BTGDF 20

Chapter 20

“I will also call you Evelyn from now on. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Ah, yes.”

It’s not as if you wouldn’t call me that just because I said no, is it?

Evelyn bit her lip firmly to swallow down the retort. At the same time, she slowly pulled her hand back out of his grip. This time, he let go of her hand obediently.

Hiding her hands behind her back, Evelyn gently rubbed the spot the Grand Duke had held. It felt so hot it was practically burning.

“Uncle!”

Just as she was agonizing over what to say, Damian—who was receiving instruction from the knight in the middle of the training grounds—vigorously waved his arms and called out to him.

“Show us your aura! I want to see Kasserlide!”

Cael waved back to Damian to signal he understood. He then turned to ask Evelyn.

“Do you wish to see it as well, Evelyn?”

He added her name softly with a deeply serious tone.

“Ah, yes. I would love to see it.”

Unable to turn away from him as he looked at her with subtly expectant eyes, Evelyn whispered her reply.

No, in truth, she was intensely curious.

The master of the sword that contained the Flame Spirit King. A renowned Sword Master counted among the top tier of the entire continent.

The aura of such a person was bound to be a spectacle one might see only once in a lifetime.

Whether her curiosity gave her away or not, a playful flicker crossed his eyes as he looked down at her.

“Step back. It’s dangerous.”

With that, he placed his hand on the sword he always wore at his waist.

“Guss, take Damian somewhere safe.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Cael ruffled the boy’s hair once, then strode out into the center of the training grounds. The surrounding chatter died down instantly.

As if trained for this very moment, the knights moved in flawless synchronization to put as much distance between themselves and him as possible.

Scanning the area with a swift glance to confirm it was completely clear, Cael nodded toward Guss.

At his signal, Guss pressed hard against the blue gemstone set into a pillar near where Evelyn and Damian were standing.

With a low humming vibration, the air began to quiver. Light erupted from the pillars lining the edge of the training grounds, weaving together to form a shimmering, dome-shaped space.

The area where Cael stood became completely isolated from the outside world.

That’s no ordinary gem; it’s a high-purity mana crystal.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to create such a perfect barrier completely cutting off the interior from the exterior.

Once he confirmed the space was fully isolated, Cael raised his sword to eye level. Resting his forehead against the flat of the blade as if in prayer, he whispered something softly.

His dark hair fluttered gently in the breeze. The sight of the man pressing his brow against his sword with closed eyes felt captivatingly beautiful—almost divine.

“Ah…”

An involuntary exclamation slipped from Evelyn’s lips.

As if proving that the moniker ‘Blade of Flames’ was no exaggeration, a fiery red glow began to envelop the sword.

The man, who had remained perfectly still with closed eyes, abruptly opened them the moment the blade turned entirely crimson.

Swung with speed so blinding his hands vanished into a blur, a streak of red aura flew outward.

And in the very next instant—

Flash!

The densely woven blue defense barrier caught the brunt of the red aura, letting out a sharp, cracking sound before shattering into a million pieces.

Blue light cascaded through the air like falling snow. Every tiny fragment sparkled with light as it scattered.

“So pretty…”

It was breathtaking. It was a spellbinding sight she had never once witnessed in her entire life.

Feeling as though she were standing inside a fantasy, her heart swelled with overwhelming emotion.

Reaching her hand out to catch the falling light, Evelyn suddenly felt a gaze upon her and turned her head.

“….”

Deep blue eyes met emerald green ones. Amidst the fluttering light, they stared at each other as if they were the only two people left in the world.

As though it would last forever.

“Woah!”

Evelyn, who had been staring blankly at Cael, snapped back to reality at the child’s loud shout.

An ecstatic Damian threw himself at the Grand Duke. Even when receiving a child who must have weighed quite a bit, he didn’t budge a single inch.

“It shattered in one single hit! They said the Grand Duchy’s barrier is the strongest in the Empire, but it broke in just one hit!”

“One hit?”

Cael furrowed his brows and repeated Damian’s words.

“Who taught you to use phrasing like that, Damian?”

“Oops.”

At his uncle’s cool question, the child instantly clamped a hand over his own mouth.

When Cael narrowed his eyes as if pressing for an answer, the boy’s wandering gaze suddenly landed right on Evelyn.

Huh?

Looking at the two of them innocently, her green eyes rounded in surprise.

Why are you looking at me…?!

When she pointed to herself in shock, the child’s gaze grew even more desperate.

“N-No! It wasn’t me!”

Sensing that something was going horribly wrong, Evelyn frantically waved her hands in denial. However, the man’s eyes only narrowed further.

“I’m telling you, it really wasn’t me!”

As Evelyn shouted once more, Guss Hansel cleared his throat with a low ahem from the side and bowed his head toward the Grand Duke.

“My apologies, Your Grace. It appears the young prince overheard the rough talk we knights use amongst ourselves.”

“I believe I instructed you all to mind your language in front of the child.”

At the sharp reprimand, Guss lowered his head even further. The other knights scattered around the training grounds looked equally guilty and flustered.

“We are deeply sorry. We shall exercise far greater caution.”

Cael swept his sharp gaze over the knights before turning back to Damian.

“Did you enjoy it, Damian?”

“It was so cool! It was the absolute best!”

As Damian shouted in excitement, the sharp edge around Cael’s lips softened, giving way to a gentle smile.

“Next time, I shall show you how to slice through boulders using aura.”

“Really?!”

“Indeed. So until then, you must work hard at both your studies and your swordsmanship.”

“Yes! I’ll do great!”

Damian’s bright voice echoed through the training grounds.

Watching the entire interaction unfold, Evelyn looked on with marveling eyes.

With just a single swing of a sword, the rebellious child who had mistrusted his uncle had turned into a passionate follower.

He’s truly incredible.

She couldn’t help but wonder what all her past efforts had been for, but regardless, wasn’t this a wonderful outcome nonetheless?

Though she felt a bit hollow, Grand Duke Cael Grad Alphereon was truly the ultimate problem solver.

That did not mean, however, that every single problem had been smoothly resolved.

Evelyn looked out the window to hide her twitching lips.

The weather is entirely too nice today.

A sigh escaped her at the sight of the brilliant blue sky. The fluffy white clouds drifting by were so blindingly beautiful that it only made her feel more gloomy.

Her lesson with the child had hit a wall from the very start.

It was a problem she had assumed he could naturally solve, and yet—

“Teaaaacheeeer…”

A tearful whine burst out almost immediately.

Watching Damian sit there staring blankly at the problem without even attempting to touch it, Evelyn let out a quiet, secret sigh.

It wasn’t as though she expected the child to excel at everything. Still, she had thought he could handle the basics.

Right. Opening his heart and studying hard are two entirely separate matters.

They say studying is a habit and effort is a talent in itself.

Though the child tried his best to focus, he couldn’t hide his unfocused, glazed-over eyes.

As Evelyn tapped her foot against the floor in sheer dismay, Cat—who had been sprawling beneath the desk—looked up at Damian.

Watching the boy’s head droop lower and lower, Cat shook its head. It then laid back down and went back to sleep.

On the surface, it was a beautifully peaceful afternoon.

“Your Highness.”

After waiting for a long while, Evelyn finally spoke up softly to Damian.

“…Yes.”

“Do you dislike doing this?”

“….”

The child didn’t answer and simply lowered his head deep. It was a silent affirmation.

“In that case—”

Evelyn snapped the book shut.

“Shall we go out and play?”

“Pardon?”

The boy stared at her with a completely stunned face.

He had undoubtedly expected her to get angry—after all, most of his previous tutors had done just that—so seeing her offer a sweet smile and propose skipping out on class instead left him completely caught off guard.

“Well,” Evelyn shrugged lightly, acting as if it were no big deal. “If you don’t want to study, you should play. Playing is the absolute best, after all.”

Her green eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint as she looked at the child.

“If we go this way and turn here…”

The child’s voice resonated through the pathways of the maze garden.

“Ah, wait a moment. So right now, this path is…”

And following right behind it, the soft, warm voice of a woman joined in.

Stretched out on a bench in the gazebo with his legs extended, Cael reluctantly sat up.

The voices of his young nephew and the tutor seemed to be heading right toward this location.

“So next time, we should come explore together with His Grace as well.”

“Will Uncle say yes? He’s very busy…”

“If you ask him politely, won’t he accept? And if it’s difficult for him to join, he’ll explain the reason why.”

“Then I’ll try asking him.”

“Alright.”

Quiet, pleasant whispers drifted over, blending into the gentle breeze.

The child’s serious dilemma and the soft, caring answers that followed—listening to that gentle conversation made even his own heart feel warm and soft inside.

“If I come with Uncle, I’m going to ask Sir Ralph to pack us lunch. We’re going to have a picnic.”

“What a wonderful idea.”

Above all, Cael felt immense satisfaction seeing that the child was no longer as intimidated by him as before.

It seems showing him Kasserlide was quite effective.

Thanks to that, he had been forced to endure that damned cat’s nagging complaints, but considering the outcome, it had been well worth enduring.

‘Uncle!’

The distant, cold behavior was gone, replaced by the child looking up at him as though he were a god—an expression that felt both unfamiliar and awkward.

“A god, is it…”

Cael lowered his gaze to look at the sword resting beside him.

A plain hilt set with a single blood-red gem, and a grip and scabbard crafted from an unidentified leather.

The true god resides within this blade.

Whether that entity was a benevolent god or an evil one, however, remained to be seen.