Under the dim light, Sol sat with a gentle expression as he caressed Milia's head while she softly laid asleep on his lap.
Her story had been far more tragic than he could have ever imagined, the weight of her past being something that could have crushed anyone else in her place.
He also remembered their discussions back then. During those times, he still did not really see this world as his own. He was still sad about losing everything he knew and never seeing his parents, nor his friends.
This thought prompted him to give a bitter smile, 'Since when did their faces become so faint in my mind?'
Time was truly the greatest curse.
Sighing, he discarded those thoughts, he didn't know how they were doing, and he hoped that they had a fruitful life. Perhaps in the future, he could search earth, his earth, with his dimension magic, but now wasn't the time.
His mind began to drift as he thought about what might happen soon. He couldn't have the leisure to have stray thoughts.
'There should still be some time before I meet with Gorfard.'
He briefly entertained the thought of simply entering Medea's dimension, but he knew that if he did, he would lose his edge.
After all, even though too much tension wasn't good, being too relaxed wasn't either. Keeping the balance was necessary.
'Well, let's stay like this for a few more minutes.'
[Tower of Babel]
"So, why did you seek me out, mother?"
Lilith could only chuckle bitterly at the dry tone used by Lilin. This wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last time. Still, even though she didn't show it, this situation somewhat saddened her.
Currently in the office of Lilith, since she rarely used the throne room, if not at all, she took another look at her daughter who had fled for so long.
No matter how one looked at it, the two of them would pass more for sisters than mother and daughter. The fact that Lilith still looked like a woman in her twenties aside, Lilin's face and aura were simply too similar to her own. The only reason they wouldn't be taken for twins was because of the obvious, even if slight, difference in age between the two of them.
Still, there was another great difference between the two of them currently. Something far more intricate than mere appearance.
"You took another path."
She didn't know if her voice sounded happy or disappointed. Since Lilin, like her, had absolutely zero capacity, Lilith had been training her so that she could become the second Sword Saint. No, she wished for Lilin to surpass her and complete the one technique she was still unable to complete despite all her talents.
'My expectations are always too heavy.'
Now that she was somewhat clear-headed, she understood just how bad of a mother she had been for Lilin. Of course, aside from Mars's death, there were other reasons related to Lilin’s birth that made her like this, but it was beneath her to use excuses in such situations.
Lilin, who stood defiantly at first, fidgeted a little under the gaze of Lilith but still, she held her head high.
"Indeed, but I did not do so because of my dislike or some childish anger. I believe that your path isn't suitable for me, still, the ultimate goal of your technique is simply too incredible, as such I decided to find my own path."
"So the goal is still the same, and only the paths are different."
Lilith murmured under her breath. She understood perfectly what her daughter was getting at and it was a way of thought she had somewhat entertained on the back of her mind still, it was close to impossible for her to do so.
If the zone was something that could change based on the understanding someone had, the avatar was something fixed. It could grow or become weaker, but its intrinsic nature could never be changed.
That was why she called the avatar a path, all the action you took, your training, your experiences, your understanding of life and the world were fused into something greater. Only people who reached this level could really transcend the limitations and be considered a national class disaster.
The four witches were at this level, Camelia was at this level, and she herself was also at this level.
But…
‘There is still more.’
Her eyes darkened. The divine aside, even on the mortal plane, she was sure that the avatar wasn’t the last level possible. Even now, she knew three people who without a doubt went past that level.
Echidna, the mother of a thousand monsters.
Ambrosia, the thousands spell witch.
Finally, Mars, the Hero King.
“So, mother, I was always curious. Why didn’t you teach this path to Sol?”
Lilin was genuinely curious. She had observed Sol’s fight with Setsuna, and even though he was incredibly strong for someone who just awakened, the way he fought was too wild. But she remembered that before she left, Sol was supposed to train in the way of swords.
Of course, she understood that his fight against Setsuna had been more of a mating ritual than anything, but still, it was easy to see that he had lacked the grace Setsuna moved with.
“You are confusing something. I did train Sol on the way of swords. But I never really gave him a thorough training. This is for a simple reason. Sol isn’t suited to my path.”
“Do you mean to say that he lacks talent?”
This time Lilith exploded in laughter, something very rare of her, “Lacking talent? Goddess no, he simply has too much talent. So much that my path would only chain him down.”
She could only shake her head as she said this.
Her way was one born from her powerlessness. Despite her heritage, she was born with a weak body and unsightly capacity. Even though she had a large amount of mana, there was only so much her body could handle.
As such, she honed her skills.
Hours and hours of training, to efficiently use her mana. Hours and hours of training to move her sword as if it was an extension of her own body. She had shed blood, sweat, and tears to stand at the level she was currently.
If Sol had been a human, she would have taught him her skills as she did with her daughter.
But… He wasn’t.
Not only was Sol a hybrid dragon, but he also inherited the cheat resistance his mother had, albeit weaker. As if it wasn’t enough, he also had his dimensional magic. Finally, even after years and years of training, if she fought with Sol with her bare body without any mana or technique, he would snap her like a twig.
She still remembered back then when she first saw Blaze’s prowess on the battlefield. It was like watching a juggernaut assaulting a group of ants. No spells could wound her while physical attack could not pass through her scales. Meanwhile, her mana was basically bottomless and she could simply throw tens of dragon’s breath one after another.
A mixed feeling of bitterness and anticipation flowed in her heart when she imagined Sol doing the same in a near future.
Those who said that hard work always paid weren’t lying. Hard work never lies. But...No matter how hard you worked, some people were simply bestowed by the grace of heaven.
Those people would always make all your struggles, all your pains, all your sufferings, look like some meaningless sad joke.
Those people were called geniuses.
(AN: This is the start of VOL 5: THE QUEEN)
(A/N: So a little chapter to introduce the last book of Lustburg. As I said, more actions will happen towards the middle of this volume, and as such more information about the power systems will be made available. As for talent vs hard work. I believe that hard work is important, but without the right amount of talent, it's sadly useless... Perhaps I am too pessimistic?)
