The Tournament of Guardian Stars (5)
Yusoha gladly savored the praise Eclipse offered her.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Her first match had been an easy victory, so she wondered how the next one would go. The name of her next opponent was unfamiliar, which probably meant another straightforward fight. As Yusoha made that vague prediction, Eclipse spoke.
[If you keep going like that, you’ll do fine. There’s no need to limit yourself to the sword. Fundamentals apply to any weapon you wield.]
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice, Eclipse.”
The two of them were sharing a rather warm moment when—
[Eclipse? Child, who is that?]
The space twisted, and a voice Yusoha knew well reached her. At the sound of it, Eclipse instantly manifested in his battle stance. Clad in his worn armor and broken greatsword, he stepped in front of her as if to shield her, confronting the voice floating in the air.
“Who are you?”
In response to his words, Rumeorn also manifested and glared at him. Her white hair and golden eyes began to shine sharply.
“Oh? And what is this tin can? I should be the one asking. Who are you? Who are you to stand beside my granddaughter?”
Rumeorn gathered her power. In an instant, the surrounding space began to warp, and weapons forged of steel started to appear.
“Granddaughter?”
Before she could fully summon her arsenal, a dumbfounded voice slipped from Eclipse’s mouth. He glanced back at Yusoha for a moment. She was looking at Rumeorn with a slightly awkward expression.
“G-Grandma. What brings you here?”
“Grandma… you say?”
“Hmm. Child, it seems an explanation is in order.”
Caught between the two Guardian Stars facing off, Yusoha—uncharacteristically hesitant—opened her mouth.
“I see. So you were the child’s Guardian Star. Honestly, I like you. The way you immediately sensed a suspicious presence and took a combat stance—you’ve got the basics down properly.”
“You flatter me, Lady Rumeorn.”
The tone was strangely formal.
“Just call me Rumeorn. Titles don’t mean much to me.”
“Understood. Rumeorn.”
“Grandma. Um, could you stop calling me ‘child’…”
Yusoha had clearly been bothered by Rumeorn’s use of “child” from the start. Especially hearing it in front of Eclipse—her face had turned a shade of red Yusoha had never shown before.
“What’s wrong with it? To me, you’re no different from a baby.”
“I mean, even if that’s true…”
Eclipse finally understood why Yusoha had always referred to her with such respectful distance as “Lady Rumeorn.” She was her grandmother. But then, why not just call her Grandmother? Why speak to her like a stranger?
“Soha.”
“Y-yes?”
“Couldn’t you have just told me from the beginning? That Rumeorn is your grandmother.”
“Well…”
Yusoha, who had always tried to appear perfect in front of Eclipse, couldn’t bring herself to admit she had simply forgotten to mention it.
“I was going to tell you later. After you revealed yourself today. I didn’t expect to get caught so anticlimactically.”
“Hmm.”
Eclipse sensed something odd but didn’t press further. In the end, there had been no real need to say anything. Knowing her grandmother was Rumeorn didn’t change anything significant.
“Anyway. It was worth the long wait, child. You’ve finally summoned a Guardian Star.”
“…Yes.”
“Do you like your Guardian Star?”
“Yes. More than I could ever want.”
“I can’t sense any mana from him at all… yet the moment he noticed my presence, he took a combat stance. He’s no amateur, at least.”
“Ah, haha. Yes, that’s right.”
Yusoha almost added he’s not an amateur—he’s incredibly strong, but she closed her mouth. Saying someone was strong in front of Rumeorn would be like showing off wrinkles in front of a chrysalis. No matter how powerful a Guardian Star was—even Adein, the Guardian Star of Shin Seongmin, the renowned S-class Awakened—no one would dare boast of their strength before Rumeorn.
But contrary to Yusoha’s expectations, Rumeorn examined Eclipse more closely and was genuinely surprised. The serene calmness that gave off no aura at all. The thought of undervaluing him because he lacked mana completely shifted the moment she truly observed him. If Eclipse were truly an amateur, Rumeorn would have sensed some kind of presence from him. Yet there was none. Only perfect tranquility.
And… Rumeorn knew exactly what that kind of calm meant. In the world she originally came from, it was the kind of serenity only those who stood in the heavens displayed. The calm of those who could split the sky with a gesture and tear the earth apart. The calm shown by those who had already taken one step beyond her when she transcended humanity and attained a higher state. The calm of those who had reached the pinnacle.
To her eyes, Eclipse carried a similar air to those beings. Something that had transcended humanity. Rumeorn could not easily predict the outcome of a fight against him. That fact brought her a small spark of joy, and she—rarely—smiled as she spoke to Soha.
“Child.”
“Yes, Grandma.”
“You’ve found yourself a strong Guardian Star.”
“Pardon?”
The words you just said he wasn’t an amateur never left Yusoha’s lips. The fact that Rumeorn had given her approval meant her own Guardian Star was strong beyond reason. A dazed look crossed her face, quickly blooming into a bright smile. It was the same smile she had shown in the battle moments ago, so Rumeorn smiled too.
“You were hiding such an interesting fact.”
“Yes. I… I wanted to show him at the moment I desired most.”
“And that moment is today?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe. Then I shall watch with great interest. I won’t tell the family.”
At Rumeorn’s answer, Yusoha pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you, Grandma!”
“Good.”
Only a moment later, as Rumeorn stroked her head, Yusoha realized what an embarrassing thing she had just done.
“Ah. Um, this is—”
“There’s no need to feel embarrassed in front of me.”
“No, that’s not what I—”
Yusoha’s gaze instinctively flicked toward Eclipse.
“Pay me no mind. I’m not thoughtless enough to interrupt a family reunion.”
“Oh, um. Thank you…”
Eclipse’s completely unbothered attitude only intensified Yusoha’s embarrassment. Watching her, Rumeorn’s eyes filled with warm affection, as if she found the sight adorable.
“Anyway, child. I’ll be going now. Prepare well, and I hope you reap wonderful results.”
“…Yes, Grandma.”
Once again the space twisted, and Rumeorn’s form vanished. It felt as if a storm had swept through and left. And in the eye of that storm, Yusoha covered her flushed face with both hands. Of course Eclipse pretended not to see… but that very reaction only made her more mortified.
Did Yusoha know? That behind his helmet, Eclipse was smiling.
‘So Soha has an ordinary side too.’
Eclipse found it even more endearing that his contractor only brought out her arrogance when necessity demanded it.
The tournament proceeded smoothly. Yusoha, as expected, continued her undefeated streak, winning every match with ease. Watching her, Yu Danha felt satisfied with how much her younger sister had grown. At this level, even if she revealed her full power, she wouldn’t suffer a completely one-sided defeat.
“I think I was underestimating Soha.”
At her words, Hidelixius nodded.
[Indeed.]
Hidelixius recalled the sword strikes Yusoha had displayed. Refined swordsmanship. It was no longer the sloppy fundamentals that failed to deliver their true power. Every step, every breath was perfectly controlled. If her swordplay could pressure an opponent with nothing but basic strikes… it might very well have pierced even his defense somehow.
[If I hadn’t recovered some of my original memories from the Fragment of Knowledge, I might have lost.]
“Exactly. So… I can go all out without worry.”
She checked her firearms with a gentle smile.
“She’s changed a lot. Soha, I mean. The level of her refined swordsmanship is impressive.”
Shin Seongmin watched Yusoha with admiration. The Yusoha he had seen before relied on flashy but crude swordplay, so the difference felt even more striking now.
“Hmph. She’s still just a rookie.”
“You shouldn’t let your guard down too much, Adein. Considering the expectations people have placed on us, we’re at an even greater disadvantage.”
“Don’t care.”
When he cautioned her, Adein thumped her tail against the floor in clear displeasure.
“Adein. You’re not sulking because I didn’t summon you, are you?”
“No!”
Adein’s tail swishing grew even more forceful. At this point it was practically banging against the ground.
“There you go sulking again. I didn’t summon you because the opponent wouldn’t stand a chance if I did.”
Just as Shin Seongmin said, throughout the tournament so far he had faced other Awakened alone without calling upon Adein. The results were naturally complete victories. While Adein was certainly one reason for his strength, he was by no means weak without her. He had made his stance clear even before the matches began: he would not summon Adein until the finals of this Guardian Star Tournament. If he brought her out, the competition would lose all its fun.
The spectators who had wanted to see Adein’s lovely appearance expressed their dissatisfaction, but Shin Seongmin remained firm.
“I know that.”
“Still, this tournament is going to be fun.”
“I’m not having fun.”
“Now why would that be?”
Shin Seongmin approached the complaining Adein and pulled her into a tight hug. Her hard horns poked into his chest, but he didn’t mind.
“Ugh, seriously! I told you to stop doing this…”
Even as she snapped at him, Adein leaned into his touch. Shin Seongmin smiled softly and looked down at the coliseum with eyes full of anticipation. There, Yusoha was overwhelming her opponent with a sharp, focused expression.