TMKWPL CH 8

Chapter 8

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The Rival Appears

Lucia could not tolerate such a lack of integrity from knights who were supposed to protect the empire, no matter how reckless they were.

A single vein throbbed on her usually emotionless face, and the corners of her lips slowly curved upward.

Those who saw it shuddered.

The crazed smile of the black monster. It was the commander’s most feared expression, even among

enemies.

The knights jolted in a panic.

"W-Wait! Commander!!! Five years! We've waited a full five years! Congratulations on becoming a Sword Master, but isn't it time you considered those of us who waited?!"

"Y-Yeah! We're sick of the other knight orders picking fights for no reason just because you're not here!"

"...It's a pain to wake up in the morning."

Heath's words broke the desperate mood, and Vernon and Gilliana glared at him.

Lucia swallowed her anger at their fuss. She had a rough idea why they were acting this way.

No matter how infamous the Black Knights were, Lucia herself had been the centrepiece of that infamy, and she had been absent for five years.

Their unusual backgrounds didn’t help either. Support had likely dried up, and other knight orders must have looked down on them, especially since their commander had never been on good terms with the nobles.

Each of them had joined the Black Knights for their own reasons.

Lucia's presence had been a huge part of those reasons, so they had endured and waited for five years.

And now, their shared journey was beginning again.

Though they didn't remember it now, Lucia was the one who would cherish the memory of their strong camaraderie over the next twenty years.

 Thinking back on those memories softened her heart.

Vernon, a highly educated man; Gilliana, from a famous culinary family; and Heath, a genius who needed no explanation.

Even though not all of them were here, if these irreplaceable comrades helped raise the child, then parenting would be...

Even at a time like this, it’s like fate keeps us together.

Lucia was moved by their presence once again and slowly nodded.

"Leave the floor cleaning alone. There's a reason for it. For the rest, you can help until I return to duty..."

"Alright! It's decided. See you tomorrow~!"

"We left the food we brought in the living room when we came in, you know the drill!"

"...Until then."

Vernon, Gilliana, and Heath had already vanished through the window they came in. They were a mischievous lot who knew how this would end.

...I should seal the windows.

Lucia's face was dead serious as she stared at the window.

Knock! Knock! Knock!!

Someone pounded urgently on the front door, as if they had forgotten something

"Now finally someone decided to use the door..."

When she opened it, there stood Berl, his face stained with tears.

"Commander...! It's been five years! For five years, I've diligently carried out my duties in your place! How could you not tell me about this...? I'm so, so deeply disappointed!!"

Lucia’s small reserve of patience was overloaded.

"Leave."

"...Sniff. Huh?"

Lucia gripped her last shred of  sanity and closed the door as if nothing had happened.

Berl’s lonely footsteps faded away.

The training centre, which couldn’t have been noisier, became quiet again.

This was finally the place Lucia knew.

“Sigh…”

Lucia locked the door, and was about to head to the bedroom to take a nap with Nia when the door, which she hadn't quite locked, suddenly flung open.

And unlike before, what entered made Lucia squint, as if something bright were shining directly into her eyes.

There stood a stunningly handsome man in pristine white robe, breathing heavily. Lucia recognized him instantly.

He was someone she knew. And someone she never expected would come here.

He must have run here, sweat beaded on his silver hair and trickled down his pale skin. His broad  chest beneath his white robe heaved with each ragged breath. But his golden, twilight-like eyes were fixed on Lucia, unwavering.

Just as Lucia was about to speak, he cut her off.

"Who is the child's father?"

• ───────── ☽༓☾ ───────── •

"Hahaha! Did you see the vice-commander? He came with us but was crying in front of the door the whole time. Unbelievable!"

Gilliana, leaving the commander’s dormitory, laughed so hard her head tilted back.

"Why is he so pathetic? He should know the Commander wouldn't open the door for him."

Heath nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but thanks to the vice-commander, these five years were bearable."

"That's right. How lucky we are to have such a diligent person in a knight order full of rascals like us."

The three of them admitted they were rascals and nodded in unison.

“Ugh—but seriously. Do you think that kid is really the Commander’s child?”

Gilliana said, stretched her stiff arms and legs from the riding stance.

"Impossible. Our commander? The only time she touches a man is when she's beheading an enemy...with her sword."

Vernon shuddered.

“Hmm. True. But they looked kinda similar, right?”

"Tsk, tsk. Were you even looking properly? Aside from the hair, they look nothing alike.”

Vernon recalled the child’s wary face from the corner.

“Really? Wait, what do you mean I didn’t look properly? You picking a fight, again?!”

“Calm down, Giliana. It doesn’t matter what the commander’s been up to. Honestly, after five boring years, this is refreshing.”

Vernon deftly sidestepped Giliana’s point.

"Well, that's true. Whatever the commander does, we’re in it together. But having a child? The commander never stops to amaze me."

They chuckled as if they had never fought, reminiscing about Lucia's unusual antics.

But Heath listening quietly, muttered.

"…She's changed."

The two of them, who had been joking, leaned in.

“She was protecting that child.”

Heath, the genius artifact maker.

Though that what he’s called now, no one knew about his hidden ability except Lucia.

And sometimes, he said things that couldn't be ignored.

"In what way?"

The quick-witted Vernon tried to follow up on Heath's cryptic words.

 But before Heath could answer, the sound of horse hooves near them suddenly shook the ground like an earthquake.

The sound passed by them with the speed of lightning and then disappeared.

"What was that just now? The end of this road leads only to the commander's dormitory."

Gilliana immediately decided to chase after it. But Vernon quickly held her back.

“We should keep going. That was the White Mage Corps’ commander.”

"What?! You're kidding! Ugh, what a pity. We’d miss a good show!"

Gilliana pounded her fist into her palm, genuinely disappointed.

"Hah, how pathetic. The most popular man in the empire... Our commander won't even notice even if she lived over ninety."

"Oh, come on. That's too much~ Haha."

She laughed, it was ridiculous, but Vernon's words were perhaps more accurate than a divine prophecy. And not far from them, Berl was walking, wiping away his tears, his presence as small as ever.

• ───────── ☽༓☾ ───────── •

Lucia was caught completely off guard by his sudden visit.

While she could expect her knights to show up, this person was not on the list of people she thought would visit her during her leave.

But this was Leon Lawrence.

He was a man called an angel, compared to her, who was called the monster of the empire.

With his impeccable manners and integrity, he was her polar opposite, often described an angel or a walking codex.

But to Lucia, he was different.

They were unintentionally called rivals, she was always apathetic and arrogant, and was always compared to the bright and gentle Leon.

Leon was still out of breath.

"What is it, Commander Leon?”

"I'll ask again. Whose child is it?"

He ignored her question entirely.

He shouldn't be involved. Did the chancellor send him to check on me?

Leon’s silver hair reflected the light similar to his father. His father, the empire's chancellor, was a cunning old man with a brilliant mind.

Though Lucia had received the emperor’s permission for her leave, if that conservative chancellor got involved, this flimsy break was sure to cause more trouble.

He was still one of the most annoying people, just as he was in the past.

“I have no obligation to tell you.”

“…That answer won’t suffice going forward.”

What did he just say...?

Lucia was genuinely surprised by his hostility. She never had a proper conversation with him. But everyone knew, not just her, that he was always quiet and calm.

But today, he was different. The man in front of her looked like he was barely holding back an emotional storm.

"Because if he ran away, I'll kill him for sure."

Lucia blinked in shock. In fact, he might not even know what he was saying right now.

He ran away…? Why? Why would she be with such a cowardly, irresponsible man?!

Jealousy.

For the first time in his life, he had never badmouthed or held a grudge against anyone. He was trembling from sharp emotions that spread like poison throughout him. This was largely due to his recent, hurried audience with the emperor.

“Ah, stop pestering me. Why are you asking me about the child’s father? Alright, I'll tell you. Fine—I’ll tell you. He ran away. Frankly, I’d be scared too! Hahaha!”

That's right. This was a completely different story from Lucia's excuse. The emperor had said it jokingly to him because he was being persistent. But the emperor’s words caused a great misunderstanding for Leon, who was always a serious person, and it broke his mind, he was already distraught from the news of her sudden leave.

Leon looked her straight in the eye for the first time. Her quiet, blue eyes, which he had been unable to look at properly before because he feared his feelings might show.

Her eyes, it was the same eyes that day five years ago.

“If I win this match...will you grant me a wish?”

“Do as you wish.”

On that blazing summer day, unable to keep his feelings bottled up, he challenged her to a duel and lost cleanly and flawlessly.

And only then did he understand.

The spark in her eyes when she held her sword, and the utterly hollow look in her eyes when the match was over.

Beyond his own inadequacy, he painfully learned that unless someone could best her sword, they couldn’t even spark a hint of interest in her, who lived only for the blade.

He was frustrated, but he never gave up. He was crushed but didn’t give up, he resolved to wait until she reached the heights she sought, and wait for the day her heart had room.

...No one would have guessed it would take ninety years.

Breaking the silence, he noticed the awkwardness on her face. It was an expression he never wanted to see in her eyes when she looked at him.

Snapping back to reality, he bit his lip and quickly turned away.

But his retreat wasn’t hesitant—it was decisive, as if there was no time left to waver.

As he left, Lucia stood there. She was simply dumbfounded.

 Is he insane? I’m hiding the father—and he wants to kill him?

Chapter 7

Chapter List

Chapter 9