The dust and smoke dispersed, and for quite a while, no new words appeared, as though it were carefully evaluating things.
A moment later, the writing flickered back into existence in a scattered jumble.
You are very close to becoming a Water Saint-level Swordsman.
You only lack an opportunity.
Allen blinked.
An opportunity?
Perhaps you will achieve a breakthrough in actual combat under intense pressure, or perhaps you will have an epiphany like you did while fighting Paul this morning. Honestly, I cannot offer precise advice. Your level assessment is only a rough judgment based on comparisons with swordsmen of the same level. Swordsmanship itself cannot be quantified precisely. For example, when you activate your Self-created Arcanum, if you can launch a counterattack, you will absolutely be capable of steadily defeating an average Water Saint. Unfortunately, compared to Water God Style Water Saints, you still lack a hint of fluidity.
Allen rubbed his chin.
Launch a counterattack...
Rudy froze for a moment. Seeing Allen wink at him again and rub his chin, he could not help but feel a chill run through him.
Winning twice is winning twice, but what's with that look like you're inspecting your spoils of war?! Am I the kind of wife from some barbarian tribe that you get to take home after beating me?
Though Allen had defeated him twice in a row, once Rudy adjusted his mindset, he began to feel capable again.
At least they had gone back and forth, right?
This is Allen, someone who can trade blows with Paul!
I've already worked very hard. If Lokkishi saw this, she'd surely only marvel at how strong Allen is. She wouldn't blame me, right? Lokkishi is so good at encouraging people, after all~
Rudy excused himself at lightning speed. Then he heard hurried footsteps pattering down from the hill.
The next moment, Sylphy burst through the thick fog and entered the battlefield.
"Al! Allen! Rudy! Are you two okay?!"
Only then did Allen finally come back to his senses. He turned to look at Sylphy's anxious expression and gave her a gentle smile.
"We're fine."
Rudy narrowed his eyes at Allen.
That attitude is way too different from before. Why did you only know how to wink and rub your chin at me just now?!
Sylphy stepped forward and examined Allen from head to toe before checking Rudy as well. Only after seeing that neither of them was injured did she let out a sigh of relief.
Patting her chest, she spoke earnestly to Rudy, still shaken.
"Rudy, I think you shouldn't keep having such dangerous fights in the future. It's too easy to get hurt."
Then she pointed at Allen's chipped blade.
Rudy's mouth twitched under Allen's somewhat complicated gaze.
You make it sound like I was the one beating Allen up, when the truth is completely the opposite, hey!!
Allen scratched his head awkwardly. Looking at the foggy surroundings, he said to the two of them,
"Let's forget everything else for now and clear away this thick fog first. It's too dark below the slope—it feels like the site of some evil cult ritual."
Rudy answered irritably.
"Sure~ Lord Allen~"
After he used a fireball to evaporate the mist, Sylphy, Rudy, and Allen all wore awkward expressions.
The ground below the slope was a muddy mess, without even a clean spot to stand on.
If they planted rice seedlings now, they might harvest a golden paddy field by midsummer or autumn.
But this little hill was practically the three of their secret base. Calling villagers over to farm it would be inappropriate, and it was far from the village anyway, so no one would take it over.
Thus, Sylphy and Rudy could only work through the badly damaged areas one by one, using Healing Magic to restore the grass and cover up the ugly exposed mud.
That work kept them busy for most of the day.
That afternoon, the group went with Paul to the village blacksmith and replaced Allen's blade while keeping the original hilt.
Fortunately, Allen's sword was merely an ordinary sharp, slender blade. They quickly found a light, thin replacement blade of roughly the same specifications.
When Paul learned the details of their match, he could not help clicking his tongue.
"You two were that serious about sparring? The precise setup of those tactics was no different from going on a dungeon expedition. And Allen, what was that sword technique of yours? Why have I never heard of it?"
Allen scratched his cheek at that.
"I studied swordsmanship at the Water God Style Main Dojo in the Asura Royal Capital from a young age. That arcanum was inspired by Lady Rieda Lia."
Paul and Rudy both widened their eyes, while Sylphy merely stood beside them with a confused look, having no idea what they were talking about.
Rudy immediately grew excited.
"So you really have met the Water God! Is she some especially powerful, mature big sister type? Her name makes her sound like the kind of older woman with blonde hair and blue eyes!"
She feels like the kind of person Teresa from Claymore would be.
Paul and Allen both narrowed their eyes at Rudy. After a long while, Paul scratched his face and said helplessly,
"Well, she is older, and she is powerful, but forget about the blonde hair and blue eyes."
How should I put this? Is he really my son? He always focuses on the strangest things.
Allen pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly.
"She is an old lady only about half a head taller than Lokkishi. She is very dignified, but her taste is a little strange."
The fact that she could still feel fondness for a fat pig like Darius and was willing to risk her life to repay his kindness is really hard to process.
One spoken sentence and one inner thought from each of them—perhaps that was what it meant to be Greyrats.
Rudy was somewhat dumbfounded by Allen's words. Then Paul turned to Allen.
"Are you Lady Rieda's personally taught disciple?"
Allen looked up at him.
"Yes."
Paul nodded.
"No wonder you have attained such a high level in the Water God Style at such a young age. It also explains why you aren't skilled in the Sword God Style. The Water God Style Main Dojo is almost entirely made up of noble children who will become guards or knights in the royal capital. The Sword God Style, which emphasizes offense, is not suited to that kind of environment."
But Rudy looked at the two of them after hearing that.
"Then is Allen a noble too?"
At that, Allen's expression stiffened, and he quickly laughed it off.
"Well... I suppose so. Uh... I was rather improper in matters between men and women and got into a little trouble, so I fled the dojo in a panic and became an adventurer."
Paul's expression stiffened upon hearing that all-too-familiar life trajectory.
You little brat, you're obviously talking about me.
Then he gritted his teeth, forcing out his words through the gaps.
".Yeah, yeah, that little brat really was improper. Hahaha, hahaha."
Even Sylphy, standing by as an outsider, had her expression stiffen for a moment.
"What does it mean to be improper in matters between men and women?"
The three exchanged looks, their faces awkward, and fell into an embarrassed silence.
Rudy, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes as he watched them.
Something's going on. Is Allen really just a wandering adventurer? An ordinary person couldn't have studied swordsmanship at the Water God Style Main Dojo. And judging from Paul's attitude, there are way too many suspicious points.
Night fell, and every light in the Greyrat household had gone out. The moon had been swallowed by dark clouds, and Buena Village was utterly quiet.
Exhausted in body and mind after two fights that day, Allen fell asleep in bed before the usual nightly creaking could even begin.
Late at night, however, a faint sound arose beside his ear. It seemed like some elastic object repeatedly making soft pattering noises back and forth.
Allen furrowed his brow. The sound came and went, but instead of fading, it only made him increasingly awake.
Finally, he rolled over and roared inwardly.
The couple next door, show some consideration! Are you going to let people sleep or not?! Who can stand you playing ball every night in the middle of the night?!
The next instant, as his mind fully cleared, he abruptly realized the sound was not coming from next door. It drifted in through the crack of the window beside his bed.
Allen narrowed his eyes and, turning sideways, lifted the curtain.
In the shadowy darkness, a not particularly tall figure was carefully pacing back and forth on the steps before the main entrance of the small building.
A thief? Someone actually came to steal from a knight's home in the village? That doesn't seem right.
He watched for a while and discovered that the figure had no intention of leaving. It simply kept repeating the motion of pacing back and forth, as though struggling to decide which room to start stealing from.
He rolled out of bed, grabbed his sword, silently opened the window, and used battle aura to descend along the wall into the courtyard.
The moment he landed, the figure seemed startled and jumped in place before turning around.
The next instant, a blade gleaming with cold light rested beside the other's throat.
Allen was about to speak a warning, but after seeing the other's face clearly at close range, his pupils suddenly widened, and shock filled his expression.
A mountain breeze blew past. The dark clouds in the sky seemed to reject the moon, spitting it from their belly. In an instant, moonlight poured down from the heavens like a silver ribbon.
Illuminating the visitor's figure:
Two long blue locks swayed gently in the wind. Moonlight flowed across the loose strands over her forehead. She clutched her Magic Hat to her chest, her bangs slightly disheveled, and looked at Allen with an expression that was flustered yet carried a strange sense of relief.
Lokkishi.
The light in a god's eyes needed no moonlight to set it off.
It was already enough to leave one wistful.
Before you continue