The next day, they arrived at the workplace of Lamp and the other four.
Like the Wynne family, this lord was also a regional ruler under the Sepaeda banner and, naturally, his estate was not as luxurious as the Sepaeda main house.
However, everything was well maintained, and there was no sense of hardship at all.
The residence assigned to the five combat instructors was more than spacious enough, clearly reflecting how well they were being treated.
The territory itself was prosperous, and the five were evidently receiving proper hospitality.
With their living situation secure, the only remaining concern was their relationship with the lord.
Sansui couldn’t help but worry—were things going well between them? But the moment they exchanged greetings, that worry vanished.
“Welcome, welcome indeed, Lord Sansui Shirokuro!”
“Yes, thank you for receiving us.”
The presence radiating from the lord was overwhelmingly warm. He made no effort to hide his goodwill, greeting the family with barely contained excitement.
His sincerity reached Blois and Lain as well, allowing the entire family to exchange greetings without any tension.
“Your students are currently at work instructing the soldiers. I’ve told them to come as soon as they finish, so please, make yourselves comfortable. Or if you prefer, I can guide you to the training area where they are right now.”
“No, no. If anything, my presence alone might put needless pressure on the soldiers. And today we came simply to pay our respects. Please don’t trouble yourself.”
“Indeed... The soldiers would likely be far more terrified of you than of me,” the lord joked lightly.
Then he spoke the words they’d come all this way to hear:
“Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.”
“Thank you very much.”
It was a standard congratulatory phrase, but Sansui felt sincerely happy. Blois and Lain were smiling as well, of course.
“In truth, it should have been I who visited first, yet I’ve made you go to the trouble of coming here. I hardly know what to say...”
“What are you saying? I’m just a warrior. I’m not someone worthy of making a lord travel just to greet me.”
“What are you saying? If an invitation from you had arrived, any house would have been delighted to attend. And not through a representative—most would have sent their heads of family or someone close to that rank, gladly.”
Just like the recent joint wedding, invitations in the Arcana Kingdom were sent from house to house, and even if a formal invitation was sent, it didn’t necessarily mean the lord himself would attend. That was always decided by the receiving house.
Ordinarily, such words from a lord might be considered flattery, but this time, he meant every word.
“I hear you received an extraordinary number of gifts from Magyan. You plan to display them at your wedding, of course? It will surely be a ceremony as splendid as the recent joint wedding—perhaps even more so. I imagine many wish they could be there to see it.”
“A-Ah, yes... Matching the dignity of those gifts is taking considerable effort. More so for the artisans than for us, truth be told.”
Sansui phrased it delicately, saying they were putting in “effort” so as not to be rude. In reality, he wanted to say it had been exhausting—overwhelming, even.
All the Shirokuro family wanted was a nice ceremony. But the artisans responsible for adorning the wedding venue—once they saw the gifts—had been sent into an uproar and subsequently turned the entire event into a major undertaking.
They weren’t the ones doing the actual work, but their emotional stamina had been heavily consumed.
Seeing the entire family visibly worn out, the lord quietly grasped the weight of their ordeal.
“If you’ve put that much effort into it, I’m sure the ceremony will be magnificent. When it’s over, you will no doubt feel it was worth doing.”
“I...certainly hope so.”
Of course, such reassurance rarely reaches those still in the middle of their struggle. Some things simply can’t be understood until after they’re done.
“Heh heh... Now then, Lord Sansui. One of the reasons you’ve come to my estate is to confirm that your students are fulfilling their duties properly, is it not?”
“Yes, that’s right. They are my first students. Of course, there’s also Lord Saiga and Lord Tahlan. But those two are in a separate category entirely...”
Sansui pretended to be concerned, but his expression had softened. At the very least, judging by the lord’s demeanor, there was no sign of problems at all.
“The five have been doing very well. They do seem troubled over how strictly they should train me and my son, but their strength as swordsmen is more than sufficient. No... It may be something more than strength.”
At those words, Blois nodded vigorously. Of all people, she understood such things best.
Sansui’s true strength lay in the breadth of his fighting style and the cleverness of his technique.
The five had inherited those qualities; despite lacking innate talent, they could still fight with foresight.
“To be perfectly honest, their skill is almost wasted as simple combat instructors. I’d rather employ them as my elite forces if I could...”
“That is the highest praise one could receive as a swordsman.” Sansui let out a relieved sigh.
There was something undeniably comforting about hearing it spoken aloud.
“The students working in other territories are surely receiving similar evaluations. Truly, you are a top-class instructor.”
“Aha ha...”
Sansui laughed with a childlike shyness. He was a man who would humbly deny being called the strongest—yet when praised through his students, he could accept it wholeheartedly.
Seeing his delighted expression made both Blois and Lain smile as well.
“All your students respect you deeply. To be blessed by such people... Your ceremony will certainly be a wonderful one.”