"The Sword Saint, huh?" I repeated with a nod. I had heard of the title before. It was granted to the most skilled swordsman or swordswoman of the era. But this girl…even though she was undoubtedly skilled with a sword, I had seen far more skilled and superior swordsman.
She couldn't even hold a candle to my dad.
"What's with that look of disbelief?" Kureha Franklin demanded. "I can show you the certification, you know! I have it somewhere…"
She began rummaging for her smartphone, and then beamed a holographic projection that displayed her certificate that declared her as the eighty-ninth Sword Saint of the Franklin family.
"I don't doubt that." I frowned. "But I find it hard to believe that you are the most skilled swordswoman in the Global Federation. Forgive me for being rude, but I have seen swordsmen more proficient than you are"
"Ah, well…" Kureha suddenly blushed a deep red. "I may be the Sword Saint, but I'm not the most skilled swordswoman in the Federation."
"…say what?"
"It's just a title. To say that I inherited the Franklin sword style, and completely mastered it. That's all."
I was suddenly reminded of all the techniques that Shawn Franklin used, and the cheesy names of those techniques. I imagined Kureha shouting out those names, and couldn't help but stifle some laughter.
"What's so funny?!" Kureha demanded.
"No, nothing. Sorry." I suppressed a chuckle and tried to look serious. "That's what the Sword Saint title is for? It's specific only to the Franklin family?"
"Well…yes." Kureha sulked. "The Franklin sword style is known to be the most beautiful form of swordsmanship in the world. The Franklin family is the strongest house of swordsmen, and one of the ten great families who is feared by the others. We are known by the name, the Sword of the Global Federation. Our lineage has given birth to men and women dedicated only to polishing their swordsmanship. We are the Blade Gods and Goddesses who stand in defense of the Global Federation, ready to cut down any foe who dares bare their fangs at us."
"…uh, okay." That sounded grand and all, but I wasn't sure if it matched the reality. If this girl was the current Sword Saint of the strongest house of swordsmen in the Federation, then we were pretty much fucked.
Kureha caught sight of my disbelieving expression, and she looked even more embarrassed, squirming under my gaze.
"Okay…I'm the Sword Saint of my generation. I'm not the only Sword Saint in my family. My mother is also the Sword Saint, and so is my grandmother. It's just that…I succeeded the Sword Saint title ahead of Cousin Shawn, before he was…" She trailed away. I didn't press her. After all, I personally witnessed his death with my own eyes.
Then she brightened up.
"But…but! I've often been told that I'm the greatest genius in the history of the Franklin family! That I will surpass my mother in five years! Give me some time and I'll prove it on the battlefield!"
"You already proved your skill earlier," I assured her. "Not many girls your age can fight off so many professional mages singlehandedly. I can tell you that I would never be able to cut down so many magical projectiles with a sword alone."
That was true, because I wasn't really a swordsman. I was a summoner, so obviously I wouldn't be able to polish my swordsmanship to its pinnacle.
"Speaking of which, why were all those guys after you? They looked like they were trying to kill you." I scowled as I folded my arms. "And they even attacked me when I poked my head out of the door. Are they some kind of criminal organization or something?"
Kureha turned solemn. "They were sent to assassinate me."
"Assassins? Those guys?" I burst out laughing. Kureha gave me a look of astonishment. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I chortled. "Sorry, but I've seen amateurs who do the job much better than them. They may be professional mages, but they are in no way assassins. If that's what they're calling themselves, then they're insulting the vocation."
"They're not professional assassins," Kureha conceded. "But they were still formidable enemies."
"That I don't doubt," I admitted, remembering how easily and quickly they overcame Aries, Capricorn and Taurus. Granted, there were a dozen of them, but even then, to obliterate three of my Constellation spirits in such a short time was no mean feat. "Do you have any idea who sent them after you? A rival great family, perhaps?"
Honestly, it was none of my business, but I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. Better to know than to remain ignorant. I might even be able to use these politics between the great families to my own advantage.
"Or perhaps an underground organization? A criminal syndicate?" I continued when Kureha didn't reply immediately.
The Franklin family, according to her, was a house of swordsmen, after all. It was inevitable that they would clash against underground organizations and criminal syndicates while carrying out their duties to protect the Global Federation. I had no doubt that they had made plenty of enemies along the way while swinging their swords to cut down foes of the Federation.
However, Kureha shook her head.
"No…these men…they were most likely sent by my own family. Or to be more accurate, my relatives."
"…what?"
Now I didn't expect that. I stared at Kureha in surprise.
"Your relatives?"
"There's fierce competition between the various families in House Franklin," Kureha explained sadly. "If I die, then one of my other cousins will get the Sword Saint title. My uncles and aunts must be aiming for that." she hardened her gaze. "Especially after Cousin Shawn's death. He was the next in line to get the Sword Saint title after me, so before then, they had not much of a reason to eliminate him. But ever since his death, these…attacks began growing more frequent."
I couldn't help but be impressed. In other words, this wasn't the first and only attack. She must have fended them all off, and survived till today by relying on her magnificent and elegant sword skills.
Then again, it had only been less than a week since that fateful incident in Southampton City, so just how many attempts on her life could she possibly suffer from?
"But the person I'm most worried about isn't myself," she confessed. "It's my family."
"Didn't you say your mother and grandmother are the Sword Saints of their generations?" I asked, confused. "I'm sure they can take care of themselves. More so than you, if you don't mind me saying."
"Oh, I'm not worried about Mother and Grandmother." Kureha shook her head. "I'm more worried about my sister, Kurenai."
"…huh?"
I wasn't aware that she had a sister. And why were they both named with seemingly Japanese names even though their family name was quite clearly non-Japanese? Perhaps one of their parents was of Japanese descent, which meant they were half Asian. However I couldn't see any Asian features at all, what with her hair being silver instead of black, and her eyes being bright blue.
Well, it was none of my business and quite clearly it was inappropriate for me to ask about her lineage right now, so I stifled my curiosity and returned to the main point.
"Well, she should be safe under your mother's care, right?"
"…that's the problem." Kureha looked glum. "Mother and Grandmother are currently away on a mission. To eliminate a criminal organization that has been manufacturing these weird tools to artificially trigger Emergence events. They won't be back for another month or so."
How coincidental. They were on the exact same mission as Dad. The Global Federation was really mobilizing every resources they had in order to combat this new, terrifying threat. I understood why. I didn't want terrorists strolling into my city and opening a portal for monsters to flood right in and chew the civilians to bits.
"I see. That's bad." I nodded somewhat sagely. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."
"No, it's fine." Kureha smiled. "This is something I have to do by myself. I can't rely on others to protect my own family for me."
She lowered her sapphire eyes and gripped her sheathed sword tightly. I noticed her hand trembling ever so slightly.
"If I can't even protect my own sister, then how am I supposed to bear the duty of fighting for the Global Federation in future?"
"Why are you obligated to take upon that duty anyway?"
"Huh?" Kureha turned to stare at me. I shrugged.
"What do you want to do, personally? I don't mean what your family wants you to do, or the Federation. What do you want to do?"
"That's…" Kureha stammered uncertainly, and then she looked away. "I never really thought about it."
"Perhaps it's time for you to find a reason to wield that sword for yourself, instead of being shackled by familial or societal obligations." I was probably bullshitting, but for some reason I felt sad just from looking at her. A girl like her, who was my age, should be enjoying her youth. Socializing. Doing what she wanted. Not risking her life in battle, fending off assassins and worrying about her sister's safety.
It was just so…wrong.
"I wield a sword because I want to," Kureha replied simply, holding up her sheathed sword to look at it. "I can't imagine myself doing anything else."
"That's good enough, I guess." I nodded. "As long as that feeling comes straight from your heart and not from anyone else. Not from your parents, grandparents or society. Wield that blade for yourself, and not for anyone else."
"Thank you." Kureha smiled faintly. "That sounds like great advice. I feel like I might be able to sharpen my swordsmanship further if I synchronize it with my heart and desires."
I returned the smile. "I hope it helps."
"Then…I'll take my leave." Kureha rose to her feet. "I need to return to my sister. Unlike me, she doesn't have much talent in the sword. She probably will not be able to defend herself."
"Understood. Should I call a taxi?"
"No. I'll move on foot. I don't want to draw any attention." And she cut me off before I could offer. "And there's no need to escort me. I move faster and stealthier alone."
"That didn't help you against those other guys," I muttered, waving toward the piles of ash in my courtyard.
"They caught me at home and chased me from there to here." Kureha pursed her lips. "If anything, I should leave this place before their reinforcements arrive. I don't want you to get caught up in this any more than you already are."
"I think it's a bit too late for that." I sighed, but I knew there was no arguing with her. "All right then. Be safe."
"I will."
And then, Kureha disappeared into the night, a silver blur that hopped from rooftop to rooftop and fading into the distance in mere seconds.
She really was the Sword Saint of her generation, huh?