~Chapter 50~
“That’s all the documents for today, Your Grace. Thank you for your hard work,” Balt said as he handed the last signed document to Grand Duke Lux.
Lux finally relaxed, stretching his arms and rotating his shoulders to loosen the stiff muscles.
“Are you heading to training now?” Balt asked.
“Yes,” Lux replied.
Lux changed into his usual training clothes and headed toward his personal training ground. To get there, he had to pass through the knights’ training ground. Since the knights’ training was finished for the day, no one was there.
“Looks like the lights are still on,” Lux noticed. Recently, the lights had been staying on in the training ground much later than usual. He wondered who was still practicing so late, so he peeked inside.
“Hah! What’s this?”
In the middle of the large training ground was someone Lux didn’t expect to see — Calix, deeply focused on his training. Calix wasn’t wiping the sweat from his face, completely absorbed in his practice. With a serious expression, he was swinging the sword Ruby had bought him.
It was a different face compared to when he’d used a wooden sword. It was as though he understood the weight and true meaning of the real sword he was holding.
Lux, curious, couldn’t help but step inside the training ground.
“Wasn’t sword training suspended?” Lux murmured to himself.
Calix, surprised by Lux’s sudden appearance, stopped training. “This isn’t part of a lesson, it’s personal training. Grandpa’s orders said no one can teach me.”
Calix lowered his sword, his usual grumpy expression returning. The seriousness from before vanished, and now he looked like a typical seven-year-old complaining.
“Don’t try to take lessons from other knights behind my back. You’re not at that point yet,” Lux warned.
“What do you mean by that?” Calix seemed confused and didn’t quite understand what Lux meant. After all, it was a little much to expect a seven-year-old to read adult intentions.
But Lux couldn’t help but think that maybe this little kid would figure it out. He couldn’t shake the feeling.
Lux thought about it for a moment but said nothing.
“Are you training with a real sword?” Lux asked.
“Yeah, Ruby bought it for me.”
“Isn’t it dangerous for you to handle a real sword at your age?” Lux said, concerned.
“I know, that’s why I’m extra careful and practice when no one’s around.”
Lux walked over to Calix and took the sword from him. Calix didn’t resist, handing it over easily.
The sword looked fine, but Lux felt it wasn’t exactly the best quality sword. He thought Ruby must have had a specific reason for giving it to Calix. She wouldn’t just casually buy him a sword without meaning behind it.
Lux thought that Ruby might have already understood what he wanted to achieve with Calix and possibly hinted at it through this gift, believing Calix would figure it out in time.
Lux remembered Ruby’s confident face in the dining hall.
“So, how’s it feel training with a real sword?” Lux asked.
“It’s much heavier,” Calix replied.
He took the sword back from Lux and swung it through the air. The sound it made was sharp.
Even though it hadn’t been long since Calix received the sword, it was already familiar to him. It was clear he had been practicing whenever he found time.
“What do you think is necessary to handle a real sword? Strength? Skill?” Lux asked.
Calix looked up at Lux with an unreadable expression. After a moment of hesitation, he put the sword back in its sheath.
“I know Ruby bought me this sword because she wants to tell me something.”
Calix wasn’t slow to catch on. He knew Ruby didn’t just give him the sword without a reason. But he didn’t immediately understand the deeper meaning behind it. Instead of asking Ruby directly, he chose to train and ask himself what it all meant.
“Do you know what it is?” Lux asked, curious about what Calix had figured out.
“I still don’t know. I don’t understand why Grandpa stopped my sword lessons, or why Ruby gave me this sword,” Calix admitted.
“Still not sure?” Lux sighed, slightly disappointed.
Seeing the disappointment on Lux’s face, Calix quickly added, “But I do know one thing.”
“What is it?”
“I know why I have to hold this real sword.”
“Why is that?” Lux asked, intrigued.
Calix met his gaze with a determined look, no longer confused or hesitant. “I have to hold this sword to protect my family.”
“Protect?” Lux asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll protect my family in place of my parents. If I only practice with a wooden sword, I’ll just keep improving my skills. But that won’t protect anyone. So, I’ll train hard with this real sword and make sure I’m strong enough to protect my family.”
“Can you handle it?” Lux asked, not sure if Calix fully understood the weight of his words.
“I will. I have to. I don’t want to just be a knight who talks about swords — I want to be someone who can truly use one,” Calix said, pounding his chest twice, in a stance that knights often took to show their dedication.
Lux was surprised. “Are you aware of what you just did?”
“What?” Calix asked, not realizing the significance of his gesture.
He didn’t seem to realize it, but his words made sense. He had already decided to use his sword to protect his family. In a way, that meant he was already thinking of his family as his lord, someone he needed to defend, just like a knight would.
Calix had figured out the purpose of his sword without even realizing it. This was exactly what Lux wanted to teach him by suspending his lessons.
Lux watched Calix for a moment before asking, “Did Ruby tell you to say that?”
“No, she didn’t. It’s just something I figured out.”
Lux, now suspicious of Ruby’s intentions, wondered if Ruby had already figured out everything about what he was trying to achieve with Calix — including the kind of response she was hoping for.
“But Ruby did tell me one thing,” Calix added.
“What was it?”
“She told me that if Grandpa ever comes to see me during training, I should be honest about everything — what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling.”
Ruby had predicted everything — that Calix would keep training on his own, and that Lux would eventually show up to observe. She had already guessed what Calix might be thinking during his training.
Lux, taken aback, muttered, “How far does your sister know? She seems to know everything…”
When Ruby’s name came up, Calix’s face returned to its usual playful expression.
“My sister knows everything. Because she’s our sister,” he said, proud of Ruby.
Lux couldn’t help but worry about what kind of person Calix would grow up to be. Would he be someone who fully understood his responsibilities, or would he still be the playful child he seemed now?
Lux shook his head and decided to focus on Calix. “So, you want to become a knight who can protect your family with your sword?”
“Well, my original goal was just to be the best swordsman in this world,” Calix said. “I just wanted to improve my skills and reach the top.”
That was why he hadn’t felt any killing intent in his swordplay before. Training just to improve his skill wasn’t enough to protect his family.
Lux could see that Calix had started to understand what was important: sincerity in his swordsmanship.
“That’s what I want you to understand,” Lux said.
“Then let’s see how well you wield it,” Lux instructed.
“Alright,” Calix said, and pulled his sword from its sheath once again.
He was more focused than usual, taking a deep breath before swinging his sword.
After closing his eyes and opening them again, his movements flowed like a wave. Powerful, swift, and graceful, it was as though he had become one with the sword, and the sword gleamed in the light.
Lux nodded slowly, watching Calix with approval. “Now, you can start your lessons again.”
