SOTBW - 180

The sound of a battle cry echoed from the training grounds. Najane slowly began to walk.

The surroundings were very different from the Romsoa Knights’ training area. The familiar feeling made her look around. The dense forest surrounding the training ground, and the familiar mansion behind it... This was the place where those belonging to the Powley family trained.

Realizing it was a dream, Najane wiped her face with a complicated expression. Was she dreaming about old memories because her time was near?

Najane wanted to wake up from the dream. She didn’t have many good memories of the Powley mansion. She had spent her childhood locked up here, and when it came to training and swords, all she had were uneasy and fearful memories. She didn’t want to look back on them any longer.

Wanting to escape those thoughts, she was about to turn away when she spotted a child peeking out from behind a training dummy, watching the knights. The child was Emaydis.

Najane froze when she saw her younger self. The child seemed to be around six years old.

She couldn’t remember exactly when she used to sneak around the training ground as a child, but she had done it many times. She chuckled at the memory of her younger self desperately trying to secretly watch the training.

When Nellis had refused to teach her swordsmanship, Najane had sneaked into the training ground, determined to at least mimic it. The mansion’s servants knew the young lady often visited the training ground but pretended not to notice.

Emaydis was a child thirsty for her mother’s love. To the servants, Emaydis’ actions must have seemed quite pitiable.

Najane approached Emaydis.

The little girl had her head poking out from behind the training dummy, her eyes full of curiosity as she watched the knights. She observed the shape of their fingers gripping the hilt, their arms swinging the swords, and their rapidly changing steps. Each time the knights swung their swords down with their solid muscles, a sharp slicing sound echoed.

The sight was so impressive that Emaydis’ expression lit up for a moment, only to darken shortly after. Among the knights stood Nellis.

Nellis was observing her subordinates’ stances. Emaydis, fearing her mother might catch her, quickly hid her head beneath the dummy. She would be in big trouble if Nellis found out she was sneaking around the training ground without permission.

Emaydis held her breath, trying to remain still. Nellis walked past the dummy and approached another knight. Nearby, the boys preparing water and food called out that it was break time.

The knights, drenched in sweat, immediately collapsed to the ground upon hearing the announcement. The boys ran over to their respective knights and handed them cool water and soft jerky.

A knight, chewing on jerky with a tired expression, looked up at Nellis, who was standing straight.

“How is the eldest daughter’s health these days? Is she still suffering from a summer cold?”

“She’s much better after taking the medicine Mikael brought.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear. Our lady seems to catch a lot of minor illnesses; perhaps she’ll live a long life.”

“...I hope so.”

Nellis murmured in a voice so quiet that no one else could hear. When Emaydis was mentioned, another knight smiled and said,

“I heard the eldest lady really likes toy swords. I suppose the Powley blood can’t be denied. Shouldn’t we get her a famous instructor when she gets a little older?”

The knights spoke proudly, as if bragging about their own children. But Nellis shook her head firmly, her expression unchanged.

“I won’t teach Emaydis how to wield a sword.”

The knights stopped laughing at Nellis’ unexpected declaration. The oldest knight asked with a look of confusion,

“Why not? If she’s as naturally gifted with the sword as Lord Powley, shouldn’t she start training at a young age?”

“Liking swords and being born with talent are two different things.”

“Are you worried that she might not manifest her sword energy?”

At the old knight’s words, the other knights glanced at each other. Nellis remained silent, staring down at the heated training ground.

After a long pause, Nellis slowly lifted her head. For the first time, Nellis, who had always been composed and serious, showed the knights a deep expression that only a mother could have. But this expression was unseen by Emaydis, and the conversation was unheard by her.

Najane stood behind the knights, watching Nellis. Nellis was being open with her long-time subordinates.

“...For a Powley to wield a sword means that, no matter what, they must become a Sword Master.”

Not every heir of the Powley family had manifested sword energy. There were even family heads who had trained harder than anyone else but never became a Sword Master.

When war broke out, the Kingdom of Kalonosia had effectively relied on the Sword Masters of the Powley family to sustain the nation. This gave the Powley family a unique sense of pride, but also a tremendous pressure to produce Sword Masters by any means necessary.

“I was an only daughter, so I had to become a Sword Master. The only memories I have from my childhood are training my body and wielding practice swords. Every day, I repeated training that would make even adults shake their heads, and there was no praise or rest. My father, terrified of the legacy ending, pushed me harshly, and my mother, guilty for having only one daughter, silently watched my father’s actions.”

It was the first time Najane heard this story. She stood under the sweltering summer sun, looking at Nellis as she calmly shared her past. Najane couldn’t understand why she was having this dream.

At that moment, Nellis quietly stared at the sword at her waist. Even though she was in her mid-twenties at the time, her youthful eyes were filled with regret.

“I became a Sword Master to survive, because I had to be the joy of my parents. I became a Sword Master to stay alive, and my parents were happy about it.”

Nellis bitterly smiled as she recalled her childhood.

“If Emaydis becomes a Sword Master, the child she eventually bears will probably strive to become a Sword Master too, mercilessly pushing herself. Giving birth to and raising a great swordsman is a noble and blessed duty for Kalonosia, but I cannot pass on the painful obligation and sense of duty that has been passed down through the generations of my family to Emaydis. And that child…”

Nellis’ voice trailed off, and her expression grew dark.

“Emaydis must not become a Sword Master.”

“Is it because of her health, Lady Nellis?”

A knight asked cautiously. Nellis did not deny it. Najane had never realized how much Nellis had worried about her health.

Mother and daughter were not close, nor did they talk often. Even when in the same room, they barely looked at each other. Najane always heard news about Nellis through Mikael, and most of the time, it was negative.

She gazed at her beautiful mother with eyes that seemed on the verge of tears. Nellis tried to maintain a composed expression in front of the knights, but occasionally, her emotions slipped out, likely because they were her trusted comrades.

Everything felt so unfamiliar. Najane had believed that Nellis had completely neglected her and Luna. She thought that, filled with guilt for having two daughters and the affair with the king, Nellis had turned her back on both of them. But the way Nellis mentioned Emaydis, the affection in her eyes and expression, was clear.

“What will you do if, despite Lord Powley’s objections, Lady Emaydis picks up a sword?”

A knight asked with concern, and Nellis pondered for a moment. She seemed truly reluctant to teach Emaydis the sword.

The knights, now also tense, all looked up at Nellis. The young Emaydis, hiding behind a dummy, was unaware of the conversation between Nellis and the knights. She was consumed by the fear that her mother might catch her and scold her.

After some deep thought, Nellis grasped the sword at her waist.

“...I have to think of it as fate. The painful and noble fate of the Powley family that I passed down to that child.”

In a low voice, Nellis muttered and looked around. Najane followed Nellis’ gaze. The place her mother was staring at was the training dummies. Najane’s eyes flickered uneasily.

Nellis stared at them quietly before returning her gaze to the knights.

“Resume training. Everyone, stand up.”

With a cold expression, Nellis turned and quickly walked among the knights, moving away from the training dummies. The young Emaydis watched her mother walk away and sighed in relief.

Najane stood in the shadows, feeling confused as she watched Nellis’ retreating figure. This was definitely her own memory, but somehow, it was different from what she had known. She stood there, perplexed, unsure how to process it, and continued to watch Nellis.

The young Nellis felt so unfamiliar. Back then, Najane had desperately tried to earn her mother’s love. The only connection between mother and daughter was the sword. She had thought that if she could wield a sword like the others at a young age, Nellis would be pleased. At the time, that had been the best choice she could make.

Playing with toys or having pretend games in her room had seemed meaningless. Najane had picked up a sword because she wanted to strengthen the bond with her mother. She just wanted her mother’s praise. That was all.

But Nellis had never been happy about Najane wielding a sword. To be more precise, Najane had always assumed that was the case.

Nellis had never been very involved with her daughters, so Emaydis always heard about her mother’s actions through Mikael. Even though they lived in the same mansion, they didn’t know what the other liked or disliked. They had lived distantly, without talking, so it was no surprise. Najane had believed that Nellis never spoke of her and Luna, living as if they didn’t exist.

Fate...

Fate, she thought.

Najane closed her eyes tightly, replaying Nellis’ words in her mind. It was pointless. What good would dreaming about this do now?

Cupping her face in her hands, Najane desperately wished to wake up from this dream. She no longer wanted to see Nellis. The more she saw her mother’s old self, the more uncomfortable she felt. Nothing would change, no matter what.

A tightness in her chest made Najane clutch at her heart. Something was wrong with her body. Even though she knew it was a dream, a heat surged from deep within her. Her abdomen felt hot and ached as if she had swallowed burning coals.

Kneeling, Najane groaned and arched her back. She felt a tingling sensation below. Instinctively, she closed her legs. Her lower lip trembled. This feeling was familiar.

Biting her lip, Najane swallowed hard in disgust. She was in heat. She hadn’t mated with Maximón since she collapsed in the field. There was no time or situation for it.

Curling up like a rabbit in a burrow, Najane felt a sudden shake. Maximón was frantically shaking her. Relieved to be out of the dreadful dream, tears welled up in her eyes. She hugged Maximón’s neck and stifled her sobs.

Maximón embraced the frightened Najane and patted her back. “…I’ve been neglecting you lately… I’m sorry. I’ll make you feel better soon.”