233 Chapter 233- Does Training Even Require Touching?
Acht looked at the father and daughter hugged tightly, crying in each other's embrace, and smiled slightly. These two seemed more than capable of standing up again after a hard blow like the death of their loved one. Even Acht himself could never say for sure that he could actually take a hard blow of that caliber and still stand up again.
Losing the most important person in a person's life meant that they will never be able to see them again, hug them again and feel their warmth again. It's a nightmare for any sane human being and Acht was no exception. In fact, it was his worst nightmare since everything he had been doing for the better part of his life was to find happiness along with Dia. That's what he thrived for and that never changed.
So, this scene in front of him was very meaningful for him as he could completely sympathize with them.
'I should leave them alone for now.' He thought as he sighed under his breath and walked to the door silently. But, the moment he put his hand on the handle, Sali hurriedly called for him.
"Wait!"
"Hmm?"
He turned around confusedly. Sali seemed to have regained his composure and looked straight at Acht with a complicated gaze that he couldn't understand.
Sali then tried to stand up on his feet. However, a hellish pain attacked him and made him fall back on the bed.
"Don't force yourself, Sali. You are still pretty beaten up after all." Acht said.
"Hahaha, these legs of mine betrayed me. So, could you please come closer to me?"
Acht didn't think much about it and approached him slowly. The moment he was close enough to Sali, the latter grabbed his hand and looked down with his head. Acht froze for a split second before he eyed Sali with a slightly surprised look.
"Thank you!! Thank you so much, Cero. I have never felt this grateful for anyone this much in my life. Not only did you save my life but you also saved my daughter's life. I genuinely don't know how I can repay such kindness."
He said as he bent his back even more and tightened his fist on Acht's hand. Then, when he released him, Acht found that he had put something in his hand.
"A necklace?" He muttered.
Sali nodded and explained.
"That was my wife's favorite necklace. She gave it to me to wear it and keep it safe. It never left my neck for the past 6 years." He said as he looked at the necklace with a fond look.
"Then, why did you give it to me?" The boy asked.
"This is my most precious belonging and I think that it's the least I could give you as payback for what you have done. Are you willing to do that, Mia?"
The girl smiled widely and nodded her head.
"If it's Acht then I'm sure he could keep it safe."
"See? She also wants you to take it so don't try to return it. It's yours now."
Acht fell silent as he inspected the necklace thoroughly. It was made of silver with some sparkling blue points on it. There was also a blue pendant on it that was made out of some kind of diamond or another precious ore.
"Are you sure?"
Sali nodded.
"Yes, I think that she also doesn't want me to stay cooped up in that everlasting pain of losing her. Now that I gave the necklace away, I can finally move on from that point in my life. That's her wish." He looked at his daughter and smiled warmly.
"Dad…"
Acht finally understood everything and immediately put the necklace on his neck.
"I understand. I promise to keep it safe and sound and thanks for the gift. I truly like it." Acht smiled.
"Good. I have nothing else to say. I think I should rest plenty before I go back to work."
The two understood that and immediately left the room and gave Sali some time to sleep and restore his energy.
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A few days passed and it was finally time to start what Mia had already set her mind on. Become stronger.
So, Acht and Mia along with Leislet and Scarlett who insisted greatly on coming with them were standing in the middle of a vast area that lacked any vegetation, buildings, or anything else. It was a good place to train.
"Ok, now that we are here. We will start with the basics. Do you know how to hold a sword?" He asked.
Mia shook her head. Obviously, she had never picked a sword before and never really learned any self-defense. Living in such a peaceful place had as many good sides as bad sides. Lacking power is one of the latter choices.
"I see. Ok, Leislet, give me a small wooden sword. I know that you have so many of them."
Leislet then picked up a kendo-like sword from her spatial ring and gave it to Acht.
"Watch carefully. I will show you how to make a stance with the sword."
Then, he tightened his hand on the sword and put it in front of him just in the middle.
Mia looked at how he was standing and nodded her hand.
"Here, try yourself."
He gave her the sword and she immediately almost fell down along with the sword. It was slightly heavy for her frail body.
But, she gritted her teeth and picked it up and tried to mimic what Acht did. However, she was unable to do that at all.
"Keep your legs steady and your feet rooted in the ground."
The boy approached Mia and held her arms, adjusting them. Then, he surrounded her and stood behind her before grabbing her arms again.
"Keep your gaze forward and your arms straight." He basically whispered those words in her ears making her flinch and then blush furiously.
'Too close!!!' She thought as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
She felt her heart rate increasing and her breathing became erratic. A weird hot welling up in her lower abdomen. It was the first time she felt such a weird sensation and she frankly didn't hate it at all.
In fact, she liked it very much.
'Closer. I want to get closer to Acht. I-I…' She felt her mind getting clouded as she gazed at Acht's face closely and started inching closer toward him.
However, before she could reach her target, his voice woke her up from her trance.
"Did you listen to what I said?"
"Y-Yes!" She basically shrieked in response.
"Hmm, if that was the case then repeat what I said a few moments ago."
His question made her fall silent as she fidgeted around like a small girl who made a big mistake.
"Clearly not. What were you thinking about?" He asked with a frown.
"I-I… was slightly scared, that's all. I will listen more carefully now."
"Good. You better be focused on training."
Meanwhile, Leislet and Scarlett were clenching their teeth and fists. They watched how Acht touched Mia and closed his body to hers. They could only curse her and also wish they could've been the ones in her place.
'Fuck!! Why is that little shit always the one lucky enough to touch Acht that much. She is always all over him. I can't bear it.' Leislet thought.
'I will kill her. I will definitely skin her alive and then throw it in the fire.' Scarlett's eyes were emotionless as she tried to stop herself from getting her sword out.
The training continued as Acht taught Mia the basics. It took her a few hours for her to be able to hold a sword properly. It was tiring for Acht but he never stopped or allowed Mia to stop repeating the same exercises he taught her.
By the time the sun was setting, Mia was on the ground heaving up and down as if her lungs were about to explode and her heart was basically beating in her throat.
"I-I can't do it anymore. I am dead." She said between her heavy gasps for air.
Acht nodded his head.
"Ok, we will call it a day. We will train tomorrow too. I want you here by 5:00 AM."
"What?!"
"What did you expect? You need to wake up early to have the best results in training."
"This is brutal!!" She protested.
"You can stop if you want. But, should I really make you recall what you always desired?"
"I…" She could not reply and merely nodded her head.
"Good. You are talented, Mia. You just need a little bit of hard work and you will be able to improve rapidly."
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