By Zephyria 
I’ve gained so much since coming to this land.
At first, I urged them not to grieve, mentioning each of my blood relatives by name, and then I wrote down the names of my friends, one by one, telling them to live well. The number of names I wanted to ask things of kept increasing, so in the latter half, I could only write a line or two of request for each name.
What more could a dead man say? Just, I’m going, live well. That would be enough. I only hope they cry little after my death and live long and well.
The name I had been putting off until the end was finally written.
Ruben.
We had agreed to climb the Yuil Mountains together, so if I were to die, it would be by his side. That kid, already prone to tears, how much would he fret and fuss? The more I thought about it, the more I felt I shouldn’t die where he could see me.
“I told you that you can change your mind at any time. I hope you will.”
I calmly wrote a line and stared at it for a long time.
What a pity. How could just these words be so painful and precious? For fear of losing Ruben’s beautiful heart, I must not leave him behind and die first.
I let my troubled heart flow far away on the moonlight.
❖ ❖ ❖
As promised, all the blood relatives gathered at the townhouse three days before the graduation ceremony.
I was quite surprised to see the passage of time etched deeply on the faces of my grandparents from both sides, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.
I had grown so much in the meantime, I suppose I thought they would remain the same. But these people, who eat and rest better than the people of the Central Plains, I had been deluded into thinking they could transcend time even at this age.
Because of that, I felt even more poignant and behaved more politely, but they didn’t know my heart and fussed over how I was just like when I was a child, which made them seem pitiful.
If my grandparents are happy with this, then pretending to be a child a little is nothing. I acted kindly and tried to earn smiles in the presence of all the relatives.
With all the blood relatives gathered in one place, Uncle stared at me intently and smiled. It was a smile that didn’t suit his cold face. Yes, Uncle was also a Sword Master. It would be stranger if I didn’t recognize it. I met his gaze and smiled back.
“…You can use Sword energy now.”
“Yes, that’s right. I became a Sword Master last year.”
“What?”
I had decided not to widely publicize that I had gained enlightenment after listening to Maelo Sanson’s advice. Ruben, who could read my aura just by looking at me, and my friends who were always close to me, knew, but I didn’t bother to write down my level in detail even in letters to my blood relatives.
Last summer, I went to the Hunting Festival and didn’t even see their faces, and this winter was the first time I had faced my parents. They didn’t have the talent to read my level, so they were surprised to learn it now.
Was there any need to add or subtract words?
When they asked me to show them the proof with their own eyes, I drew the longsword that I usually kept at my waist even inside the house. I took a breath and guided my breathing, and a blue aura formed along the blade. Even those who didn’t practice swordsmanship could see the clear light on the sword, so I chose this method.
“…Wow, wow…!”
“Is that Sword energy? Can I touch it?”
“No.”
Michael acted as if he would bury his head in my sword at any moment, and Asdel jumped up from his seat and quickly reached out his hand. Worried that my younger siblings might get hurt, I awkwardly dispersed the Sword energy and sheathed my sword.
A round of applause erupted. I awkwardly listened to the praise from my elders, saying how admirable and wonderful I was. In my previous life, when I reached the Transcendent Peak realm, I tried to act indifferent to overcome the gazes of envy and jealousy, but the sound of clapping made me feel embarrassed for no reason, and I just smiled.
“…Yes, now…. Your proportions must be right now.”
“Yes?”
“If your arms and legs grow and your proportions are right, Sword energy…. Yes, Sword energy….”
“No, wait a minute, Father. What are you talking about from so long ago?”
I didn’t bother to stop the laughter that was leaking out, but I had to correct the words. I immediately shook my head.
“It’s still far off. I need to grow more. At least ten more centimeters.”
“That’s right, our Mika will still grow more.”
When Mother took my side, Father leaned on Mother’s shoulder as if he was dizzy. That appearance was unlike him, so all the blood relatives couldn’t come to their senses because they were laughing.
Even while watching that scene, I didn’t take back the words I had spoken. In my previous life, I was a man of six feet tall. I am eating and dressing better than I did then, so I thought I should grow more.
Since everyone was gathered in one place, I also told them that I suspected Wesley Kiadris.
After hearing the story that the Mana concentration was getting thicker, my maternal grandfather and Uncle stiffened their expressions and asked, which made me realize again that the Magic Tower was treating this news seriously.
Both Grandfather and maternal grandfather knew that a part of the Imperial Palace royal guard had been dispatched to the Yuil Mountains, but they also heard that they didn’t know that the Imperial Palace royal guard still had no contact. When they heard that the Wizard sent with the Imperial Palace royal guard had lost contact, everyone sighed deeply.
Uncle opened his mouth with a serious face.
“The strangest thing is….”
“The strange thing?”
“They are scheming to make sure that everyone who should know knows, even while keeping it quiet. Isn’t it said in Searon that if three people know, it’s as good as everyone knowing? The Second Prince, the Emperor, Michael, and all of us have come to know about this.”
“…That’s right.”
Maternal grandfather accepted Uncle’s words. I also nodded inwardly, thinking, “That’s right.” Uncle hummed and stroked his chin with one hand as he continued.
“Wesley Kiadris and Richard Flo Searon are both acting calmly, as if they are truly innocent… aren’t they?”
While watching that scene, I suddenly became curious and opened my mouth.
“Did Uncle also attend the New Year Festival at the Crystal Palace?”
“…No. I was just watching the situation. If I had known this, I should have come up earlier.”
Of course, even if the Valentia Duke Family’s New Year Festival is entrusted to the cousins, it is in accordance with the law that the Valentia Duke and his wife attend the opening.
In Searon, it was natural for people living in the same area and those who had endured the same years to mingle and play. Considering the distance between the capital and the Duke’s residence, and considering their age difference, it was natural that my Uncle Oscar had never seen Wesley Kiadris’s face.
While telling that story, Uncle also said something else.
“Actually…. The current Duke Yeldidus was not originally interested in politics. He was a gentle and docile person, a kind man who liked books and songs. He became ambitious four years ago. Around that time, he started doing various things on the premise of a marriage proposal between Yeldidus and Kiadris.”
“Four years ago….”
“That was when Wesley Kiadris was twenty-eight and Hestia Yeldidus was sixteen.”
And it was when Edwin Kiadris was fifteen years old. I had heard that as soon as he turned fifteen, the Kiadris family opened a business through trade and prospered. But I didn’t know that Yeldidus had helped with that.
Although it was eventually canceled due to age difference and various other reasons, I heard that after that, Yeldidus began to interfere with the Valentia Duke Family’s trade routes and began planning maritime trade and building ships. I also heard that they have now found a good sea route and succeeded in launching ships.
I felt strangely strange.
Isn’t that the story that Lady Yeldidus was almost married to Wesley and then pushed in front of Richard? And yet, she was compared to the Kiadris family’s Young Lady at this New Year Festival. I was curious about how he was enduring this time, and I didn’t want to know.
Maternal grandfather, who had been saving his words for a long time while thinking carefully, said that he was close to Duke Withrow, so he would contact him. He said that after my graduation ceremony, Uncle and his wife should go back to Valentia, so they would visit the Withrow Duke Family on a trip.
Maternal grandfather was not a Martial artists, but I decided to believe that under the reign of the current Emperor, he would not easily harm the maternal grandfather, who was the former Duke. I also promised that I would go to the Yuil Mountains through the Withrow Duke Family soon, so let’s go together.
The two younger siblings were sitting in front with their eyes wide open. I was worried about how Michael and Asdel would listen to the adults’ stories, but Michael was now ten years old and Asdel was eight years old. It was an age sufficient to learn and hear things in both the Central Plains and Searon.
Everyone in the room did not save their words. I did too.
After talking for a long time, we had a meal, and after the meal, I had a Sparring with Uncle.
It was because Uncle had asked to see my level with his own eyes. I ordered all the tables and chairs in the hall where the banquet was usually held to be removed and all the attendants to be dismissed. It was in front of the blood relatives who were sitting on the sofas that had been brought together in one place.
In my opinion, Uncle’s level was similar to my previous life.
I was the one who had been properly awakened and gained some enlightenment. I had a desire to tear down my own and share it even a little. He was the one who had to protect the family when I was away.
In my previous life, I treated the sword heavily. I thought it was against reason to take weapons that harm life lightly.
But in this new land, I learned and practiced a sword that does not harm. I put my heart into drawing shapes, placing dots and drawing lines with my brother.
I gently wrapped and pushed up the shaking sword, and pulled and pulled the colliding sword. After about fifty rounds of that, Uncle smiled bitterly and withdrew his sword. The family members, who could not follow the Sparring of noble level with their eyes and only saw the flashing lights, applauded and praised first.
Amid the pouring praise and cheers, Uncle’s voice was kindly delivered.
“You’re giving me a lot of leeway.”
“You’re too kind.”
I first humbly accepted Uncle’s words, but Uncle stubbornly asked me to teach him next time. It was a time to reflect on how I had treated young and excellent Martial artists in my previous life.
For Michael, who was angry because he couldn’t see what I was doing in detail, and the other blood relatives who were bewildered, I vowed to come up with a way for them to enjoy it next time.