The smoke and dust took a while to fade, as if carefully evaluating something.
After a pause, the system's words reappeared in a chaotic scatter.
[The gap between you and a Water Saint-level swordsman is very small.]
[You're just one breakthrough away.]
Alan blinked.
"A breakthrough?"
[It might come from battle under intense pressure, or perhaps a moment of enlightenment like this morning's duel with Paul. Honestly, I can't give a precise suggestion. Your level-ups are based on a rough estimation comparing you to swordsmen of equivalent skill. Sword technique, after all, isn't something that can be measured numerically. Like earlier—if you had followed up your original technique with a counterattack, you would've clearly surpassed the average Water Saint. Unfortunately, compared to actual Water Saints, you still lack a bit of finesse.]
Alan scratched his chin.
"A counterattack, huh."
Rudeus was staring at Alan, feeling a shiver crawl down his spine.
"You beat me twice already, but why are you looking at me like I'm a prized war trophy? I'm not some spoils-of-war bride you dragged home from a barbarian tribe!"
Despite the double defeat, Rudeus was recovering mentally. He felt like he had put up a good fight.
"That's Alan after all—someone who can spar with Paul! I held my own! Roxy wouldn't scold me, right? She'd just admire Alan's strength and encourage me!"
Just as he was comforting himself, hurried footsteps echoed from the hilltop.
Moments later, Sylphy burst through the mist and ran up to them.
"Alan! Rudi! Are you okay?!"
Alan turned to her, still a bit dazed, but smiled gently at her anxious face.
"We're fine."
Rudeus squinted at him.
"Why is he acting all warm and gentle now?! All I got was chin-rubbing and weird winks!"
Sylphy examined Alan from top to bottom, then turned to Rudeus. Once she saw neither of them was hurt, she sighed in relief.
She patted her chest and earnestly said to Rudeus:
"Rudi, I really think you shouldn't fight like this again. It's too dangerous."
Then she pointed at Alan's bent sword.
Under Alan's awkward gaze, Rudeus winced.
"It's not like I was the one beating him up! He almost took my head off!"
Alan scratched his head, glancing at the lingering fog.
"Anyway, let's get rid of this mist first. It's so gloomy down here it looks like a cult ritual site."
Rudeus muttered in exasperation, "Sure thing, great Alan-sama~."
Once he used Fireball to evaporate the mist, the three of them shared a silent, awkward look.
The hillside was a muddy disaster. There wasn't a clean spot in sight.
"If we started planting rice now, we might have a golden harvest by summer."
The issue was, this hill was their secret base. It wasn't feasible to let villagers start farming here, especially since it was so far from the village.
So Sylphy and Rudeus started using healing magic on the more damaged parts, trying to restore the grass and cover the muddy mess.
It took the better part of the day.
In the afternoon, they followed Paul to the village blacksmith, where Alan replaced his sword blade.
Luckily, Alan's sword was just a basic slender blade. It was easy to find a similar, lightweight replacement.
When Paul heard the details of their duel, he was speechless.
"You guys went all out like that? This level of strategic thinking is basically dungeon-delving tactics! And Alan, where did that sword technique come from? I've never heard of it."
Alan scratched his face.
"I studied at the main Water God dojo in Asura Kingdom's capital. That technique was inspired by Lady Lieta Leah."
Paul and Rudeus both widened their eyes. Sylphy, meanwhile, looked utterly lost.
Rudeus lit up.
"So you've met the Water God herself?! Is she, like, a super strong mature lady type? The name sounds totally like a cool blonde older sister!"
"Sounds like Claymore's Teresa or something..."
Paul and Alan both narrowed their eyes at him. After a moment, Paul sighed.
"Well... she's definitely older, and strong too. But blonde and blue-eyed? Nope."
"I swear this kid's priorities are all over the place."
Alan facepalmed.
"She's an old granny, just a bit taller than Roxy. Very dignified... though her taste is kind of odd."
"The way she still respected that pig Darius... not something I can get behind."
The three shared their inner thoughts, perhaps that's just how the Greyrats were.
Rudeus was still stunned.
Paul then looked at Alan seriously.
"You were personally taught by Lady Lieta?"
Alan nodded.
"Yes."
Paul whistled.
"No wonder your Water God style is so refined. And I get why you're not that into Sword God techniques—those don't suit the courtly atmosphere of the capital's dojo, which is full of noble trainees preparing to be knights or royal guards."
Rudeus turned to Alan, curiosity piqued.
"So... are you a noble too?"
Alan stiffened slightly and forced a chuckle.
"Well... kind of? I, uh, messed up with a woman and had to leave in disgrace. That's how I became an adventurer."
Paul froze at the oddly familiar backstory.
"You little brat... that's MY story you're using!"
He ground his teeth.
"Yeah, yeah, what a disgraceful punk, hahaha."
Even Sylphy flinched at that.
"W-What do you mean by 'messed up with a woman'...?"
The three stared at each other in awkward silence.
Rudeus narrowed his eyes.
"Something's fishy... Alan can't just be a wandering adventurer. Normal folks can't study at the Water God dojo. And Paul's reactions? Definitely suspicious."
That night, the lights of the Greyrat home were all out. The moon vanished behind clouds, and the village of Buena lay in perfect silence.
After two intense battles, Alan was exhausted. He was out cold before the usual creaking noises began.
But deep into the night, faint tapping reached his ears—like something elastic snapping repeatedly.
Alan frowned, gradually waking.
"Seriously? Again? How am I supposed to sleep with these nightly... 'sports'?"
Then he noticed the sound wasn't coming from the neighboring room.
It was coming from the window.
Squinting, he pulled the curtain aside.
In the vague darkness, a short figure paced nervously in front of the door.
"A thief? At a knight's house in a village? That's bold."
But the figure wasn't going anywhere, only pacing back and forth.
Alan grabbed his sword, opened the window quietly, and descended using douki to land silently.
As soon as he hit the ground, the figure flinched and jumped, spinning around.
The cold gleam of a blade was at their throat.
Alan was about to speak when he saw the face—and his eyes went wide in disbelief.
The mountain breeze stirred, and the clouds parted.
Moonlight spilled down like silver.
Two long blue braids swayed in the wind. Moonlight danced across the fringe of hair above a worried yet oddly relieved expression.
She held her familiar mage hat close to her chest.
Roxy.
A goddess needs no moonlight.
She shone on her own.
(End of Chapter)
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