The Failed Swordmaster - Chapter 57

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 57 25. You’ve Changed So Much (4)

Three years ago from now, Baron Carayan began putting in marriage proposals here and there.

Although his eldest daughter was rather young to discuss marriage, he actually knew the truth. If he didn’t make efforts early on, things would gradually become more difficult.

His daughter’s appearance was that poor. Even worse, rumors had somehow spread and were circulating everywhere.

Of course, Baron Carayan’s worries weren’t tremendously great.

While it pained his heart to see his beloved daughter being treated poorly, he thought that surely the eldest daughter of a noble family wouldn’t be unable to marry.

Someday it would work out. Someone would take her.

Then half a year passed, one year passed, two years passed.

When no marriage talks had been successful with any family by then, Baron Carayan and his family members were deeply hurt.

“That’s when it started. When Father… began looking into magic…”

Eventually, Baron Carayan committed an act he shouldn’t have.

He tried to change Lili Calaran’s appearance through magic.

Of course, there was no method in the world to completely transform a person’s appearance.

Even maintaining it for a certain period was extremely difficult. With ordinary magical skills, it would inevitably show somewhere.

“Nevertheless, Father somehow found a way. He found a magician with excellent skills, and I periodically disguised myself…”

Thus Lili Calaran was instantly transformed into a beautiful woman, and she deliberately attended various social gatherings to dispel the painful rumors of the past.

However, her heart remained the same.

To deceive herself, deceive the world, and even lie to her engagement partner under her father’s coercion.

She felt like she had become a criminal.

Kind-hearted Lili Calaran simply couldn’t bear this.

A tear dropped from her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

“…”

“Still, phew, now that I’ve confessed like this… I feel much more at ease. I’m glad I found the courage. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to live with my head held high for the rest of my life.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“No. It is my fault. But I’m fortunate. I can still make amends…”

Lili Calaran, who had been shedding tears, took out a handkerchief.

After wiping her eyes, she looked at Lumian with a determined expression.

“I won’t follow Father’s words anymore.”

“…”

“The engagement talk should be treated as if it never happened. So, could you come with me to see Baron Calard? I can’t persuade Father with my own strength, so I think I need to meet Baron Calard with you and tell him the truth…”

“No, it’s fine.”

Lumian made a stern expression.

After pausing for a moment, he continued speaking.

“The matter of breaking off the engagement… I’ll handle it well.”

“No, how are you going to…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it well so that no harm comes to you, Lady…”

“Excuse me, Young Master, Young Master Lumian!”

He heard someone calling him from behind, but Lumian didn’t turn around.

He didn’t want to show his reddened eyes.

He quickly returned to his room and collapsed onto the sofa with a sigh.

“Haah…”

It was heartbreaking.

So very heartbreaking.

Lili Calaran’s sad appearance seemed to overlap with his past life self.

‘I was like that in my past life too…’

Ryan Fromhart was an outstanding knight.

He possessed swordsmanship skills that no one could match, and had the greatest loyalty in the country. His personality wasn’t rough, and his face wasn’t unattractive either.

But for the single reason of lacking that thing, he had to live his entire life in sorrow.

Lili Calaran was the same.

She had an upright and kind heart, and possessed a wise mind. Her family, while not remarkable, wasn’t bad either.

Only her appearance. That one thing was lacking.

And that determined her life.

It was such a sad reality.

‘Of course… my past life self was a bit more pitiful.’

Lili Calaran still had possibilities. There was a possibility of being matched with a man of excellent character who cared less about appearance.

But his past life self had zero possibilities. No woman would approach a man without seed or rod.

Actually, even if they did approach, it would be useless. There was nothing he could do.

‘No, that’s not it.’

Lumian shook his head to dispel the stray thoughts.

That wasn’t what was important right now.

What was important was reducing the burden on Lili Calaran, who had lived carrying pain.

‘Making her bear this matter too would be too much.’

Lumian quietly closed his eyes.

He was materialistic.

Therefore, he didn’t have the confidence to spend his lifetime with Lili Calaran. This was Lumian’s honest feeling.

But at least, he felt it was right for him to step forward directly regarding this broken engagement.

That was the minimum consideration he could offer.

Lumian opened his eyes and quickly went to find his father.

* * *

“What? You actually have a girl you’re meeting with good feelings?”

“…Yes.”

“Huh. Then why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

“Well… it’s still far from engagement or marriage… we’re just getting to know each other.”

“…”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m meeting her lightly. If I were, I wouldn’t have brought this up now.”

“Huh. And I had no idea…”

Runo Calard sighed.

So his son kept expressing opposition because he had someone.

He thought it was just because he remembered Lili Calaran’s childhood appearance, but he had been mistaken.

He looked at Lumian with a stern expression.

He felt both resentful and proud. Two conflicting emotions complicated his mind.

‘Well, our son doesn’t have unattractive looks either, and he even won the swordsmanship competition this time… it’s not strange that he’d have a girlfriend.’

It was just disappointing that he only mentioned this fact now.

If he had given a hint in a letter beforehand, such an awkward situation wouldn’t have occurred.

“Hmm…”

“…”

An uncomfortable silence continued.

Lumian waited for his father’s next words with an apologetic expression.

Of course, having a girlfriend was a lie.

He just felt he needed to play this card to ward off the marriage proposal, so he made it up.

Therefore, when an additional question came from Baron Calard’s mouth, he couldn’t help but look flustered.

“So, what’s that girl’s name?”

“Pardon?”

“The girl you’re meeting. Is she perhaps a commoner? Is that why you can’t tell me?”

“No. Uh… Tania, her name is Tania Eloise.”

“Oh! The Eloise family… I’ve heard of them.”

Baron Calard stroked his chin and fell into thought. Watching him, Lumian broke out in a cold sweat.

Perhaps because Tania was the last woman he had seen, her name had popped out without him realizing it. If she knew, she would definitely burst into hollow laughter from the absurdity.

‘No, would I be fortunate if it ended at just that?’

Of course, nothing would happen.

There was no need to tell her this fact, and he could just tell Father that they broke up during the next vacation to solve everything.

Right now, he just needed an excuse to call off the marriage proposal.

And after a moment.

Baron Calard, having finished his contemplation, nodded his head.

“Sigh. It can’t be helped.”

“….”

“I’ll respect your wishes. Let’s consider the marriage proposal never happened. What a shame. She’s such a beautiful, wise, and kind-hearted child….”

‘…She may be wise and kind-hearted, but she’s not beautiful.’

Lumian retorted inwardly.

Of course, Baron Calard was unaware of this. He continued speaking.

“However, when we bring up the matter of calling off the engagement to Baron Nack Carayan… no, it’s not really calling it off. We weren’t formally engaged anyway. In any case, when we discuss this matter, you must be present too. If you’re a man, you shouldn’t run away in such situations but face them boldly.”

“I understand.”

“The Baron is a good man, but still, he won’t be without anger. You’ll have to bear with that.”

“Of course.”

Lumian nodded his head.

He had intended to do so from the beginning. To lessen Lili Carayan’s burden, he could easily endure this much.

Thus, the conversation between father and son ended.

Since it was too late in the day, the two waited for the next day. After morning came, the Calard father and son visited Baron Carayan to explain the situation and convey their apologies.

However, Baron Nack Carayan’s reaction was completely unexpected.

“What! What are you saying! I absolutely cannot accept this!”

“….”

“I cannot tolerate this. A duel! Tomorrow at noon, come to the courtyard of the estate with your champion! I must somehow repay the insult I’ve received!”

“N-no! What is this… We haven’t even called off an engagement….”

“I don’t want to hear it! If you don’t accept the duel, be prepared for territorial war!”

Baron Calard’s expression hardened stiffly. Lumian’s did as well.

However, the reason his expression hardened was different from his father’s.

It was because he sensed something strange about Baron Nack Carayan.

‘What on earth is this. This feeling is….’

* * *

That afternoon, Baron Calard urgently summoned his retainers.

It was to devise countermeasures for the duel.

The retainers, including the five knights, each voiced their opinions.

“No, what kind of situation is this exactly. A duel… I can’t believe it.”

“Exactly. It’s not like we demanded to break off an engagement that was already confirmed, we just had one meal together and he’s acting like this….”

“That’s not what’s important right now. Who will participate in the duel, that’s the most important….”

Various discussions took place, but none of them were substantial.

This was natural.

Whatever the reason, the duel was an unavoidable situation. In that case, they absolutely had to win.

However, the knights under Baron Calard weren’t particularly skilled. Not one of them had reached the level of Sword Expert.

On the other hand, Baron Carayan had Knight Jack Stewart under him, known as the best in the region, so the atmosphere couldn’t help but be gloomy.

However, Lumian Calard had no particular interest in this situation.

Right now, only one thing occupied his mind strongly: the strange attitude that Nack Carayan had shown that morning.

‘It’s strange, I tell you. To see it as simply a father’s anger thinking of his daughter… it’s too excessive.’

It would be different if Nack Carayan’s personality was terrible.

But Lumian also knew that he was a decent person. It was natural since he had lived hearing rumors about him until age 13.

But the current Baron Carayan was far too different from what he knew. Like someone possessed by something.

The strange sense of unease he had felt very briefly from the Baron’s body also stimulated Lumian’s wariness.

‘And it’s also strange that he specifically proposed marriage to our side.’

Whatever Lili Carayan’s actual beauty might be, she currently had a reputation as a beauty.

In that case, it would have been entirely possible to propose marriage to a much better family than the Calard Barony. But Baron Carayan didn’t do that.

In addition, how he managed to find a magician skilled enough to deceive his eyes….

“Young Lord.”

“….”

“Young Lord!”

“Ah!”

Lumian, who had been lost in thought, suddenly came to his senses.

When he raised his head, everyone including his father was looking at him.

“I apologize. I was briefly thinking of something else….”

“Does the Young Lord think the current situation is a joke? Do you have any awareness that this happened because of you?”

“Sir Henry! Your words are too harsh!”

Baron Calard spoke sternly.

But the elderly knight, Sir Henry, showed no sign of backing down.

He merely closed his mouth for the lord’s dignity, but seemed equally full of dissatisfaction with the young lord.

Lumian stared at him quietly.

And slowly, with a composed demeanor, he surveyed the retainers in the room once.

Though they didn’t complain openly, they too seemed to have much they wanted to say.

‘Well, to be properly recognized as a young lord….’

It wouldn’t be enough to just do well in front of his parents.

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