"Before that, can I ask something?" Noel raised his hand.
"Sure."
"There is something bothering me. It feels like we've been progressing extremely fast. Originally, we were planning to stay for four months and expected that we would return without the full training…"
"Are you asking why you can progress this fast? It's pretty simple. The rivalry between you two is sparking the competitiveness you have in your heart. This is the reason why I put you in one room… Though, it seems that you haven't used the items inside the room at all."
"What do you mean?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.
"I was preparing only one set of items, because I thought you would be infusing your energy into that item, preventing your partner from using it."
"!!!" Noel and Anna gasped, realizing what they had been missing so far. Not only the item but even the bed might also be possible.
If they could somehow do it, they would definitely annoy the other.
"However, that's not possible anymore." Old Ru smiled, stopping them. "Once you begin infusing your elements, it's going to be destroyed by your elements."
"That's…" Noel and Anna exchanged looks. It seemed they had reached a tacit understanding. But that was the fact that they wouldn't back down.
"We can just infuse pure Spiritual Energy in it. This will definitely help with the second training." Noel explained.
"That's right. We could do the third training in the field while the second training in the house. This way, we can utilize our time effectively." Anna nodded in understanding.
"Hahaha." Old Ru laughed and teased them. "Even though you always bicker with each other, there is a time you are agreeing with something, huh?"
"…" Noel and Anna looked away, not admitting it.
"Alright. This old man won't be teasing you two anymore." Old Ru raised his finger. "I don't mind how you use your time during the night as long as you don't harm the house."
"Still, you haven't answered my question. No, you misinterpreted my question." Noel waved his hand, stopping him. "Although I don't want to admit it since it makes me look arrogant, our current pace should be enough to complete all the training while having some time to spare, right?"
"Ah, I understand what you want to ask." Old Ru nodded. "The third phase of the training is elemental training. The fourth phase is battle. The last phase is a test. If I look at your current speed, you should be able to complete the training within two months. Are you wondering what you can do in the remaining two months?"
"Yes." Noel nodded. On the one hand, since he had fulfilled the objective, he would return. On the other hand, it would be such a waste to return just like that.
Anna also agreed with Noel. She felt their time could be used more effectively.
"In that case, you can hunt the demons around here and take their crystals. You are currently Spirit Masters. Although you've gotten quite strong, your Spiritual Energy Reserve is not at the level where you can reach Spirit Grandmasters within a short period of time."
"In this region, there are a lot of powerful monsters, especially Peak Level Demons and even Superior Demons. You can hunt them and increase your Spiritual Energy Reserve. This way, by the time you reach your home, you should be at the peak of Spirit Master. After consolidating your power, it won't be weird for you to reach the Spirit Grandmaster Stage."
Noel thought for a moment as if he was assessing the pros and cons of that schedule. Meanwhile, Anna asked a question. "By the way, you told us that you would like to ask us something after you finish training us…"
"Oh." Old Ru had observed them and made a decision. It seemed that they had come here knowing about it as well. So, he decided to reveal his request. "My request is simple. I hope that you don't take my grandson away."
"Hmm?!" Noel raised his eyebrows while Anna made a wry smile.
"As I said, something that must happen will happen unless you change your perspective. Within that calculation, your arrival here should be something that must happen. Once I think about it, I've come to realize that my grandson will be on it as well." Old Ru explained.
"That's…" Anna scratched the back of her head. "Since you've made such a request, I don't think it's right to hide it from you. Actually, your grandson is extremely talented in swords and can become the Sword Saint's disciple. I don't know if you know about him though."
"The Sword Saint… is it the one from one thousand years ago?"
"Do you know him?"
"There were legends about him even in my kingdom. Back then, both human kingdoms and my kingdoms were still connected, you know. I don't know much about the past, but I know who you're talking about."
"Then…" Anna's expression brightened.
"My grandson is indeed talented. However, I don't think I want to let you bring him away for two reasons. Now that you have changed your perspective, I don't think letting him leave is a good option. You can consider this as a price for taking my lesson. As for the second reason, I'm just worried about his safety." Old Ru smiled.
Noel and Anna looked down, thinking about it. They could somehow understand that because there were a lot of changes happening all around the kingdom, the situation would be unpredictable. Even with Anna's knowledge, it might still be hard to protect themselves.
Still, it was a shame that the Sword Saint couldn't find a successor.
"Sir—" Noel wanted to suggest that he left the inheritance here so that his grandson could receive it, but Old Ru shook his head. It seemed that he didn't want both of them to be connected to his grandson more than this.
So, Noel could only respect his choice. "I understand. I'm sorry for all this inconvenience."
"No, it's fine. Rather than that, how about we begin the training?"
Noel and Anna nodded.
