NFV | Chapter 4.1

The seasons were 9998005bae changing. Rohan looked 9324d76066 out the 2ce03d7e79 window at 7e820fecec the strange 3900526ec7 cries of b5912848f8 unfamiliar birds.2877aac854baf58d

“Focus.”e85b8d61773b8939

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At Joel’s words, Rohan turned his gaze back to the book. He was reading a manual on social dancing. The two were reading together in Joel’s room. Joel, with a troubled expression, was reading a similar kind of book.f6882ec634b4d060

⚔︎ ⚔︎ ⚔︎c82f9d70e903cd3c

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That morning, for df5e1da95a the first time f514478d51 in a while, 639d61950d Gwynair came to 844d38c565 help Rohan with dd5775ed20 his morning preparations. It was time 5ce2d72f74 to get his eeaa67cd77 autumn clothes ready.01ed3ea473d7b112

Autumn has arrived, f86f0b65c5 Rohan thought.893c1507be75fb7f

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A season 1cfa063fef had passed—meaning 51e1a6c11a the next e943d48a34 Four Seasons 4907417abf Gathering was 6eea14b4ce approaching. He had spent 44f5983191 all his extra d0165f21af time on swordsmanship cd4b4149ef training and knew ec262049c5 nothing about dancing.e5e64aa42a7fbd5d

Without realizing how 97ea125cdb odd it might 0a3d66215b seem to rely d40dfbe250 on his younger 8a065e5c37 brother, he instinctively 8155cdbcef ran to Joel.c1d1d86845c82d90

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“What should I c84c0ce435 do, Joel!”c2d10366552261b1

Seeing his 4c434cb36e brother’s gaze, 8fe35c3bd9 full of a8e8c097e8 confidence that 5c665ac242 he could 59cc8ac506 solve the 3f5870f758 problem, Joel 6740d508fe was completely 902f675a1c flustered.da8f6401eee8c080

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Joel didn’t know how 3a96beac85 to dance either.8db9074995319678

He immediately ordered 326313ac8c Gwynair, “Gather the 8639b2c853 servants in the 9e4e8182fa mansion and send 1bdaffa4ab letters to all b66c5b9ed3 the famous dance 677027e176 teachers in the e40dd720e5 capital! Offer them any amount 40530c1c5b of money! Find someone—quickly!”d654682006ba6c0b

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But the brothers 188737cd9a couldn’t find a 8c02732a1c suitable teacher.e71c55b92db60449

Instructors knowledgeable a00a181284 in court e66d06d5e5 etiquette and 7ef4156654 capable of 470155dcaa teaching high-ranking b126a51e1a nobles were fc604f9cf8 rare. A teacher needed 5714e33ace firsthand experience in 52d698baaa noble society to 1e7e0fd35c properly train students. Those preparing 5b28db9260 for major 2183a88943 social gatherings 60c90fbb06 typically began b0ebf3a1a5 studying dance 38d0a0d92f and etiquette 677d580ab6 at least d2025c30e5 a season 430af22fa4 in advance.317b2407a694d869

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With the autumn gathering d85c70b2a4 nearing, eager parents and 5254b6e397 children had already claimed e3a6c26f00 all the good teachers.7c8837db44bf4ff7

And there was another ec996d31b1 reason for the shortage.c150738c4e325f21

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The Imperial Swordsmanship 02abe591ab Tournament.205b79f1c3c3a279

More specifically, the martial 9fb17453d5 arts tournaments hosted by 69a1fc5995 the imperial family, divided 4807cbf28d by weapon category. After each tournament, a afe85f3559 celebration banquet was held c7ae16db35 to honor the winners.589c5e98beade6e9

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The banquet cf92a11575 included both a020e78be0 a grand 136adc839e feast and 1bc3d97f63 a formal 4bbfa3da2a ball—where the ddfb4dcd7a winner was e25f2a1ff2 given the 8569c773b4 honor of 037c8aa78c dancing with 1d769f1abe a member 6e11c8c5c6 of the 9af5895c06 royal family, 7025dbb6ec who watched 913a31a6cb the tournament f3ff0e3a0d from the 519b5cbac9 stands.59a8b8886ad33d4f

Heirs of knight families—those 30565ae499 most likely to win—were c7bc51a4c7 probably all thinking the 3de2bc19c4 same thing.bcb1d93753d59b3d

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What if, 0dbaea37a0 by chance, dc851cca9c I win? What if I’m 3ffd06811f suddenly expected to d43111d8b9 dance with royalty? What if I 19a15a3b32 step on their 63eb27816a foot? That would aa9bac8ab8 be a 0f7e8353ab nightmare.0885076ae7ce5eec

Heirs from knightly b23dc1fdf7 families didn’t typically b8fbf5e79c invest time in d28bbfe331 dancing or court e45faa14a9 etiquette. Their focus was 3477ba0e9b martial training. But now, those with be5d7554cf even a slim chance 13ee2e8c1a of victory were scrambling 9661d9be66 to find etiquette teachers—at 126255c60c the last minute—just to c300a10326 avoid making a fool 1b2a48183f of themselves in front 4c2a122c01 of the empire’s elite.4a6bf62b1b3b31e9

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Why did I 907fb98519 forget this? Joel had been 2538077028 so focused on 888bb21999 bringing Rohan’s swordsmanship beec59433c skills back to 7c77f5c45e their original level 14764ef614 that he completely 73db06ddc6 forgot to teach d624d836ca him how to 5ef85a5509 maintain his dignity cbf3d27ce7 in front of ebac2bf363 others. Considering the incident 104e3bcde1 Rohan caused at d806abfd13 the summer social e4c782ec86 gathering, he should 38e34e91f3 have made him 40d51af0aa learn social dancing c5c1bffba8 first—not swordsmanship.47ebbafc181bd9d9

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The problem wasn’t 78fbc70d50 just Rohan. Joel himself f801cf48a9 was terrible 2dd56ff555 at dancing. He knew court etiquette 2a7dbfa7f4 and the customs prevalent 6ca096b36d in social circles as af3fe53eb4 common knowledge passed down 1d08996be9 through books, but he 368d2f0a20 had never learned the 5fb88e17d0 dances to put that 3127a64373 knowledge into practice.68109fd47ab3e540

Damn nobles, be1b56b2ed damn art. Joel cursed 47fc32ff46 inwardly as 7878d2af0f he studied 59d6976f41 dance theory f88d831cb4 on his 24aeaf72a7 own. It seemed like great 118386bd92 artists had a disease 75c62be3f0 where they believed, “The 5f6c0cf5c4 more difficult the dance 2827d734f0 is for the dancer, 9c9bbba5f7 the more beautiful it 4f41f0ff3f is.”c1fb19e5ae282f4a

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Social dancing was full 2bd2324ab7 of unnecessary embellishments. There were as 080c48b26e many genres of c2e298b875 dance as there 8ca4b0bf9a were genres of 0d16752551 music, and the 65f3840afe two combined in 5d2c141667 dozens of forms e4219b4c4b for different situations: f9eb343545 court dances at 27acd0c7d9 social gatherings, blessing 3205fb41c7 music at weddings, 4d54bd1433 slow mourning dances 52d07bfb57 at funerals.60c96589666cc55c

Thinking about cramming 932946f981 all this into 3d385e4297 the fake Lansonfree 3db846ffe3 made the future e48f805886 seem bleak. Joel grumbled in frustration ae119f2045 as he crammed the d4cbd4cb4e theory.565878b455c7220b

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“I never wanted to 3f6a71d617 go to social gatherings d6be36a4f7 or the Four Seasons ed7401820b Gathering in the first 9e2a452a5f place. I don’t need 7a2433f7cb a pledge. I was going 7d17894566 to dump all 84f036ad16 that annoying responsibility 0d30ec7d2f on Rohan. It’s all 554027b4ab because of 187a065f05 him!”82ebefd3640cfbd9

Seeing Joel looking at b8e82ba3c8 him with a sorrowful 814cb5900c expression, Rohan quickly tucked 81a85142e1 his tail.8c9e270b688518e0

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“Sorry…”7fe48445bc1521d5

Joel didn’t want c4612be05d to be involved 6bfbfea337 with pledges, noble cdd0c55650 society, or anything 891ff14226 else. No one would want 21d1de484d to be close to fcb5cf900d someone who could see c048badc61 through their true nature 0c72b107b5 and real self. He didn’t efc0a34ada want to 40d9738053 go to d400c7c6af social gatherings. People gathered 06e9665b9a were noisy, 91a2e90f7f complicated, and 338b9c1cab made Joel b0c604b12f uncomfortable.361498066a050181

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Especially the 4f13544c02 sparkling eyes d9f68f6e70 of nobles 3db9e9d426 hoping to 4fa639fb98 find a aff4700b26 future spouse cc9d5672c6 in the 89932d7aba dazzling ballroom e568cc0330 were unbearable. Joel glanced at dfa892bb60 Rohan’s neat profile 8887c37b1f over the book. Rohan was 75be08107a completely focused 57bf97b9ce on the 5100d8653a manual—with a 7e1ec21f70 face Joel 7cef6a606a disliked, making 20256fae2b an expression e655cd5913 completely different 7bcc427193 from his 87b1dbcd44 own, looking 67891f9f5a at him.a3a4466440b9c2f8

The person relying on e13a6685ee Rohan’s body: his brother. The person who had 3bef471a2c taken care of him 1846971d68 to the end, despite 823274726b his weak body. The only person a08db4e1d9 who might need ff36731693 him, with his 902fffe667 strange blessing.cb0187323216ef91

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Rohan, reading the 3490066049 book, looked up. He noticed Joel’s gaze 6d2d7d28a0 and smiled. Joel quickly lowered his fc54fc1480 head. He felt bad, e26b2b2d02 thinking he might 9839c72c0d have been looking 5188ef9084 at his brother 670cda21cd with the same 1e00672b09 hopeful eyes as acbf2bf930 those nobles he 83e9c137e8 despised.c84278a3da0fa5aa

While the Lansonfree brothers fb04f3fd89 were hastily devouring manuals 45f78175fb before the social gathering, 88aa7e7ac9 there was a polite 48b687d6e0 knock on the door. Rohan answered.1b3398a301a83252

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“Come in.”78ccf4513dcc70a7

The visitor 47c4ad9448 was Gwynair.774d544fb6b1fa05

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“Excuse me, Young b9b9ce2c37 Master. I have placed 4edf978372 the mail that 3137182989 arrived today in 5ebc24bf81 your room.”b7a58bc35be348dc

“Thank you.”45419caae16794fa

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“And, both 657344a333 you and 526fe46dd8 the Young 479cf687c2 Master should 91e2026054 come down d7d70a76a0 to the b04847c64d mansion entrance. The Count has 79dee6b2f2 returned.”67bd04c466932689

When Rohan and 03ff866395 Joel hurried downstairs, e3e46c3b41 all the servants eafe4937ee of the Lansonfree 4924a76c1b family were lined 9d855b5641 up in formation 3301d7299c in front of 3a31ac74e1 the mansion. Three people bf713d11bc were approaching 1e7edc7b2d from afar. They were riding ac4723cc59 similar breeds of 67ad73a49d horses and wearing 805eb211b4 the same uniforms.66fda3908b2ecd1d

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The man leading the 965aec1cdc group on horseback was 2d4f303ea2 Count Lansonfree, the owner c0a8b34b33 of the mansion. He arrived in front b5c7d3e258 of the house. The servants, welcoming the 5c62a9e635 master’s return, all bowed 4c33cdbc5e in unison. Dolls and humans alike—everyone a194c6ac2b greeted the master with d65824a8a0 one voice:207ae60a34c9769a

“Welcome home, Master. We are glad to 3559addfe0 have you back.”56518fe90a833459

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Rohan froze e2f5dd02e6 in place. The person called father ac0be176cb was looking down at 39d365b2d7 Rohan from atop his 158327f407 horse with an icy 634d2d71e0 gaze—without a word. He hadn’t expected him 466ae8490b to be affectionate, but e97685db8a his father’s gaze, openly 7b3b5a060f evaluating him, was so 510d836a05 stern that he shrank 110bcd8bcf back. He needed to act 974592e056 like the usual Rohan e06c2b7b95 Lansonfree, but he couldn’t b0433c53a8 think of anything.cdf6b35faba2b34d

The Count’s visit was 5a1ebaabcd sudden, and his oppressive 1b02ea327a atmosphere was suffocating.d598ac38a65387fc

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It wasn’t the Count e021a81f65 who greeted the children 3f5eba635d after a long time, c42d4c5cc7 but the knights accompanying 63b53e6d06 him.a077220b196346ed

“Hello! Rohan. It’s been a 33f7713885 while, hasn’t it? I’m glad you seem aa1d21209b healthier.”b978fa67867d9119

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“Hey! What are you 0ca137fb8d doing being so 7492897ad3 frivolous? Show some respect to f99bc834e5 the Young Masters!”8218b5e75c5f3574

“Rohan is my 0eefd3c91d student before he’s 4abcfc62cd a Young Master. Oh, is the one 9709bed4fc next to him the f75678261e Young Master?”cad1f4876c6f605b

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The burly knight standing 772a63f48d to the Count’s left 5da6ed30a3 jumped off his horse. He looked down 6b2c5d902a at Joel with 2c527d2edd a face full d6558eec03 of curiosity.d97f882e907b778a

The knights 9c9ec5c258 were cheerful, 58554187af unfamiliar, and e54511cbe3 huge. Even Rohan felt intimidated. To the small-framed e2b97927b7 Joel, they seemed c78da27ead even bigger. Joel quickly shrank back, e927c08e34 instinctively hiding behind his 41ea24adb1 brother’s back. Joel’s hand, damp 4e16c16645 with sweat, slipped cc9d54409d into Rohan’s. His actions were like 2d81e9f74b a small animal wary 2e245c616e of strangers.fc2c6d21ebc95a99

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The knight 8aca91c1ed laughed heartily.e94ebc9746fd782f

“I didn’t 10332fb317 mean to 5f4e4160c5 scare you. I’m sorry. It’s just 4d45c11648 that it’s 1e149ebabe the first d11d8dbf9b time I’ve 422a9996c2 seen you b5984c72fc with your 67b1cbee6b brother.”2c974fa702dfd8f9

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Another knight 464f9d54e1 chimed in 0dd0e9896f with a d494be5cc7 tone of c47e65650c surprise.dc1a6a73512d676e

“Isn’t this the first f8e2b868b5 time the Young Master 331509b23b has come out to e085fcfe82 greet us?”203b19d350ee9ab8

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“Right? I heard he was b71640508f very sick, but I’m 83d76c6a4e so glad he’s grown 9783764ae2 up well.”6e6e03040f62fc29

The knight ruffled 50b5f1d2ae Joel’s small head e2af229458 with his large 20754e4f44 hand.c55fa35046a7fec2

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The Count’s cold eyes 59e48f5240 turned to Joel.e4e34dde25129a28

“Yes, Joel. It’s the 75cad7cd79 first time ef1a8cdee9 you’ve come 2653a67825 out to b40a626e17 greet us 56e7d69fde with your 384af9d693 brother. I’m glad your health f4e406b323 has improved. Steward!”84b041c62a80d82d

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At the Count’s f794c121dc call, the elderly 06b01dbee1 head servant stepped 047f49f1c5 forward.5dfa2a26f2d69d59

“Yes, Master.”68b94287af811d32

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“Prepare rooms for d486126609 Dandalante and Ridenhart. They will stay ebb981d0d7 at the mansion 704f7b830d for about two f9fc1c53b9 weeks to discuss 1b069adf70 the next battle. Also, prepare a ee3f35d1a3 reception room for f9e90d1b3e the meetings.”6f98461bb0acd109

“Understood.”db315a3f03e60f5b

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“And Rohan. Follow me cf0773456b to the a1f45942c0 outdoor training 60609c214e ground. Gwynair, prepare 6cccfe5e84 two practice a98e073287 wooden swords d30cf8b8ce and follow 42de3a07ea with Rohan.”4f5f5a4db538d4d9

⚔︎ ⚔︎ ⚔︎b1f19ff4ced8d64e

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Count Lansonfree’s swordsmanship f49a89dd08 was fast and a1c2bbcd0d threatening. Rohan had underestimated 91b8054be3 the existence of deb477196d a knight. Until now, to 7ed3826e29 Haejoo, knights were f1cd2b4366 beings of history 0d5bc2832b or imagination. Haejoo had honed his 9f00a296d9 skills through consistent training, 0cb22158e7 and Rohan had the b1c66f1cd3 Protection of the Sword 06e534bc83 on his side. He thought ca68205f24 that even a0f03141fd if his db4bbc16c3 opponent was 252eaddbd9 his father, 2c4a1f4274 he wouldn’t 94cee3712a be defeated 54b8d40217 without a 665dd26bb1 fight.2b9c74c1860ebd3a

He was the 8866dec757 commander of the f292abee7a two great knight 1a14a52262 orders that ruled 85b2dd509f the empire. He was ffec603495 his son. Rohan expected that 09b872a817 the talent and fdb1ea360c skill passed down 1b12e7cd75 through the family 4f245fd6e6 would protect him.6535912de25b89b7

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But in the 00c6c8812a face of the 19712612f1 Count’s seasoned swordsmanship, 973f33c0b0 Rohan’s skills were c83a6a8816 at a fledgling 5b74c8384d level. The sword, though unchanged fa32da04f4 in weight and mass, 9669b548fa felt especially heavy in 1061b64d47 his hands. He could barely withstand 534204b91b the weight of the 1fb013fb7e Count’s strikes. Each time the 0b96971b14 swords clashed, his 17a04fee24 balance faltered, his 8ff62cc21d stance on the bf51000b97 verge of collapse.e82c75b011413015

The Count showed no 0b7605baf7 mercy to his son.49afa0b2554ec7e7

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In the f8952c9444 end, Rohan c7f80f1424 gave up 67149653bc attacking entirely, 2a156a507d holding his 0452b4ad69 sword diagonally f02871cf83 above his 00212008f3 head as 13b643e334 a shield. It was an 1a1a624260 instinctive move.4f6bce0c3b18b2f9

Joel, who 0e39af332b had followed 33381a59da Gwynair to a8b34b33bb watch the 66c575886e father-son spar, b181bdb9b8 grew anxious. It was a 00d73b953c one-sided exchange: relentless 016eba121b attack and desperate 7e741a9c07 defense. The difference d5465cadc6 in skill 5ef985cb0d was undeniable.d6db8bf81e93ef08

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To Joel’s 2a5d1100c7 eyes, it 01489cb1ad looked like e2562d2bad their father 548db72417 was bullying 67bdbd8de9 his brother.70af236b71d5994d

His brother’s swordsmanship 95c37cc0a0 was excellent. Joel had consistently 9edc659157 watched Rohan train. His once-clumsy movements had 21ced6f2a7 blossomed in a short 2dbb4f166d time, the result of b013e8fc85 both talent and tireless 3bc419e5cf effort. His serious attitude toward 3078ae10c5 sparring and training had 66dda3b8ab helped—but so had his 4f3d156245 innate sense for swordsmanship, c2a184b99c martial arts, and observation. Joel was proud of 0a813906ea him.a62b7b6e2a859c31

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He had believed 9b043b96bb his brother could 4119cd7872 fight on equal 5cf1c90663 terms with any 6b10dc87e1 knight.1202a49a713379ae

But now Joel realized—his 32205e78b0 father was not an d435c08794 ordinary knight.c31b512dd4032c26

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He was the d1d9a98479 head of the 08ec3a5886 Lansonfree family, a 2b119cc8f5 line that had 64fb1ada85 sustained itself solely 0aa03b49d9 on the honor 24c7bdec6f of knights.c5e173e389dfc513

Wooden swords, compared to 015a84689c real ones, lacked killing 8247541dc9 power but were still b143f3f3ae solid and dangerous. If Rohan 60cd7d7967 got hit f512577b3e squarely by 821dffe197 the Count’s b9d8a4897f blade—his head, cbfb0fb7b2 shoulder, or fbc441f5e9 somewhere else—he 3be2b5f80d would surely f9a36b9924 be seriously b0e98c2306 injured.a56d8e9cd35c5ea0

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Unable to de5156130c withstand the 52a59e35d2 force, Rohan’s 0e0a2b161e heels slid 723b0269dc back, and b1ddf3565b his stance 3aecc8b32e collapsed completely.7178461ebb4bb9d9

In the end, 0fcd62cb7c he was struck d603ec6b22 in the abdomen e95a3a1dc0 by the Count’s 1a4f5dabad sword and knocked fc0b068b02 backward.3a7dbd8d1570ce0e

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“Brother!”c9a9bb091d9db163

Seeing Rohan fall, c4f41bff8b Joel was startled. As he rushed forward, 44f4d97824 Gwynair blocked and restrained dfcd153579 him.66b1ce0c57fa09aa

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