The Butterfly Flaps Its Wings, Lokkishi's Return

The dust settled for a long time without reappearing, as if carefully evaluating.

After a moment, the characters flickered into disarray again.

[You are very close to being a Water Saint-level Swordsman.]

[You just need an opportunity.]

Allen blinked.

An opportunity?

[Perhaps it will be a breakthrough in a high-pressure real combat situation, or perhaps an enlightenment like when you fought Paul this morning. To be honest, I can't offer precise advice. Your level increase is also a rough estimate based on retrieving swordsmen of the same level. Swordsmanship itself cannot be accurately quantified. For example, if you could counterattack when you activate your Self-created Arcanum, you would definitely be well above the average Water Saint level. Unfortunately, compared to the Water God Style Water Saints, you still lack a certain agility.]

Allen rubbed his chin.

Counterattack, huh?

Rudy froze for a moment. Seeing Allen winking and rubbing his chin at him, a chill went down his spine.

You won twice, so you won twice, but what's with that expression like you're examining spoils of war?! Am I a wife you can take home after winning, like in a barbarian tribe?

Although Allen had defeated him twice in a row, once he adjusted his mindset, he felt ready to go again.

After all, it was still a back-and-forth fight, wasn't it?

This is Allen, someone who can spar with Paul!

I've worked really hard. I'm sure if Lokkishi saw this, she would only marvel at Allen's strength and wouldn't criticize me. After all, Lokkishi is so encouraging~

Rudy quickly excused himself, then heard the anxious patter of footsteps coming from the hill.

The next moment, Sylphy burst through the thick fog and entered the battlefield.

"Al-Allen! Rudy! Are you two okay?!"

At this point, Allen finally came to his senses. He turned to look at Sylphy's anxious expression and smiled gently.

"We're fine."

Rudy squinted at Allen.

Your attitude is so contradictory! Why were you only winking and rubbing your chin at me just now?!

Sylphy walked forward, first examining Allen up and down, then looking at Rudy. Seeing that neither of them had any injuries, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She patted her chest, still shaken, and spoke earnestly to Rudy.

"Rudy, I think next time, you shouldn't continue such dangerous fights. It's easy to get hurt."

Then she pointed to Allen's chipped sword.

Rudy's mouth twitched under Allen's somewhat subtle gaze.

You say that as if I was beating Allen up, but that's not how it was at all!!

Allen awkwardly scratched his head, looking at the misty surroundings, and said to the two of them.

"Before we do anything else, let's clear away this thick fog. It's too gloomy down the hillside, like some kind of cult sacrifice ritual."

Rudy replied grumpily.

"Alright~ Allen-sama~"

After he evaporated the fog with a fireball, Sylphy, Rudy, and Allen all showed awkward expressions.

The hillside was muddy, with not even a clean spot to stand.

If they were to plant rice now, they might harvest a golden rice field by midsummer or autumn.

But the problem was, this small hill was practically their secret base. It wasn't appropriate to invite villagers to farm here, and it was far from the village, so no one would take over.

So, Sylphy and Rudy could only pick the severely damaged areas and use Healing Magic in succession to restore the grass on the ground, covering the ugly, exposed mud.

This kept them busy for most of the day.

In the afternoon, the group went to the village blacksmith with Paul, where Allen got a new blade for his existing hilt.

Fortunately, Allen's sword was just an ordinary sharp, thin blade, so it was easy to find a lightweight, thin blade of similar specifications.

When Paul learned the details of their match, he couldn't help but gasp.

"You guys fought that seriously? The precise setup of your tactics was no different from an adventure in a dungeon, and what's with that swordsmanship technique of yours, Allen? I've never heard of it."

Allen scratched his face at the remark.

"I've been studying Swordsmanship at the Water God Style main dojo in the Asura Royal Capital since I was a child. The inspiration for that Arcanum came from Her Grace, Rieda Lia."

Paul and Rudy's eyes widened simultaneously. Only Sylphy looked confused, completely bewildered.

Rudy immediately became excited.

"So you really have seen the Water God! Is she a particularly strong, mature, older sister type? That name sounds like a blonde-haired, blue-eyed older woman!"

She sounds like Teresa from Claymore...

Paul and Allen both squinted at Rudy. After a moment, Paul scratched his face and said helplessly.

"Ah, well, the 'older' part is true, and 'strong' too, but blonde hair and blue eyes... let's not go there."

"What can I say? He really is my child, isn't he? Always focusing on the strangest things."

Allen rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"She's an old woman, only about half a head taller than Lokkishi, very dignified, but with peculiar taste."

To still have a good impression of a fat pig like Darius, and be willing to repay his kindness even at the cost of her life... that's just too much.

The three of them each spoke a sentence and thought a thought. Perhaps this was the Greyrat family for you.

Rudy was a bit stunned by Allen's words. Then, Paul turned to look at Allen.

"Are you a direct disciple of Rieda Lia?"

Allen looked up at him.

"Yes."

Paul nodded.

"No wonder your Water God Style is so accomplished at such a young age. It also explains why you're not proficient in Sword God Style. The main Water God Style dojo is almost entirely made up of noble children who will become guards or Knights in the Royal Capital in the future. The Sword God Style, which mainly emphasizes offense, isn't suitable for that environment."

Rudy, upon hearing this, looked at both of them.

"Then is Allen also a noble?"

At this, Allen's expression stiffened. He quickly chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh, well... you could say that. Er... I was undisciplined in matters of men and women, made a bit of a mistake, so I hastily fled the dojo to become an adventurer."

Paul's expression stiffened upon hearing this all-too-familiar coming-of-age story.

You little brat, you're clearly talking about me.

Then, he gritted his teeth, his words squeezed out from between them.

"...Yes, yes, this little brat is truly undisciplined. Haha, hahaha."

Sylphy, who was an outsider to the situation, also stiffened for a moment upon hearing this.

"What does 'undisciplined in matters of men and women' mean?"

The three exchanged glances, falling into an awkward silence.

Rudy, however, narrowed his eyes, watching their reactions.

Something's up. Is Allen really a wandering adventurer? If he were an ordinary person, he wouldn't be able to learn Swordsmanship at the main Water God Style dojo. And from Paul's attitude, there are many suspicious points.

Night fell, and all the lights in the Greyrat household were extinguished. The moon was swallowed by dark clouds, and Buena Village was exceptionally quiet.

Allen was physically and mentally exhausted from his two fights today. Before the nightly creaking sounds even began, he was already asleep in bed.

Deep into the night, however, a faint rustling sound reached his ears, as if some elastic object was continuously making a soft tapping noise back and forth.

Allen furrowed his brows, but the sound kept coming, making him more and more awake.

Finally, he flipped over, roaring inwardly.

The couple next door, be mindful! Are you going to let me sleep or not?! Who can stand this constant late-night ball-playing?!

The next instant, as his consciousness fully returned, he suddenly realized that the sound wasn't coming from next door, but drifting through the gap in the window right next to his bed.

Allen narrowed his eyes, turned, and pulled back the curtain.

In the shadowy darkness, a not-very-tall figure was cautiously pacing back and forth on the steps in front of the small main gate downstairs.

A thief? Stealing from a Knight's home in the village? That doesn't seem right.

He observed for a while and found that the figure showed no signs of leaving, merely repeating the pacing motion, as if struggling to decide which house to start stealing from.

He flipped over, grabbed his knife, silently opened the window, and, using Fighting Spirit, descended the wall into the courtyard.

The moment he landed, the figure seemed startled, jumped in place, and turned around.

The next instant, a gleaming blade was held to the person's neck.

Allen was about to speak a warning, but upon seeing the person's face up close, his pupils suddenly widened, and he showed an expression of shock.

A mountain breeze blew. The dark clouds in the sky seemed to disdain the moon, spitting it out from their belly. In an instant, moonlight poured down from the sky like a silver ribbon.

Illuminating the person's figure:

Two blue braids swayed slightly in the wind. Moonlight shimmered on her bangs. She clutched her Magic Hat to her chest, her bangs a little disheveled, looking at Allen with a flustered yet strangely reassuring expression.

Lokkishi.

The light in a god's eyes needed no moonlight to enhance it.

It was enough to fill one with melancholy.