As Ignet and Julius Hul, along with the other members of the subjugation squad left, the Rabat estate turned much quieter than before.
Of course, that didn’t mean that the Holy Kingdom people were noisy.
However, since the Black Knights, along with the knights of Palanque, both of who were officially Rabat's guests, had returned to their nations, the place felt relatively quieter than before.
However, even in the midst of all this quietness, there was a place from where a loud sound reverberated over and over again, and that place was the training hall.
On one side, there was Airn, someone who made a strong impression during the battle against the clown, which occurred after the final battle for champion in the Land of Proof.
And on the other side, it was Joshua Lindsay, a swordsman who was known as the best talent of the previous generation and was considered to be stronger than the five swordsman families despite his relatively young age.
The battle between the two was still rough and hot even after the teams from the different countries left.
Kwang
“Kuak…”
“You lost your balance with just that?”
No… if anything, it was even more intense now.
The reason was clear. It was because Joshua Lindsay decided for it to be that way.
The events of a few days ago came to the mind of the Lindsay Patriarch.
His lovely daughter, who came to see him for the first time in several years, had asked him for advice.
And for such a sweet Ilya, he gave her the best advice with all his heart.
Using all his experience from his years traveling and with the wisdom he had accumulated for over 50 years of life, he came up with the best answer he could think of, and since that day, his daughter has been living her life much brighter than before.
Till that point, it felt like a really good thing, and he was proud of it. There was no reason for him to be angry like he was now.
But…
‘The reason she ran outside as soon as she heard my advice was to meet him!’
Ilya hated having anyone meddle in her personal life. And that was the same for Joshua too.
However, at that time, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity, so he quietly followed his daughter, and as if it was natural, he followed her to where the young boy was.
He still remembered it.
The figure of his daughter who had a smile brighter than one he had ever seen from her.
What was even more annoying was that the young guy just reacted lukewarmly to his daughter!
‘You, do you like your sword that much!’
He came to know about it; Airn's confrontation with the devil, him facing off with Ignet, and his talk with Julius Hul.
As well as the assignment that he had, where he had to get the approval of another one of the strongest people of the continent, Khun.
He would have been angry if this man had pushed aside his worries and tried to make a move on Ilya.
But.
But…
‘I can never forgive you for putting my daughter behind the scenes!’1
Clench!
Thinking about it, Joshua Lindsay clenched his hand.
Power surged along with his emotions.
The refined Aura Sword that formed through the Sky Sword turned like a sharp wind.
In an instant, the sword of wind split into seven pieces and flew towards Airn.
Thung!
Tung!
Tung!
“Ack!”
Airn let out a groan.
Each wind that was approaching him felt different.
Some of them were putting pressure on him, while the other ones gave him a sense of emptiness which turned him anxious.
And the winds that kept blowing, would throw him off his balance while his hands were busy trying to stop them. But still, he managed to block it.
However, there was no time to rest. Joshua Lindsay, who took advantage of Airn losing his balance, took his sword and slashed at Airn from the rear.
Airn hurriedly turned the weapon and swung his sword from his lower right to the upper left.
The terrifying power that came from Airn, blew away the wind.
Shhh.
However, the Lord’s sword had turned into a steel butterfly.
After cutting the wind sharply to make a gap, Joshua moved leisurely. As he lowered the sword to Airn’s neck, he said.
“Is this the best you can do?”
“No!”
“Your voice doesn’t seem too strained. We can go again then.”
“Thank you!”
Airn bowed his head and took his position.
His breathing was rough. His muscles which had been overworked, were screaming, and the aura, which had been perfect when they started the last spar, was now on the verge of flickering out due to exhaustion.
However, his senses were still sharp.
Airn clearly felt Joshua Lindsay’s sword and aura, and he could even feel the unfamiliar emotions that the man had towards him.
However, he didn’t correct the Lord’s misunderstanding.
In fact, it was close to being impossible to correct. Because Joshua Lindsay wouldn’t bring up anything about Ilya.
However, thanks to that, Airn was able to train more intensely and compete as if it was a real battle.
The ferocity of their battle was similar to his first spar with Karakum, back when Airn said that he would walk the path of a hero.
And Airn liked the harsh pressure.
The bloody atmosphere.
He knew that it was impossible to catch up with Ignet Crescentia, who kept getting further away, otherwise.
‘This is a rare opportunity.’
That was what he felt when Joshua’s sword came for him.
He calculated the optimal movement with rational reasoning.
Joshua wasn’t just wielding the sword just to torment Airn.
Although the battles were intense, he never crossed the line during the duels.
That indicated that the man was capable of overcoming and controlling his emotions.
So Airn decided to repeat until he succeeded.
Instead of telling Airn explicitly, Joshua would give hints little by little through the sword battles to encourage Airn to grow.
Kwang!
‘The atmosphere itself is bloody and ruthless, but the teaching method is kind and considerate.’
Airn smiled.
He was such a good man. It was natural. He was the father of Ilya Lindsay, who has always been kind to him as well.
He started his counterattack by scraping up all the left behind strength, and Joshua's eyes lit.
He was definitely a good kid.
But that didn’t mean that he would back down.
Joshua was ready to make a stronger attack. An attack that Airn couldn't stop.
However, somehow, he had faith that this kid could stop it.
No. it wasn’t that.
If he couldn’t handle the attack, then there was nothing to be done. The kid would have to get treatment before he could come back again for the next spar.
Between boldness and frustration, the two opposing emotions that were bubbling up inside him, Joshua just swung his sword.
Until a voice came.
“Dad.”
Woong!
The moment he heard his daughter's voice, he missed the direction of the sword, and as the sword passed by Airn, he sighed in relief.
Airn knew that he couldn’t stop it. As he looked further back, he saw Ilya with a bright smile on her face.
But it only lasted for a second.
She frowned and asked with a sharp voice.
“Aren’t you being too harsh?”
“No, this… right. I was trying to make Airn stronger like this.”
“Really?”
“Yes!. Right, Airn?”
“… that is right.”
"He seems a bit dazed, though?"
“… Airn is very tired, so it is difficult to answer right now. How about we take a break now.”
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
Joshua looked at Airn, who sat on the floor, and his daughter.
While Ilya looked at her father and Airn.
After a moment, Ilya moved close to Airn and sat next to him.
“…”
Joshua’s expression hardened for a moment, but then calmed himself.
In front of his daughter, he had to be kind!
The Lord was set on showing a mature side of his to his daughter. However, at the next words which his daughter spoke, he had no choice but to raise his voice in surprise.
“Airn, would you like to come to my family?”
“Uh?”
“What!”
“…”
“…”
The atmosphere changed completely.
And it was all because of how loud Joshua’s voice was.
And the expression was a sight to behold. The dignified expression was long gone, and now he was left with his mouth open as if his chin was going to fall off.
Looking at her father, Ilya sighed.
And that reaction drove another nail into Joshua’s heart, but she didn’t care.
She looked at Airn and said.
“Dad and I are going back home soon. Since we can’t stay here forever.”
“Ah, right.”
Airn nodded his head.
It was said that they were going to secretly subdue the devils, but obviously, the few members of the Purification squad couldn’t do all of it throughout the entire continent.
Support from the high-level people in each nation was necessary, and Joshua Lindsay was one of them.
Which meant that they couldn’t be staying in Rabat forever.
Besides, Ilya had no reason to train here.
A few days back, she said.
It seems like my long wandering has come to an end. Now that I have found my own path, all I have to do is work towards it.2
‘Well, it would be better to train in her family from now on.’
Thinking that made Airn’s heart turn heavy.
It was the same when he had to part with Bratt, Judith, and Kuvar, but the separation with Ilya gave Airn the deepest sadness.
Except for his family, she was the closest to him.
'No, wait, didn't we decide on staying together?'
Airn looked at Ilya.
And Ilya looked at Airn with a smile.
She smiled a lot these days, and it was nice to see her much brighter than before.
However, there was something more important.
Airn continued to think about his answer when Ilya continued.
“Well, in order to keep the promise made with Ignet, you need to train a lot in a year, right?”
“Yes.”
“How about duels with dad? Doesn’t that help you?”
“… it does.”
“Then stay with me in our family mansion and continue the training.”
“Uh…”
“Right?”
Whong!
Airn’s eyes moved.
Contrary to the caring expression Joshua displayed on his face, Joshua Lindsay’s hate could be clearly felt by Airn.
Giving out an energy that only meant to scare Airn off.
However, with one word from his daughter, everything changed.
“Dad, stop.”
“….”
Swosh
The Lord smiled as warmly at Airn just as he did with his daughter.
Despite being shocked, Airn felt the soft energy from Ilya’s side.
An expression of unknown feelings, like she was caring for him.
Ilya asked Airn again.
“What do you think?”
“…”
“You don’t want to?”
“No, it isn’t that.”
“Then, will we go together?”
Woong….
Ilya’s energy grew stronger.
Now he knew. It was clear pressure. Airn gulped at the gaze of his friend, who was demanding for him to accompany her.
It was the moment he decided to answer.
“That won’t do.”
A voice from afar.
All three looked at the place.
A woman with beautiful blonde hair, which seemed to have a hint of a sorcerer’s vibe, came into their eyes.
Even Lulu seemed a bit dazed.
‘Who?’
‘Who?’
Both the Lindsays looked at her with suspicious eyes.
But not Airn. He jumped up from the ground and called out the name of the woman in a welcoming yet surprised way.
“Kirill!”
“putting my daughter behind the scenes” – This either means not giving her enough attention and reacting to her smile because Airn was too focused on the sword, or it might be referencing the fact that Airn has always overshadowed Ilya's achievements ever since he started traveling with her from the Land of Proof.↩For some reason, there were no quotations for this sentence, even in the raws, so I've left it as such.↩
