WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 215: Judith's Choice (2)
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“...!”
Brett Lloyd’s eyes widened at Judith’s sudden action.
Being grabbed by the collar out of nowhere was one thing, but he could hardly believe that their lips were touching.
They had collided hard enough for it to hurt, but the shock was too great for him to care about that.
‘What? What just happened?’
In that brief moment, Brett’s mind raced. Then he remembered what he had been about to say.
That he would wait.
That he might not see her for two years, perhaps even longer, but it wouldn’t matter. He had become close friends with Airen Farreira despite not seeing him for five years. His feelings wouldn’t change over such a short time.
Of course, he couldn’t say any of that in the current situation, even after Judith’s lips had pulled away from his.
Brett stared at Judith with a dazed expression.
Her cheeks were red.
Not just her cheeks, either. Her entire face was red.
It wasn’t from the alcohol. If that little bit had been enough to make her like that, he wouldn’t have let her drink in the first place.
‘She’s redder than her hair. Would teasing her about it ruin the mood?’
After considering it for a moment, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
It was the right decision.
Judith, who had no idea what to do despite being the one who started it, finally gathered her thoughts and growled.
“You!”
“Yeah.”
“From now on, only answer ‘okay’ to what I say. Got it?”
“Sure.”
“Say okay.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t know what the difference was between “sure” and “okay,” but he did as she told him.
Judith took a breath as she looked at him, then continued.
“Once a year... no, twice a year! Come see me. Even if it’s far, come. Even if traveling back and forth takes a long time, you have to come. Got it?”
“Okay.”
Brett answered.
“There won’t be much for us to do besides sparring. Don’t even dream about going out to have fun, drink, or see things... Just think of it as dating at the fencing hall. Got it?”
“Okay.”
Brett nodded.
“Lastly, train hard at your House too. If you haven’t improved every time you come, I won’t have anything to say to my Master. Show him that d-d-dating, um... anyway, that it can help with my sword training. At the very least...”
“...”
“It has to be enough for me to make a case to Master. Got it?”
“...”
“W-what? Why aren’t you answering?”
Judith urged him to respond, her voice trembling.
Her gaze wavered uneasily as she looked at Brett. It couldn’t be helped.
Everything she had said so far had been selfish.
There was no reason for a guy who had no shortcomings except for a slightly rude attitude to accommodate her this much.
Judith’s heartbeat sped up like a drum.
Then, a moment later, something happened that made it beat even faster.
Brett rose from his seat and held Judith’s cheeks in both hands. Her lips, puckered like a fish’s, looked comical.
Of course, they didn’t look that way to him.
With a small smile, Brett pressed his lips to hers, far more gently than Judith had.
“...!”
A little longer than the first time passed.
No, much longer.
When they finally separated, Brett Lloyd looked at Judith’s face, now red enough to burst, and gave his belated answer.
“Okay.”
* * *
“...”
“Wow, that’s amazing, Brett!”
Airen wore a dazed expression after hearing his cohort mate’s story, while Lulu darted through the air as though she had heard something truly entertaining.
Brett and Judith’s names kept spilling from her mouth.
It didn’t last long.
Kiril Farreira calmed Lulu with a look, then asked her brother’s friend.
“So what happened? Did Kun, that Kun, really give them permission?”
“Huh? Ah...”
They sounded slightly flustered.
Having spent so long at a fencing hall that was mostly men apart from Judith, and being at an age when hormones ran high, their attention was naturally drawn to stories of romance.
To them, Kiril’s attractive appearance was especially stimulating.
‘If I asked Airen to introduce me to Kiril, would he?’
They weren’t sure, but they felt they needed to make the best possible impression.
Airen’s cohort mate nodded and continued as kindly as they could.
“So...”
Kiril, of course, had no interest in them. No matter what they might be feeling, she focused only on the story.
The explanation stretched on like stringy cheese, but the point was simple.
Judith and Brett had received Kun’s permission and could continue dating even while training.
Having grasped that much, Kiril looked at her brother and asked,
“Brother, don’t you feel anything?”
“Huh? About what?”
“Airen! Did something happen to you too?”
“What, did you find yourself a lover while traveling? Maybe...”
“N-no! What are you talking about? Nothing like that happened. Nothing happened.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing happened? Can you take responsibility for saying that?”
‘What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?’
Airen broke out in a cold sweat as his sister kept pressing him.
It was true. What could possibly have happened to him romantically when he had done nothing but train throughout the journey?
The only people around him had been Kubharu, Lulu, Judith, Brett, and Illia...
‘...Illia?’
Airen’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
He didn’t know why.
He had only been thinking of the people he missed one by one, yet when it came to Illia, his heart suddenly stopped. Only for a moment, of course.
But Kiril didn’t miss that instant.
“Who were you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
“Just now. There was someone you thought of, wasn’t there? Tell me.”
“No, I was thinking of several people.”
“Really? Who were they?”
“Why is everyone suddenly questioning me...?”
Airen looked around.
His cohort mates were looking at him with suspicious expressions. His sister wore a strange smile, as if she found the situation amusing. Lulu, seeming to have had her fill of entertainment, was calmly focused on grooming herself.
Yet they weren’t the only ones there.
Someone had taken a place near them without them noticing.
Airen saw the smile of Krono’s master, Ian, and cried out in surprise.
“Hall Master!”
“Gasp! Hall Master?”
“When did you...?”
“Hoho, I just arrived. You were having quite an interesting conversation, so I listened quietly. But...”
“...”
“I can’t stand it any longer. I could ask you endlessly and get nowhere. Tsk, tsk...”
So frustrating. Truly frustrating.
Kiril nodded as Ian clicked his tongue and shook his head, while Lulu remained intent on grooming herself.
The cohort mates read the room and quietly slipped away.
The two of them hadn’t been training as diligently as before lately, so they thought the Hall Master might scold them if they stayed any longer.
Airen was different.
He had no reason to avoid Ian. If anything, he had been eagerly waiting to see him.
“Hall Master, it is good to see you.”
“Yes, my disciple. It has been a long time.”
Ian looked at Airen, whom he hadn’t seen for nearly two years.
Airen raised his politely bowed head, and their gazes met.
Then Ian caught a glimpse of the hot flame burning in his eyes. It was something he couldn’t have seen in the past.
‘You have changed. A great deal.’
He felt satisfied.
Still, he didn’t show that feeling openly.
After considering a few things, he turned and said,
“Follow me.”
“...Is it all right if you don’t examine your disciple’s sword first?”
Airen asked because he remembered his last visit to the fencing hall. At the time, the Hall Master had first asked to have a conversation through their swords.
This time, he didn’t.
Ian turned his head slightly and gave a soft laugh.
“I’ve already seen that your sword stands firm. There’s no need to see it again. You seem to have many concerns, so let’s discuss those instead.”
* * *
The Hall Master’s room, which he hadn’t visited in a long time, was the same as before.
Aside from a few pieces of furniture necessary for living, it was simple enough that it was hard to believe it belonged to one of the continent’s greatest swordsmen.
To Kiril, who liked decorating, it even felt so empty it seemed as though there was nothing there.
Airen and Lulu didn’t care about such things at all.
Neither did the Hall Master.
He watched his disciple with deep eyes, and under that gaze, Airen slowly began telling his story.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
He thought he was speaking slowly, but he was clearly pouring out his inner thoughts at a faster pace than before.
Perhaps “spewing them out” was more accurate.
Like breathing fire, Airen confessed every concern he had carried on the journey from Lavath to Alkantrea.
“...”
Even after hearing everything, Ian remained silent for a long time.
Airen looked at him anxiously.
Was he choosing words of advice?
Normally, Airen would have thought so, but for some reason, he felt that wasn’t it.
There was no clear basis for it. It was simply a feeling.
As the silence stretched on, Airen grew restless. Lulu and Kiril, watching his unease, also began to feel impatient.
The Hall Master finally spoke after some more time had passed.
He slurped down the tea that had gone completely cold and opened his mouth.
“There’s no problem.”
“...Pardon?”
“I mean it isn’t something you need to worry about too much. You said you fear the flames may consume you? It could happen. I understand. Excessive competitiveness can turn into self-loathing, then an inferiority complex, and countless people have ruined themselves because they couldn’t bear it. There have been too many to count on both hands at this fencing hall alone.”
“...”
“But you aren’t that sort of person. Even now, you aren’t. The fact that you’re wary of it means you’re already doing well enough.”
Ian drank the rest of his tea and continued.
“If we’re talking about danger, the old you was far worse. Compared to the child who lived each day like an empty iron bowl, with no dreams, hopes, or passion... you are remarkable now. You’ve endured much, and you’ve done well. This Master wishes to praise you.”
“...”
“...But this isn’t the answer you want. Not at all.”
The Hall Master slowly closed his eyes.
It looked as if deeper worries and thoughts than before were troubling him.
Seeing that made Airen uneasy as well.
But...
‘I don’t want to leave with only a word of praise from the Hall Master.’
Airen’s eyes shone.
Just as they had when he first met Ignet.
Just as they had when he asked Joshua Lindsay for further guidance.
His gaze burned with intensity as it landed on Hall Master Ian.
It was somewhat ironic for someone seeking the Water Sword, but Airen didn’t notice it.
After a while, Ian finally opened his eyes and looked toward Kiril Farreira.
“...You’re Kiril, correct?”
“Y-yes.”
Kiril stammered.
It was strange. She was always confident, but in front of this old man, she couldn’t help watching her words and actions.
She wasn’t the only one.
Even Lulu, who had acted cheerfully when they first met, was the same. Today, the Hall Master felt unfamiliar somehow.
Even Airen, trapped in his worries, vaguely sensed it.
Ian acted as though he noticed none of it.
“I hear you’re an excellent Sorcerer. I also heard you can summon a legendary creature, a Griffin...”
“That’s right.”
“Then could we ride it together and travel somewhere? It isn’t very far, but it’s an awkward distance to walk.”
“Of course.”
“Good. Let’s leave at once.”
Ian rose from his seat and quickly left the building.
The mood had changed so suddenly.
Before Airen’s group could adjust, they followed after him.
Then they rode the Griffin, which had grown much larger than before, into the sky.
“Wow!”
“Whoaaaa...”
The voices of fencing hall trainees rang out from all around.
Ignoring them, Kiril guided the Griffin in the direction Ian indicated. Before long, they found the lake beyond the city walls.
Then she carefully landed.
Ian jumped down and looked at Airen.
“What must one do to understand the Heart of Water and attain the Water Sword?”
“...”
“It’s a difficult question. I didn’t know how to explain it in words, either. I thought it would be better to show you directly, which is why we came here. Airen, are you ready to watch and learn?”
“...I am.”
Airen nodded. Ian nodded back.
Strolling forward, Ian casually drew his sword and swung it toward the lake.
Whoosh.
Splash!
Kiril looked puzzled.
For a sword belonging to one of the Continent’s Top Three, it was far too unimpressive.
She didn’t know swordsmanship well, but the fact that she could clearly see it was enough to leave her disappointed.
The sword piercing the lake with a splash seemed almost pitiful.
That was when the extraordinary happened.
Shhk!
It sounded like a sheet of cloth being deeply cut.
Along with it, the water was cut.
It hadn’t simply been pushed aside by overwhelming force.
The entire lake had been split cleanly in two, as though ice had cracked apart.
There was no great noise. No overwhelming change in scenery.
Standing in the calm scene, as if a painting had been divided in half, Ian looked at Airen and said,
“What do you think? Do you understand a little?”
“...No, I don’t.”
“You saw what I cut, didn’t you?”
“The water...”
“Is that so?”
Ian stroked his chin as though pondering it.
During that time, the lake, which had remained split as if time itself had stopped, joined back together.
Splash.
Kiril, Lulu, and Airen couldn’t say a word.
With the waves rolling behind him like the sea, the Hall Master smiled and spoke.
“Then you’ll have to put in a little more effort.”
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