Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Yoru (2)
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After the Sword Matriarch told me to train on my own, it turned into a phase of honing the fruits of my training.
Now, there was no need to distinguish between morning, noon, and evening meals.
I simply focused on building up the proficiency of the spells I'd mastered.
How many more days had passed like that, immersed in practice?
One day, while we were all gathered for a meal, the Sword Matriarch suddenly spoke up.
"Come to think of it, the registration period for the Azure Dragon Tournament is coming up soon."
Why did she keep bringing up that damn Azure Dragon Tournament?
Did she want me to participate? Was she subtly nudging me by asking why I wasn't joining?
"Do you want me to enter?"
"Huh? No, not really. I was just mentioning it."
"......"
Anyone could tell that was her way of saying I should join. Come on.
To be honest, there was nothing stopping me from participating... but personally, it felt like there wasn't enough justification.
I'd probably need a more solid reason before deciding to enter.
"Hmm. You really don't seem interested."
The Sword Matriarch smacked her lips in disappointment and rummaged in her bosom.
Because of that, the parts of her yukata that couldn't quite cover her chest swayed this way and that, forcing me to glue my eyes to my rice bowl.
"Then take this instead."
"Pardon?"
What she handed me was a single scroll.
What was this? Why was a swordswoman suddenly giving me something so literary?
I unrolled it, but there was nothing written inside.
Was this one of those things? Like in those movies where a panda does kung fu and gains enlightenment?
"You can record any memory you want in there. It'll capture the visual and auditory information from whatever situation you experienced at the time, perfectly preserved."
"Why give something like that to me?"
"If you go wandering outside from now on, you'll run into a lot of interference."
The Sword Matriarch smiled leisurely as she said it.
She seemed almost like she could foresee the future.
Kline Leonhart. You're definitely going to get tangled in something annoying.
"You could cover your face with a conical hat like when we first met... but they've probably already marked you as the guy who wore one."
"That Hiiragi family?"
"Yeah. They want their heir to win the Azure Dragon Tournament. They might be searching for you right now. If they find you, they'll probably try to sabotage you somehow."
Whoa.
Did they want victory that badly? How could nobles of Aonia be so desperate?
"Gather evidence of their dirty deeds on that scroll. Someday, it could become a weapon to threaten the Hiiragi family."
"Got it. Thanks, I'll take it."
I tucked the scroll into my bosom.
I hoped I wouldn't have to use it, but you never knew.
Just as the Sword Matriarch said, the Hiiragi family might send more bandits after me.
"Well, I'll be off then."
"Where are you headed? You've been leaving Sword Matriarch Hall a lot lately."
"I've always wandered around outside plenty. We even met you all out there, remember? I've just got some business to attend to."
The Sword Matriarch winked and left just like that.
Hmm.
At this rate, I worried that what I'd learned so far might be all there was.
I'd expected her to teach me more.
Or maybe it was an unspoken hint that if I went to the Azure Dragon Tournament and won, she'd teach me more.
In any case, the magic tool she'd given me seemed like something I'd use eventually. I slipped it into my bosom.
Since Ariel had come to Aonia with me...
If I had to point out a noticeable change in my little sister, it was that Ariel had become much more human-like.
No, of course Ariel was human to begin with. I shouldn't deny that.
What I meant was... Ariel had started acting more like a girl her age.
"Oppa. This was delicious today too."
"Yeah? I'm glad."
"Yeah. I'm always grateful to you, Oppa."
One might think she only said it tasted good because I was her brother.
But no. Ariel was clearly lifting the corners of her mouth.
And not faintly, but more distinctly.
That alone was earth-shattering.
Ariel's emotional expressions have increased.
More clearly, more distinctly.
She knew how to express her feelings and convey them to others.
The word "grateful" proved it. I'd never imagined hearing my little sister thank me for cooking.
Thinking about it, it was a bit strange.
Why had Ariel's inhumanity diminished?
The element that branded her a calamity had noticeably quieted down.
In its place, human-like qualities were reviving.
It was mysterious. I hadn't done anything special?
The unexpected answer came from the Sword Matriarch.
"Huh? Your little sister seems different lately?"
"Yes. You might not know, Master, but she wasn't like this before. She had far less vitality than now, you could say. It's awkward."
"......Ah. You didn't notice, huh?"
It had started as casual chit-chat, but the Sword Matriarch nodded oddly.
Instead, I was the flustered one asking back.
"Notice what?"
"I don't know what kind of work you did for so long, but that girl's otherworldly aspects have been massively neutralized. I can see it."
"Pardon? You can see it?"
Was she a prophet too?
No, she didn't give off that vibe.
Come to think of it, since she could touch my soul directly, she must have some hidden talents.
As I blinked at her, the Sword Matriarch chuckled "ufufu" and puffed out her chest.
"Believe it or not, I'm a spirit medium. I have a knack for detecting and interfering with souls and the spirit world. I had a bit of an idea about your little sister too."
"......Weren't you surprised? Most people get more terrified the more they learn about her true nature."
"Yeah, I was surprised, but from my perspective, she's more of a curiosity. I didn't pay it much mind."
And the reason I gained this ability was because it was a necessary step in evolving my spell 'Eternal Snow'—the Sword Matriarch mumbled something like that.
But that didn't interest me much.
What mattered was how Ariel's inhumanity had been neutralized.
"Can you guess how Ariel changed?"
"Hmm—well? To sum it up in one word, it's devotion. You've tamed her irrepressible inhumanity with unwavering love and dedication. Without that much affection, your sister might have gone berserk instead."
"Berserk."
"Yeah. If no one affirmed her inhuman self at all, or if they did but couldn't give her an overwhelming amount of love. Then we wouldn't have this outcome."
"......"
"It's all thanks to you, Kline. Ariel responded in kind to the love you poured into her. You can puff your chest out a bit more, you know?"
Is that so.
To be honest, I'd never foreseen this future.
Even if it felt surreal and hard to grasp, truth was truth.
Ariel was changing.
Because her big brother was with her.
Because I was different from the original Kline Leonhart.
"Then, if we keep going like this, can Ariel become human?"
"Huh? Well...... It's hard to say for sure. Cases like your sister's aren't common to begin with. I can only say she might become one if things continue."
"No, that's enough. I believe Ariel will definitely become human."
That was plenty.
It was just my naturally positive nature, never losing hope.
In truth, if Ariel's inhumanity was a disease, it was an intractable illness requiring long-term treatment.
Seeing progress meant I could finally relax as her brother.
"Don't let your guard down completely? If her inhumanity suddenly explodes, it could backfire."
That was why the Sword Matriarch's offhand comment stuck with me oddly.
**
Days passed like that.
Finally, the Sword Matriarch even asked me to fetch ingredients.
—Can you go get some meat? I'm tired of hunting it myself now.
"......"
Even making your disciple hunt beasts? Talk about it.
Maybe I should just half-ass it and head back to the Leonhart Ducal Family.
Crack—crack—
I wandered the mountain alone.
The surroundings were quiet. Only the sound of wind and chirping insects filled the air.
If you tossed just anyone into these mountains and said, "Go find a beast," they probably wouldn't.
But I had the Flow of All Things, so it wasn't hard at all.
I focused my eyes. Then I could see the trail of beast footprints.
Gripping my sword, I headed that way.
It's close.
Considering my pace, I'd encounter it soon.
I trudged along, thinking about how to catch the beast.
When—
Huh?
Someone was approaching from ahead.
Not a beast. Something far stronger than a beast.
A person?
The Sword Matriarch said no one else would come to these mountains besides us three.
I tilted my head and gripped my sword tighter.
I didn't know who it was, but their aura was ferocious.
It could be an assassin hired by the Hiiragi family.
Better to be prepared.
Creak—
I took my stance.
Ready to slash any charging enemy in one stroke—
"Wak!"
"Huh?"
What a pathetic attempt at intimidation.
At the same time, I blinked at the black-haired girl who appeared.
Her glossy black hair. The black eyepatch covering her eyes.
A girl whose appearance stuck in my memory. But she'd grown tall and filled out into a woman.
Her chest was especially well-developed, barely covered by bandages, with the rest of her skin exposed.
Whoa. How did this girl end up with such provocative fashion?
"Long time no see, Mr. Kline!"
The girl greeted me with a bright smile.
It was a reunion with Kurotsuki Yoru.