Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Azure Dragon Soaring Sword (2)
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After learning the Azure Dragon Soaring Sword from my father, I threw myself into training for a while.
"Hah!"
First Form
Coiling Dragon Flow Wall
I swung my sword in a circle.
At the same time, my aura whipped around like a dragon.
It was a real shame, but it wasn't an actual dragon.
Unfortunately, it was just aura.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
It was cool anyway. Cheers.
"Hoo."
I gathered my stance again and caught my breath.
It had already been a month since I started coming to the training grounds every day.
After my father handed me the manuals for all ten forms recorded in the Azure Dragon Soaring Sword.
I began mastering the forms one by one.
"Next is the second form."
I took my stance.
I raised my sword and arm upward.
Then I brought it down hard, as if severing something.
Second Form
Dragon Tail Falling Flash
Shaaaack!
A thunderous noise, like a dragon's tail striking down.
I said it again, but it wasn't a real dragon—it was just the sound of aura.
Too bad.
Anyway, the key feature of the second form was striking down hard to sever the opponent's attack flow.
As expected of the defensively specialized Azure Dragon Soaring Sword—every form emphasized defense.
"Hoo."
Maybe I should take a short break here.
The two forms I'd learned recently were the First Form: Coiling Dragon Flow Wall and the Second Form: Dragon Tail Falling Flash.
Just these two seemed enough to handle most defensive battles, which put me in a good mood.
"Brother. Having fun?"
That's when Ariel, who had been watching me from afar, spoke up.
She sat primly on the veranda, staring at me all day.
She was just like a hamster.
Whenever I took a break during training, she always came over to chat like this.
"It's fun. How could it not be when my swings create these mystical phenomena?"
"That's mystical? It's just a water sound. Not even real water."
"Whoa... You really hit the nail on the head. You're right. It's not actually water. So honestly, it's not that fun for me either."
"...Brother's gotten weird."
Ariel kicked her legs back and forth.
An emotional display uncharacteristic of my little sister.
Such strong intent meant one thing.
'I'm bored.'
In other words, she wanted to play.
"Alright, Ariel. Want to take a break? What should we do?"
"Play the ocarina. I want to hear a new song."
"Sure thing."
Ariel immediately pulled an ocarina from her pocket.
It was as saliva-covered as ever.
Even I, who didn't think twice about indirect kisses with my little sister, felt a bit queasy.
'Is this kid doing something weird with the ocarina?'
It was glistening with liquid like that.
I roughly wiped the mouthpiece and brought it to my lips.
This time, maybe something upbeat. The last one, Edelweiss, had been a bit melancholic.
-♬♪
It had been a while since I played this song. Grandpa's Eleven Months.
"There. All done."
I finished playing and offered the ocarina back to Ariel, but she didn't take it.
She just looked up at me with a dazed expression.
"Wowww."
Clap clap clap.
Rarely, she applauded sincerely in response to my performance.
"What's that song? It's exciting. Makes me feel good."
"Glad you like it. I played it just for my little sister."
"Yeah. Play that one a lot."
"Sure. Here's how you play it. First, cover this hole..."
I spent time teaching Ariel the melody.
The training grounds were still empty. No knights had shown up.
They were probably all still up north.
Maybe that's why her gaze was fixed solely on me.
'But the reason Ariel only looks at me isn't just that.'
If that was disappointing, it was.
These days, even the family members had mostly stopped outright hostility toward Ariel.
They kept a polite distance or gradually opened up in conversation.
Ariel herself didn't seem particularly interested. Still, I thought this was a good sign for her.
But the truly regrettable part was...
'Ariel still only has eyes for me.'
I was the only thing in her life.
Beyond that, she had no hobbies outside what I taught her.
The reason she wandered around playing the ocarina was because I'd taught her.
Without me, she wouldn't have cared about the ocarina at all.
Thinking about it made me want to do something for Ariel.
"Ariel."
"Yeah?"
Ariel, diligently trying to mimic Grandpa's Eleven Months, looked up.
I stroked my little sister's head as she gazed at me blankly and spoke.
"Don't you have anything you want to do?"
"Something I want to do?"
"Yeah. Anything. Like food you want to eat or a place you want to go."
"..."
Ariel looked up at me with emotionless eyes and said,
"I like anything if it's with Brother. Food tastes good if I'm eating it with you, and anywhere is fun if I'm going there with you."
"Aw, my little sister is just too cute. Brother will do whatever you want."
"Liar. You always say that but don't follow through."
"Adult circumstances, you know."
I chuckled and ruffled Ariel's hair.
Pretending to hate it, she pushed her head into my hand more.
'Hmm.'
I wanted to teach her something.
If things stayed like this, Ariel might live a boring life forever.
That saddened me.
"I can't always be with you forever, Ariel."
"...What do you mean?"
In an instant, the light faded from Ariel's face.
Her eyes grew cold, as if she'd heard shocking news.
"Brother, are you leaving me?"
"No way. Why would I ever leave you?"
"Then why say that?"
"Because someday, something big is going to happen in the world."
I gave a wry smile, thinking of the future.
Shardia Academy had a final boss.
The Elder Vampire, Blood Demon.
The final boss would appear in the world someday.
By then, the whole world would be shaken by the vampires of the Crimson Blood Cult, the boss's forces.
I planned to prepare as much as possible before that time.
'I need to get stronger ahead of time.'
That way, I could face it.
And more than that, I wanted to protect Ariel.
In truth, no one from the Crimson Blood Cult might ever touch Ariel.
But that wasn't what worried me.
Someday in the future.
I hoped Ariel's inhuman nature wouldn't get her labeled as a shady element like the Crimson Blood Cult.
If it did, I'd have to protect her.
"..."
Ariel bowed her head at my words.
I didn't know how much she took as sincere.
I just hoped my true feelings got through.
"I'll protect you, Sister. But I might not be able to. So you need to prepare to live on your own too."
"...Then, what if I protect Brother?"
"Huh?"
"If I protect you? Then what? Brother. You'd live with me forever, right?"
"Uh..."
No, that was tricky to answer...
I scratched my head, but no good response came.
The reason I'd gotten a bit serious was to protect Ariel.
But if she said she'd protect me instead, I didn't know what to say.
"Well... If my little sister protects me forever, I guess I could live with that."
"Yeah. I heard that clearly. Don't forget it, Brother."
I'd gone along with it half-heartedly, but Ariel's eyes sparkled.
Only then did an ominous feeling creep in.
Wait—did I pick the wrong option? Is this the bad ending route?
Nah, no way. My Ariel is so sweet. Couldn't be.
"Then I want to learn swordsmanship."
"What?"
Then Ariel said something unexpected.
She hopped up, grabbed a sword, and came over.
It looked huge compared to her small frame.
Somehow gripping it firmly, she said to me,
"Honestly, I don't care about learning this. But if it helps protect Brother, I'll do it no matter what."
"Hm. That's fine and all. You want to learn swordsmanship? From me?"
"Yeah. No. Actually, I don't want to rely on Brother for this."
Not relying on me, huh.
Was she going to develop her own swordsmanship? My little sister.
Ariel took her stance.
Whether you could call it a stance was debatable.
Even to me, a beginner, it looked awkward.
But strangely, there were no openings.
No matter where or how I attacked, I could only envision myself getting hit.
"-."
Ariel's eyes glowed white.
For a moment, it seemed like her sword swung.
Shwaaaaa...!!!
With a sound like a downpour of rain,
aura rose up like a dragon.
"What?"
I blinked in surprise as I watched.
For an instant, the space around Ariel seemed completely swept away.
The aftermath was so intense that I could see the air circulating around her belatedly.
"What was that? Ariel?"
It felt like I'd witnessed something incredible.
Any cameras around? I wanted to replay it.
Ariel paused at my voice before answering.
"I tried imitating the Azure Dragon Soaring Sword you showed me."
"Imitating? That's not what I showed you."
"Yeah. I just did whatever I wanted."
Oh.
So she created her own form?
Without even learning the first one?
'This is talent.'
This was the world's strongest, huh.
But I didn't feel fear or jealousy.
It just felt like my cute little sister was putting on a show.
Shouldn't I praise her? She was so impressive and adorable.
"Amazing. The Azure Dragon Soaring Sword has ten forms. You just made the eleventh, Ariel."
"Yeah. Really?"
"Yep. Want to name it? It's your form, so you should give it a name."
"A name... Dragon Rise."
"That's a sensible name for my little sister. You actually came up with something cool for once."
"Because it's a technique to take Brother somewhere no one can touch you."
"Eh?"
Ariel turned to look at me.
Her expressionless, emotionless face.
But was it my imagination that her lips curved faintly upward?
"I'll protect Brother. It doesn't matter where you go from now on. I'll clear out any obstacles between us ahead of time."
Ariel's eyes as she said that.
They brimmed with possessiveness, like a dragon coveting a jewel.