"So, Old Sulyvhan," Kaiser continued. "Why not have two instead of sticking with just one, or even better, have several altogether... If one makes you unhappy, ten others will certainly make you happy..."
The old man nearly choked on his saliva hearing his discipleâs remark.
"I... I hadnât seen it from that angle." He finally grumbled.
Kaiser looked at him, a smile forming on his face. It seemed the old man had quite a few gaps in that area.
"Looks like I have a lot more experience than you in that domain, old man. Itâs pure logic... right?" Kaiser went on.
"In my era, your logic would be more than questionable... (cough)"
"Old Sulyvhan!" Kaiser exclaimed, stepping closer to help him, but alas, the old manâs body was slowly turning to ash.
"It seems my old body canât go on anymore. My time has come..." Sulyvhan said, lowering his eyes to examine his bodyâs state.
Kaiser now stood beside him, but unfortunately unable to do anything.
"Listen... kid..." Sulyvhan resumed. "This world is far too cruel to face everything alone. Survive no matter what, my only disciple."
His cracked body vanished into ash, leaving behind his two swords still planted in the ground.
Kaiser bowed: "This disciple salutes you one last time. Thank you for everything, Master Alexander Sulyvhan."
He showed total reverence filled with gratitude toward the one who had welcomed and guided him for a time.
"Take good care of my swords, kid..." a distant voice finally faded, leaving only silence in the cave.
A bitter smile remained on Kaiserâs face as he stayed still for a moment, surely in memory of his late master.
Then after a few minutes, he finally stood, taking the two swords and examining them more closely.
"I wonât fail you..." he murmured almost to himself before turning away.
[...]
Back with Adriana, who hadnât said a word noticing Kaiserâs absence, she simply looked at him with a gaze that was... quite... provocative.
Her insistence had forcibly pulled the young Paragon from his thoughts. He tilted his head to look at Adriana, who turned completely red and quickly looked away to avoid his gaze.
âOld Sulyvhan, I think you forgot the most important part,â Kaiser thought, a small smile crossing his face. âA woman can certainly be poison, but even knowing all that, itâs still hard not to fall... I mean... just look at those breasts!â
"...By the way, where did Kethra go?" Kaiser asked, remembering the woman who had trained him. "I havenât seen her since I arrived."
Adriana turned back at first with a smile that faded a little, as if she expected to hear something other than news about Kethra. Of course, Kaiser noticed the mood shift.
"...Hmm... Kethra missed you that much...?" she started weakly before continuing. "It was after you left, if I remember right. She broke her contract with Count Paragon and left... Since then until today, I havenât had any news. I donât know where she might be."
Kaiser said nothing for a moment. It wasnât strange coming from someone like Kethra. She didnât particularly like nobles and wanted to progress at all costs... the county didnât represent such a good opportunity... Kaiser chose not to dwell on it too much.
"...I think youâre wrong on one point," Kaiser finally said, leaning toward Adriana, who had calmed down a bit.
"Eh... what..." she stopped short when she realized Kaiserâs face was very close to hers. "...did I miss?"
Kaiser smiled watching the girl in front of him lose her composure. It was so amusing to see this usually bold girl who shouted everywhere that she would beat him now blushing, unable to properly string three sentences together.
"...It turns out Kethra wasnât the only one I missed," Kaiser said, pulling back a little. "There was also a certain stubborn girl who kept provoking me that I ended up missing a lot."
As Kaiser spoke, realizing he was talking about her, Adrianaâs cheeks went from pink to red, not knowing how to behave.
"...What are you saying?" she shouted, looking away. "Who are you calling stubborn? And who was provoking you?"
She pretended to be angry, but even her face proved otherwise; she could barely contain her laughter. Kaiser, seeing the opening, wasnât going to let it go. On the contrary, she was the one who had started it. It was time to take responsibility.
"...Who was harassing me every day by challenging me to duels?" Kaiser went on, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
"Well... thatâs because..." Adriana tried to defend herself, but no proper argument came to mind at that moment.
"Who was it that always lost every duel and promised she would surpass me next time but got beaten again that next time?" Kaiser continued, his smile widening as he watched the girl in front of him try to justify herself.
"Thatâs because... thatâs because youâre a warrior, thatâs why I donât have time to cast my spells!" Adriana tried to get out of it, but unfortunately her opponent was tough.
"...But if you knew I was a warrior and you wouldnât stand a chance, why provoke me every time then?" Kaiser countered, cornering her.
"...You...you...you," Adriana stammered, but before she could finish, Kaiser continued.
"Ah, I see... actually, youâre secretly in love with me," he said, as if he had just solved the greatest mystery this world had ever known.
"What!" Adriana exclaimed, turning completely red. "Me? In love... with... with you!" she said, turning away. "Youâve lost your mind!"
"Am I that ugly?" Kaiser replied, this time with a slightly disappointed voice.
Adriana turned back, a bit lost. How had things derailed like this? Originally she had just come to...
"No... no... I didnât mean youâre..."
"Itâs okay, I get it... no need to force yourself," Kaiser cut in, voice dark.
"No... you... youâre not ugly, on the contrary." She finally admitted weakly.
"You know, Adriana, no need to lie to me," Kaiser replied, but before he could add anything else, Adrianaâs voice cut him off.
"Iâm not lying to you," she said, timidly joining her hands as if to gather courage. "Youâre... youâre handsome, youâre strong, youâre smart, plus a lot of girls seem interested in you," she added weakly, lowering her head.
"...So I was right, you really are in love with me," Kaiser leaned in, playful tone, smiling as he sought the girlâs eyes.
Adriana turned her head feeling his gaze, but what she saw made her explode.
"You!" Adriana exclaimed, realizing she had been tricked by this bastard, but before she could finish, Kaiser moved closer, grabbed her chin, gently pulled her toward him, and kissed her lips tenderly.
"What if I told you it might be mutual ~?" he murmured to her.