“Who knows?”
Yuelong looked at the white-haired girl sitting across from her, a faint, hidden smile lingering in her eyes. “Maybe, after that forr Chief—praised as the Alliance’s Sword—sacrificed himself, humanity ended up lacking a warrior who could hold up the sky. And it just so happened that my talent was decent, so—unfortunately—I was chosen.”
“...Warrior.”
Vieya thought she was hallucinating. Weren’t they mages? Why was this suddenly related to “warriors”?
Could it be dual-training in martial arts and magic—one mind split in two, practicing both swordsmanship and academic sorcery...?
That sort of talent really would be absurd.
Vieya sighed inwardly. Back then, she herself never had the energy to try magic-martial dual cultivation. She simply pushed the warrior path to the absolute limit and crushed everything with pure physical stats... like those few slashes she unleashed with the Holy Sword back in Fengxiang Town—those were just basic attacks to her during her Hero days.
Her gaze, complicated, drifted toward the red-haired girl across from her. The other’s expression didn’t look like she was joking at all—and this girl looked exactly like the type who has absolutely zero sense of humor.
“In short, I’m also a swordswoman. A swordswoman who is currently learning magic...” Yuelong said quietly.
Swordswoman...
Vieya placed her hands on her hips, eyes still fixed on Yuelong, and then let out a sigh.
“Last night, in the public bathhouse... that little girl bathing next to wouldn’t happen to have been you, right?”
Yuelong stood there and nodded. “At the ti, I thought you must be very strong, so I talked to you. I didn’t expect you to be this generation’s Holy Sword Bearer.”
“eting you makes very happy,” she said, reaching her hand out toward Vieya.
Facing her junior sister in the truest sense, Vieya felt no expected joy—only shock.
Of course, not the horror-movie type of shock. Rather... sothing like:
you go off to college for just one year, and when you co ho for New Year’s your parents suddenly tell you, “Congratulations, you have a little sister now!”
Yes. That kind of shock.
Pretending to stay calm, Vieya took a sip of milk. The milk was sweet, but her heart was a ss of flavors.
She wanted to ask about her own Master’s situation, but asking directly felt too obvious.
Her Master wasn’t just the long-famous Sword Emperor of this world—she was also the supre authority of the Human Alliance. Even though she hadn’t appeared in public for a full six years, her past prestige alone was enough to hold together the Alliance, which was teetering on the edge.
Unlike the forr Chief Hero—who constantly showed his face in public and hogged the spotlight—Master, to most people, was more of a symbol, forever distant.
You had heard her na, maybe seen her once, yet couldn’t recall her face clearly, because almost no one ever got close to her.
In historical records, the one who unified the Four Border Nations and established the Human Alliance appeared hazy and indistinct—holding a battle flag and a longsword, standing before thousands of troops; or speaking from a podium, wearing a high-collar robe, head bowed over her script—her face always unclear...
In Vieya’s mories, after being summoned to this world in a daze, it was Master who taught her about this world and instructed her in countless sword arts—techniques that could slay demons and kill n alike.
During the early days of her Herohood, when she repeatedly overturned monsters several levels higher than herself, she had relied on those sword techniques learned from Master.
Master was clearly very beautiful, and she wasn’t strict when teaching—her tone warm, mostly encouraging. But for so inexplicable reason, Vieya always felt intimidated by her.
Very inexplicably so.
In the first few years, Vieya definitely couldn’t beat Master. But after her power level rose to its peak, she was confident that her forr Master was no longer her match.
Unfortunately, she never had the chance to spar. And that faint intimidation toward Master... simply continued to this day, quite comfortably.
“Sigh...”
Vieya finished the milk in her cup and lifted her eyes, only to notice the three girls across from her were still standing.
She paused, looked at Yuelong, and spoke softly:
“Even if this is our first eting, there’s no need to be so stiff. Sit down.”
“Yes, Miss Vieya.”
“No need for honorifics. Just call by na.”
“Understood, Vieya.”
“How long have you been studying under your teacher?”
“About two years, I think?”
Yuelong sat with a straight posture, hands placed neatly on her knees. “Teacher’s sword is incredible. It took around two years before I earned the right to be considered her disciple.”
I graduated in less than a year.
Junior sister... you’re not very good, huh.
Vieya felt a wave of superiority rise in her chest. She coughed lightly to hide it.
“Ahem. So your teacher really is in seclusion these years? I heard she’s beco a shut-in, the Recluse Ki—”
“I don’t know.”
Yuelong rudely cut off the sli girl’s gossip, gently resting her hand on the sword sheath pressed between her palms and knees, without even lifting her head.
“......”
Vieya choked on her words. This junior sister seed... a bit unfriendly. Was she naturally rude, or did she have a problem with her? But Vieya hadn’t offended her anywhere, right?
Maybe talking about her teacher just now had offended her?
Yes... that was probably it. Junior sister didn’t want others discussing her teacher.
“I ca this ti not only to thank you on behalf of my two teammates. The main reason is that I wanted to see for myself the legendary Holy Sword Bearer.” Yuelong’s voice was soft. “I want to understand the one prophesied to defeat the Demon King and save the world.”
“Normally, the Holy Sword’s owner should be a Hero. You’re the exception. So I’m curious—what makes you stronger than the others?”
Yuelong’s gaze locked onto Vieya.
But Vieya was stunned.
What did that an?
Did you make this trip just because you think I’m unworthy of the Holy Sword?
So you ca to question ? Pressure ?
She had no ti to reflect on what kind of mindset this junior sister had last night—chatting with her while bathing...
Testing her? Judging her? Secretly scoring her?
If the score dipped below a certain standard, was she planning to strike decisively and stab her to death right there in the bath?
Well, from her junior sister’s point of view, that made sense.
In her eyes, Vieya wasn’t a senior—she was an evil, gigantic sli who had picked up and monopolized the Holy Sword, the symbol of humanity’s hope.
“I’m not so sort of demon...” Vieya tried to steer the topic toward sothing harmonious.
Yuelong fell silent for a mont, then changed the subject again.
“I originally planned to thank you with gold coins. But as far as I know, you don’t seem to lack such vulgar things. So I prepared sothing else.”
“No need for gifts,” Vieya shook her head. Her true intention had simply been to help the daughter of an old friend from long ago... as for compensation, she didn’t care.
“...I know your things are hard to gift. So I changed my mind and decided to give sothing to your daughter instead,” Yuelong said.
At those words, not only Vieya and Jasmine, but even Allison and Irena looked shocked.
Those two had only t Vieya twice—they didn’t even know she had a daughter. But the always taciturn, strength-obsessed captain sohow knew, ahead of them.
Which ant the captain had intentionally investigated Vieya—soone who, just two days ago, had been a total stranger to her.
Truly... the sun must have risen from the west.
“I heard your daughter also likes magic, but her body has been weak since childhood.”
Yuelong softly took a small wooden box from her breast pocket. She opened it. Inside lay a pair of silver-white bracelets.
“This was... my Master’s gift to when I beca her disciple. They nourish the body. Don’t worry— even for non-pure-blood humans, they work.”
She didn’t finish the full explanation.
This thing wasn’t only useful for humans—it worked on monsters, too.
“Don’t hesitate. These will help your daughter’s body.” Seeing the sli girl still unsure, Yuelong added softly, “At the very least, they’ll lessen the burden magic places on her. They’re useless for , but your daughter needs them.”
Useless?
As if.
This kind of treasure would work for literally anyone.
Look—blonde Irena, who knows the value of things—her eyeballs are practically falling to the floor!
And to give such an important treasure on a first eting... Vieya’s earlier assumptions about this junior sister now had to be completely reevaluated.
For a mont, she couldn’t tell anymore.
“...All right, I’ll thank you on my daughter’s behalf first.”
Vieya reached out. Her hand hovered over the wooden box for a second, then she picked it up and examined it.
“Don’t touch it. It’s not for you,” Yuelong said flatly. “Put it on your daughter first. See if it fits.”
“Ah... okay.”
Vieya removed [N O V E L I G H T] the silver bracelet and carefully slipped it onto Jasmine’s wrist.
The next second, the slightly large bracelet began shrinking—shrinking—until it perfectly matched Jasmine’s wrist.
“Okay. I’ve seen you, delivered the gift, and given thanks. We’ll go now.”
Yuelong rose.
“Irena, Allison, we’re leaving.”
“Eh? We’re leaving already... Captain Yuelong?”
Irena scrambled to follow—after giving away sothing so valuable, and she’d even planned to mooch a free al off the big-chested woman!
The noisy trio soon left, and quiet returned to the room.
“Mom, it fits really well,” Jasmine said softly, lifting her wrist.
“Mm...”
Vieya stroked her daughter’s hair and looked toward the door.
Down the long corridor, the white porcelain floor reflected like a mirror.
Yuelong’s group of three brushed past the two Demon Kings returning with breakfast.
“Huh...?”
Jiele Xiyin, carrying a bag of at buns, turned back suspiciously.
But after the three girls turned around a corner, they vanished from her spider-sense.
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