The Sword Master’s Son-in-Law

– The Kingdom’s Capital

The journey, longer than anticipated, had finally ended.

Having concluded that protracted voyage, I rested within my room.

“Ah…finally back.”

A dog’s life away from home, they say.

Truly, it was arduous.

Of course, I gained something good as well-.

My gaze drifted involuntarily to the Blackflame Sword.

Each glance filled me with contentment.

To finally be able to wield a sword properly, at last.

What better fortune could there be?

Nevertheless-.

“I’ve come to think of this place as home now, too.”

Before I knew it, I regarded the Messiah County estate as my own residence.

Thinking that way-.

“When the time comes to leave…”

It seemed I would feel a pang of regret.

However.

“If that day truly arrives, will I really leave the Messiah County estate?”

I’m no fool; I’ve noticed Asia’s affections for me.

A kiss on the cheek, no less.

At best, perhaps subtly holding hands could be permissible.

But a kiss on the cheek?

It became clear what feelings Asia harbored for me.

That meant, depending on my choice, this engagement performance could become a reality.

“I wonder what will happen….”

Asia Messiah.

A beautiful woman.

Snow-white silver hair and jade-like skin.

A face that would be suited to an entertainer in my previous life.

Perhaps because she was young.

‘Would she have been an idol?’

Since she learns swordsmanship, she likely also dances reasonably well.

Thinking along those lines, Asia and being an idol suited her quite well.

Anyway, leaving that topic aside for now.

I considered the age difference between Asia and myself.

Four years younger.

I am twenty years old.

Asia is sixteen years old.

It was an age difference that wouldn’t be burdensome between adults.

But—.

‘Because of my morals from a past life…’

Frankly, I felt a resistance.

Because of the idea of romance between an adult and a minor.

So, four years from now.

When that time arrives—.

‘If even then my heart is still uneasy…’

Then, perhaps I would—.

Perhaps I would accept Asia’s feelings.

Honestly, I didn’t want to lose her.

From a good family, with outstanding looks.

And a good personality.

I couldn’t see any rough edges.

While I was having these thoughts,

I heard a knock on my door.

“It’s me.”

Asia, the very person I was agonizing over.

She had come to my room.

Truthfully, I never imagined Asia would come to my room.

Especially since—.

‘It’s still probably awkward for us to be alone together.’

The whole way back, Asia had ignored me.

Or rather, it wasn’t exactly ignoring, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

Probably because she was embarrassed by what she had done.

So this visit felt a little sudden to me.

Seeing that she came, it seemed she had sorted things out to some extent.

“You can come in.”

With my permission given, Asia opened the door and came inside.

Lightly dressed.

She sat down naturally next to me.

And—.

“What do you think of me?”

She jumped straight to the point.

It truly was impeccable timing.

To come right as I had finished sorting out my thoughts about Asia.

The timing was too perfect.

“If that feeling hasn’t changed by the time you come of age…”

But Asia seemed not to understand my words.

“Coming of age? Why specifically my coming of age?”

Asia’s question was, of course, natural.

The setting here was the Middle Ages.

Minority held little significance.

Even coming-of-age ceremonies were little more than empty rituals.

In truth, most nobles married before even undergoing such a ceremony.

I couldn’t exactly blame it on the ethics of my past life.

So I offered a plausible excuse.

“I believe a person only becomes capable of rational judgment at twenty.”

“Rational judgment…?”

“Yes.”

Marriage should be born of reason, not instinct.

Marrying impulsively would lead to nothing but trouble.

Asia smiled faintly at my words.

“But what if Arthas can’t hold out until then?”

My eyes met Asia’s.

For a moment, I felt a chill, as if something…

‘Like a predator with its prey in sight…?’

Well, seeing Asia blush at her own question, it didn’t seem likely to happen.

“…Then, I suppose there’s nothing for it,”

I replied with a playful shrug.

Asia seemed both embarrassed and satisfied by my answer.

And so, Asia and I continued to exchange small talk.

It felt as though we were catching up on all the things we hadn’t had time to say on the way back.

Then, suddenly–.

Asia reacted as if she’d remembered something she’d forgotten.

And she asked me about a certain incident.

“Do you remember our first meeting?”

“Our first meeting… Ah!”

Was she talking about when that unscrupulous merchant, Bedi, tried to have me killed, so I ended up killing them all?

To be honest, I was quite flustered back then.

That that was our first meeting.

Even now, I still feel like my first impression was very bad.

“Yes.”

“There’s something I’m curious about….”

Asia seemed hesitant to speak.

I couldn’t fathom why.

“Why did you kill them all back then? Surely, with your skill, Arthas-ssi, you could have subdued them without killing them?”

Why did I kill them all, huh….

There were too many of them.

Restraining that many people single-handedly was impossible.

Escape, then, was an option.

‘I could flee. Just inflict enough wounds on them so they can’t follow.’

But—.

The thought held no appeal.

They were evildoers.

They’d naturally led me to the abandoned mine.

Which meant, this wasn’t their first time.

If left unchecked, more victims would surface.

And—finally.

Those b*stards and I, we had a connection from long ago.

Despite the eons, that connection endured.

Simply put, a bothersome matter had arisen.

So, to summarize it neatly:

“I didn’t want to leave any loose ends.”

However—.

Upon hearing my words, Asia’s expression soured dramatically.

Then, without a word, she left the room.

Frankly, I was flustered.

Such a sudden change in demeanor.

It was exceedingly difficult to grasp.

*

Asia suddenly recalled.

The reason she’d grown wary of Arthurs.

It stemmed from an incident during their first encounter.

That was why she had asked about the motive.

But—.

“I didn’t want to leave any loose ends.”

The moment Asia heard those words, her heart plummeted.

Arthurs’ words brought to mind a past event.

Her maternal family, the Pastel Marquisate.

Even within that household, she’d heard the very same phrase from someone like Arthurs.

Asia recalled the words of her maternal grandfather, the current Marquis Pastel.

‘…Leaving loose ends will never do you any good.’

That’s what the Marquis Pastel had said in response to Asia’s ‘why’

And in a chilling, almost emotionless voice, at that.

After that, Asia never visited the Pastel Marquisate again.

Not only did she avoid visiting.

She loathed the Pastel Marquisate.

Her own mother.

The entity that had inflicted unforgettable pain upon her.

Asia retreated to her room, lost in thought.

Her mind, tangled and heavy, wrestled with doubts for what felt like an eternity.

“I know that Arthas isn’t a bad man.”

To even compare Arthas to the Marquis Pastel was madness, utter madness.

But…

It was because he’d uttered the very same words as the Marquis Pastel.

Those words had stirred emotions within her that she couldn’t control, not in the slightest.

‘It’s probably the right choice for Arthas. But…’

The Marquis Pastel’s words kept echoing in her head.

And so, Asia couldn’t accept it.

“Then… have I stopped… loving Arthas…?”

Arthas had spoken words so similar to that hateful man.

Yet, Asia felt her affection for Arthas hadn’t disappeared.

However-.

“I want to sort out my feelings a bit.”

She didn’t want to say anything right away.

Because painful memories resurfaced.

And so, she resolved to speak only after she’d cleared her head.

“Now… I have to tell him.”

About the story of the Pastel family, entangled with her mother, and the reason her father despised her fiancé.

Asia had decided to convey all of that to Arthas.

*

The head of the Messiah family’s study.

Inside, a man agonized, alone with his thoughts.

Andrew Messiah, the Earl.

His expression shifted with each passing moment.

Anger, sorrow, and then, a hollow despair.

“…Asia loves him, does she.”

The Earl Messiah suddenly recalled a thought he’d harbored for some time.

He wanted to let Asia love freely, without constraint.

It was his wife’s last wish.

And now, on this occasion, Earl Messiah learned of Asia’s feelings.

She had a man she cherished, and he happened to be a potential fiancé.

Therefore, he had no reason to interfere.

He didn’t want to ruin his daughter’s love life with his own stubbornness.

And so, Earl Messiah made a firm decision.

That decision was-.

“Bring Arthas to me immediately.”

Asia would soon be departing for the capital of the kingdom.

To impart the news of my academy expulsion and bid farewell to my classmates, yes.

To offer Asia a chance to be alone with me.

That, Father believed, was the best he could do for his daughter.

‘Hmph… To relinquish a daughter, such a torment it would be.’

Count Messiah felt as though a stake had been driven straight through his heart.

*

Two steeds.

And two souls.

Asia and I.

Due to what sudden whim, I wondered.

Count Messiah dispatched Asia and I, and none other, to the kingdom’s capital.

The timing was just awful, wasn’t it?

Such a journey in this strained atmosphere.

“…Perhaps we ought to rest a spell?”

“I-I’m quite alright.”

Asia kept averting her gaze from mine.

It wasn’t that she disliked me, not exactly.

She merely seemed… lost.

But why was Asia behaving so strangely all of a sudden?

Could my words, about not wishing to leave behind future troubles, have been so shocking?

‘Well, nothing for it.’

In this circumstance, there was only one thing I could do.

I resolved to wait until Asia had collected herself.