[350] A Swordsman's Conviction (2)
Clump sat in the high seat, arms crossed, his face set in a grave expression. Beside him, Kuan—who'd been summoned from the sword school—had joined them.
Rian stood before them, back straight, gaze steady as he met Clump's eyes, and then spoke.
"This is my decision. It's odd to ask permission for something I've already decided, but accept it."
Clump gave a sigh as if the world had caved in.
Those of the blue-haired bloodline tended to be free-spirited and hot-blooded. He could roughly understand how hard Rian had worked and why the boy couldn't stand the focus on schema. Still, it had only been a year. It was far too soon to judge the success or failure of his schooling.
"…Aren't you running away? What do you expect to accomplish by dropping out? Are you planning to go back to the family and train by yourself?"
"No. I'm leaving to undergo knighthood training."
Clump ground his teeth and his beard twitched. A blend of anger and a strange exhilaration rose up in him. How could this boy be thinking exactly like he did when he was young?
Even so, he had to oppose it.
Back when Clump was young, many took up the path of knightly apprenticeship. The world was turbulent then; ruling by the sword wasn't an impossible dream.
But times had changed.
The sword is a method of killing. Real combat may be the best training, but it's a double-edged tool that can end a life with one mistake.
"I won't call you childish—you're almost nineteen. But can you really claim there's nothing left for you to learn at school? Is the school truly that insignificant to you?"
"I never thought about it that way. I just want to get stronger."
This time Clump's temper flared.
Being pleased that his grandson resembled him and having him follow the same path as his ancestors were different things. Above all, he couldn't shove his precious grandson into a slaughterhouse.
"You want to leave because you want to get stronger? Do you think a tantrum like this will work even now?"
"It's not a tantrum! I'll stake my life—truly—!"
Clump was firm.
"If I say no, then no. You can experience real combat when the time comes. First, build the skills to face the world."
"No. I've already submitted my withdrawal form. The decision's been made."
"I cancelled it. This seventy-year-old had to grovel and beg to get it rescinded."
"Grandfather!"
Rian raised his voice.
Putting aside the fact that Clump had rescinded the withdrawal, the idea that Clump had begged someone on Rian's behalf made him furious.
Just as Rian, burning with indignation, was about to speak, a knock came at the door.
Clump frowned in annoyance. "What now? We're talking. Come back later."
"Elder, Shirone has come to see you."
Rian turned to the door, startled. His heart suddenly raced.
His closest friend and the lord he'd sworn knighthood to. Whatever the reason, this was the one person he absolutely didn't want to see him like this.
Clump knew what Shirone meant to Rian. He stroked his beard in thought for a moment, then made a decision.
"Tell him to come in."
Rian's stubbornness was the sort not even family could sway, but Shirone might change the situation.
The door opened and Shirone stepped in. Tess poked her head in to gauge the mood, but Louis shut the door without giving her a chance.
Rian found himself avoiding Shirone's eyes. Shirone paid it no mind and greeted Clump first.
"Good day, Elder."
"Yes. I've heard about Reyna. You had a hard time."
He already knew what had happened in Kazra. Perhaps because he'd been through trials, Shirone's presence felt noticeably stronger.
There was no time to examine Shirone's change. Shirone, knowing why Clump had called him, did not equivocate.
"Rian has withdrawn from the school?"
Clump put on an exaggerated look of distress and scratched his head.
"Yes. Try persuading him. How can someone be so headstrong?"
"I approve."
Clump's hand froze mid-scratch. Kuan—who didn't even know Rian well—and Shirone both looked at him in surprise.
"Approve? You mean you think Rian's allowed to drop out?"
"Yes. I don't know the circumstances or the reasons, but if Rian has decided this, I believe it's the right path."
Clump forced himself to remain composed.
He'd thought Shirone's arrival might be the turning point, but if Shirone took up Rian's defense, things would only get thornier. He'd be a very formidable advocate.
"Very well. As Rian's lord, your opinion deserves consideration. But if you feel that way, you must have a reasonable justification?"
Shirone turned to Rian. Rian, still unable to keep face, cast his eyes down slightly. Shirone looked back at Clump and continued.
"There are no reasonable reasons."
"What?"
"I don't know whether any option will be more efficient for Rian. But I can guarantee one thing."
Shirone spoke with conviction.
"The Rian I know is not the sort of friend who runs away from any situation."
Rian clenched his fists. Those words gave him more confidence than a thousand speeches.
"It may be a foolish judgment. But it's certainly not avoidance. As his friend, I think we ought to support him."
A weary laugh escaped Clump; his frustration pressed at his chest.
Such a beautiful friendship. And when something is beautiful, it's only natural to want to protect it.
'Clever boy. He already knows what I'm weak to.'
This was different from dealing with Lord Bishop. Faced like this, Clump—man of loyalty that he was—couldn't block them outright.
But as Shirone knew, Clump wasn't a man who acted on feeling alone.
"I understand the sentiment. Your argument has weight. But Shirone, that's just you and Rian's justification. You still don't know the world. I've walked the swordsman's path for decades. Do you think this is just about the school? Not at all. Someday this withdrawal will be what holds Rian back."
Kuan raised his hand.
"I have something to say."
All eyes turned to Kuan.
Shirone had only just met him, but Kuan gave off an aura that marked him as no ordinary man.
"It's not that I answered the general's summons just to hold a teacher's conference. This is something I should deliver in person."
Kuan drew an envelope from his inner pocket.
It was Rian's withdrawal form.
"General, I respect you and want to help, but I cannot accept this withdrawal. Re-teaching a student who has already given up on school goes against my educational philosophy."
"Ugh."
For Clump it was one obstacle after another.
Kuan's stubbornness was known even within the sword school. He wouldn't yield even to a certified Grade-3 swordsman who'd risen to general.
"Please, I beg you. Can't you let this go just this once?"
'Grandfather—'
Rian felt suffocated with frustration. The sight of this general pleading with someone so much his junior for his sake made his stomach churn.
But Kuan was not someone to be trifled with.
"As a teacher this may sound harsh, but the truth is Rian has no future at the school. There are technical things he can learn, of course, but the examinations revolve mainly around schema. There's talk that brain reinforcement might come under schema, but even so, that's not the kind of thing the school should be teaching. Instruction and practical training are worlds apart. Practice and real combat are entirely different. Winning a wrestling match among cadets isn't a true duel—you can't count that as a qualification."
Kuan's words weren't meant to offend. He spoke honestly as someone who'd watched Rian closely.
Silence settled over the room.
Then Louis announced again from outside.
"Elder, the second young master has arrived."
Rian's face contorted.
Ozent Rai. Of all people, his lifelong rival had come at this moment. For reasons different from Shirone, he was the last person Rian wanted to be seen by.
Rai entered with swagger. Shirone stepped aside at once. Rian had only seen Rai once when working at the Ozent household library, but the impression had stuck.
Black hair, cold features. The chill about him remained, but he'd strengthened remarkably—his aura was sharper now.
Reyna followed and this time Louis didn't close the door.
She planted herself behind Rai, eyes narrowed, and called out.
"Hey! Where've you been hiding? You know you've been gone a month, right?"
Even Rai's composed face creased at his sister's nagging.
"I've been busy. Can't be helped. I've got a dispatch soon—just came to pack. I'm hungry, so cook me something."
Reyna huffed, glared at his back, then whispered to Louis to prepare a meal. A brother who'd come home after a long time deserved a hot meal.
Rai approached Clump, snapped to attention, and bowed stiffly. Now that they were both soldiers, formality ruled even at home.
"Grandfather."
"Hm, looks like you're doing well. Ah—greet him. This is Kuan, an instructor from the sword school."
Rai's expression shifted.
"Kuan? Kuan, the Death Magus?"
Rumors had circulated after someone passed the official exam and entered the army—unconfirmed, but the only swordsman said to have returned alive from facing a storm-marshal was named Kuan.
Rai turned to Kuan and bowed.
"Good day. I'm Ozent Rai."
"Yes, I've heard of you. You have a fine temperament."
Kuan returned the greeting with restrained politeness. His demeanor toward Rai was different from how he treated Rian.
"That's the one. The Ozent family's prodigy swordsman."
He'd passed the official Grade-10 exam last year and was already a Grade-8 NCO. His aura was cold and sharp, like a younger Kuan.
Rai stood at attention so Kuan could appraise him, then turned back to Clump and asked,
"But what's a high-ranking sword school officer doing here?"
Reyna crossed her arms.
"Rian's withdrawn from the school. Grandpa called him back to try to change his mind."
"He quit school?"
Rai glanced at Rian as if confirming. Rian glared back. He couldn't afford to lose an eye-contest to Rai—even if he'd already lost face with Shirone.
Rai merely scoffed, feigning indifference.
"What's the fuss? If he wants to quit, let him quit."
Reyna clicked her tongue.
"How can you be so indifferent? Aren't you his brother—don't you care about your sibling's life?"
Rai passed Rian and headed for the door.
"He was doomed from the start. Better to give up now. Hurry up and cook—I'm starving."
Watching Rai's retreating back, Rian spoke.
"Wait a moment."
Rai turned back and Rian pointed a finger at his brow.
"You didn't go to school either, did you?"
"That's different. I didn't need to. For you, even if you went, it'd be a waste."
Rian ground his teeth.