Ch.115Dragon King of the Four Seas

The young Saeeorin party had to stay at the Sollis family estate. They were essentially detained until the complex diplomatic issues could be resolved. Nevertheless, they were treated well. There was no one monitoring the Saeeorin party, nor were there any physical restraints.

This was because they were knights who could overturn the mansion and leave anytime they wished.

It was the third day of the Saeeorin party’s stay at the Sollis estate. One day, the head of the Sollis family came to visit with Tina. Judging by the fact that he came quietly without bringing others, he must have had something to ask in private.

Saeeorin welcomed them in the small room.

The head of the Sollis family spoke first.

“Thank you for allowing this conversation, Sir Saeeorin. I am Sollis Stein. And this is… as you already know, Tina.”

At the introduction, Tina bowed her head slightly. A pleasant fragrance wafted through her nicely flowing hair. Saeeorin particularly liked children. They were the shining stars responsible for the future. Just looking at them made her smile.

“I am Saeeorin of the Blue Wing division of the Karma Empire. I would appreciate if you could state your business.”

Saeeorin was uncomfortable just facing the head of the family. No matter how urgent the situation had been, she had kidnapped a daughter of the family and, though unintentionally, was directly involved in the partial destruction of their sacred shrine.

Though they said it was fine to her face, who knows what was said behind her back. The fact that they were keeping them here suggested they must have other intentions.

Saeeorin recalled Flora’s warning. Wasn’t it to avoid getting entangled with nobles as much as possible? That before you know it, you’ll find yourself deeply involved in politics.

“I’ve come with a request.”

“A request…?”

“Would you be willing to teach our Tina swordsmanship?”

Saeeorin tilted her head with her arms crossed. Teaching swordsmanship itself wasn’t difficult. However, learning proper swordsmanship required considerable time. Just as Saeeorin was about to open her mouth—

The head of the Sollis family hastily spoke.

“A month… no, two weeks would be enough.”

Two weeks. That was a timeframe Saeeorin could endure. After all, wasn’t she in a position where she had to wait for Theo’s body to recover anyway?

But there was something she couldn’t understand. The Sollis family had been a renowned house of martial prowess that had produced famous knights for a long time. They had family swordsmanship and mana cultivation methods built up over countless years. If Tina practiced those, she could surely become a powerful knight.

Why would such a family ask her for instruction?

“I wonder if there’s really a need to ask me for teaching…”

“It was Tina’s request. Please reconsider.”

At the head’s answer, Saeeorin looked at Tina. With similar statures, they could meet eyes while seated. The small girl’s eyes sparkled. Saeeorin could recognize the feeling in those eyes. Children often looked at people they admired with such a gaze.

“What I have might not suit you.”

Perhaps she thought she could learn because they had similar builds. But that wasn’t the case. The martial arts Saeeorin had created were entirely tailored to her. If the length of arms and legs differed even slightly, the distribution of power would need to be different as well.

The same applied to Ice Dragon-Heart. How many people could follow instructions to adopt a dragon’s mindset? As far as Saeeorin knew, only the Emperor of the Empire and Deputy Commander Kanok could handle wind without elemental powers.

“That’s okay!”

“I’ll give up if it doesn’t work out.”

“Yes!”

“…”

Saeeorin shifted her gaze to look up at the head of the Sollis family. He closed his eyes, deep in thought, and eventually nodded.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. If you need anything, just say the word. I’ll provide support without reservation.”

He probably didn’t mean he would support absolutely everything. Just the items needed to teach Tina. Saeeorin nodded.

And so Saeeorin suddenly became Tina’s swordsmanship teacher. Her lessons began that very day.

Though the period was short, she had no intention of teaching half-heartedly. Saeeorin headed to the spacious training ground with Tina. She retrieved two wooden swords from the corner and handed one to Tina.

It was a short wooden sword, as if made for a small girl. Saeeorin took a regular wooden sword for herself. Both swords carried memories. Not particularly helpful memories.

One was about a soldier’s methods for skipping training, and the other about Tina’s secret hideout that only she knew about. Saeeorin didn’t show any reaction as she spoke.

“First, show me the swordsmanship you’ve been learning.”

“Yes!”

At Saeeorin’s command, Tina answered energetically and took her stance. Appropriately tensed muscles and the distinctive breathing of mana cultivation methods made Tina’s presence more stable.

And then the Sollis family swordsmanship unfolded. The sword path drawn by the small girl’s body was unstable. The tip of the sword wavered, and the flow didn’t continue naturally.

This was an issue that didn’t need to be pointed out. She was a child growing day by day. As her arms and legs lengthened and she gained strength, the problem would naturally resolve itself.

The Sollis family swordsmanship focused more on defense than offense. She couldn’t yet handle even the family swordsmanship perfectly. Rather than teaching swift swordsmanship and causing confusion, it would be better to teach her the White Dragon Heart Method.

Saeeorin nodded as she assessed Tina’s condition.

“I don’t think we need to change much about your swordsmanship. Instead, I’ll teach you something else.”

“Really? Does that mean I can unleash wind like you, big sister?”

“Not exactly…”

The White Dragon Heart Method is training to discipline body and mind. When mastered, it allows one to imbue the sword’s edge with a biting chill. It wouldn’t conflict with the mana cultivation method she was already learning, so there could be no better teaching.

Saeeorin sat Tina down in front of her and sat down herself.

“From now on, you need to memorize exactly what I tell you. Understand?”

“Yes.”

Saeeorin took Tina’s hands. The soft, small hands of the two girls clasped tightly together. In that state, Saeeorin channeled a tiny amount of her mana into Tina’s body.

The White Dragon Heart Method is a study that makes the body sensitive. It distances one from pain and sharpens other senses, helping one respond sensitively to an opponent’s hostility.

It matched quite well with the defensive nature of the Sollis family swordsmanship.

***

Tina’s swordsmanship skills increased noticeably. Saeeorin hadn’t taught her much. She had merely pointed out mistakes and helped with the White Dragon Heart Method training for a few days.

Tina’s growth was the result of her own efforts.

However, the head of the family thought differently. He attributed Tina’s improvement to Saeeorin. As the time for Saeeorin to leave—the promised date—approached, he was quite regretful. He wanted to extend this connection.

“Sir Saeeorin. I’m so grateful that I must repay you. If there’s anything you want, please tell me.”

Tell him what she wanted. The atmosphere suggested that if she asked for the family ring, he would hand it over immediately. After contemplating for a while, Saeeorin spoke.

“I would like to receive an old sword. Preferably one used by the family’s knights…”

“A sword… you say?”

“If it’s difficult, that’s fine. I just have a hobby of collecting swords…”

“Ah, no. I just thought you might ask for the Starlight Armament…”

Starlight Armament. A treasure she had recently learned about. It was said to be made from the scales of a starlight dragon that traveled between dimensions. However, treasures that weren’t swords were outside Saeeorin’s interest.

“Um, wait a moment. I’ll prepare a gift by the time you leave.”

The head of the Sollis family kept his promise. On the day Saeeorin was to depart, he brought out a sword that had been displayed in the shrine and handed it to her.

“It doesn’t have any special powers… but it has symbolic value. It’s the sword of the founding head of the Sollis family…”

Saeeorin let the head’s words go in one ear and out the other. It was a very old sword. The user had handled it so roughly that there were fine cracks on the blade. Though it had been continuously maintained and the edge was sharp, it was obvious that if one were to grip and swing it, it would soon lose its form and break.

“Do you like it…?”

Saeeorin reached her hand toward the sword. Before the head could hand it over, the old sword flew on its own and was drawn into Saeeorin’s hand.

At the same time, Saeeorin gaped blankly. In the memories that rushed in like waves, she discovered a gleaming sunlight. These were the memories of a knight who had been active hundreds of years ago. The founding head of Sollis had established the family and received a noble title using the swordsmanship he had created.

Sun Force.

This was the technique created by the founding head of Sollis. At first, it was closer to a method of moving the body rather than swordsmanship. Sun Force was about emitting massive mana like the brilliant sun to gain absolute defensive power.

‘His descendants lacked the talent.’

She realized it the moment she received the memories. Without being born with massive mana, one couldn’t properly utilize Sun Force. The current swordsmanship called Sun Force was the result of his descendants’ efforts in their own way.

The hand holding the sword rotated lightly. Simultaneously, a faint wind and pure white mana swirled around Saeeorin’s body.

Nuuung-

It felt like a thin veil was overlaid on her skin. Saeeorin took a long breath and stopped the mana operation. Defense was something she had always felt was lacking in battle. Now that had been fulfilled. It would take some time to use properly, but still.

“This is a wonderful gift.”

There could be no better gift. Saeeorin smiled brightly. The small girl’s smile spread like sunshine.