— Leon Greyrat —
It was the next day, and after fulfilling our desires the night before, I decided to take care of Eris' hair that had become quite long and messy.
It wasn't from the sex… for the most part… so it was even more important that I finally gave this beautiful hair the care it deserved.
"Thanks for doing this, Leon," Eris said, tilting her head down as I continued my work.
"It's my pleasure, Eri. And I have lots of practice," I said, gently brushing out some knots with my fingers as I cut down its length with wind magic. "You have gorgeous hair, you know? You should take care of it better."
"I know," she huffed. "It's just… I love when you do it… and I don't want someone else to, even if it's me… that's your job, after all."
I paused my movements as I felt my cheeks get a bit warmer.
That… I think my heart just skipped a beat.
From how erotic she was last night, and determined when we woke up to do some training together, I had forgotten how adorable she could be.
But that was just how my Eris was.
A tantalizing collection of states and emotions, and because she had a tough time keeping them down, I got to see all of them for their beauty.
"You're right. It is my job," I said, continuing to clean her up.
After a few minutes, I was able to bring it back to how it was when she left. Her hair long enough to rest just over her shoulder as I tied it into a short ponytail, her pendant resting against her neck.
"There… you look really pretty like this, Eri," I said, handing her an ice mirror.
"Really!?" she said, happily taking the mirror as she looked at her appearance.
"Really," I agreed.
"M-Mhmm… I like it too… and it feels good… doesn't get in my way," she said, turning her head left to right before she looked back at me. "Thank you, Leon. I think I'll just wear it short from now on. I'm not good at this kind of stuff, but I should be able to cut it just fine."
"Alright," I said, leaning in to give her a kiss. "But speaking of that… are you taking care of yourself?"
Her silence was deafening. Not to mention how she averted her eyes.
Well, her sweat and natural musk was something I enjoyed quite a bit, but past that… from how knotted her hair was, and not to mention the untreated scrapes and scratches lining her body, I knew that she had been neglecting her self-care in the way of training.
That was just like my Eris, after all.
"Is there a place to bathe around here?" I asked.
"T-There's a hot spring nearby," she mumbled, still looking away from me. "I don't really go much, though. Only when Nina drags me with her."
"I see…" I said, nodding. "Well, come on. Let's go."
Luckily, she didn't protest, simply taking my hand without a word as she got to her feet.
Well… maybe that sexual frustration she had so eagerly released last night had been making her too stressed to take care of herself.
But either way, I would be here to fix her up anyway.
That was the job of a loving partner and future husband, after all.
— Leon Greyrat —
As it turned out, the hot springs at the Sword Sanctum were quite amazing.
It was similar to the bath we had at home, except it was all natural, and that you could bathe inside the spring without rinsing yourself off like at home, as there was a constant flow of water.
But yes, while the Sword Sanctum wasn't one for cleanliness, their baths were quite relaxing… although they lacked soap and hair wash.
Luckily, I had anticipated that, and made sure to bring some with me.
So, as one would expect, I made sure to wash Eris' body and hair thoroughly.
While she first found it embarrassing, especially when a passing swordswoman raised her brow at us, she eventually succumbed to my touch and basked in the loving attention I had provided.
The… very loving attention.
After all, Eris' body was breathtaking, so I might have taken the chance to enjoy myself as well.
But anyway, with her all cleaned, she then changed into a bath towel before letting me give her a massage with healing magic, a technique I had improved upon from practising on Roxy's aches and cramps that she gained from her pregnancy.
Eris was… very tense. And her newly gained muscles were really tight, so my massage was alleviating her quite a bit, at least if the small moans of pleasure she released were anything to go by.
They were also very arousing, and I didn't need to waste my stamina considering what I would be doing later tonight, so I passed the time by explaining to her a bit more of what had happened after she left, which also served the purpose of distracting me from her… very captivating figure that I had my hands all over.
"So my family… they're in Sharia now?" Eris asked.
Ah, right.
The information.
"Yeah. And Ghislaine said she'd come back in three years or so," I said, pushing a knot out of her shoulder while I stopped the pain with my magic. "Ah, and they have a nice house too. It's quite close to my parents' one."
"Ngh! That's good," she said, sighing at my movements. "And a house? You mentioned getting one, right? Is it big?"
"Ginormous," I said. "There's… what is there, ten rooms? So we'll have plenty of room for the kids."
"Good…" she said. "And? How long are you staying again?"
"A week," I said, moving down to her legs. "I have to get back pretty fast."
Man… I really liked her thighs.
I might have to do some extra work down here, for my own enjoyment.
"Hm? Why so fast?" she asked.
Oh, right. I had almost forgotten to tell her the big news.
"Well, you see… Roxy is pregnant," I said.
"What!?" she exclaimed, turning her head to look at me. "Roxy… already? So she's having the first… dammit!"
"Hey, don't get too upset," I said, moving to hug her from behind. "We'll have the chance to have kids of our own when you come back, and we'll have a big house for them. Not to mention, they'll already have a sibling to be there for them."
"Hmm… fine, I guess," she huffed. "As long as I get the first boy."
"Well… that's just the luck of the draw, but we'll try," I said.
She seemed pleased at that, as she let out a satisfied hum as I went back to admiring her thighs.
But not a few moments later, we were interrupted by two women coming over, the ones that had been with Eris when I first got here.
From what I understood… the one with the long black hair and round face was Isolte, a Water King who had been Eris' near-insurmountable wall for the past month that she had been here.
Ah, and if what I knew was correct, her grandmother was the Water God, my Master from so long ago.
And then, beside her, was the blue-haired swordsman who was currently glaring at me.
That… was Nina.
Nina Farion, a Sword Saint and also the daughter of the current Sword God.
I guess inherited talent was a real thing, huh?
I would say it was due to their upbringing, but one couldn't become a Saint-rank swordsman without talent, especially at such a young age.
"Hello… is there something wrong?" I asked, looking at the two curiously.
"No, it's just… you two really have a loving relationship, huh?" Isolte said with a nice smile. "I'm glad to see that Eris' trust in you was not misplaced. That would be a tragedy."
"Yeah, I love her quite a bit," I said, looking over to Nina. "And you… I should thank you."
"Huh?" she voiced, flinching back surprise. "What do you mean, 'thank me'?"
Huh… the way she looked at me and Eris… was that jealousy?
Well, she was a girl after all, so I suppose she wanted a taste of romance as well.
Too bad I was off limits, though.
"Of course. You're Eris' friend, right? And you've also been watching out for her," I said, smiling at her. "So thank you. And I hope you can continue doing so."
"U-Uh… sure," she said, eyebrows narrowed in a mix of surprise and anger.
Clicking her tongue, she then grabbed two wooden swords from next to the ground, tossing one over to me.
As I had quickly realized, here in the Sword Sanctum, they just had practice swords littered everywhere.
Quite convenient, I suppose.
"Fight me!" she said, glaring at me. "A-And… you'll become my bitch if you lose! Ha!"
…What?
Eris had told me how she was able to handle Nina, even though the girl had grown since their first battle.
And yesterday… I had beat Eris handily right in front of her…
Was she an idiot? Overconfident? Or was this something else?
Either way… I wasn't one to refuse a fight I knew I could win.
"Uhh… sure," I said, getting up and ignoring Eris' snort of laughter.
Facing the blue-haired girl, I kept my sword dipped toward the ground as she suddenly sprang at me, the sword reaching for my neck before I lashed out my blade, parrying her sword as I rebounded the touki into her arm, causing her to let go of her sword and sending it soaring through the air.
"I win," I said, placing my sword against the surprised girl's neck. "Umm… nice try?"
I watched as Nina's eyes twitched in anger before Isolte suddenly clapped in light applause.
"So you really are a Water Saint… no, that application of Flow was even better," she said, looking at me with admiration. "Leon Greyrat… I hope I can ask you for a spar sometime later."
"Later?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in question. "Not right now?"
She shook her head.
"As much as I'd like to, we did not come here to spar," she said. "The Sword God and Grandmother have asked to see you. If you don't mind, could you come with us?"
I nodded, looking back to Eris, generating some water to clean her off as I tied her hair back into a beautiful bun before preparing to head back to the main dojo where I had been summoned.
Well… I suppose it was time to meet the Sword God.
Oh, and also see my Master after so long.
I hope she was proud of my growth.
— Leon Greyrat —
"It's nice to meet you, Gal Farion," I said, looking at the man in front of me. "Or would you prefer if I called you the Sword God?"
His eyes traced my body, narrowed, just as they had been ever since I stepped into the hall.
"Heh," he said, smirking. "Call me whatever you want, brat."
I nodded before looking at the old woman that was standing next to him, my smile widening slightly.
"It's nice to see you again, Master," I said, bowing my head. "I've discovered how to use the Dance of Deluge that you left me… or at least I think so."
She smiled back at me, her wrinkles deepening as she spoke back, "Yeah, I can tell you're damn strong now. It gives me pride that I made such a monster, even if I only helped you for a bit."
The Sword God nodded along with her words.
"You can stay here as long as you want," he said as he got up. "But… I want a spar in return."
Well, I somehow expected things to go like this. And even if it didn't, I would have asked for one anyway.
After all, this would be the best way to get some insights into how to improve my swordsmanship.
"Just don't kill him, Gal," Master said, narrowing her eyes. "Not mentioning me, your newest disciple would kill you in your sleep."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm not gonna," the Sword God said, unsheathing his sword. "As long as he's good enough, that is."
Why did he have to say that?
That was just like what Master said when I first met her all those years ago.
Was this a shitty joke that divine-level swordsmen loved to tell?
Because it truly was not funny.
Sighing to myself, I unsheathed my blade, gripping the sword with both hands as I set my stance.
The Sword God… I could see the touki flowing through his body and into his sword.
It was… extremely refined… and ridiculously efficient.
In that one moment as he gripped his sword, his touki immediately coated his blade with a perfect application, all in an instant.
Speed and precision… that was the Sword God style for you, so it made sense that the person at the pinnacle of it would have such a style of touki.
He was ridiculously strong, and way more experienced than me.
But… despite that strength… it was nothing in front of the monster that was Orsted.
"Hm? You don't seem that scared, brat," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Most people are quivering a bit by now."
"Well… most people haven't been stabbed by the Dragon God," I said. "Now come on. I'm getting bored here."
The Sword God chuckled to himself before I saw the touki on his blade solidify as he began to swing out, his blade launching a wave of touki my way.
…What?
So… he could do that too… manipulating touki from afar…
Well, at least I now knew that I could learn some stuff here. But to think the missing piece to my swordsmanship had been so close…
Focusing on my blade, I forced my touki to rise to the surface as I also swung, launching my own blade of touki just in time to stop his in between us, a crack echoing through the hall.
"Damn… well I'll be," the Sword God said, his eyes wide in surprise. "You're better than I thought, brat."
"And you're holding back too much," I returned, setting into a Water God stance once again.
"Well, it'd be no fun if it ended in one strike," he said before he grinned dangerously. "But alright. I'll ramp up the pace."
And with that, our spar started in earnest, with the Sword God crossing the distance between us in an instant as his sword whipped towards me.
Having already spread my touki into the hair, I countered his strike just as he entered my range, causing him to back off as I went on the attack, a blast of wind magic pushing me forward as I swung towards him.
Obviously, he blocked it.
But I had expected that.
Concentrating touki in my legs, I sprinted around the Sword God, twisting my body as I couched down and delivering a strike to his legs that he evaded once again.
Damn… past his touki control and speed, this guy's reactions were insane.
With some distance now between us, the Sword God crouched down, touki thrumming across his body and into his blade as it then lashed out, making me drop to the ground to dodge the strike.
Fuck.
I wanted to spar him to watch his touki flow with my Demon eye, but he was too damn fast.
Maybe… if I could just get used to it, but… I wasn't at that level yet.
Standing back up, I extended my hand, sending a blast of wind magic before I concentrated on a few sharp blades of wind to follow behind it, but with one swipe of the sword… the man blew it all away.
Shit… that strong fucker.
Nullifying my magic with a sword swing… fucking ridiculous.
"He~? You pissed off?" he said, smirking pridefully.
Dammit. That just made me angrier.
"Huh? You're getting even more pissed off?" he said, a bit confused. "What's up with that?"
I gritted my teeth.
"You remind me of my shitty father when he was a prick," I said, sprinting forward.
"You got a mouth on ya, kid!" he laughed, stopping my strike with a smooth parry.
That… was the Water God style… so he was also good at defence too.
How annoying.
His sword tore through the air in a smooth movement, cutting through the air as he struck me once again, his touki flashing across his blade at the point of impact, causing my sword to get blown back.
And then, with the speed deserving of the head of the Sword God style, the hilt of his sword struck my neck, breaking through my touki defence and sending me sprawling to the ground.
"Well… you lost, kid," he said, tapping my head with his sword.
"Yeah, I… got that," I said, wiping the sweat from my brow as I got up.
Fuck… he was strong as shit, and not nearly as one-dimensional as I had initially expected.
And then that speed… I knew he would be fast, but I can't even get any views of his sword technique and how he uses his touki for long range attacks.
…Wait.
Why was I focusing on his long range attacks and sword technique?
If I'm getting overwhelmed by his speed… then shouldn't I try to emulate that first?
"Well, even though you lost, that was a damn good display," the Sword God said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "It's been a while since I tried that hard, and while I can't give you the title of a Sword Emperor until you defeat a Sword King in front of me, with your strength, you can call yourself an Emperor in whatever weird style you use."
His words caused me to widen my eyes in surprise.
An Emperor… so I was an Elemental Emperor now… cool!
"Well… a weak one though," he added, scratching his ear with a shrug.
…Not so cool.
Dusting myself off, I then bowed to the man.
"Thank you for the spar," I said. "And… thanks for not killing me."
"Ha! My pleasure!" he said as he then looked to the side of the hall. "Plus… you've given my students some motivation as well."
Glancing to the side, I saw that Eris, Isolte, and Nina, who had been watching our bout, now had an aura of fierce determination radiating off of them.
It was almost… scary.
I didn't know whether I should hope that Eris' enhanced tenacity comes out to tonight in bed or not.
We had already gone hard enough last night that we used touki unconsciously, after all, and even though I had healed myself after the act, it still hurt in the morning.
"You've had your fun, Gal," Master said, stepping forward as she looked down at me with interest. "Now… I want to see your skills. I saw you use it… Dance of Deluge… it wasn't an exact application, but it wasn't inferior to it either. Consider yourself a Water King, brat."
My lips quirked up into a smile.
"Thank you, Master," I said as I drew my blade. "Now… can I ask for your teachings once again?"
"Heh. How polite," she returned, taking out her blade.
A few moments of silence lapsed between us before she lifted her eyebrow.
"Well? You're not going to make this old lady move first, are you?" she asked. "You want to see some Water God style techniques, no? You have to attack for me to show you."
And so, following her words, I concentrated my touki in my legs, letting it burst off the ground as I leaped forward, my sword aimed at the woman's arm.
But as soon as I began concentrating my touki, she began moving her own, the mysterious energy generating a screen in front of her.
And as soon as I reached that screen, and my sword bearing down to cut through it… everything was reversed.
My sword, my touki, my body… I was sent flying back before I could even realize what had happened, with a gash on my arm, right where I was aiming at on her body.
What… the fuck?
"That… you brat, was Ocean's Mirror," she said. "Like trying to walk into the waves on a beach, everything gets sent back to you, sending you tumbling back no matter how much you try to fight it. Pretty cool, huh? Even though I haven't mastered that one yet."
"Y-Yeah… that's one way to put it," I said, healing myself.
Ocean's Mirror… so it can reflect anything… touki, velocity, attacks… that really was an insane technique, and that wasn't even the mastered version.
How the hell did touki have such power and an ability?
That was almost like magic, at that point.
"But Master… should you really be showing off such secret techniques right here?" I asked.
"Ah, Gal here is already a Water Emperor," she said, waving off my concern. "He definitely knows all this stuff, so there's no need for any secrecy between us."
I see… so the Sword God did know the Water God style… that explains how he kicked my ass so easily.
"Come on, kid! This time it's one where you don't need to move, so watch carefully," Master said.
And so, following her exact words, I watched carefully. Activating my Demon eye as I observed a wave of touki flow from her blade, shooting towards me as it then… created a ring around me?
I… didn't quite understand, but as soon as I got up to move, I felt it.
I was… slower.
Much slower.
And I could feel it… if this was a serious fight and not a spar… I would already be dead.
A… barrier of touki?
One that affects me physically?
That… seemed useful, if a little passive.
"You got it?" she asked, flicking her sword as the touki dissipated into thin air. "That's Rainfall Waltz. Like a downpour, it surrounds your opponents, ending the fight as soon as you entrap them. After all, no matter how fast… you can't dodge the rain, right?"
"Yeah…" I said, nodding as I turned to face her again. "What's next, Master?"
"Well… just this one. I can't perform any other art, after all," she said. "Oh, and master one of these, and you'll become a Water Emperor, so concentrate."
"I got it," I nodded, looking forward.
"Alright then," she said. "This one is Churning Tide. It takes in the power and touki of a strike before cycling it, amplifying it across the user's sword before returning it to the initial attacker. So it goes without saying that unless you want to die, don't attack me too hard."
"I… got it," I said, readying my sword.
And then, taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant as I swung towards her sword.
She said not to use too much power, but… I wanted to see it.
I wanted to see it for all the technique's beauty.
And to see the technique being used properly… I needed a good amount of touki and power to show off.
Our swords clashing, I felt my momentum halt as my touki drained from my sword, the touki flooding her blade, churning and twisting along her sword before gathering at the tip, and in a flash, I felt a pain blossom across my chest as I was sent flying back for a second time, tumbling back as blood sprayed through the air.
Ouch… that burned.
I don't think I had been hit this bad since the Hydra.
"Leon!" Eris shouted with worry.
"I'm… fine," I said, lifting my shaky arm to heal the gash on my chest. "That… fucking hurt."
"Well, you went too hard, dumb brat," Master said, walking up to me as she then kicked my side. "Did you at least get a good feel for it?"
"Yeah… 'feel for it' is one way to explain that," I chuckled, sitting up. "That… it seems like I have a lot of work to do."
I didn't completely understand, but now that I knew what I was working with, and the movement of the touki seared into my memory, I could train it.
"Yeah, I would hope so. It would hurt this old woman's heart if you mastered four of the five arts so fast," she said. "But… you're not going to give up, right?"
"Hell no," I spat, getting to my feet. "But thank you for the lesson."
"Just use it well," she said, patting my head as she looked down at my sword. "And that sword… it's nice, but… it won't handle anything further."
I looked down at my sword with a difficult expression.
I… really didn't want to break this.
It was the first gift Eris had given me, and it had served me quite well through the years… even if it was a bit short for me now.
"Hey, Gal!" Master shouted. "You're not using most of those swords, right? Give one to him, will ya?"
"Eh? That brat?" the Sword God said, looking at me. "Well… he did kick Nina's ass earlier-"
"Hey!"
"-and she's a Sword Saint, so I guess he's a Sword King."
"Then it's only right, yeah?" Master said.
"Hah. Yeah, I guess," he said, walking over to the door at the back of the room. "I'm not giving him my special collection, since those three are waiting for their owners to get a bit stronger, but I have one in mind for him."
He then went into the door, which I assumed to be his personal room, and after a few moments, returned with a plain sword that seemed to be a style similar to my father's.
"Here. This one ain't anything special, but it's damn durable, so I've used it as my training sword in the past," he said, tossing me the blade. "That should be able to handle anything you throw at it. Ah, but you'll need a sheath… well, you can probably find one anywhere for it."
"I… see. Thank you, sir," I said.
"Think nothing of it," he waved me off. "While not my student, you're still a Sword King, so you should have a weapon to reflect that. Besides… I had some fun playing with you, so come spar whenever ya want."
Nodding my head, I then turned to Eris, my eyebrows furrowing slightly as my conflicted feelings began to rise to the surface.
The spellsword that was so important to me… further than becoming too brittle to use for stronger swordsmanship, it hadn't been helping me with magic as much anymore, granting me diminishing returns as I became more skilled with mana control and optimizing its efficiency.
But still… she gave it to me for the purpose of using it… and it had been with me for so long…
"Replace it," Eris said, looking at me. "Don't be an idiot, Leon. We can just save it and give it to our kid, okay?"
Ah… well, that was one way to conclude my inner turmoil.
"Sure thing," I said, nodding as I then turned back to the Sword God. "And… what's the name of this sword?"
"Hm? I just called it my practice sword, so I didn't really care," he said, scratching his ear. "But if I remember correctly, it was one of Yulian's, even if it wasn't anything special. And as for the name… I believe it was Severance."
Huh… quite a simple name, fit for a simple sword.
And so, I became the bearer of Severance, one of the 49 swords made from the bones of the king of King Dragons, Kajakut, forged by the legendary craftsman, Yulian Jalisco.
…Though to me, this thing would just be my new sword.
Sorry, Severance, but I'll be sure to maintain you to the best of my ability.
— Leon Greyrat —
Before I knew it, my week at the Sword Sanctum had passed, with me sparring with one of the divine-rank swordsmen during the mornings, training by myself with Eris and her friends in the afternoons, and then being drained for all I was worth during the nights.
On the surface, my swordsmanship hadn't improved much, except for using my touki a bit more efficiently and becoming a bit faster from watching the Sword God.
But I took the time to observe both of the divine-rank swordsmen carefully during our spars, along with their spars with others, so I now knew how to improve.
And I also now knew that my touki defences were… mediocre at best.
They were still stronger than most, but I was using the technique of the Dragon God, and mine was a pretty weak imitation. Weaker than I had initially thought.
You see, even before sparring against the Sword God, he had already respected my abilities.
Why?
Because I had cut the Dragon God.
Yes… the strongest human swordsman respected me… just because I cut him.
A single cut.
That was how legendary the Dragon God's defences were.
So for me to be so easily harmed while using the same technique of layering touki… that was quite pathetic.
But it also meant that I still had quite a ways to grow, so I would just have to keep training it.
However, that would have to wait.
The week had been as productive as it was pleasurable, and while I enjoyed my time here, I did have a pregnant lover to get back to.
"So… you're going?" Eris asked.
"I have to," I said, tying the last of my bags onto the horse. "But I did love spending time with you. And when you get back, you'll be my wife, and we'll be spending as much time as we want together for the rest of our lives."
"Yeah… I get it," she said, her cheeks flushing a bit.
Since Eris only had her sword and a couple changes of clothes as her belongings, I decided to take her dress back with me so she could pack light on her way back.
But make no mistake, we definitely got our use out of it during my time here.
As it turns out, the side slits made for very easy access, and were wonderfully useful in bed.
Looking back to Eris, I walked up to her, embracing her tightly as I took in a whiff of her hair, taking in as much of the scent as I could before we would be separated again.
"I'll miss you," I said.
"I'll miss you too," she said, tilting her head up to exchange a deep kiss, one more gentle and loving rather than lustfully passionate, which had been most of our kisses so far.
Parting our lips, I gave her one last peck on the nose before pulling away from her.
"I love you, Eri," I said. "No matter what, I love you."
"And I love you too," she said, smiling back at me.
Taking one last look at her, I then got on my horse, deciding that staying any longer would only be a way to convince me to stay one more night.
My Eris was an addictive woman like that.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" I said. "And I'm waiting at home for you. Our home."
Her eyes widened as she then nodded fiercely.
"Don't worry, Leon," she said, smiling. "I'll come back to you."
"Good," I said, nodding. "Just… don't take too long. Ah! And I'll send you letters to keep you updated!"
"You know that I still suck at reading!" she huffed.
"Then get Isolte to help you out!" I said, laughing as I began trotting away. "See you soon, Eri."
And with that, I departed from the Sword Sanctum with my mind and body refreshed, a new sword attached to my hip, and more ideas gained from my spars with the Sword God and Water God that I would surely put into practice.
But first… I had to become a father.