence to remain perfectly composed even when that killer went on a rampage. Impressive!
The point I'm trying to make is this: Luke, who had mastered Thorne-style swordsmanship and had been absorbing Mana Materials like crazy, was by far the most dangerous of all.
Thorne kept dragging me along without letting go. Lucia sighed and followed behind us, but showed no intention of helping.
"Do you have any idea how many complaints have been filed with me because of Luke? Hmm? I'm eighty years old and I can't even have a peaceful retirement!"
"I... I'm terribly sorry about that."
But surely they bore some responsibility too, for raising his technique and body while neglecting his heart?
"At the White Sword Assembly, he said he'd follow the security chief's orders, so I sent him — and he completely ignored them. He no-showed a job I traded for a spot at the Martial Emperor Festival. The senior disciple tested mysterious new techniques on people, the junior disciple tested mysterious new techniques on people, the newest disciple tested mysterious new techniques on people, and I tested mysterious new techniques on people —"
That's a lot of mysterious new technique testing... Well, at least he seems in good spirits!
"I had him meditate for mental cultivation, made him read books, had him stand under waterfalls, assigned him to instruct junior disciples, taught him soft techniques, had him take on commission work that was brought to us, even put him in charge of escort jobs — nothing changes at all! And in the end, he incited other disciples to charge into the Treasure Hall, charged into a bandit stronghold on his own, and started using our name to challenge other dojos as he pleased! Do you understand how I feel when I try to guide him to think about something other than swords?"
The Sword Saint spoke as though thoroughly fed up. It seemed that his rare visits here meant all his grievances had built up.
I'd stopped trying to escape, but Thorne still wouldn't let go. I was dragged into the mansion and spoke with the feeling of a cow being led to slaughter.
"I think... you should tell that to him directly."
"Oh? And you think I haven't told him?"
"I... think it would be better not to tell me."
"............"
"!?! Brother!?"
The words slipped out before I could stop them, and Thorne fell silent.
This man truly was a man of character... If that had been Franz, he would have exploded without question.
I smiled from the bottom of my heart and spoke cheerfully.
"Luke is fortunate to have you as his teacher. You're someone I can entrust him to — no, someone I want to entrust him to!"
"...You think I'd be fooled by such words!? Luke slashed the blind date I introduced him to — the one I suggested so he might settle down once he found a partner!"
What!? First time hearing that. This guy was more of a challenger than I'd imagined. Even as his childhood friend, I wouldn't have dared suggest something like that. Truly the work of a master.
And since Luke, who was fairly open about most things, had never mentioned any of this, my guess was that — perhaps he hadn't even considered it a blind date.
"He believes there are only two kinds of people in this world: those it's okay to cut down, and those it's better not to cut down. Quite the handful, isn't he? Was that person a swordsman?"
"So if the opponent is a swordsman, Luke will cut anyone down? Hmm?"
"Well... if they're reasonably strong. That's why we usually have him carry a wooden sword... Whether it's because of the Mana Materials or because of Thorne himself, his strength knew no bounds. Fortune favor Luke Saikol as he charges down his own path!
"Luke said he'd meet a strong female swordsman!"
"...Let's drop that topic. It's pointless, and even if I talked to him, it'd be a waste of breath. Time will sort everything out eventually."
I said something I didn't really believe.
I'd heard Thorne had been quite the handful in his younger days too, so well... the possibility wasn't exactly zero. I wanted to believe it was non-zero.
"Besides, even now — I'm training him to avoid vital spots as much as possible! Once he kills someone, not even Anthem can bring them back!"
"............"
Thorne said nothing.
In the awkward silence, I was dragged inside without any further discussion. I was finally released after being ushered into an elegant reception room with fine tatami flooring.
Thorne's mansion had a design quite different from the Imperial Capital's. If I had to compare, it was somewhat close to the hot spring inn in Surus.
I removed my shoes and, the moment I was led into the tatami room, before anyone could tell me to, I fluidly dropped into seiza and pressed both hands to the floor in a deep bow.
Most people in the Capital weren't used to sitting seiza since they generally wore shoes indoors, but not me. If anything, the ground here wasn't dirt, so it almost felt lacking.
Thorne showed no particular reaction to my prostration. Perhaps this was the realm of "clear mirror, still water" that Thorne-style swordsmanship spoke of.
Lucia reacted more than he did — though she was giving me a cold look.
Thorne, seated across from me, spoke.
"I heard from Lord Franz. It seems a prophecy of calamity has come to Zebuldia. And the nature of it is believed to be a curse."
Huh? What's that? First I'm hearing of it. When I'd asked Franz earlier via Resonance Stone to put in a good word with the Sword Saint, he hadn't mentioned anything like this.
I raised my head. Thorne sat cross-legged with his arms folded, fixing me with a gaze so sharp it felt like he could see straight through my thoughts.
"That sounds... like a bargain sale of calamities. How many times has this happened now this season?"
"You sound as though you're used to it, Thousand Transformations."
Well, I didn't exactly want to say that...
Even by my own reckoning, I could think of several incidents. It was honestly surprising the Capital stayed as peaceful as it did with all these things happening. Maybe the disturbances at the Treasure Hall and the fox demon and the rest weren't as serious as I'd thought?
Maybe Ark and the others were always absent when I needed them because they were stopping incidents in places I didn't know about? I should ask next time I saw them.
"But I don't understand why you brought that cursed object to me. Even if Luke stopped it, even if the problem wouldn't have occurred had my disciples been less raw — if you hadn't brought it in, none of this would have happened. Is my understanding incorrect?"
There was no anger in those eyes. And yet, for some reason, that was precisely what made them terrifying. This was the boss of the Capital's swordsmen — if things went south, getting cut down was entirely on the table.
How should I explain myself? No, I should be honest. Lucia didn't seem like she was going to back me up anyway...
"That... that was a cursed object? No way — regardless of how it turned out, I gave it to Luke as a token of gratitude for everything he's done for me. I never imagined something like this would happen."
"Hm, a token of... gratitude?"
Well, it was admittedly reckless. The sword did look rather ominous — but I'd have liked Elisa, the one who brought it in, to field questions about those aspects. Though Elisa probably wasn't thinking about any of that.
"Both Luke and I drew it, and neither of us was possessed! Could you imagine a disciple of Thorne-style swordsmanship being possessed? No, you couldn't!! That's right, no matter how deviously clever I might be!!"
"Br-Brother, that's... that's just being stubborn. You should have at least given advance notice."
Whose side are you on, Lucia...
Thorne's expression was blank. But his quiet gaze was terrifying in a different way from that fiery old lady. One was motion, the other was stillness. I'd hoped to bluff my way through with momentum, but that didn't seem to work here.
I hurried to add: "Of course... I also didn't know your disciple was weak against Lucia."
"!?"
At my words, Thorne's eyes twitched for the first time.
To think the leading sword school of the Capital had that side to them... It was a bit amusing, but it also gave me a sense of why they couldn't beat Luke.
As I knew from Clahi and Ritz, those with outstanding strength tended to sacrifice some of their humanity in exchange for power — No, sorry, Ark existed. Some people didn't lose their humanity.
But as much as I hated to say it, Lucia wouldn't be suited for these disciples. They'd have to be someone who could defeat me first. Naturally, to earn the right to challenge me, they'd need to defeat all of Footprint first. It had always been the rule that to fight those on the highest floor, you had to clear every floor below.
While I was thinking these useless thoughts, Thorne — who had been silent for a good thirty seconds or so — opened his dry lips.
His expression had barely changed, but the complete absence of emotion was what was terrifying. Lucia had the same type of resting face when she was seriously angry.
In a heavy voice, the Sword Saint spoke.
"Ah, honestly... it's enough to make my ears sting. A gift, you say..."
"W-well, more of a... yes. It really is a well-forged sword, probably. If you have the strength to swing it, it would undoubtedly be of use to the Sword Saint — probably!"
As I frantically began making excuses, Thorne let out a small breath and said: "Then... I suppose I must return the favor. Wait here for a moment."
...Huh? Maybe he wasn't that angry after all?
Thorne left the room. Even I wasn't desperate enough to flee to the bathroom at this point.
Lucia, who had been sitting in equally impeccable seiza beside me, spoke.
"Brother, you've gone too far, doing whatever you please! That's Luke's teacher we're talking about!"
"Y-you're right. But I only told the truth. I can't entrust Lucia to these disciples."
"W-wait, what!? We were never talking about that!"
"If you want Lucia, you'd have to defeat Luke first..."
Well, I wasn't actually promising to hand her over even if he did. Her own feelings were what mattered most.
I had been told by my parents when I left home to look after Lucia... Actually, no. It was the other way around — they'd told Lucia to look after me. I'd just remembered something sad.
Shortly after, Thorne returned. He glanced at us, who hadn't broken posture while waiting, and set a rod-shaped object wrapped in cloth on the table.
"...Sorry to keep you waiting. Even in my collection, there are very few items that rival that sword. This is a rare piece I acquired long ago and stored away."
Thorne peeled off the cloth. I'd been hoping it might be a sword of some sort, but what emerged from underneath was — a staff.
A crooked, pitch-black staff. Set into its head was a large gemstone, and it bore a faint resemblance to a certain 'Round World.' It certainly looked expensive, but why would the Sword Saint have a staff in his collection?
I studied Thorne carefully. For the first time today, he cracked a smile and spoke.
"A treasure staff I obtained during my adventuring days. I'm a swordsman so I don't know the details, but according to what I was told when I acquired it, it boasts an unparalleled level of magical amplification. A Thousand Transformations like you should be able to handle it. You could probably get a decent price if you sold it — so don't sell it."
"Well, well... this is quite the gift..."
A mochi from the shelf, a staff from the Sword Saint. If it was being offered, I'd take it. Not that I'd ever use a staff. A collection was best when it was as large as possible.
Even Lucia seemed surprised — her eyes went wide as she stared at the staff.
I picked it up and gave it a lift. The Round World was heavy, but this staff was light enough for even me to swing effortlessly.
I'd need to examine the treasure staff's effects later. Well, among weapon-type treasure weapons, there were many with equipment restrictions that I couldn't verify on my own...
"By the way, what's this staff's name?"
"No name on record. It's been sleeping in my vault all this time."
Hmm, finding out its name sounded like a hassle. Well, I'd leave that to the experts.