BXBX NOVEL Chapter 35: Alicia Arden (4)
“These insolent…”
It had been three days since news had spread about Alicia defeating John Doe the murderer. One of the powerful groups of Arden Family’s Lunia Faction, the Five Swords ripped the newspapers into halves after seeing their insolent and irresponsible nonsense.
“…”
“…”
Jennie the Rapid Sword, Sirin the Dual Wielder, Lena of the Rippling Sword, Mei the Sword of True Darkness, and Milia of the Illusionary Sword.
They were the elite swordsmen of the renowned Arden family’s 1st Sword Squad. While gritting their teeth, they carefully waited for one person’s response.
“…”
Sword Master, Lunia Arden.
She was the successor candidate who most of the trainees like them followed at the Arden family. Lunia was deep in thought while emptying her cup of tea.
The Arden was a sword sect that had groups of swordsmen as its followers, who believed in the law of power. They had all been waiting for the next swordsman who could lead them forward with an absolute charisma like Garrand Arden.
Although Lunia and Alicia’s parent generation had succeeded the position of the family head, they hadn’t been fully acknowledged by Garrand Arden, but it wasn’t because they were weak.
Domain Severance.
A realm that most martial artists weren’t even aware of, that only existed in the imaginations of others…
Garrand Arden had been waiting for an existence that could succeed his sword. He wanted a successor that could continue the line of the great Domain attack which he had created himself.
｢That is unfortunate. How truly unfortunate. So there is no-one to continue my legacy even in this generation, huh.｣
Even though Lunia had revealed her talents ever since a young age and had been receiving the expectant eyes of everyone in the household to be the next successor in line, Garrand clicked his tongue after seeing her.
In the end, even someone like her who was called the greatest genius of the contemporary times wasn’t able to satisfy Garrand.
She shed both sweat and blood.
The thick calluses on her palms were proof of everything she had gone through in her life.
Even so, she still wasn’t able to be acknowledged by him. She still couldn’t follow the traces of the greatest swordsman that she had been aspiring to become.
Like that, she was solely focused on becoming the fitting successor of the Arden family but…
｢Haak… Haak…!｣
Her younger sister had belatedly picked up a sword to have a friendly battle against one of the trainees of the main family. Although Alicia was also a direct child of the Arden family, no-one even considered her a possible competitor for Lunia.
Lunia could see Alicia’s admiration and her attempt to follow her traces, but a genius like herself was hard to find. Alicia was just a newbie at the sword who was getting some decent special treatment just because she was a direct child of the family head.
There was no way a child like her could defeat a trainee that was seriously contemplating the path of the sword. The trainees, Lunia, their parents and even Alicia herself were aware of that.
In the family, Alicia was nothing but an illegitimate child that was brought from outside by the family head, and she should have been content with that as well.
But it was on that day.
｢We can’t stop the blood!｣
｢But the non-lethal spell was there! How is this possible!｣
What in the world… just happened?
She missed it. In fact, Lunia couldn’t even see it.
After being pushed to a corner, Alicia instinctively put up a guard that was too sloppy to even be considered a proper guard. It was the classic mistake of a newbie but… by the time Lunia came to her senses, the opponent had already been cut.
It wasn’t simply in the realm of being fast. That… was just different.
Domain.
That great realm of martial arts. Alicia had taken a step forward inside that place.
How was that even possible? How could a kid – that lazy brat…
｢｣[…!]
｢｣ [N, no… I…]
Lunia turned and noticed that Alicia was smiling.
It was evident that she was confused, but her lips were crooked and her eyes seemed possessed.
Only at this point did Lunia understand what her grandfather meant. Talent – the twisted nature that normal people could never understand.
Sword Ghost.
It was truly the gift of a ghost.
｢Alicia will now be another successor candidate of the Arden family.｣
Just like that, Alicia Arden became a candidate for the future family head despite the opposition of everyone else.
｢Sister! I got to use an actual sword today!｣
The memories of her caressing the hair of her step-sister who had been the target of the negligence of her father and the family was then kept away in a corner of her head.
“Captain.”
“…”
She returned to reality with Jennie’s call.
Lunia gazed at her subordinates that were looking only at herself. They, who hadn’t been acknowledging anyone other than her to be the next family head, were being shaken. It was a natural response.
They were probably confused, because the naughty miss of the family had suddenly shown off her talents.
That loser who had been running away from her talents ever since that incident was now threatening her position, but that was what Lunia had wanted more than anything. Now that Alicia was finally at a position where she could threaten and challenge her position;
If she could see that sword one more time… would that allow her to also reach beyond the Domain?
That was what Lunia was the most interested in.
****
“Wow. Look at this. A silver coin and a half for kimbap. I wonder what’s inside?”
“Sea urchin roe sauce on kimbap… This is crazy. Is this capitalism? Is this what this world has come to?”
Marie was with Korin at the fine-dining restaurant, ｢Holy Panda｣.
The legendary meal tickets of high-class restaurants that Instructor Haman the gourmet gave out to the students he liked – they were for 2 people in general, and that was why Korin had invited her out for a dinner at this place.
“It’s thanks to you, Korin, that I get to come to a place like this!”
“Don’t mention it. It was a bit awkward for me to come to this place by myself anyway so it’s good for both of us. Isn’t that the first time you’re wearing that dress? It looks good on you.”
“D, does it? Hehe. Actually, it’s a dress I got from my younger siblings to wear on a special day.”
“Oh~ okay. You said you were the oldest daughter out of 3 boys and 4 girls, right?”
“Nn! They’re all very cute.”
Marie could spend the whole day talking about her proud brothers and sisters, but carefully asked a different question instead of blabbering about herself.
“By the way, Korin, you have a lot of friends right? Why did you invite me out?”
As if it was nothing important, Marie asked with a nonchalant look on her face but her ears were keen on hearing his response.
“Huu… Actually in the past, there was someone who brought me to places like this very often.”
“N, nnn? Really?”
‘Who is it?’ That question which she almost blurted out was at the tip of her tongue but she swallowed it back in.
“I decided that I would never, ever, leave any room for misunderstanding. I shouldn’t have invited that person out just because I wanted to buy something nice…”
“Nn?”
Did he come here with another girl before?
“Anyway, it’s something I’d rather not talk about.”
Marie wasn’t exactly sure what happened, but it seemed that things didn’t go that well with that woman! It seemed that he wasn’t even that interested in her in the first place!
“I, I see~. But what about mee?”
“It’s an honor for me to come with Senior Marie of course. Or, would it have been better for me to just give you the tickets for you to come with your friend?”
“N, no! It’s a bit iffy to come to fancy places like this with a same-gender friend, right!”
“Right? That’s what I’m saying. It will just dampen the mood to come to a place like this with all boys or all girls.”
“Nn nn! Yes, of course.”
“Have you ever gone to a place like this with a boy before?”
“N, nnooo?! It’s my first time! Korin, you’re definitely my first time!”
“That’s a surprise. You look like you’ll be very popular with guys though.”
“D, do I? I don’t think that’s… really the case.”
“You’re pretty, nice and talented. Seriously, everyone is so young that they don’t have any eyes for beauty. Maybe guys of this age still tease the girls they like and stuff?”
“…”
Unable to respond to those words, Marie deeply lowered her head and clenched on the ends of her thin dress.
Although Korin was simply talking from the perspective of an adult who had gone through countless vicissitudes of life while finding it a shame that the young boys were wasting their youth, it sounded differently to Marie.
“By the way, senior.”
“Nn? Nnn?”
“I know you are drinking your blood packs quite regularly, but are you seriously okay?”
Korin looked directly at her face with a worried look on his face. Knowing the sincere concern of the boy, Marie couldn’t hide her happiness and her heart pulsed with joy.
“It’s okay,” she replied. “The impulse can be controlled by regularly taking in the blood of a human. You don’t need to worry about it, Korin.”
“But the impulse is not the only problem. Sucking blood is not simply to consume food for vampires, right?”
“…I know.”
Marie had learned about the characteristics and powerful abilities of vampires from the professors of the Magic Department including Deputy Principal Josephine.
The act of sucking blood was not a simple consumption of food for vampires. Sucking the fresh blood of a human was in itself a very important and mythical process, and fresh human blood contained a mysterious element that was by far different from the stored blood in blood packs.
“How about your familiar?”
“…”
“It hasn’t healed ever since that day, right? Because blood is the main source of energy for it, and there has been none of that until now.”
“…I don’t need it.”
“Senior.”
“Korin, I really don’t need it. I’m okay.”
He sounded like he was pressing her, so Marie replied with a shiver in her voice.
Marie did not like the new power she had earned. It’s not like she wanted to become one, and it was by pure accident that she ended up becoming a vampire.
She was ‘Marie’. The oldest child of the Dunareff – family of farmers. She was the oldest sibling of 7 children and was not ‘Marie the Vampire’.
That was why drinking fresh human blood was the same as breaking the pillars of the entirety of her life. It was like admitting that she was a vampire.
“You know what, Senior? You’ve never changed until now.”
“Huh?”
“Whether we’re talking about you as a genius mage, or a dim-witted 2nd year Senior.”
“D, dim-witted? Was that your impression of me the whole time?!”
“Well, just listen for now. Whether you are the oldest child of 7 siblings of the Dunareff family, or a vampire. All of that combined is ‘you’, Senior. There is no need to deny a part of you.”
“Ah…”
There was no way she could misunderstand the warmth hidden behind those words.
Everything he said was sincere. Korin had not a sliver of fear against her. He remained nonchalant as if her cursed trait of sucking the blood of humans and the ability to murder countless people were nothing important.
‘I’m always getting helped every time.’
His words never failed to cause a ripple in the lake inside her heart.
She was already in an enormous debt. The debt that she owed him was so big that he could even take custody of the entire future life of herself, Marie Dunareff.
Of course, he probably wouldn’t even consider it a big deal. While hoping for her happiness, he had never wished for anything in return.
He was cool.
On both the day when he stood up on repeat without giving up, as well as when he didn’t give up on her.
Regardless of the importance of the matter, the boy called Korin Lork never hesitated in his actions. Looking at all the reasons behind his actions, she could even see a firm layer of conviction.
That was why the boy did not ask her for anything.
Despite the tremendous value of the blood of vampires and the amount of things she owed him, none of that mattered to Korin Lork. He was someone who only received goodwill if others gave it to him.
It was a pity.
I have so many things I want to do for you; do you really have nothing to request of me?
Like how you helped me, I want to help you too.
I want to lessen your burden even by a little, and make sure you don’t shoulder everything like how you always try to do.
No currency in existence was able to measure the amount of things that can be done by this girl who had just fallen in love.
It was when their meal was coming to an end.
“Senior. I know it’s a bit odd to make a request like this when we’re here to have some nice food but…”
“U, huh?”
A request? Really?
Marie felt like she was soaring through the skies as she looked back at him with an immensely expectant gaze.
Now, the bank called Marie Bank had no limits to the loan it could give to the customer called Korin.
There was 0% interest rate to the loan, and in fact, he didn’t even need to pay the bank back. The owner of the bank would probably gladly open the safe with a bright smile on her face.
“Actually…”
“Yes?”
She gulped. Even a lady blinded by a male host at a host club wouldn’t be as unconditional as her.
“Can you please lend me some money?”
– About 100 gold coins?
The next day, a new Arden-style dojo called ‘Alicia Dojo’ was founded with 100% of their finances coming from Marie Bank.
****
It was extremely natural that Lunia Arden and the Five Swords decided to go through with the Sword Challenge.
Mei, who was called the Heavy Sword of True Darkness out of the Five Swords, was carrying her characteristic 2-meter-long greatsword behind her back as she walked into the streets.
She was looking to borrow a venue that was appropriate for the Sword Challenge. Although she wasn’t keen on grouping up against one person to crush them, this was a necessary procedure of the household.
Mei Rudia’s family, the Rudia household, had been loyal to the Arden family ever since the current family head, Jade Arden took his position. With his favor, her family became one that had control over the Greatsword-style dojos of the Arden swordsmanship.
There were a lot of families that were jealous of the Rudia household but their status was firm due to being in charge of one of the most important businesses of the Arden sect.
It used to be firm… but now it was just about to wobble because of Alicia Arden’s sudden rise.
What would happen if the illegitimate child of Jade Arden, Alicia Arden, was to suddenly become the head of the Arden family?
The enormous cluster of households called Arden will be in great turmoil. The statuses of the swordsmen and families supporting Lunia would fluctuate tremendously and chaos would befall the sect.
In other words, this was no longer just about Alicia’s qualification as a swordsman, and was in correlation with a lot of business-related matters.
‘You should have just stayed low, Young Miss.’
Mei didn’t have any real thoughts on Alicia. She was just a naughty child of the household, who liked eating desserts outside more than contemplating the path of the sword.
If she continued staying holed up in a corner while admitting that as a fact, she would have received some level of respect as a Young Miss.
But now that she had stepped into a problem that concerned the profit of their household, the Five Swords were resolute. None of them wanted Alicia Arden to become the next family head.
There was a need to crush Alicia Arden.
Lunia didn’t even need to do anything. The Five Swords would be enough to crush Alicia Arden beyond recovery.
There might be some tedious retaliation from Merkarva Academy, but Arden was firm and strong. They probably wouldn’t dare antagonize the Arden family just because of one student.
In reality, Arden was a sword sect but they were closer to a group of gangsters that had way too much power for a single organization.
“… Come out.”
Mei said while looking at the darkness where she could sense the presence of another person. That was while preparing herself to unsheathe the sword behind her back whenever necessary.
– Clomp clomp.
A human figure walked out of the darkness. It seemed that the person had zero intentions of hiding their presence in the first place.
“You are…”
Mei immediately recognized who the person was.
The girl was wearing chained nun clothes. She was the special student from the New Faith who got full marks at the prac exam despite being the only one who didn’t sit the test.
“Student Hua Ran, huh. It is very late… Why have you left the campus?”
“…”
Without saying anything, Hua Ran scavenged through the pocket of her nun clothes and suddenly took out a dagger.
– Swish!
After quickly unsheathing her greatsword, Mei pointed it at her opponent. But Hua Ran took out a memo from her pocket and hopped her way towards her without giving any heed to her sword.
“Stop! I will cut you if you come any closer!”
Hua Ran approached while ignoring those words so in return, Mei swung the greatsword and used the flat part of the blade to strike her head.
– Kwang!
Although it was a blunt attack, the impact created by the attack was definitely not small, and most average knights would have gone unconscious in an instant.
“Huh?”
But Hua Ran did not move a single inch. Despite receiving such a heavy attack from the front, she showed less reaction than a person stung by a mosquito.
“…Move.”
Hua Ran curled her fingers with an apathetic expression and flicked on the side of the greatsword with a ‘Thud!’.
– Kajik!
The unimaginably strong impact caused the greatsword to tilt all the way to the ground. Seeing her sword that was stuck in the ground, Mei was appalled.
‘I… got pushed back?’
How could she, the Heavy Sword of the Rudia family, be pushed back by a mere student?
Hua Ran did not even give her the time to accept what was going on.
“Here.”
“What is… this?”
“A letter of challenge.”
“What?”
“Apparently I am the Instructor of Alicia Dojo’s Fruit Knife-style? Or something.”
Hearing that, Mei looked at the dagger in Hua Ran’s hands and finally had a good look at it.
It was a fruit knife – the blunt knife that people would use to cut apples.
Was she using something like that as a sword to issue a challenge?
“Bastard. Are you looking down on us!!”
Picking up the sword that was stabbing into the ground, Mei swung it at her. Seeing the sword that was 1 centimeter away from her neck, Hua Ran said with a bored look on her face.
“He said he’ll buy me sushi if I beat you.”
……
……
……
Meanwhile,
– Channg!
“Kuhk…!”
Sirin the Dual Wielder looked at her swords that were flung away before glaring at the assaulter.
There was a swordsman who suddenly issued a challenge as a dojo, but from what Sirin knew, the opponent was a student who did not belong to any dojos.
In the first place, she was a mage.
“What do you think you’re doing, Marie Dunareff!”
“Umm… Challenging the Sword Squad? Asking for a lesson as a junior? Something like that, apparently.”
“As if! You are a mage, not a swordsman!”
In response to Sirin’s bitter complaint, the young mage finally unsheathed the sword imitation that was hanging on her waist in a hurry. She then said while taking a posture that was clearly that of a newbie.
“I am Alicia Dojo’s Gandalf-style Instructor… and an elder.”
“A, are you stupid?!”
“…”
She didn’t reply. The girl lowered the visor of her hat as if she was embarrassed while pointing the staff at her. In fact, even though she was claiming to be the instructor of a sword style, she did not even know what a Gandalf-style was.
❰Blood Spear❱
……
……
……
“Alicia Dojo’s Glaive-style Instructor, Korin Lork! I request the esteemed Instructor Lena of the Rippling Sword for a lesson!”
“You’re not even using a glaive!”
“Ah, actually, the glaive is currently broken and is in the middle of repair. Well, you just put a blade at the end of a spear and that’s a glaive and a falchion, right?”
“What are you even talking about! And why are you doing this?”
Korin grinned with the Silver Spear resting on his shoulders and replied to her shout.
“You see, new dojos like us need to raise our fame to expand our business right? We are looking for a very aggressive business model by challenging other groups.”
Newly Founded Alicia Dojo.
Fruit Knife-style Instructor Hua Ran,
Glaive-style Instructor Korin Lork,
Gandalf-style Instructor Marie Dunareff,
Flying Sword-style One-day Instructor Dorron Warsky—
And the Head Instructor of the Newborn Alicia Dojo, Alicia Arden.
Five Swords of Arden Style’s 1st Sword Squad;
Defeated.
｢Breaking News! The appearance of a new Arden-style dojo! Crushing the 1st Sword Squad of the Arden!!｣ ｢The images that have been sent from an anonymous sender seem very reliable and… etc…｣