Chapter 108: Coming-of-age Ceremony (2)
Meanwhile, at the training ground in the dead of night, sparks were flying.
Late at night. Gentle snowfall. Flashes of light sporadically piercing the stormy landscape. There could only be one reason for this.
Sparring.
Two girls facing each other in the training ground, swords pointed at one another. This had been going on for half an hour.
However, there was something unusual about this sparring session. It was hard to say if it could even be called a typical sparring match.
A strange spar.
Maid Jaina followed the sparks hanging in the air with her eyes.
The flames swirling in the wide training ground bounced and spread out. This was due to the mana contained in the floating swords. Up to this point, it resembled a somewhat violent sparring match. However, unlike the fluttering swords, the participants remained motionless.
Can this be called sparring?
To Jaina, sparring was a fight to measure each others skills, not a deadly combat. But now, the swords swirling in the air did not aim for the opponents body. They just clashed and mixed with each other.
And then,
Clang-
Lucias sword, spinning, plunged into the snow.
The spar, which lasted about half an hour, whether long or short, came to an end. Whoosh- Jaina created flames in the air to illuminate the darkness.
The girls illuminated by the light looked exhausted to anyone who saw them. Even if it wasnt a typical sparring, Jainas role remained unchanged, so the maid approached Lucia with two dry towels.
You worked hard.
Thank you.
Lucia took the towel, and then the next towel was extended to Siriel.
You did well.
Thank you.
There was a subtle difference in the maids service, but Siriel did not bother to point it out.
Its ridiculous to apply human standards to a demon.
Siriel, feeling no annoyance, glanced at Lucia in front of her.
Sweat droplets at the chin, flushed red cheeks caught her eye. Siriel fiddled with the towel that had wiped her forehead.
It wasnt wet.
Either due to the cold air or using psychokinesis for about half an hour, Siriel hadnt sweated a drop. She clenched the towel tightly.
Lucia isnt familiar with magic. To become special, she uses magic Is this the answer?
A thought repeated many times.
Lucia couldnt be beaten with just swordsmanship.
Having sparred hundreds, thousands of times, there were instances where Siriel won against Lucia, but numerically, the chances of Siriel beating Lucia were in the single digits. However, when using only magic, Siriel could easily win.
Sigh.
Siriel looked up at the night sky.
The raging snow stuck in her vision, followed by white breath exhaled into the air.
Im glad I can surpass her in magic.
Siriel, putting away her serious expression, approached Lucia.
How about it? My psychokinesis, its quite useful, isnt it?
Siriel spoke to Lucia with a faint smile. Seeing Lucias slightly triumphant expression, she took a deep breath and responded.
Wonderful.
It was a short answer, but Lucia meant it sincerely. Not because she wasnt proficient in magic, but because Siriels swordsmanship combined with psychokinesis was impressive enough for practical use.
The year-round frigid training ground of Dawn Castle. Moreover, the temperature dropped further at night. To maintain body temperature with mana and use magic so skillfully in such a place, there had been few masters like this in her past life.
Especially for a girl of just fifteen.
The Prients are indeed monsters.
What kind of Apostle could such a Prient be fighting?
Lucias questions trailed one after another.
In her mind, she knew that Glen was fighting them, but attending the academy and beating up annoying students made it feel distant from the life of an ordinary girl.
But ever since coming to Dawn Castle and meeting Glen, that thought hasnt left her mind.
Glen Prient is stronger than me.
He would be a match even against the prime Kyrie.
One can sense the aura and composure emanating from a person without crossing swords. Although not a pleasant memory, the realm Kyrie reached in her battles for humanity was a matter of pride, and a measure of strength for Lucia.
But Glens appearance, to be frank, was like that of a corpse.
No visible wounds on his body.
On the other hand, he looked like a person with an empty heart.
She thought she would grab him by the collar and beat him up when she got stronger, but seeing Glen like this, that feeling cooled off. He didnt seem like a living person.
She wanted to confront him about the abduction.
She wanted to ask about the family that had misused her name
What if I did that?
Huh?
Suddenly, Siriels voice broke her train of thought. Siriel was looking at Lucia with sparkling eyes.
Im talking about the practicality of psychokinesis. If I can handle it to this extent, wouldnt it be useful in actual combat?
Well, about that
Lucia returned to reality with a slight smile on her lips.
She disliked the Prient family and Glen, but she liked Siriel.
Practicality If you can move your body vigorously while using psychokinesis, wouldnt that be good?
If the Prients were a family destined to fight Apostles, then Siriel would inevitably face Apostles too. Even if not, her goal was to become a strong hero,
Its good to move objects, but expanding the range of movable objects or applying strength to them might also be a good direction for development.
Lucia contemplated the direction of Siriels growth with the mindset of nurturing a disciple.
If asked what the reincarnated Lucia valued most, it would be Siriel and Shiron.
Though its a cursed past life, when a crisis comes, it has its good sides.
As the girls chatted, someone was watching them.
Trudge trudge- The sound of snow crunching underfoot grew closer.
What a good relationship.
Looking towards the source of the voice, red hair was visible.
Glen Prient.
At that age, whether winning or losing, the heart is restless. Pursuing mutual improvement without obsessing over victory is a blessing.
Lucia looked at Glen, who approached with a content smile, with a blank expression.
Were you watching us the whole time?
Does it upset you that I watched silently?
Glen laughed awkwardly in response to Lucias question.
To him, Lucias age was at a sensitive time. He wondered if she would find it sinister that a strange man she didnt know well, and who hadnt played the role of a father, was watching her from unseen places.
Fortunately, contrary to his worries, Lucia shook her head at Glen.
Its not that.
Lucia looked up at the red-haired man.
Whats with him? Smiling this time?
I was waiting for the right moment.
The right moment?
Yes.
Lucia nodded without dropping her guard and then looked to the side, as if she had made up her mind.
Siriel. I need to talk to Lord Prient alone for a bit.
Okay.
Siriel bowed to Glen and went into the castle. She didnt want to disturb the family reunion after a long time.
Watching her friend walk away, Lucia turned her gaze to Glen.
Can we talk for a moment?
Of course.
Glen Prient.
The first meeting with him that Lucia remembered was frankly not good.
The day after the mother in this life died. Before the sorrow had even faded, a stranger came to the cabin.
I am your father.
The man bluntly said that. However, Lucia never believed those words.
Although they shared red hair and golden eyes, his subsequent actions were far from how one would treat their own daughter.
A human trafficker. That was her first impression of Glen.
Frankly speaking, even now, but especially back then, Glen didnt look particularly presentable. A disheveled man hoisted her over his shoulder as if to kidnap her, and at that moment, she thought this second life was coming to an end.
If only he hadnt mentioned being a descendant of Kyrie, I would have run away.
Click-
While Lucia was lost in these thoughts, a teacup was placed in front of her. Since it was strange to talk outside in a blizzard, they moved to the living room on the first floor.
Do you enjoy tea?
Yes.
Thats good.
Glen, sitting on the opposite sofa, had a slight smile on his lips.
Earlier, he behaved as if the world had ended, but now he was smirking.
An incomprehensible man Lucia had this impression but soon shook her head.
Unless he has bipolar disorder, it should be fine to ask.
Reincarnation. Prient. Prophecy Even after 7 years, many questions remained unanswered from their fragmented conversation. The prophecy Siriel once mentioned was also among them.
Lucia recalled elements that had been knotted in her heart all this time.
I have many questions for you, Lord.
It seems so.
She deliberately used a distant form of address, but fortunately, Glen didnt seem to mind.
However, the problem lay elsewhere.
But, coincidentally, I cannot answer all the questions you might have in mind.
Why?
Lucia blinked in surprise. What? There were things he couldnt reveal even if asked?
Glen sipped his tea while staring at her.
The power of prophecy comes with many restrictions. Maintaining an ability beyond ones lot is quite a task.
Then, please answer what you can. Surely thats possible?
I think its not bad to try.
Glen nodded, feeling the weight of her concerns. Lucia then pursed her lips, choosing her words.
Why did you kidnap me?
Next question.
Ah, the first question was a dud. With no other choice, Lucia moved on to the second question she had in mind.
What exactly is a prophecy?
Many questions surfaced in her mind, but since the topic of prophecy had just come up, Lucia decided to start with that. She was concerned about Siriels prophecy, but there was something more troubling.
A dream.
Her vivid dream of plunging a knife into Siriels chest.
Fortunately, answering about prophecy didnt seem to be restricted.
Prophecy is a vision of the family opposing the Apostles. Without it, no matter how powerful one is, they cannot stand against the Apostles blessed by God.
Is prophecy really possible?
Yes.
Glen answered plainly, brushing back his hair. It was natural to doubt. Glen himself couldnt grasp it until he experienced it.
My father foresaw the future through dreams, and in my case, it suddenly pops into my head. The methods vary, but knowing what will happen in the future remains the same.
The things that will happen in the future. Lucia recalled the ominous dreams she had.
Does that mean those things will definitely happen?
You dont look good. Do you really want to know?
Lucia nodded, her tea now cold in front of her. Glen, feeling a bit regretful, closed his eyes.
Yes. Once the future is foreseen, it cannot be changed.
However, prophecy occurs within a scope of response. It predicts from which direction the opponent will attack, where they will appear. In my case, I use that information to my advantage.
Cant the future really be changed?
Yes.
Glen opened his eyes slightly.
Youve seen something, havent you?
Yes.
In what way did you see it?
In a dream.
Lucia answered casually, but Glen caught her subtly fidgeting hands.
The conversation ended there, but there was no need to ask more.
Without using the power of prophecy, it was obvious from Lucias expression and gestures that the content of her dream was not pleasant.
She already makes prophecies.
Sometimes, when making prophecies, it can be confusing with nightmares.
Given the circumstances, what Lucia did was indeed a prophecy. However, Glens answer was ambiguous.
So, its just a dream?
Answering this way would brighten Lucias face.
But,
Just consider it a nightmare.
What does that mean?
Thinking of it as a nightmare will make you feel better.
Glen wished for the long-lost daughter he had just met to survive.
Even more than getting along with her.
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