Chapter 183
Whoosh! Clang—!
The training ground was filled with nothing but the sound of a sword blade cutting through the air. Of course, training grounds were naturally supposed to be filled with the sounds of training, but today was slightly different. That was because this sound filling the entire training ground was the swordplay of only one person.
Whoosh—!
Whenever the sword blade extended, a point resembling starlight would appear and disappear. These were traces of the Galaxy Sword. Daphne, who had now learned up to the fourth form of the Galaxy Sword, displayed such perfect form that it was hard to believe she had not yet reached adulthood. Her skill was enough to make her presence stand out far more than that of most knights.
Whoosh!
Daphne swung her sword once again.
* The one I came to love was you.
* I loved you. I did not love the mass of curses.
Heros’s words would not leave her ears.
Could that really have been his true feelings? Did he really accept me as family? Did he really love me? I don’t know. I couldn’t know.
Whoosh! She swung her sword again, and his words, which had materialized in the air, were sliced in half and scattered. But this was not the end.
* You are my daughter, and you are our family.
She could not cut these words.
The tip of Daphne’s sword trembled, and at that very moment.
“Ugh!”
Thwack—! A wooden sword struck Daphne’s leg. Daphne’s body staggered for a moment before pitching forward, and Arius did not miss the opportunity to charge at her.
“Yaaah!”
Just as his sword was about to touch Daphne’s forehead!
Thwack! Arius went tumbling backward from the sudden impact. Daphne, who had been right in front of him moments ago, was now behind him.
“Ah, what the heck! I told you not to use magic!”
Arius shouted. He then added that hadn’t they agreed not to use magic during their sparring and to compete purely through swordsmanship, and that Daphne was making him very upset by continuing to do this, but he soon clamped his mouth shut.
“It wasn’t magic. It was a sword form, you stupid big brother.”
“Ah. Really?”
“Yes. If you had properly mastered the third form, you would have been able to move quickly.”
“Ahh. Why are you hitting me with words?”
Arius muttered as he scratched the back of his head. Once again realizing that his skills were lacking, he renewed his determination. One day, I’ll have to beat Daphne. I’ll definitely beat her……!
Then, suddenly remembering something, he spoke to Daphne.
“Still, Daphne, you were really out of it just now. You know that?”
“I was?”
“Yeah. You weren’t concentrating.”
“…….”
Well, it was true, so Daphne had little to say. What concentration on the sword? Hadn’t she been distracted the entire time while thinking only about what Heros had said? Daphne thought that she had no right to criticize Arius either and withdrew her sword. Then Arius approached her with large strides.
“Why, what did Father say yesterday?”
Arius looked at Daphne with a concerned expression before adding,
“No, because you’ve been like this ever since you came back from meeting Father. I thought maybe you two had actually had a serious fight.”
Daphne let out a small, disbelieving laugh.
“What fight? It was nothing like that.”
“Then why are you like this?”
Arius’s brows drew together.
“You always lose focus after meeting Father. It seems like you’re doing it again this time. If you fought with Father, tell me. I’ll help you.”
“You’ll help me?”
“Yeah!”
Arius vigorously nodded his head up and down. Though he was nearly of age, Arius still had such a youthful air about him that there were times when he felt more like Daphne’s younger brother than her older brother, and this was one of those times. What could he possibly help with after fighting the hero? What was he going to do?
Perhaps Daphne’s thoughts showed on her face. Arius puffed out his cheeks and said,
“I can help! I’m an official member of the knight order too! If I tell the knight order that Father bullied you, everyone will go on strike! I can make that happen!”
Having realized what Arius was thinking, Daphne burst into laughter. Ah, it really was Arius. His head was full of flowers.
“It wasn’t like that. I never fought with the hero either. Rather…….”
Daphne, who had hesitated slightly, continued.
“The hero acknowledged me as his daughter. I was only distracted because I was wondering whether he was lying or not.”
“What are you talking about, Daphne!”
Arius shouted with a deeply furrowed brow.
“Why would Father lie?! No, no. Daphne, you are Father’s daughter, and you are our family. Why are you sitting there worrying about that?”
“…….”
“You’re always like this, aren’t you? Honestly, among the four of us, you’re the one who’s truly his daughter. Why do you keep thinking otherwise? If you keep thinking like that, I start thinking that I’m not really his son either. Do you want to make me like this too?”
“No, that’s not…….”
“If it’s not, then stop worrying about it and stop being concerned. Everyone calls you the Young Lady, but you’re the only one who refuses to acknowledge it.”
As she listened to Arius’s continued words, Daphne unconsciously lowered her gaze. She quietly looked down at the hand holding her sword. Was it really true? Could she really exist here as their family, just as Arius said, just as the hero said? Was it really not a lie? Unable to sort out her thoughts, Daphne let out another long sigh, and Arius suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“You’re only having these useless thoughts because your body is too comfortable. Come on, let’s go for a run.”
At Arius’s words, Daphne’s eyes widened.
– Rather than thinking unproductive thoughts, go out and run. Then everything will be resolved.
Arius was repeating her own words back to her. She had thought he was nothing but a fool, but he did have an admirable side to him. Daphne relaxed her body and followed wherever Arius led her.
That’s right. Arius was right. Let’s not doubt. Let’s not speculate. I am…….
– You are my daughter, and you are our family.
Because I am Daphne Akion.
***
Heros, who had been looking down at the training ground with his forehead resting against the window, slowly straightened himself. Then he took a sip of coffee. It was completely cold, so all the aroma had disappeared and it tasted like nothing at all, yet he thought it was delicious. It was probably because of the heartwarming sight of Daphne and Arius he had just witnessed.
– You’re not trying to use me or anything?
– No. You can use me. But I’m asking because I want to be used while knowing about it myself, so answer me honestly.
When Daphne had said those words for the first time, he had felt as though his heart were being torn apart. On one hand, he felt terribly sorry for Daphne, while on the other hand, he thought it was fortunate.
It was fortunate that he himself had been affected by merely a few words and had come to want to embrace Daphne. Because he truly did love Daphne.
Therefore, he had a duty to raise Daphne properly. Only then would he be able to hold his head high when he met Elise in the future.
So, Daphne must be raised well…….
“This crazy bastard! Die! Dieee!”
“Aaaagh! Save me!”
“You swing your sword like that and leave yourself wide open! How many times have I told you?! Are your ears plugged? Huh?”
……She’ll grow up on her own.
Heros deliberately pretended not to hear Arius’s screams and told whoever was knocking to come in.
It was Pauline who entered the study. Pauline, carrying a huge stack of thick documents. Heros felt a chill run through him for a moment, but he forced himself to regain his composure and spoke to Pauline.
“What is it?”
“…….”
Pauline did not answer and instead placed the stack of documents on Heros’s desk with a thud. Then she opened her mouth.
“I’m resigning.”
Ah, why you too!
