When Rygar ntioned the na 'Hitogami', Badigadi's laughter stopped for a mont. His eyes turned to Rygar's with curiosity.
"Where did you hear that na, boy...?"
Rygar analyzed the Demon King for a mont. He did not seem hostile, just surprised. With that, he decided to continue.
"He's a guy who appears in my dreams from ti to ti and gives advice. Have you ever heard of him?"
Crossing his arms, Badigadi began to stroke his chin, thoughtful. He remained silent for a few seconds, clearly trying to dredge sothing from his mory.
"I don't rember very well... But I've definitely heard that na before. I just can't recall where! It must have been at least a few centuries since soone ntioned him to !"
Badigadi's words sparked Rygar's interest.
So far, all his attempts to gather information about Human God had been unsuccessful every ti; no one knew anything about Hitogami — not even so of the strongest people in the world like Gall Farion and Reida.
This was the second ti he had co across soone who recognized the na; the other was Orsted, and it was not exactly a pleasant experience...
Even better, unlike Orsted, this one did not try to kill him right after hearing the na. That was already a good sign.
"Just to be sure," Rygar said cautiously, "was he your friend or enemy?"
Badigadi made a strained expression, as if digging up such ancient mories required more energy than a battle.
"I have the impression that he could be a rather unpleasant guy... But I wouldn't call him an enemy."
Rygar pondered in silence; he saw no sign that Badigadi was lying, and truth be told, he didn't believe the Demon King capable of such deceits given his simplicity.
It made sense that Badigadi's mory wasn't the best — living for thousands of years certainly had to scramble dates, events, and nas.
Still, any information could be useful. Badi would stay at the Sword Sanctuary for a while, and he would have other opportunities to ask.
"Could you let know if you rember anything about him? Any detail or piece of information will do."
"No problem! If I rember, I'll let you know! Bwahahahahaha!"
After that, they continued talking for a while about various things.
Until Badigadi decided to go back to the warriors who had challenged him the other day to fight them again. He stood up and left the cave without much thought, heading once more toward the Sword Sanctuary.
Rygar also stood up and left, walking over to where Aisha was.
He found his little disciple carefully manipulating the earth, repairing the damage left by the previous fight.
With firm gestures, she molded the terrain, rebuilding the soil and correcting the slope around a fallen tree.
The tree was still intact, with exposed roots. Aisha used earth magic to create a solid base, positioned the tree carefully, and replanted it.
Then, she summoned water magic to water the soil around it. She did everything with precision, attention, and care, without haste.
Rygar approached silently, stopping a few ters away. He observed the scene for a while, sitting on a nearby rock.
Seeing Aisha so focused, shaping nature with magic, reminded him of himself at that age.
How he marveled at magic and its infinite possibilities. How curious he was, hungry for knowledge, testing and experinting with everything.
Aisha's expression was determined, curious, and careful. Rygar watched her with a certain quiet pride. It was good to see soone growing with the sa passion he had.
He stayed there quietly, just observing, sitting with a slight smile on his face.
When Aisha finished her practice, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her forearm, looking satisfied as she surveyed the reconstructed mountainous terrain.
She had sculpted the earth carefully, as if gluing back together the broken parts of nature. Then she looked at Rygar and saw him watching her, and she called out:
"Master?"
Rygar looked at her and his expression grew more serious. There was sothing important to say. He nodded and answered:
"Aiz, co here."
The girl approached with light, almost springy steps, but upon reaching Rygar, she noticed the seriousness in his expression and grew a little tense.
Rygar hesitated for a mont. He thought of different ways to say it. He wondered how an ordinary adult would speak with a child about sothing like this.
But he decided to be direct. If it were Aisha, she would understand.
"Aisha," he began in a firm tone, "your brother, Rudeus Greyrat, and his elf friend, Sylphiette... have beco my enemies."
Aisha's eyes widened.
"What? How?"
Rygar nodded slightly.
"Rember the assassination attempt in the Dragon King's Kingdom? They were the Stone Helt Mage and the Silver-Haired Mage. After they failed, they went to Milis. There... they clashed with the Iron Legion several tis."
Aisha was absolutely shocked. She watched Rygar in silence for what felt like long seconds.
Her face showed disbelief, perhaps expecting her master to say he was joking. But he remained silent, not averting his gaze.
Then, tears began to stream down Aisha's eyes.
Rygar was imdiately taken aback and speechless.
She sniffled, her voice trembling:
"I... I won't betray the master... I don't want to leave you!"
"N-no, Aisha, I..."
Before he could finish, Aisha threw herself into his arms, clutching him tightly. She cried uncontrollably, as a child her age naturally would — sothing rare in her.
It was the second ti Rygar had seen Aisha cry like that. The first was when she encountered the Dragon God. But now... she cried desperately, clinging to him with all her strength.
"Master, please don't abandon ! I don't care about my half-brother or whatever! I don't want to be the master's enemy! Please don't send away because of that!"
The more she spoke, the worse Rygar felt about the direct way he had revealed everything.
Still, he hugged the girl back tightly and spoke gently, stroking her hair:
"You misunderstood, Aiz... how could I abandon my cute disciple?"
Aisha looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Her eyes were red, her eyelids swollen from intense crying.
Her face wet with tears, cheeks flushed from the effort and emotion. Her breathing short, with small sobs between words.
"Are you telling the truth, master?"
Rygar nodded slowly and answered softly:
"Even if all Seven Powers tried to take you... I wouldn't let them."
As he spoke, he thought about Aisha's reaction. He knew the girl was very attached to him and his group, but he now realized it ran deeper than he had imagined.
For her, they were the only family she had known.
She hadn't had ti to grow attached to Rudeus or the other Greyrats. For as long as she could rember, it had been Rygar and the others. It was natural it was that way.
Aisha did not let go of the embrace. She squeezed Rygar as if she feared it was a lie.
He continued stroking her hair in silence. Though there was sadness, there was also a gentle warmth in his chest.
She was his disciple, whom he had trained, cared for, and protected for the past four years. Intelligent, talented, and affectionate. And she chose him. She chose to stay with him.
He smiled, almost imperceptibly.
More complicated conversations would co later. For now, he just wanted to make sure Aisha knew she would never be left behind.
----
POV: Rygar Adoldia
After comforting Aisha, I returned to the Sword Sanctuary with her; she seed a bit better after I assured her several tis I would never abandon her.
But still, I could see in her eyes that she was still affected... and once again I regretted the way I had told her.
After arriving at the Sanctuary, Nigav called and, in a somber tone, told that new letters had arrived from the Great Forest.
Not very pleasant news....
"So, there will probably be a war...?"
My hands held the letter delivered by Nigav tightly, but my mind was already far away.
The paper trembled slightly in the cutting wind blowing across the Sword Sanctuary's training grounds.
In the distance, the rhythmic sound of clashing swords filled the air. But here, between and Nigav, there was only silence.
Nigav said nothing, just watched with narrowed eyes, as if trying to guess what I would do next.
The letter had co from Taes.
And right at the beginning, one piece of information stood out.
A new Pope had been elected: Lucios Galard. A noble of the influential Galard family from Milis.
The forr archbishop. And apparently, a Miko — the second to erge in a few years.
He was that ally of Cardinal Leblanc from the rumors, the one who received Divine visions.
His visions, according to Taes, showed the future with divine clarity, and he had already demonstrated the effectiveness of his abilities more than once against the Iron Legion.
I wasn't sure I fully believed in this Miko power, and I had a theory about what it might really be... but the imdiate impact was undeniable.
The faction once led by Leblanc Farlane now had two Miko. That alone changed the entire power dynamic in Milis.
It was enough for their faction — the Demon Race Expulsion Faction — to ascend to near-absolute power.
Even though they had been responsible for much of the recent conflicts, the Iron Legion was the one facing them head-on without retreating.
And, precisely because of that, we beca the ideal 'villains' to fuel their narrative.
The final blow ca with the 'coup' aiming to replace the Pope.
The previous Pope, Harry Grimoire, had fled with his family and followers after an assassination attempt, which had been thwarted by the Iron Legion.
Still, he was forced into hiding, accused of allying with demons and planning a collusion invasion of the Holy Continent.
And then, on his first day in office, Lucios Galard declared the start of a new crusade.
According to him, a new demonic invasion was approaching according to his divine visions.
The crusade aid to "purify" the threat before it took form.
As expected, the beast race was lumped together with demons like in the old demon wars, but this ti, the beast race was the main threat.
And I, Rygar Adoldia, was nad by so as a hybrid creature — half beast, half demon.
Because of my magical eyes. My overwhelming strength. And my magic.
My fist clenched the paper so tightly that it tore partly. I was irritated by the hypocrisy that Milis showed at every turn.
The letter went on. The King of Milis, apparently, had no say in the Church's declarations.
But most of the nation's knighted orders had already enlisted for the crusade. A massive, unified movent born from a coalition of fanaticism, political power, and fear.
Still... I did not choose to return imdiately.
For the letter also carried words from Verdia. They had followed her advice.
They had prepared Milis and the Great Forest's defenses for a war scenario. They were ready to resist.
The Stone Fortress in Tinaver, which I myself had built, had beco the Iron Legion's main base on the continent. It was the wall between Milis and the Great Forest.
But I didn't know how long it would hold.
I sighed deeply, closing my eyes for a mont.
My original plan had been to remain at the Sword Sanctuary until I surpassed Gall Farion at his strongest point, defeat him using only the Sword God Style, and take the title of Sword God.
That was the goal I had set before leaving Tinaver.
But the world out there would not wait.
They could be prepared to face battle and certainly withstand for a while, but they couldn't stand against a country united for hundreds of years like Milis.
I still had so things to learn from the Sword God and the Water God, but I would soon absorb everything they could teach.
In five months, I would turn sixteen. I believed that by then I would have completed my training.
On that day, I would challenge Gall Farion.
On that day, I would claim his position, even not exclusively with the Sword God Style.
And then, I would fly back to Milis mounted on Ezkalor — straight into the heart of the war that awaited .
And then... I would destroy the foundations of that country corroded by hypocrisy...
I looked at Nigav and said firmly:
"Continue your training as always. I will return in five months with only a few of us accompanying . There is no need for the mbers of the Legion stationed here to interrupt their training."
Nigav began to speak:
"But, leader—"
I interrupted him imdiately:
"That is my final decision. Go back to your training."
There was no room for discussion anymore. After that, I headed to the training grounds.
Ghislaine was dueling with Timothy in an intense combat, the sounds of clashing swords filling the air.
Eris, anwhile, was fighting Isolte with her usual energy, her explosive movents drawing everyone's attention.
Aisha had gone ho to study barrier magic; she also seed a bit affected by what I had said earlier, so she was not present there in the field.
It was then that Nina entered, sowhat hurriedly, onto the training field. As soon as I saw her, I called:
"Nina! Where is your father?"
She stopped, hesitated for a mont, and then replied:
"He told he was going to train alone..."
I furrowed my brows. Since I had arrived at the Sword Sanctuary, I had never seen the Sword God training alone. That was unusual.
Nina then continued, raising her voice slightly:
"He also said... sothing else."
Most of those present in the training field were already paying attention, curious. Everyone fell silent when she finished:
"He told that in three or four days, he would co back to observe everyone's progress... before naming a new Sword King."
The silence that followed was absolute. Everyone seed to hold their breath.
I looked at Eris, who was almost trembling with excitent, her eyes shining with expectation.
I smiled, realizing exactly what she was thinking.
"Alright. I can talk to him later," I said calmly. "Where is Badi? He didn't co here?"
Ghislaine replied:
"He said he was going to et Ezkalor and Skoll, and that he would return later."
"Alright..." I nodded my head before looking at Eris again. "Hey, Eris! How about so special training over the next three or four days?"
She practically jumped in place, her eyes wide with enthusiasm.
"Yes! Let's go!"
I smiled at her excitent. The atmosphere was charged with expectations, and I couldn't wait to see how far everyone could co before the Sword God's return.
-----
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