Chapter 37 : Loyalty and the Sword of the Dragon

Failer could not easily accept the current situation.

“This sword, this situation, is the evidence that I can show to Sir Failer.”

That’s why he couldn’t properly hear what Jonan was saying.

Failer’s mind was filled with confusion.

The existence of the god Jonan spoke of, the treatment method for the young lady that the Count’s family craved.

He couldn’t even think about them.

A person who had not learned Aura matched swords equally with him.

That fact dominated Failer’s mind.

‘······I am a knight. An expert knight.’

3rd-class expert. It is a rank that is considered the weakest among those who have learned Aura.

But many people in the world spend years of effort to obtain that rank.

That didn’t mean that everyone could get it just by trying.

Appropriate talent was needed to get a chance to awaken Aura.

Failer had the appropriate talent, and he trained many times harder than others. That’s why he was able to reach expert rank at the relatively young age of twenty-five, and seven years had passed since then.

Even after becoming an expert, he continued to train, aiming for 2nd-class.

In other words, he had been constantly wielding a sword for about 15 years, including the period of training before becoming an expert.

But now, he felt like those years were being denied.

“That sword… is it the evidence of the god you spoke of?”

The man with a serious expression on the other side of the sword slowly tilted his head and raised it.

Jonan slowly retracted his sword. Failer looked at his hand, which had been holding it with more force than necessary to keep his posture from collapsing.

He was a knight loyal to the Count’s family, but he was also a swordsman who craved endless power.

That’s why he felt jealous of Jonan.

If he had that sword, he would be stronger.

Then Jonan spoke.

“The Dragon God gave me this sword, giving me a mission.”

“···A mission?”

Failer’s head, which had been looking down, slowly rose.

“Yes. Protect precious people through the sword. He entrusted me with such a mission.”

Jonan paused for a moment and then continued.

“This power is not my own. It is only the power that He lent me for the purpose of protection. Sir Failer, the reason I showed you this sword is because I thought you would recognize the meaning of this sword.”

The meaning of the sword.

After thinking for a moment, Failer soon realized the meaning Jonan was trying to convey.

“······Loyalty, is it?”

Loyalty. The reason Jonan received this sword, and the power that made him come to him and ask to meet the Count.

He was loyal to the dragon, and he received this sword as a reward. Also, because he was loyal, he tried to fulfill the words of the god who wanted a relationship with the Count’s family.

Failer felt the present in his past.

He, too, was loyal to the Count’s family. That’s why he stopped Jonan, fearing that Jonan might harm the Count’s family.

And following Mirey’s advice, he came to meet Jonan to see if he could really bring salvation to the Count’s family.

Jonan and himself.

There was only one driving force in their actions: loyalty.

“Jonan, you are like… a knight.”

At Failer’s words, Jonan was startled and shook his head.

“No, how can I?”

“No. Rather, you are more like a knight than I am. The moment I saw the power of your sword, I forgot the loyalty I had for the Count’s family and felt jealousy towards you. I was different from you, who have been acting for God so far.”

But Jonan was different. Failer could not predict how this situation would end if the simple act of matching swords turned into a fight.

His victory? Or Jonan’s victory? The sword of the blue wave contained such strong power that it made the battle between a knight and a hunter unpredictable.

That’s why he rather believed in Jonan’s actions, which showed only the sword for the sake of faith, without leading to a fight.

“······.”

“I will guide you to the Count.”

“······! Thank you!”

“No. It is for the Count’s family, so I should thank you instead.”

The sword that Jonan showed became clear evidence to Failer. Therefore, Failer no longer doubted Jonan.

“Let’s go. It’s also because I’m late because of me.”

“Yes.”

The shadows of the two men hurrying disappeared into the alley. A little while later, a small figure appeared in the open space.

“Phew… phew… Daddy is too fast!”

Rachel, who was catching her breath in the spacious area, pretended to wipe away the sweat that didn’t exist and complained.

Jonan had long since escaped from the open space, but Rachel was concentrating on catching her breath.

‘I can follow him anyway!’

Rachel knew how to follow Jonan even if she lost him.

It was because of the smell from the sword that Jonan had.

‘The smell of the Dragon!’

That smell was continuing along the road as if it were wearing blue, so she could easily follow Jonan.

But now she was wondering whether she should keep following him.

“······Should I just say I’ll play tomorrow?”

She thought Jonan was going to do something fun on his own, so she followed him, but he was heading somewhere for a while, then talking to someone, and then disappearing again.

Compared to playing with the bear uncle in the market, it was very boring.

Rachel thought of that fun time and was about to turn around but suddenly felt a tickling sensation in her chest.

“······Again.”

An unknown feeling that she had to follow Jonan. Rachel was familiar with this feeling.

A few days ago, at night, she had felt a tickling sensation while sleeping, and woke her dad without realizing it. She had been so sleepy that she was just going to sleep, but the sensation didn’t disappear until she moved.

Besides, Rachel herself didn’t know why, but she wanted to do that, so she woke Jonan up and pointed outside.

“I guess I have to follow.”

Maybe there’s something more fun where I follow? With that thought, Rachel’s feet began to move again.

Rachel moved through the alley along the place where the blue smell was.

The smell was leading to a place that Rachel had never been to since she came here.

Perhaps because she had not been able to get out of the market near the gate and the Red Inn, the changing appearance of the city as she got closer to the mansion was a different kind of fun for her.

Because of that, Rachel followed the smell and stopped in the middle, so she followed Jonan much slower than expected.

‘My, my smell is not visible!’

Then, seeing Jonan’s trace that was about to be erased by the smell of the city, Rachel picked up her pace again.

So Rachel, who was moving her steps without hesitation, stopped in front of a large door.

Unlike the fact that she could move freely until now, there were people with strange appearances blocking the front of this door.

‘Daddy went inside there.’

Rachel didn’t know much about security, but she knew that they wouldn’t let her in easily.

That’s why she was stomping her feet, wondering how to get in.

Then Rachel came up with a clever trick.

‘···Yes! Let’s make the uncles not see me!’

It was to focus the attention of the guards and then enter between them.

Immediately, Rachel picked up a stone nearby and hid herself next to the wall right next to the door.

“H, hey!”

And she threw the stone in her hand, making a sound that seemed to have no intention of hiding at all.

Clatter.

“Huh?”

The stone that flew in the air without power fell at the guard’s feet. It was a distance that was half of what Rachel had expected.

But Rachel confirmed that the guard was looking at the stone, and as planned, she hurriedly ran towards the door.

Of course, the running speed was very slow.

But the guards did not recognize Rachel, who was struggling to enter through the door.

They quickly looked up after seeing the stone falling in front of their feet, looked at where the stone came from, turned their heads, and passed the door, but they did not notice Rachel.

In the meantime, Rachel, who thought her plan had worked, smiled triumphantly and headed inside.

“What was that?”

“What?”

“No, a stone suddenly rolled. And I just felt something dazzling…”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“No, I just felt a light… gold…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. If you don’t want to be disciplined, just keep guard properly.”

“It’s real…”

The guard, who was scolded by his colleague, muttered but did not relax his tension so as not to be like his former colleague.

“Wow…”

Rachel stood in the middle of the garden of the Count’s residence and looked up at the mansion blankly. The pure white mansion was receiving sunlight and boasting its beauty twice as much.

It was like the princess’s house in the story that Sophie had told her about someday, Rachel thought.

“Daddy came to the princess’s house alone…?!”

He came to a place like this without her. If she hadn’t followed, she wouldn’t have seen this scenery.

Rachel, who was glad she came here, puffed out her cheeks, thinking of Jonan who left her behind.

When she gets back to the village, she’ll only talk to her mom. She expressed her anger and opened the pure white mansion door.

Creak.

“Hellooo…”

Rachel, who greeted politely even though she came in secretly, found that no one was there and smiled, entering the house.

‘Daddy went up.’

The smell was continuing to the stairs in the middle of the mansion.

Rachel wanted to explore this mansion more thoroughly, but when the sound of talking in the right hallway got closer, she hurriedly went up the stairs.

When Rachel went up to the second floor, she felt that her father’s energy was one floor higher.

The moment she was about to take a step to go up one more floor, Rachel suddenly felt like exploring the second-floor hallway.

‘······Anyway, Daddy will be there for a while!’

In the end, Rachel began to walk around the second-floor hallway. Unlike the sound of people coming from below, it was very quiet here.

Rachel, relieved, began to walk around various rooms.

“There are a lot of pretty clothes! Then this room too…?! Ugh, books…”

After passing through rooms used for various purposes, Rachel arrived in front of a room located at the very end.

I want to go in.

Click.

The door opened effortlessly with the child’s touch.

But unlike other rooms that were splendid, that room was very quiet and dark.

“······Scary.”

For a moment, Rachel hesitated to go in, but in the end, she squeezed her eyes shut and entered the room.

The inside was even quieter than the outside. Even the sounds heard on the first floor could not enter this room.

Wondering why this place was so dark, Rachel noticed that the curtains were drawn on the window.

The sunlight penetrated the gap in the curtains and illuminated a part of the room.

And at the end of that sunlight, there was a girl lying on the bed.

“······Princess?”

Rachel muttered without realizing it.