A world with both Shuoxue and Tina isn’t such a bad world after all

Fair warning: Vivid descriptions of chests in this chapter.

“How is the mistress of your house these days? You said she hasn’t been eating or drinking.”

“How should I know.”

“It’s been like this since you both came back from skipping class, did something happen outside?”

“Don’t know.”

“Your mood seems to have worsened too.”

“I get pissed off when I see blonde hair nowadays.”

“Eh?” Harry pressed his own blonde hair, “I am the problem?”

“Go dye your hair, anything but blonde and why don’t you change your hairstyle while you’re at it? In my hometown, we call your style ‘smart’.”

(TL: Not the usual smart, see:http://www.baike.com/wiki/%E6%9D%80%E9%A9%AC%E7%89%B9)

“No way, and what is ‘smart’? My hairstyle is very popular amongst commoners, Monica likes it too.”

“Who is that?”

“The maid of the Kedoren household, she has especially huge boobs! We are going to see a drama this weekend, what colour should I wear?”

“You really picked the right person to discuss this with. Let me tell you that my anger has exceeded what I can control. I can’t believe an idiot like you can escape singlehood before me so let me beat that stupid face of yours to confirm this is not a dream.”

“Ho ho ho! How comedic you are Molan Faburando! Such a poor sight you are, from my view as you burn in envy. May the Holy Mother take pity on you and grant you a girlfriend. Your brother will go ahead and climb the stairs to adulthood first~”

2 books crashed onto both of our faces as Mr Hvaler roared from the front.

“Shut up you insolent brats! Pay attention to the lesson and stop chatting away! Harry! Stand and read the third line!”

“Oh.” Harry stood up, scratching his head, “To understand the forms of things, one must use his heart to feel the power of the elements within, how they flow, clash, and harmonise; is the basics to mastering alchemy.”

Before he could finish, yet another hardcover book smashed into him.

“I am teaching history nowwwwwwwww!”

Mr Hvaler clawed at his hair in a rage as the class erupted in laughter.

I looked towards Tina’s empty seat. She did not come today as well, making it 3 days that she has locked herself in her room. When I told the head instructor that she was sick and needs to rest for a few days, he stared at me sharply with his grey eyebrows which look more like a moustache than eyebrows. He always had a gaze that felt like a sharp edge which would cut through any deception but I met his gaze straight on. He laughed suddenly and said he understood and bade me to take good care of her.

In the afternoon, I brought lunch to Tina’s room.

“Tina?”

There was no answer. I tried knocking but the door was still locked.

“You should eat something.”

I sighed as I saw the food I brought last night remain untouched at the door.

“I’m leaving the food outside, yesterday’s has spoilt already so I’m clearing it.”

Tina didn’t reply, maybe she’s asleep.

“Remember to eat okay?… I’m leaving now.”

She did not even open the door even in my absence, on checking with her neighbours.

“What happened to Tina?” Her neighbours asked.

“Sick.”

“What is she down with?”

Illness of the heart, is what I replied mentally.

Tina had heard the cloaked man mention of the fatal poison he had shot into William. It looks like a slow acting one as the newspapers said that Prince William was still in a coma. The papers also said that the healers had done their best and it was all up to the Prince’s will… Doesn’t this mean they can’t find a cure to this poison? Sounds like that blondie should be kicking the bucket in a few days. Though I would gladly welcome that outcome, for the sake of Tina, please pull through and recover quickly.

…Hai.

Instead of twiddling my thumbs, why not act.

Tina will starve herself if she continues not to eat so there’s no way I can sit around and do nothing.

In the middle of the night, William got up from bed and stood before the mirror which reflected his half naked visage.

The reflection in the mirror showed a well developed muscular frame that was hidden by the clothes he usually wore which made him look thinner. The well defined mounds of muscle along with his head of beautiful golden hair gave an impression of a young, strong lion. William’s body was covered with innumerable scars, badges of honor for his long years of combat, with an epic tale behind every one. William looked at his thickly bandaged left waist, the spot where the cloaked man had shot him with the poison dart.

This is not the first time an attack like this has happened. As Txarango’s first Prince, many want him dead and he has maintained constant vigilance since young. As an outstanding mage specialising in earth magic, he immediately opened a magic formation when the dart was shot into him to turn his entire left waist into stone to stop the poison from spreading. He has often used this method on the battlefield to overcome situations when his vitals were pierced or when he was in danger of losing too much blood. This method was not without its shortcomings: It couldn’t be used on the heart as it needed to move and due to overuse, his organs began to function slower.

Not many know of this trick as such a spell is exceptionally difficult. It is fundamentally different from healing and isn’t easily executed on the caster himself. This spell also required expert knowledge on human biology in an era where science was backward. Moreover, spells cast on one’s body will result in a heavy burden due to interference with the nervous system. Who knew that William Txarango Brusti was half stone while in the midst of combat? Upon seeing his arrow ridden body, enemies cowered before him and his troops worshipped him, and he brought to victory after victory.

The poison dart this time was no ordinary hidden weapon – It shattered after entry into William’s body, resulting in widespread internal damage. Though William had not anticipated this, he quickly cast the spell and turned almost his entire body into stone, just barely in time. What happened to the dart fragments? William chose to completely extract the flesh that contained the fragments, resulting in a chunk of flesh missing from his side. This was nothing, as he has the top 20 healers in the nation to tend to him day and night and accelerate his regeneration and recovery.

Who sent the cloaked man to assassinate him? He had also shot William’s horse, with the full intention of creating more casualties by the horse’s stampede. Given that he did not care about the citizens’ lives at all, the mastermind was likely to be foreign, but who? All these years, his military exploits have been in every which direction and the number of people who want his life is enough to fill a book.

But the cloaked man had summoned a terrifying monster which he said was “their” creation following ancient methods which implied that there was an organisation behind him… That thing should have been difficult to create right? They would need a large amount of manpower and financial backing. If they were just an assassination guild, they would definitely charge a pretty penny for their services, which greatly narrows down the list of suspects.

William had already recovered significantly and he had never slipped into a coma. But he controlled the information that leaked into the public and made it seem like he was in danger and could die anytime to let those who plotted his assassination rest easy while he sent out spies to investigate but nothing had been found yet.

William put on a shirt and walked out without even buttoning, leaving the maids waiting outside blushing upon seeing his glorious chest.

“Your, Your Highness, it’s already late in the night, won’t you rest?”

“I have something I need to check in the study.”

“Your body is still injured, you should rest and recover.”

“’tis just a flesh wound.”

William waved his hand to dismiss the concerns of the maids as he walked into the study.

Demonic beasts were ancient creatures that should have been extinct 10 millennia ago and any records of their existence could only be found in ancient legends. Dramas in modern popular culture often feature demonic beasts and people often claimed that they sighted them. But these were always proven to be hoaxes or illusions, or even tactics to lure in tourists. On a whole, demonic beasts were a very popular fictional concept, there was even a recent drama called “My Demonic Beast Bride”, that was widely popular and sold out every day.

Only after personally seeing the viciousness and combat capabilities and realising that humans are but food to them does one truly realise how horrific demonic beasts are. If news of a terrorist organisation that could create demonic beasts spreads, then the populace would definitely panic. Thus William immediately took steps to restrict this information and spread the news that it was an ordinary beast that happened to be especially ferocious rather than a demonic beast while simultaneously reinforcing national security measures.

William opened a certain immensely thick black book. A thick layer of dust covered the book, and its pages were visibly yellow with some already disintegrating. This was loot confiscated from a raid on a grave robbing organisation. When it was first retrieved, it was in an even worse state, having been torn and tattered with signs of wear from rats and insects all over. Only after restoration by artisans could its content be read.

Found it. William moved the lamp closer.

“…The beings called demonic beasts are ancient creatures and can take the forms of man, beast, insect, fish, bird or forms which look like none at all. They have boundless strength, a cunning and cruel nature, and are the ultimate apex beings. The Gods eventually sent their servants to exterminate them, ushering in the age of Man.”

Just this? There’s nothing useful at all.

William sighed at the lack of information as he rested on his arm. Thinking back to that day the attack happened, the demonic beast had completely overwhelmed the troops. He was using his stoneform spell then and had casted it over the majority of his body that he was unable to move. Just as the claws were about to reach him, Tina’s ball of light flew into its left eye and saved him just in time.

It’s been a while, you really have grown to be a beauty huh.

A warm smile floated to his face as William reminisced about his past memories of Tina.

And the young man who rushed to protect Tina, he said his name was Molan Faburando. From what William knew, the only heir in the Faburando House was Tina, could he be a distant relative? The main point was his deadly fighting skills. The cloaked man could not see his movements but William could – He saw the young man slash at the wounds created by Tina 18 times, 9 on each arm, which led to it losing both arms. Before anyone could react, he had reversed the situation by easily defeating the demonic beast that hundreds of trained troops could not handle.

With such skills at such a tender age, I must have him!

William manipulated the information in a way that the demonic beast was slain by the soldiers as he did not want others to snatch the young man, especially the other royal successors.

(TL: Yaoi battle royale to get MC?)

“Sir!”

A strongly built youth with face full of stubble marched into the study with a look of seriousness.

He was one of William’s most trusted generals, in charge of a cavalry contingent, and had followed William into countless battles. He had felt guilty of late as he felt that if he had been together with William during the ceremony, he could have prevented the ambush with his field of vision that left no blind spots.

(TL: 360 no scope yaoi rival?)

“What is it, Jeb?”

“Your highness, there was a thief in the castle, and I have apprehended him!”

“What kind of person is it?”

“Just a brat, I don’t know how he evaded the many layers of security, but he is really slippery. He could not get past me though,” Jeb opened his clenched fist, revealing a small knife that looked like it was used for dining, ” This is the only weapon we found off him, nothing else.”

“What can a piece of cutlery do.” William laughed, I would like to see who could be so brazen as to break into my castle armed with just a knife. Bring him here.”

“Bring him in!” Jeb yelled.

2 soldiers brought the boy into the study. He was about 175cm tall and his slim frame looked slimmer still as he was sandwiched between 2 big burly men who stood at 185cm. He wore a school uniform, with a familiar spiral tree motif emblazoned on the chest. That was the school badge of St Txarango which William used to attend. The black hair and eyes of this boy was also familar to William…

On seeing William, the boy’s eyes widened.

“Fuck! You haven’t died yet?”

I must admit I got carried away. When I held the knife, I felt invincible, as though I was the main character in a novel and there was nothing that could stop me. On top of that, I felt superior psychologically as civilisation was more advanced in my world. The Prince’s castle? I can waltz right in like it’s a street market.

I originally planned to check on blondie’s status everyday and report it to Tina so she need not worry too much and use this to threaten her to eat or she would not receive information. If blondie died, I could let her know and she can give up earlier and I can even help her put a vase of flowers at blondie’s bedside in condolence. That was all I thought of doing, at first, and I valiantly got to it.

First layer of security, broken through!

Second layer, through!

The security for a Prince’s castle only amounted to so much and gave the impression like those in the castle were not much either.

But when I came to the third layer of security, the me that was like the wind was discovered by this stubble ridden hawk-eyed man. He couldn’t catch up to me but he could keep sight of me, and directed the guards to quickly seal off all exit points and corner me. Surrounded by spearmen, the stubble man walked over while sizing me up as the encirclement tightened.

“A student of St Txarango? Bring him away!”

“Yes!”

Because of my arrogance, I may have to sit behind bars for the rest of my life.

I hope that at that time, Tina can come to see me once a day, no, twice a day and bring me some food. Also Harry, my only friend should share with me some of his precious collection of books so I can burn some time in prison. It would be the best if he shared ones that were about lolis, I have no interest in old sister types… The moment I think about how there is no one left to get rid of the stinkbugs from Tina, I feel agonised.

In the end they took away my knife, brought me to a small library where I saw a bare-chested, nipple-baring William who should have been lying in a coma, looking like he was in the pink of health.

“666.”

(TL: 666 is a mainland chinese net lingo term popularised in League of Legends, means something like “Well played”. See:http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/1175659466422508059.html?fr=ala&word=666&device=mobile&ssid=0&from=844b&uid=0&pu=usm@1,sz@1320_2001,ta@iphone_1_9.2_3_601&bd_page_type=1&baiduid=3CD4EC3F596C80B2F3E6DED20EA7B9F3&tj=zhidao_1_0_10_l1)

“What?”

“Nothing,” I replied as I sipped the hot coffee brought by a maid and told a bewildered William, “As expected of His Highness the Prince, completely played us ordinary folk for the fool.”

“That is for the sake of finding out the mastermind and ensuring the safety of the people.” William replies as he too takes a sip of coffee, “How is Tina?”

“Very good, never you mind.”

For the sake of my pride, I could not bear to tell him that Tina was so worried that she couldn’t even eat and merely told him she was just worried.

“Is that so.”

William squinted his eyes and looked outside the window at the starry skies, looking as though he was reminiscing about some good times in the past. Come to think of it, looking at him close, he really has a nice body. The light from the oil lamp shone on his biceps, creating a shadow from the contours, making it especially sexy.

(TL: Seriously Molan, you sure you into lolis?)

“So to check on my status, you brought nothing and no one and barged into my castle?”

“Un.”

“And now you have confirmed it, but this is top secret. I only plan to announce my full recovery 3 days later.”

“I won’t spread it around. Neither will Tina.”

“What a heroic young man, charging right in with no plan whatsoever. Did you know that you can be executed for your actions?”

“Ha!? Executed?”

So it’s not just imprisonment!? So that coffee was my last meal!? It’s over, I don’t have any blades with me now. All I have is a damned tablespoon, can it work? No way, I don’t have that invincible feeling at all from holding it in my hand!

“Haha, don’t worry, nothing to be afraid of. I won’t execute you, and you even have the name of Faburando which contains the privilege of a 1 time pardon anyway.”

It’s so amazing? Say it earlier, you scared the shit out of me. I drank some coffee to calm my nerves.

“You’ve learnt swordsmanship before?” William asked again.

“Yeah, I’ve learnt.”

I was going to say no on reflex but decided to change my answer on second thought.

“I’ve never seen your stance when you wield a sword before, is it a special style?”

“…Yes.”

Actually, I’m just wielding it without thinking.

“Do you know anything else, what about magic?”

“I have absolutely no talent in magic. I cannot even accomplish the most basic of tasks like lighting and putting out a lamp. But I know swordplay.”

Be it swords or knives, my ability activates with both and up to now I can’t figure out why. Perhaps knives are seen as half of swords? Or maybe my real talent is with knives and I see swords as knives, which activates my ability.

“You know swordplay? Good, I have just the right gift for you.”

William walks out of the study as he finished and brought a long rectangular box back. He passed the box to me and urged me to open it.

I could feel a weight in the box. Opening the box, I saw a single-edged pure white sword that rested in the box, almost like a young girl waiting quietly in a boudoir.

As I took out the sword, I could feel almost no weight from it. The hilt and the sheath fit together seamlessly, and the lack of a guard suits my preference. The contours along the hilt seemed to fit my palm perfectly, giving me a very secure grip. The blade reflected the moonlight clearly as it slipped smoothly out of the sheath. The blade itself is razor thin and sharp, yet the edge is sturdy and neither dull nor delicate.

It resembles a Japanese katana, though I have never seen a Tang Dynasty sword.

(TL: I think the best resemblance is a Shirasaya style – See:http://www.swordsofnorthshire.com/ryumon-japanese-red-wood-shirasaya)

But this is not a katana as the following was engraved at the bottom of the hilt: For the mighty Txarango Kingdom.

“This is a gift from the prince of the eastern Gillham Kingdom. It’s a splendid weapon, created using their unique techniques. It’s very beautiful but does not fit my style.” William stares at me, “The you without a weapon, is a completely different person from now.”

“…There are no guards in this room now, and the only weapon is in my hands, what if I were an assassin and I were to stab you right here and now?”

“Haha~” William laughs lightheartedly, with a completely relaxed look, he claps his hand on my shoulder and says, “You really have guts huh, I’m liking you more and more.”

“Just based on my gut feeling,” he continues while smiling, “You won’t be able to wound me.”

“…”

“Want to try?”

“…No.”

I don’t think I can wound him either.

Though I have immense confidence while wielding the sword, William seems far stronger than me by leaps and bounds… The composure he exudes as he sips his coffee makes him seem like an unshakeable and unfathomable existence.

“I see you really like the sword.”

“Yeah.”

To have a katana is every otaku’s dream yo! I too have been conquered by the all-powerful soft power of Japan’s anime culture. Though this isn’t a true katana from Japan, it looks about the same so it’s good enough.

“Even if you regret, I’m not returning Shuoxue to you.”

“Shuoxue is?”

“The sword’s name, I just came up with it.”

“Hahaha, as a Prince, I won’t take back the things I said.”

That’s good, and now I am a man with a sword! Shuoxue completely suits my tastes; in human terms, it would be as though I’d fallen in love with her at first sight, just like when I met Tina. My inspiration for naming the sword was also thanks to my meeting with Tina (TL: Shuoxue refers to snowfall in northern China. The term appeared in some ancient Chinese poem). A world with Shuoxue and Tina isn’t too bad after all.

“Why the gift?”

“It’s to thank you.”

“In the name of William Txarango Brusti, I offer you my most sincere gratitude, ” William declared as he bowed deeply to me, “Thank you for saving me from the demonic beast. Though you did not do it for me, this sword is my humble gift to you in appreciation for saving me.”

“Oh, oh…”

Receiving a bow and thanks out of nowhere was too surprising and I was unable to react.

“There is one more gift, though I don’t know if you will accept it,” William picks up a piece of paper that had a butterfly knot at the top of the page off the desk and passed it to me, “Strictly speaking, this is not a gift but is my personal wish. It is a letter of appointment for you to become a member of my personal guard. All you need to do is sign your name and give your palm print.”

“…Ha?”

The shock I received this time was even larger than when I heard I might be executed.

But William continued unperturbed.

“You are a young man with great potential. Should you receive formal training and guidance, you will be even more outstanding and will definitely become a person I can count on. I will personally train you into a peerless warrior that will not put your name to shame.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Though you may possess the Faburando name, you are not a real noble. Now lies a straight path to ascend to aristocracy, don’t you want to take it?”

“Nope.” I pressed the letter of appointment onto his face.

Are you kidding me? We are rivals in love! Even if you give me a hundred swords, we are still rivals and when push comes to shove I will even make you into a pincushion using the sword you gave me so how can I work for you. Unless you turn around and propose to set me and Tina, I might consider your offer.

And I don’t particularly want to work, the life of a freeloader at a noble’s house is pretty good.

“If you have any other demands, you may propose them and I will do my best to fulfill them.”

Stay away from Tina? Is what I won’t say since I will lose my face.

“Nothing else, I’m leaving.”

I picked up Shuoxue and started to make my way out. It’s time to get back, Tina was still locked up in her room after all.

“If you ever change your mind, you can come back and seek me out. I will let my subordinates know that you have free entry into my castle.”

“Just give up… Wait.”

I stopped at the doorway.

“Changed your mind?”

“No, about gratitude, you haven’t thanked Tina. Without her magic, even I couldn’t have killed the demonic beast, so she also helped save your…” pathetic, “…life.”

William turned his back to me and began clearing the books and letter on the table.

“Lady Faburando is a noble and to ensure the safety and honor of royalty is her duty. The wealth and power bestowed upon them by royalty that they enjoy should be repaid by commensurate responsibilities. Thus, they should not receive special rewards.” He went silent for a bit before continuing, “But, not as a Prince, in my personal capacity, I am extremely grateful to her… Please help me convey this.”

“…I will give this message to her.”

In the end, I never dared to ask about their relationship. They must have some pink and romantic memories between them. Recalling the day before the ceremony, Tina’s gaze as she sat in the canteen was very distant as though she were thinking back into her distant past. Her expression was looser than usual and she even leaked a tiny smile past her usual coldness. That was the cutest Tina I had seen ever since I met her.

But in the end, William got engaged with a foreign princess. Maybe it was of his own will, maybe it wasn’t. But who knows how painful and sad it must have been for Tina? Maybe that’s why she became a silent, rejecting existence like an insurmountable ice mountain.

Thinking of the world before I came evoked various bitter feelings.