episode_0103

It was a winter night with heavy snow falling.

Ethel, who was wandering the streets clutching her hungry stomach, could not overcome her hunger and collapsed on the street.

The problem was that I had been unlucky the past few days and failed to find anything to eat. Still, before winter came, I could often find food by searching through trash cans, but this time, even that wasn’t as helpful.

They tried desperately to find food, scooping up the snow that fell from the sky, but all failed.

Ethel, who could not eat anything, lost all her strength and eventually collapsed like this.

A stomach that hurt like it was going to tear from hunger and a cold, snow-covered street.

Ethel blinked and closed her eyes, wondering if it was really the end.

I didn’t feel miserable.

It was almost impossible for a 9-year-old girl to survive on the streets in this cold winter.

Ethel was fully aware of that.

On the contrary, I knew very well that the reason I had survived until now was due to luck.

There was no regret or resentment.

Her stomach was too hungry and the bitter winter wind too cold to think of such luxuries.

Rather than that, I was desperate for the cold but not hard bread that the orphanage director, who was in a good mood, gave to the orphanage students out of generosity.

All I could think was that I wanted to eat again a piece of bread that was delicious and had a nutty smell, rather than the hard, musty-smelling bread I used to eat every day.

Ethel, who had been blinking at a slower pace than before, felt herself falling asleep.

I fell asleep more than when I was at the orphanage, where I had to do intense labor all day.

But it wasn’t bad.

The hunger that had been tormenting Ethel a while ago and the wind that had soothed her skin could no longer be felt.

Ah, this is dying.

At a young age, Ethel realized that this was what death was like.

That moment when I close my eyes, sensing the end.

“Are you okay?”

Ethel was able to meet someone who would change her life.

Snow falling from the sky and the cold streets.

And a man looked down at her with pity.

When she reached out her hand, barely able to hold her breath, which seemed like it would disappear at any moment, the man who later became her teacher carefully held her hand.

It was probably the warmth of someone I had felt for the first time in my life.

For Ethel, whose only goal was to survive the day, that night was a night she could never forget.

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

***

Heir to the summer window.

For Ethel, the weight of the title of successor of the Summer Spear was heavier than that of the other successors to the military skills of the Four Seasons.

For Ethel, who was saved by her teacher on a winter night and became his disciple, the title of successor to the Summer Spear was her life and everything.

The most important thing for Ethel was to follow in the footsteps of her teacher, who gave everything to her when she was born in this world with nothing.

So, I was happy to hear that an exchange meeting would be held at Demeia Academy.

Finally, a great opportunity has come to inform the continent of Master’s honor and the greatness of Summer Spear.

In the meantime, summer windows were suffering from one stigma.

Although the summer spear was clearly the best spear technique on the continent, it was not evaluated as the best among all the military techniques of the four seasons.

The reason was none other than the duel that took place ten years ago between Brianna, the successor to the Winter Sword and the so-called Sword Saint on the continent, and her teacher.

At the time, her teacher, who was full of competitive spirit, traveled all over the continent to compete with the heir to the martial arts of the four worlds.

As a result, he defeated both the heir to the Spring Shield and the heir to the Autumn Bow, and out of curiosity, he challenged Brianna, the last heir to the Winter Sword, to spar.

At that time, Brianna was called the next sword saint, so his sudden visit could have been a bit rude, but Brianna didn’t mind much.

Rather, Brianna, who greeted him cheerfully, immediately accepted the sparring.

The beginning of the sparring match was uneven, with no distinction between superiority and inferiority.

They exchanged daily glances as if exploring each other, and each admired the other.

They were both able to realize at the same time that he was as crazy about swords and spears as he was, and concluded that further exploration was unnecessary.

The two exchanged glances and from then on began a desperate struggle for each other’s lives.

He hit the opponent with all his might, and started pouring out everything without leaving a single regret.

Dozens of minutes.

Finally, the winner was decided.

Ethel’s teacher, who could not accept the power of the Winter Sword, was ultimately defeated by Brianna.

Was it because it was a sparring where everything was poured out?

Ethel’s teacher objectively analyzed Brianna and herself and came to one conclusion.

There is an insurmountable wall between him and Brianna.

Ethel’s teacher, who came to that conclusion, smiled coolly and accepted defeat.

Because it was a match where I poured everything into it, I was able to admit it with relief.

Afterwards, Ethel’s teacher returned to his hometown and took Ethel in, and chose her as his next successor.

When Ethel first heard of this, she didn’t want to admit it, but since even her teacher had agreed to it, there was nothing she could do.

And since I had already heard of the reputation of the Sword Saint, there was no room to refute it. On the contrary, on the other hand, I had a little respect for the fact that she had risen to the rank of the continent’s strongest with a woman’s body.

However, when it came to the relationship between the successors after the Master’s generation, it was a different story.

If the leader of the teacher’s generation was Brianna, the successor to the Winter Sword, then the next generation had to be Ethel, the successor to the Summer Spear.

Only then will I be proud of my teacher who gave everything for the summer window.

So Ethel was very excited about this trip to Demeia.

The fact that I was traveling with my teacher also played a part.

“Ethel. It seems like too much effort was put into it.”

“You said that the successor to the Summer Window must have a warm heart.”

“That’s just the extent of it… When I look at you now, you look like a child left out by the stream.”

“Not a child!”

Ethel was furious and shouted at her teacher, who still treated her like a child.

It had already been 10 years since I met him and he had become a full-fledged adult, but in the eyes of his teacher, he still seemed like a 9-year-old child.

Ethel, who had always been dissatisfied with that fact, this time vowed to defeat all the successors of the Four Worlds and receive recognition.

While Ethel was burning with motivation, her teacher Deira secretly sighed.

He knew very well that his only student did not like being treated like a child, but he had no choice.

There was one reason why she was the only student who didn’t hurt the eye, but there was one big reason why he couldn’t help but look at her as young.

“What can you do with something that seems small on the outside?”

Ethel, the next successor to the Summer Spear and the only disciple of the current successor, Dira, was an adult, but looked like a child, showing growth that reached almost his chest.

***

“Arrived!”

Ethel shouted as she looked at Demeia Academy, which she had arrived at after a long journey.

Passers-by turned to look at her when she suddenly screamed, but when they saw her youthful appearance, they just smiled happily and passed by.

Just by looking at her appearance, they mistakenly thought she was a little lady who came to Demeia Academy.

Her teacher knew this, but did not tell his student.

It was because I didn’t want to stimulate Ethel’s complex by mentioning her short stature and youthful appearance.

“Master, we have finally arrived!”

“Ethel, I heard it’s dangerous to run around.”

“True too, Master. Do you think I’m a child?”

No matter how you looked at him as he spoke and put his hands on his hips, he was a kid pretending to be an adult. To me, it was a very confident and adult behavior that I often did, but Dira, who saw this behavior more often than anyone else, felt like she wanted to stop it.

Ethel. This kind of appearance makes you look more like a child.

Diara, who swallowed words she could not convey in her heart, quietly followed Ethel, who was very excited.

Even Deira, who had been wandering around the continent looking for a sparring partner as a child, came to Demeia Academy at the wrong time. This was the first time.

Unless it was a special event such as an exchange meeting, the entry of the general public was strictly controlled, so even if Diira, the successor to Summer Spear, was from a foreign country, it was impossible for her to enter Demeia Academy without permission.

Although he did not pay much attention to political matters, it was quite predictable that his actions would cause considerable discomfort in the relationship between the two countries.

Rather, it’s Brianna… .

As Diira chased after Ethel, who was looking in all directions, she remembered Brianna, whom she had met ten years ago.

Even though time passed as the rivers and mountains changed, the intense sparring of that day remained in Deira’s heart like a residual fire.

Her presence made him mature, showing him that he had a higher level than his immature self, who arrogantly declared that there was no one stronger than him in the world.

She made me realize the wall I could never overcome, and became the driving force to push myself to the limit.

How strong has she become by now when I met her before she became a sword saint?

Deira felt her calm heart begin to beat violently.

I don’t know what to call this feeling, but if I were to find it, would it be better to call it first love?

I didn’t know that the reason Deira had been single all her life until now was because of Brianna.

For him, who was only fascinated by strength, Brianna, who was an insurmountable wall, was an object of admiration and affection.

“Master, what are you doing?!”

“They say don’t run, go slowly.”

“Master, you are slow!”

Dira, coming out of her thoughts, smiled bitterly as she looked at Ethel, who had already grown far away.

“I understand. Coming soon.”

“Welcome. Come on!”

Deira took a slightly faster step towards Ethel, who continued to urge her.

It seems that his student did not want to give his teacher time to reminisce.