During this time, I had been training my father, as he wasn't in his best shape, and it served to help him become more competent again. He was still drinking some beer, just as he did in Buena Village, but now in moderation.
"Good, Father!" I said, parrying an attack that was aimed straight at my shoulder.
I responded with a kick to his stomach and then launched into a counterattack that ended up leaving him on the ground. But, unlike in other bouts, this time he hadn't dropped his sword, which meant he had improved over these months.
"Excellent. Your training has borne fruit," he said as he grabbed a rag and wiped the sweat from his face. "I must admit, life in Buena Village has been making your father a bit rusty."
Then, he smiled.
"I still remember the look on your face when you discovered it was possible to cut through thick logs with a simple wooden sword."
Afterward, he sat down next to Norn, who had been watching us with sparkling eyes during the match. Over these months, I had shown her a few demonstrations; she wasn't doing it herself yet, but I knew she would soon be a great swordswoman.
My mind wandered to other pupils.
Sylphiette.
She also had enormous potential as a swordswoman. Unlike my brother Rudeus, Sylphy could employ Mana Reinforcement correctly. Her body accepted it naturally. The only thing she had lacked in the beginning was pure technique—polishing her movements, understanding the flow of combat. But thanks to my initial training sessions and the fact that I specifically asked Paul to train her personally, I was sure she would have reached a high level by now.
Flashback: Buena Village - Sylphiette, Age 6
"Alright, Sylphiette. First: Stance is the most important thing," I said, gently correcting the position of her feet with the tip of my boot. "Don't think of the sword merely as an object. Imagine it's like the magic you already know, but channeled through a physical weight in your hands."
"Mana doesn't just shoot outwards, Sylphy. You can also use it to strengthen yourself from the inside. You must keep your center of gravity low and firm, as if you were a tree with deep roots."
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I'll try, Brother Daiki!"
She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, concentrating.
She had more enthusiasm and natural talent for Reinforcement than my own twin brother. Rudy always tried, but he couldn't achieve it.
"Very good," I encouraged her. "Now, take a step and strike. Without losing your balance."
"Hah!"
Sylphy took a firm step and unleashed a vertical slash. It wasn't perfect, but I felt how the air responded to her attack. It was much stronger than what a girl her size should be capable of producing.
"Excellent," I nodded. "You have talent, Sylphy. If you keep this up, someday you'll be the one protecting Rudy."
She turned toward me, beaming, her ears twitching with great speed.
"Yes! I'm going to be very strong so I can protect Rudy, and you too!"
End of Flashback
And speaking of Rudy…
I've always had a theory about why my twin brother is incapable of using it. It isn't a lack of talent; it is pure physics. Rudeus is a mana tank filled to the absolute limit. His capacity is so immense, so overwhelming, that at the slightest additional internal pressure, his body would be liable to explode.
That is why I believe his body instinctively decides not to channel mana inward. It is a self-protection mechanism to avoid being destroyed from the inside by his own power. Even so, his capacity for external projection is monstrous, and I am sure that during this time, he will have improved his magic quite a bit.
"Son, hello! We're here!" said my father, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Paul was looking at me with a raised eyebrow, clearly amused.
"You're just as pensive as always. I still remember when you were just a baby; you would stay so still and serious, lost in your thoughts, that we wouldn't realize you had messed your diapers until the smell hit us."
I felt a tic in my eye and looked around, realizing we weren't alone. Emilia, Cliff, and my father's party were there.
"Father..." I said, signaling with my eyes. "We aren't alone. There are people present."
"Hahaha! Come on, Daiki! Here, we are all family or brothers-in-arms. A little childhood embarrassment builds character! Besides, Cliff needs to know that even the great 'Sword Saint' was a poopy baby once."
I sighed, resigned. My father would never change. But seeing Norn laughing in Paul's lap, I knew that, despite the embarrassment, she was happy to have him back.
***
Hours later, Cliff decided to leave, claiming he "had important matters to attend to." However, I knew that in reality, he couldn't stand the family atmosphere filling that unusual boarding house for much longer.
As time passed, the place ceased to be an old and neglected structure and acquired a better presentation. More people had even joined the search party: people who had also lost their families and decided to come here.
Norn returned from the street looking especially happy. I didn't know what she might have encountered, but it had to have been something huge… perhaps a giant dragon, because that was the only explanation for seeing her so excited. Either that, or Emilia had told her the story of the warrior princess who never gives up again.
"Big Brother! Guess what! Guess what happened when I was outside!"
I lifted her onto my lap and offered her a sandwich.
"What happened? was it something good?" I asked with a smile.
"Yes! I almost fell in the street, but a big baldy helped me! And then he gave me this! Look!"
With a huge smile, Norn showed me a shiny red apple in her hands. At that moment, Paul appeared on the scene, watching us.
"Really? You were very lucky," he said. "Did you thank him like a good girl?"
"Yes, Daddy! And when I thanked him, the baldy patted my head!"
"Oh, really?" Paul laughed softly. "Then he must have been a very good person. But you shouldn't call him 'baldy', okay? Some people are very sensitive when it comes to their hair."
As he spoke, he patted Norn's head.
These months together with my sister had been truly fun. And if anyone ever thought of doing something to her… If anyone tried to erase that smile or hurt her…
"Daiki, do you want some?" Norn offered me her bitten apple, snapping me out of my violent thoughts.
I smiled again.
"No thanks, little one. It's all yours."
Protect her. That was all I had to do.
"Captain, Daiki! We have problems!"
"What's happening?" Paul asked, turning serious instantly.
"The men who went out to work today were attacked! It was an ambush!"
"What? Seriously…?" I muttered.
I didn't need to ask who they were. Obviously, it was those aristocrats again. Those damn corrupt nobles of Millis who viewed the Mana Disaster not as a tragedy, but as a business opportunity.
We had explained hundreds of times that those "slaves" they were buying were innocent residents of the Asura Kingdom, victims of a magical catastrophe. They had families. They had rights. But they stubbornly refused to hand them over, clinging to their purchase receipts as if they were moral shields.
If I remembered correctly, we had planned a covert operation precisely today to "rescue" one of those slaves from a mansion in the noble district.
Someone had sold us out... Or they were waiting for us.
"I'll go, Father. You stay with Norn. She needs you here."
"Daiki… they are dangerous. They have private guards."
"I am more dangerous," I replied. "After all, I am Saint Rank… and I've improved. Besides, I'm faster."
I turned around.
"Bring me the situation report when I get back."
It wasn't a great distance. They had attacked the building next door—one of the Search and Rescue Squad's warehouses, a place we used to store clothes and supplies for our staff. If our enemies had found it, we had a big problem on our hands. We might have to change our base of operations.
"Daiki! He's very strong!"
"Is he some kind of swordsman?"
"No, he's a mage," he replied. "He looks like a child, but he's hiding his face... And for a damn mage, he moves way too fast!"
"Mage, child, and moves fast?"
[Hmm... That fits all the descriptions]
I shook my head, incredulous. It couldn't be... could it?
I stepped into the warehouse with confidence.
"I'm here!" I shouted. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"
The "intruder" spun sharply toward me. He was in a defensive stance, ready to cast a spell.
I looked at him more closely. Effectively, it was a boy. He had grown, he was taller than the last time I saw him, but that hair was unmistakable. However, what confirmed his identity beyond all doubt wasn't his magic or his stance... it was what he was wearing on his head.
He was using a pair of white women's panties as an improvised mask to hide his face.
Even so, he was nervous enough not to know how to speak to me. It had been a year and five months since I had last seen him.
"Rudy, brother!" I exclaimed, slamming my sword back into its sheath and lowering my guard. "What the hell are you doing with panties on your head?!"