Vol 9 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 3: Wish
His one to the bottom of what could be called the ”worst” in the past fewmuch had happened since the Military Arts Competition with Myath, but now Even Layfon was at a loss
(Aa, what should I do? I just ran off)
The anger in hiht now, he felt guilty for leaving work and throwing a tantrum at Nina He walked on the eo back, he felt that the Captain would chase him all the way to the dormitory No, perhaps she wouldn't co shi+ning and went over like a, fro liquid No wind blew here, as a roof had been constructed over the area People who stayed late would soht, no one was about Layfon sat down on a long bench
”Ha” he sighed He wished he could release all the feelings stuffed inside hiain iven hi else
He shouldn't be unhappy at this
◇
He recalled snatches of me with a weapon in the dojo In silence, he swung the wooden Katana, his upper body naked Metal was eive it a heavier feel si the Katana At the time, the Katana had accidentally hit little Layfon, and he sat down, seely paralyzed, but he didn't cry out
Layfon watched the air flow enveloping his adopted father'sthe other thing rushi+ng out of Derek
Back then, he didn't know that was Kei
Having finished practicing, his adopted father smiled at him No one else was in the dojo At that time, the dojo was extremely empty It was simple to count the number of people who came in to train Most people had joined the other dojos Derek had already retired
”Do you want to hold it?”
He had said that to Layfon
”You're the only Military Artist left in the orphanage You'll one day hold a Dite and fight for the people of Grendan”
Layfon took the Katana with both hands The handle, glistening with sweat, was heavy Unable to take that weight, he again sat down on the floor All he could do was fall Tears fought to fall from his eyes
His adopted father smiled and held him up in his arrown And after that, it's your turn”
He had decided from that moment on to hold the Katana He wanted to become a hero like his adopted father
◇
He should be happy His adopted father willed for hiain This, however, didn't mean what happened in the past was cancelled He had tainted the name of a Heaven's Blade He had betrayed the people of Grendan Those thingsfor Layfon except for the fact that he had tainted the name of Psyharden He had insulted the father who had sworn to protect them
When he took up the sword, he wanted to let those ished to study under Psyharden's name to know that he had cut his ties with Psyharden His actions had gained Derek many students, but later on, the dojo went back to its desolate state That didn't concern Layfon uilt
Most of the students came to learn the Psyharden techniques because Layfon was a Heaven's Blade successor However, that thinking alone was not enough to grasp hold of the essence of Psyharden Back then, Layfon knew a Military Artist in the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang also used Psyharden, and that the Gang's reputation had far exceeded that of Grendan's What he didn't knoas that the leader of the Gang was the apprentice of Derek's brother from the same Military Arts school
Many people came to learn the Psyharden techniques, but
”They're just techniques taught to mercenaries,” one of the students said and left the dojo
That didn't sit ith Layfon
What happened to that person afterwards?
He re him once in a public battle That was it If that person was still alive, hein Grendan If that was the case, he ht now realize that he had misunderstood the essence of Psyharden
Some people speculated that Layfon had abandoned Psyharden techniques because he was dissatisfied with thenore the speculation War War ia One couldn't fight if one died And if one died, one could protect nothing The dead could only return to the earth What rong with that saying? Everyone thought the same way in war
”I knohat you want to say” Layfon burst out
Yet he wanted to deny it If he could accept a rational truth, he should have kept calency of the situation As such, he tried his best to keep cal He couldn't lose that feeling
He soh he didn't hold the Katana
Hearing footsteps, Layfon lifted his head, took out his cash card in a fluster and hurried to stand before a vendingdown in thewith his head down on a bench
While he was deciding on which juice to pick
” What're you doing?”
”Eh?”
Though it was deep into the night, Felli was still in unifor in a certain place and forgot the tiry”
”I see, but”
”I don't go out in my pajamas,” she concluded and went to buy soht she would return home after that, but she sat down on a chair before a table, and opened the packet she bought
”Felli?”
”Feel free I have so to talk to you about”
”Uh, ok,” he nodded and pressed a button He only realized he had chosen a hot drink when he took the can
”Fon Fon, will you not accept it no matter what?”
” So it's still about that,” he said He didn't want to discuss it
”Is it the captain? Well, it's not like I don't understand your feelings”
”Ha”
”But that's just natural You've been forgiven, but you still choose to refuse it That's hard to accept Besides, Leerin let us hear the conversation I think she wants us to make a decision too”
”I think you should accept it”
”Why?”
”Because you have to fight,” she touched the surface of the can ”You don't have to take it if you give up on Military Arts Because that would only cause you nostalgia”
Nostalgia That word caused him pain He wanted to deny it, but he hardly resisted it when he held the Dite Although he did resist when the Student President black, now he didn't really dislike what had happened That was because he enjoyed the time he had spent with Nina and the 17th platoon
He didn't hate Karian now While Nina had gone e, the Student President had chosen to negotiate with the filth ht in a way that differed from Nina's And Layfon respected hiht filth monsters, you should take up the Katana”
”I don't want to hold it”
”If you don't hold a Heaven's Blade, what you now have is just an ordinary Dite Don't you find that imperfect?”
”Uh”
He couldn't deny what she said No Dites except the Heaven's Blades could sustain the Kei released by him He hadn't mentioned this to anyone else He didn't find that painful at first, since he only had to bear with it until he had the Heaven's Blade Just who had noticed it?
”Did the Captain say so?”
”Why so sudden?”
”You look like you've been wronged The Captain's opinion is probably the same as mine I want to knohat she said to uess I'll have to guide you”
”Wronged” He couldn't deny her
Wronged No He was angry hat she said What was it? Oh yes
”I can't support you”
That line But she said before that she wanted to beco with him
”Isn't that natural”
”Eh?”
He felt like Felli had sneaked in a laugh behind his back
”You said that even though you knoerful you are”
”Uh, no, I ize to the Captain”
”Why?”
”I heard that you were the one who took down the ene in the intercity match with Myath”
”Ah, yes”
Felli had been kidnapped during that tiht Haia Nina and the others had the job of taking the ene In the end, Zuellni won the match
”Haia wasn't an easy opponent since he's the leader of a faainst hi him, you helped the Captain”
Layfon could tell what she wanted to say
” Of course, that was all because I got kidnapped Sorry”
”That wasn't your fault”
In fact, it was his fault Haia wanted to fight him because they both inherited the Psyharden skills Felli just got caught up in this fight between brothers froed for Layfon to enter Military Arts to guarantee their victory in the Military Arts Co to boost the students' strength
Layfon couldn't underestith That proof was shown in the injury on his left hand
”That wound on your left hand is a problem”
”Well”
”Would you be calot hurt?”
”Wu”
”You're strong So strong that you could spare ti Haia We can't support you I don't really knohat the Captain thinks since I' on the frontlines, she probably understands that ht not be able to provide the support you need And she bla for you, and she also hopes you can do so?”
” Even if I take up the Katana, that can't solve the proble if you take up the Katana”
That was it
”Whether it's just one out of 100, or one out of aas it increases the chances of your survival, I hope you can take up the Katana”
”That probabilityWhen you die, you can't escape it I've seen that many tiht hand He avoided the attack But he sed at the expression on her face Face red with eyes widened No ry
And next, the sound of so his cheek
”You don't know that,” she said e this way ”You don't understand what it feels like when you can't do anything!” She ran off
” I kneould turn out like this,” he sighed
Only defeat awaited him if he went to battle without any preparation All he did was flee to this city But what should he do when he had nowhere to escape to?
◇
When she caht She knew immediately she was in the hospital, but all she could think of hy she asting tihed
This was her first ti admitted to a hospital She had visited others in the hospital a couple of tih That time when she visited Layfon here in Zuellni, and back at Grendan when her adopted father was attacked by filth monsters and had to stay in the hospital
She watched the ceiling, never thinking she would have to stay in a hospital as well
Her first ti to another city She did her best to keep going no matter how many first times she encountered Perhaps all the stress she had been bearing had burst out at once The drip attached to her arht I was quite healthy too,” she said, looking out theat the nighttih she was used to Zuellni's streetscape, she felt today's scenery was different froe in the color of the sky? Co style here was different But the color of the sky shouldn't deviatealone the theory that had no basis, her thoughts turned to the people living here No Synola None of Leerin's other good friends No classe and no adopted father In here, she only had Layfon, the Layfon who had disappeared from Grendan
” What should I do?”
Solanced at the clock hanging on the wall It was ave an answer and the door slid open quietly
”Layfon”
The light in the corridor lit up his figure
”Sorry, did I wake you?”
”No,” she shook her head in a fluster as he ca ok?”