‘Growing again…’
The moment Jin collided his blade against the sword, he saw Sarah moving downwards with her sword slanting.
Her steps were so smooth.
She knew how to step on the ground and move at the best pace.
Learned?
No. She instinctively felt it.
She transformed from being a protected child of the Welton family to a child who kills others.
‘She is insane.’
He wondered how aware she was, and how her sword had the effect of making the opponent want to flee.
At least, since Jin was a swordmaster, he could spar with her, but he knew that those who were not on a similar level would not be able to deal with her. To that extent, Sara’s sword and her skills were clear.
‘However, she is still a long way off.’
But still, Sarah’s skills were still terrifying. Jin was a swordmaster.
He was not clumsy enough to allow a kid who hadn’t reached the level of a master to defeat him.
Sarah moved her small body in a fluid-like manner and swung at him. The blade split into dozens of illusions and aimed for his vital spots.
Attacking the vital points in a spar was close to foul play, but Sarah wasn’t the type to follow that rule.
“You kid!”
Jin seemed surprised but smiled. She had done it, knowing it wouldn’t work.
Which meant this attack had a hidden purpose.
Jin used the Phantom Swords at once. He used the fantasy type of sword because of Sarah’s quick decision-making, but in the first place, Jin reached his level with one ‘Quick Sword.’
All of Sarah’s attacks were blocked, but she showed no reactions. As expected, she wasn’t giving her all.
Clang!
And the moment her sword bounced back…
[Sea of Hundred.]
She slammed her little foot to the ground, and the flow of space began to focus on her. It has been three years since she crossed this line and practiced the sword.
After a lot of trial and error, she realized which sword suited her the most and that the Welton blood inside of her was now gone.
She had a long way to go to reach her goal, and she was going to work hard for it.
It wasn’t known when it would work, but right now, she was in her best condition. Sarah gritted her teeth and moved.
‘A gap created by ten consecutive hits.’
Humans have something called a ‘breathing pattern.’
When one works, eats, and even sleeps.
Then what about when exercising?
Each person runs and swings a sword differently, and even their breathing patterns differ.
And ten sword strikes were as natural to Jin as breathing.
Ever since she came to this village and began to learn the sword seriously, she has been diligently training with Jin, and it is the same now.
Up until recently, he didn’t even have to look at her to take her down, but lately, she’s been making him keep his eyes on her.
And in the process, she learned how he was breathing.
Ten times.
As he was using his blade, he took ten breaths and continued with the next attack.
‘He can do more.’
He was a swordmaster, so he must have much more to show.
Currently, Jin wasn’t going past a certain level. It meant that this spar was just a game to him.
It was meaningless.
‘Perhaps Mr. Jin has already seen through my thoughts.’
There was no way that Jin, who had a lot of experience, didn’t know what she wanted.
But it was too late, though.
It took one breath to block ten attacks.
A gap was bound to come. Furthermore, she was surrounded by a flow of mana.
‘Cut him!’
She gripped the sword tightly in her hands, intent on cutting her opponent.
Her eyes shone, and she wielded her sword, which was the same size as her body.
“I didn’t think you could detect my breathing pattern, but…”
Wheik.
She heard the sound of the wind, and Sarah felt the background shift.
She frowned at the floating feeling. When her head was pounding from the pain, she looked at the ground and at herself.
“…”
Unlike a moment ago, she was now sitting with her back against a tree. Her sword has lodged a distance away, and Jin was standing on a plant with his feet together.
She didn’t even understand what had happened, but judging from the situation, it seemed like she got hit.
Sarah took a breath and stood up.
“What did you do?”
The last part made no sense to her. The moment she swung her sword, she felt the space shift, and when she came to her senses, she was on the ground.
Jin jumped off the plant he was standing on and said,
“I didn’t do much. I just grabbed you and whirled you around a couple of times and put you near this tree.”
“But the breathing…”
“I am sure at my current level I can breathe for ten hits.”
“You are saying that is the level you are at?”
“No. I definitely needed to catch my breath before the next attack. It is just that the breath of the sword and the way the body moves are different.”
Sarah didn’t understand.
How did the breath of a weapon differ from the body?
Jin was speaking like it wasn’t a big deal.
“You will know when you can use your hands and feet freely.”
“Uh? Hands and feet…”
“Are you asking that because you are learning the sword?”
“Ah.”
Well, if everyone handled their hands and feet freely, there would be no distinction between the realms.
This was not a basic action in life but rather a more specific one.
Jin only talked about using the hands and feet, but if she had to ask, it was about how to use the entire body.
The difference between Sarah and Jin was evident.
It was the difference between a swordmaster and someone who wasn’t.
Jin was puzzled when Sarah looked blankly into space.
‘Is this a moment of enlightenment?’
He stuck his tongue out at Sarah’s talent. She was more talented than her brother.
Sarah had a realization, and Jin was looking at her while sitting on a nearby rock.
“If we weren’t in such times, you would have had a great name.”
They were not empty words.
Her father and brother were both great swordsmen. It took Jamie five years to be a swordmaster.
He had such an exceptional talent that Jin had to check several times to confirm it.
‘Because he is a magician.’
Even though he is called the Demon King now, Jamie Welton was a black magician who made the 12 Gods fear him in his past life.
And they thought it was absurd that he also had exceptional talent with the sword.
But his sister too.
‘Within a year.’
It was the amount of time left before she would become a swordmaster.
Jin thought it wouldn’t take any longer.
Sarah’s progress might be hampered for a while, but he couldn’t imagine her not becoming a swordmaster while she continued to figure out every single detail of swordsmanship.
She could become a swordsman who would go down in the world’s history. But Sarah’s reaction was different.
“I don’t know.”
Sarah said, brushing the dirt off her sword.
“In the first place, I wouldn’t have mastered the sword like this.”
“Um.”
“Because I was a child who was treated like a flower.”
The youngest child was spoiled in the arms of her parents. Without knowing anything about the world, she enjoyed her time in the garden with her mother.
An immature child who took her family for granted and enjoyed it.
Actually, it wasn’t so odd.
She was just nine years old until three years ago, and she was a kid who was just being taught the manners of a noble and basic education.
Unlike her brother.
If it hadn’t been for these times, she would have only used the sword for self-defense and nothing more.
“It could be so.”
Jin didn’t deny it.
Sarah was the second child in the Welton family.
“Even so, your fame will still shake the world. Just because you want to hide it doesn’t mean people won’t notice it. It would still find a way out into the world one day.”
“I am grateful you think that way.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you. Anyway, what is your next mission?”
Sarah told Jin what she knew about the mission.
Jin frowned.
“It will not be easy. What is that guy thinking giving that to you?”
“I will be fine. And in order to become stronger, I need to cross the threshold of danger. That way, I can become stronger quickly.”
“Sarah…”
“I have to become stronger as soon as possible. There is no time for me to settle down.”
“If you run too fast, you will be exhausted. I won’t tell you to take it easy, but take care of your body at least.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
Sarah bowed her head and walked in the direction of the house.
“Then let’s meet next time. At that time, I will be stronger than now, so be prepared.”
“Huhu. I hope so.”
Saying that, Sarah walked away.
Jin, who was left alone, looked at her until she vanished and moved his gaze back to the black tower.
“Jamie. Please take care of that poor child. Isn’t she your sister?”
Jamie. He knew that his voice would never reach Diablo.
But Jin mumbled as if praying,
“May peace come to this world.”
On the day of the mission, Sarah made sure Sears was asleep and left the house.
It was early in the morning, and the sun wasn’t even up yet.
The coldness of winter made the tip of her nose hurt.
She pushed the snow, which had piled up at night, with her sword.
Sears wouldn’t come out, but the folks of this village did.
They were all people taking care of Sears, so it would be troublesome if the snow piled up. She might not be able to repay the debt she owes them, but she could give them a safe place to work.
Sarah cleared the surrounding snow and moved to the meeting place.
After thirty minutes of running, she felt the presence of several people nearby.
And when she arrived, everyone turned to her.
“You came fast.”
The middle-aged man with a salt-and-pepper beard greeted her. And the young men present bowed their heads to Sarah.
Sarah also greeted them.
“Please explain the mission.”
“You must have had a rough idea from Sir Onyx, right?”
Sarah nodded at Hirok’s question.
“I was told to assassinate Count Gamon.”
“It was at first.”
“And it changed?”
“Yes, the mission to assassinate will be done by someone else. Your new mission is to bring someone.”
“Bring…?”
“Intelligence reported that there are traces of Shiva, the God of War, the old God, in the Rotomo Strait. A search party led by the Rans is being formed, and you will move with them.”
“Not a solo mission?”
“Because there was someone who asked for you.”
Sarah’s expression distorted at the words she heard.
