Chapter 13: Second Engagement – (6)

The distance between Serigard and Rigmond was not exactly close.

If one traveled on horseback, it would take half a day, and by carriage, it would take significantly longer—so it could hardly be called a short distance.

Fortunately, since no particular problems arose on the way back, my brother and I were able to reach Serigard in two days.

“What will you do about lunch?”

At my brother’s question, I hesitated for a moment.

Although I was hungry, having only eaten some bread in the morning, the thought of eating with my brother didn’t particularly appeal to me.

It had been three years since the last time we shared a meal, so for me, it was bound to feel awkward.

Moreover, my brother was unaware of my six-year absence, which only made it more uncomfortable.

Even so, I had to talk to him.

“I’ll eat with you.”

My answer seemed to satisfy my brother.

“Then let’s go right away.”

A meal in Serigard after three years.

The only people present were me and my brother.

Normally, Layla and Melanie would have joined us, but I had heard they were staying at our maternal relatives’ home.

‘This is just like before.’

If my memory served me correctly, I wouldn’t see them for another week.

“Well then, let’s eat.”

The meal was surprisingly simple.

Since neither my brother nor I were particularly fond of extravagant meals, my brother had already informed the head chef in advance.

I waited for my brother to start eating before beginning my own meal.

‘The chef’s skill is still the same.’

The meat was cut with almost mathematical precision.

The head chef had once been a member of the Black Twilight Knights, and his skills were still as sharp as ever.

‘Well, since I’ve returned to the past, that’s only natural.’

As I was focusing on my meal, my brother’s voice broke the silence.

“Aren. You don’t have to listen to the emperor.”

“…I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean it exactly as I said. There’s no need to monitor or kill Ilia Rigmond.”

That was something I had never heard in the past.

Back then, my brother had assumed I would simply follow the emperor’s orders and never said anything to the contrary.

“Weren’t you the one who recommended me for that role to the emperor?”

At my words, my brother let out a dry chuckle and took a swig of his drink.

“…That was my mistake. I couldn’t bring myself to abandon the position that Serigard had inherited for generations.”

“That’s fine. I’m just curious why you suddenly changed your mind.”

My brother fell silent for a moment, staring at me as if in thought, before finally speaking.

“Aren.”

“Yes, brother.”

“I did not devote my loyalty to the emperor because I was blinded by love.”

“I know.”

It was a reference to the knightly oath that our family had sworn to the emperor for generations.

My brother was speaking about that very oath.

“I have never once regretted that decision. So how could I possibly deny your feelings?”

“…Are you saying—”

My brother’s gaze changed.

It was the cold, calculating look befitting the commander of the Black Twilight Knights.

“If you truly love Ilia Rigmond, then even if the emperor seeks her life, you must protect her. I will help you as much as I can.”

“You don’t even need to say it. That was my intention from the start.”

I had already failed to protect her once.

Now that I have been given a new opportunity, I have no intention of making the same mistake again.

Even if Illia doesn’t love me, I will willingly sacrifice my life to protect her.

Perhaps it was the resolve in my eyes that made my brother soften his expression.

“You’re truly a Serigard, aren’t you?”

“Of course. We’re a family of those crazy about love, aren’t we?”

“If Father had heard that, he would have certainly had a fit.”

“It’s fine. I’ve never even met Father.”

“Hah…”

“By the way, brother, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I would like you to teach me swordsmanship.”

Now that I’ve been given another chance, I have to change—no matter what.

I need to become strong enough to protect Ilia and kill the Emperor.

And the solution to that was my brother.

He was as strong as the Emperor, if not more.

A powerful aura, flawless swordsmanship, and unmatched combat sense.

It was because of his skills that, though I could never ask him to join the rebellion, I had to learn swordsmanship from him.

‘Why did I ever hate swords in the past?’

At fifteen, before meeting Illia, I had only learned swordsmanship as a side hobby.

There were many around me I could have learned from, but I had no interest, wasting my natural talent.

‘Even before my regression, I never learned from him, so this is a great opportunity.’

“Swordsmanship, huh… Seems like you’re finally serious about it.”

My brother grinned as he spoke.

“Aren, have you finished eating?”

“Yes, I’m done.”

“Then come to the training hall. It’s time for post-meal exercise.”

…

The Serigard family’s training hall was vast.

As the head of the Mookbit Knights for generations, Serigard had some of the best sword-related facilities on the continent.

True to the Serigard name, the swords displayed were all high-quality, and I picked one up.

“So, you’re going to use a one-handed sword?”

A one-handed sword, specifically a bastard sword.

That was my main weapon until the day I died.

“How shall we go about the rules?”

“We’ll refrain from using our aura,” he said.

I nodded.

If my brother used his aura, there was no way I could win.

‘Even without using aura, I don’t think there will be much of a difference.’

Still, I had once reached the level of Sword Master.

This was a good chance to see just how much of a gap there was between my brother and me in terms of swordsmanship.

“I’ll let you take the first move.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”

I didn’t care about taking the first move.

I readily accepted my brother’s consideration.

‘Both of us are using one-handed swords, so… I have a slight reach advantage.’

If it were a fight between two Sword Masters, it might be different, but right now, I was barely at the level of an Expert.

And since neither of us was using our aura, the advantage of the weapon’s reach was definitely in my favor.

“Arden, you’d better come quickly. Unfortunately, I’m not the patient type.”

I had already planned to do so.

I raised my sword at an angle and rushed toward my brother.

One Exchange.

The distinct sound of metal ringing filled the air.

I aimed for his neck, but my brother blocked it with the flat of his blade.

With his level of skill, he could have easily deflected the attack, yet he chose not to.

Because of that, the initiative was still mine.

Two Exchanges.

Clang!

Once again, the sound of clashing metal resonated.

This time, I aimed for his legs, but my brother swiftly retrieved his sword and blocked it.

And this time, he didn’t just stop at blocking.

He gripped the flat of his blade with his hand and smoothly deflected my attack.

Then, his sword cut through the air, slicing toward my now-vulnerable center.

I hurriedly stepped back to retreat.

But my brother wasn’t one to miss such an opening—he immediately pursued me and slashed horizontally.

Three Exchanges.

As I stepped back, I barely managed to retrieve my sword and block his strike, but my stance had already collapsed.

With the difference in our strength alone, my balance breaking only made things worse.

My sword was helplessly pushed back.

And that created yet another opening.

My brother didn’t miss it—his sword was now pressed against my neck.

“…I lost.”

The duel had ended in just three exchanges.

I had lost to my brother so quickly, so easily.

“You handle a sword better than I expected.”

Of course.

Compared to him, I was nothing, but I had once reached the level of a Sword Master.

My skills weren’t lacking.

It was just that my opponent happened to be my brother.

“You seem to be lacking in physical strength. That’s something training can fix.”

He was right.

Even though I had blocked his strike in a hurry, I hadn’t expected my stance to crumble so easily.

But strength, as my brother said, was something I could train and improve.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

“Your defensive skills aren’t bad, but your attacks feel somewhat unrefined.”

He was absolutely correct.

The battlefield was where I had wielded my sword the most.

And on the battlefield, my goal had always been singular—to protect Ilia.

That intent had seeped deep into my swordsmanship.

Rather than striking first, I had always focused on blocking attacks and countering.

That was the method I was most familiar with, the style I had mastered.

Which was why attacking first still felt somewhat unnatural to me.

“A sword meant for defense, is it…?”

My brother looked at me and spoke.

“Aren, do you think you can protect Ilia Rigmund with that kind of swordsmanship?”

“…No.”

Could I really protect Ilia with my current style?

I had struggled even against the kingdom’s knight commander and had failed to prevent Ilia from getting scarred.

And that wasn’t all.

The sword I had wielded solely to protect had never once reached the Emperor.

I had felt the limits of my sword firsthand.

‘My goal isn’t to wield a sword for defense.’

That method had long since reached its limit.

I had already realized it when not a single one of my strikes had landed on the Emperor.

That was why, in this life, my sword couldn’t be a dull shield if I wanted to kill the Emperor.

What I needed wasn’t a shield but a razor-sharp fang that could cut through anything.

That was the sword I had to pursue.

“Then you’ll need to learn how to wield a sword to kill.”

My brother said this as he raised his sword and took his stance.

“Come at me again. I have no talent for teaching, so I’ll just drill it into your body instead.”

And so, the duel continued until the sun finally set.