Chapter 13: Silver Sabertooth Expedition (2)

Brave Road.

While reading this, there were many times I thought it was fun, but I never once praised myself for reading it.

It’s not like that, though. Normally, after reading a novel, you’d say, “Wow, that was really fun.” But no one says, “Wow, I really made a good choice reading this.”

I really made a good choice reading this.

I sincerely praised my past self for finding Brave Road among the countless novels and for not quitting halfway through, but instead continuing to read it.

That was a close call.

As soon as I saw the movement Grace made, my eyes went wide.

She pulled her sword back as if throwing a stone, then swung it forward at an incredible speed, splitting the enemies ahead.

Lion’s Sword, Great Claw.

Its power could even break steel.

Of course, there was no mana aura in this sparring session.

The pressure was just as described in the novel.

When they said “if you block it, you’ll die,” it wasn’t meant to scare you, but rather a real warning to dodge.

Why the Lion’s Sword in a spar…?

The level we’re playing at is completely different.

Shouldn’t I have to match her level if I’m using my basic Winter Sword?

As soon as I saw the stance for Great Claw, without Grace even speaking, I focused all my energy into evading and barely managed to dodge. Even so, Elaine, who intervened, neutralized the aftermath of the attack.

I wondered if I had unintentionally upset her.

Could it be because I hid the Seolhan Sword and then used it?

I was afraid she’d scold me for using an unskilled Seolhan Sword, so I stuck with the Winter Sword.

No matter how much I’m still learning, if I get thoroughly played by my opponent, it stings a little in my pride.

I’m grateful for the feedback she gave while blocking all of my Winter Sword attacks, but I didn’t come here to spar just to learn swordsmanship.

If I only used my Winter Sword, I felt like it would become an endlessly boring match, so after some thought, I decided to pull out the Seolhan Sword.

This was a style of swordsmanship Elaine independently created.

Grace hadn’t learned the Seolhan Sword, so it should work better than the Winter Sword.

Besides, I wanted to see how well I could fight with the Seolhan Sword.

I thought it was funny at the end because I thought I was doing well. But maybe she thought it was arrogant to hide my hand.

In Brave Road, during a sparring match with the protagonist, when the protagonist took Grace by surprise, she seemed flustered but was pleased with his growth and deliberately launched an excessive attack to test his limits.

I could think that Grace was deliberately testing me, but our situations were different.

The protagonist almost defeated Grace with a flawless, breathtaking exploit in a tense match.

I was consistently mocked by Grace. Even the Seolhan Sword I pulled out was blocked.

Should I… apologize?

While I was debating whether to first thank her for the sparring or apologize for being so reckless, Elaine, who stood protecting me with her sword, reprimanded Grace in a cold voice.

“Just now, that was excessive.”

“Alright, I admit it.”

Maybe it was the cold air, but Grace didn’t act shamelessly and admitted it calmly.

In her hand…

Ugh, that was a bit much.

The wooden sword was shattered except for the handle.

What the hell.

In Grace’s final attack, I couldn’t even counterattack; I was too busy evading.

This meant I hadn’t even blocked her sword properly, and the reason her wooden sword broke was…

How hard did she swing it?

The sheer power of the Great Claw was too much for the wooden sword to withstand.

“Since the sword is broken, we should stop here. Luke, did you learn something?”

There was no anger in Grace’s expression. In fact, she seemed relieved.

Did she release it with the Great Claw just now?

If that’s the case, there’s no need to apologize and risk provoking her further. I bowed and thanked her.

“I learned a lot. Thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Well, I did learn something.

I realized where I need to improve with the Winter Sword, that my Seolhan Sword isn’t ready for real combat, and that I should never mess around with Grace again.

It also motivated me.

The road to strength is really long.

Though my opponent is called the strongest human, and the gap between us is vast, I’ll have to grow stronger, since, as part of the escort team, I’ll eventually be involved in the events she experiences in the novel.

After the spar with Grace, I had expended a lot of energy, so I decided to take a break from training.

It was time for duty anyway.

Though I wasn’t in the main group 3 or the reserve group 2, and was assigned under Commander Elaine like a regular soldier, that only applied during combat.

During normal times like now, I was assigned to a patrol mission with group 3.

I was heading to my tent to rest when…

“Commander.”

“What is it?”

“Would it be alright for Luke to rest in my tent?”

?!

As the leader of the escort team, Elaine had her own tent.

Elaine’s tent was right next to Grace’s, so she was likely asking for her permission.

What about my opinion?

Elaine’s tent sounded great. It had better facilities, and I’d surely recover from my fatigue quickly. But while the body might relax, the mind would be burdened. How could a lowly soldier rest comfortably in an officer’s quarters?

“I thought we agreed not to let personal feelings interfere with duties?”

“Just now, your attack was so intense that I had to neutralize the aftereffects. Luke was also forced to dodge it. I’m asking for your understanding as this is to help the patrol team members recover before we head out again.”

It was a polite request from Elaine, but there seemed to be something almost rigid in her tone, as if there were a hidden weight behind it.

Grace, sensing this, wore a slightly awkward expression.

“Still, isn’t it inappropriate to bring a man into a women’s space?”

“I am accompanying His Excellency, so I won’t need to visit the tent until he’s resting. Luke is not immoral and has a solid character. I don’t believe the concerns you mentioned will arise.”

“You hesitated a bit in the middle there.”

Grace stared intently at Elaine, but Elaine remained impassive.

Perhaps because she thought Elaine’s words were all logically sound, Grace shrugged and responded.

“There’s no injury, but… it was my fault that you were troubled, so if it affects your duties, I apologize. If you want, you can rest in my tent.”

“??? What does that mean?”

A senior officer’s tent is already uncomfortable enough, but now she’s suggesting I rest in the Commander’s tent? Her tent is guarded by a guard unit at the entrance. She expects me to rest in a tent guarded by senior officers?

Is she still angry?

“Your Excellency, that seems too much. I don’t think I could rest comfortably in Your Excellency’s tent, and it would be a burden on Luke.”

It was a difficult thing to respond to, but thankfully, Elaine stepped in and stopped me.

Even though she had been speaking coldly until just a moment ago, her voice softened slightly, probably because she was also surprised by the suggestion.

“Hm, thinking about it, I suppose you’re right. I got a little carried away because of how excellent your efforts have been. Let’s forget about that.”

“Yes.”

Grace retracted her words.

Phew.

Well, it seems my sparring left a good impression on Grace.

Does that mean that last thing wasn’t an offense, but she was actually testing me?

I don’t think there was anything in particular to attract Grace’s interest.

“Ah! The swordsmanship you used halfway through, the Seolhan sword, right?”

Grace suddenly exclaimed as if she just remembered, turning her gaze to Elaine and asking.

“Did you teach him that?”

“Yes, I taught him the basic moves.”

“Hmm, I understand. I know you’ve never passed on Seolhan swordsmanship to anyone before. Are you considering taking Luke as your disciple?”

“Well, he said he hadn’t formally learned any swordsmanship aside from the Winter Sword, and since this is partly my responsibility, I taught him.”

“Hmm.”

After hearing Elaine’s answer, Grace seemed a bit disappointed, chewing on her lips before speaking to me again.

“It’s still a bit rough, but considering the short time, his foundation is surprisingly solid. The Seolhan sword is excellent, so continue working hard and mastering it.”

“I understand.”

After giving me one last piece of advice, Grace turned to continue her inspection.

“Your Excellency, are you approving of Luke resting in my tent?”

“Ah, I almost forgot.”

Grace stared into space for a moment, as though deep in thought, before responding.

“Fine.”

She said only that and walked off.

“Wait, I’m the one who’s feeling burdened.”

Grace approved the request, but she didn’t order me to rest in Elaine’s tent. So, I can politely decline to rest there and return to my own tent, right?

Hmm.

Elaine turned her gaze to me as she followed Grace.

She glared at me, slightly furrowing her brows.

I can’t read minds, and we don’t have any prearranged signals between us.

But still, I could tell what her expression meant.

‘If you don’t go and rest, you’ll be in trouble.’

Sigh.

This is tricky.

To cut to the chase:

I rested in Elaine’s tent.

And I slept really well.

Although Grace’s tent is guarded by a guard unit, Elaine’s tent is not. Plus, her tent, reflecting her simple and practical tastes, wasn’t particularly large, and its interior was quite minimalist.

A simple cot, weapons, clothes, and a few miscellaneous items. That’s it.

After changing clothes in my own tent, I moved to Elaine’s tent and took a short but sweet nap.

Since I’d spent most of my free time close to Elaine, the faint scent lingering in the cot made me feel at ease without any pressure.

Fortunately, I woke up on time, put on the armor I had prepared in advance, and switched shifts.

Even though I slept for only a little while, the fatigue from the sparring session had mostly faded.

Maybe it was because of the comfort of Elaine’s blanket, or maybe it was just the rest.

Tonight, I had duty from evening until night.

In my previous life, I hated night shifts the most during my time in the military, but surprisingly, this time, it wasn’t as bad as I remembered.

There were several reasons for that, but the most important one was:

‘This is surprisingly healing.’

Since there’s no air pollution or light pollution in this world, the stars in the sky shone so brightly and beautifully.

I didn’t know any constellations, but just seeing so many stars was enough to make me happy.

That’s why long videos of the night sky or the Milky Way are so popular on video platforms.

I’ve never seen the Aurora Borealis, but since it’s cold in the northern regions, maybe I’ll get to see it here.

People go all the way to Iceland just to see the Northern Lights. I’ve come to another world, so I should at least see the Aurora once.

“Is there a dragon flying around? What are you looking at so intently?”

Jimmy, one of the guards on duty in the third team, asked.

He wasn’t really asking if something was flying around, just making light conversation.

The discipline in the guard unit is strict, but how can anyone stand still for long periods without saying anything?

Otherwise, you’d fall asleep quickly.

Even here, as long as it’s not too disruptive, some minimal conversation to refresh your focus is allowed.

Of course, if you’re caught talking, you’d be responsible for it.

“Isn’t it beautiful when you see a sky full of stars? It calms the heart.”

“Really? Sounds very romantic. I don’t really notice it since I see the night sky all the time.”

I could only smile at Jimmy, who tilted his head.

This kind of sentiment is something you can only develop after living in a bustling city for over 30 years, never seeing the stars, and then being shocked when you thought a shining light was a star, only to realize it was a satellite.

“What’s with the cheesy lines and the laugh? That’s scary. I don’t have that kind of taste.”

“I don’t know what that taste is, but I don’t think I have it either.”

We quickly wrapped up the conversation before it got too awkward and turned our attention back to the night sky.

“By the way, His Excellency the Duke was watching your training earlier.”

There had only been me, Grace, and Elaine, the referee, in the duel, but the guards waiting outside the training

ground probably picked up on what had happened, and word must have spread.

Grace had made quite a noise with her Lion’s Sword.

“Ah, yes.”

“How was it?”

“I thought I was going to die. I’m glad I was born a human, not a monster.”

“Yeah, I can see why. Even when she’s on our side, she’s always so unpredictable.”

Really?

Jimmy shuddered, imagining it, and then spoke again.

“Do you think the Duke is interested in you? I’ve only seen him personally mentor someone twice.”

“Twice? Who besides me… Elaine, perhaps?”

I knew who they were through the novel, but I pretended not to know.

Since I wasn’t part of the northern army, it would be strange if I guessed correctly right away.

“No. What was their name… Ala, was it?”

Oh, that was a dangerous name to bring up.

“Could it be Aran?”

“Ah, yes. Aran. How did you know?”

“Well, he’s famous. Hero Aran.”

The protagonist of Brave Road.

The betrayed hero.

The blade of vengeance.

The unyielding holy sword.

Aran.

The man I supported, trusted, and occasionally cursed.

‘By now, his quest for vengeance must have begun.’

I had been living with my attention diverted since I was in the north and wouldn’t be meeting him anytime soon, but

I was still curious about how he was doing.

‘He’ll come to the north eventually.’

I wondered how we would meet then.

As a fan of the novel, a photo was impossible, and an autograph was unlikely, but I would love to have a conversation with him.

It would be a fan’s dream to fight alongside him and stop the events that were supposed to happen in the original

story, as if we were comrades.

‘My goal here is to live peacefully with Elaine, so that would be the end of it.’

After the fight with Grace, Aran had become part of the reason for my motivation.

If I wanted to intervene in the events Aran would face in the story, I felt I was far from ready at my current level.

“What do you think? Why do you think His Excellency is interested in you?”

“Senior, you’re trying to link a rookie soldier with His Excellency? That’s so romantic.”

“Hey, does interest always have to be romantic? You’re just like Garen. Who knows, maybe the Duke will support you.”

“Captain is coming.” Shh,

As soon as we heard Elaine was coming, Jimmy immediately shut his mouth and straightened his posture.

“No issues?”

“All good.”

“Alright, keep up the good work.”

Elaine checked our situation, gave us a quick glance, and left.

Once Elaine had left, I quietly asked Jimmy,

“Senior, hasn’t the captain been involved in any scandals or rumors?”

“Her? Damn, I almost laughed. I’d believe in winter raspberries growing before I’d believe she has any interest in men.”

I couldn’t help but smile, remembering a folk tale about a filial son who searched for winter raspberries for his sick mother.

There were no rumors about Elaine and men. I felt a bit relieved.