Chapter 5 : The Family Head of Reichart
I, Hein Reichart, had received the sword I requested.
“Second Young Master, this is the sword you requested.”
It was Haineph, who had hesitated to hand over a sword just moments ago.
But through this duel, Haineph’s evaluation of me had changed completely.
‘Uncommon talent. Were all those rumors about him being a scoundrel just nonsense?’
Though he had watched the duel from a distance, Haineph had seen it clearly.
‘He definitely used an aura.’
I had blocked a steel sword with a wooden sword.
That could not be explained without the power of aura.
Even a layman who knew basic common sense could guess as much, but Haineph had his own basis.
‘The moment the blades collided, Alain’s aura vanished.’
Dozens of knights visited the forge every day to have their swords maintained.
From 3rd-rank knights classified as high-level knights, to 10th-rank knights who were still apprentices.
Dealing with them, he had naturally developed an eye for gauging a knight’s level, and what I had shown just now was truly remarkable.
‘As if he absorbed the aura…….’
Aura absorption.
Something he had never even heard of.
In other words, it was something that could not happen within the domain of swordsmanship.
And it was not something he could assume was magic either.
“Thank you. As promised, I will speak to Father directly.”
Whether he knew that or not, I left the Reichart Forge with a face as if nothing had happened.
***
The clinic inside Reichart Castle.
It was a place where the physician said to be the greatest in northern Zodiac resided.
As befitted a clinic inside the castle, it was usually quiet, but today it was exceptionally busy.
Because a child of the highest power-holder in the territory had been hospitalized, battered beyond recognition.
“How did you suffer injuries like this?”
The physician with streaks of white hair, Mediyon, asked as he examined Alain’s wounded area after Alain had been carried unconscious.
“It was an accident that occurred during a duel.”
“An accident during a duel? Who was your opponent for you to suffer such severe injuries…….”
Alain Vispon’s swordsmanship talent was widely known even within the territory.
It was a clear fact that he was one of the most outstanding talents among his peers.
For someone like him to be wounded so deeply during a duel, it was impossible not to be shocked.
“That happened.”
“That happened……? Could you explain what happened?”
Mediyon asked insistently.
But Alain’s escort knight could not expose the cause of the injury with his own mouth.
Even with a knife at his throat, he could not say that scoundrel Hein had beaten him with a wooden sword.
“Do we have to disclose such details?”
“If it is truly difficult for you to speak, it is not strictly necessary. Still, knowing the circumstances of the accident will greatly help with treatment.”
While the escort knight fumbled helplessly, the door to the clinic burst open.
“What happened here?”
A splendid dress.
Flowing blond hair.
It was Rishu Reichart, the first wife of the Reichart Family Head and the biological mother of the eldest young master, Helkane.
The physician and the escort knight quickly rose and showed proper courtesy.
“What in the world happened for Alain to even faint when he was perfectly fine?”
She looked far too young and beautiful to have a twenty-two-year-old son.
But right now, she was furious, like a twisted witch.
The escort knight looked even more troubled and began to explain the whole story.
“Lady Rishu. That is, during a duel with the second young master, unintentionally…….”
“A duel with the second young master? By second young master, do you mean Hein Reichart?”
“Yes.”
Rishu’s eyes widened.
It was not an easy scene to imagine.
Wasn’t Hein Reichart a worthless scoundrel who was born weak and had long since fallen out of the Family Head’s favor?
And yet Alain had been beaten to the point of fainting by someone like that?
“Mediyon. How are the wounds? Explain in detail how he was hurt, and how badly.”
“I require time to examine him. I ask that you wait with patience.”
Mediyon examined the wounded area slowly and meticulously.
After a moment, his mouth opened.
“It is a severe contusion. The outer flesh appears intact, but the bruising is deep, and the internal blood vessels have all ruptured. It is the kind of injury that would occur only if struck with great force by a heavy blunt weapon.”
“A heavy blunt weapon? What kind, exactly?”
“It is difficult to guess precisely, but it is certain that there is only one impact mark.”
“So?”
“To inflict this degree of injury with a single blow, in my opinion, it seems he may have been struck with something of the mass of a siege iron weight, or an iron plate affixed to a carriage.”
Rishu’s gaze landed on the escort knight.
“You said he was injured during a duel, did you not?”
“That is correct.”
“Explain.”
At Lady Rishu’s question, he could not lie.
The escort knight confessed the truth without hiding it.
The one most shocked was the physician Mediyon.
“……You said a wooden sword?”
“Yes. Not only me, but many others present saw it with their own eyes, so it is certain.”
“With a wooden sword, how many times did he strike?”
“Five times in total.”
“Five times?”
Mediyon looked down at the wound again.
‘He struck him five times. Yet the injury is as if he was struck only once, with not even a hair’s breadth of deviation.’
Even a high-level knight who had trained for decades could not achieve such delicacy.
It would be more believable to say someone shot an arrow ten times from a hundred paces and pierced a single hole.
‘Unless he used magic.’
But magic, from that scoundrel Hein Reichart?
It was a delusion within delusions, not even worth voicing.
“Can he recover?”
At Rishu’s question, Mediyon clicked his tongue softly.
Rishu likely did not understand how absurd this injury was.
Even if told, she would not understand.
“……Yes. However, he must be treated with care over a long period of time. I have not examined everything in full detail, but from my impressions so far, you should consider it fortunate that he did not become crippled.”
For a moment, sparks seemed to flare in Rishu’s eyes, but that was all.
“I understand.”
***
After returning to his room, I, Hein, sank into thought for a moment.
‘At this point, I need to meet the Family Head directly. I need to size up what kind of man Redin is for my plan to become certain.’
My memories of Redin Reichart before reincarnation were unclear.
It was certain, even by rumor alone, that he was a knight counted among the best, but without meeting him directly, I could not know his character or his capacity.
‘If he is the Family Head of the swordsmanship family Reichart, he won’t be an incompetent fool. What kind of man is he?’
With what happened at the forge, I had definitely drawn attention, so a summons from Father would come soon.
I waited calmly.
Sure enough, not even half a day passed before an attendant knocked on the door.
“Young master, the Family Head is calling for you.”
“I understand.”
“It seemed urgent.”
With Alain in that state, of course it would.
I rose from my seat.
“I will go to see Father immediately. Report it so.”
“Understood, young master.”
Redin’s office was extremely far.
Even though it was within the same castle, I had to walk a long time to reach it.
Since the office was in the center of the castle, it would be more accurate to say my room was in a secluded corner.
‘I should be grateful I haven’t been kicked out of the castle.’
This body had done enough scoundrel acts that it would not be an exaggeration to say it had done them all.
So it was only natural to have fallen out of the Family Head’s favor.
It was something I had to endure.
“Ahem.”
Seeing me standing before the Family Head’s office in formal uniform, even the guard knight’s face showed clear surprise.
“Is the Family Head inside?”
“Y-yes.”
“Then what are you waiting for? You should report that the second young master has come to pay respects.”
But there was no need to do so.
From beyond the office door, Redin’s voice leaked out.
“Come in.”
Creak.
The office atmosphere was simple, yet busy.
Reichart was a small territory on the kingdom’s outskirts, but because it was a border region full of incidents and accidents, there was always an overflow of work to handle.
‘And Redin Reichart handles it all alone.’
Redin sat at a large desk in the middle of the office, examining documents.
I quickly assessed the Family Head of Reichart.
Neatly arranged gray hair.
Sharp eyes that reminded one of a bird of prey.
A bold, powerful jawline.
My first impression of Redin was ‘a ferocious beast trapped in a cage.’
‘He is merely sitting still, yet the pressure he gives off is tremendous.’
It was because he had forgotten to hide his overflowing presence while focused on administrative work.
If I had not completed two mana rings over the past three days, I might have been crushed by Redin’s overwhelming pressure and had my legs give out.
‘Redin Reichart. As rumored, he is certainly strong.’
After gauging Redin’s power, I bowed deeply.
“Second young master, Hein Reichart. I have come to see Father.”
Scratch scratch.
Instead of answering my greeting, only the sound of a quill brushing across paper returned.
Redin Reichart did not respond.
“…….”
I waited with patience.
I did not recklessly raise my head, nor did I urge an answer.
“…….”
How much time passed like that?
Tap.
Redin set down the quill.
At the same time, the frightening pressure he had been emitting vanished in an instant.
It felt as if the stifling air inside the room evaporated at once.
“I heard your condition improved.”
A resonant voice.
Only then did I raise my head.
“It is thanks to Father’s concern. It is only that I am unworthy, and I can only feel remorse for causing Father worry.”
For a moment, a different light flickered in Redin’s eyes.
It was brief, but it was clearly an interesting gaze.
I did not miss that instant.
‘I only spoke a few polite greetings. Is that enough to surprise him like that?’
It was a moment that made me keenly realize once again just how much of a scoundrel he must have been before.
In the meantime, Redin had returned to his original cold expression.
“That is fortunate.”
“…….”
What, exactly, was fortunate?
It could not mean he was glad I had recovered.
If it did, he would have visited long ago.
Redin had not shown his face even once for three days after I awoke.
Meaning, he did not care whether I lived or died.
‘A cold-blooded man who wouldn’t blink even if his own child became crippled. If such a man suddenly summoned me.’
The reason was obvious.
The conflict with Alain Vispon earlier today and the pressure that must have come from the Vispon family using it as a pretext.
Perhaps the first wife, Rishu, had even intervened directly.
If so, what came next was extremely important.
It was a perfect opportunity to break the Vispon family’s arrogance, and if I was lucky, to read Redin’s true feelings as well.
“Hein Reichart. I will not speak at length.”
Redin’s voice rang out.
At the same time, the overwhelming pressure of a warrior began to pour out again.
“Yes, Father. I am listening.”
Enduring the pressure, I stared straight at Redin.
To read the Family Head’s true intentions hidden behind that expressionless face.
“In two days, a trial will be held for the crime you committed.”