WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 225: You've Lost Your Mind (1)
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After finishing his conversation with Judith, Airen and the others spent the night at Kun's house.
The following morning, after being served breakfast, they set out for Lloyd territory at once.
“Thank you for letting us stay.”
“Of course you should thank me. It’s been ten years since I let anyone stay over. Now get lost already. I need to do my morning training.”
“You really have an awful personality, unlike Hall Master Ian.”
“That bastard is awful too, once you get to know him. You should have seen that sneaky bastard when he was young...”
Kun frowned and grumbled a few more words.
No one in the group paid any attention.
Airen turned to Judith.
“See you next time.”
“Yeah. I don’t know when that will be, but... I’ll come find you.”
Judith nodded in reply.
They were ordinary words, but they carried an unusual weight. The next time they met, Judith would surely be far stronger than she was now. Airen was certain of it.
“Kiril.”
“Yes, Sister?”
Judith called Kiril over.
Though they had only known each other for a short time, the two looked at each other warmly, as if yesterday’s tension had been a lie.
They shook hands, then shared a brief hug. Kiril wore a gentler smile than usual as she offered a few kind words.
“I’ll always be rooting for you.”
“You’re rooting for me? If I do well, your brother loses.”
“It’s okay. If my brother does his best and you do your best too, you’ll both win and lose sometimes. That’s enough...”
“I plan to beat him for the rest of my life, but I’ll overlook that much since you’re his little sister.”
Judith snickered and turned away. As if it were finally her turn, Lulu leaped up and hugged Judith.
“Can I come visit again?”
“No. I need to focus solely on training for a while.”
“I’ll just come and watch. Can I do that?”
“You can, but you’ll get bored.”
“It’s fine. I’ll come with Brett. I think it would be fun just watching the two of you talk...”
“Don’t come when Brett comes. I’ll kill you.”
“Huh? What?”
Judith had suddenly turned violent, and Lulu looked thoroughly confused.
Airen scooped up the cat, who had dropped limply to the floor as if she had broken down.
Smiling, he said, “I’ll make sure Brett gets the letter.”
“...I know, so get lost already. Ah, damn it. I said I was going to fix the way I talk...”
Judith still glared at him with a fierce expression and an equally fierce tone.
Airen could not bring himself to dislike a friend like that.
After one final handshake, Airen climbed onto the Griffin’s back, and the others followed.
“Then we’ll be going. Kun, thank you for your guidance.”
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Fwoooosh!
Flap, flap!
A moment later, Airen and the others soared into the sky with wingbeats far more powerful than any eagle’s.
They vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Once they had become distant specks, Kun immediately lost interest in them.
Kun spent the day as before, beginning another training session filled with fierce determination and madness.
“...”
Judith watched the place where they had disappeared for a little while longer.
Then, like Kun, Judith began training.
Whoosh!
To walk her own path.
Fwoosh!
To catch up to her goal.
Fwoooosh!
Judith’s flames blazed with greater intensity than anything else.
* * *
On the Griffin’s back as they flew toward Lloyd territory, Airen was lost in thought as usual.
Only a day had passed, and there had been just two sparring matches... Yet yesterday’s experiences had given him considerable motivation and inspiration.
More than anything, they had made him reconsider his path and the direction he should take as a swordsman.
‘I can’t be like Judith.’
To hone a powerful, sharp weapon until it covered every weakness.
It could break easily, yet pierce through anything... Pursuing the absolute extreme was the path Kun and Judith had chosen.
Airen was different.
As he had said before, his path was to overcome and compensate for his weaknesses through experience, teachings, and interactions with others.
Like the five spirits creating synergy through Mutual Generation and Mutual Conquest.
In that sense, this journey to Lloyd territory held considerable meaning.
Among those close to Airen, Brett Lloyd was the person closest to “water.”
‘The problem is that my heart is unsettled...’
He recalled what Judith had told him last night.
Master had already acknowledged him. Kun had simply spoken curtly about it.
So, if Airen wanted, he could deliver the letter to Brett and immediately join the subjugation force afterward.
It was true. Before he left, Kun had tossed him an old coin as proof.
Airen did not know what the object meant, but he was certain Julius Hyul would not be able to turn him away if he showed it.
But...
‘Would it really be all right for me to join the subjugation force as I am now?’
Airen himself had become uncertain whether he was qualified.
After escaping the Jester Demon’s dungeon, he had been confident.
His heart had swelled to bursting, as though he could wipe out every demon on the continent at once.
But not now.
He had met Ian.
He had met the Jester Demon again.
He had met Kun and Judith.
Airen had gained so much from every encounter, yet strangely, he felt more lacking than before.
He felt that he could not join the subjugation force as he was now, that he could not stand alongside the Paladins, including Ignet.
‘...Then what should I do?’
Airen’s expression grew more serious as his thoughts sank deeper.
To make the world better.
To make a world where everyone was happy, where everyone could enjoy themselves, and no one had to suffer.
That was his goal, his purpose, his conviction.
Subjugating demons was only one of the things he could do to achieve it. It could never be everything.
But if he asked himself whether he could benefit the world in another way as he was now...
He could not give a definite answer to that either.
“...Hm.”
Airen quietly opened his eyes, rousing himself from his thoughts.
The view from the sky, which had become quite familiar to him, spread before his eyes. He took a deep breath and turned to his sister.
She asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“You seem like you have a lot on your mind.”
“A little. There are a lot of difficult things, but my abilities are still far too lacking.”
“Um...”
Kiril’s expression turned serious after hearing her brother’s concerns.
Still, Airen did not seem as anxious and uneasy as he had when they were heading for Krono Fencing Hall.
Even though he was worrying and agonizing over the same things, he seemed much better now.
The trust they had built recently reassured Kiril that there was no need to worry too much.
Kiril nodded and changed the subject.
“Put those same old worries aside for a while. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Your friend.”
“Ah...”
“What kind of person is Brett Lloyd?”
Kiril’s eyes sparkled.
She had met Illia Lindsay and Judith.
It was not simply a matter of meeting her brother’s friends. Through those encounters, she had discovered sides of her brother she had never known.
She had begun to understand how he had become so dependable.
‘Brett Lloyd... He must have influenced my brother a lot too.’
In a good way, of course.
The thought of meeting someone who had even won over Judith made Kiril’s anticipation grow.
“Hmm, Brett is... my most mature friend. He’s calm, wise, and relaxed.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Brett’s smart. Sometimes he even reads books to me!”
Lulu’s words did not register with Kiril at all, but Airen’s did.
Kiril’s expectations for Brett grew even greater.
“I want to meet him soon.”
“Yeah. I want to see him too.”
“Me too! Kiril, can you go faster?”
“I normally couldn’t, but I think I can now. Sorcerers are the kind of people whose abilities improve when their hearts are stirred!”
“Not just people, cats too!”
“Anyway, should we pick up the pace?”
“Wait, we’re already going pretty fast... Urgh!”
Swoooosh!
The Griffin’s speed rose to at least twice what it had been before, drawing a groan from Airen.
The wind struck his face hard. Despite the spring weather, it felt cold.
“Oh, this is more exciting.”
“This is fun! Faster! Make it go even faster!”
“Okay, I’ll focus a little more...”
Swoooosh!
“Yaaah!”
“Wow! I feel like screaming! Can I?”
“You can!”
“Yaho-ooo!”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
“...”
Lulu and Kiril shouted with excitement.
Watching them, Airen smiled quietly.
* * *
Thanks to Kiril Farreira’s sudden burst of speed, Airen and the others reached Lloyd territory much faster.
They stared in surprise at the city gate, which looked far grander and more dignified than they had imagined.
“It’s more...”
“Yeah. More than I expected... How should I put it? It just feels different from other cities.”
Kiril spoke with wide eyes.
Of course, they had expected it to be impressive.
Except for the Holy Kingdom of Abilius, Gerbera Kingdom was the largest nation on the central continent.
House Lloyd was one of its most prominent high noble families, so it was no surprise that its territory was far more developed than Farreira territory or the cities of Cesar Duchy.
But that was not what caught their attention, especially not Airen’s.
He looked over the expressions of the people around him.
‘They’re bright. Very bright.’
Airen had traveled to quite a few places over the past two years.
That was why he knew how many people in the world wore exhausted expressions as they struggled through their daily lives.
Even in the relatively safe central continent, that was common. The roads leading west were worse.
Whether a city was rich or poor, most people looked worn down.
The only city he could think of with a cheerful atmosphere was Aienmarc, but honestly, even his impression of that place had not been entirely positive.
The streets had been full of people addicted to gambling, wagers, and alcohol.
Lloyd territory was different.
Most of the people passing through the city gates looked bright and happy.
The guards were like that. The merchants were too. Even those who appeared to be laborers looked the same.
Still surprised, Airen and the others slowly entered the territory.
‘It’s the same inside.’
People sweating as they worked hard to sell their wares.
Inn boys trying to bring in customers before the night grew too late.
Street musicians giving impromptu performances, and those quietly watching them. Everyone’s face held a sense of ease.
“The Lord must be a good person.”
“Looks like it.”
Kiril said it casually.
It was interesting for a moment, but that was all. It was not remarkable enough for her to keep dwelling on it.
Lulu felt the same, and before long, the two had turned their attention to finding the best inn.
Airen was different.
With a deeper gaze and even more thoughts, he carefully took in every part of Lloyd territory.
“Okay, let’s stay here. Is that all right, Brother?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah.”
Of course, he could not keep doing that forever.
His sister led him by the hand to an inn. Its exterior looked rather luxurious, and the price was probably high.
That was not a problem. Airen, Kiril, and Lulu were all wealthy.
They opened the door without hesitation and started toward the counter to get rooms.
But they could not.
Airen stopped dead in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?”
“...”
“Do you know someone?”
At his sister’s question, Airen frowned slightly.
The man was a stranger.
A nobleman who appeared to be around forty, with ash-blond hair and a mustache. Tears had gathered in his eyes, as though something had saddened him.
Yet somehow...
He looked familiar.
“...”
For one thing, there were the bottles on the table.
Five empty bottles of strong Whiskey had already piled up, but the man did not appear particularly drunk.
Even now, he poured himself another glass and swallowed it with a sorrowful expression.
Someone Airen knew could drink that much too.
Of course, it would be absurd to guess the man’s identity from that alone.
But...
‘The nature of his Aura is... exactly the same.’
Eyes That See Aura.
Airen’s unique ability, which no one else possessed, told him that the man’s outward appearance was a disguise created through magic.
It told him that this was unquestionably someone he knew.
Airen nodded and walked over.
“I miss you...”
Unaware of Airen’s group approaching, the man continued pouring himself drinks.
Every now and then, the man muttered that he missed someone, and Airen thought he knew exactly who that person was.
Airen pulled out a chair and sat down with a smile.
His friend looked up at him, eyes widening.
“Brett.”
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