Chapter 104
Teiti continued speaking with a reddened face.
“Daphne acknowledging my skills like that truly makes me happy. Honestly, hearing praise this openly? It’s completely the first time. I’m really happy right now. But? This isn’t right. Are you playing a prank on me?”
His voice gradually rose higher.
“Last time too! Just, huh? Leaving me behind in the subjugation party and going! Even then, I grudgingly accepted it a hundred, a thousand times because Rache is Daphne’s family! But what’s this girl! She’s just one of those common humans rolling around on the street! Why do I! Why do I have to clean up after a human I don’t even know!”
It seemed he had a lot accumulated, as he huffed and puffed while glaring at Bunny.
“What? She got sick? Then it must have been her fate to die like that! Anyway, as long as they live as humans, whether they live or die, they’ll just insignificantly roll around and disappear the same way, so why struggle to live longer?”
Then he glared piercingly at Daphne again.
“I didn’t come out to treat these insignificant fellows!”
“…….”
“I can’t! No, I won’t!”
Daphne took a deep breath.
Yes.
She knew this guy was afflicted with human hatred.
He’s the type who sees everything except elves and dragons as insignificant, so it would be a lie to say she didn’t anticipate this reaction.
But there is such a thing as degree.
Isn’t it proper to distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said in front of a young child who hasn’t even lived 10 years.
“You little bastard…….”
So Daphne got angry for the first time in a while. No, she tried to get angry.
“Tha, that’s right!”
Until Bunny interjected.
“Yes. I’m an insignificant human, that’s right!”
Bunny, who seemed to have made some kind of resolution, faced Teiti straight on with a determined expression.
“But! My mommy is differentyu. She was someone who went out before dawn to somehow raise me well and worked nonstop until dawn the next dayyu. Thanks to that, I survivedju. If it weren’t for mommy, I would have diedyu.”
“…….”
“My mommy is a great person who saved one life.”
Bunny sniffled while trying hard to swallow the surging emotions.
“So, I may be fine, but mommy isn’t insignificantyu. I can guarantee that.”
“…….”
“So, just once, just once, could you help me? Please, I’m begging youyu.”
Bunny, who had wiped away all the tears but still had a pitiful expression as if crying, clasped both hands together toward Teiti as if in prayer. Teiti’s facial muscles twitched.
“You……! You……!”
Teiti alternated between looking at the teary-eyed Bunny and the sullen-faced Daphne, then soon stomped his foot hard and turned his body.
“Aaah! I don’t know! I don’t know! I’m leaving!”
As expected of an elf, the speed of descending the mountain was amazingly fast.
Daphne clucked her tongue and scratched the back of her head.
“That guy is a bit lacking.”
“Yes?”
“It means don’t mind it because it’s something a lacking guy says.”
“Ah…… no. It’s not wrong.”
Daphne narrowed her eyes and looked at Bunny.
He had boldly spoken up about her mother’s story, but now she was completely intimidated again.
What exactly is the existence of a mother that it makes one child so different like this. Daphne tilted her head to one side.
“Go chase after that guy. And stick by his side for several days. Then he’ll naturally give in.”
“Tha, is that okay?”
“It’s not advice, it’s an order.”
“……Yes!”
Bunny smiled brightly and began descending the mountain following Teiti. Daphne recalled the expression Teiti had shown at Bunny’s earlier words while watching Bunny’s retreating back.
It was an expression of surprise at unexpected words and seeming to feel a faint sense of guilt. So Daphne grinned.
“It would be good if that guy changed a bit too.”
Teiti is not a bad guy, just rude.
Daphne thought that way.
***
The children, who had filled their bellies by eating the food brought from the mountain—though it was just fruits or mushrooms—raw, grilled, fried, and in every way possible, could only lie down in the tents after the moon had tilted to the right.
The children, who had grumbled about how it didn’t make sense to sleep on the dirt floor leaving behind such a nice mansion, fell asleep as soon as their heads touched the pillows. Snore, snore, snoring sounds echoed in each tent.
After confirming all the children were asleep, Daphne carefully came out of the tent.
She had originally planned to do it in the carriage, but circumstances weren’t favorable, so she intended to perform the mana circulation she couldn’t do.
“Yawn.”
Daphne yawned long and rotated her stiff neck.
No matter how strong Daphne’s mental power was, after several days of things piling up, her body couldn’t help but be tired.
Moreover, with a body still having muscle pain from the aftermath of the chimera incident, every movement made her frown, causing her plump cheeks to twitch.
“I need to regain my strength soon.”
While at the academy, her physical strength had increased a lot, and her mana too, but Daphne couldn’t be satisfied. Recalling when she was ‘Selus’, it was ridiculously weak.
Arriving at the training ground, Daphne looked down at her palm and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fist.
“Still, since I’m learning new things, I should be satisfied to some extent.”
Drawing her sword and concentrating, a faint flame rose over the entire blade. She had enveloped it in magic.
“Since mana has settled to some degree, this much seems okay…….”
Daphne swung the sword whoosh whoosh. Then flames flared up and disappeared repeatedly along the sword’s trajectory. Hmm, Daphne made a nasal sound again and properly took her stance.
Galactic Sword 1st Form, Comet Wave Slash.
Recalling the flow of the sword filled in her mind, she stepped forward and swung the sword. Whoosh! Swoosh! The faster movements left black afterimages in succession, and the faint afterimages cut through the air, creating shocks.
“Huu…….”
Finishing the 1st form, Daphne caught her breath, which was slightly less ragged than before, and raised her head. Then she raised her voice toward the back.
“How long are you going to just watch?”
Then rustling footsteps were heard. Daphne turned back with an expression as if she already knew.
The one approaching was the warrior, Heros.
“You said you’d teach me the 2nd form. Then give it now.”
Heros furrowed one eyebrow.
“You act as if it’s something entrusted.”
Wondering whose shamelessness this resembles. Thinking it absolutely isn’t himself, Heros looked down at Daphne.
“Arius also manifested sword aura.”
“So what?”
“It means you’re not just ahead forever.”
“…….”
Daphne narrowed her eyes and looked up at Heros.
“Is that encouragement, or nagging. In my opinion, it’s nagging.”
“Think as you like.”
“……Annoying.”
Heros wouldn’t miss the mutter meant to be heard clearly.
Heros stared at Daphne with his mouth firmly shut, then soon sighed and gripped the stick properly.
“I’ll demonstrate only once.”
Galactic Sword 2nd Form, Light Speed Swift Strike.
As the name suggests, it’s a sword technique swung quickly imitating the speed of light. If the 1st form left afterimages motivated by a comet’s tail, the 2nd form moves the sword so fast that no afterimage remains. Thus, focus is on thrusting rather than putting power into slashing.
Swish-!
After finishing the demonstration, Heros dropped the stick downward and looked at Daphne.
He doesn’t think Daphne will fully understand with just one demonstration. Saying he’d show only once was merely a bluff.
But.
“……I remember it.”
Muttering strange words, Daphne soon swung the sword exactly along Heros’s trajectory.
No, not completely the same. She swings the sword infused with her own style, as if practiced hundreds, thousands of times. Heros’s eye twitched slightly.
-Commonly known as ‘Where are you looking? My sword is here though?’ swordsmanship!
-Quickly! Thrust as fast as possible!
Recalling Bertio’s vivid words, Daphne repeatedly swung the sword. This too was a sword technique practiced until blood came from her palms under Bertio. To the extent it can be called entirely her own.
Swoosh!
Watching Daphne advance straight without any delay, Heros narrowed his brows.
Strange.
Clearly the little Daphne is swinging the sword.
Why does he see the figure of someone else, not Daphne.
A woman with short black hair and her right arm covered in scales……. This is an illusion seen before.
Heros pressed his brows firmly, closed his eyes tightly, then opened them. As expected, the illusion had disappeared. As if it was Heros’s mistake.
‘Seeing it twice means there’s a reason.’
Heros let out a slight nasal sound and pressed the inside of his mouth with his tongue.
“Huff, huff…….”
Then, Daphne, who finished the sword technique, panted and dropped the sword downward. Then her eyes sparkled toward Heros.
“Did you see? How is it? The best, right? Nothing more to say?”
“…….”
Heros first set aside curiosity about the illusion and reviewed the sword technique Daphne showed.
“Your feet are faster than the sword’s movement. Match your breathing and try to balance.”
“……Tch.”
Daphne’s lips pursed.
“Praise is scar… no, it makes even whales dance. Don’t you know how to praise, warrior?”
Heros slowly blinked. Praise, praise huh. Come to think of it, Pauline nagged to praise the children a bit. Heros clucked his tongue and fell into deep thought.
“Hmm.”
His lips, pondering for a moment, slowly parted.
“Good job?”
“Not enough.”
“Well done?”
“Still not enough.”
“……The best?”
“That’s it.”
Daphne smiled brightly and thumped her chest.
“I worked hard, did well, the best. Got it?”
Just looking at the expression, you’d think a triumphant general. But Daphne was a very small young child who only reached Heros’s thighs.
The discrepancy felt amusing, and Heros almost burst into laughter momentarily. Ahem, he cleared his throat and tidied his mouth.
Then Daphne’s head tilted to one side.
“Warrior. There’s something I’ve been curious about for a while.”
Daphne approached closer to Heros and asked with round, bright eyes.
“Why do you always hold back from laughing?”
“…….”
Heros’s brows narrowed again.
He thought whether Daphne doesn’t know the curse on him.
But no. Daphne knows too. That a curse severing emotions is on him.
Yet why say this…… he thought, but soon Heros shook his head.
“Because I have no choice.”
“Hmm.”
Daphne, who had already sheathed her sword, crossed her arms and stared intently at Heros.
“In my opinion.”
Then she said in a confident voice.
“The curse on you is already lifted.”
……What?
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