Silence enveloped the whole manor as the cloud of dust slowly started to settle. The only thing to be heard are the faint and rugged breathing of Elise and Eliza as they quietly grasped their breaths.
"The winner is Elise!" ［Elaine］
The one to break the deafening silence was Elaine's announcement. Even though she acted as the referee for the match, it still took her some time to announce the results as she was also stunned by the recent turn of events.
Hearing Elise's words, the two sisters in the training ground relaxed their bodies, and after a few seconds, they both collapsed to the ground exhausted, their breathing even more rough than before.
And since they were too exhausted, Yuna and Grey took it upon themselves to fix the training ground which they partially destroyed during their match, reverting it back to its original state.
As for the other spectators, they quickly rushed towards Elise and Elaine who were collapsed to the ground. The parents, Eleanora and Fritz were especially worried about the state of their daughters.
After a few minutes of rest and with the aid of recovery magic, the two sisters were finally able to move once again, and the first thing Elise did was to check up on her younger sister's condition.
"Liz, you're fine, right?! Elder Sister didn't hurt you too much, right?! No, I probably did! Uuu... what a horrible older sister I am..." ［Elise］
"Umm... Elder Sister, I'm fineー" ［Eliza］
"You don't need to be considerate! Just tell me if it hurts somewhere, Elder Sister will do her best to help you!" ［Elise］
"No, really, I'm fine, Elder Sister. After all, Elder Brother Grey and Elder Sister Yuna's recovery magic is top notch!" ［Eliza］
Eliza proudly proclaimed as she puffed her chest while wearing a smile on her face, making Elise calm down a little bit. After all, she also knew how potent Grey and Yuna's recovery spells were.
Not only Elise, the other's also calmed down after hearing Eliza's proud declaration. Even Galvin, who didn't fully understand what was going on, was happy that Eliza, who he now considered an older sister figure, was fine and dandy.
"But even if you're fine, you two should know that what you did was dangerous! You two should learn when to hold back! Do you know how nervous and worried I and your father were, watchin the two of you fight?!" ［Elaine］
"Your mother's right. That was too close! If you got one of your moves wrong, you could have injured each other! Especially you, Elise! You're the older one, you should have known when to stop!" ［Fritz］
While recalling the recent match, Fritz and Eleanora scolded their daughters. Both of them had very evident traces of anxiety and anger written on their faces as they gave Elise and Eliza an earful.
Although they both agreed beforehand about the match, it was because they didn't think it would escalate so much. After all, they didn't think that Eliza would actually be able to put up a good match against her older sister.
Even Fritz, who had been with Eliza the most, was very surprised at his youngest daughter's strength. He initially thought she had just entered G-rank recently, but only after the fight did he realize that Eliza had actually entered F-rank.
The reason for Eliza's unprecedented growth was not only Grey and Yuna's teachings, but also the presence of Polaris. He always served as a practice partner whenever Eliza trained inside the mansion, hidden in the sight of others.
It has already been more than a month since Polaris had started to live in the Landevar mansion yet Fritz has yet to figure out that what he thought was a little wolf pup was actually an S-rank creature. It was the reason Polaris and Eliza could train freely.
Seeing Elise and Elaine get scolded by their parents, Grey remembered the ups and downs of having a family. While it could be annoying at times, he was still happy that they were there, especially when he needed them the most.
Now that he was in Merusia, Grey couldn't ask for more than what he had. He has made connections and acquaintances that he can count on like a family. The most precious one standing besides him now.
Before he even realized it, Grey's hand already moved towards Yuna's and when they touched, he interlocked his fingers with hers, holding her hand tightly as he felt her warmth and pulse.
"Hm? Why so sudden?" ［Yuna］
"No reason. I just want to hold my very adorable girlfriend's hand. Is there something wrong with that?" ［Grey］
"No.., there's nothing wrong with it..." ［Yuna］
Yuna said as she tightened her hold on Grey's hand, her face getting a little red from Grey's words as an unstoppable surge of happiness and warmth filled her heart. A little smile formed on her face.
Yet again, Grey realized how lucky he was to live a second life. He really can't be more grateful to the one who gave him the chance and wished he was also happy whatever dimension he was in.
As they held one another's hands, the familiars also watched over them, feeling just as happy as their masters were. After all, they could also feel the emotions of their masters and could feel the same warmth blooming inside them.
A few moments later, Eleanora and Fritz had finally finished scolding their daughters and everyone returned to the garden with Elise, Elaine, and the kids each holding a familiar in their arms.
"Still... to think that Liz has become so strong... I really can't believe it, even though I witnessed it with my own eyes." ［Elise］
Elise sighed with exhaustion visible on her face as she took her seat beside the garden table. On top of her lap was Kentaurus who she was petting gently to relive her surprise and shock.
"It's the same for me. Even though I watched her grow as she trained, I still can't comprehend how she got so strong so quickly. To top it all, it hasn't even been three months since she started training." ［Fritz］
"Eh? What did you say, Father?" ［Elise］
Elise asked with her eyes open wide in shock and her body a little frozen. It wasn't only her, even Eleanora and Elaine were also greatly shocked from hearing Fritz's casual comment.
"Hm? That I can't comprehend how strong Liー" ［Fritz］
"No, not that one! The last part!" ［Elize］
"Oh, that it hasn't even been three months since she started training?" ［Fritz］
"""Eh?!"""
When Fritz reconfirmed what they heard, the three's faces became frozen from shock once again. Especially Elise and Elaine, they felt like the world crumbled after hearing such surprising facts.
Like Fritz, they also couldn't comprehend how in less than three months, a vulnerable little girl became able to break trees with little effort. Fritz, however, has become accustomed to it, preventing him from getting shocked.
Elise and Elaine initially thought Eliza had been trained for several months already, which would still make her a genius, but they didn't expect it to be much shorter. They never felt so defeated and depressed.
"Three months... And it took me almost two years to become this strong..." ［Elise］
"On top of that, she also learned another attribute... and it was also on the low-level as well. I don't think I can still call myself a top student of the academy..." ［Elaine］
"To think that my little sister is already on par with me... I haven't felt so defeated ever since I met Yuna and Grey... which wasn't even that long ago..." ［Elise］
Recalling their experiences during the past week, Elise and Elaine became even more depressed. Their pride as students of the Royal Academy had been crushed twice over in a single week.
But it wasn't only them, Even Grey and Yuna were also surprised that Eliza learned another attribute. As for Elise having learnt earth-attribute, it didn't surprise him since it was common for students in the Royal Academy to learn a secondary attribute and class just in case. Elaine also learnt the fjre attribute for this reason.
"Hey, how about we finish our smoothies before we continue our conversation? It will help you cheer up a little." ［Grey］
Grey said as I retrieved the smoothies from his "Inventory" in order to cheer Elise and Elaine up. As for the juices, he is only going to retrieve them when someone asks for them as everyone seemed to have forgotten about them.
With the help of "Memory Bank", Grey was able to return the smoothies to their respective owners. Whether it was for important matters or even for something as trivial as this, it was a really helpful ability.
"Ahh～ That's much better. These smoothies really are amazing." ［Elise］
"And it's still cold too! Even though it has been more than 20 minutes since we stopped drinking it." ［Elaine］
"That's because of Grey's special storage ring. Apparently, time slows down greatly for everything that he stores in there." ［Fritz］
Fritz explained to the two girls briefly, taking what Grey had previously told him. Even his wife, Eleanora who had seen quite a number of storage rings was amazed by the ability of Grey's "Storage Ring".
But of course, that was not the truth. Even though it has already been months since he used the cover that his ability was a storage ring, people have yet to suspect that it wasn't actually true. Grey is still amazed by how long he kept it secret.
"Big Bro Grey, I want one more!" ［Galvin］
Galvin said whilst raising his empty glass energetically towards Grey. There wasn't a speck of smoothie left inside of it. It was as if it hadn't even been used in the first place, a clean glass so to say.
"I'll give you one more, but this is the last one, alright?" ［Grey］
"Ehh～?!" ［Galvin］
"Hey, Galvin, don't trouble Older Brother Grey too much!" ［Grey］
"Galvin, let's listen to your older brother, okay? Plus, if you drink too much, your stomach will ache and you won't be able to play with us anymore." ［Yuna］
When Yuna said those words, Galvin's gaze alternated between the others, the garden, and the smoothies, all while making a difficult face, having a hard time choosing between playing and drinking smoothies.
"Alright..." ［Galvin］
"That's a good boy." ［Yuna］
Yuna ended her statement with a smile while patting Galvin's head, making the once crestfallen Galvin back to being cheerful in just a matter of seconds. Children are simple, after all.
Everyone continued enjoying their refreshments, accompanied with chit chat here and there. It lasted for several minutes, when suddenly, Eleanora noticed Fritz who was in deep thought.
"Is something the matter, dear?" ［Eleanora］
"Nothing much... It just got me wondering how dangerous it would be if Elise's sword breaks in combat again." ［Fritz］
To Fritz's words, everyone, other than Galvin and Elnart, in the garden table fell silent. After all, it was a serious topic which could mean life and death to future knights like Elise and Elaine.
While weapons would wear out and break over time, it could also break if it couldn't handle the owner's power anymore. Even if one is powerful, it would be meaningless if you don't have a good weapon to show your full power.
"Don't worry, Father, my sword is still strong and well maintained. It won't break so easily!" ［Elise］
"I know, but still, it is only a Low-tier, High-Grade weapon. Once you reach the higher end of E-rank, it will only slow you down. We need to buy something better for the future." ［Fritz］
Fritz reinforced his opinion as he pointed out the importance of having a good weapon to match one's ability. After all, with the rate Elise is growing, it would only be a year or two before she outgrows her weapon.
Along with their weapon grades is their ability to handle the power of their owner. Low-Grade weapons can only service H-rank at most, Middle-Grade up until F-rank, High-Grade up to C-rank, and Superior-Grade up to S-rank. Legendary, Mythical, and Divine Grades are for Calamity, Disaster, and Catastrophe Classes, respectively.
Grey and Yuna don't need to worry about them outgrowing their weapons. After all, they are all at Divine-Grade which are considered the pinnacle of all equipment. There was no way they would break.
"Ah! Then how about we ask Elder Brother Grey to make you one, Elder Sister? He's also the one who made me my sword!" ［Eliza］
"Oh my! Grey's also a blacksmith?!" ［Eleanora］
Everyone's attention was quickly shifted to Grey as soon as Eliza uttered those words. Even Fritz who had known Grey gifted it to Eliza was shocked to learn about it. He initially thought Grey had bought it or it was dropped by a monster.
"Aside from being a B-rank adventurer at such an early age, you're also a blacksmith? Just how talented are you, Grey?" ［Fritz］
"Elder Sister Yuna is also amazing! She's an alchemist!" ［Eliza］
"Eh?! B-rank?! Alchemist?! What's going one?!" ［Elise］
"I-Is Yuna a B-ranker as well?!" ［Elaine］
One after another, Grey and Yuna's secrets were spilled into the open and the more secrets were spilled, the more chaotic the scene became. There was just too much information yet too little time to handle them.
Thankfully, the truth about Grey and Yuna's real ranks has not been revealed to the public. Because of it, they were able to explain things easily and people started to calm down after some time.
"I can't believe it... Grey and Yuna are just too amazing..." ［Elise］
"Right? Being the same age as them, I feel a little defeated." ［Elaine］
Still, even after Grey and Yuna explained some things to everyone, Elise and Elaine still couldn't fully wrap their heads around the fact that their current instructor and close friend was actually a B-rank adventurer.
"Umm... Elise, Elaine, could you keep this a secret to everyone?" ［Yuna］
"Don't worry about it, Yuna. Your secret is safe with us! But in exchange I want to eat your cooking again as payment!" ［Elise］
"I also want to eat some, too! I want to eat some desserts if possible!" ［Elaine］
"Hehehe, sure!" ［Yuna］
Thankfully, Elise and Elaine weren't the type of people to run their mouths and spill other's secrets to other people. They were reliable friends who looked out greatly for those they care about.
While the girls were happily chatting with one another, Grey thought of an idea to solve Fritz's worries. He could finally make use of some equipment which had been gathering dust in his "Inventory".
『Yuna, I'm going to give some of the things we got from the Labyrinth to Elise and Elaine. Are you fine with that?』 ［Grey］
『Un! As long as it can help them, I'll be happy to do so!』 ［Yuna］
『Alright, then I'll pick something suitable for the two of them.』 ［Grey］
Grey's idea was to give Elise and Elaine some of the weapons they got from the Labyrinth of Death as drops from the monsters they defeated. They have so many of them that they don't know how to deal with them.
After a few moments of scanning the contents of his "Inventory", Grey finally decided on the weapons he and Yuna will be gifting to Elise and Elaine. Both weapons will last them for a very long time.
"Fritz, about the issue about the weapons, I think I have a solution for that." ［Grey］
"Oh, are you going to forge a weapon for Elise and Elaine as well?" ［Fritz］
"Ah, that would be difficult right now, so instead, why don't we just gift them some of the spoils we got from the Labyrinth?" ［Grey］
"It isn't something over the top, isn't it?" ［Fritz］
"Don't worry, it's the same quality as their current weapons. They could use it as a spare until you can get a better one." ［Grey］
Two statements, two lies. Even when Grey was lying straight to Fritz's face, he didn't even flinch a little and just smiled innocently and cheerfully as he proposed such an idea to Fritz.
The first lie was that it wasn't difficult for him at all to forge weapons with his current schedule. If he tries his best, he would be able to make one for both Elise and Elaine in just a few hours.
The second lie was that it wasn't the same quality at all. Grey was planning on handing out Elise and Elaine Superior-Grade weapons which cost millions of kiels. Something Fritz would definitely disapprove of if he knew.
"Haah... Alright. I'll repay this debt later." ［Fritz］
"There's no need. I'm also concerned about Elise and Elaine's wellbeing. This much is nothing." ［Grey］
It didn't take long for Fritz to agree to Grey's proposition, and when he did, Grey quickly retrieved two weapons from his "Inventory". One was a sword and the other was a spear.
The sword was called the "Scarlet Demon Blade" dropped by the B-rank monster, Ogre General. It is a null-attribute weapon which resembled the Japanese katana back on Earth quite a bit.
The spear was the "Silver Sky Halberd" dropped by a Winged Gorgon, another B-rank monster. It had even more compatibility with Elaine as it was also of the lightning attribute.
"Here, Elise, Elaine, catch." ［Grey］
Simultaneously, Grey threw the "Scarlet Demon Blade" and the "Silver Sky Halberd" towards Elise and Elaine, who, with great reflexes, were able to catch it without much trouble.
"What's... this for?" ［Elise］
"A spear?" ［Elaine］
As they had been talking with Yuna at the same time Grey was talking with Fritz, the two were very confused why Grey suddenly gave the two of them weapons. They looked at Grey with curious eyes as they asked for an explanation.
"Those are some spoils Yuna and I acquired from the labyrinth. We can't really use them so I hope they serve you well." ［Grey］
"You can consider it as a gift from us." ［Yuna］
A little speechless, Elise and Elaine slowly inspected the weapons they just got from Grey and Yuna, and the more they looked into it, the more they were enchanted by its exquisite beauty.
Elise quickly brandished her sword with swift movements as she tested out how quickly and accurately she can swing it. To her surprise, it was much lighter than it looks and much sharper as well.
As for Elaine, she also tested out her weapon by thrusting it quickly forward and then swinging it left and right. Just like Elsie, she was surprised to learn how easy to use the spear was.
"Can we really have these?" ［Elise］
"Elise's right. These weapons seem valuable." ［Elaine］
"Well, it's a gift, isn't it?" ［Grey］
"Take it, Elise, Elaine! We'll be happy if you use them!" ［Yuna］
"Thank you, Yuna, Grey!" ［Elise］
"We'll be sure to treasure them!" ［Elaine］
Without any warning, Elaine suddenly hugged Grey and Yuna with a huge and bright smile plastered on her face...
"I'll also give you a hug!" ［Elise］
"Me too!" ［Eliza］
... and seeing Elaine hug the two of them, Elise and Eliza followed as well and joined them. And for some reason he knew, Galvin also hugged them, most likely thinking they were playing some sort of game.
"I'm really thankful for this, Grey, Yuna. I really like the colors red and black, it looks kinda cool." ［Elise］
"Red and black, huh... Now that I look at it, it looks a little familiar..." ［Fritz］
Fritz placed his hands on his chin as he tried to remember where he saw such a sword. His eyes quickly widened in shock as soon as he remembered, it was then that Grey and Yuna knew they got busted.
Focusing on the sword, Fritz approached Elise and asked to borrow it for a second. He wanted to examine it closely. The moment he confirmed that it really was what he thought it was, his eyes widened in shock even more.
"Wait, isn't this the Scarlet Demon Blade?!" ［Fritz］
Fritz exclaimed as his body trembled a little from shock. Following the flow of things, he also asked Elaine for the halberd Grey and Yuna had just given her, making him shocked even more.
"And this is a Silver Sky Halberd!" ［Fritz］
Upon realizing what those weapons were, Fritz shifted his attention to Grey and Yuna with his eyes burning with irritation. And as honest as they are, Yuna and Grey faced the terror head-on.
"Ahaha... I thought I grabbed high-grade weapons. Seems like I was mistaken. Ahaha... Silly meー" ［Grey］
"Don't try to act innocent! And what do you mean by high-grade, these two are clearly of superior-grade! There's no way you could have mistaken it! You clearly wanted to gift it to them without me knowing!" ［Fritz］
Grey tried to play it by laughing it off, but it was useless. The only thing it did was make Fritz even more irritated. Because of it, Grey and Yuna got quite the scolding from Fritz.
Fritz's scolding lasted for almost 3 hours, and needless to say, it was hell for both Grey and Yuna. What made it worse was that while they were being scolded, the others just continued playing in the garden, completely ignoring them.
In the end, Fritz allowed Elise and Elaine to keep the weapons. It was because, not only Grey and Yuna, but Eleanora also persuaded him for the sake of Elise and Elaine's safety.
Grey didn't know if he should consider it a defeat or victory, but what he did know is that he didn't want to experience it again. Yuna was feeling the same as they reflected on their actions.
CHAPTER 88 END