Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Home (2)
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Jamie was hanging on the window, gazing at the setting sun.
At that moment, the door opened, and Sears stepped out.
Jamie hopped down from the window and asked her,
"Did the talk go well?"
"Thanks to our Jamie, it went perfectly. Thank you."
Sears's expression looked much brighter.
She had been extremely tense on the way here, but now she was just like her usual mother self.
"I'm really glad."
"Yes. It feels like my childhood memories have come back to me."
"Hehe."
Sears gently stroked the head of her adorably smiling son.
"And Sir Onyx says he has something he wants to talk about with you, Jamie."
"I was actually curious about something myself."
"Perfect timing, then. Go ahead."
"I'll be right back!"
Jamie brushed past Sears and entered the hospital room.
Sears watched her son's retreating figure before leaning her arms on the windowsill.
It felt like the lifelong regret weighing on her had finally been lifted.
She had thought it would never be resolved, and without Jamie, it would have remained so.
She was truly fortunate to have Jamie.
She thanked the gods for having her beloved Jamie by her side.
Ironically, Jamie wanted to kill the gods.
"Thank you."
Those were Beryl's words right as Jamie closed the hospital room door.
"What did I even do?"
Jamie waved it off as he sat in the chair.
Beryl smiled at the boy who seemed both childlike and not.
"The reason I called you here is because I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal?"
"Come with me."
The meaning of "with me" was clear.
The group aiming to pioneer the world, 'Frontier'.
Beryl was proposing that Jamie join them.
"I can't tell you the details, but if you come with me, I guarantee your talents will bloom even further. People say your talents will reach the top on their own, but I see it differently."
"How so, for example?"
"Frontier has a 9th Class Master."
Among current humans, there wasn't even a mage who had stepped into that realm, let alone a 9th Class Master.
There might have been unrecorded mages in history, but at least in this era, none could be found.
Which meant the 9th Class Master Beryl spoke of was probably not human.
And Jamie's guess was spot on.
"Not human, but that's precisely why they can help your talents bloom even more. What do you say? Will you come with me?"
Training under a 9th Class Master.
It was tempting.
If he weren't Jamie Welton.
'Learning magic from an amateur. How absurd.'
He understood.
Beryl didn't know his true identity.
That's why he could say such things.
Modern magic had advanced much compared to the past, but that was it.
Diablo Volpir was a great mage who had surpassed the 9th Class and reached beyond.
If a 10th Class existed, it would be for Diablo Volpir.
Yet to learn magic from a mere 9th Class Master.
'If I were just a talented kid, I'd have jumped at it.'
Objectively, becoming a 9th Class Master's disciple was an incredible opportunity.
Jamie snorted inwardly and shook his head.
"I'm good."
"......Are you serious? A 9th Class Master. The one and only chance to learn from a great being who can reshape the continent. And you're turning it down?"
Beryl looked like he couldn't believe his own ears.
It was understandable.
Even Jamie thought Beryl's offer was impossible to refuse.
But the opponent was the problem.
"It doesn't seem that far off."
"W-what?"
"9th Class. Nothing special. Sure, it's impressive. Hmm...... I could reach it someday, right?"
Jamie said with a bright smile.
Beryl felt like his head had been smashed with a hammer. How was he supposed to process this ridiculous statement?
Overconfidence in his abilities. Arrogance. Pride.
None of those.
Self-assurance. Not quite.
'Naturalness.'
That was it.
Not arrogant, not prideful, not overflowing with confidence—just a natural certainty about all situations.
That was the emotion in Jamie's voice.
Could that be possible?
He was seven. No matter how mature he seemed, he was still a child who hadn't even lived a decade.
It might seem like childish thinking at first glance, but Beryl was certain it wasn't.
'The greatest talent in human history.'
That was the rumor about Jamie circulating in the world.
He had thought it exaggerated before meeting him.
When he saw Jamie's power firsthand, he realized it wasn't exaggeration.
And now, he thought even that was understated.
'The greatest talent since the world's birth.'
Dare he say it?
There were dragons, the strongest race and lords of magic.
High Elves, beloved by magic and spirits.
Ran, incarnations of martial prowess.
Before those transcendent races, humans were mere fireflies.
Occasionally, humans challenged them, but they remained mere challengers.
Humans couldn't surpass dragons, high elves, or Ran no matter how they struggled.
But what about Jamie?
'My insight is too shallow to grasp it fully, but Jamie......'
He wanted to take him to Frontier even more.
To show him to Isis.
But the boy didn't seem interested.
"I understand your decision."
"Thank you for the offer."
He still felt regret, but seeing Jamie's resolute face, Beryl knew further persuasion was pointless.
"If there's a chance next time, I'll visit."
"Visit, huh. Hahaha."
He thought it was such a childlike expression.
He seemed unchildlike at times, but moments like this reminded him he was still a child.
Jamie continued as he watched Beryl laugh heartily.
"I'm also curious about this Isis person."
"She's amazing. Yeah. Come visit when you can. I'll introduce you to Isis."
"Looking forward to it."
The meeting between Jamie and Isis.
Beryl thought it would be quite entertaining.
Isis was, as far as he knew, endlessly close to being the 'strongest'.
He didn't know when it would happen, but Beryl looked forward to that day.
"Anyway, you said you had something to ask me?"
"Ah. You heard that far?"
"Though I lost to Sable, I'm still a Sword Master. Even if you whisper, at this distance, I catch everything."
"Wow."
Jamie let out a deliberately childish exclamation.
Then he said,
"That's what I wanted to ask."
"Hm?"
"I've been thinking about learning the sword."
Beryl blinked at those words.
"Didn't you say before you had no intention of doing so?"
"I've changed my mind a bit."
"In that short time?"
"They say kids change their minds quickly."
"......Can you really say that about yourself?"
Beryl let out a hearty laugh at the boy's shamelessness.
"May I ask the reason?"
"After this incident, I felt like magic alone isn't enough."
A seven-year-old feeling his power was insufficient was beyond Beryl's common sense, but the boy had uncommon power from the start.
From Beryl's perspective, it wasn't bad.
Jamie's magical talent would reach the pinnacle on its own.
So wasting his innate physical potential would be a loss.
That was what Beryl had told Jamie at their first meeting.
'Though the reason is still......'
He decided not to think further.
He couldn't call a Sword Master like himself ordinary, but in front of Jamie, he felt like the ordinary one.
And ordinary people can't understand geniuses.
"What do you want to know?"
"What is the sword to you, sir?"
"That's a tough question."
He had expected simple questions like how to start or what sword to use.
But he jumped straight to the essence of the sword.
"I'm curious how Sword Masters view the sword."
Jamie didn't remember old events well.
But he had a comrade who wielded the sword. He couldn't recall the face clearly now, or even what swordsmanship he used, but one thing he faintly remembered was what that comrade had said.
—To me, the sword is salvation. The sword of salvation for the suffering masses. That is the definition of the sword I uphold.
The name had faded from memory, but for some reason, those words lingered in his mind.
"You're truly an extraordinary child."
Beryl said as he picked up the sword beside him.
The blade drawn from its sheath was transparently clear like a mirror.
"You may or may not know, but I was once called a demon."
He swung the sword emotionlessly.
There was no day the blade wasn't stained with blood, and he thought that natural.
The sword was merely a tool for killing, nothing more.
"Then I met someone."
He had glossed over it with Sears earlier, but that person was Beryl's one and only master.
"Through many defeats by him, I began to think deeply about the sword."
For the first time, the sword ceased to be just a tool.
The mindless swings began to incorporate thought. Around the time he controlled emotions with reason and swung with intellect, Beryl was able to define his sword.
"To me, the sword is reflection."
That realization allowed him to become a Sword Master.
"Reflection......"
"Not just reflection on wrongs, but reflection is the act of upholding oneself. I always reflected as I swung the sword, pruning the unnecessary, fully defining the abstract, and upholding it. Thus, my sword is reflection."
Jamie thought it was a splendid expression.
His old comrade called the sword 'salvation', and Beryl called it 'reflection'.
Then what was the sword to his father, Count Welton?
As if reading his thoughts, Beryl said,
"Count Welton's sword is very unique. And terrifyingly powerful. Even I am curious how he defined his sword."
He had heard rumors of Count Welton's authority.
It was not something graspable with an ordinary mindset.
And the Welton family's secret swordsmanship.
The Weltons weren't called a world-renowned swordsmanship house for nothing.
He still vividly remembered that day's duel.
Neither was a Sword Master then, but Count Welton's swordsmanship was on another level.
The count's prowess supporting it was chilling.
"Learn your family's swordsmanship. And master Count Welton's secrets."
Beryl sheathed the sword and finished.
"Finding the sword's definition comes after. Your question was good, but no need to think about it yet. You haven't even mastered the basics."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Your father is a great warrior. Follow him with faith, and you'll achieve your goals."
"Yes."
"I hope that satisfies you."
"More than enough."
"Good."
The two smiled at each other.
'What an extraordinary kid.'
No.
Calling him a kid now felt almost insulting.
'I'll watch what kind of person he becomes.'
Whenever it might be, next time they met, Jamie would be even greater.
He was already looking forward to it.
Beryl smiled and extended his hand to Jamie.
"See you again."
"It was nice meeting you."
Beryl prayed.
May glory always follow that child's path.