Solo Swordmaster

#Side Story 21. Wolf howling at the moon (5)

* * *

Howl.

Burning.

A big flame.

A loud noise.

The atmosphere of a deep moonlit night.

And under that hot night sky, they were celebrating.

Singing, drinking, and making noise.

Among them, the ones that stood out the most were those holding swords.

Dancing sword dance alone.

Or compete in sword dance together.

Sparring sincerely.

Regardless of whether they are young or old, yellow or black, male or female, the only thing they have in common is holding a sword.

Nevertheless, the swordsmen, who made all other differences meaningless with just that one thing in common, expressed their joy in their own ways.

Only one person.

To celebrate the fourth Sword Master to have his name engraved on the sword tower.

And among them, there is definitely one person who is dancing the most happily.

It was an Indian girl holding two daggers.

Jumping over the burning bonfire.

Hanging out with other people’s sword dance.

Cutting through reality and dreaming.

Unlike usual where I always doze off.

The sword strokes she drew in the night sky were so mysterious and beautiful that they were enough to make not only other swordsmen but also sword masters lose their minds for a moment.

That was why.

The reason he didn’t feel that presence.

“Would you like another drink?”

“Oh my!”

Looking down at the crowd from the high sword tower.

Billy, who was startled by a voice suddenly heard from behind, grinned when he saw the liquor bottle held by the platinum-haired nun who appeared behind him.

“I would be grateful if you would give it to me.”

“There is a lot of alcohol, so you can drink as much as you want.”

Grrr.

After grinning and holding out a bottle of wine to Joan of Arc, I politely held it out with both hands and accepted it.

Billy emptied his glass in one go.

“Kyaha! Is this potato liquor a real thing? “It’s something different, perhaps because it’s a liquor made by the Ambassador himself.”

“No matter how much you praise me, the only thing I can give you is potatoes and potato wine.”

Take a moment to laugh.

Joan of Arc asked again, pouring alcohol into his glass.

“So why are you in a place like this?”

“It’s because the ambassador’s liquor is so delicious. “I drank so much that I got sober and needed some air.”

“I’m glad that’s the case. “I also thought that my junior ran away because he didn’t like the celebration.”

“Is it possible that you don’t like the celebration that the Ambassador personally prepared?”

“Then I guess it was a burden.”

“….”

Is it because they hit the nail on the head?

Even while looking at the glass shaking.

Joan of Arc was not particularly surprised.

I just asked calmly, still with a gentle smile on my face.

“Do you feel strange? “Those people who congratulate a junior they’ve never met just because he became a sword master?”

“…Well, honestly, it’s unexpected.”

After emptying the glass again.

Billy scratched his head.

He was treated as a useless idiot his entire life, even by his family, and lived as a wandering gunfighter without even a friend or colleague.

Therefore, even after becoming a sword master, there was no one to tell about it other than Limon, and there was nothing to congratulate him on.

He couldn’t help but feel awkward that strangers he had never met held a celebration for him.

Of course, the current celebration.

Until your name is engraved on the sword tower.

Even more so because I was able to recognize that their congratulations throughout the entire process were not just condescending, but sincere.

That was why Billy couldn’t fit in among them, so he came up to the quiet tower as if running away.

However, Joan of Arc did not feel sorry for Billy’s actions.

Rather, he just smiled as if he understood.

“Hehe, it’s not that strange. “For our juniors, we are a symbol of hope.”

“You mean hope?”

“The hope is that if they work hard, they might be able to see the end of the sword someday.”

“That…”

I could understand.

They are all trainees of the Sword Tower.

These are people who traveled across continents, oceans, and the world to find the Sword Tower with the sole intention of becoming sword masters.

It is natural that as the number of people who become sword masters according to Limon’s teachings increases, they become hopeful that they too can become one.

“…Do you think I would start with jealousy and frustration rather than hope?”

Despite this, Billy couldn’t help but feel even more embarrassed.

This is because, as a sword master, he could naturally figure it out with just a brief glance.

It is almost impossible for them to obtain the sword.

The fact that even if it takes a hundred years, it requires a miracle that may or may not happen with a probability of one in a billion, let alone one in ten thousand.

And when you see someone who has climbed a mountain you cannot climb first, it is much easier to be jealous than to congratulate them.

“Yes, of course our juniors are doing the same.”

“Do you mean to say that he looks jealous and frustrated?”

“Because not only someone with a noble and pure heart like you can bless others.”

And, of course, Joan of Arc also knew that fact.

Rather, he knew them better than anyone else, having taught them at the Sword Tower while Limon was away.

The limitations of their talents and the dull emotions such as desires, envy, and jealousy that they cannot give up because of their earnestness.

That’s why I smiled.

She continued.

“Like me.”

“….”

“Of all the people in this sword tower, I am probably the one who is most jealous of my junior.”

“Jealousy… did you say it? The ambassador’s residence? me?”

“yes.”

“Why?”

As Limon’s best disciple, she has been renowned in the world for hundreds of years. Why would she be jealous of her?

To him who asked hesitantly.

Joan of Arc answered quietly.

“Because I have sin.”

“….”

“Even though the teacher washed it for me, I still haven’t been able to clear it, and it’s a karma that won’t be washed away even if it takes a lifetime.”

“….”

“Unlike my junior, who has not yet committed any crime and can purely respect the teacher and follow his teachings.”

He said he had a lot of criminal records as he was a notorious outlaw.

Billy, who would normally make a joke, had no choice but to remain silent this time.

Because the weight of Joan of Arc’s quiet words and the emotions hidden in that calm smile made it impossible for him to say anything.

“In that sense, junior, may I ask you a favor?”

“…What kind of request are you asking?”

“Please don’t disappoint your teacher.”

Grrr.

In his cup like that.

Pour the drink slowly.

Gently approaching my face.

In a voice so low that not even other sword masters could hear it.

-She whispered.

“If that happens, I will cut down your junior.”

“…!”

“Family, country, and honor. “With everything you cherish.”

This is definitely a word to use in times like this.

It means that the blood becomes cold.

It’s not a magic spell or a spell, it’s just a calm voice.

After a long silence, he opened his mouth to say those words, which alone felt scarier than any curse and could not be taken lightly.

“…I think it’s too much for discipline.”

“Yes, it’s too much.”

Surprisingly cool.

Joan of Arc confirmed that statement.

That’s something Limon would never say, even as a joke.

As a protector of humanity, it was something that Limon could not and would not do if he was stricter with himself than he was with others.

But…

“But I can do that.”

“….”

Only heroes cannot commit sin.

But you are already a sinner.

Even sins that a teacher cannot commit.

Even things the teacher doesn’t want to do.

You can do as much as you want.

So, please do not commit the deadly sin of betraying your teacher’s expectations like you did.

Until Joan of Arc leaves, leaving only a gentle smile and a full glass of wine along with a sincere request.

Billy, who was motionless, slowly let out his breath after the last ripple had disappeared from the glass.

And I remember the eerie glow in those clear eyes.

He realized it again.

A fact everyone knew.

But the truth everyone has forgotten.

No matter how much he lives for atonement, reveres his teacher more than anyone else, and fights for the world for hundreds of years.

She was Joan of Arc, a swordsman who in the past attempted to destroy the British Empire by launching a mad march and causing massacre.

―That he is the most mildly crazy sword master in the world.

“… Our sisters are really not easy.”

The place he entered was not a sacred place for the sword and a resting place for the Sword Master, but rather a demonic region where even dragons feared and even the Absolute ran away.

The cowboy felt it again and had no choice but to empty his glass with a bitter smile.

* * *

Slurp.

She took a step.

Even the lanterns are turned off.

With a flame burning on the ground.

Along a hallway lit only by moonlight.

After walking quietly through that hazy darkness, she arrived at the top of the Sword Tower.

In front of a thin door that no trainee, servant, or even sword master should dare open without permission.

After adjusting my clothes.

She kneels down.

When trying to be polite.

“Come in.”

Stop.

It seems like there is no need for that.

She stopped kneeling when she heard a quiet voice.

And after a short hesitation, I opened the door with extreme caution.

Grumble.

The thin window paper door opens.

What was revealed was a quiet space.

A thick blanket and a small tabletop are set against a large but simple folding screen.

Although it is luxurious and clean, the space, equipped with only the bare minimum, is plain compared to the sarangchae of a decent nobleman.

Nevertheless, it looked grander than any other palace.

It wasn’t just that she personally cleaned and organized this place every day.

This is because the presence of a white-haired man drinking alone makes this space feel elegant.

“You’re late.”

“I’m sorry, did you wait long?”

“That’s enough.”

I don’t even know what to call it.

I didn’t even make an appointment.

He pointed out that she was late, and she took it for granted.

There is no need for such troublesome processes for those who have spent a long time together at the Sword Tower or wandering around the world for the past hundreds of years.

That’s why I put down my drink.

Limon said calmly.

“-Take it off.”

Quiet.

Quietly.

A voice that rang out.

This is too outrageous for a man to do to a woman, especially a teacher to a student.

Therefore, Joan of Arc was not the least bit surprised or agitated when she heard those words that would normally make her believe her ears.

He just slowly touched his clothes.

Something like this.

It seems like you’re already used to it.

Or rather, he seemed happy.

And so, the moment her fingers as thin as white jade released the pus from her clothes…

slither.

Along the long, slender legs.

It covered skin as fair as snow.

The neat nun’s clothes were flowing down…

…and her pure white naked body without a single thread was revealed under the soft moonlight.