267: Sneaky Guest (1)

The morning that dawned on the Pareira territory was bright.

It was the usual wind, the usual sky, the usual atmosphere.

However, that wasn’t it. Everything was the same as yesterday, but the mood today had something different.

At least, it was a day where everyone who had a close relationship with Airn could smile…

“Eh, Airn, how do you feel about starting a relationship?”

It was because of the meaningful and important event which had happened the day before.

“Haha…”

“Hm, are you going to fool around like that? Fine. I have someone else to ask, apart from you. Ilya?”

“Be quiet.”

“I don’t want to.”

Bratt Lloyd snapped and Airn seemed puzzled. Ilya had shown a sharp reaction, but it was only her speech which was like that since the reaction she showed was no different from Airn. They were both still shy.

And since it was fun, Bratt teased them.

Kirill who looked at the persistent and childish question shook her head and Lulu sighed.

‘There’s one who acts like a child and makes fun of them and then there are the ones who are shy like children.’

It felt like the mental age of these people stopped at the teens.

Certainly, it wasn’t as good as their swordsmanship.

Clang!

“Bratt, how about a spar?”

“…”

“I refuse your refusal.”

“…can’t help it.”

Clearly impatient, Ilya Lindsay drew out her sword and Bratt took a stance.

It was a sudden change, but it wasn’t too strange. That was why they were in the training hall in the first place.

However, Kirill had no choice but to consider it absurd.

‘NO, how is it that they start dating and the next day, they both come to the training hall?’

Her older brother was one thing, but she couldn’t understand why Ilya was also doing it.

Of course, she did understand that Ilya grew so much because of the passion and effort she had, but still, she should be hoping for something sweet from the beginning of their relationship.

“Really, they’re fools who only know swords…”

Kang!

Kang!!

“Ku…!”

“Hmph!”

“Wah, being so real.”

In the end, Bratt and Ilya really started fighting.

They weren’t the only ones doing it seriously, even Airn’s eyes were serious.

Anyone could see how immersed he was in the battle between the two.

Kirill sighed. Sensing that she wasn’t in the right place, she took Lulu into her arms and then left the place.

Nevertheless, Airn didn’t take his eyes off the two who were fighting.

‘Indeed, Ilya’s skills are improving.’

He felt it when he went to the Lindsay mansion.

Recently, she was showing explosive growth.

However, even taking that into consideration, today’s appearance was surprising.

Although Bratt was at the beginning stage of a Master, she was overwhelmingly and leisurely holding him down.

What happened?

Did she have a realization?

Airn who thought for a while, soon found the answer.

It had started from Ignet, where a sword was firmly established in the hearts of the people she had affected.

It was thanks to the growth of the Hero’s Sword, or the Sword of the Heart.

‘It is the same with me.’

‘The Sword of the Heart’ is a sword that utilizes the ‘will to protect’ against a devil’s desire for chaos.

In other words, it also meant that, the greater the desire to protect something, the greater the potential.

Airn concentrated on his inner self.

As it was originally, through language and promises, the relationship between the two had become deeper and stronger.

As he thought that the effect was being exerted through his lover’s sword, his feelings for Ilya turned even more intense.

To the extent where the days of the past where he had been hiding his love, pretending to not know and ignoring it, all felt foolish.

‘It won’t be like that in the future.’

He had to express it even better than now.

But it was fine. Since this was just the start.

Watching his lover who looked prettier than yesterday, Airn smiled.

At that moment, Bratt who bounced back due to an attack from Ilya said,

“… dirty couple.”

“…?”

“…?”

“It is so disgraceful to have you guys exchange glances while dealing with me.”

“um…”

“Uh…”

“Comin! Ahhh!”1

Kwang!

Excited, Bratt stomped strongly.

It was a charge so intense that a spider web-like crack appeared on the floor of the hall.

His charge was as if he was actually dealing with enemies, but his attack still didn’t reach Ilya.

Clang!

Clang!

Wheik…

Kang!

Bratt was frivolously counterattacked and he missed his chance, and the blue sword of his flew out of his hand and fell to the floor.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell.

As the knights that watched saw that the Masters’ match was done, them, along with the soldiers who managed the hall, and even Kirill and Lulu who returned since they had nothing to do, couldn’t close their mouths.

Bratt, who slowly picked up the sword, took a stance and said,

“Until my sword reaches the sky, I will not stop today!”

“…”

It was the second day since Airn and Ilya had become lovers.

Bratt held them from their activities until the afternoon.

Time passed.

The estate was as usual, the Airn couple were the same as usual.

Except for the brief dinner date and the swordsmanship duels that they had all day.

The days were so fierce that even some knights would bite their lips as they saw the duels.

However, there was a man who was more devoted to swordsmanship than them.

It was Bratt Lloyd, the noble of the Gerbera Kingdom.

Whoo!

“Phew!”

Whoo!

“Haa…”

Always holding the Aura Sword, which consumed immense stamina, and a repeated swinging of the sword.

He didn’t hesitate to fight against Ilya or Airn, who he knew were superior to him. Rather, he wanted them to fight against him even more.

Seeing him pushing himself to the limit, everyone in the Pareira estate couldn’t help but be amazed at it.

“…”

It was the same with Kirill Pareira.

No, her surprise was greater than the others.

She knew. The fact that Bratt Lloyd must have trained a lot.

And that the status of Sword Master couldn’t be reached by talent alone.

However, Bratt’s appearance that she had seen so far was relaxed, playful, mischievous…

She hadn’t thought deeply about his efforts till now.

‘… he doesn’t fall behind my brother.’

Not anymore.

Rather than pranking Ilya, the figure silently swung the sword.

Concentrating on the battle he had lost, he engraved the losses deeply in his mind.

One week passed, and then it became two weeks and then three.

Seeing his will and commitment which didn’t turn dull even after a month passed, the young sorcerer changed her opinion of him.

A genius who traversed the same path as another genius.

Seeing Brat Lloyd walk the path without getting frustrated, Kirill thought.

Him being Airn’s friend was an amazing thing.

“See you again, brother Bratt!”

“…!”

Right.

To Bratt Lloyd who was leaving the Pareira estate, it was the first time Kirill used the term brother… and there was a reason.

Of course, the others weren’t aware of the change in her heart.

Bratt was the same.

However, his embarrassment didn’t last long.

The blue haired swordsman smiled and opened his mouth while looking at Kirill.

“Don’t fall for me.”

“…”

“My friend, you know, I can’t look at Lance Peterson in the face if that happens.”

“… just, get lost.”

“Haha. See you again. And… you two.”

Bratt returned to the strict expression in an instant and looked at Airn and Ilya.

“Wait for me. Sooner or later. Bratt and Judith will crush you.”

“…”

“…”

“Sooner might be a little difficult? Anyway… the time will come, so just wait patiently.”

“And goodbye.”

With that, Bratt Lloyd left the estate. Without waiting for even his attendants, he left with just a sword in his hand.

No one would think of him as a high ranking noble of a powerful nation.

But no one took him lightly either.

“… I need to train.”

Ilya, who was looking at Bratt’s back, suddenly said that and went straight to the training hall.

Airn nodded his head. He thought the same, and as always, his feelings for the sword arose strongly today since he had seen Bratt’s display all month.

However, it wasn’t the time for that right now.

He turned his head and looked at the direction where his friend was leaving.

Airn watched him for a long time.

Leaving the residence.

Leaving the mansion and the estate.

Bratt Lloyd, who was leisurely walking through the autumn plain, glanced back.

Now, the Pareira estate had started changing little by little.

However, what reflected in his eyes the most were his friends who were bigger than him.

“…”

He didn’t think about it for long since there was no reason to keep looking at that.

Airn wasn’t the same person he had been during the time he had spent at Krono either.

He recalled seeing Ilya Lindsay’s sword and falling into despair.

Seeing Airn’s vertical slash and traces of the stage, he remembered how disappointed he felt in himself…

Now, he was old enough to let all of that go.

“Should I drain it well this time?”

Srrng!

Bratt Lloyd drew his sword. The sound that came out of the sword was clear. He also liked the color of the blue sword.

He smiled slightly and moved ahead.

He moved forward in a slow and leisurely manner and began to wield the sword.

Wong!

With a swing, the inferiority he had towards Airn was shattered.

Woong!

With another swing, he brushed off his entitlement to Ilya.

Little by little, he brushed away the negative emotions that were entangled within him with every step, breath and action he took.

Before long, Bratt’s movements began to flow like water.

Woong!

Wooong!

Suddenly, the wind that had blown lingered on his body and matched the sword.

It wasn’t a bad wind.

It wasn’t forcing him.

It didn’t block him.

It didn’t even try to grab him.

Rather, it felt gentle, and it was as if it was coolly pushing him in the direction Bratt desired to move…

Bratt swung the sword longer than he expected and kept moving.

And came to his senses after about an hour of starting the Sword Dance.

“…”

Who?

Looking around, Bratt thought.

It was his thing to flow freely and embrace the wind which blew.

However, when asked if he had made the wind his familiar, then no, he would shake his head.

‘An amazing person was here.’

A mysterious figure who had hid so naturally that even Bratt couldn’t notice, and that person had then disappeared in an instant.

When Bratt was mulling over the sword dance he did, the figure who had been watching him till then, moved away and thought.

“… I finally get to see you. Hope you are fine, my daughter.”

At that time, the swordsman closest to the sky was moving rapidly to the Pareira estate.

With blazing eyes.