SilverAsh: He's Really... I'm Crying My Eyes Out

"So strong..."

Sizzle--!!

The ear-piercing sound of metal scraping echoed repeatedly, causing Maria, who was watching from the sidelines, to instinctively hold her breath each time.

Since Gregor and Margaret began their sparring match, she has witnessed three changes of weapons.

Initially, Margaret chose the powerful warhammer.

The heavy hammer pounded against the shield again and again, Gregor casually deflected it with a wave of his hand.

The latter didn't react much, but Margaret's arms went numb from the recoil.

Undeterred, Margaret, with Gregor's consent, switched to a longsword.

The young girl displayed superb swordsmanship, her attacks flowing smoothly and gracefully, her fighting figure heroic and valiant.

But the result was still disappointing.

The longsword's upward slash was met with a downward smash from the shield.

Click!

Maria bit her lower lip until it turned white; the longsword she had forged for her sister with her own hands was now broken in two.

"Shall we continue?"

A steady electronic sound came through, just like its owner's state of mind.

"Phew... Continue."

Margaret calmed her breathing and looked at her sister apologetically.

Maria shook her head vigorously, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.

Please help me.

Margaret's gaze hardened again, and Gregor weighed the shield in his hand.

"Okay, what weapon should we use next?"

Margaret walked to the weapons rack on one side of the training ground and grabbed one with one hand.

"A spear?"

Looking at the heavy Knight Commander, Gregor couldn't help but marvel once again at the physical prowess of the Terra.

Such a massive weapon, made entirely of metal, is so powerful that even those who can wield it freely in his hometown are one in ten thousand.

Margaret turned to face Gregor, holding her guns in both hands, assuming a standard starting stance.

"Mr. Gregor, I'm going in!"

She raised her voice to remind them, her bright eyes still full of fighting spirit.

Gregor didn't speak, but simply raised his shield slightly forward.

Even before the spear tip arrived, a dazzling light appeared – that was the Originium Arts belonging to the Nearl Family's bloodline.

Clang--!!!

The spear tip was blocked by the shield, and Gregor took the blow steadily without moving back an inch.

As the attacks continued to rain down, Gregor felt a strange unease.

Margaret Nearl's fighting style... is a bit too "upright and honorable".

Before each attack, the dazzling light seemed to shout in the opponent's ear:

"Watch out! I'm about to attack from this side!"

This "frankness" certainly matched his initial impression of the girl, but...

"Too weak."

Gregor's voice made Margaret stop attacking, and Maria, who was standing nearby, was taken aback.

"Weak? Sister!?"

The girl was somewhat incredulous, and also a little unconvinced.

Although Gregor perfectly blocked all of Margaret's attacks, the enormous sonic boom generated by even a single touch was clearly not related to "weakness."

Mlynar glanced at her niece and responded indifferently.

"You're right, Margaret's current attacks are not only weak, they're laughable."

Margaret was equally puzzled.

"I... don't quite understand what you mean."

"Your attack speed is good, and your strength is sufficient."

Gregor lowered his shield and gazed into the girl's eyes.

"But the trajectory was too straight, and it was heading straight for the shield."

"Um... is there a problem?"

Margaret lowered her head in thought, recalling what was wrong with her attack just now.

Realizing that the girl didn't seem to be doing it on purpose, Gregor said bluntly:

"Your attack was very chivalrous, but chivalry is not appropriate in all situations."

Margaret stood frozen in place, while Mlynar, standing on the sidelines, rubbed her temples and shouted:

"There are no weaklings here who need your sympathy. You are facing an opponent far stronger than yourself. Giving it your all is what you should be doing!"

"Yes!"

Margaret became serious upon realizing the problem, but quickly softened her stance.

"I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing."

"No problem."

Gregor picked up the shield, and as if sensing the girl's seriousness, the Holy Shield emitted a soft holy light.

The Nearl present stared wide-eyed, and Russell, who had just come out, couldn't help but nudge Cyril.

"Does the Nearl Family have any descendants living outside the family?"

"Probably not..."

Cyril wanted to deny it outright, but the all-too-familiar light made him unable to resist recalling it.

Could it be that our ancestors had some bloodline left behind abroad...? But why the Sarkaz?

(Do you even have time to daydream...?)

Looking at the stunned Margaret, Gregor suddenly understood how the Grand Knight had felt when he looked at him.

How did the Grand Knight treat him back then...?

"If they don't come, I'll attack."

Just as these words brought her back to her senses, Margaret suddenly felt a darkness before her eyes.

Gregor's towering figure completely blocked out the sunlight, and she held her shield aloft in the same manner as before.

I'm about to attack.

Boom--!

"Elder sister!"

"I... I'm fine!"

Margaret blocked the shield attack with her spear held horizontally, and the ground beneath her feet shattered like a spider web.

Feeling the increasing force on the spear, Margaret gritted her teeth and, following the force, drove the spear into the ground.

As the shield slammed into the ground, Margaret swept downwards along with the force.

With a turn, the spear sliced through the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, and attacked Gregor from the side.

Clang--!

Without relying on brute force, Gregor skillfully used the momentum to rotate his shield, blocking the attack once again with the shield's edge.

Margaret retreated again, creating distance for the spear.

She tried to bypass the shield, searching for a gap in the defense.

However, no matter how Margaret attacked, the tip of her spear always missed by a hair's breadth, unable to reach the figure behind the shield.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing became increasingly labored.

In Margaret's eyes, the image of a greatsword seemed to appear on the shield in Gregor's hand.

"Swordsmanship performed with a shield..."

Russell, watching from the sidelines, was amazed. Cyril, observing carefully, concluded:

"It should be a combat technique that combines sword and shield, but it was used in the form of a shield."

At this point, Cyril fell silent.

The knights of Kazimierz mostly used long lances, and their shields were small, half-body shields.

Judging from Gregor's attacks, he used a martial art that combined a greatsword with a full-body shield.

Using this kind of combat style is not easy.

Holding a massive weapon in both hands requires extremely high physical abilities.

The coordination of different weapons requires an extremely high level of skill.

In addition, given the inherently slow movement of the weapons, the ability to anticipate attacks is also essential.

Watching his granddaughter retreat, Cyril subconsciously put himself in her shoes.

In a daze, a tall knight appeared before Cyril.

The crimson cross gazed calmly at him, reminding Cyril of the pressure he felt when he first met the Patriot.

Unlike Wendigo, the person before him was undoubtedly also a [knight].

Who exactly are you...?

"Ah!"

Maria's exclamation shattered the illusion, Cyril regained his composure; the battle before him was nearing its end.

Under comprehensive suppression, Margaret stopped creating distance and instead took a risky step forward.

Gregor's heart sank; this distance was definitely not suitable for the long spear.

Is Margaret giving up?

The spear thrust at the shield again as he took a step, and as expected, it was blocked.

To everyone's astonishment, the spear flew from their hands.

Did we make a mistake?

A question flashed through Gregor's mind, and he immediately slowed the force with which he swung his shield.

The next moment--

Just as the spear recoiled backward, Margaret grabbed the front half of it.

Undoubtedly wrongful possession of a firearm.

But at this moment, it's less about holding a gun and more about...

"Sword skills!?"

Margaret gripped her spear and, as if wielding a sword, attacked Gregor's head.

Is it going to succeed?

The same thought flashed through everyone's mind, and the next instant... Gregor stopped the falling shield with brute force and countered with a backhand strike.

Clang--!!

The spear flew from his hand, swirled in the air a few times, and then plunged into the ground.

Silence.

Apart from Margaret's rapid breathing, everyone was still savoring the scene that had just unfolded.

"Amazing..." Gregor couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Did you just come up with that idea?"

"Phew... you inspired me."

Margaret wiped away her sweat and said seriously:

"Since you can use a shield to perform swordsmanship, I think perhaps I can try using a spear."

At this point, Margaret tightened her fingers slightly, looking a little embarrassed.

"However... my cultivation skills seem to be still lacking."

That's not the issue.

Gregor shook his head. The girl's swordsmanship was undeniable, but using Knight Commander to perform swordsmanship was still too much of a stretch.

Judging solely from the weapon's center of gravity, it's Miracle that Margaret's attack succeeded.

"I succeeded by brute force, while your failure was due to your weaponry, not a technical blunder."

"Weapons... weapons!!"

Upon hearing this, Maria's eyes lit up.

Using a gun to execute sword techniques... How could she not have thought of that!

The girl instinctively wanted to run towards the Workshop, but stopped herself after considering the current situation.

Maria was thrilled; the weapon her sister used had always been a source of worry for her.

Margaret is proficient with all weapons, but being proficient with everything is precisely the difficulty.

What kind of weapon could unleash her sister's full power? Maria had been struggling with this question.

But Gregor's words reminded her.

Guns and swords... why can't they be combined?!

Cyril glanced at his granddaughter, who couldn't hide her excitement, and guessed that she probably had some strange idea again.

Turning his gaze to his silent youngest son, Cyril said gently:

Are you surprised?

"No... she is, after all, Snitz's child."

When facing her father, Mlynar's expression softened.

Are you really feeling better?

"Of course, I can even carry you on my back and run a few laps around that wheat field from when we were kids."

Cyril chuckled and joked, but Mlynar shook her head.

"I'm past that age."

"Just to keep this old man company?"

"... Maria can accompany you."

Russell, somewhat amused, glanced at the time and stepped forward to interrupt:

"Alright, this is a rare moment of leisure. How long are you going to stand here?"

The two on the training field put away their weapons and walked over. Russell looked at Margaret with undisguised admiration in his eyes.

"Interested in working for the Adeptus Sprawiedliwy? If not interested in clerical work, the Campaign Knight are also very welcome."

"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not mature enough yet."

Margaret sincerely refused. Russell glanced around at the surrounding Nearl and couldn't help but sigh.

"You're all a family; everyone gives the exact same reason for refusing."

The Nearl looked away sheepishly, and Russell, without much hope, asked Maria:

"Is Maria interested?"

"Huh? I have one too?"

Maria pointed to herself, then instinctively looked at Margaret.

The girl admired her older sister, but lacked confidence in herself.

Moreover, Maria herself was more interested in the work of a craftsman than in being a knight.

"Don't you like forging? The Adeptus Sprawiedliwy Craftsmen Association is always short-handed."

Maria looked at Mlynar in disbelief. This uncle, who was usually rather stern, actually knew about her hobbies!?

"Maria is interested in forging?"

Russell was somewhat surprised. A knight from the Nearl Family becoming a craftsman...? It didn't seem so bad, did it?

"No problem, leave it to me."

"Th... thank you!"

Maria looked at her sister excitedly, and Margaret gave her an encouraging look.

The Silverlances beside the girl were just as excited.

"Is it possible for a craftsman to be assigned to our Knights?"

"That's unlikely, since you have to start from scratch."

"And what about after that? This is a 'Nearl' serving as logistics!"

"She's still young..."

"Just tell me if you're willing or not."

The Silverlances' discussion did not escape everyone's notice, Gregor silently shifted his gaze.

My initial impression of these elite soldiers as handsome was shattered.

In a cheerful atmosphere, several young Nearl were pulled away by Silverlance to spar.

At this moment, only three people remained in the arena.

"Let's talk, Mr. Gregor."

Cyril's expression gradually became serious.

"Russell has already told me about your situation, Nearl is willing to contribute to this cause."

"I am extremely grateful..."

"No, it's too early to express gratitude."

Cyril and Russell exchanged a glance, both seeing determination in each other's eyes.

"To clear the name of those Infected, there is one obstacle that must be overcome."

"For this, we need your strength."

Gregor silently looked at the outstretched hands and gently shook them.

"Sure, but I have one condition."

"Please speak."

Remembering a snow leopard still struggling with how to get in touch with the Oversight Council, Gregor asked:

Do you know... a country called Kjerag?