“…!”
Irene’s eyes widened at that word.
Master.
It’s used to say that the person is a Master in one field, but in this situation, there was only one reason for Lulu to say that.
Right. Lulu said that the grey-haired man is a Sword Master.
It wasn’t even shocking.
Sword Masters weren’t people who only appeared in fairy tales.
However, it was true that there were very few of them, and most of them were high-ranking nobles and royalty.
That meant that meeting a Sword Master is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
‘I’ve never heard of such a Sword Master…’
Irene wasn’t the only one who was shocked.
Kuvar seemed more agitated.
He had seen a lot and heard a lot about Sword Masters.
And he had seen many mercenaries, adventurers, and wandering knights.
However, none of them compared to the man in front of him.
That meant…
‘A new Sword Master was born on the continent.’
That was likely.
Of course, the man didn’t have to be that.
He and Irene, who were confident, thought that the man was an Expert.
However…
‘Lulu is a sorcerer, so it can’t be wrong… but.’
It was a waste of time to think it over as they had no information.
The grey-haired man, who was arguing with Anya, approached them.
Looking closer, he didn’t look like a Master.
Although he was well-balanced and had a nice body, his fragile appearance reminded them of a scholar.
Of course, Kuvar didn’t say that out loud.
Meanwhile, the man introduced himself.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Georg, Anya’s colleague.”
“Hello. I’m Irene Pareira.”
“I’m Kuvar, an Orc, as you can see.”
“I’m a cat! And my name is Lulu!”
“You people are as unique as one group can get. Ah! I don’t mean that in a bad way! I apologize if I offended you.”
“No, it’s okay.”
Irene waved his hands and said that.
Looking at how he talked to Anya, he thought the man was gritty, but he was more polite.
With a friendly face, he continued.
“Then I’m happy. There are cases where I end up making mistakes without realizing it since I stayed with that kid…”
“I’m not a bad one! All the merchants praised me!”
“They don’t know you that well.”
Georg smiled and said that.
When Anya, who heard that was about to get angry, the grey-haired man opened his mouth.
“Mr. Irene Pareira?”
“Yes?”
“I know this might be rude, but could you please show me your sword?”
“Ha…”
“Ah! Of course, I’m not trying to covet it like Anya. I’m well aware of how precious a sword is for a swordsman. But…”
Georg glanced at Anya and sighed.
“That girl said that it was an amazing sword, I want to look at it, and that’s it. I won’t change my mind or anything… I’m sorry for making this request.”
Who apologizes when making a request?
Georg said it very politely, and Irene nodded after a moment of thought.
It wasn’t a difficult request.
It wasn’t like the sword wears out when one looks at it, and he was curious about what the man would say about the sword.
He extended his hand.
Woong!
The crude sword was revealed, no, the man in his dreams, his greatsword appeared.
Irene looked into Georg’s eyes.
And the man watched the sword.
“…”
What was unusual was that the man didn’t just watch the sword.
Throwing away the smile, he seriously examined the sword.
And looked at Irene.
As time went on, he focused on Irene longer than the sword.
Long. Very long.
Irene could feel the goosebumps on his arms.
‘What?’
Georg’s eyes traced his whole body.
The gaze went from his legs to his body, to his face, and then looked into his eyes.
It was when Irene was about to take a step back.
“Ah! Sorry! I was staring too much.
Georg went back to his smiling face.
The bizarre feeling Irene felt vanished.
He lowered his head and said,
“Indeed, it’s a great sword. Anya, it does deserve to be coveted.”
“Right? Do you think the captain will like it?”
“That could be true, but that doesn’t mean you try to steal other people’s things.”
“I wasn’t stealing! We are going to exchange it for the piggy bank with a year of savings!”
“A year? No, the sword is worth more.”
The sword, and the man too.
That was what Georg added, but he mumbled it so low that even Lulu couldn’t hear him.
“It was very rude. I will take her now.”
“It has been fun! Lulu and friends! Let’s meet again!”
“Whew… well, we’ll take our leave for now.”
In the end, Anya and Georg left.
Seeing them leave, Lulu was sad, and Irene fell into silence.
Kuvar was closer to Irene's side.
And thought.
‘What?’
He wasn’t thinking about Anya and Georg.
Surely they were amazing and made people curious, but it was the one called the captain who made him even more curious.
A Sword Master.
And a sorcerer.
If these two people treated that captain with such respect, then the captain must not be an ordinary person.
It was intriguing.
With a serious face, Kuvar began to recall everything he saw and heard.
At that moment, Irene, who had been silent, spoke.
“You were right. He’s a Master.”
“You think so too?”
“Yes. It’s difficult to notice. Maybe that person will participate too, right?”
“Right.”
“It’s going to be a tight contest.”
Georg wouldn’t be the only one who deserved to be called a tough opponent.
As Georg stared at Irene, Irene, too, looked at him and was able to glimpse his strength.
Of course, he wasn’t worried. Nor did he regret meeting.
As he said before, he was here to learn.
Win or lose.
Succeed or fail.
It didn’t matter to him.
“I need to work hard with the feeling that I’m learning something.”
Irene said.
Kuvar looked at him with delighted eyes.
He definitely changed. The current Irene was active in learning and incomparable to the beginning days of the trip.
However, it wasn’t without regrets.
Kuvar thought and then said.
“Irene. One piece of advice. If you feel stuck, drop out.”
“No. I wouldn’t.”
“Don’t enter the contest with an easy thought. Go in with the determination to win.”
Irene's expression hardened at the strong remark.
Lulu, too, was shocked and looked at Kuvar.
However, Kuvar didn’t stop and continued.
“Khun wasn’t a Sword Master when he challenged Ian. You think he raised his sword intending to learn? No, he was trying to win. I want to win. I must win. I will definitely win this time… I personally think it was because of that fighting spirit that he was able to rise to such a position.”
“…”
“For a swordsman, the spirit for improvement is important. Being humble and willing to learn is a huge advantage. However…”
It wasn’t a good attitude to accept loss before the fight even started.
Kuvar didn’t continue.
Nor did he speak strongly.
However, it was because of how softly he spoke that the air became different.
“…”
Irene stayed silent for a long time after hearing Kuvar’s words.
They walked and found a place to stay before the contest and waited for their meal to be served.
Even when the food came out.
Did he touch a nerve?
The uncomfortable silence continued to the point where Kuvar was regretting it.
“Ah! Sorry. I broke the mood.”
“No. I’m sorry for the useless talk…”
“Useless talk? It wasn’t like that. Instead, I should thank you. I think I found something that I was neglecting.”
Irene said with a serious face.
Only then did Kuvar’s mind begin to ease.
He regretted that he gave inappropriate advice to a man because he was greedy to help. Irene was getting the best of him.
However, Irene’s subsequent actions made his heart feel uncomfortable again.
“I’m sorry. But I’ll leave first.”
“Huh?”
“I think I need to reflect deeply on Kuvar’s advice. For now…”
The blonde kid walked to his room at a quick pace.
Looking at that, Kuvar was worried.
Three days had passed since Irene arrived in Derinku.
Kuvar and Lulu looked around the city.
At the excellent blacksmiths and their crafts which were astonishing, and their weapons.
They enjoyed local food and drinks.
However, Irene was left out.
It was because of the advice Kuvar gave.
“Um, I said something unnecessary.”
On the day of the contest, Kuvar mumbled, recalling how Irene looked.
It looked like his greed brought trouble to Irene’s mind.
Intoxicated by the fast-growing young man, he handed out excessive advice.
In his opinion, Irene was close to a seeker.
And it wasn’t to compete but to raise his awareness of the sword.
For that reason, Irene lacked the fighting spirit that others would have, and that disappointed Kuvar.
It was because he thought that there was no better catalyst for growth in youth than competing.
However….
‘I was wrong. I should have considered Irene’s heart.’
Kuvar sighed.
He knew. How far Irene stayed away from battles.
Irene’s charm didn’t come from fierce battles with others but from solving his persistent worries within himself.
He overlooked that…
‘If his results in the contest don’t turn out good… that would be my responsibility.’
It was then that Kuvar’s expression darkened even more.
Unlike him, Lulu was spread out on the table without much thought, and she looked towards the second floor.
Just then, Irene opened the door and appeared.
“Irene!”
Kuvar jumped up from his seat.
He was going to apologize.
No, not apologize. He wanted to tell Irene that his words shouldn’t be taken so seriously.
He thought that his advice made Irene’s mind wander and worry.
However, the blonde man looked a lot better than they expected.
“…”
“Kuvar? What is it?”
“Uh? Irene, did something change?”
“Huh?”
“Well. I don’t know, but you look better.”
“Thank you.”
No, that wasn’t enough.
Kuvar closed his eyes and then opened them again.
And looked at Irene.
‘The embers, mor…’
“Kuvar? What is it?”
“Uh? No, nothing. It has been a long time since I saw you, it’s so nice. Haha.”
“I have been in my room for a while. Thank you for caring.”
Irene smiled.
Lulu flew and sat on Irene's shoulder and looked at Kuvar.
Eyes that said she was feeling bad for Kuvar.
And then she said,
“Don’t worry.”
“Ha, haha. This…”
Kuvar scratched the back of his head. Lulu was right. He didn’t have to worry.
Irene smiled.
And said,
“Then, shall we go?”
