Cain left those words behind and turned to go.
"W-wait! Could I become your student? Please teach me swordsmanship that will make me stronger, Sword God!"
Luke dropped to both knees and pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice full of longing and excitement. This was far from the first time he had been helpless. When the Terminating Boar attacked, even though he had been ready to fight to the death, it had slapped him into a pool and knocked him unconscious...
If Sylphiette hadn't descended from the sky, Lady Ariel, who meant so much to him, would probably have died.
If he'd had that kind of strength, perhaps his dear friend wouldn't have died so horribly, either...
"I refuse."
"W-why, Sword God?"
"You have no talent for swordsmanship..."
"B-but I really want to become stronger so I can protect Lady Ariel."
"I'll hire dependable adventurers as guards."
The commotion drew the attention of the three women at their tea party.
"Luke may be a little wild in his personal life, but he genuinely wants to protect me. Roxy, could you...?"
Sylphiette nodded beside her, looking at Roxy with pleading eyes.
Roxy pursed her lips and shook her head firmly at them both.
"I'm sorry, but I have to refuse..."
"I can't make Cain's decisions for him. I'm no expert, either, so I can't question his judgment of someone's talent for swordsmanship. Cain is the one who makes these decisions in our family. Please understand."
Seeing Roxy's apologetic smile, the two women could only smile back helplessly.
If even Roxy said that, Luke had no chance.
"I told you that you have no talent for swordsmanship. Do you still want to keep trying?"
On the snow-covered Training Ground, Cain frowned slightly at Luke, who had raised his Wooden Sword