The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 217
Chapter 217
Translator: Yonnee
—
As Daniel gave a slight nod, the emperor said,
“This beautiful knight’s opponent shall be Klaudio. I entrust her to you.”
Radis’s brow furrowed slightly.
She was not pleased with the situation.
The emperor was demanding a display of her skills.
As if asking a jester to perform.
However, she soon reconsidered.
If the emperor held Daniel in special regard, it made sense that he would be curious about the skills of Daniel’s apprentice, Radis.
Moreover, her opponent would be a knight of the White Dragon.
While she didn’t know the extent of Klaudio’s skills, she suspected he might be above even Robert, a master candidate.
An opportunity to spar with such a strong opponent did not come often.
A rare competitive spirit began to stir within her.
“Radis.”
Offering his sword to the unarmed Radis, Daniel instructed her.
“Just do as you’ve been taught. Klaudio won’t hurt you.”
Reassured by his paternal words, Radis relaxed her tense expression.
“Master, don’t worry.”
She smiled and continued.
“I’ve become quite strong during the time I’ve been away from you.”
* * *
Klaudio, handing off his cloak to a squire, had a stern look on his face.
‘I need to get these people out of His Majesty’s sight as soon as possible.’
The emperor before him, Claude Arpend, might appear affable on the outside, but he was known to have a rather cruel streak.
Especially towards those close to him, he could be sadistically brutal.
A prime example was Daniel.
The knights of the White Dragon Order received a Geas to ‘be loyal to the imperial family’ upon induction.
If it were merely a restriction, one might feel averse to it.
However, the increase in mana as a reward for the Geas was too sweet a temptation.
Indeed, the reason the White Dragon Order had many masters and magus swordsmen was due to this Geas.
And ‘be loyal to the imperial family’ was a vow that wouldn’t trouble a faithful knight.
But Daniel’s case was different.
Emperor Claude had placed a double Geas on his most cherished knight, Daniel.
Daniel’s second Geas was ‘be loyal to the Emperor of the Empire.’
A double Geas was an unprecedented situation.
However, Daniel himself was unperturbed.
‘His Imperial Majesty is lonely. He truly needs someone he can trust. If he comes to truly trust me, he will soon lift the Geas.’
But then, a decade passed.
No matter how strong Daniel’s loyalty was, even steel rusts over time.
After returning from a long journey, Daniel’s health deteriorated daily.
‘Klaudio, after I began to care for that child, I realized something. I fear that the child… might end up living like me. I never loved my life.’
Once the steel began to rust, it cracked and crumbled from the edges.
Klaudio could sense that this was exactly what the emperor had desired.
Now the emperor’s gaze on Daniel was so chilling that even the loyal Klaudio found it difficult to watch.
The emperor seemed to take pleasure in watching the pure-hearted knight who had sworn loyalty… to crumble.
‘A disgusting sight.’
Klaudio, carrying his greatsword, walked towards the wide expanse of the training ground.
A girl named Radis, carrying Daniel’s sword, followed him with quick steps and stood opposite him.
“I look forward to our match, Sir Klaudio…!”
The girl—with her enchanting red hair like flames, and her eyes black as the night sky—was a promising talent.
It was evident from her stance alone, holding the sword.
Her well-trained body was like a flexible, strong tree, and her straightforward eyes sparkled with undeniable passion.
Klaudio had seen those eyes before.
Before receiving the Geas, Daniel’s eyes were exactly like that.
A bitter smile played on his lips.
‘How did you find someone who resembles you so much?’
He glanced sidelong at Daniel, who was standing next to the emperor.
Daniel was glaring at him with narrowed eyes.
His gaze was saying:
‘Go easy on her!’
Klaudio shifted his gaze slightly and looked back at Radis before him.
According to what he had heard from Daniel, he had met this girl in the south while carrying out a clandestine mission for the emperor.
He only knew that Daniel had become so captivated by the girl’s talent that he stayed in the south longer than expected.
‘Of course, that fellow must have done more than just teaching.’
There had to be something more.
But he hadn’t probed further.
Digging would only give him a headache.
At the moment, it was more urgent to clear these two from the emperor’s sight.
Especially for this girl, the best method seemed to be to overwhelm her with a significant skill gap so the emperor would lose interest.
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