Ed facepalmed and then looked at Lucius. He didn't seem fazed at all by the fact that Sigma might kill his students and daughter.
"There is no need to worry," Lucius shrugged. "If they fight and they die, that would be just the limit of their abilities after training for many years. Besides, we live in a world where only the strong can live the way they want, they followed that rule until now, and they got a lot. They won't complain if they die because of the same rule."
After saying that, Lucius left and then went to the upper floors. It was hard to believe that he truly thinks that way… in the end, Ed explained to Sigma what happened that caused Lucius' daughter's rebellion. Five years ago, Cielia suffered many attacks. At that time, Lucius was the strongest in the city, and he defeated many enemies. However, while he was defending one side, his wife and eldest son died fighting against a demon. His daughter began to hate him for that and for choosing to defend one side of the city Instead of fighting against them.
Despite that, Lucius managed to save a lot of cities that couldn't fight, but his students, who lost a lot of friends and family, also began to resent him. Eventually, they rebelled, and his daughter became the new leader of the city. Still, her underlings and her only focused on hunting the monsters, demons, and bandits. They didn't defend the city. Lucius did that and fought all the creatures that tried to invade by himself. At least the ones that came from the south…
"I don't see the point of why you are telling me this story," Sigma said once they began to eat their dinner.
"While they are a bit harsh, they aren't bad people. Lucius' daughter only wants to do the right thing the way she thinks is right, just like the others," Ed added.
"And?" Sigma asked.
"... You are a tough nut to crack," Ed said and then sighed.
"While you might have confidence in your abilities, we still recognize that we need numbers to keep defending these lands," Sabrina said. "While we destroy a pack of monsters and their leader somewhere, another one or perhaps two always appear somewhere else. We can't afford to lose our numbers even a bit more. We need to convince everyone to work together as we did in the past, and we won't be able to do that if we start to kill each other."
"Sorry, but that isn't really my goal," Sigma shrugged. "My goal is to find Saria and get rid of the obstacles along the way."
"... What are the chances of her dying if the monsters and demons take over?" Eclair asked while muttering. "Is the girl you are looking for able to fight like you?"
"Hah?" Sigma asked, a bit annoyed.
"I am so sorry!" Eclair said and then hid behind Sabrina.
"I just asked that because I didn't hear your mumblings aside from a few annoying words," Sigma said and then looked away.
"What she meant is… by killing people on our side, you are turning the world into a more dangerous place for your friend," Sabrina said while massaging her forehead.
Sigma couldn't deny that… he wanted to meet Saria in one of those cities, but he could guess what her life would have become in the last eight years because the human side was shorthanded. In any case, he went to finish dinner while thinking about what he could do, but he didn't have many options. Then, he went to sleep since his legs were exhausted.
When morning came, Sigma still didn't have a proper answer to the issue, but he knew a way on how to solve it… it might lead to problems, but it was better than nothing.
"By the way, why didn't you ask Lucius to teach you that technique as well?" Sigma asked when they were having breakfast.
"I asked, but he said that I was the type who should focus on what I am already good at. Trying to improve my fighting style and learning from others won't work," Ed explained.
Sigma had no idea what he meant by that, but he didn't feel like asking when Lucius joined them. It was probably one of the ways people like him would say to some people that they believed it would take too much time to learn… then again, he accepted more than half of the city as his disciples before…
"My daughter is around your age. She is a blond girl who ties her hair in a long ponytail," Lucius said. "She should be easy enough to find out, but don't underestimate her for her size. Do you have any idea on how to deal with her?"
"How about a duel where the winner does whatever they want to the loser?" Sigma asked.
"Sigma… I never thought you were that kind of person," Sabrina said while moving to shield Eclair from Sigma's eyes.
"I have no idea what you are talking about. I was planning to force her and her underlings to become my underlings," Sigma furrowed his eyebrows. "No, wait… I can imagine what you think now, and you are the one with a dirty mind."
"Watchusay!?" Sabrina got up and then shouted.
Ed laughed a little and then facepalmed… his sister was embarrassing him. Still, he was somewhat glad for that since they rarely had chances to have such light conversations. Things had been gloomy and pretty dark since their parents' deaths.
"... I guess it might work, but she won't accept the duel unless she thinks that you are worth fighting against," Lucius replied. "Using your bow or weapons won't convince her."