Iris let out a sigh.
Even though she wanted to have a good fight, it seems that her power just wasn't enough. She really had to reset her whole mage level. This girl had such a bad base that practising further won't let her advance smoothly, and she would only get stuck at the 4th magic circle.
'I wonder how I can get rid of my magic circles quickly…' She tapped her foot on the ground.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
A tap on her shoulder broke her train of thoughts. To her surprise, it was the man who had lent her the sword. Once again, she was struck by how easily he had found her. Somehow, his blank yet knowing eyes made her feel uncomfortable.
"Mister, here's your sword." She politely said, and brought up the sword.
The man halted the hand that was giving him the sword, and said in a low voice, "Young lady, you can keep the sword. It's been a while… A very long while since someone has managed to activate the sword. Maybe it was written in fate." He chuckled.
Iris blinked.
She didn't understand.
As if sensing her confusion, the man introduced himself,"I may look young, but I've lived a lot. Ever since I was a child, I was told about the amazing prophecies made of this sword. That it could dance like a swan, slice metal like nothing and pierce like a needle shoved into melted butter. But it never reacted to me. Not just me, no one in my family could ever make it 'alive'. You, young lady, managed to make the sword alive. And I can't be more grateful to that."
Iris sucked in a deep breath. Was he… could he be someone she was related to?
Before she could ask, he continued." So, this is why I think it's fate at work. It was written in your fate to encounter this sword, and to wield it. Take it as a gift, no one can make use of it as much as you, anyway. I wish you good luck in life, Young lady."
Saying that, he gave a hearty laugh and turned, about to leave.
"Wait!" Iris called out in a hurry, almost stumbling as she yanked his coat.
A frown appeared on his face, and he questioned, "What's wrong?"
"I—"
The words were stuck in her throat. She was scared to ask.
But if what she thought was true, then…
"I wanted to know about that line you said earlier. 'An unarmed fighter is not a fighter'. Where... Where did you hear this?" She bit her lip in anticipation.
"Ah.." He let out a noise of recognition. "It's a saying… One that has been passed in our family since ages. My grandfather, and even my great-grandfather were told this by their teachers, when this sword was presented to each of them." A smile appeared on his face.
Iris' heart thumped loudly. "I-if you don't mind, may I know your good name?"
"Of course, young lady. My good name is Ouht Black."
Her legs almost gave out.
A pained look appeared on her face. Too many memories flooded her mind, she could almost not handle it.
A moment of silence took place.
Ouht prodded at Iris, when she remained silent for too long.
"Young lady?"
"A-ah, excuse me, I'm just tired." Iris stuttered, rubbing her left arm.
He huffed and said, "Go and rest, young lady. And keep the sword. I will hope that it comes to your rescue when time calls for it."
"Thank you." Iris said in a quiet voice.
Ouht finally left, humming to himself, a smile on his face.
When he left, Iris dragged her body to an alleyway and collapsed. A tear slid down her cheek. Her hand was clasped over her mouth. A muffled sob escaped.
Her family was alive!
Even if it was just one person…Her family… was alive.
'It wasn't for nothing, Mother, Father. Your efforts weren't for nothing.' She dug her nails into the loose soil, fire burning in her eyes.
She could finally breathe. Breath while knowing that the lineage hadn't ended with her. Her family, 'Black' hadn't been completely erased.
But that didn't mean that everything was over.
Not at all.
She would hunt down all those people, each and every one of them. For torturing her family in this manner, they won't be let off. She would not rest in peace until she, herself, made sure that they were dead.
Resting her head on the wall, she contemplated on what to do next.
"Right." Iris softly murmured. "I have to find the materials required to erase these magic circles. Where will I find the things I need to reset everything? Hmm…"
As her voice trailed off, she noticed a man passing by the alley. It was none other than Charles, the person who had fought against Xuan Li some minutes back.
Her eyes glowed. That man had quite the knowledge, so he may know how to solve her problem.
She silently trailed behind him.
---
Xuan Li was sweating profusely.
The setting sun behind him played no role in this.
His skin was a bright red, as if someone had set him on fire. Like tears, sweat trailed off his eyebrows.
Dumdum glanced at him, a skeptical look on its face. What was happening to him now?
This man really gave it no second to rest. Every other moment he was dying— or well, trying to die… Which was his goal, now that Dumdum thought about it.
Dumdum jumped onto Xuan Li's shoulders and pushed at his cheek.
"Hey, what's happening to you?"
Xuan Li shook his head, as if shaking off something. "I don't know, my body just feels really hot."
Dumdum thought for a bit. "Maybe your body is finally tired after all those hits it took today."
"Huh?" Xuan Li blinked. "Yeah, that's possible. I do feel exhausted, like I haven't slept for ages."
At that moment, he blindly stumbled against something and fell face-forward. His teeth hit something metallic. "Ouch—" He let out a pained noise.
The panther, meanwhile, had smoothly leaped off his shoulder, avoiding the fall.
Xuan Li examined what had hit his teeth. He held up a silver coin, covered with dust.
"Hey, Dumdum. This is money, right?" Li asked Dumdum.
"Yes, it is. And don't call me Dumdum." It snapped.
"With this… I think we can rest somewhere for tonight. After getting hit so much today, I think it's about time I have a good night's sleep, don't you think?" Xuan Li grinned, showing his bloody teeth.
Dumdum grimaced. "I thought you wanted to die? Wouldn't it be better to stay outside then?"
"I don't think we'll meet any beasts stronger than you, my dear Dumdum." Xuan Li picked himself up from the ground.
Dumdum sniffed, licking its paw, "I won't deny that, I am powerful after all."
"Let's get going then," Xuan Li yawned, tossing the coin up in the air. It fell back to his hand, glinting for a split second under the red sun.
Dumdum's paws silently padded along with Xuan Li's heavy footsteps.
In their near sight was a shady inn, an open sign glowing under the lamp.