52: Raise the Sword (2)

The other world that Irene Pareira was in was a world which reproduced everything about him.

However, not exactly as it is. To be precise, it would change things a little, according to Irene.

It was like changing the seasons from spring to fall.

And now is the same. Originally, there should only be a wide plain fence outside, but now a running course was there.

Irene ran hard on it.

He usually wouldn’t.

Maybe he would have in the past, but now he couldn’t trust himself and was having a hard time getting out of the room.

However, because of the one staring at him from behind, he had no choice but to run.

It was Ilya Lindsay.

“Don’t lose your balance. Always take care of your ankles.”

“Breathe through your nose and exhale through your mouth.”

“From now on, it’s the sandy course. You need to work harder on your balance.”

The silver-haired girl constantly gave him advice while keeping pace.

He was flustered. He couldn’t figure it out.

Of course, he didn’t even have the time to think it out.

Irene Pareira, led by Ilya Lindsay, moved and sweated until dawn passed and morning came.

“Eat quickly and move onto swordsmanship training.”

Of course, that wasn’t the end.

Ilya Lindsay made him move.

As soon as the meal was over, she dragged him out to the yard and gave him a sword.

And while Irene wielded the sword, she continued to watch with sharp eyes.

Irene still couldn’t come to his senses, but her eyes were so frightening that he chose to swing the sword.

Of course, it wasn’t an act of sincerity. His mental state wasn’t good enough to put in his best effort.

Ilya didn’t leave Irene.

“Come to your senses!”

“That one was messed up! Concentrate!”

“You’re acting blank. When you know your heart, your actions will come out. Didn’t you learn from Lulu?”

“Right! Better than before.”

Strict guidance.

It was a different feeling from the Ilya he knew. No, it was strange that she knew about Lulu.

However, there was no time for him to worry about that.

Every time he thought about something else, the silver-haired girl would point something out.

As a result, his dead heart began to revive little by little.

Of course, it was nothing compared to before, but by the time it was late at night, Irene had turned into a completely different person from Irene in the morning.

At least, the expression on his face, which was depressed, became much brighter.

“Well then, I’ll see you next time.”

Ilya Lindsay disappeared. As if she never existed.

Irene Pareira, who watched that, mumbled to himself.

“… it wasn’t the real Ilya.”

It was natural. This place was created by sorcery.

Nodding his head, he put the sword on the floor and entered the house. His sweaty body cleansed in an instant.

Feeling refreshed, he threw himself on the bed.

And drowsiness overtook him.

Yesterday when he forced himself to sleep, he didn’t like it, now he likes it.

It was only a brief moment, but it wasn’t bad.

He had a deep sleep after a long time.

And the next day.

Another guest came.

“What are you doing, you bum! Wake up!”

“…”

“It’s already past five! How long will you sleep! Do you want to die?”

Judith.

Irene, who heard her, ran out with a startled expression.

“Now? You are late.”

“What’s with the silly face? Is that how a noble should look?”

Ilya Lindsay came again.

And Bratt Lloyd, who maintained a dignified appearance, not the broken appearance he had when Irene last saw him.

Looking at them, Irene had no choice but to have a blank expression.

“Shall we start practice? Or should we have personal training time?”

“You haven’t stretched your body yet. Do it, then tell me.”

“This bastard is always arguing with me! Do you want to get hit?”

“Stop it, as Bratt said. Let’s have practice battles later. Irene? Come.”

The three children looked at him at Ilya’s words.

They looked dazzling. They seemed to live in a world completely different from him.

And that was why Irene didn’t want to approach them. It was the moment he shook his head and was about to step back.

“…”

The eyes which held faith.

Irene, who saw their twinkling eyes full of certainty, bit his lip and stepped forward.

He couldn’t betray them.

Suddenly, a large sword was in his hand.

“I can’t stand it. Practice battles are surely the best! Come on!”

“If you can’t stand it, battle me, don’t bully the kid who just woke up.”

“What? Yes, let’s go.”

“Leave them alone. Shall we practice on our own?”

“… yes.”

Irene Pareira nodded and took a stance.

And swung it.

Woong!

Still lacking.

However, better than yesterday.

Seeing that, Ilya smiled.

Judith and Bratt, who were amid their quarrel, also smiled.

Irene felt burdened by their reaction.

‘… still, it’s impossible.’

He swung the sword again.

Action like never before. He didn’t like it. The confidence which had risen had disappeared in an instant.

Irene looked around because he was afraid that the reaction of the three would change.

However, it didn’t change.

They were still looking at him with eyes full of trust and faith.

‘How can they still trust me?’

Could he do anything without the help of others?

He had that thought, but it soon disappeared. Ilya made it impossible.

In order to not hear her shouts, Irene swung his sword harder.

2 years and 120 days in the other word.

Irene had moved on from his still life and began to move forward once again.

A lot of time had passed.

A year, maybe.

Meanwhile, Irene swung the sword and grew up.

Now he could do 10000 swings easily.

Naturally, it wasn’t empty actions. Each movement had faith and heart put into it.

Of course, it wasn’t without crisis. Rather, there were many times when anxiety and self-doubt crept into Irene’s head.

Someone who couldn’t do anything alone.

A bastard who needs someone’s help.

The guy who will fail in the end.

Just like that, it was at that moment when self-doubt reappeared.

The contents of the Orc’s note passed through his mind.

‘You don’t have to be alone to stand alone.’

It was then, Irene Pareira realized the mistake he had made.

“There is nothing wrong with moving forward with the help of others.”

Ian’s words came to his mind. Don’t follow other people’s ways of doing things or their will. Go your own way. Establish your own thing.

That was right. Until he received that advice, he was on the wrong path.

He was living an empty life where he didn’t think about acting independently, so he had a firm resolve to not live that kind of life anymore.

However, that didn’t mean to exclude help from others and walk down a lonely path.

Rather, it was the opposite.

Through the help and trust of others, he could become stronger.

‘Be with someone who believes and loves you. Then crisis can be overcome.’

Lulu’s forgotten words came to his mind.

And his father’s forgotten love.

His mother’s kindness and Kirill’s frank heart.

“Now, do you understand?”

“…”

And other connections.

Suddenly Irene looked at the three standing in front of him.

And realized

Through their eyes which showed faith in him, he became stronger.

And will continue to grow.

“Our role here is over.”

“You never know. Maybe we’ll come by later.”

“Annoying… however, if you call, I will come.”

“Don’t be discouraged and work hard. Don’t have doubts.”

“Cheer up.”

Finally, they disappeared.

Ilya, Bratt, and Judith left Irene, who was sitting alone in the room.

But it didn’t bother him.

The boy, no young man, got up from his seat and briskly walked out of the house and drew his sword.

And swung.

With heart and complete dedication.

His eyes were completely different from when he practiced before.

A day, a month, and a year.

No, more time had passed. During that long time, Irene continued ahead with honesty and effort.

It wasn’t a smooth time. Constant crisis.

However, now he was able to stand. He overcame the hardships, which he couldn’t do alone, with help from others.

Changes came with the sword. Before that, there was a change in his heart towards the sword.

‘Until now, I thought of actions and thoughts separately.’

He was stupid.

Lulu never said that. The body and mind aren’t separate.

Just as his body strengthened by accumulating such extreme actions, it was natural to support the actions with his mind.

And the moment he realized it, Irene grasped the true meaning of swordsmanship.

Whoo!

Some people learn one thing and awaken with that, and some people master it wholly and entirely.

On the other hand, some people can’t learn a single thing, but Irene wasn’t that.

Because of his concentration, it helped him perfectly imitate what he saw.

But that was the limit.

Like Ilya, Judith, and Bratt, there was never a time when he gained anything more from teachings.

And now, that was breaking.

Whoo!

Concentrate on the actions with all his heart.

He delved deep into each movement of swordsmanship that had been refined over the years and grasped the hidden meaning behind it.

So he understood it. Rather than blindly pursuing it, he expanded his thinking in a wide direction without missing the truth.

Actions follow the mind, and several closed possibilities open up.

Woong!

Woong!

Irene swung the sword. He swung it in a trance.

The body moved along with his mind, and the sword followed. Days and days went by without him losing hope.

In the real world, he would have collapsed from exhaustion, but not here.

This world was made of sorcery.

A place of miracles that was created for the very purpose of fulfilling the creator’s wishes.

Thanks to that, Irene was able to spend a much longer time training in the splendid world.

“Phew.”

Irene put down the sword.

No, a light flashed in Irene’s eyes.