Camilla casually crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders.
“…Well, since I’m so magnanimous! I can fulfill a request like that.”
As she said this, she subtly turned her head, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“…”
With an expression like that, even the world’s greatest fool might start to suspect…
I glanced sideways at Lucius, who was, indeed, frowning deeply while assessing Camilla with narrowed eyes.
He pressed his forehead with a small sigh.
…If this goes on, Lucius might refuse to spar, and my plans could fall apart.
There’s no choice; I have to step in.
After all, the basics of acting are exaggerated gestures and clear pronunciation that anyone can understand.
“Cough, cough.”
I lightly cleared my throat and took a big step forward, stretching my arms out dramatically.
“What can I say! Camilla is so generous as to lend us the sparring grounds; how could we just let that go to waste? And Lucius, you have a promise with me, so you must uphold it now! Right? Isn’t that right?!”
Thinking about acting in front of others made me a bit nervous, causing my words to come out faster than usual, but it was still perfect.
Hehe, everyone will fall for this.
With a sly grin, I opened my eyes slightly, glancing around.
…Huh.
A response should be coming back by now…
As I felt a bit uneasy about something being off.
Clap, clap, clap
“Indeed, it is the Master!”
Along with the mysterious sound of applause from the Nameless, came incoherent nonsense.
“…Pffft!”
An ambiguous laugh sounded from somewhere.
“…”
My acting should have been flawless… so why this reaction?
My face turned slightly red.
…It’s all that damned boy’s fault.
…
If this were the old me, I wouldn’t have done anything to make that annoying boy happy…
But now, it’s a different case.
We can call it a temporary alliance for mutual benefit.
Nodding lightly, Camilla and I exchanged exceedingly sly smiles.
In Camilla’s case, I suspect it was just a childish reason to mess with Lucius.
For me, it’s a bit more complicated.
After all, I have something I was asked to do by Lili, so to show some cooperation toward the Demon King’s side, I must do something like this, right?
Of course, I won’t follow everything Lili says.
If she crosses a certain line.
If she tries to ask me for extremely immoral acts, I’d flatly refuse or consider turning my back on the Demon King’s side.
But…
Lili didn’t ask me to deal with Lucius and Elia; she specifically told me just to hinder them, which is much easier to comply with.
So I reluctantly nodded.
On another note.
As a Master, I saw an opportunity for my disciple, the Nameless to fight a worthy opponent.
I have no reason to refuse this.
The match between the Nameless and Lucius holds significant meaning.
After all, facing a clear strong opponent is not something easily experienced.
…Well.
I’m adding all these excuses, but I’m not trying to rationalize this with hypocrisy.
In the end, my actions are all to help Lili.
The fact that I’ve intervened against Lucius and Elia hasn’t changed.
It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
…
After a brief silence due to Camilla’s awkward acting.
Lucius let out a small sigh, placing a hand on his furrowed brow and spoke.
“Cheon Ha-rang, I apologize, but what if we postponed the sparring until after I handle an urgent matter?”
…No, that won’t do.
I need a clever move.
Rolling my eyes, I continued thinking.
“Hmm, must it be so?”
“It is a matter of urgency.”
Lucius nodded seriously.
I looked at Lucius while rolling my eyes, and a thought suddenly popped into my head, and I couldn’t help but be impressed with my own idea.
If you think about it for just a moment.
You can tell that Lucius is having difficulties with his pursuit.
So isn’t he demanding a team by raising his voice at that stubborn boy?
Then.
Wouldn’t it make sense for me to solve Lucius’s troubles?
With a sly smile, I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Lucius.
“I have a brilliant plan to eliminate your troubles.”
“…What is it?”
Lucius tilted his head with a somewhat skeptical expression, clearly not trusting me at all.
I didn’t like Lucius’s expression, but I tried hard not to show it and spoke on.
“Don’t you truly know?”
At my cryptic words, Lucius squinted his eyes in an attempt to grasp the meaning.
With a mocking expression, I raised my finger and pointed to myself.
“Here, isn’t the solution right here?”
“…Is it you, Cheon Ha-rang…?”
“Exactly! There’s no one better than me!”
Nodding confidently, Lucius turned his gaze towards Elia.
Receiving Lucius’s look, Elia tilted her head back and forth, eventually nodding slightly in uncertainty.
It was a clear sign of agreement, even a fool could see that.
With a triumphant smile, I took a step closer to Lucius and tilted my head back.
“And so, where’s the answer?”
“…”
After a brief silence.
With his eyes shut tightly, Lucius nodded.
“I understand…”
“Hmm, good choice.”
With the thought that I had resolved yet another incident, I approached the Nameless with a beaming smile.
“Nameless, I’m sorry for asking, but how are you doing?”
“Yes, Master.”
The Nameless, suddenly facing Lucius in a spar, seemed more delighted than nervous.
“Isn’t this a great opportunity to test out my newly acquired sword?”
He showcased the sword strapped to his waist, that he could now display proudly.
“I’m truly looking forward to it.”
Honestly, I couldn’t quite understand where the Nameless’s excitement originated from.
But since he was happy, what could I possibly say?
“Hmm, yes.”
I nodded.
…
The preparation for the spar was completed in an instant.
One reason was that since it was still morning, there was no need to delay further.
It was also suspiciously good timing that the sparring ground happened to be empty.
Moreover.
From Lucius’s perspective, he likely wanted to finish the spar quickly and resume his original goal of tracking down the Demon.
The Nameless too, as if waiting to unwrap a present, eagerly wished for the spar to begin as soon as possible.
Well.
Though I would prefer to stretch out time as much as possible, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed about this…
Here, my disciple, having learned from me, should show everything he’s learned and do his best to hold out as long as he can.
…
I slowly looked around the sparring ground upon arrival.
Indeed.
It was a place so exquisitely maintained, it was easy to see why the knights protecting the castle were raised here in Ellen.
The ground was remarkably flat and free of any stones.
It was far larger and more pleasant than the area where the Nameless and I had trained when we lived in the hut.
On one side of the sparring area, various weaponry overflowed, and it seemed there were even medicinal herbs for emergencies.
As I wandered around the sparring ground for a while.
In a corner, I spotted the Nameless lightly swinging his sword and warming up.
He looked so pleased, grinning from ear to ear, holding his new sword and trying out various stances.
I let out a small sigh as I watched the Nameless.
…Who on earth does he take after with such a carefree attitude?
The match was about to start, and that kid showed no sign of tension whatsoever.
It seems I need to give him a bit of a stern talk.
As I set my swords down, shaking my head, and began to move towards the Nameless.
Suddenly, from behind, I heard Lucius’s anxious voice.
“Cheon Ha-rang.”
“Hmm?”
Lucius faced me, his gaze trembling for the first time, clearly showing his unease.
“Can I ask you one question?”
“Go ahead.”
His eyes reflected what I might know all too well.
“Are you… a trustworthy person?”
A vile, ugly, and slimy emotion surged up, pulsing like a wave.
I couldn’t bear to meet Lucius’s gaze and replied instead.
“…Then.”
Turning my head away slightly, I opened my mouth.
…
It’s funny to bring this up now, but if you think about it, Lucius’s state was never normal from the beginning.
Of course, I haven’t spent a long time with him…
But compared to the Lucius I recalled from the past, who rarely expressed emotions and only spoke when necessary.
During this conversation with Camilla, he was exceptionally emotional, not hiding his feelings, speaking defiantly, and with a voice fueled by anger.
Perhaps…
