Chapter 22: A Romantic Gesture
“…Sensei!”
Upon hearing my words, Eris rushed towards me and embraced me tightly, bursting into tears like a child, letting out a heartfelt “Waaah!”
I had distanced myself from Ryuguin and wandered aimlessly to this land. In essence, I had fled from them.
Now, I was once again choosing to run away, heading in the wrong direction.
Due to the matter concerning the Sealed Domain, a summons had been issued from the kingdom. If I obeyed and returned to the Royal Capital, I would undoubtedly reunite with Ryuguin. Meeting him would reopen the wounds of those days that I had finally begun to forget, thanks to my life with Sena. Just the thought of it made my heart ache painfully.
Anon and Sensei had told me to leave things to them. It wouldn’t be so bad to lean on their kindness and take my time. I had already worked hard enough. It would be fine to abandon everything to them and settle down here, forgetting it all. Their offer was far too sweet for me to resist.
The pitiful part of my heart repeatedly urged me, “Just rely on them.” How easy it would be if I could do that.
But there was one thing I understood clearly. This was the final crossroads.
I had to decide whether to continue fleeing or to confront my fears.
On that day, Angelica had prostrated herself, shedding tears as she apologized. Mika had declared she could not forgive herself and chose to distance herself from the world. And now, Eris was on the verge of choosing death.
It would take a little more time for all the lingering resentments to fade away. Still, I never wished for a reality like this.
So, I had to confront it once more. To wipe away all the tears, and for my own sake, I would stand before Ryuguin again and deny everything about him. I had made up my mind.
“Eris, Son-in-law, may I have a moment?”
Sensei asked, looking at the sobbing Eris and me. We nodded in response.
“Now, where should I begin? Let’s talk about what I know regarding the Holy Sword. Though I must admit, there are things I don’t understand, so this will contain a fair amount of speculation.”
With that, Sensei continued, “Eris, show me the Holy Sword.”
“Y-yes,” Eris replied, wiping her tears with a handkerchief handed to her by Orphe, and stood up. She presented the Holy Sword before Sensei, who gazed at it intently.
“What you call the Holy Sword was crafted by a former Hero with the wish to protect people. The True Name given to it is the Guardian Sword Rifire.”
Sensei seemed lost in thought for a moment.
“The Guardian Sword Rifire evaluates whether the wielder, who calls its True Name, is worthy of being its master.”
“Evaluates whether they are worthy…?”
“Indeed. It recognizes those who possess the skill and heart, acknowledging them as its wielder and granting them its full power. As its name suggests, the Guardian Sword Rifire has the ability to amplify the wielder’s capabilities many times over. Son-in-law, you might have some inkling about this?”
Sensei asked solemnly, and I indeed had an inkling.
☆Trust and Confidence☆
A unique skill of Yamada the Holy Knight, a boy from a foreign land. This skill activates when party members who have established mutual trust and confidence with the skill owner are present. Its effect promotes their growth and significantly enhances any buffs applied by the skill owner, regardless of magic or skill.
☆Skill Defender☆
A unique skill of Yamada the Holy Knight, a boy from a foreign land. It protects oneself and allies from malicious skills.
“That expression of yours seems familiar.”
“I was helped by Rifire many times during the exploration of the Sealed Labyrinth. Perhaps it was Rifire that helped bring Eris and the others back to their senses… but isn’t Rifire currently Eris’s?”
“Son-in-law, having observed Rifire closely, I have come to a realization.”
Sensei gently stroked Rifire.
“This Guardian Sword has two connections. One is with Eris, and the other is with you, Ichiro.”
Sensei often used the term “connection,” but I didn’t quite understand what it meant. Perhaps he sensed my confusion from my expression.
“A connection refers to the bond that ties people and things together. In the case of Rifire, it still recognizes you as its master, not just Eris, the current wielder. That is the connection I see.”
So, Rifire still recognized me as its master, which meant it had helped them because of my wishes…?
“The story continues. I can’t say for certain, but the dream you mentioned about Plu and the nightmare Eris experienced are fundamentally the same.”
“The same? What do you mean?”
☆Advanced Light Magic: Extreme++☆
An evolved skill of Yamada’s Light Magic. It has likely continued to grow since the last appraisal.
“Your dreams were likely a result of your abilities. You are a rare wielder of Light Magic.”
The phrase “rare wielder of Light Magic” made me grin. Hehe, it’s not that big of a deal.
“But I can use Light Magic; I don’t have the ability to dream.”
Besides, I didn’t think I had any skills related to prophetic dreams.
“I once knew a talented wielder of Light Magic. He claimed he sometimes had prophetic dreams. According to him, his prophetic dreams were ‘visions of highly probable realities that could occur, manifested through Light Magic unconsciously wielded.'”
Well, I couldn’t quite grasp the complexities of that, and Sensei chuckled lightly.
“Moreover, he also said, ‘By becoming an observer, one can change uncertain futures.'”
Sensei then alternated his gaze between Eris and me.
“You have experienced this firsthand, haven’t you? If it weren’t for you, Plu would have surely lost her life. You undoubtedly saved Plu.”
Did I understand what that meant? Sensei asked us.
“The dreams serve as warnings. They show a highly probable future that may occur in the near future, urging you to prepare for the crisis.”
“W-warning?”
Eris murmured as if digesting the information.
“Yes, a warning. In your case, it was a warning from the unconscious use of Light Magic, while for Eris, it was a warning from Rifire, which demonstrated your abilities through the connection.”
Rifire had shown Eris a prophetic dream by amplifying my abilities through the connection. It was quite an extraordinary tale.
“Perhaps, in response to your worries for Eris, Rifire has been protecting her all along. Though that might be a bit too romantic.”
Wait, could it be that Rifire was aware of this? After all, my partner from the time after conquering the Mirror Labyrinth until before tackling the Blade Labyrinth had been the Guardian Sword Rifire. I had swung it around recklessly without knowing its True Name… I hope it’s not angry. I’m sorry; I truly regret it.
“Even if you had headed towards the Royal Capital, you would have undoubtedly failed and fallen into the hands of the Hero, just as the dream foretold. Truly, it is said that wise men do not approach danger. Therefore, I commend your judgment here. The decisions made by you two upon returning to Son-in-law were indeed correct. That was undoubtedly the first step to dispelling despair.”
Finally, Eris, who had stopped crying, let out another “Waaah!”