A day after Airn formally graduated from Krono, the party moved to where Khun and Judith were staying.
“I’ve had enough for a while. And I don’t really want to see him now.”
Ian didn’t accompany them.
At those words, Kirill seemed visibly sad. Although she wasn't a swordsman, the rivalry between Khun and Ian was something that had been news for decades and was something anyone would be interested in.
Of course, she couldn’t say it out loud, and in the end, the only ones on the Griffin were Kirill, Airn, and Lulu.
On the stable back of the Griffin, Airn closed his eyes. His thoughts naturally moved towards the heart of water that he had recently learned.
‘I’ve been thinking of it completely wrong all this time.’
Why did he want to learn the sword of water?
It was to control the fire which grew out of control. It was because the fire he got from Ignet, stimulated by Ilya and ignited by countless other events, had started to harm him.
However, that thought was so strong that he neglected to understand what water meant.
He just wanted to put out the fire. He wanted to get the sword of water for it. And to do that, he wanted to cut the water. And Airn forced himself with these thoughts to a level where he had become obsessed with it.
It was only when he reached the end of the Dark barrier did he realize that it wasn’t a healthy mind.
“Phew…”
With that, Airn exhaled and focused on the world of imagery.
A towering sword greeted him. It was the same with the fire around it. However, it wasn’t as strong as it used to be. And he accepted that.
It was because of the energy of water.
Airn, who looked at the stream of water flowing through his heart, nodded and thought.
‘It was a mistake to try and put out the fire by forcing the water.’
He recalled the thoughts he had inside the Dark Barrier. His excessive obsession spurred emotions within him, and these stagnant emotions led to all kinds of negative thoughts and ideas forming in him.
Disappointment, shame, fatigue, and a lot more similar emotions were tearing down his heart and making it rot.
It wasn’t until a long time later that he realized that what he was doing wasn’t a healthy effort.
‘It’s still there. All those emotions are still buried deep in my heart.’
Looking at the stream of water inside him, which was flowing naturally without being trapped, he tried to look at a wider picture.
Some would have a large pool of water within them, but that wasn’t the case for Airn. This was something Airn had created in himself just recently.
He stared at the small puddle, when he heard a loud, distracting sound.
Airn opened his eyes and looked behind him at Lulu, who had turned into a sorcery girl and was spewing fire from her mouth.
Beam!
“Ack! Ahh! This is so annoying!”
“…”
“Don’t bother her, brother.”
Hearing Kirill's words, Airn nodded. Just looking at it, he knew that Lulu was in a sensitive state.
The reason was obvious. She was trying to analyze the five spirits necklace, but it didn’t seem to be going well.
‘Lulu said that the reason I got out of there quickly was thanks to the necklace.’
The five spirits they see in the world, or the five elements.
However, it was said that all the spirits were one at first.
The Great Circle (Universe) that contained all the things of the world as well as the five spirits.
‘I heard that it also held a concept of space and time in it. Gorha told me! So, if I observe and analyze it with the intuition of a sorcerer, I have to understand something!’
Lulu had spoken confidently with her chest puffed out. But not anymore.
Looking at her anxious expression like she would burst any moment, Airn asked Kirill.
"I thought you would be blunt and yell at her; surprisingly, you are being considerate?"
“… what does brother take me for? Did you think I wouldn’t understand the mind of a sorcerer?”
“Ah, no…”
“Right? No, right? At least prove your sincerity to me.”
“…”
Airn went silent. He had no excuses for the way he put his words just then.
Thinking for a moment, he asked.
“Can I think about it for a little more?”
“Of course not. The more you think, the more I can hear words I like, right?”
“…”
Airn avoided the gaze of his younger sister.
Either way, the Griffin was flying fast towards its destination.
Thud!
“Phew, phew.”
Judith, who was sweating as if it was midsummer, lay flat on the field.
No matter how much she held on, she wasn’t the unreasonable version of herself anymore. She stared at the sky to soothe her mind and body.
A gust of wind cooled her body which was feeling hot. A sight that any teacher would be happy to witness.
However, Khun, who was swinging his sword next to her, wasn't like that.
"This little bastard! Are you that tired? You must have no passion for the sword or the desire to compete with your enemies; your burning will should be to become the best in the world!"
“…”
“Look at me! I am close to 100 years old, but I am still more passionate than you. Yah! Loser! This is what you fragile flowers are like! Look at my tenacity, which doesn't collapse! The poison within me which makes me want to swing my sword once more for the sake of my rivals! That is the attitude that a disciple of Khun is supposed to have! Pheew! It’s too hot!”
Khun swung his sword like a madman.
Judith couldn’t believe this.
She didn’t realize it in the academy. But this man was so childish!
She just thought of him as a wonderful person who didn’t like losing to anyone, that he was the only one person who could understand her desire to stand higher than others, and that he was someone who was willing to endure extreme pain in his life to achieve his goals…
“Haaa! Die! Ian, die! You bald idiot! Stupid bastard who’s shorter than me! Dieee!”
Woong!
Whoop!
‘Well, the world must have people like him too.’
She shook her head. It wasn’t like she couldn’t understand Khun’s behavior.
In a way, it was natural for a man who trained his sword for one victory in his life to explode in such anger and desire to win against Ian.
And it was true that the fire-like properties within him which matched his personality were similar to herself.
Judith, who raised her upper body, said.
“Does such childish swearing help your training!”
“Of course, phew! Hash!”
Wheik!
Wheik!
Khun responded coolly.
A truly dazzling swordsmanship. It was such a quick sword even for Judith’s eyes, who was now a top expert.
Judith didn’t think about anything else anymore. And Khun didn’t care either.
He kept unleashing his swordsmanship, and he spoke.
“You idiot, gasp, gasp, gasp, people like us, huh, who have a bad temper, huh, huh, need to be annoyed…. Huh! That will give you more strength, huh, no, but strength will start building? Huh! It will make talented bastards stay on their toes, huh! And they will want to follow you!”
“…”
Judith, who heard that, had a terrified expression on. Khun was always like this.
In order to pursue talented people, he would say to work hard, save the time to eat and sleep, and instead use that also to work hard.
A peace of mind?
A break for effective training?
He never spoke about it.
He would only think about how to use the sword once more or if he could continue the training even longer.
That was also his reason for swearing at Ian. By raising his anger, envy, and jealousy towards him, Khun wouldn't be able to rest.
‘But, why bother calling the schoolmaster bald?'
Judith grumbled.
However, contrary to that, her body felt alive. She thought it was childish, but she also thought that this method of Khun’s was effective, at least for people like them.
“Tch.”
She thought and remembered several people. Who was the bastard who annoyed her the most?
Who could make the fire in her chest burn brighter?
The moment she thought about it, she found who it was.
There he was, the image of Airn Pareira, before her eyes.
“Airn, you bastard!
Wheik!
The red sword that was gifted to her by Tarakan, was swung. A tree which was struck was split in half. Still, Judith didn’t stop there. Rather, she began to show off her swordsmanship by running wildly.
And the profanities at Airn continued.
‘You disgusting bastard!’
It wasn’t that she hated him. Rather she felt glad. As a friend, she liked him more than anyone. Even more so than the school mates she had been with in Krono for the last five years.
Seeing that kind, gentle, and foolish appearance he always had, would make anyone feel like it as well.
Wheik!
But if she put those feelings aside, Judith felt really annoyed with him.
Because of the potential, she didn't have. That brilliant talent which made her look too humble.
Recalling the face of her rival, who started out later than her but still ran faster than her, she swung her sword.
Kwakwakwang!
“Hm, good. Who did you think of? Airn?”
Khun, who was watching, asked her.
If Ian had seen this, he would have put on a worried expression, but not Khun.
Such was the driving force that lifted people like them. Even though everyone denied it, he didn’t care.
For him, it was the truth.
Judith too, thought the same. So, she answered.
“Right, huh, it is that, huh, bastard!”
“Right. From now on, whenever you see Airn, just call him a bastard!”
“Yes!”
“What is Airn?”
“A bastard!”
“And what about that bastard?”
“Airn! I will kill you!”
Judith's voice echoed. Even the birds flying in the sky seemed startled, and Khun chuckled, until something caught his eyes.
A Griffin.
“…”
A fantasy animal that couldn't exist in reality, adjusted its speed and touched the ground.
Two humans and one cat jumped down from the Griffin and landed on the ground.
Lulu.
Kirill Pareira.
And Airn Pareira.
Khun, who didn’t know who they were, frowned. But Judith did.
However, finding the face she wanted to beat more than anyone else, she pointed the sword at him and shouted.
“Airn! You bastard!”
Tung!
Judith, who moved strongly, rushed towards the young Sword Master.
