Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

Chapter 115: The Spar (1)

"Why do you work so hard?"

Adrian had been watching Evangeline train for quite some time now. From what he had seen, she always trained a bit too diligently.

Adrian had worked hard in his own way, but she was going to extreme lengths to train. He had even seen her do extreme things, like making a rock hover above her head while trying to cast other spells, intentionally creating a pressured environment where failure was harshly punished.

She had looked quite scared while doing it as well, but even that fear didn’t stop her.

’But why? What reason does she have to work so hard? What is even driving her?’

Evangeline was a child from a regional noble family, the nobles who are said to be peaceful and not hungry for power. It was unlikely that her parents were forcing her to improve herself.

Moreover, with her being engaged into House Ravenshade, her future was all but secured.

So what was driving her to work hard? Adrian simply couldn’t understand it

"For what reason do you work so hard?"

***

"For what reason do I work hard?"

’Now, how should I answer that...’

If she were to give an immediate answer, it would be that she wished to become stronger because she didn’t want to feel the same way she had during the incident at the slum.

She didn’t want to be useless when it really mattered. And she didn’t want to remain pathetic even with all the gifts she had been born with.

But if she thought for a bit...

’That’s not quite right.’

She didn’t think those answers were wrong; they were just too shortsighted. The ultimate reason she worked that hard was...

"It’s because I have a dream, and I am willing to give my all to achieve that dream."

A dream that she had always had but was given the chance to fulfill only in this life.

Hearing her answer, Adrian furrowed his brow.

"What sort of dream is it?"

Evangeline shook her head while smiling ambiguously.

"You most likely won’t understand. Nobody will, probably. But that doesn’t matter because I don’t need anyone to understand it."

She recalled what it was like in her previous life. Remembering those memories suddenly made her feel a bit emotional.

"Dreams are everything in life, no matter how overreaching or absurd those dreams may be. A life without dreams is an utterly worthless life. I would not want anyone to live that way."

Because she knew well what it was like to live such a life. A life without meaning, living for the sake of it. There was nothing sadder than that.

The view of the small hospital room suddenly appeared in her mind. Now that she had experienced things beyond it, it felt so small.

But just as she was reminiscing about that time, Adrian’s sharp voice entered her ears, bringing her back to reality.

"Take that back."

The sound of his voice made her pause.

She had never heard him speak in such a sharp tone. As she turned to look at him, she briefly froze.

Adrian was staring at her with a piercing gaze.

"I told you to take that back."

***

The moment Adrian heard Evangeline finish speaking, a sudden, uncontrollable irritation surged within him, making his thoughts jumble.

It was as though an extreme impulse were taking over his mind.

"I told you to take that back."

’How dare she say that?!’

’What’s going on?’

He remembered feeling something like this before. It was back during the incident in the slums; he had been triggered by the word ’evil’ for no apparent reason. And now, too, he was suddenly triggered by her words without even understanding why.

It felt as though this uncontrollable irritation was being forced into his mind artificially.

Evangeline seemed to have noticed his strange behavior too, looking at him with a frown.

"Adi, what happened? Why are you...—"

"Did you not hear me? I told you to take back what you just said."

Without even intending to, he had spoken in an incredibly sharp tone.

’How dare she call the life I have lived worthless? Who gave her the right to judge?!’

’Why is this even happening?’

It was as though words were flowing out of his mouth on their own. The impulse was so overpowering that it was slowly consuming his thoughts entirely.

’A child like her has the gall to call it worthless? What does she know!’

’Ugh, it’s... too...’

Evangeline stared at him silently. He noticed fear flicker in her eyes briefly, but she was quick to hide it and spoke firmly.

"Adi, I won’t be taking anything back. I don’t think I’ve said anything wrong. But why are you acting like this?"

Adrian gritted his teeth even harder, then he suddenly stood up and walked up to stand in front of her. Looking down at her with a sharp, piercing gaze, he clenched his fists.

’This child needs to be taught a lesson. Only then will she come out of her fantasy and learn the reality of the world.’

He opened his mouth and spoke in a sharp tone.

"You and I, we haven’t sparred, right? More than that, you don’t have any combat experience using mana, so how about you fight me?"

He saw a flicker of fear flash across Evangeline’s eyes once again.

"Adi, what happened to you suddenly? Why are you even—"

"You were talking a lot moments ago." He cut her off. "What happened now? Are you scared?"

***

’He wants to teach me a lesson by using a spar as an excuse.’

It was clear to her the moment she looked into his eyes. It was hard for her to believe that this was the same Adrian who was nearly impossible to read.

’What’s wrong with him? Why is he so strange today? He’s scaring me.’

His actions had felt strange and different when he had tried to comfort her. But right now, it was as though he were a completely different person.

’I know that I shouldn’t accept his challenge in the current situation.’

With the strangeness of the situation being so apparent, it would be foolish of her to even think otherwise.

But...

"Okay... I accept. Let’s have a spar between me and you, Adi."