The Fascinating Cheesecake - Part Three

I have a sweet tooth.

That is because ever since I was young, whenever my father returned from an expedition, he would always bring back sweets from famous shops.

I was simply happy that my father had returned safely.

My brother and I would always eat every last piece of those sweets, which served as proof of his safe return.

Time passed, and my father retired from his position as Commander of the Knights Templar with all his limbs intact, entrusting the seat of commander to me.

My brother did not try to become the commander of the Knights Templar; instead, he entered the Royal Guard and became the Captain of the Royal Guard.

The relationship between us brothers was good. At least, until that time.

Back then, when I brought sweets to drink alcohol with my brother to reward him for his work as leader…

I got into an argument with my brother over whose chosen sweet was more delicious.

Naturally, I was aware it was a silly fight. However, there was something I could not yield.

That was because the sweet I chose was the very sweet my father used to buy for us.

My brother insisted that the sweet from a pastry shop he discovered himself was more delicious.

Feeling as though my memories had been denied, I could not forgive it.

In the end, after that incident, we brothers ceased sitting together harmoniously at the dining table.

Long years passed—both of us married, had children, and grew comfortable in our positions as commander and captain—yet we could not repair our relationship.

That bad blood between us even spread to our subordinates.

Before we knew it, the relationship between the Knights Templar and the Royal Guard had turned hostile.

I am Blitz Rynebell, Commander of the Oritor Knights Templar.

In times of peace, the Oritor Knights Templar maintain public order in the city and crack down on bandits and crime, while in times of emergency, they serve as frontline soldiers to protect the nation.

It is an honorable position.

Even in the capital alone, there are four orders, meaning I serve as the commander over all orders, including both the regions and the capital.

That said, I am not particularly fond of desk work.

From time to time, I go so far as to join my subordinates in training.

Every time I do, my close aides scold me, but it is well received by my subordinates.

Supposedly, a superior officer who trains alongside them is a rarity.

Though I simply join the training because I enjoy it.

In contrast, there is the Oritor Royal Guard.

The Royal Guard’s primary duty is castle service, deployed to guard the castle.

However, they handle matters as a select elite, charged with protecting everyone from key ministers to members of the royal family.

For that reason, each and every one of them is a formidable warrior match for a thousand.

They take pride in the heavy responsibility of protecting the royal family.

Day and night, they fight against trespassers, ruffians, foreign spies, and assassins infiltrating the castle.

The captain of that Royal Guard is my elder brother, Hiryu Rynebell.

My brother and I have mastered Rynebell Style Magic Sword Arts, which combines magic with sword technique.

Without using magic as offensive means like fire or wind, we reinforce our blades through material hardening.

Furthermore, we apply secret physical enhancements.

And we nullify (resist) enemy magic through magical barriers.

Focusing primarily on absolute close-quarters combat to utilize magic and overwhelm with swordplay—that is the essence of our Rynebell Style.

My brother’s skill and mine are evenly matched.

That fact also added fuel to the feud between the Knights Templar and the Royal Guard.

“Commander! Those Royal Guard guys are mocking us again!”

“Saying we’re just mud-covered grunt workers!”

“Even though they just serve in the pristine castle and don’t know a single thing about the common streets!”

Such complaints are a daily occurrence.

The Knights Templar basically keep their doors wide open, recruiting broadly from commoners to nobles.

However, the Royal Guard has narrow gates, accessible only to those who pass a strict exam with a recommendation from someone within the guard.

Naturally, only high-ranking individuals among the nobility tend to join, gathering people with good education.

That cannot be helped, as castle service demands a certain level of refinement and dignity.

After all, they must protect grand nobles. If someone ignorant of implicit castle rules and etiquette were employed and acted rudely, it would be a major disaster.

In fact, some among those hired resigned because they could not understand those manners. To put it bluntly, one cannot serve unless they are exceptionally tough.

Naturally, there are aspects where one must be tough to serve in our Knights Templar as well. Daily struggles with minor squabbles and issues among the populace are routine, and casualties even occur during crackdowns on illegal organizations.

This kind of petty squabbling between equals is completely meaningless.

However, those around us did not think so.

Before we knew it, a royal exhibition match between the Knights Templar and the Royal Guard was arranged to be held.

I stormed into the general’s room to negotiate directly.

“General, what is the meaning of this! Why stage something like this between the Knights Templar and the Royal Guard!”

“This is the intent of the key ministers and the King. We have no standing to object.”

“If either side wins this, repairing our relationship might become even more difficult!”

“Mind your tongue, Commander Rynebell. Do you intend to object to the King’s command?”

I understood that was impossible.

Blood felt ready to seep from the hands I clenched in frustration. I could not understand why the King would plan such a thing.

“I understand your feelings, Commander Rynebell. In truth, Captain Rynebell… ah, Hiryu-dono came to negotiate directly about the exact same thing.”

“Eh?”

My brother did?

“He spoke dispassionately about the worsening of relations and the futility of the match. He used a logical manner of speaking that left no room for anger to swell, that gentleman.”

“My brother… has always been a person who speaks quietly.”

“However, when I conveyed a certain piece of information, he backed down.”

A certain… piece of information?

“It has been decided that the Gungrave Mercenary Band will be invited to this royal exhibition match as guests of honor, and Kuuga-dono will participate.”

The Gungrave Mercenary Band?!

The legendary mercenary band possessing terrifying combat capability.

They are famous for leading Niewbist to victory—a nation said to face certain defeat—through their active performance.

And Kuuga.

The modern demon god who wields his independently refined sword art, the Kuuga Style. A sword saint said to have slain a hundred enemies single-handedly.

Swung without using any magic at all, his sword is said to trace paths that are at times beautiful, and at times ferocious.

I see, Kuuga-dono is participating.

“Hmm, brothers indeed.

Your face has softened with the joy of fighting a strong enemy.“

What?

When I touched my face, the muscles in my cheeks had indeed relaxed.

“Fighting strong enemies—that is the mission bestowed upon the Rynebell family. Will you still withdraw?”

“No, I will do it.”

Leaving the general’s office, I immediately returned to the training ground.

Stripping off all my official garments and changing into training attire, I devoted myself entirely to practicing against my subordinates.

And then came the day of the match.

Clad in my favored sword and armor, I was in the waiting room.

Separate waiting rooms were prepared for the Knights Templar and the Royal Guard, letting me feel a bit of consideration in that regard.

For now, the match would likely be dead even.

My subordinates in the Knights Templar also acknowledged the opponent’s strength.

That was a good sign. It would be nice if the other side felt the same way as well.

“Commander, it will start soon.”

“Ah, the outcome of the match between my brother and me will decide which of us challenges Kuuga-dono.”

“Please win!”

“Naturally. There is no need to worry.”

“Ah, that’s right. Commander, you love sweet things, don’t you?”

What was this all of a sudden?

“Actually, the cook over there is serving sweets to the key ministers and the King. Not only that, but to all the participants as well. This is your portion, Commander.”

What was presented to me looked quite similar to a cake.

However, the texture was far different.

A triangular sweet that looked like a combination of pale yellow and brown.

What was this?

“Supposedly, it’s a sweet made using cheese.”

“Cheese? This is?”

Speaking of cheese, it was a snack for alcohol.

When consumed with wine, an indescribably delicious flavor spread through the mouth.

“It does not seem to contain any poison, so I shall partake.”

“Yes. This was incredibly delicious.”

Ho, then I look forward to it.

Holding the received plate in one hand, I sliced through the crust together with the topping using a spoon and brought it to my mouth.

I froze.

What was this? Was this truly a cake!?

What spread in my mouth was indeed the flavor of cheese. However, there was also something I could not identify.

I understood that was the secret to its sweetness, but I could not figure out what it was.

And what astonished me… was that sugar was barely used in this.

Sugar—commonly used in famous pastry shops as a matter of course. It was a luxury seasoning, and I believed that using plenty of it was the true delight of sweets.

Yet what was this? A harmony as if the natural sweetness of cheese was refined by sugar.

While a sticky richness spread in my mouth, it was not sickly heavy.

It melted away smoothly in the mouth, leaving a magnificent aftertaste.

Perhaps the secret lay in the crust base.

Cookies were mixed into it.

However, these cookies… were different from ordinary ones.

While the taste and feel were similar, it was a completely different creation. Compared to the cookies I knew, this one won by a mile.

This must be neatly washing away any heavy richness after eating the top part.

What a magnificent sweet. Even more so than the sweet I had eaten back then.

At that moment, I came to a realization.

Back then, my brother said the sweet he brought was delicious.

I had gotten angry thinking my memories were tarnished, but that was wrong.

My brother had brought a sweet he verified with his own eyes and tongue.

It was something he selected with his own hands after leaving our father and earning a living as an independent person.

He had brought it as proof of standing on his own feet.

What a fool I had been.

Wasn’t I the pathetic one clinging to memories?

“Ah, Commander, where are you going!?”

Unable to sit still, I shoved the rest of the sweet into my mouth and started running.

I had to apologize.

For mocking the sweet through which my brother had resolved to live independently in his own way.

For my fault in throwing a tantrum like a child without even trying to understand my brother’s resolve.

When I burst into the Royal Guard’s waiting room, my brother was eating the sweet all by himself.

Unstartled by my entry, he quietly placed his plate on the desk.

“Blitz, is it? I was thinking I needed to see you as well.”

“Brother, I—”

“Back then, what you brought was a sweet of memories for us, wasn’t it?”

My brother spoke quietly.

“I remembered after our argument. That was the sweet Father always bought for us as a souvenir. However, after throwing such a fit, admitting my fault and apologizing felt pathetic, so I brought out unnecessary pride. In the end, we could not reconcile. We both married, had children, and I gave up, thinking we could never repair our relationship. And then comes this sweet.”

“Brother…”

“The sweet I thought was delicious was ultimately nothing more than a lump made of sugar. However, the sweet you brought held something beyond deliciousness. Memories. Warm memories elevated the taste of that sweet. Good grief, a person’s palate from childhood truly does not change.”

“No. I failed to see your resolve, Brother. I failed to notice you standing and walking on your own feet without clinging to memories. I was the one in the wrong. Therefore…”

Bowing my head,

“I am truly sorry!”

I was finally able to apologize.

“In that case, I must apologize as well. I am sorry, Blitz.”

Tears felt ready to spill.

Not because my brother bowed his head to apologize to me.

But because he called my name for the first time in over ten years.

I was simply, truly happy.

“Blitz. I am thinking of withdrawing from our match.”

“Wh-Why, Brother?”

“Listen. There is no longer any reason for us to fight. This match was an event to vent mutual grievances and resolve them. If so, now that we brothers have reconciled, there is no need for us to fight.”

That was true. Exactly as he said.

The prerequisite of this match itself was to repair our relationship.

If so, now that our relationship was repaired, it no longer mattered.

“More importantly, Blitz. This sweet is truly delicious.”

“What is this all of a sudden?”

“That cook who made this sweet… don’t you want him?”

Seeing my brother smirk, I realized his intention.

“I see. If we join forces…”

“We should be able to beat Kuuga-dono as well. At that time, we can simply poach the cook.”

Submitting a petition to the referee of the match, we came to fight Kuuga-dono together in joint battle.

Standing side by side on the stage, it truly brought back those days.

Those fun, childhood days.

While thinking that, Kuuga-dono appeared before us.

He was a slender gentleman. While certainly a handsome young man, he did not look like someone who could accomplish slaying a hundred men.

However, we could not let our guard down.

The spirit radiating from the gentleman… was it not overwhelming?

“Pardon us, Kuuga-dono. I am Blitz Rynebell, Commander of the Knights Templar.”

“I am Hiryu Rynebell, Captain of the Royal Guard.”

“I’m Kuuga. Nothin’ grand enough to warrant formal introductions, though.”

“No, during the previous battle, I bore witness to your martial prowess.”

“Truly a warrior worthy of being called a demon god.”

Yes, while doubting, I had witnessed it.

In that battle, Kuuga-dono’s overwhelming strength as he took position right in the middle of the battlefield and methodically cut down enemies.

“Believing I could not stand against a demon god like you alone, I came to participate together with my elder brother.”

“Forgive us, Kuuga-dono. We too have our pride. Even if called cowardly for ganging up two against one, there are things we cannot afford to lose.”

Commander of the Knights Templar and Captain of the Royal Guard.

With the two of us fighting together, we had to win this battle no matter what.

“And we would like you to make one promise.”

“What’s this, askin’ for favors in a situation like this?”

“I am well aware it is cheeky. The mysterious sweet we received in the waiting room—we heard it was crafted by your cook.”

“If we win, we wish to take that cook into our service.”

“That sweet was magnificent. So much so that it mended our rift.”

“Therefore, we wish to welcome that cook and have him prepare meals in our nation by all means.”

At that instant, Kuuga-dono’s supreme aura surged dramatically.

This was what it meant for demonic intensity to press upon someone. I felt a terrifying pressure.

This was the sheer intensity of the man who slew a hundred enemies!

“Fine by me. However…”

Kuuga-dono raised his sword into a high stance,

“…that’s only if ye can win.”

He declared to us.

“…Brother.”

“Mm, what terrifying spirit. Nay, ’tis demonic pressure.”

Both my brother and I took our stances.

Rynebell Style Magic Sword Art: Demon Summoning.

A fundamental technique of the Rynebell Style that enhances physical abilities and the sword.

I kicked off the ground first.

The feeling of the ground vanished from my rear foot as I unleashed a thrust aimed straight at Kuuga-dono’s throat.

Rynebell Style: Galesevering Thrust.

The fastest attack in the Rynebell Style, unleashing all power concentrated into a single point of the thrust.

Dodge it if you can!

“Don’t make me laugh!!!”

That single phrase.

Those words from Kuuga-dono.

In an instant, the sword that should have been held in a high stance vanished along with his arm, and—

CLANG!!

Swung at what could be called divine speed, his sword snapped my blade clean in two.

“Im-Impossible!”

Kuuga-dono delivered a downward slash faster than my fastest thrust.

That was all. Yet it was far from ordinary.

Vanishing without even appearing in sight, without even a feeling of resistance, he cleaved through a sword enhanced by magic.

I-Impossible!

My brother attacked from the side of the stunned me.

Rynebell Style: Mowing Flow.

While being a horizontal slash, it was a technique that in reality altered its trajectory upward or downward in an instant to launch a surprise assault.

The technique had already been unleashed, and should have struck Kuuga-dono.

However, I saw it.

The flow of power originating from Kuuga-dono’s ankle transferred to his sword without the slightest stagnation.

As a result, even his upward slash possessed divine speed, bisecting my brother’s sword right from the middle.

“Th-That can’t be!”

Taking instant measure of our opening after losing our weapons,

Kuuga-dono drew his short sword and thrust both blades at our throats in a dual-wielding stance.

“Wanna keep goin’?”

There was no way we could do any more.

Having lost our weapons, the power over life and death lay on the other side.

There was no choice but to surrender.

“It’s me victory. Give up on the cook.”

Sticking a nail in us at the very end, Kuuga-dono stepped down from the stage.

In the end, it concluded with our defeat.

Afterward, we received a reprimand from the general, but the general reportedly felt relieved upon seeing our state.

He was glad our relationship had been repaired.

On a later date, a banquet was held following a joint exercise between the Knights Templar and the Royal Guard.

Although various things happened regarding the match, seeing the relationship between my brother and me, the bond between the forces gradually softened.

We truly learned that the attitude of superior officers can adversely affect subordinates as well.

Since then, we decided to deepen our acquaintance as families too.

Opportunities to introduce our wives and children and enjoy pleasant chats increased.

“Do you know, Blitz? Apart from our intentions, it seems key ministers were making moves to poach the cook.”

“What? Is that true?”

“Ah, but after seeing our match, they apparently lost the nerve. Doing underhanded work against a mercenary band so utterly outside the norm—there’s no telling what kind of retaliation would await them.”

That makes sense, I agreed.

Kuuga-dono’s strength is extraordinary. It truly exceeds human bounds.

We decided to practice in the early morning.

So that we would never suffer a defeat like that again.

Naturally, we did not forget sweets either.

Though it was a shame we could not eat that cheesecake again.

---

The Oritor Royal Exhibition Match would later become an event recorded in history.

It was known as the location where the Secret Art of the Kuuga Style Hard Sword Art was awakened.

Secret Art: Heavenly Severance.

A secret art fitting for the Hard Sword Art, where one simply swings the sword while demonstrating their physical ability and body manipulation to the absolute limit.

However, what happens when those necessary for mastering the Kuuga Style are demonstrated to the maximum?

As a result, it becomes a hard sword that cleaves through both sword and armor together.

Kuuga Yanagi is said to have gained that perspective during this match and mastered it after much training.

The founder’s Heavenly Severance was said to be a sword that, when swung on the battlefield, would cleave even the clouds in the sky in two.

The Rynebell Style Magic Sword Art that served as its opponent would later close its doors and slowly end its history.

However, that Magic Sword Art was incorporated into the Kuuga Style, maintaining its lifeline.