TVRC 11

Chapter 11

Erkis hesitated for a moment at Leblanc’s question, as if thinking something over, before slowly opening his mouth.

“I’m not sure whether I dislike it or not, since I’ve never really handled one. I just never had the chance until now.”

“Oh….”

At the very least, it meant he didn’t hate swords. Judging from the fact that everything about his past remained the same, it seemed that Erkis in her previous life had lied to her. Why he had claimed to have held a sword since the age of ten was something she could no longer know.

Of course, even if time passed as it was, Erkis would eventually become the Empire’s greatest swordsman. Still, since such a good opportunity had presented itself, there was no harm in him learning the sword a little earlier.

Besides, he was currently spending his days with nothing in particular assigned to him, enjoying a rather leisurely routine.

“I see. Maybe I was mistaken. Erkis, then… would you be interested in learning swordsmanship?”

“Swordsmanship?”

“Yeah. There’s Sir Korden—he’s my maternal uncle. He decided to stay in our territory starting today. He’s going to personally teach swordsmanship to the soldiers here, and it’s not an opportunity that comes around often, so…”

Trailing off at the sudden thought, Leblanc paused. Erkis was, after all, her husband and the master of the estate. Telling him to train alongside the soldiers could easily be taken as insulting.

Of course, if she asked Sir Korden to set aside time just for Erkis, he would gladly agree. Still, it felt somewhat rude to ask someone of Sir Korden’s caliber to teach swordsmanship basics to someone with no prior knowledge.

Just then, a good idea occurred to Leblanc.

“Then… how about I teach you the sword myself?”

“You mean the Countess would personally teach me swordsmanship?”

“Mm, that’s right.”

For some reason, Erkis’s expression looked subtly uncomfortable. Leblanc had already guessed, to some extent, that he found her difficult to deal with.

Still, the past few days had been so busy that they hadn’t even properly seen each other. She had been worrying that, if they didn’t spend time together like this, the distance between them would only grow. Pretending not to notice his discomfort, Leblanc brazenly continued.

“You’re free these days anyway, right? I think learning swordsmanship in your spare time would be nice. It’s good exercise for me too. And I’m planning to hand over the duties related to the soldiers to you soon—wouldn’t it be better to experience things firsthand rather than just sitting and staring at paperwork?”

In truth, this was a tactic Erkis himself had used on her in her previous life. After marrying Erkis, Leblanc had spent several weeks listlessly shut away in her room. He had told her that moving her body was the best way to shake off melancholy and dragged her to the training grounds.

By the time she had accidentally begun learning the sword and found it enjoyable, he had naturally asked her to draft proposals for purchasing weapons. Before she realized it, she had ended up handling most of the territory’s affairs.

“I’m sure you’ll like it too. I promise.”

“…All right. I’ll be in your care.”

Leblanc watched him nod firmly with his lips pressed tight, a satisfied smile on her face. It was a rather amusing situation—teaching swordsmanship again to her own swordsmanship instructor—but she didn’t find it unpleasant. If not now, when else would she ever get to lecture the Empire’s future Sword Demon, Erkis, with a blade in hand?

A faint smile spread across Leblanc’s lips.

Leblanc, her hair tied high above her head, lightly warmed up as she swung her sword. Even to Erkis, who knew nothing about swordsmanship, her movements were clean and free of waste. Watching her, Erkis glanced down at the sword in his own hand, his posture awkward.

It wasn’t the wooden practice sword the soldiers usually used, but a real blade with a sharp edge. He couldn’t quite understand why she had given a real sword to someone holding one for the first time, but he followed her instructions without complaint.

“Try swinging it once. Think of cutting diagonally.”

Leblanc positioned him in front of a practice log and told him to strike it with all his might. As a beginner, Erkis found her teaching method puzzling, but he assumed this was how it was done and asked nothing.

As he swung the sword, it sliced through the air with a sharp sound, leaving a gash in the straw wrapped around the log. Staring intently at the mark, Leblanc then gripped her own sword with both hands and demonstrated.

“Erkis, I think you’re using your wrist too much. Like this—grip the hilt as if you’re wrapping around it, put a bit more strength into your arms, and aim for the center. Relax your shoulders.”

“Like this?”

Changing his posture as instructed, Erkis swung again. But Leblanc tilted her head, as if something still felt off.

“It’s better than before, but you’re still putting too much strength into your wrist. Just a moment…”

She set her sword down and suddenly stepped behind him. Startled by the completely unexpected situation, Erkis froze, but Leblanc seemed not to notice and focused solely on correcting his posture.

When he suddenly found himself almost in her embrace, Erkis’s face flushed red.

Her soft hand lightly overlapped his on the sword hilt. Each time a faint breeze brushed past from behind, the rich scent of Isaac Perrer roses tickled his nose. Whenever she murmured something quietly, it felt as though her breath grazed the nape of his exposed neck.

“Yes, hold the sword like that and relax. Keep your waist straight.”

At that moment, Leblanc’s hand lightly settled on his waist. Unable to endure the embarrassing situation any longer, Erkis hurriedly nodded and slipped out of her arms.

“I—I understand now.”

He glanced at Leblanc, but unlike him, she looked perfectly unfazed. Feeling as though he were the only one making a big deal out of it, he grew even more embarrassed.

“You really catch on quickly. All right, let’s try again.”

Erkis swung the sword with an outwardly indifferent expression, but his ears remained bright red.

‘Damn it….’

He gently bit down on his lip. To be honest, Erkis found dealing with Leblanc extremely uncomfortable. But it wasn’t because he disliked her—it was because he kept getting swept along by her pace, and he hated how foolish he felt.

If only she were truly as stupid and cruel as the rumors said, then he could have kept her at a distance without hesitation. When he had reluctantly agreed to the marriage under his relatives’ pressure, he had had no expectations of her at all.

Yet the Leblanc Arnettio he met in person was stunning enough to leave him speechless, and she showed him a surprising amount of kindness. Each time his heart wavered against his will, he had to remind himself again and again that she was a member of the House of Arnettio.

At this point, Erkis had to acknowledge his own feelings. Even if he couldn’t open his heart completely, he couldn’t bring himself to hate her. For some reason, he didn’t dislike the way she smiled brightly and treated him with gentle words and actions, as if handling a child.

He was irritated at how helplessly he was being swayed by her, yet he thought it couldn’t be helped. Still, even as he thought that, a vague sense of discomfort seemed to linger deep in his chest.

“Erkis?”

Startled by Leblanc’s call as he drifted into thought, he flinched. He had been swinging his sword absentmindedly, and the once-neat bundle of straw was now badly shredded.

“Shall we stop here for today and head back?”

He hadn’t realized how much time had passed; the sun was already sinking low. Erkis nodded slightly and slid the sword back into its scabbard. Moving his body like this certainly made him feel refreshed. Just then, Leblanc, who had been watching him intently, smiled faintly and reached out her hand.

“Just a moment….”

Once again, the distance between them narrowed. Leblanc brushed away a small piece of straw caught in his hair. At that moment, Erkis felt a subtle wave of nausea rise in his stomach.

Leblanc’s inexplicable kindness, and the way he kept being shaken by it—everything about the situation made him uncomfortable. It felt as though he was doing something wrong.

“Erkis, would you like to go up and have dinner together? Aren’t you hungry?”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah. We haven’t really seen each other properly for days. Let’s talk a bit over dinner.”

At her gentle voice, the nausea inside him only grew stronger. Her continued kindness made him anxious and uneasy. Once he became aware of it, it felt unbearable.

“…No. I’m not feeling well today. I’ll head back first.”

“Erkis….”

Despite Leblanc calling after him, Erkis bowed his head briefly and fled the scene as if running away. Leblanc’s outstretched hand hung pitifully in the air.

Left alone, Leblanc couldn’t take her eyes off his retreating figure until it disappeared from view. She tightly grasped her opposite wrist with one hand. As if trying to hide her suddenly reddened eyes, she lowered her head helplessly toward the ground.