HPDBC Chapter 78 – The Sword Sanctum
Chapter 78 – The Sword Sanctum
Chapter 78 – The Sword Sanctum
— Eris Greyrat —
According to the Sword God, today, we would be receiving a guest that would also be training me, so annoyingly, I had to stop my set of practice swings to stand in the main dojo and greet them.
I felt antsy, waiting around like this.
I hated it.
I needed to train, to get stronger, to get faster... all so I could get back to that precious place I loved so much.
But if this guest was supposed to train me and help me get stronger, then I guess I could manage waiting around for a second or two.
“I wonder who it is,” Nina said from beside me. “It’s not often that my father personally meets with someone, and he called both of us here... I guess it’s someone pretty important?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Does it really matter?”
“Well, I’m just curious,” she huffed. “And you need a bath. You smell horrible.”
“That’s what happens when you work hard,” I said. “You should try it sometime.”
“You bitch...” she grumbled. “Just because I care about my hygiene doesn’t mean I work any less. Jeez... what would you think if your long-lost lover was here?”
That caused me to flinch.
Leon... if he was here...
I leaned down to take a whiff of myself, my nose scrunching at the stench.
Yeah... maybe I could afford to take a bath later.
It... probably wasn’t the best to go over a week without one.
“Ah! You’re here!” the Sword God said, standing up.
As I had learned during my time here, that man... was strong.
Not Orsted strong, but still strong.
Speed, power, technique... he had everything.
Even if he looked like a common ruffian, he was the person standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
And his way of teaching, while often annoying, worked.
First, he told me to swing.
Nothing more, just to swing, and while doing so, to focus on what I wanted to cut, why I wanted to cut...
And so, for two months, I did nothing but swing.
Swinging my sword, eating, sleeping, and defecating. That was the life of Eris Greyrat for two months.
Eventually, he said I was ready to spar, and so, he then beat the shit out of me.
Unlike with Leon, there were no words exchanged, nor advice given. And unlike with Ruijerd, he only limited himself as to not kill me, giving me no room to trade strikes with him.
But... I could understand.
And because I was able to understand, I could get better.
Even if it was only ended with one strike, I was able to get better each time he won against me.
First, I was put on my ass without knowing a thing, but after a few times, I was able to see his hand move, and then his legs as he prepared to shoot forward, and then his sword...
I still couldn’t beat him, and I could barely defend myself against his serious initial blow without getting cut in half... but I had definitely improved.
After that, I was then told to swing with the purpose of emulating his speed, with the only advice given me being to make the sword my own.
I didn’t really understand, but with practice, I was improving. And with my few spars with Nina, while I won them all, I was able to put those improvements into practice.
But I had started to feel my improvements lessen with each day... so it was good that someone new would be coming.
Hopefully, they would be good enough to force me to get better.
“You really needed to send a letter for an old woman like me?” an old woman’s voice said. “You aren’t one to ask for help, Gal.”
“Well, it’s not me who’s getting the help,” the Sword God said, smirking. “And you accepted, didn’t you?”
“Well, you talked up your new disciple, so you could say I was curious,” she said, the old woman revealing herself to the hall. “Besides, my cute Isolte’s been getting too used to the Water God style. I assume you won’t mind me bringing her here?”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” the Sword God said. “Better, in fact. Thanks for coming, ya old hag.”
The old woman... she was strong.
How strong, I couldn’t tell, but she was definitely at the level of the Sword God.
And that girl behind her... she was pretty good too, probably around my level if I had to guess.
“Well, I can’t deny I’m getting older,” the old woman said, casting her glance towards Nina and me. “Nice to see you again, Nina. You’ve grown up quite a bit.”
“Ah! Thank you, Miss Water God,” Nina said, bowing.
“Just call me Reida,” the Water God said, looking over at me as her eyes widened slightly. “And you... I remember you! You were that brat back when I trained that kid!”
Ah... I think I remembered her.
Back before the teleportation, I remembered that the Water God visited for a while to train Leon to the level of a Water Saint.
To be honest, I hated her at the time.
After all, she was the one taking Leon away from me, making him train in the woods when all I wanted to do was spend time with him.
But I suppose it was in the past now.
“It’s Eris, not ‘brat’,” I said, puffing out my chest with a smirk. “And I’ll have you know that Leon’s mine now.”
She smirked.
“I see,” she said. “I’m glad that kid finally grew a pair. So? Is he here?”
“No,” I said, frowning a bit. “He’s... doing his own thing, but I’m here to get stronger so when I get back to him... I can protect our family.”
“Is that so...” she hummed. “You’ve definitely gotten stronger, so I can see that. And what about that kid? He was quite the talent, you know?”
I smirked pridefully.
I didn’t usually like talking with the Sword God, as he was annoying and always teased me about my Leon, but the one time I did was when I told him about my beloved and how amazing he was.
Specifically, about that terrible day.
The one I now used as motivation to aim higher and not rest on my laurels, despite my admirable power.
It wasn’t often that you could surprise the Sword God, after all.
“He’s a King-ranked swordsman now,” I said, watching as the Water God’s eyes widened.
“Really now... who told him that?” she asked. “Was it Gal here?”
“He beat Ghislaine in swordsmanship,” I said. “But the one who gave him that title was the Dragon God... right after he cut his neck.”
This caused the woman to flinch in surprise.
I didn’t really understand at first, how amazing it was for Leon to be able to harm the Dragon God, but after seeing the Sword God’s jaw drop in surprise and disbelief at my story, I quickly understood how astonishing that achievement was.
“T-That’s...”
“Impossible, right?” the Sword God said, cutting off the Water God as he shook his head. “I can’t believe it either, but this brat keeps raving about him. I almost want to go out and see how he is for myself, but the Dragon God? That’s im-”
“I see,” the Water God said, getting over her surprise as she nodded to herself. “I guess... he really must have gotten better.”
This time, it was the Sword God that was surprised.
“You... think he could do it?” he asked. “You mentioned training him before... was he that brat you were bragging about back then?”
“Heh, that’s the one,” the Water God said. “But anyway, while I was interested in that kid, we’re not here for him, are we?”
“No,” the Sword God shook his head. “Instead, I was hoping you could give Eris a taste of the peak of the Water God style. She needs to learn to overcome someone like you if she wants to help her lover against that monster.”
“I see...” the Water God said, nodding. “Then... I guess I can teach her a few things, but I think it would be better for her to learn with Isolte, since she’s at her level.”
And that was how I gained a second sparring partner, and another divine-level swordsman that could put me on my ass with in one moment.
— Eris Greyrat —
Breathing in, I focused on my wooden sword as I swung down, the force of the swing causing a crack to resound in the open training area.
“So? Why are you so annoyed lately?” Nina asked me. “Is it that time of the month?”
“Fuck off,” I said back, continuing my practice swings. “It’s just... I’m getting a bit jealous, okay?”
“Jealous?” Isolte said curiously. “About what.”
I usually only liked to train alone, but both of these women had been getting in my space, and I... didn’t hate it.
Perhaps I just missed having some company, or perhaps I just wanted to talk.
“Leon should be back by now,” I said, narrowing my eyes as I swung down again, this time a bit stronger. “So that means he and Sylphy are together, doing who knows what without me!”
I felt my teeth grit.
“I’ve gotten better,” she said.
“That’s good,” I returned. “I think I have too.”
She nodded before leaving my embrace, walking over to her wooden sword.
So she wanted to spar... well, I wanted to see how far she had progressed, so this was good.
Plus, those annoying kids that tried to stop me on my way up got me riled up for a fight I couldn’t end with a leisurely swing.
“Alright,” I said. “Do you have one for me?”
My question was answered by Eris tossing her sword over to me before grabbing another one by the nearby tree.
We stood apart from each other as I watched a cloud of mist release with her breath.
No words needed to be exchanged, as with her touki flashing across her body, we both leaped forward.
She was... fast.
Much faster.
And her sword, it was... firm. Steady through the entire movement of her swing as her sword raced toward my head.
Weaving my blade under hers, I let my touki rippled across my sword, breaking the flow of her touki as I parried her strike to the side, using the opening to back off and defend myself from another strike.
Her form... she had definitely improved.
There was no hesitation in her movements, and the momentary pause she would use to prepare her sword and stance was now gone, instead being morphed into her previous strike, maximizing her efficiency across her motions.
We exchanged a few more strikes before I fully took advantage of an opening, striking her side and sending her tumbling across the snow, putting an end to our fight.
“You got stronger, Eri,” I said happily, holding my hand out to her. “Well done.”
“Tsk... and you got better too,” she said, taking my hand as I pulled her up and into a hug.
“Yeah, but I’m proud of you,” I said, beginning to cast healing magic on her body. “I should have said it as soon as I saw you, but... I love you.”
“I... love you too, idiot,” she said, nuzzling her face into my shoulder. “We don’t need to say it to know it.”
“I guess that’s true, huh?” I said, patting her head.
Yeah... it was nice to be back with Eris.
As I thought, I could only ever truly be happy with my entire family around me.
So, since it would only be for a while, I had to make sure to make the most of it, and make up for the time we would have to wait until we’re back together again.
Tonight was surely to be a good one, huh?
— Leon Greyrat —
After our little spar, Nina and Isolte introduced themselves before leaving, with Nina giving me a difficult expression while Isolte simply complimented my skills.
Apparently, she was the granddaughter of the Water God, and she had told her a few stories about me after she trained me.
As for Eris and I, we immediately went back to her house to reconnect with some privacy.
I was initially concerned about the wake of knocked out students I left on my way up here, but according to Eris, they would just ‘walk it off’, so I was off the hook.
The house was a simple shack with one room and a mat to sleep on, with only a few practice swords, some clothes, and the bag she had brought with her as the only possessions... but it was still cozy.
“So... you got your family back?” she asked, leaning against me as we sat on her bed.
“Yep. Mama and Lilia were trapped in a labyrinth, so we just had to get them out,” I said. “And... I also met Roxy there...”
“I see... did you take her back with you?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “She’s... with me now, so... once you come back, we can get married.”
Her lips quirked up at that.
“Good. That’s... good...”
I then watched as her expression fell, her eyes clouded in what seemed like worry.
“Eri... what’s wrong?” I asked, cupping her cheek so she would face me.
“It’s... stupid,” she said, averting her eyes.
“If it’s making you sad, then even if it’s stupid, we should talk about it,” I said, rubbing her cheek with my thumb as she leaned into my touch.
“Just... I’ve noticed,” she said. “Even though all the other girls are swordswomen here, they... call me someone too harsh to love. Rather than a maiden, I’m more of a ‘Mad Wolf’.”
Shaking her head, she then looked down at her clothes, which were a pair of adventuring shorts, boots, a light white shirt, and the leather jacket she had received from Ghislaine.
“I’m... too boyish. Especially compared to Sylphy... and Roxy too, I’m guessing,” she said. “I... I’m worried that you will fall out of love with me because of it.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “I love you, Eris. I have loved you for a while now, and your ‘boyishness’ isn’t something new.”
“Yeah, but... don’t you like it when I dress cute?” she asked, looking back at me. “I know how you look at me when I wear a dress or something, and while I like it, I can’t help but feel... you know...”
Oh... was that it?
“You’re thinking about that wrong,” I said, reaching down to grab her hand. “I won’t deny that I love seeing you in dresses, but I still like the boyish, regular Eri the best.”
Her lips formed a pout.
“Then why?” she asked.
Shit... I should have told her all this earlier, huh?
But I’m guessing our time apart didn’t help these festering thoughts of hers.
“Because... well, I find it exciting to see new sides of you. Especially when I’m the only one that gets to see it,” I said. “And that goes for Sylphy too. She’s usually shy, so I like seeing her be assertive and bold. And since she usually dresses girly in the house, I would find myself salivating if she wore something like you are right now.”
Her hand squeezed mine a bit tighter, and not affectionately, as I explained, but I decided to push through it nonetheless.
“So, you... like me like this?” she asked.
“I love you like this,” I said, smiling. “I want you to be comfortable, and I wouldn’t want you to change a bit, but... I love seeing you in different ways that are only for my eyes, such as this...”
I then reached into my bag that was at my side, taking out the dress I had gotten her from the Begaritt Continent.
“This is...” she said, unravelling the fabric.
It was red, matching her hair, with black accents with a few hints of gold.
And with this, each of my ladies had gotten them.
I... couldn’t wait to see all three of them wearing them, whether that be on our wedding day, or in bed.
Damn... I really was pent-up.
To think I had gone fifteen years of my life without any sexual interactions, only to be reduced to such a state after merely three weeks of no action... perhaps I really was Paul’s son.
She then stood up to try it on, making me salivate as she took off her clothes.
“Hmm... it feels good to move in, at least,” she said, doing a few kicks and punches in the dress. “And? H-How... how does it look on me?”
“Beautiful,” I said truthfully.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
If I wanted to be truthful, I would have instead kept my mouth shut, as there were simply no words to explain the sight before me.
Well... perhaps ‘perfection’ came close.
It... fit her really well, though it seems that I had underestimated the growth of her breasts.
But that just made it better, in my opinion.
“Hm~?” she said, smiling to herself as she twirled in place. “Then... thanks. I... can’t say I hate it when it makes you look at me like that.”
Mmm, so she was back to those contradicting words from her youth.
What did Rudy call it? A ‘tsundere’?
Yeah... well, if she was like that, it seemed she really liked it.
It seems that I had picked well.
Good job, past me.
Eris then looked at me, her eyes changing into something more dangerous and... seductive as she slowly undressed herself once again.
“Leon~” she cooed, using her foot to push me down against the bed. “It’s been nearly a year, you know?”
Kicking off the dress, she then reached up to take off her pendant, using the band to tie her hair into a familiar bun as she got on top of me.
“You always liked this style, right?” she said, slowly taking off my shirt. “Tell me, Leon... you said you liked seeing me in different ways... so do you like me like this?”
“Y-Yeah,” I said, squirming as I felt her hands reach down to my pants and begin to pull them down. “I like it a lot.”
“Good,” she nodded, completely undressing me as she leaned down to whisper into my ear. “Then... can you show Eri how much you like it, nyan~?”
There was only one way to respond to that.
“Of course,” I said.
I mean, it had been nearly a year since we had been separated, so was there any other way that our first night together would end up?