Chapter 65

Chapter 65
Chapter 65
He wasn’t off the mark.

A person who recognizes their own excellence doesn’t settle for a low price.

In fact, hadn’t that been the very reason Lucian had pursued Nectar so relentlessly? It was a prize capable of swaying any elite talent, particularly those of the martial path.

“True. Unless I happen to put them in my debt by saving their life or something similar, that is likely the reality of it.”

“I am glad you have a grasp on the situation. So, wouldn’t it be more dignified to simply step back and leave this matter to your brothers?”

“I wonder about that.”

Lucian let out a short whistle and gave a casual shrug.

“Who can say? Perhaps I have already placed the Sword Saint’s apprentice in my debt without even knowing it.”

“What kind of ridiculous—!”

“It was a joke. Relax. If you actually manage to bring them into your fold, I won’t even have an opening anyway.”

“Ha.”

Joshua stared at Lucian with a vacant look before forcing out a dry laugh. His face made it clear he had plenty of retorts ready, but he was suppressing them given the gravity of the occasion.

“I’m wasting my breath. The investiture is about to begin, so I’ll be heading down first.”

“We are heading to the same spot, so why not walk together? We could use some brotherly bonding time.”

“I’ll pass on that!”

At Lucian’s invitation, Joshua’s features twisted in annoyance as he hurried away. Watching the younger man’s retreat, Lucian let out a quiet chuckle.

“He really is quite the character.”

Unlike Tristan or Jordi, who had been hardened by the world’s trials, Joshua remained green, which made provoking him a delightful pastime. If possible, Lucian hoped he would stay that way, but unfortunately, today was the day Joshua would be forced to face reality.

‘I just hope the shock doesn’t turn him into another Jordi.’

If Joshua ended up like Jordi, Lucian would have no choice but to utterly break him. He genuinely hoped his brother would remain someone he could simply toy with.

—

The knighting ceremony was as magnificent as anticipated.

A high stage had been constructed in a location visible to all the commoners gathered outside the inner keep. A vibrant red carpet stretched across the path, lined on both sides by ranks of armored knights. Considering that such rituals usually concluded within fifteen minutes, this display was a sign of immense reverence and favor toward Sword Saint Eisen.

‘Well, it’s a relief I don’t have to stand in a prominent spot. Being lost in the crowd will actually heighten the shock when I finally make my move.’

Since Felicia was the center of attention today, no one else was permitted to overshadow her. Despite being the Grand Duke’s sons, they weren’t assigned special seats, allowing them to remain obscured behind the wall of knights.

As they waited for the commencement, another figure approached Lucian’s area, his eyes widening in surprise.

“You… you little pest!”

“Long time no see, brother.”

Lucian offered a cheerful wave to the man struggling to keep his temper in check. Jordi, unable to mask his confusion, reflexively demanded, “When did you get here? I was told you planned to remain in the capital for some time.”

“Just recently. A couple of hours ago, maybe. Usually, you’d have a report on your desk instantly. I take it you’ve been a bit distracted by the festivities?”

Jordi didn’t explode at Lucian’s jab. Instead, he radiated a visible sense of irritation and unease.

‘He must have a general idea of the bond between Felicia and me.’

When Lucian had first brought Felicia home, Tristan was stationed in Bornholm, and Joshua was a mere novice just starting his training. Only Jordi had been present in the manor with a functioning intelligence network, so it wasn’t a shock if he knew the basics.

“I suspected something was off. I was wondering why this ceremony was being rushed so suddenly. It seems you had a hand in this, didn’t you, brother?”

“…What are you blathering about? What does this ritual have to do with me?”

Jordi attempted to dismiss the comment, but he couldn’t suppress a brief, telltale flinch. Lucian’s hunch hardened into certainty, and his lips curled into a cold grin.

“You still haven’t lost your touch for underhanded schemes. Well, give it your best shot. If you struggle miserably and still fail, all you’ll have left is the stain of your own corruption.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. No matter how much potential or renown you possess, without a faction to support you, you are nothing but a tool. You’re just a shooting star that glows for a second before vanishing.”

“Saying that while I am currently at my brightest just makes it sound like the whimper of a loser.”

Jordi’s eyes burned with fury at Lucian’s taunt, but he stopped there. Likely wanting to avoid a public scene before the event, Jordi retreated in silence.

Shortly after, Tristan also noticed his siblings, let out a sharp click of his tongue, and took a position some distance away. In the midst of this stifling silence among the four brothers and the mounting pressure—

*Clank.*

The star of the ceremony finally stepped into view, and the crowd’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

“A helmet?”

“No, wearing a helmet at a knighting ceremony!”

“How incredibly rude!”

The surrounding knights’ faces twisted in indignation, and the gathered townspeople began to murmur. Unless one was actively on guard or in the heat of battle, hiding one’s face behind steel was considered a major breach of etiquette.

However, the Sword Saint’s student paid no heed to the hostile stares and marched down the crimson carpet to stand before Grand Duke Sigmund.

“Remove your headgear.”

Grand Duke Sigmund ordered in a deep, commanding voice that echoed across the grounds. The knight followed the instruction, pulling off the helmet to reveal their features.

“A woman!?”

“The Sword Saint’s heir is a girl?”

“This is madness…!”

As Felicia’s messy hair caught the breeze, gasps of disbelief surged from every corner. It wasn’t that women hadn’t ever taken up the sword, but such figures were usually relegated to legends and fables. In the real world, aside from symbolic noble titles, there were no female warriors who actually served as knights.

And yet, of all candidates, the successor to the Sword Saint was a woman.

“Student of the legendary Sword Saint, Eisen Brightner. Declare your name.”

“I am Felicia Brightner, the adopted daughter of Eisen Brightner.”

“I ask you, Felicia. What virtue will you pursue as a knight?”

“Loyalty. Nothing but total loyalty.”

The nearby knights shuddered at the bluntness of the reply. Typically, such a vow would involve promises to protect the weak or serve the realm, but she spoke only of allegiance.

The Grand Duke fixed Felicia with a piercing stare and asked, “Even if your master descends into darkness, will you hold fast to that loyalty?”

It was a question that challenged the very morality of her oath, yet Felicia didn’t waver for an instant.

“If my master chooses the path of evil, I shall become a demon alongside him and crawl through the mud by his side. If the Eight Gods condemn my master to the abyss, I alone shall take up that burden and burn for all time in his place.”

Grand Duke Sigmund went quiet at the ferocity of her response. His face suggested he hadn’t anticipated such a radical answer to a standard test of character.

“…Then I shall pray that your master makes the right choices. May he possess the clarity to lead such a formidable knight down an honorable path.”

After a moment of reflection, the Grand Duke spoke in a gentler tone to break the tension and drew his blade. As Felicia dropped to one knee, the sword lightly touched both her shoulders and the base of her neck.

“In the name of Sigmund Valdek, I attest to your honor. Felicia Brightner, you are now a knight. I hope that both you and I may always carry this title with dignity.”

The investiture concluded, and Felicia rose, but the usual roar of approval didn’t follow. Everyone was still paralyzed by the revelation that the Sword Saint’s protégé was a woman.

Just as the silence threatened to turn into mocking laughter and the laughter into a wave of slander—

“Grand Duke! Though I am aware of the intrusion, I have a single request!”

A knight with sharp, focused features stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and cried out. Despite the breach of protocol, the Grand Duke gave a calm nod.

“Speak your mind.”

“A knight defines themselves through their blade! Grant me permission to see if she truly has the skill to match her title!”

“Hmm.”

At the blatant challenge, the Grand Duke looked toward Felicia. His expression asked if she would take the bait. Felicia gave a firm nod without a second’s pause.

“He is correct. A knight’s worth is measured by their sword. If you harbor such doubt, then see the truth for yourself.”

“I am grateful!”

The sudden duel caused a commotion, but the atmosphere simultaneously surged with a strange excitement. They were about to witness the prowess of the Sword Saint’s heir—a female warrior who seemed to have walked out of a myth.

Lucian felt a wry smile touch his lips as he watched the circle being cleared for the fight.

‘It looks like Father and Sir Eisen coordinated this stage.’

The idea of a female knight was so alien to the current society that it felt forced. This was likely a planned move to silence the critics by proving her strength before their gossip could take root. Otherwise, who would dare disrupt a ritual sanctioned by both the Grand Duke and the Sword Saint? It was clearly scripted.

‘Now that I think about it, even I don’t fully know how powerful Felicia has become under Sir Eisen’s guidance. Since she had a real master this time, her growth must be far beyond what it was in her past life.’

While Lucian was lost in his thoughts, the two combatants stood across from each other, weapons drawn within the ring.

“May this contest be an honorable one that brings no shame before the Eight Gods.”

The Grand Duke stepped back after completing the official oversight. Then, the two swords collided, showering the air with sparks.

—

*Clang! Screeech! Ching!*

“….”

“….”

Ten minutes into the confrontation.

The crowd, mesmerized by the display before them, held their breath as one. Lucian was among them, captivated.

‘Exquisite.’

Normally, a sword fight brought to mind the grinding of metal and the spray of blood. But Felicia deflected the attacks with a fluid grace that mirrored a dance. Her rival was unleashing strikes at a speed that was nearly a blur, yet Felicia neutralized them all with movements that were perfectly discernible.

“…Are such movements even possible for a mortal?”

A knight standing near Lucian whispered in a daze. At those words, others nearby nodded in silent agreement. To parry a blade that was almost too fast to track with a sword that looked deceptively slow!

While the rest were in awe, Lucian could see the underlying logic of the duel.

‘I see it.’

His vision, enhanced by the Nectar he had taken, was unmasking Felicia’s strategy. Her dance-like maneuvers were all aimed precisely at the spot where her opponent’s blade was about to strike. She wasn’t fighting like a duelist; she was fighting like a seer reading the future of the blade.

But even more staggering was Felicia herself, who interpreted that flow and reacted instantly without a hint of doubt.

‘Is this the true face of a genius?’

Lucian felt a cold shiver race down his back. Even though he was watching the same thing, he knew he could never move with such fluidity. The eyes that tracked mana, the instinctive reactions, the flawless split-second choices, and a spirit completely consumed by the way of the sword.

‘It’s as if her entire existence was crafted solely to wield a blade.’

Perhaps she was an envoy sent by the heavens to show humanity the peak of swordsmanship. Felicia’s technique was at a level that felt beyond the reach of man.

*CLANG!*

With a thunderous ring, the challenger’s sword was knocked aside, and he halted his assault, retreating a few steps. As a result of his frantic efforts, sweat was pouring off him like a deluge. In contrast, Felicia lowered her weapon easily, her breathing as steady as if she hadn’t moved at all.

“Do you wish to go on?”

“…No, I have seen enough.”

The knight stepped back with a hollow look. Encountering a level of talent he could never hope to achieve despite a lifetime of devotion seemed to have left him feeling empty.

‘The challenge was likely staged, but that feeling is real. I felt that same way once.’

As Lucian felt a strange bond with the man, the knight, having regained his composure, bowed deeply to Felicia.

“A knight’s truth is in their sword. You have proven yours. It seems I was arrogant to believe I was fit to test you.”

“I understand more than anyone the weight you have put into your training. Because it was a veteran like you who challenged me, I view this as a great honor.”

“…You are too kind.”

The knight tried to wave off the compliment, but his expression was overwhelmed with emotion. This was respect given not to a ‘woman,’ but to the ‘future Sword Saint.’

As the challenger stepped away, the Grand Duke scanned the crowd and spoke.

“Sir Felicia has demonstrated her worth. If there is anyone else who still doubts her, come forward now!”

Not a single warrior moved. The perspective of the crowd had shifted entirely. She was no longer a strange anomaly from a fairy tale, but the living embodiment of a legendary knight.

Just as the Grand Duke was about to conclude the event, seeing no more challengers—

“Tristan Valdek has a question for Sir Felicia!”

Tristan, who had been quiet until now, stood up and shouted. As the focus shifted to him, Tristan reached out a hand toward the young woman.

“As a fellow warrior, do you have any interest in entering my service!”

“…!”

It was a proposal that was bold to the point of being scandalous. But Tristan didn’t pull back.

“If you join my ranks, you shall always ride at my side, share my table, and I shall have you hear my final words when I meet my end! You, who will carry the Sword Saint’s legacy! I want to hear your choice!”

Sharing a table and riding alongside a lord meant being treated as a peer or a brother-in-arms. Being the one to hear his final words meant trusting her with his entire legacy—the greatest tribute a vassal could receive.

At Tristan’s proposal, which radiated a hunger for talent, Felicia bowed her head and replied.

“I am grateful for the offer, but I must decline.”

“What…!”

“Then do you have any intention of joining me!”

Before the stunned Tristan could even demand an explanation, a slightly panicked Joshua rushed forward. It was an undignified display, but his expression showed he didn’t care about his reputation if he could just secure Felicia.

“If you come to me, no knight shall ever be placed above you, and all shall treat you with absolute reverence! This vow shall be upheld until my final breath!”

It was a massive exaggeration, but the message was clear: he would make Felicia his permanent second-in-command. It was a guarantee that no matter what others achieved, no one under Joshua would ever outrank her.

But Felicia gave a slow shake of her head once more.

“I appreciate the high regard, but I must decline.”

“…!”

The whispers intensified as she turned down the Valdek bloodline twice in rapid succession. Did she mean to reject every offer of service even after being knighted by Grand Duke Sigmund?

That was when Jordi, wearing a confident smirk, stood up and yelled.

“Future Sword Saint, Felicia! Do you have any desire to pledge your blade to me? If you swear your loyalty to my cause, I shall grant any wish you have within my power to fulfill! Eight Gods of the Sky, witness my vow!”

“Gasp!”

“The Vow of the Pantheon!”

The crowd was shocked by the Vow of the Pantheon falling from Jordi’s lips. Was it not a sacred oath that could never be retracted? To speak it so casually, even though it could shackle him for life…

Just as the Grand Duke scowled at the recklessness and the spectators held their breath—

“I thank you for the generous proposal. However, please forgive the bluntness of my refusal.”

“…!?”

“My blade is already promised to another. No matter what rewards are offered, I have no desire to swear my life to anyone else.”

At Felicia’s unwavering response, Jordi’s features twisted in a mask of rage. To be humiliated like this in front of the masses after he had even invoked a divine oath!

In the moment of heavy silence that followed the repeated rejections, Lucian stood up and stepped into the open.

“Lucian Valdek offers you a choice. As you can see, I have nothing but this tired body, so there is nothing material I can promise you.”

“….”

“The path ahead is murky, the compensation is non-existent, and you will be in constant peril. However, if you stay by my side until the curtain falls, your name will be written in the stars. Will you join me?”

The brothers, along with the crowd, looked at Lucian as if he had lost his mind. He seemed to be trying for a romantic gesture, but it sounded more like he was begging for a rejection.

Just as the people expected Felicia’s answer to start with ‘I am grateful for the offer, but’—

“You worded that wrong.”

Felicia, a brilliant smile breaking across her face, dropped to one knee before Lucian and spoke.

“I do not care if it is the center of the abyss. Just let me stay with you.”