The Sword Master’s Son-in-Law

– Lily

Asia sat forlornly by the roadside.

Melia was beside her, trying to comfort her.

I approached Asia.

“Are you alright?”

“…No, I am not.”

The reason Asia was so dejected.

It was because of what had just happened.

The first time Asia had proposed a sparring match.

‘Would you be willing to spar with me?’

‘…’

The man she asked simply walked past her.

Ignoring Asia completely.

Asia assumed he hadn’t heard her.

So, she chased after him and asked again.

‘Ahem! Excuse me! Would you be willing to spar with me?’

‘Even mercenaries have honor. Find someone else.’

Only then did Asia realize she’d been deliberately ignored.

Still, Asia didn’t give up.

The second time.

The third time.

She tried a fifth time.

But all failed.

The reason they offered for their refusal was always the same: even mercenaries had their honor.

‘Well, can’t blame them, I suppose.’

From their perspective, sparring with Asia was nothing but a loss.

Asia’s eye was sharp.

Every opponent she requested a bout with was her equal in skill.

But-.

‘The big thing is, they have no reason to spar with Asia.’

They might be peers in name, but in the mercenary world, reaching Sword Expert, mid-level, was an exceptionally high rank.

It was a position that could lead to commanding a mercenary company.

For such warriors to spar with a girl like Asia?

A loss even in victory, a total loss in defeat.

“Why won’t anyone spar with me?”

“It’s probably because you’re so beautiful, Lady Asia, they don’t want to risk harming you,” Melia offered from Asia’s side, making up a ridiculous excuse.

I sighed deeply, deciding to explain the real reason.

“Lady Asia, if a young boy, younger than you, asked you for a spar, would you accept?”

Using a comparison, a good method.

“Hm? That’s a little… strange.”

“Even if that young boy had reached a level similar to yours?”

“Reached the same level as me…? Then… of course, I would!”

Asia said, her eyes shining.

Eh?

That wasn’t what I wanted.

I wanted her to think from the other’s perspective.

“Y-you’d accept? A spar?”

My words trembled despite myself.

Asia’s answer was simply too absurd.

“Hm? That’s not it. I’m talking about recruiting him to our family. Sword Expert, mid-level, at such a young age…! Perhaps he’s even more talented than our grandfather!”

Ah, a noble was a noble, through and through.

Thinking of recruiting talent.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“What about the spar, though?”

“Humm… How old is this boy, exactly?”

“He’s… six years younger than Lady Asia.”

Honestly, when I was thinking from the mercenaries’ point of view, I was going to say ten years younger than Asia.

But if I did, the boy’s age would be six years old.

That would sound too far-fetched.

That wouldn’t do.

To understand, one must find a measure of accord.

Well, a ten-year difference or a six-year one, there isn’t much difference when it comes to far-fetched notions.

Six years is better than ten, though.

“So, the boy is ten… a ten-year-old who has reached my level challenges me to a duel, you say…”

Asia pondered for a long while.

And so, Asia came to her answer.

“It seems rather impossible.”

“Why is that?”

“Well… to duel with a ten-year-old child. The age difference bothers me…, and I wouldn’t gain any honor even if I won. He’s just a young boy, after all.”

“That is precisely the feeling the mercenaries who received a duel request from Lady Asia had.”

“Ah…!”

Asia was quick to agree.

Then, her expression hardened.

“So, what must I do to have a duel?”

Indeed.

Thinking that way, there would be no one left to accept Asia’s challenge.

But-.

“There’s no need to worry so much. First, it’s important to find a mercenary who works alone.”

“Hmm…, even if I find such a person, would they accept my duel?”

It was certain they wouldn’t.

Among those whom Asia had challenged, there must have been some who worked alone.

But they wouldn’t have accepted.

For reasons similar to the others.

That’s when what’s needed is precisely this.

“You must consider what kind of beings mercenaries are.”

“What kind of beings mercenaries are… aren’t they people who work on your behalf for a fee?”

That’s correct.

People who work on your behalf.

Then, why do they work on your behalf?

The reason is simple.

“Yes, that is right. Therefore, you must place a request with a mercenary to duel you.”

A request.

In other words, money.

Give them money, and mercenaries would even duel with newborns.

Unlike knights, they would even forsake their honor for a large sum of money.

Of course, that doesn’t mean all mercenaries are like that.

“It would be best to offer a considerable sum, I believe.”

An amount of money that would make them easily discard a mercenary’s honor.

The Marquis Messiah’s household surely had more than enough of that kind of money.

“Ah, so that kind of method existed.”

“It’s an easy enough thing to conceive. Only, our young Miss Asia tried too hard to emulate the Sword Saint, and that’s how things went awry.”

Indeed, it was a readily available thought.

But Asia… she couldn’t do it.

She only tried to imitate that old geezer.

I, too, knew the geezer’s tale from the Vladic Mercenary Kingdom.

Only, that old codger hadn’t politely requested a spar like Asia did now.

‘He was just a madman.’

The geezer would stalk mercenaries on their way home.

Ambushing them first, then goading them into a duel, he’d shamelessly say, “That was a good fight.” afterward.

A complete lunatic.

An unreasonable duel.

But because the geezer had won every single time, it was twisted into him justly demanding a fight.

‘That’s why history is written by the victor, I suppose.’

The geezer’s insane actions had been transformed into acts of audacity.

“Then I…”

Just as I was about to say I would put in the request to the Mercenary Guild,

a person caught my eye.

A woman with intensely red hair.

Her face was strangely familiar.

‘Where have I seen her…?’

I was racking my brains when,

her eyes met mine.

And…

“Arthas, Oppa!”

The woman, wearing a look of delight, approached me.

‘She knows my name?’

That meant we must have met at least once before.

But I had no recollection.

Her attire made it clear she was a mercenary.

However, I had no acquaintances who had become mercenaries.

In the first place, I didn’t have many acquaintances, so there was no way I’d fail to remember.

The red-haired woman standing before me wore a forlorn expression.

“Hmm…? You don’t mean to say you don’t remember me?”

For some reason, I felt a pang of guilt.

“Regrettably…”

Well, she called me ‘Oppa,’ so she must be younger than me.

Naturally, I dropped the formalities.

‘That intense red hair. Where have I seen it…?’

I pondered deeply.

But I couldn’t, for the life of me, recall.

“Where did we meet?”

“…I’m disappointed. That you could forget *me*.”

A truly disappointed expression.

She didn’t seem to be lying.

And—

Asia spoke from beside me, a touch sulky.

“To think, you had female acquaintances. I, I didn’t know.”

Asia looked almost… jealous.

‘Hmm…? I’ve got a feeling this is going to turn strange.’

The red-haired woman glanced sideways at Asia and said,

“…Who’s that woman?”

“Huh? Well, that’s…”

I’d rather she introduced herself, before anything….

I still hadn’t recognized the red-haired woman before me.

Beside me, Asia answered the red-haired woman’s question in a trembling voice.

“She’s, she’s my fiancé.”

“Fiancé…?”

“Well, a candidate at least….”

The red-haired woman looked taken aback.

“I-Is that really true?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“How could you leave me! Could you have forgotten the promise we made?”

A promise?

I have absolutely no recollection.

Just what exactly is this woman?

What kind of relationship do we have?

“I’m truly sorry, but I don’t remember. Could you at least tell me your name?”

“That’s so cruel…, to even forget my name…. It’s me, me. Lily.”

Still, a name I’d never heard.

‘Wait, could it be?’

Suddenly, I recalled all those voice phishing scams from my past life.

‘It’s me, me,’ she said.

Wasn’t that a classic con artist tactic?

I stared intently at the woman who’d introduced herself as Lily.

She looked vaguely familiar, but still, no memory surfaced.

If we’d made a promise, I should remember.

“Ah, that’s right…!”

Lily lightly tapped her forehead with her finger.

“Now that I think about it, you wouldn’t know my name, would you, dear?”

“Huh…?”

So, she hadn’t even known my name back then?

And yet, there was a promise?

“Truth is, I was lucky enough to get picked up and become this halfway decent mercenary. Even the name Lily was given to me by my foster father.”

“Picked up, you say?”

“Yeah. Don’t you remember? You gave me a meal in Mullid.”

Ah…!

Finally, it came back to me.

Now her hair was a vibrant red, but it wasn’t always like that.

It was definitely a faded, dull red back then.

And unlike now, she was a scrawny kid.

“That child from back then was you?”

I had given her a meal then.

Even when I was barely scraping by, the reason I gave Lily food…

…was because it felt like she’d die if I didn’t.

“Yep!”

“But a promise…?”

All I gave Lily back then was a single meal.

There was no other interaction.

“Judging by that reaction… I guess the words I spoke back then only existed in my head.”

“In your head…?”

“Hehe, I thought I said it out loud… I must have been mistaken. Well, I’ll say it again now, then.”

Lily’s delusion.

Of course, it was only natural I wouldn’t know.

I’m not a mind reader, after all.

“Well-“

Lily glared at Asia for a brief moment before saying,

“You definitely said I was a fiancé candidate, so I guess it’s fine. That promise from back then, I’ll keep it now!”

“Promise?”

“The promise to marry you, Oppa!”

At Lily’s absurd and sudden words, not only I but even Asia and Melia beside me gaped in astonishment.