SWNOVELXO Chapter 57
An official letter of apology arrived from the House of Jabilon—accompanied by extravagant gifts.
Elisha had been placed under house arrest, forbidden from leaving her room for an extended period. Naturally, this meant she couldn’t attend school either.
“That was quick.”
Then again, what excuse could they possibly make? She had shoved the guest—none other than the duke’s daughter—down a staircase. There was no room for excuses.
Moreover, there was a clear eyewitness to the incident.
“Petro.”
The fact that Petro, Elisha’s elder brother, had been the witness did not work in her favor. Petro was never one to shield someone from consequences, even if they were family.
As a result, Elisha had no choice but to accept her punishment in full.
Of course, Duke Sorpel was still dissatisfied, claiming the punishment was far too lenient.
“What’s with that guy, anyway?”
It was unusual to see Petro angry. He was the type to smile, even while committing murder, yet here he was, visibly furious.
And to think the target of his anger was his own sister. That was the most shocking part of all. Petro, who usually doted on his younger sister just as much as the Duke of Jabilon did, had erupted in anger.
“Elisha talked about it all the time.”
She would often say that it was her brother Petro who had filled the void left by their mother when she was young.
“For someone like that to get mad at her for the first time…”
It must have been a huge shock for Elisha.
“Well, not that it’s my concern.”
Camilla moved at a leisurely pace. The school, with all its classes concluded, was quiet.
She had stayed until this late hour for one reason only—to satisfy her curiosity.
“I can’t sleep when I’m curious about something.”
Since her visit to the House of Jabilon, a persistent question had been circling in her mind. Now, she had decided to act on it.
Her destination was the school’s training grounds, prepared specifically for swordsmanship practice. As expected, the place was completely deserted at this late hour.
“Not entirely empty, though.”
Stopping in her tracks, Camilla gazed at the sole large tree in the training grounds. Beneath it sat a figure she had noticed countless times before.
A young man in his early twenties, a ghost with a sword embedded in his chest, sat there staring vacantly toward the training grounds. He was still in his usual spot.
“As I thought.”
This time, Camilla looked at his face properly for the first time. The sword piercing his chest was unmistakable.
With determined steps, she approached him directly. It was a stark contrast to her previous cautious attempts to avoid his gaze whenever she passed through the training grounds.
Her footsteps stopped as she stood right in front of him. She stared at him silently for a moment.
[…]
The ghost finally raised his head and met her gaze. Holding his gaze, Camilla slowly opened her mouth to speak.
“Are you Zeno Jabilon?”
Zeno Jabilon.
The man from the portrait she had seen at the Jabilon mansion. The one who had established the family’s renowned swordsmanship style.
[Do you know who I am?]
“…”
[Yes, I am Zeno Jabilon.]
The ghost—Zeno Jabilon—was now sitting before Camilla, the so-called
Guardian’s Sword
still embedded in his chest.
Camilla began her investigation into ZenoJabilon. This time, she didn’t need the assistance of Luve, the head of Black Shadow.
She had Derin, the ghostly former head butler, by her side.
Though Derin wasn’t able to gather new information, he was privy to everything the Duke of Sorpel already knew. Currently, as Luve and the Duke discussed new intel, Derin lingered nearby, quietly picking up scraps of information.
Fortunately, Derin was well-versed in the details surrounding ZenoJabilon.
According to Derin, Zeno’s death was unremarkable. He had passed away naturally, succumbing to old age.
There was no battle, no assassination.
‘Which only makes this stranger.’
Why would someone who died so ordinarily behave like this? What’s with that sword?
ZenoJabilon was the one who had discovered the Sword of Guardianship—a legendary artifact referenced by countless prophets and depicted in ancient texts.
A sword that chose its wielder.
And now, seeing Zenositting with that sword lodged in his chest, Camilla couldn’t shake her confusion.
[Amazing. You can see me?]
It was the usual question she received from ghosts, so it didn’t surprise her.
However, Zeno’s demeanor shifted dramatically. Previously as stoic as a statue, he now seemed lively and animated.
[It’s so strange.]
…Even his tone was unexpectedly casual.
[How did you know I’m Zeno? Do you know the Jabilon family? How’s everyone doing? Are they well?]
…And he was exceptionally talkative.
“Yes, well…”
Camilla gave a vague answer, taking a cautious step back. Why did she feel like she’d opened Pandora’s box?
[What’s your name?]
“Camilla Sorpel.”
[Ah! A Sorpel! Your family’s still around, huh? I used to visit your estate often when I was younger. Such a ridiculously large house! I used to get lost all the time. Is the fountain in the garden still there? I remember one time I…]
Zeno’s eyes gleamed with nostalgia as he rambled.
“Why are you here, though?”
Camilla cut him off before he could go on.
[Here? It’s the training grounds.]
“I mean, why are you here?”
Why was a former head of the Jabilon family, one of its most renowned members, holed up in a place like this?
‘Come to think of it, this is odd.’
Zenohad supposedly died at the age of 67, but the man before her didn’t look a day over 20.
‘Did he rejuvenate when he died?’
Sometimes ghosts chose to appear as they were in their prime. That was likely the case here.
[I love swords.]
“Pardon?”
[I just love swords.]
“…”
Well, that’s a reason. A ghost obsessed with swords staying in a training ground wasn’t entirely implausible.
“But why this particular training ground?”
There were plenty of others. Even the Jabilon estate had a top-notch training ground.
[This was the most fun.]
“You attended this academy?”
[Yep! Call me senior.]
I’d rather not.
[The training grounds haven’t changed a bit.]
His gaze grew distant as he looked around the empty training grounds. It was as though he could see the echoes of students training, sweating, and shouting, himself among them.
“Zeno.”
At her call, Zeno turned back to her, a mischievous smile lighting his face again.
“That sword.”
[…]
Zeno’s expression hardened slightly at her next words.
“The Sword of Guardianship. Is it?”
A brief silence followed her question before he chuckled softly.
[It is.]
His eyes dropped to the sword embedded in his chest.
[The sword I discovered.]
And then—
[The sword that killed me.]
***
[Not a map today?]
Ferrol, the ghostly chef, approached Camilla in the library, peering at the book she was reading with curiosity.
[The Sword of Guardianship?]
“Oh.”
Camilla genuinely marveled.
The book was written entirely in an ancient language, yet Ferrol could read it with ease.
[I picked up a bit while researching ancient culinary practices.]
Ferrol beamed, pleased by her admiration. All those sleepless nights studying ancient texts felt worthwhile now.
[But you seem pretty good at it too.]
“I mastered ancient languages at an advanced level.”
Among the original Camilla’s rare interests was her fascination with ancient texts, a skill she had pursued passionately.
Over time, the current Camilla had also grown adept at deciphering them. She could read complex texts like the one before her without needing translations.
“Camilla.”
Jimmy, the library assistant, appeared, lugging a stack of books. He carefully set them down on her desk.
“These are the books you requested.”
“All of these are about the Sword of Guardianship?”
“Yes.”
The sheer number made Camilla sigh.
‘Maybe I should just drop this.’
What did it matter? This wasn’t even her family’s problem.
But she couldn’t leave it alone. She reached for the first book, her curiosity refusing to let go.
“Has someone else read these?”
Jimmy nodded immediately.
“Lord Ludville.”
***
‘Now that I think about it, this is a first.’
Camilla stood at the training grounds, realizing she’d never set foot here before.
Despite living at Sorpel for so long, she had always avoided this place.
She had been terrified of Ludville, even more than the Duke himself.
With his perpetually aloof demeanor, Ludville never initiated conversations. To Camilla, that silence had felt like rejection.
‘I was jealous.’
Not as much as she envied Ravi, but still, she had envied Ludville for being the Duke’s biological son.
Unlike her, he didn’t have to try. He belonged to this family effortlessly.
The fear of being cast out, the Duke’s authority—it was all meaningless to Ludville.
‘And I was terrified he’d see through me.’
The envy she harbored had made her avoid him even more.
But now, she thought she understood him better.
Camilla’s eyes landed on Ludville, overseeing the knights’ training with his usual calm precision.
He never initiated, but he never pushed anyone away either. Watching him give advice to a knight who sought help, she chuckled softly.
‘Why didn’t I realize this sooner?’
Ludville wasn’t cold or angry. He simply let people be.
“Lady Camilla?”
Her presence stirred whispers among the knights. Even Ludville finally looked up, his expression betraying faint surprise.
“What brings you here?”
He approached her quickly.
“To see you.”
“…”
What?
Blinking in confusion, Ludville stared at her, processing her words.
“Did I interrupt training?”
“No.”
“Then is now a good time?”
“It’s fine.”
Quick, direct answers. Camilla suppressed a smile.
“Lord Ludville, the next training session—”
One of the knights hesitated, trying to get his attention.
Camilla took a step back, ready to leave.
“Dismissed.”
“Excuse me?”
“Training’s done for today.”
“…What?”
Ludville’s words left the knights slack-jawed. The man who never missed a session, regardless of weather, had just canceled training.
“Let’s go over there.”
Ignoring the stunned knights, Ludville guided Camilla to a seating area.
“Want water?”
“No.”
“Something to eat? The knights had snacks earlier.”
“I’m fine.”
His sudden attentiveness puzzled her. Was he uncomfortable?
“Please, sit.”
She motioned for him to take a seat. It felt odd seeing Ludville fidgeting like this. Only after she insisted did he finally sit across from her.
“…”
But he didn’t say anything.
Camilla chuckled softly.
‘He really doesn’t push people away.’
Ludville wasn’t cold or detached. He simply allowed others to exist as they were.
‘If only I’d known sooner.’
If she had, her previous life wouldn’t have been so miserable.