This was when Montavo Gilles Gingait was a pure and fastidious young boy.
The pressure against his lack of tenacity for results was strong.
You’re a disgrace, his parents and siblings would severely scold him.
However, Montavo was not alone.
— he had a reassuring ally.
The head maid of the Gingaits, Phryne.
An old maid whose wrinkles on her face looked like cracks.
‘Bocchan’s way of thinking is wonderful. That’s right, it’s better in the beginning to know the right form and have the right heart rather than being a stickler for results’
She won her fame as a female swordsman when she was young, and she left to be a sword master for Montavo.
Under Phryne’s strict guidance, Montavo steadily exhibited his sword talents.
Half of the training Phryne assigned him were practice swings.
She made Montavo earnestly swing the sword from morning to evening.
Montavo silently performed the plain, harsh training.
‘The way the sword moves shows the user’s personality’
That was Phryne’s favorite saying.
‘A sword wielded by a person with a warped heart will swing in a warped path’
That may be true, thought Montavo.
The way his father and brothers’s swords moved was warped, they were dull.
‘They way bocchan‘s sword moves is wonderful indeed’
Phryne was strict, but time to time she would praise Montavo.
‘I have never seen a sword move so straight and true. It will take time but bocchan will surely become the strongest swordsman one day’
Seeing Phryne’s proud eyes — being seen by such eyes made him happy to no end.
As he continued swinging his sword, the path left an image in his eyes.
Montavo’s sword flashes were comfortably straight.
— this is the path I will walk.
Montavo loved his family, but he could not walk the same path as them.
Even though they’re related by blood, they were not him.
He admired their energy that would go after results no matter what, but he couldn’t do it himself —
**
If the Gingait family abandoned their stubborn third son Montavo then the story would end there.
Montavo would break away from his family and walk his own path of the straight sword.
However — Montavo’s family was attached to him.
They noticed it.
Within their third son Montavo, an excellent and strongly shining talent.
— That would be hard to let go of.
Their third son had the genius to excel at various fields.
If only he wasn’t so fixated on correctness, if only he wasn’t so selective on the means, Montavo would soon win fame on any field.
His whole family was desperate to have Montavo to come over to “their side”.
They wanted to plant the Gingait values in Montavo —
The means they chose to win Montavo over — was a carrot 1
Montavo’s family decided to treat him nicely at first.
Then they talked to him, teach him the way of the Gingait family.
If they forcefully told him to “do it this way!”, Montavo would surely resist.
However, he wouldn’t grudge his family for speaking to him nicely.
His family’s words, the Gingait values, slowly soaked into Montavo’s body —
Montavo’s heart began to waver.
— Shouldn’t I live more tenaciously, to more efficiently aim for the top?
However, Phryne scolded Montavo.
‘Bocchan. You shouldn’t choose the easy way. The way to the top is the right way!’
Montavo was lost between Phryne and his family.
— Meanwhile, Phryne fell to illness.
His father locked Phryne in a room inside the mansion.
He strictly ordered his son, “Phryne caught a contagious disease. Don’t come near under any circumstances”
He was even forbidden from visiting.
Since Phryne was gone, Montavo gradually adopted his family’s values.
Never mind grace, results is what we want.
Loss is the end, only victory has value — that way of life.
His family was happy that Montavo became “one of them”, and hurriedly taught him rulership.
The mood in the house became better, it became comfortable.
But Montavo was looking back.
(Phryne would be disappointed if she saw me now …)
He wanted to go visit her, but Phryne’s illness didn’t heal even after three months.
She had been locked in the small room the whole time.
**
Even after half a year, Phryne’s illness didn’t show any sign of getting better.
Montavo, of course, became doubtful.
— Did Phryne receive proper treatment?
She should have.
She really should have …
Montavo came to Phryne’s room several times, but he didn’t open the door.
His father strongly told him not to open it, also, he didn’t want Phryne to see him now that he had gotten clever.
**
And that night finally came.
That night, Montavo couldn’t sleep no matter what, and left his bed.
He walked down the corridor to get some air — and then he noticed a suspicious sound.
— From the first floor, he heard the noise of something being dragged.
He approached with quiet steps, and there was —
“Phryne …”
A thinner Phryne was there.
She was crawling on the floor with a desperate look on her face.
He hurried to save her, but Phryne told him with hard breaths.
“Bocchan … please liste