"Fuuuu..." I closed my eyes, relaxed my posture, and adjusted my balance. The wooden sword in my hands felt light, different from when I first used it.
Now it felt light in my hands. Winter was over. Spring began today, marking my fifth birthday. I had stopped taking classes with Roxy three months ago, and now I had focused entirely on my sword training, in which I had made enormous progress.
In front of me was a huge rock about a meter tall.
The "strength" my father had mentioned is what allows swordsmen to perform actions straight out of a fantasy book, like cutting a rock in half with simple wood or reaching speeds greater than the speed of sound and, sometimes, the speed of light...
I already knew I possessed that strength, but I haven't been able to fully control it until now, when I focused entirely on training my sword skills. "No need to rush, Rudy. Do it when you think it's necessary," Paul said from behind me in an unusually serious tone. I liked him better when he acted this way, even though he wasn't most of the time.
"Yeah, I know, but I feel like I've got it..." I murmured softly.
It was like a second heart beating in my chest. What if I tried to control it like magic? I didn't know if this "power" was a derivative of magic, although it must be. It could even be another type of mana, but one that the human body generates naturally.
I opened my eyes again and got into a fighting stance. I imagined that sensation running through my entire body. It was like a warmth that felt pleasant. I tried to run it through my entire body, but I couldn't. Apparently, my arms are the only limit, but I can feel my sword still being coated with that energy. How is that possible?
Paul never bothered to teach me anything like that, which left me frustrated for several days, but I couldn't do anything about it.
The sensation made me feel stronger than before.
The burning in my arms disappeared, and my grip on my sword became firmer than before.
"Good..." I muttered and leaped toward the rock in front of me.
I raised my sword to the height of my head and in an arcing attack, I attacked the rock, and to my surprise, I sliced it in half like butter.
A completely clean cut, my sword intact, and a state of shock in my mind.
"Tch... so that's it?" I heard Paul murmur behind me before a smile formed on his face. He walked over to me and ruffled my hair.
"Congratulations, Rudy, you're now an intermediate-rank swordsman in the Sword God style," he said, and I sighed with satisfaction and a smile. "If you want, we can start your Water God training tomorrow so you can level up, what do you think?" he asked, and I nodded.
"Yes, yes, congratulations, Rudy! Now, come in, both of you. Dinner's ready!" my mother said, coming out to where we were.
So we quickly entered the house. Today was my first birthday in this world.
It wasn't anything special. Sylphiette and her parents came too, much to my surprise, although neither of them brought gifts. It wasn't like I cared. Four months ago was Sylphiette's birthday, and I gave her a earth figure of a dragon from my world.
Laws said they didn't look like the Wryms here, but that it was an amazing job nonetheless.
"R-Rudy... I brought you this..." Sylphiette murmured, and I could see that she was holding a small wooden earring.
I could only smile at this.
It looked like an amulet, but judging by the way it was carved... it looked like Sylphiette made it by hand.
"Thank you so much, Sylphie... I'll treasure it with my life!" I said as I put it around my neck.
She blushed bright red and left with her parents with a simple "It's nothing." This girl is definitely adorable.
The next one to give me something was Roxy. She gave me something that impacted me tremendously: a book, but not just any book.
"Since you mentioned that you wanted to learn my native language, I decided to make this book for you. I know it might be a bit tedious, but I trust you can learn it," she said.
It was a complete guide on how to learn the language of the Demon God. This must have taken months of effort...
"Thank you so much, Master! I'll be sure to treasure it properly!" I said with a deep bow. Roxy just smiled slightly and pinched my cheek.
"You better be. I haven't slept well for days writing this, and you'd break my heart if I saw it in a bookstore."
"I'd never do that!" I said quickly, and she laughed.
"Okay, it's my turn!" my mother said, also holding a book.
"Roxy and I agreed to give you a book, my little one. I know you like to research all kinds of plants, so I brought you this!" she said, handing me a plant encyclopedia the size of a dictionary.
I couldn't stop a smile from forming on my face, Books in this world were quite expensive. They had the means to make paper, but they didn't have printing yet,
so everything had to be handwritten.
The encyclopedia came with helpful illustrations and easy-to-understand descriptions. I could only imagine how much it must have cost. "Thank you, Mother. I wanted something like this!"
"Oh, what a good son you are!" she said happily, and with that, my mother gave me a big hug.
Paul gave me a pair of swords for my birthday. One was a real sword, too long and heavy for a five-year-old to wield; the other was a short practice sword.
The real sword had been properly tempered and had a fine edge.
It was definitely not something suitable for a little boy.
"Son, a man should always carry a sword inside his heart. To protect what is important to you, you..." My father began giving advice, and I just smiled and nodded.
His speech had a friendly and energetic air, but in the end, even Zenith scolded him for going on too long. Reprimanded, he smiled and concluded by saying, "Remember to put it away when you don't need it."
The man clearly wanted me to have the self-awareness and training to be able to carry a sword everywhere, so I put on my most serious face and said, "I'll be sure to follow your advice, Father."
The rest of the celebration was formal, but for some reason, my parents deliberately sat me next to a blushing Sylphiette, though I didn't think much of it.
The adults drank wine, and the children ate until they were stuffed. It was a good day.
But when it got really dark and the adults were drunk, it was decided that Laws' family would sleep in our house in the guest area.
There was no problem with that... except that the next day I woke up feeling like I had a hangover, really... I didn't even drink a single drop of wine! But what shocked me the most were the mocking smiles of my parents, who had entered the room without me noticing.
"Darling, I think it's time to wake them up. Laws and Hope are about to leave," I heard my father's voice say.
"Nonsense! Don't you see how adorable those two look together!" my mother said in an excited tone.
"Wait...the two of them together?"
I opened my eyes completely only to find a green ball covering my vision.
"Sylphie?...a-are you?..." I managed to stutter out in shock, and her reddish eyes immediately opened. "Good morning, Rudy..." she murmured as she snuggled closer to me.
"Aaaw..." my mother's voice made the little girl's eyes widen and she looked in my parents' direction.
"Kyaaaa!...M-Mrs. Zenith! M-Mr. Paul!" she squealed in embarrassment as she hid under the covers.
"Haha! Get up, dear! Your parents are about to leave!" my mother said, and Sylphie slithered out of my bed like a worm, her face completely flushed. It was nice to see her like that, but the embarrassment my parents will cause me later won't be as nice.
So, after an endless session of "the kids look so cute together!" from my parents, Sylphiette and her family retired to their home.
...
[Orsted Pov]
This isn't right.
I walked discreetly through the streets of Roa City. Even with my helmet on, people grew slightly reluctant to my presence, so I kept a low profile.
Over the past two years, I've been traveling tirelessly. My first stop was Ars. Killing Darius and Reida presented no challenge. I decided to get rid of these people now that I knew they were apostles.
Next came the Ogre God, which again didn't cause any problems but also resulted in the deaths of innocent ogres.
As for Badigadi, I simply traveled to the Ringus Sea and destroyed the armor until it turned to ash.
Consequently, there are now six great powers instead of seven, but that's not something I care about.
I seriously considered killing Gall Farion, but he only allied himself with Hitogami on Hitogami's advice. So until then, he will remain in the sacred land of the sword. But after him, the problems began. No matter how much I traveled, I couldn't find Gesse Nukadia or Alek Kallman III. They were two of the apostles who would cause me the most trouble, and Hitogami knew it for some reason. I don't know how, but he's already aware of Rudeus's existence, which complicates things enormously. That damn bastard probably already ordered them to hide to take the Greyrats by surprise, which made them my top priority. But beyond that, I returned to Fittoa simply to confirm something. "That orb in the sky, the one that caused the mana disaster, appeared when I was five years old." Those were Rudeus's words, words that stuck with me, and now I've come to Roa to check it out. But even after three months of Rudeus Greyrat's birthday, the orb hasn't appeared. "This isn't right..." I muttered angrily. The Mana Disaster was a secondary cause of Nanahoshi's summoning to this world, and it was only possible after Rudeus altered the history of this world as I knew it. First, starting with her birth, then with the influence he had on Sylphiette and Roxy Greyrat... and then with the influence he had on Eris Boreas Greyrat.
The destinies of these three women became strongly linked to him, causing a chain reaction. To ease the burden, the world itself caused the Mana Disaster, which Nanahoshi was able to travel to.
"...or who knows?" We were never able to find out what truly caused it. Nanahoshi's summoning was a secondary event.
But now...
There's no indication that such an event could occur, which makes no sense. Or perhaps his assumption was wrong? When Rudeus saw the orb, it was on Eris Boreas Greyrat's tenth birthday, three years from now...
"I'll have to come back in three years, then," I muttered to myself as I walked out of the city, but stopped halfway through the forest to look back at the city.
I remembered Rudeus's expression when he saw that his mother's condition due to the mana crystal was irreversible. He told me how devastated he was when his father died because of it.
I remembered Lucy telling me that Sylphiette Greyrat cried from time to time when she remembered her parents, and how much the death of her parents and grandfather affected Eris Boreas Greyrat.
All because of the mana disaster...
Could I prevent the fates of these people? What changes would this make to the history of the world? If I destroy the mana crystal that held Zenith captive, then Paul Greyrat wouldn't have to die sacrificing himself for Rudeus... but if that happens, then Rudeus won't be in his depressive state, which would stop Roxy Greyrat from sleeping with him and lead to Lara Greyrat.
If I rescue Sylphiette Greyrat's parents, who knows what might happen? Will she leave the Silver Palace, risking our connections with the Asura Kingdom? Or will she continue working for Ariel?
I could go on and on with the pros and cons of rescuing them and not.
If it had been my old self, then I would have let everything flow, regardless of the deaths or suffering, as long as it benefited me.
But not now, not with these people. I owe them too much to let them suffer like this...
But saving them all at once isn't a reliable option either. Sylphiette's parents are transported to the middle of the Beggarit Desert and die shortly after.
Eris's parents die after being tortured for days in the conflict zone...
I could simply destroy the crystal Zenith was teleported to, but how would I get to the others?
Heh...
"Am I really considering this? I have more important things to do, and even so..."
Rubbing a hand through my hair, I let out a long sigh.
"Well... I'll have to find a way to do it anyway if I want Rudeus on my side," I said to myself and started walking again. There was no rush; I needed to find Gesse Nukadia first.