"Could you teach me how to wield a sword?"
the kid asked.
The knights were visibly surprised.
it wasn't because of the request, it was due to the introverted personality of the child
He spoke so rarely that many people believed he was deaf.
and he was always seen alone with his sword
The three knights were quite shocked, and the youngest among them was the first to answer.
"Young master, could you repeat that again?"
His name was James, a knight of humble birth, yet blessed with remarkable talent. By the age of twenty-one, he had already risen to the rank of 3-star.
and although his left eye was strangely closed he's hearing was quite developed, so he heard the request of the child perfectly
still even him doubted about what he just heard
even then the child did not doubt
"Could you teach me how to wield a sword?"
The child repeated himself.
Once the knights heard the child's request, their faces shifted from shock to seriousness.
After all, wielding a sword wasn't a casual matter. For a knight, the sword was their entire life.it allowed them to live, yet it was also the tool that could bring about their death.
And once you take up the sword, you must be prepared to lose your life to the sword.
So, for the knights, helping such a weak child was no different from handing him a death sentence.
Except for James. He was a free spirit, someone who never thought twice about his actions. Was it his youth and talent that made him that way, or was he simply foolish?
I guess that's a matter for you to decide.
James answered,
"Of course young master, what do you want to know?"
"How can I wield a sword?"
Wielding a sword is not something that can truly be explained in words. Would you allow me to see what you can do, young master?
The child gave a small nod.
the kid started to guide the three knights through the garden
Here, the child presented them with his sword.
the knight's gaze turned cold
What the child held could hardly be called a sword. The wood was worn and stained brown from too much time in the mud. Barely five inches long, it was a toy-sized blade, the kind nobles gifted to their newborns so they could play with it safely.
The knights didn't dare ask the child to pick up the sword, fearing it might give him a splinter.
It was the kind of sword that even commoners wouldn't bother picking up. But as the saying goes, one man's trash can be another's treasure.
and for the child that trashy sword was he's most beloved belonging,it was his only friend
so the child tried to wield it
Putting his entire strength into the task.
but once again, he failed.
In front of him, the three young knights stood speechless. They had heard the child was weak, but they could hardly believe that the three-year-old son of the most powerful swordsman alive couldn't lift a sword meant for newborns to play with.
The child couldn't bear it and began to cry; the pain of not being able to play with his friend was too much for his small body to endure. He was only three years old, after all.
seeing that, the kind hearted James told him,
"Don't worry young lord, maybe after the flame ceremony you could be able to wield it"
the two knights that were with him grabbed him furiously,
"Do you realize what you just said? Do you have a death wish?
if something were to happen to the young lord during the ceremony it would be your fault!"
the child interrupted them,
"The flame ceremony?"
the knights were visibly annoyed but they had no other choice to respond
"Yes young master, the flame ceremony is meant to give the noble families th.."
Once more, the child interrupted, unable to grasp such complicated words.
"could it help me wield my sword?"
said the child with his white eyes glowing from the previous tears
The young knights did not dare to break the child's spirit, so they hid the truth.
"yes my liege the flame could give you that strength"
The young child's heart filled with a new emotion. It was unlike anything he had felt before. neither loneliness, nor sadness, nor even joy. Instead, it was something that set his heart ablaze. If he had to put it into words, he would have called it "desire".
"l would get that flame"
Little did he know the weight those words carried