It was already dark when Leona returned to the cave. She was relaxing in the hot spring while resting her back against a smoothly carved piece of the rocks.
Her eyes were closed and despite being inside the warm soothing water, her expression was somewhat gloomy as her mind kept going over the same memory again and again.
“Was all that talk about your daughters also a lie?”
“No. They are genuine, that I can assure you.”
Robert’s voice echoed within her mind as she pondered what really meant for her to be there.
Training was obviously the better option as opposed to going back to Arcadia and dying a pointless death, but at the same time she felt dissatisfied with both herself and the current situation. While she did manage to overcome her fear of magic, it obviously wasn’t through her willpower alone which made her feel even worse.
“Why the long face?”
A female voice came from beside her. Setsuna had a warm smile as she also entered the hot spring with a towel wrapped around her body.
The tactician was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn’t previously notice her.
“Ah, no it’s nothing.”
She raised her hands in a somewhat awkward smile as she tried to deflect attention away from her.
“Is that so?” Setsuna settled her back against some of the rocks and let out a relaxed sigh. “Nothing beats a warm bath. Dad keeps complaining that the water isn’t hot enough but this is plenty hot.”
“...” There was a moment of silence before Leona decided to ask. “Say, is your father a good man in your eyes?”
“Huh? Where did that come from?”
“I’m just curious, that's all. He doesn’t seem the type to do things for others.”
“Well… if you don’t deserve it then yeah, he doesn’t. But he always doted on me and Yuna as best as he could afford.” She closed her eyes with a serene smile. “Brings back good memories of my childhood.”
“I didn’t imagine you growing up in such a loving environment.”
“Is that because of the shrine maiden demeanor? I do that mostly to keep appearances.” She giggled discreetly. “We are responsible for keeping the people’s hearts at ease so we must show elegance and determination to pass on that much needed trust. We are after all, in the frontlines against death angels.”
“I see… was it something Robert came up with or-”
“Oh no, it was mostly because of me. Yuna went along with it because she thought it was fun at first but after seeing how much everyone in the city was suffering—we couldn’t just let that continue.” She brought her hands close together near the surface of the water before scooping up some, but the liquid eventually escaped through the gaps between her fingers. “Life cannot be lived or enjoyed alone like our dad had done it for centuries. He too was at some point, human and I… I don’t want to see him suffer again.”
“You two are great daughters.” Leona replied with a genuine smile. “I’m sure he is proud of you.”
“I wish I could have done more, but that would just end up worrying him.”
There was a moment of silence as both of them took their time to let that conversation sink in.
Leona was less sure about Robert’s intentions now that she heard from someone else’s perspective. He seemed like a decent father figure to them and someone kind besides. But the fact that he used her to experiment with her own fears was still lingering in the depths of her mind as she couldn’t come to terms with it.
“What about you Leona?” Setsuna wore a gentle smile as she asked. “You know a few things about us but you haven’t said much about yourself.”
“Haha… well… there isn’t much to say that you wouldn’t already know.”
“Oh it doesn’t need to be anything glamorous, just a small bit of what it is to live in your shoes is more than enough for me.”
“Well… in that case…” She tilted her head back as she started to reminisce about her own childhood. “Thanks to my father and mother I was able to study just about everything I had taken an interest in and if not for Krieg, I wouldn’t be here sharing what little experience I have in life with you.”
“You two truly seem inseparable. But say, how someone so strong as him is so loyal to you? It feels like his whole purpose is to solely protect you and you alone.”
“I can’t say it myself really.” She rubbed the corner of her right eye. “Krieg had always struck me as the kind of person who wouldn’t tolerate someone like me.”
“Meaning?”
“It’s kind of embarrassing to admit it but I couldn’t bring myself to take matters into my own hands before. I was too much of a crybaby.”
“Uh huh…”
“I imagined he would leave at some point but despite all my shortcomings he simply stood by me. Which… really makes me glad.”
“You too have gone through a lot haven’t you?”
Leona rested the back of her head against the rocks and stared at the ceiling flickering with candlelight.
“Yeah… we sure have.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Outside the cave, Krieg was swinging with the practice wooden sword while holding the kite shield in a flurry of strikes against an imaginary opponent. Each of his swings made a loud swishing noise as the blade pushed the air like a club.
“Tsk. This isn’t it…” He was covered in sweat which reflected a bit of the moonlight around his arms and forehead. “Faster and more precise…”
He resumed swinging the blade but each and every time he attempted to deliver a strike at his imaginary opponent, he could only envision his own defeat. There was a lingering sentiment of anger and rage bottled up inside his chest as he could feel the heat coming from within.
Powerlessness, that what plagued him ever since his awakening in Londria. He was powerless to do anything for Leona and in the end, she had to drench her hands in blood—something he couldn’t forgive himself for. With another violent swing of his blade, the weapon snapped mid-air with the momentum alone.
“Dammit…!”
His grip tightened around the handle which began to crack and splinter around the top and bottom of his hand. He looked up towards the clear night sky before tightening both of his hands and letting out a breath that seemed more like hot steam than air.
“All that anger is going to be useless in a fight.”
A male voice came from behind him which prompted Krieg to only turn his head around slightly.
“Strength is all I have. Despite you teaching me these sword techniques I’m still as green as a recruit.”
“Then train harder. Become faster, precise, deadlier. All you need is a singular stroke of a blade to cull a life away.”
“...” Krieg threw the broken wooden sword away and started to take off the shield from his left arm and lugged it over his left shoulder with the leather strap. “Why are you going to such lengths for me?”
“Does it need a reason?”
“You’re my father, sure.” He walked to the cave’s entrance and leaned against the wall while cleaning the sweat off his forehead. “But we don’t know each other. If anything, it wouldn’t be too far off to call ourselves strangers to one another.”
He sat down with his legs crossed as he put the large sheathed curved blade on top of his lap. With a quiet sigh he stared at the night sky.
“Redemption.” He spoke firmly without looking at him. “You two were still in Nara when it happened. Destruction and death swept across the land as the death angels’ march began. In my hubris, I thought we could take them on. Our kingdom had the most brilliant warriors of our era and yet we were wiped clean off the map. Only after losing you and your mother I struck a deal with Robert.”
“And what was that?”
“He would use my body and soul as he saw fit in exchange for saving my kingdom and its people.” Krieg kept staring at Miyamoto’s back as the man kept gazing upon the sky. “Had I done it sooner, maybe… maybe your mother would still be alive.”
“If you did it, I wouldn’t have met Leona or Eleonora.”
That made the swordmaster look over his shoulder towards him.
“Do you not resent me?”
“As I said, you and I are no better than strangers. There is nothing to resent. If anything, I intend to make full use of your skills in order to protect those dear to me.” He then turned around. “I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow's lessons.”
He headed off inside the cave and as his heavy footsteps grew more distant, MIyamoto couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“I see…”
As Krieg kept walking, his own footsteps faded amidst the thoughts that filled his mind.
‘Father huh…? Lord Jean was as much of a father to me as he was to Leona.’ He smiled warmly to himself as he recalled the fond memories he shared with them. ‘Even Lady Ravness. She cared about all of us with equal warmth and love. There is no way I could possibly ask for more.’
Upon entering through the main hallway door, he was met with Tomoe holding a towel as if she was waiting for him. The demon maid had a certain air about her that reminded him of Adele.
“Good work with the training sir Krieg.”
Even the way she bowed made him see her lost comrade for a split second.
“Ah, thank you Tomoe.” He hastily grabbed the towel and started to dry the sweat off his face. “Where is Leona?”
“Taking a bath at the moment.”
“I see…”
After finishing brushing his face off bodily fluids, he tossed the towel over his shoulder as he was about to go sit down to rest. Tomoe however, had other plans as she stepped in front of him and extended both her hands to him.
“The towel please. I’ll go wash it right away.”
“Huh? You don’t need to-”
“The towel. Please.”
“O-okay…”
Despite him being almost twice her size, he was somewhat intimidated by her words full of conviction as he surrendered the towel.
“Thank you. Please, rest up while I go prepare the men’s bath.”
“S-sure, thanks.”
Krieg walked around the couch and sat on the right-most side near the wall while resting his head against it. His gaze was fixed at the small flame in the fireplace that seemed to be lacking fuel.
As he hunched over and grabbed a piece of cut log to toss in the fire, he noticed Leona’s frostburnt silver sword sitting on a nearby wooden stool that he previously passed by.
“Hm?”
He lobbed the log into the fire and turned to look at the sword. The scabbard was nothing impressive, mainly made of wood and covered with leather, strapped with iron rings that kept all in place. The handle, however, was emitting an eerie light blue glow as if emanating mana.
He reached for the weapon and held it around the scabbard with his left while his right grabbed the handle. There was a certain foreboding feeling that he couldn’t quite put into coherent thoughts as his fingers were tightening around the weapon’s handle.
However before he could unsheathe the blade, Robert’s voice came from somewhere behind him.
“I would advise against that.”
It was like Krieg snapped out of a trance as he turned around to face him.
“Robert?”
“That sword contains a fragment of your grandmother’s soul. There’s no telling what will happen to you if you were to commute with it.”
“I wasn’t trying to.”
Robert had a smirk on his face as he tapped the side of his own head twice.
“Maybe not consciously. Dragons have a distinct ability to exert some control over their kin. Though it is a shard, it is still the soul of a dragon.”
Krieg exhaled slowly before putting the sheathed blade back on the wooden stool.
“How are you so sure about it?”
“A certain dragon told me the story behind that blade.” He proceeded to sit down on the left side of the couch before snapping his fingers which made a glass of wine appear between his fingers. “Your grandmother was one of the big reasons why humanity didn’t go extinct millennia ago.”
Krieg sat down on the opposite side while staring at the swaying flames in front of him.
“Why do you know so much about us? It sounds as if you’ve always been keeping an eye on Leona’s family.”
“Because of a debt.” He swirled the wine in the glass before taking a modest sip. “You are a knight, you should have an idea that is unbecoming of a man to not fulfill his promises.”
“...” The knight intertwined his fingers while clenching both hands together. There was a hint of bitterness once he was reminded of promises. More specifically, the promise to keep Leona safe. “How much have you sacrificed to stand here and now?”
Caught by surprise from the question, Robert glanced at him before proceeding to chuckle.
“Too much. That is all you need to know”