I Became the Hero While Paving a Flower Path for My Niece - Chapter 57

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Cousin Blooms a Path and Becomes a Hero — Episode 57
“Let’s go buy a wooden sword today, Leo.”
“A wooden sword! Uncle, is it for me?”
“That’s right. Your very own wooden sword.”
Wahhh!
Leo threw his hands up and bounded around the room in circles. His joy was so infectious that even watching him made a smile bloom unbidden on Alex’s face.
“A wooden sword, you say? I know just the place!”
Alex made his way to the shop Dein had recommended, Leo in tow.
Dein couldn’t come today—he had business to attend to.
‘He has work too, it seems.’
Alex guessed the poisoning incident at the count’s household had stretched the available hands thin.
The shop Dein had mentioned sat beside a blacksmith’s forge, specializing in wooden goods—wooden swords, wooden shields, training dummies, and the like.
“What is that, Uncle? It looks like a scarecrow.”
At Leo’s question, Alex glanced at the wooden dummy displayed outside the shop.
“That’s what you use when you’re training with a sword. Like this—”
Alex took his stance and mimed a downward strike at the dummy’s right arm.
“It trains you to hit the precise spots you need to.”
“I see!”
For a boy who’d only ever seen scarecrows in fields, it was a marvel.
“Come on in!”
As Alex and Leo entered the shop, the proprietor greeted them warmly, then looked them over with a practiced eye—a sword-bearing adult and a small child.
A man with a blade. A boy with wonder in his eyes.
“Shopping for a wooden sword?”
“Yes. Do you have something suitable for a child?”
“Of course I do!”
The proprietor rose and headed toward the display where wooden swords stood upright in rows.
They ranged in size—long practice swords for adults, down to toy-like blades small enough for tiny hands.
‘Quite a selection.’
“Which hand does he favor? Let’s see his reach.”
“Okay!”
Leo’s eyes sparkled at the question, and he thrust his right arm straight up, even rising onto the balls of his feet to make sure it was visible.
Ha ha!
The shop owner, Ibek, and Alex all burst out laughing.
“That span should do it nicely. With any weapon, what matters most is a proper fit to the wielder’s body.”
The proprietor selected a wooden sword, swung it a few times to check its balance, and handed it to Leo.
“Wow!”
Leo grinned from ear to ear as he took possession of his wooden sword. It was a deep mahogany color and looked wonderfully fine.
Back in Belo Village, he’d only ever swung sticks and branches as makeshift swords—but now he had one all his own.
He was truly, deeply happy.
“The timber’s sturdy and oiled, so it’ll last you a long while.”
“It’s a good sword. I’ll take two more.”
“Good thinking—spares are always wise. And when he grows, just come back and we’ll swap them out.”
At Alex’s words, the proprietor smiled and selected two more wooden swords of matching length, taking care to inspect each one for flaws.
‘A quality establishment indeed.’
Alex paid for the swords and left the shop with Leo.
“Uncle, I love it! I have my own wooden sword!”
Leo beamed, clutching the sword in one hand, his joy uncontainable.
“Don’t swing it around on the street. Keep a good grip on it.”
“I know!”
Leo hugged the wooden sword to his chest with his right arm and grasped Alex’s hand tightly with his left.
His happiness was so great that with each step, his feet seemed to bounce off the ground—pitter-patter, pitter-patter—as if he were barely touching the earth.
‘Like a puppy who’s found a long stick.’
Understanding the feeling, Alex couldn’t help but smile.
“Once we’re back at the inn, I’ll teach you swordplay in the back garden.”
“Really? Let’s hurry, Uncle!”
Leo’s pace quickened even more.

* * *
Blue Forest Inn, back garden.
“First, I’ll teach you how to hold the sword.”
“Got it!”
Alex helped Leo grip the wooden sword properly in his small hands.
“Keep your arms up like this, and your feet positioned so. That’s the basic stance.”
“Mm. It feels strange.”
“You’ll get used to it with practice.”
[For someone completely new to this, he’s doing surprisingly well.]
[Is he truly the hero of the future!]
Alex thought the same thing.
And he was thrilled.
‘In the future’, Leo had started learning swordcraft alone from the age of ten, but now at six years old he was beginning to learn from Alex himself — wouldn’t he grow to be extraordinarily skilled later on?
The stronger Leo became, the less danger of death he would face.
“Let’s start with an overhead strike.”
Alex demonstrated with his own sword drawn from its sheath, standing beside Leo.
Whoosh—
The blade cut through the empty air with a clean sound.
“Wow!”
“Now you try.”
“Okay!”
Leo’s animated face grew serious as he took his stance, then brought the sword down from above just as Alex had shown him.
[Good form!]
But the strike produced no clean whoosh, and Leo’s face fell.
“It didn’t make a sound….”
“That’s not true. You did well. It takes me years of practice to make that sound.”
“Oh, I see.”
Well, that made sense.
His uncle had been practicing swordcraft in the house yard whenever he had time, even when Leo was just a baby. Very diligently, too.
“I’m going to practice hard!”
“That’s the spirit.”
Leo clenched his small fists with determination, and Alex smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair.
“You’ll need to do conditioning training too, not just sword practice. It’ll be tedious and exhausting, but the fundamentals are what matter.”
“I understand!”
“And make sure to rest properly when you rest.”
“Okay!”
Of course, Alex would manage everything appropriately.
The boy was still young—he had to pace things slowly.
After lunch, Alex and Leo discussed what to do in the afternoon.
That was when the Earl’s butler arrived at the inn.
He brought a letter stating they would gather the next morning to examine the incomplete magical circle.
[Finally, tomorrow!]
[I’d better get scratching!]
The otherworldly rich man looked absolutely thrilled.

* * *
The next day.
“Have a good time, Uncle!”
“Have a safe trip, Uncle Alex!”
Alex left Leo in Jake’s care.
Milo, Jake’s older brother, had gone out to work that day, and Jake had been bored anyway, so he greeted Leo with a bright smile.
“Make sure you both eat well, Leo and Jake.”
“Will do! Don’t worry!”
“Yes, sir!”
As Alex departed, Leo waved eagerly, then quickly turned to Jake.
“Jake, I bought a wooden sword!”
“Really?”
“I brought another one too. So we can play together!”
“Awesome!”
[Uncle didn’t even react to that.]
Well, that was true.
Poor Uncle, left out like that.
And yet Alex found himself laughing at the sight of Leo’s joyful face.
Alex rode his brown horse Max out through the castle gate and headed for the forest where the underground space lay. They had agreed to meet there.
Neigh!
Max, the brown horse who had only ever known the stables until now, galloped with pure delight.
[Oh! Faster!]
Ibek was enjoying himself too.
After some time had passed—
The murmur of voices reached them. The soldiers and mages who had arrived first.
“Ah, you’ve arrived, Alex.”
Klaus Broderick was there, of course.
[Why does he look so exhausted?]
[Didn’t he get healed?]
Ibek was right—Klaus Broderick looked worn down.
It seemed the underground incident and the poisoning case had kept him constantly busy.
“There was indeed poison, just as you said.”
Klaus Broderick spoke in a low voice.
[Oh, you found it already?]
“You’ve found it?”
“Not quite. Rather, the priest who performed a thorough examination of my grandfather discovered that his internal organs are actually dissolving. The same is true for me and my sister.”
Klaus Broderick let out a sigh of relief and continued.
“Fortunately, my younger brother usually ate alone, so he was spared.”
[That younger brother is the culprit, though.]
“I truly cannot thank you enough, Alex. Without you, my entire family would surely be dead by now.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize. For what happened the other day.”
“Not at all.”
Klaus Broderick quickly waved his hand.
“I would have reacted the same way.”
Invited to a meal, only to find poison in the food?
Had this been a matter between nobles, a territorial war would have erupted.
“I’m truly sorry and grateful.”
[Just words?]
[He needs to give you money! Land too! You’re his benefactor!]
“So I’ve prepared a reward. It’s difficult right now, but I’ll give it to you later.”
[Are you listening to me?]
At Klaus Broderick’s words, Alex didn’t refuse. It was rightfully earned compensation.
‘I should buy Leo something delicious.’
[Let’s go to the luxury district!]
[Desserts! Cake!]
And so the conversation between Alex and Klaus Broderick ended.
Klaus Broderick gathered the mages and introduced them to one another.
Except for Alex, the unfamiliar mercenary mage, they had at least heard of each other’s names before.
“I’m Domeric Broderick.”
A researcher who spent his days locked in his chamber—the second son of Count Broderick’s household, Domeric Broderick, with his pale complexion untouched by sunlight. Third Circle.
“My master was unable to attend due to poor health.”
The disciple who came in place of Count Broderick’s Third Circle mage Atin. First Circle.
“Thank you for having me!”
Adela, a clerk from the Blue Tower Magical Tool Shop, seeking research funds. Second Circle.
“Trust only in me, Young Lord! I will unravel any magical formation, I promise you!”
Colin, a clerk from the Zenor Tower Magical Tool Shop, seeking both wealth and renown. Second Circle.
“Good to see you.”
And Alex, the mercenary mage who had brought the soul of an otherworldly Lich, Second Circle (though powerful as a Fourth Circle).
Every mage in Broderick Keep had assembled.
“Shall we head down then?”
Klaus Broderick led the way into the passage that Alex had created with “Dig,” and Alex and the other mages followed.
“…This is a magically constructed passage, isn’t it?”
Adela, who looked around with wonder at seeing such a place for the first time, examined the wall with an astonished expression.
“Yes. Alex created it with magic, I’m told.”
At Klaus Broderick’s words, all eyes turned toward Alex, then back to the passage.
“Wow! You said you were Second Circle? To create such a deep passage. That’s impressive.”
At Adela’s exclamation, Colin’s expression soured.
“Hmph. This much is simple. Given enough time, I could make it too. If you require a mage, Young Lord, you may call on me anytime!”
[Now I understand what kind of character he is.]
Despite having his younger brother Domeric Broddel standing right beside him, he addresses only Klaus Broddel—clearly the man lacks any sense of awareness.
[Was he actually exiled for his lack of social grace?]
[He doesn’t seem like a dark mage at all.]
As he walked on, listening to Colin’s flattery, they arrived at the chamber where the incomplete magic circle lay.
“All you need to do is investigate this magic circle.”
Klaus Broddel stepped aside, and the incomplete magic circle carved into the floor came into view.
Soldiers had already installed magical lamps throughout, making the interior bright and easy to examine.
“Hmm.”
The mages began studying the incomplete magic circle.
“It’s a form I’ve never seen before…”
“The formulas are similar, but…”
Especially the two shop assistants from the magical tool store who were seeing the magic circle for the first time today spread out the books they’d brought and checked everything meticulously.
Alex, who already knew this was a dark magic circle, positioned himself at various points around it to make it easy for Ibek to analyze.
He also remembered to periodically observe Domeric Broddel and the other mages.
His disciple, who had already examined the magic circle, and Domeric Broddel himself walked around verifying that nothing had been missed.
The observation of the magic circle continued even after lunch.
“Have you found anything?”
Klaus Broddel asked, believing they’d examined it thoroughly enough.
“No, brother. Even after looking again, I can’t tell. It’s a type of magic circle I’ve never seen before.”
As Domeric Broddel shook his head, his disciple quickly nodded along. Though of course, he was still only at the first circle and knew nothing anyway.
“Same here. I can’t figure out what kind of magic circle it is.”
Adela from the Blue Tower also spoke in agreement with Domeric Broddel, her shoulders sagging as she spoke.
“We’ve never seen a magic circle like this in the Blue Tower’s archives. I don’t even know what the completed form would look like. The magical letters and formulas written here look similar to ordinary magical letters and formulas, but they’re completely different.”
Klaus Broddel, wearing a slightly disappointed expression, turned his gaze to Colin, the Zenor Tower mage.
“…I’m not entirely sure either. But if you give me more time and budget, I will absolutely figure it out! My lord!”
Colin, speaking with great enthusiasm and having shoved aside even Adela and Alex who were in the middle of observing, clenched both his fists as he spoke of the magic circle.
He wanted to be dispatched to the noble house because of this incident. It would certainly beat spending his entire life as a shop assistant at a magical tool store.
“I think it would be best to request assistance from the Mage Tower Federation, brother.”
“Yes… And what about you, Alex? Have you discovered anything? Anything is fine.”
All eyes turned toward Alex.
[Excellent! Let’s begin the plan!]
Alex opened his mouth as he heard Ibek’s wicked chuckle, true to his nature as a lich.
“I’m not sure what kind of magic circle this is, but…I think I can tell just how poor the mage who drew this magic circle’s skills are.”
Everyone’s eyes widened at his words.
From somewhere came a sound like teeth grinding together.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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