I Said I'd Bail, but I Wrote It Anyway-Does That Still Count as Bailing?

"Lavinia, did you come to these insights... all of them by yourself?"

Celinina suddenly asked a question.

Lavinia, who had been talking animatedly to the side, suddenly froze.

The blonde girl looked at Celinina in front of her hesitantly, and for a moment, she was speechless.

"I... I just read about these things in a book..."

"... is that so."

Celinina shook her head.

She did not deny that Lavinia's words were absolutely correct and reasonable... They were truly valuable experiences summarized by countless predecessors with different experiences over decades of their lives, and were priceless treasures.

It's something everyone should learn from.

But... similarly, Celinina also has her own opinion.

The experiences of those who came before may contain countless truths, but those are things that they gradually perfected as they matured in their own lives.

What use is any amount of profound reasoning to a group of children who can't even articulate what they want?

She didn't deny that Lavinia's quotations were correct, but... simply relying on book knowledge ultimately made it difficult to empathize with real-life situations.

Lavinia's words make a lot of sense, but... I can't accept it...

At that moment, she also noticed Maria, who was already standing at the door.

Looking at the woman who looked exactly the same as when she left before, she pondered for a moment and then slightly rose.

I stood earnestly in front of her.

"As agreed, Lavinia couldn't persuade me..."

"I won!"

Written request for leave

Let's try it out first today~

Fish

Chapter 224 was supposed to be delayed, but it was written again. Does that count as delaying?

She didn't convince me...

Standing before Maria, who had just returned, Celinina's expression was calm, but she couldn't help feeling proud inside.

She didn't know Maria well, but she knew that her grandfather was a very outstanding person.

The attitudes of other families are the best proof of this.

Since he respects Maria so much, it's foreseeable that Maria's approval will carry even greater weight.

She asked Lavinia to persuade her... but she herself was not persuaded.

This proves that my will is stronger than the other side's!

So when she saw Maria return, she looked directly at her with bright eyes.

In her view, Maria had no reason to refuse to teach her this time!

But... to her surprise, Maria simply tilted her head and glanced at the girl a few times.

His gray eyes were somewhat dazed.

Then, she slowly reached out and gently patted the other person's head...

"Huh?!"

Celinina suddenly froze, then blushed and took a few steps back, covering her ears.

"This... this..."

The seemingly calm girl suddenly panicked, her small face flushed red as she stammered.

"This... no, that's not allowed."

"Um?"

Celinina's expression and reaction stunned Maria for a moment.

But after a moment, she slowly withdrew her hand.

"Didn't you... want me to praise you?"

"Huh?"

"Otherwise... why?"

Maria didn't quite understand.

In her view, the girl's words were a way of asking her to react to her grades, right?

So what can I do besides praise myself?

"But... although, indeed... but... but..."

The girl stammered, looking somewhat bewildered.

Clearly, although she didn't say it, the girl really hoped to get Maria's approval.

At this moment, Maria thoughtfully spoke up again.

I know what you want.

Maria kept her head down.

"I will not break my promise. Since you want to learn how to fight, I will do my best to teach you... But I hope you understand that I am not a particularly outstanding teacher. I will only teach you based on my own experiences, which... inevitably involve various dangers. I hope you understand that..."

"... I know."

Celinina nodded, her expression serious.

Then the small figure turned and left.

Maria watched the other person's happy back, but after a moment of silence, she silently shook her head.

Clearly, this girl still didn't understand what she meant by training...

But... she'll understand.

This was bound to happen sooner or later.

After the other person left, Maria turned around and looked at the dejected Lavinia.

The blonde girl appeared depressed at this moment.

Her tail drooped to the ground, she held her books in her arms, and a look of confusion appeared on her face, which was extremely rare.

This was actually within Maria's expectations.

As a theorist, Lavinia couldn't possibly persuade Celinina... Of course, this wasn't entirely due to her theorist background.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Maria, I've let you down..."

The girl spoke softly, her face conflicted.

But Maria shook her head, and then slowly knelt down on one knee in front of the girl.

"You did what you could... that's already excellent."

"But..."

Lavinia's expression remained somewhat conflicted.

She wasn't oblivious to Maria's words of comfort, but... in her view, she had volunteered with such conviction, only to end up failing to accomplish the task...

This kind of thing... is really awful.

For a moment, Lavinia began to doubt her own learning.

She didn't know if what she was doing was right.

I have indeed learned a lot of knowledge and read many books.

But... are these books really useful?

If it's useless, why should you keep looking at it?

If it works, then why can't I even convince someone my own age?

She didn't know...

She didn't understand...

She felt as if all her efforts over the years had been in vain...

So, is this what your confusion is all about?

Maria shook her head. "But actually, from the beginning, I knew you couldn't convince her."

"Even if I have enough experience?" Lavinia was still somewhat unwilling.

She always felt she should persuade Celinina... although Maria herself said she didn't have high expectations for it.

"Even if you have enough experience." Maria's voice was calm, her slightly lowered eyes incredibly clear.

"In this world, there is never any such thing as one person persuading another; the only person who can truly persuade another is herself."

"Don't say you're just a child her age; even if you were an elderly person with white hair, your words would still be just words."

"Words are merely a key; so-called words that strike the heart are only enough to elicit the insights of those who already know all this."

"An old person's reflections on time cannot be conveyed to a child."

"The reason I arranged for you to talk to her is so that she can clarify her own thoughts, instead of thinking according to her past habits... She is a simple girl, she doesn't lie. If she herself is confused, she will admit it. Since she still insists, it means that what she is doing now is what she wants to do."

I also respect her opinion.

"I just didn't expect that, Lavinia, it would be you who would feel lost in the end."

Maria spoke softly, pondered for a moment, and then took off her gloves.

Cold fingers gently cupped the girl's cheek, making her frowning, bitter face look at him.

Under the gaze of compassionate eyes, the girl's face slowly relaxed.

Maria then raised her thumb and slowly stroked the corner of the other person's eye.

The gentle touch gave the girl a unique feeling.

Gentle, comfortable...

"You're wondering why your knowledge isn't working as you expected, right?"

Maria's voice was very soft, so soft that it could even be described as gentle.

This allowed the girl, who had lost both parents at a young age, to once again feel that gentle warmth that seemed to envelop her completely.

That is a great being called mother.

"Um..."

Lavinia lowered her head and muttered to herself.

"You study very hard...girl, but that only means you have more knowledge than others..." Maria said. "The amount of knowledge you have doesn't determine the outcome of a negotiation."

"But..." Lavinia gritted her teeth, "What I've learned is all about Law. This knowledge should represent the most universal and common rules... which everyone should abide by..."

"I've noticed that you've been studying books on Law ...girl." Maria shook her head. "Perhaps that makes you feel that your words are very persuasive, but in reality, the Law is not omnipotent...especially in Siracusa."

"Rules aren't as magical as you imagine, possessing an unparalleled power that makes people obey simply by uttering them... In fact, from the day the rules were established, countless people have tried to challenge them..."

"Then..." Lavinia's expression was conflicted, "What exactly is the meaning of the existence of the Law?"

"I'm not entirely sure what your purpose and motivation are in studying the Law, but I'm certain that in the world I know, the Law exists only to protect the weak." Maria calmly explained her doubts to the girl. "It has indeed done that. Many times, it has played its role, deterring those madmen... But it's not an infallible Istina. There will always be those who push themselves to the limit and try to break the rules."

"You can't do what you want just by learning the rules."

After Maria finished speaking, she cupped the girl's face in her hands and slowly placed her lips on the girl's forehead.

The unusual touch made the girl's body tense up suddenly. She stared wide-eyed at the woman in front of her, bewildered.