Chapter 652: Act 14 – Siblings III
The wheels of the coach rattled over the gaps between the cobblestones, vibrating slightly and producing an unending clattering sound. Inside the carriage, it shook gently but was quiet for a moment.
Princess Grifian seemed to understand Brendel’s question. A hint of confusion appeared in her silver-gray eyes. “Magic? Mr. Brendel, Haruze hasn’t started studying magic yet. I plan to wait until he matures a bit more before considering it. Moreover, as a member of the royal family… I actually don’t intend to let him get too close to wizards.”
This was a tradition in the world of Vaunte. Nobles often had their children study magic, but such situations were rare within the royal family. Magic was tied to mysterious and unknown powers, and the heir to the throne was to stay as far away from unpredictable dangers as possible. Even among the great noble families, the eldest sons seldom came from a background of wizards. Even Princess Grifian only had Livwz as her teacher in mysticism, wizard etiquette, and history.
“Is that so…” Brendel observed the smooth, almost transparent area between Haruze’s thumb and index finger, the arcane triangle, indicating that there had at least been one magical activation. However, it hadn’t formed a stable pattern like when he first wore the Queen Wind ring. In Brendel’s memory, only one kind of spell could cause such a change, and that was black magic.
“Is something the matter, Mr. Brendel?” Princess Grifian frowned and glanced at her brother. Haruze lowered his head in fear, placing his hands between his knees.
Brendel spoke somewhat blandly, “No, I just feel that His Highness’s hands resemble those of a wizard rather than a swordsman. Generally, noble children his age would have already begun practicing swordsmanship, right?” As he spoke, he saw Prince Haruze look up at him in surprise. Noticing that Princess Grifian wasn’t paying attention, Brendel winked at the young prince, causing the latter to lower his head quickly, as if afraid of being noticed by his sister.
The princess, however, didn’t notice this exchange and felt her face flush. Haruze had indeed begun practicing swordsmanship at an early age, but how could she bring herself to say that her brother was a good-for-nothing? Not only did he lack the courage to practice swordsmanship, but even holding a sword was a struggle for him.
“Haruze… Since I left the capital, I haven’t had much time to take care of him…” She sighed and took the responsibility upon herself.
“Sister…” Haruze said weakly.
“Be quiet,” Princess Grifian suddenly said sternly, glancing at her brother. “You are also at fault in this matter. You should reflect on it properly.” Brendel watched the pair of siblings with amusement, thinking that perhaps Haruze’s timid nature was influenced by his strong elder sister, as Princess Grifian was indeed overpowering compared to a typical sister.
After being reprimanded by his sister, Haruze obediently lowered his head and fell silent, resembling a small animal curled up in fear.
But Brendel knowingly asked, “Aren’t Sir Overwell and Lord Makarolo here too? If I remember correctly, they are both famous swordsmen in the kingdom.”
He suddenly noticed Romaine nearby, feeding a white cat with a biscuit. The cat perched on her lap, and he hadn’t even noticed when it had appeared. He could see it lifting its head, squinting its golden eyes at him. Antinna, noticing her lord’s gaze, turned her head and curiously reached out to stroke the cat’s head.
Brendel watched the cat contentedly squint its eyes before looking back at the princess. She had clearly noticed this scene as well, but she didn’t perceive the intent behind Brendel’s question. Instead, she replied, “They have both taught Haruze, but Haruze’s talent in swordsmanship…” The half-elf maiden wore a disappointed expression, looking somewhat helpless.
Since ancient times, nobles had to lead their subjects into battle to fend off the invasion of monsters. A noble’s power itself signified whether they had the ability to protect those who depended on them. Although the era of peace had extended with the expansion of civilization, the symbolic significance of noble swordsmanship far outweighed its practical meaning. However, if the heir to the throne was deemed useless, it would somewhat affect his authority in the eyes of his subjects.
“Talent in swordsmanship is just one aspect of the issue. Normally, people begin learning at the golden age of twelve, so it might be too early to make any judgments now. However, for a qualified swordsman, the first thing one must possess is the courage to overcome oneself.” Brendel looked at Haruze and spoke slowly. He didn’t know whether this young prince had exceptional talent, but he understood that the core issue for Haruze likely did not lie in his talent.
But in his courage.
Princess Grifian looked at him in surprise. She could naturally recognize the implication behind Brendel’s words. “Mr. Brendel, do you mean…?”
She had begun to feel a bit hopeless. Overwell had once taught Haruze swordsmanship, and while that wolf knight was patient, he couldn’t instill the courage in Haruze to face his own sword.
Brendel nodded. This was also his original thought. In his vision, a kingdom like Erluin would eventually transition to a noble council system similar to that of the Crusians before and around the Second Era. It seemed that Princess Grifian was also beginning to realize this. However, before that, Erluin’s future king, who would complete this transformation, at the very least did not wish to see a weakling who could be manipulated.
Moreover, if the players on the forum were not mistaken, Haruze was destined to become an outstanding king.
“Princess, do you hope for me to become Prince Haruze’s teacher?” he pondered before asking, “But I have no experience and can’t guarantee that I’ll teach the prince anything.”
Brendel wasn’t being humble; he was just being cautious. Previously, Overwell and Livwz had been this young prince’s teachers, and he believed he wasn’t necessarily superior to those prominent figures of this era in foresight about the future and its undercurrents; in fact, he was likely far inferior.
On the other hand, he indeed lacked experience. However, he was more inclined to experiment with this young prince. The worst outcome wouldn’t bring negative consequences, but if he succeeded, the rewards would be substantial.
Besides, building a good relationship with the future king would grant him high prestige, both with Haruze and Princess Grifian, as he well knew how much this princess cared for her brother.
Princess Grifian’s thoughts, however, were entirely different from Brendel’s. The legacy of Sword Saint Darus was sufficient reason for Brendel to become Prince Haruze’s teacher. She was aware of the vast network of connections behind that legacy, and furthermore, Brendel himself was both skilled in swordsmanship and knowledgeable.
She took a gentle breath, and indeed her fondness for Brendel deepened. After managing to suppress her surprise, she immediately turned to her brother and said, “Haruze, quickly greet your teacher.”
But Haruze lifted his head and, looking a bit shy, glanced at Brendel, then turned back and mumbled, “Sister…” He was clearly still worried about Brendel having exposed his secrets earlier.
Princess Grifian had not anticipated her brother’s inner world. She frowned like a stern mother and said determinately, “Haruze, Mr. Brendel is a descendant of Sword Saint Darus. His mastery of swordsmanship is even beyond that of Mr. Bud. Besides, Mr. Brendel is knowledgeable; even Teacher Livwz and Lord Gherlok have praised him. As your teacher, what dissatisfaction could you possibly have?”
Her tone grew even harsher, scaring Haruze. Reluctantly, the young prince bowed his head toward Brendel and softly called out, “Teacher.” His voice was weak and soft like that of a lamb, making Brendel both amused and helpless. He could clearly tell that although this prince was being respectful, even a pig would be called “teacher” under Princess Grifian’s pressure.
Fortunately, he wasn’t in a hurry. After all, Haruze was merely a timid child. If he couldn’t handle a child even after two lifetimes, it would be better to go home and plant sweet potatoes.
Moreover, this young prince’s weaknesses were already in his hands.
With this in mind, Brendel couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head.
Next, the two exchanged their swords according to the customs of the Vaunte world. Of course, this was merely a ritual, where Haruze first unfastened his sword and handed it to Brendel. Then Brendel turned the sword around and gifted it back to the young prince. In ancient times, this process symbolized the teacher imparting knowledge and a sword to the student, but in contemporary times, this ritual had already transformed into a formal ceremony.
Once this ceremonial exchange was completed, Brendel effectively became Haruze’s teacher. In fact, as a player, Brendel had heard of the existence of this ritual but was unclear about its details. Generally speaking, there would be a period of observation before a teacher officially accepted a student, which usually took place after the teacher was satisfied with the student’s abilities. Therefore, he was completely unaware that Princess Grifian had hurriedly prompted Haruze to perform this ritual as a small scheme on her part.
In Vaunte, once the title of teacher and student was established, it was not easily undone.
Fortunately, Brendel didn’t particularly care about this. However, if Princess Grifian knew that her knight was solely interested in using her brother as an experiment, she might have furiously drawn her sword and stabbed him right there in the carriage.
Unfortunately, both were preoccupied with their own schemes, temporarily oblivious to each other’s ‘plots.’
The coach soon arrived at its destination—a mansion in the Passalus Area. Since the reconstruction of the Andofu Holy Temple was far from complete, High Priest Wood had temporarily been residing here. Both Princess Grifian and Brendel had heard that this place used to belong to the Siphai family as a property in Ampere Seale, but neither minded such trivialities.
The coach stopped at the entrance of the courtyard; clearly, Wood had long prepared to welcome the princess’s arrival. Soon, a servant was there to guide them, leading everyone into the courtyard. As soon as they got off the coach, Antinna hurriedly grabbed Romaine and walked at the forefront, and the princess took the lead, leaving Brendel and Prince Haruze to walk at the back.
This was actually a tradition, as the princess understood that as a teacher, Brendel would certainly have things he wanted to say to his new student. However, she was somewhat appreciative that Brendel’s aide had been so perceptive, reacting even faster than she had.
Such upper-class etiquette was something that most ordinary folks had little understanding of; even among half of the noble households, very few paid attention to it.
With this thought in mind, she couldn’t help but glance at Antinna a few more times.
Meanwhile, Brendel indeed had things to say to Haruze. However, as soon as he got off the coach, he found Prince Haruze keeping a distance of at least two or three meters away from him, as if he were a great beast. Yet the young prince was still aware of basic etiquette and didn’t dare infringe upon that space; he walked alongside Brendel.
Brendel couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of this prince walking with his head lowered; he of course knew what the prince was afraid of. “Your Highness Haruze.”
Haruze jumped in surprise and looked up at him. “W-what… teacher…”
“Does Princess Grifian not know yet?” Brendel asked.
Haruze’s face paled, “T-teacher… I…”
“Who taught you?” Brendel questioned, referring, of course, to the matter of the young prince studying black magic. He hadn’t brought it up in front of the princess, as he wanted to hold onto a leverage, and didn’t wish for the situation to escalate.
In Madara, it was perfectly acceptable for a nation’s heir to study black magic. However, in Erluin, under the rule of this Temple of Fire, it was a significant matter. Brendel first thought of conspiracies, but he didn’t discount other possibilities either.
First, he needed to obtain an answer from Haruze.
But Haruze shook his head vigorously. “N-no one taught me…”
This didn’t sound like the truth. However, Brendel noticed that the young prince’s face was flushed, and he didn’t look like someone who was lying. He paused in surprise, thinking that perhaps what he had anticipated was indeed true.
Curiously, he asked, “What exactly is going on, Haruze? Now that I am your teacher, you must answer my questions honestly. I promise not to tell your sister.”
This statement clearly had a magical effect on Haruze. The boy raised his head and weakly glanced at Brendel, appearing skeptical, but finally mustered the courage to ask, “Really?”
“I keep my word; even Princess Grifian trusts me. Do you believe me?” Brendel replied with a touch of boldness. He couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed as he thought how ridiculous that sounded, but he brushed it off since he was merely persuading a child.
Haruze thought for a moment, then honestly nodded, “Actually… I don’t know why, teacher.”
“Ha?” Brendel was startled. This answer was almost like saying nothing at all. But he caught a hint and quickly asked, “You don’t understand why then?”
“It’s just… I don’t know whether that counts as magic…”
“Did you sneak into the royal library?” Brendel pressed immediately.
Haruze slightly froze, fearfully glancing at him before nodding. Sure enough, Brendel felt a sense of clarity and asked, “Did you read the books inside?”
He nodded again.
“You imitated what was in there?”
“Uh-huh…” he replied cautiously.
“How many times?”
“Only once… Please don’t tell sister, Lord Earl.” Haruze quickly pleaded in a low voice. To him, Brendel was almost like a monster, and he could never imagine how this lord had guessed everything.
He had merely accidentally wandered into those forbidden places once before leaving the capital, and it had only happened that one time. He thought no one knew about it.
He couldn’t help but look at Brendel with fear.
Brendel also looked at his new student, now certain that some things said on the forum might actually be true.
…
(PS: Happy New Year, everyone…) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support it on Qidian (qidian.com) with your votes; your support is my greatest motivation.)
