Chapter 15: First Step Toward a Dream (8)
FZVhBy the time Shirone and Rian returned to the room, it was nearing noon.tpd0
I9U6Haha! Did you see their faces?! That felt sooooo good!MAyG
rovZBPBut are you really okay? That knights oath I think you overdid it because of me.bvxMOPi
kvmkJRians expression became serious. Despite how immature he was, he understood the weight of the knights oath.KGMZ9mT
MFl8HjShirone, I did not take the oath because you are my friend. Youre different from my brother. You have the power to attract people.C6Hq6oA
3vtKYShirone felt the sincerity.W2byx0P
utn8iuBut listening to such praise made him feel awkward, so to lift the mood a bit, he tried to joke around.RAS
kb3JTvHaha! I feel too much pressure. But if you want to protect me, youll have to improve by several folds.k9G
CgcyTtyRian flinched.SzB
7gkHey, dont poke where it hurts. I already know that. By the way, you surprised me there. Saying what you wanted to say in front of my whole family. Werent you scared?TjHIYFE
WGdknHehe, theres a secret to that.tsTiVB
wCFvOShirone explained how he imagined jumping off a cliff, which he realized before his sword battle with Rian.JjXb
s50mmaThinking it would be of some help towards improving his swordsmanship, Rian was puzzled once he heard the story.hHwQTf
AsXRJumping off a cliff? Why would you do that? Are you perhaps An idiot?FNQ19k
VlkCKAn idiot?RAAz
xWcjHe couldnt believe Rian called him an idiot.36CxCi
ir7MNo, just listen carefully. I dont mean you should actually jump off a cliff. Simply imagine it. You arent dead until you fall flat on the ground. It means that you need to focus on the present instead of needlessly imagining the future.ruVEzT
qUyRpBut if you jump off, youre dead. Its you who needs to think it over. If you jump, youre as good as dead.OOYNJ3
AK2jArgh, seriously! If you dont even jump off the cliff, ultimately, youll end up not being able to do anything!BnKaur
3zVkfAha, then I can do it. For example, I would jump without any hesitation to save you. Because thats what a knight does.hTJo
ZCJ1Shirone blinked.NbmhHF5
1Ju7It was completely different from what he wanted to convey, but he thought that was who Rian was.oyzt
LnVXvJYYou really are the polar opposite of me.fS3h
wfMwAt that moment, someone came in. Someone who he thought he would never meet again.kSvSyxW
AlSjwPoAs Reina peeked her head inside the room, she let out a small sigh. Shirones face flushed at the sight of her.9D8
GIgHi. The atmosphere on the opponents side was too fierce, so I came to my allys base to evacuate.y70O
mCNGet out. We were having a man-to-man talk.V9S
a0JuVShirone waved his hands around hurriedly as Rian was sending Reina away.4CMK
VEV5S8PWhats wrong with you, Rian? Your sister helped out a lot. You’re welcome to come in, Reina.biAtr
dbi6AHey, you just dont understand. That witch must be28Iyw
TdtdRian, who was spitting out slander, thought for a while and closed his mouth.ZbMR
q3ntShirone and Reina. Reina and Shirone. Those two names were coming and going in his head.5SEScr
mmrBKMReina came closer, walking briskly like a cat, and sat between the two.g9vY
OMTL3Anyways. Rian, you were pretty cool back there. I cant believe you took out the knights oath card. I really cant beat you.3AB
yeAvRsHow come you sound like youre teasing me?5LK
sya1Heheh, did I get caught?NxNDxBH
v8w8E3Are you serious?! Why the hell are you even here?! Did you just come here to annoy me?!sBQNY
FZMwJlJWhat do you take me for? I just accomplished my job as the spy of the team. Theres a pretty serious conversation going on over there on the opponents side.3j60nD
IDxZwWNWhat can be worse than what just happened?VCuoZ
Z1qWbNActually, dad was thinking of sending you, along with Rai, to the palace.l4m46
8SAcxIt was Rians first time hearing this.JF5h
LBduLK2Besides, despite the fact he was a genius, nobody knew whether Rai would get the approval, so why would he tag along?Ktjc
E31KyYWhat are you talking about? They want me to go on a field trip or something?mWbpA
b7a0IYNo, they want to enroll you into the Kaizen Swordsmanship Academy. You know, the largest one in the Kingdom of Thormia? The academy that produced 10 certified Grade 1 swordsmen in 200 years?7NSoDi
oF6What? Why did you guys decide that without discussing it with me? I thought I could play around with Shirone as much as I liked, but now I have to go to an academy? What about my Master?FkY7Q
VCOl9JYour instructor already knows. Thats why he ended his contract yesterday and went back to his hometown this morning. I heard you guys even said your goodbyes. You didnt know about this?MEZq8RK
RjEERian looked at Kites sword. It was thanks to this sword that he was able to carry out his will.ZvwX3V
1sWKKMaster!m0Q2s
84IHe was someone who cared about Rian more than anybody else.AxxGJSk
lXcThe reason why he ended the contract with no opposition was because he wanted his student to grow a bit more.u1iPF5
CJMbxBut this is too sudden. What about Shirone?KqGU4Dm
xbJyThats why the family is talking. They are thinking about sending you and Shirone to the academy together. You said yesterday that Shirone is better at wielding a sword than you.yVAVi4o
cC5SlsShirone was startled.9M9
TXMx6vfDue to Rians personality, he wouldnt have spoken about it first, and Reina seemed to be puzzled by this too.Czulph
tmZNJWhy meWKqe5d
1gPf3FWhile delusional ideas and thoughts flashed through Shirones head, Rian was thinking more realistically.fhH
igMB5UWell, thats true. But Shirones not going to the swordsmanship academy. Theres something else he wants to do. Actually, I was thinking about something But since it has come to this, you should ask our grandfather for something.CIRWQm9
plLM3MxHuh? What do you mean?J94
FdDReina turned her head to face Shirone, but Shirone didnt open his mouth. It was not something he could openly talk about.c92vJk
e1ExjIn the first place, it was unrealistic to even try and enroll a commoner in a swordsmanship academy.v2W
jEL3However, no one in the Ogent family was currently opposed to supporting Shirone.74tQvEf
y6OSince Rian had made his knights oath, even if it was only for the honor of the Ogent family, Shirone had to succeed. He had to become someone special.HLbp7P
hsoXWhen Rian saw Shirones hesitation, Rian spoke up in his stead.hC6D8v6
VkHBecause Shirone is going to become a mage. Hes not interested in swordsmanship.3hpoLY
oNIdYuReinas eyes widened.zl0FD
8OxpMOWhat? A mage? So you actually lost to an aspirant mage in a sword fight? Rian Thats pathetic.Q16ksNO
iZcHShut up! I know! But Shirone is really a genius! Im positive hed be a lot better than Rai if he were a swordsman.ntr4A
AHUZypOho, hes that strong?peDhz4a
F3hRian was not the type to disparage even his enemies, so to him, Shirone looked different. Special.uNa
bHqqsN-No. How could I3DdsIhH
qqFhSensing Reinas gaze, Shirone didnt know where to look, so he ended up lowering his eyes.oUGrX9a
YmoJ4Alright. Ill propose that to the other side. But you might still be enrolled in the swordsmanship academy, Rian. Dad is someone who uses his opponents weaknesses thoroughly.UQcK
v3tTsk! Whatever. Ill think about it.uC6pRea
Ki82bAbAfter all, for the sake of his master, he would not only take on the academy, but an army if need be.6bcdit
wVZUYg9Actually, this is important to me, too!03c
9dvcIPHe wont be able to protect Shirone with his current sword skills.gWKe
EYDrlkFollowing a knock, a butler entered.5YS
CvtcvYoung master Shirones family has just arrived. They are supposed to be escorted to the mansion, but if the young master would like to greet them, I was ordered by the Lord to guide you to them.mXjvs
Ii30LRian slapped his knee.Mfgr
FcU7Oh! Shirones parents? What do you want to do, Shirone?iNM
FLX0The answer was obvious.C5G
mB4cfFnShirone was bouncing up and down in excitement, his eyes were already stuck in the direction of the front gate of the mansion.Uw1y
viZrChuckling, Reina told him.I0s
ywUrRvBring them here, Shirone. My family will be waiting in the living room. Please, lead Shirone to his family.LkpkL
5JXRight away, miss.oMrkQ
uKYWMPShirone followed the butler out of the mansion.4qq35
YlWl8dLThis way. The stairs are high, so please be careful.XpqP
3psThe butlers attitude made him uncomfortable. Just a day ago, they didnt even bother with him, but now? They were treating him like a noble.hq0OD
AApXrExcuse me, you can just act the usual way you do. Its not like I became a nobleman or something.x0i
uifW1L9No! Please dont say that. My head may fall off.Mop4M
BLxdVbzShirone, who once risked his life for mere books, knew the stress servants experienced better than anyone else.Czre1gk
Qa2UnmEven if you make a mistake, I wont tell anyone, so dont be like that.dyO3wa
p37LThe butlers eyes showed a bit of relief, but he was still on his toes.iOX
fJfqMNo matter.jR1T
fuzShirone didnt care anymore. No he couldnt care less.5apxqw
3wkThis was because a carriage arrived at the end of the Broad Way.bsXEK
eat2kJYWhen he saw his parents faces, his vision got blurry. The tears he suppressed while living in such an uncomfortable environment poured out.rYxi9pz
x1yMYqNot even hearing the butlers shout, Shirone ran towards the front gate.OEeHS
D6NnMom! Dad!9cYI
akD* * *xMcbDh
nzJ* * *VqCh
rH1Shirone took his parents to the reception room. Their eyes were swollen. They could not hold in their emotions.AA4b0h4
xlgIt took them some time to get their emotions together.DAbZdv
lgccXUEThe meeting was pushed back, perhaps due to Klumphs consideration, and due to this, Shirone was able to release the emotions that he had bottled up inside.JKmKoGd
Vpn9Let me take a look at you, son. Your face is all pinched and worn out. I can tell youve been through much, my son. You did a good job. Such a good job.aNsvPMp
9sBTears formed in Vincents eyes once again.qpL
61ehZCShirones complexion had actually improved, but from his parents perspective, it looked like he didnt eat or sleep enough during his stay here.LZSbOx
KrlXsqIt wasn’t bad, I was able to read a lot of books. I had a lot of fun. How have you been, father? Everything has been good, I hope?vPwk
GSvXwOf course! Weve both been doing well. Well, maybe a bit too well, perhaps? Look at your mom. She ended up becoming so pretty that you almost ended up having a younger brother.LZf
YwwD2Honey, what are you blabbering on about in front of our son?G4SSSI
Dw7Shirone smiled ruefully.UFlUMJ
qGQFHis parents were much thinner compared to when he left.axZ42L
1rKoHow would they be able to eat properly when they were busy worrying about their child everyday?TuNe8
YLoZwcUWhen he considered those thoughts, he choked up again.FpHw
xInSuddenly, Vincent became curious.2BIG
1QSAt first, he was very nervous thinking something had happened to his son. But after seeing Shirones relaxed form, he felt like nothing bad had occurred.BsT96t
AuSeSo, why were we brought here? If you finished your work, you should have been allowed to come home right away. Surely they arent stopping you from going back, right?ArT
NSOYqwNo, no. Its nothing like that. Its just that I managed to take advantage of a nice opportunity.4EKc
nnCNdHm? A nice opportunity?PrpxJ
jBGLShirone told them the story of what had happened this morning.T4B
3bYFHe was able to tell them the story without any trouble because he had already put together an outline of how he should tell the story in his head.PRu8ndc
jH1QIfBut from the listeners standpoint, the story was so mind-blowing that it left them speechless.eCIY
sChva9As Vincent continued to listen, he became more and more astonished.leYmx
eWBTo be honest, he stopped listening to Shirone past a certain point.4Cec7pH
omh6c3mHe couldnt comprehend what his son was talking about.0WZ7jY
9jiC1He became friends with the youngest young master of the Ogent family? And that same person promised a knights oath to him? Furthermore, the family accepted it and allowed them to carry on being friends?Okz
K5EThe story continued to break apart his common sense, it felt like thunder was reverberating inside his head.BDCfTX
amlQKWhen the story came to an end, Vincent scratched his head in silence.z1w
gHDhKs1He knew he was a smart and bright kid. But even so, this story made no sense.P1Dr
MssMaybe something went wrong inside his brain? Did he go delusional after being tormented here for a long time?I1Xbu
K2PVpShirone, be honest with me. This dad can, and will, do anything for you. What in the world happened to you? Who the heck made you like this?WO0JW
Z2iMqhyIts all true, dad. Why would I lie about something this?HLf9
PbNRWOkay! You are not a liar. So tell me, who bullied you?! Who treated you harshly?!EyYBdF
QjLptlVincent was genuinely angry.OOsnFu
pVyE0Hes heard of numerous cases where commoners were wrongly entangled with nobles and became forever handicapped.SSgFl
xZ9xeWIEven Shirone thought the story was ridiculous, but he couldnt think of a better way to explain it to them.9P6vJ
E3LWhile he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to think of a way to answer, the Ogent family entered the reception room.f5TLhJZ
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