Ch.103103. Successor of the Summer Window

It was a winter night with heavy snowfall.

Edel, wandering the streets clutching her hungry stomach, collapsed on the ground, unable to overcome her hunger.

The root of the problem was her bad luck in finding food for the past few days. Before winter came, she could occasionally find something to eat by rummaging through garbage cans, but even that wasn’t working this time.

She desperately tried to find food, even scooping snow from the sky to eat, but all her efforts ended in failure.

Having eaten nothing, Edel’s strength gave out, and she finally collapsed like this.

Her stomach ached as if it would tear from hunger, and the cold ground was covered with snow.

Thinking this might really be the end, Edel just blinked her eyes, opening and closing them.

She didn’t feel miserable.

It was nearly impossible for a little girl of just 9 years old to survive on the streets in the dead of winter.

Edel knew this perfectly well.

She also knew that even surviving until now had been mere luck.

She felt no regret or resentment.

Her stomach was too hungry and the winter wind too cold for such luxurious thoughts.

Instead, she desperately longed for the bread that the orphanage director had once given to the children when in a good mood—cold but not hard, unlike the stale, musty bread they usually ate. She had such a simple wish to taste that delicious, fragrant bread once more.

Blinking more slowly than before, Edel gradually felt sleep overtaking her.

A deeper drowsiness than she had ever felt even after a day of hard labor at the orphanage.

But it wasn’t unpleasant.

The hunger that had been tormenting her and the wind that had been cutting her skin were no longer felt.

Ah, so this is what dying is like.

Despite her young age, Edel realized that this was death coming for her.

Just as she closed her eyes, sensing her final moment.

“Are you alright?”

She met the person who would change her life.

Snow falling from the sky, the cold ground beneath her.

And a man looking down at her with pity.

Barely clinging to her breath that seemed about to extinguish, she reached out her hand, and the man who would later become her master carefully took it.

It was probably the first time in her life she had felt the warmth of another person.

For Edel, who had lived just to survive each day, that night was unforgettable.

That winter night when Edel first had food, a home, and finally, a family.

***

Inheritor of the Summer Spear.

For Edel, the weight of the title “Inheritor of the Summer Spear” was heavier than for other inheritors of the Four Seasons’ weapon arts.

Rescued on a winter night and becoming her master’s disciple, the title of Summer Spear Inheritor was her life and everything to Edel.

For someone who had been born with nothing, succeeding her master who had given her everything was the most important thing in her life.

That’s why she was delighted to hear about the exchange meeting at Demeia Academy.

Finally, a good opportunity to spread her master’s honor and the greatness of the Summer Spear across the continent had arrived.

The Summer Spear had been suffering from one particular stigma.

While the Summer Spear was clearly one of the continent’s finest spear techniques, it wasn’t considered the best among the Four Seasons’ weapon arts.

The reason was none other than the duel that took place a decade ago between Briana, the inheritor of the Winter Sword and known as the Sword Saint of the continent, and Edel’s master.

At that time, her master, full of competitive spirit, traveled across the continent seeking to challenge the inheritors of the Four Seasons’ weapon arts.

As a result, after defeating both the Spring Shield inheritor and the Autumn Bow inheritor, he boldly challenged Briana, the Winter Sword inheritor, to a duel.

At that time, Briana was already known as the next Sword Saint, so his sudden visit might have seemed somewhat rude, but Briana didn’t mind much.

Rather, she welcomed him gladly and immediately accepted the duel.

The beginning of the duel was evenly matched, with no clear superior.

They exchanged blows, sword for spear, exploring each other’s abilities, and both were impressed.

They simultaneously realized that, like themselves, the other was completely devoted to their weapon, and concluded that further probing was unnecessary.

After exchanging glances, they began a life-or-death struggle.

They clashed with all their might, holding nothing back and leaving no room for regret.

After several dozen minutes, the outcome was finally decided.

Unable to withstand the ultimate technique of the Winter Sword, Edel’s master was ultimately defeated by Briana.

Perhaps because it was a duel where both had given their all?

Edel’s master objectively analyzed himself and Briana and came to one conclusion.

That there was an insurmountable wall between himself and Briana.

Having reached this conclusion, Edel’s master laughed openly and accepted his defeat.

Because he had given everything in the battle, he could accept it cleanly.

After returning home, Edel’s master took in Edel and marked her as his next successor.

When Edel first heard about this, she didn’t want to accept it, but since even her master had conceded, there was nothing she could do.

And having heard of the Sword Saint’s reputation, she had no grounds to object. In fact, she even held some admiration for a woman who had risen to become one of the continent’s strongest.

But when it came to the relationship between the successors of the next generation, the story was different.

If the greatest of her master’s generation was Briana, the Winter Sword inheritor, then the greatest of the next generation had to be Edel, the Summer Spear inheritor.

That would be the only way to honor her master who had dedicated everything to the Summer Spear.

That’s why Edel was so looking forward to this trip to Demeia.

The fact that she was traveling with her master also played a big part.

“Edel. You seem too tense.”

“You said the inheritor of the Summer Spear must have a burning heart.”

“Yes, but within reason… Looking at you now, you’re like a child left by a stream.”

“I’m not a child!”

Edel snapped at her master who still treated her like a child.

Although ten years had passed since meeting him and she had become a proper adult, in her master’s eyes, she still seemed to be that 9-year-old kid.

Always dissatisfied with this fact, Edel was determined to defeat all the inheritors of the Four Seasons and gain recognition this time.

While Edel was burning with enthusiasm, her master Diara secretly sighed.

He knew well that his only disciple didn’t like being treated as a child, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Not only because she was his precious disciple whom he cherished dearly, but there was also one major reason why he couldn’t help but see her as young.

“You’re small even at a glance, what can I do?”

Edel, the next inheritor of the Summer Spear and the only disciple of the current inheritor Diara, despite being an adult, had the appearance of what people commonly called a “little one,” standing only as tall as his chest.

***

“We’ve arrived!”

Edel shouted as she looked at Demeia Academy, which they had reached after a long journey.

Passersby turned to look at her sudden outburst, but seeing her youthful appearance, they just smiled warmly and continued on.

They had mistaken her for a little lady who had come to visit Demeia Academy, judging by her appearance.

Her master knew this fact but didn’t inform his disciple.

He didn’t want to mention Edel’s small stature and youthful appearance to aggravate her complex.

“Master, we’ve finally arrived!”

“Edel, I told you running around is dangerous.”

“Come on, Master. Do you think I’m a child?”

With her hands on her hips, she looked exactly like a child pretending to be an adult. It was a gesture she often made, thinking it made her look dignified and mature, but for Diara, who saw this behavior more than anyone, it was something he wished she wouldn’t do.

Edel, this makes you look even more like a child.

Swallowing these words he couldn’t say, Diara quietly followed behind the excited Edel.

Even Diara, who had wandered the continent in his youth looking for opponents, had never entered Demeia Academy before due to timing issues.

Unless there was a special event like an exchange meeting, entry for ordinary people was strictly controlled, so even for Diara, the inheritor of the Summer Spear, it was impossible to enter Demeia Academy freely as a foreigner.

He didn’t care much about political matters, but he could easily predict that such an action would make relations between the two countries quite uncomfortable.

But Briana…

Following Edel, who was looking around in all directions, Diara recalled Briana whom he had met over a decade ago.

Despite the passage of time enough to change mountains and rivers, the intense duel from that day remained like embers in Diara’s heart.

Her existence, which showed him that there were heights beyond his own when he had arrogantly proclaimed himself the strongest in the world, had matured him.

She had made him realize there was a wall he could never overcome and had become the driving force for his determination to improve.

How much stronger would she have become by now, the woman he had met before she became the Sword Saint?

Diara felt his calm heart begin to beat fiercely.

He wasn’t sure what to call this emotion, but if he had to name it, perhaps it was like a first love?

Perhaps the reason Diara had remained single his entire life was because of Briana’s existence.

For him, who was captivated solely by strength, Briana, the insurmountable wall, was both an object of admiration and affection.

“Master, what are you doing?!”

“I told you not to run and go slowly.”

“You’re the one who’s slow, Master!”

Emerging from his reverie, Diara smiled wryly at Edel, who had already gone quite far ahead.

“Alright, I’m coming.”

“Hurry up! Come on!”

Diara quickened his pace toward Edel, who kept urging him.

It seemed his disciple wasn’t going to give her master even a moment to indulge in memories.