BXBX NOVEL Chapter 56.1: Mars (2)
On the hill.
Looking down at the view from above, Mars muttered in a gloomy tone.
“Isabella’s treatment towards me these days has been strangely distant.”
“Distant, mh?”
“She\'s not completely withdrawn, but compared to the past, she is not as amiable. Before, if I couldn\'t find time when I got busy, she would come to visit me directly. Even after hyung sent me money and I started to focus on practicing swordsmanship.”
Mars had a bitter expression on his face.
“But the number of visits started to decrease bit by bit, and at some point she totally stopped.”
"She totally stopped, hm… I only want to ask you one thing, you also visited her from time to time, didn\'t you?"
“…”
Mars bit his lips tightly.
“Goodness, you really became a punk with no conscience? You want someone to keep visiting you while you just stay put?”
"I know! I know I did something stupid! But at that time, I was really not in my right mind. Thanks to hyung, I got to learn proper swordsmanship for the first time, and as I practiced, I felt like I was growing, so addicted that I couldn’t even let go of my sword in sleep!”
No matter how much he had practiced before, his was a half penny worth swordsmanship that he taught himself. Mars knew it as well. Therefore, when he first met Cloud, he was easily lured by his provocations.
But that changed ever since he met Cloud.
After Cloud taught him, Mars\' insubstantial swordsmanship changed systematically.
With the money Cloud sent from time to time, he learned skills at the Swordsmanship Guild. When he returned home, he would immediately practice the skills he learnt.
He didn\'t have to do chores to earn a living like before, so he was able to focus wholly on practicing swordsmanship.
The more he dug into the realm of swordsmanship, the more mysterious it became.
Captivated by the mystery, Mars fell into a trance facing the sorcery of swordsmanship, and once he grabbed the sword, there were times he only stopped when the day had almost came to an end.
“Every time my swordsmanship improved, it felt like I was becoming a man more suitable for Isabella. It told me that one day I would become a great knight, and that gave me the confidence that I would become capable of keeping Isabella happy, which made me work even harder.”
“…”
“I was so crazy about swordsmanship that I only realized later how much I had neglected Isabella. I went straight to Isabella and apologized for neglecting her. But Isabella did not accept my apology.”
After hearing Mars\' sincere apology, Isabella scoffed at him, saying that he came too late, and walked away.
“She\'s justifiably angry, because she\'s right. So, I tried many ways to show my sincerity, and how much I wanted her to forgive me. I visit her every day to apologize, buy stuff Isabella might like from the city and give it to her as a gift. I thought it was strange because nothing was changing no matter how hard I tried…but…b-but…”
In the end, Mars could no longer bear it and burst into tears.
A cry full of sorrow.
Like the sob of a child who lost his parents, it sounded so similar.
Because to him, Isabella was his everything.
Cloud patted on Mars\' back, wiping away his tears and runny nose with his sleeve, while comforting him.
It should not be as he said.
‘That pink woman\'s love is not so light to cool off just because he neglected her a bit for sometime.’
At the end of ‘The Tale of a Knight\'s Affair\', she eventually changes, but before the mid-to-late part, she consistently shows her love for Mars through her actions.
At the beginning of the plot, she is just so sweet that it even produces unrealistic fantasies in one\'s heart.
That pink woman\'s present love will not be quenched just because Mars somewhat neglected her because he was immersed in swordsmanship…
‘She\'s like a hanging bone.’
Most probably, when the hanging bone Isabella was struggling with Mars\' changes, she must have been given advice by a "self-proclaimed dating expert" appearing out of nowhere.
Otherwise there\'s no way that pink woman would have changed so much.
She must be doing what the self-proclaimed dating expert said her to do, to keep her man under her control… to put a leash on Mars.
What will happen if Mars is caught by a leash and the original plot continues?
Cloud, imagining it for a moment, frowned and shook his head.
It will be horribly awful.
Such a thing shouldn\'t happen.
Cloud decided to cut off Mars\'s relationship with her somehow.
“Hyung, how can I bring Isabella back?”
Mars, who suddenly stopped crying, asked Cloud. It was as if he thought that there might be a way out of what looked like darkness filled with light expectations.
Cloud placed the hand that had been patting his back on Mars\' shoulder.
“Mars, let’s face the reality. Your pink woman… and that man with her, you saw him too. Tall and good-looking.”
"…yes."
“Do you know who he is?”
"…the baron\'s son."
"Alright. Now let\'s recap what we know. Isabella is dating a guy without your knowledge. The man is tall, handsome and even a noble. He\'s literally the idol of all common women. Hash, do you have any advantage where you think you exceed than that guy?”
Mars didn\'t answer right away.
Mars wasn\'t ugly. He could be considered quite handsome. However, he doesn\'t fit within the circle of real handsome men.
Mars isn\'t rich either. He is an orphan who had been doing village chores for a living until he met Cloud. On the other hand, the baron\'s son is wealthy. He would be atleast rather well-off, even if he is not as rich as other nobles.
Knowledge and house management skills?
It is ridiculous to compare an orphan with a noble in such matters.
After pondering for a long time, biting his lips, Mars gave a weak answer.
"Being her shield…"
"Shield? What is that? Maybe you want to say that you can get stronger and keep Isabella safe. Well, isn\'t that what you\'re implying?"
Mars lowered his head sullenly. Cloud sighed.
“Look here, Mars. No matter how small a baron family of any kingdom is, it\'s way more lavish than a commoner\'s. Not only trained soldiers, but they also have a few trained knights. Are you confident about defeating those knights?
“…but hyung can beat those knights, right?”
"…uh? Me? Um…yeah. If it\'s me… I can beat any knight, I guess..?”
“Then I can also win. It may seem unreasonable right now, but if I keep trying…”
“If you keep trying? But until when? When will you be capable of keeping Isabella better protected than a noble household? Can you say for sure when?”
“….”