ELSML 13

Chapter 13

Despite some twists and turns, I had successfully gotten Kaisa into the navy.

The Count was more open-minded than I expected. Even after hearing Kaisa’s bold words, he had forgiven him.

When I asked Kaisa why he had chosen that particular sentence, he replied that it was the longest and coolest phrase he knew.

I pressed him further.

“He asked if I could say something. It’s a phrase often used among knights. It’s actually quite gentlemanly. What’s wrong with that?”
“How could you say that to the Count? You don’t usually speak to your superior like that, Grand Duke!”
“If a superior commits a wrong, you can say it.”
“But the Count didn’t do anything wrong just now!”
“I was just showing what I can do. And he didn’t seem offended at all.”

The conversation with Kaisa replayed in my mind.

I had thought there would be differences living with him, but I hadn’t expected this.

The strange thing, though, was that the Count really hadn’t seemed upset at all. He even laughed heartily.

“He really has lived as a knight for a long time. He must have belonged to some organization.”

That was true. He had lived as the sword of Luikaron for many years. Moreover, as a Grand Duke and a Swordmaster, he had led his own order of knights.

“Such phrases are usually used in the military. I suppose there isn’t much difference between Cyern and Luikaron in that regard.”

The Count had willingly taken Kaisa with him to test his skills and place him in a fitting position. I just hoped Kaisa wouldn’t cause any trouble.

I exhaled deeply and focused on my own duties.

Today was the day to cut the Grand Madam’s hair.

While the stylist employed by the Keister household worked quickly, I had to keep the Grand Madam’s attention fixed on me.

By any means necessary.

The Grand Madam was afraid of having her hair cut and was extremely resistant. Today promised to be a long day.

Rayban’s eyes gleamed as he observed Kaisa taking his stance for a sparring match.

It was clear he had been in the Luikaron military.

But could a foreign soldier, having wandered here as a mercenary and now volunteering for the navy, really be considered ordinary?

“It’s better to just assume he’s a prodigy.”

The problem, however, was that Luikaron was very far away. It was impossible for either side to influence the other.

As Rayban pondered what to do, the sparring began.

Knights spoke with their swords.

Rayban was a vice-commander in the first division of the navy—a position neither too high nor too low.

The moment Kaisa moved, Rayban’s eyes lit up.

“Huff… huff…!”

The instant Kaisa’s opponent swung his sword, the outcome was effectively decided.

Kaisa stared at him with indifferent eyes.

There was so much he wanted to say. His stance was sloppy, the way he held the sword was careless, and there were glaring weaknesses everywhere.

But the problem was that Kaisa could speak only a few words.

He stared up at the sky, expressionless.

Rayban, meanwhile, stared at him in shock.

Even as a vice-commander, this man was well-respected in the navy. He wouldn’t drop his sword after just one encounter. Yet Kaisa appeared utterly unconcerned.

Rayban processed the shock.

“I’ll need to dig deeper. But first, I should talk with him more.”

I would need to ask Milena about the man’s identity and keep watching him.

It seemed that sending him to the sea slightly earlier might actually serve as a good test.

Rayban called out to Kaisa.

“Your skill is remarkable. Do you understand me?”
“Can’t. Him.”
“What?”

Rayban tilted his head.

Kaisa frowned, exhaled deeply, and then spoke clearly in Cyern.

“Him cannot!”

It was the first complete sentence Kaisa had formed on his own.

He looked proud.

This was the moment Milena’s teachings truly shone.

Although he could barely piece the words together because of his restrictions, it was his very best.

But the training ground fell silent instantly.

The vice-commander’s face flushed red in an instant.

Rayban cleared his throat.

“Learn more! Train!”

Kaisa, proud of his own growth, spoke again.

This was the will to overcome limitations. Yet no one responded to him.

Kaisa had no idea he had just sabotaged his own social standing.

The harsh military life had begun.

“Ah? Grand Duke!”

He waved his hand. Today, he had left training later than me.

Kaisa trudged over, looked up at me, sighed in relief, and quickly approached.

Taking a deep breath as if reassured, he said,

“Let’s go home quickly.”
“What happened? Why? Was it terrible? How was your first day? Tell me!”

I walked alongside him, eager to hear. I wanted to know if he had performed well, what position he was assigned, whether he could board a ship, and so on.

Kaisa furrowed his brows.

“No one understands a word. Knights speak through skill. But criticizing that skill gets you treated like this.”
“Huh?”

What did he mean?

Wait.

Kaisa had never trained under anyone else. Naturally, he trained under a private instructor in the Grand Duke’s household and immediately took command of a single order.

He was used to being authoritative and giving orders.

So what happens when someone like that joins the army at the lowest rank?

…I get it now. You’re being ostracized.

Kaisa’s personality was blunt and straightforward. He preferred to tell others what he thought rather than hide it, seeking understanding—just as he had with me.

The problem now was that he could say very little.

And imagine a short, inexperienced junior criticizing him boldly… and that junior turns out to be incredibly skilled.

Ah, that annoying brat.

Exactly that.

Kaisa had just become that annoying brat.

“…Why that expression?”
“I think I know what happened.”
“I didn’t say anything. How do you know? Were you watching?”
“Impossible! I was so busy! You were alone all day, weren’t you? No one wanted to team up with you, right?”
“Y-you… how did you know that?”

Maybe it was better that Kaisa had been a mercenary. Solo play had suited him more. I regretted dragging him into this.

Had I been too hasty? I looked at Kaisa with tender eyes.

I should have been more careful.

Now that it was too late, I smiled awkwardly.

“…It’s okay. It’ll be fine, right?”
“…Yeah. I suppose so.”

Kaisa nodded calmly. Thankfully, he was unfazed by such an environment. Even if he was being ostracized, he probably wouldn’t even notice. That trait worked in his favor here.