Chapter 25: Unbreakable Bonds
The late afternoon sun hung low over the Augustine estate, casting long shadows across the training grounds. Suzume leaned against a tree, arms crossed, her sharp eyes trained on Argus. He was in the middle of another one of her grueling exercises, his face drenched in sweat and his breathing heavy, but he hadn't stopped. Not once.
She smirked to herself. The brat had spirit, she had to give him that. Even when he looked ready to collapse, he found a way to push through.
"Not bad, brat," Suzume muttered under her breath, though she wouldn't dare let him hear that. After all, she couldn't have him thinking he'd impressed her—not yet. He still had a long way to go.
Argus finished the last set of drills, stumbling but refusing to fall, his body shaking from exhaustion. Suzume stepped forward, towering above him with a sly grin.
"You're still standing? Disappointing. I must be going soft," she teased, nudging him lightly with her boot.
Argus rolled his eyes and slumped to the ground. "If you pushed any harder, you'd have to carry me off this field."
Suzume chuckled, leaning on her training sword like a staff. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? But don't worry. Tomorrow, I'll make sure you can't even crawl off."
Argus groaned, but despite himself, a smirk tugged at his lips. "A little mercy wouldn't kill you."
"Mercy?" Suzume raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "How about you show a little respect first? Maybe call me 'Master' like a proper student."
Argus shot her a mischievous look. "Sure thing, Master," he said, drawing out the title with exaggerated sarcasm.
Suzume rolled her eyes and gave him a light kick to the leg. "Keep it up, brat. You'll be calling me 'Master' for real soon enough, whether you like it or not."
Argus chuckled, but he knew better than to push it further. Suzume had a talent for turning sass into more brutal training sessions, and his muscles were screaming for mercy.
As he finally dragged himself to his feet and walked toward the shaded part of the grounds, Suzume couldn't help but watch him with a grudging sense of admiration. She had to admit, the brat was tougher than she had expected—especially for a sheltered noble. She thought back to the day she had agreed to train him, fully expecting him to crumble under her methods within the first few days.
But he hadn't.
It didn't take long for Suzume to realize that Argus wasn't just any pampered noble's son. He had something else driving him—something deep and unrelenting. At first, she couldn't figure it out, but as time passed, she started to see the patterns, the quiet resilience that came from being molded by something far stronger than mere discipline. It was the obsessive love of his mother, Evangeline, that had shaped him. A love so fierce and overwhelming that it pushed him beyond normal limits, forcing him to grow stronger, to survive in ways most kids his age never had to.
Evangeline's influence had made him different, tougher than she expected from someone who had never known true hardship. It was that edge—the relentless drive that came from his mother's suffocating affection—that kept him from breaking under her training.
"Your mother knew exactly what she was doing when she handed you off to me," Suzume muttered to herself, half-amused, half-impressed.
Breaking the silence, she called out, "You're not done for the day yet."
Argus groaned, still catching his breath. "I thought you said today was the easy day."
"Easy compared to tomorrow," she retorted. "Get up. We've got more work to do."
Despite his obvious exhaustion, Argus grabbed his practice sword again. He knew better than to argue—especially with Suzume. She wasn't the type to show mercy just because he was young. If anything, she expected more from him precisely because of his age.
They squared off again, the mock duel lasting longer than the previous rounds. Argus's strikes were more controlled now, sharper, even as fatigue weighed down his limbs. Suzume parried his blows effortlessly, the wooden swords clashing with a sharp crack in the otherwise silent training grounds.
After a few more minutes, Suzume finally stepped back, lowering her sword. "Not bad, brat. You might actually be worth the trouble."
Argus lowered his sword, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."
Suzume's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Don't get cocky. You've still got a long way to go before I'm impressed."
Argus wiped the sweat from his brow, his legs feeling like lead. "I'll keep that in mind."
Suzume leaned her sword against the tree and took a seat in the grass, motioning for Argus to join her. For a moment, the two sat in silence, the sounds of the surrounding forest filling the air.
"I've been meaning to ask," Suzume said casually, glancing over at Argus. "Why do you keep refusing to call me 'Master' seriously?"
Argus smirked, leaning back against the tree trunk. "Because you don't act like one."
Suzume raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's that supposed to mean, brat?"
"Well," Argus said, pretending to think. "You're more like an overgrown bully with a sword."
Suzume laughed, her voice echoing through the clearing. "A bully, huh? I'll remember that next time we spar. But seriously, why don't you just show a little respect? Call me 'Master' like the others would."
Argus glanced at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Alright, Master Suzume," he said, drawing out the title with an exaggerated bow. "You're the greatest swordswoman in the land, and I'm unworthy to train under you."
Suzume rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the grin that tugged at her lips. "Smartass."
The banter between them had become a regular occurrence, a rhythm that had formed in the weeks they'd spent together. Suzume found it odd, but she didn't mind. The brat was growing on her, even if she wouldn't admit it.
As they sat in the cooling shade, Argus caught his breath. Suzume watched him, the sharpness in her gaze softening slightly, though not enough for him to notice. She wasn't the type to get sentimental, but seeing the brat work himself to the bone stirred something deep inside her—something she hadn't felt in a long time.
"Tell me, brat," she said after a moment, her voice quieter, more thoughtful than before. "What drives you? You don't have to train like this. You've got everything you need already—power, influence, that cozy little life of yours. Why go through all this hell?"
Argus tilted his head, considering her question. He wasn't used to Suzume asking anything so... reflective. "I don't know," he admitted, brushing a lock of sweat-soaked hair from his face. "I guess I just want to be strong."
Suzume raised an eyebrow. "Strong? Or stronger than someone else?"
Argus hesitated, then shrugged. "Maybe both."
Suzume chuckled, taking another sip from her flask. "Typical. Everyone's trying to prove something."
"And what about you?" Argus asked, the exhaustion in his voice giving way to curiosity. "Why are you still here? You're already strong."
Suzume's smile faded just a little. "Strength isn't everything, brat. Sometimes, it's about what you do with it."
Argus frowned, sensing something deeper behind her words. "Like what?"
Suzume stood abruptly, brushing off the dust from her clothes. "That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself. I'm not here to give you answers."
Argus stared at her, confused but too tired to push further. "You really are a mystery, you know that?"
Suzume smirked, tossing her sword over her shoulder. "Good. Mysteries keep people on their toes. And speaking of toes, you'd better be on yours tomorrow—if you think today was hard, you're in for a rude awakening."
Argus groaned, dragging himself up from the ground. "You say that every day."
"Because it's true every day," Suzume said, a playful glint in her eyes. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll see if you can survive what I've got planned."
Argus shot her a wary look but couldn't help a tired grin. "Actually, I do have a motivation to get stronger—so I can be stronger than you and finally get my revenge."
Suzume's laughter echoed through the trees as she walked away. "Keep dreaming, brat."
As Argus watched her go, that familiar mix of dread and anticipation settled in his chest. He was getting stronger—not just for the sake of it, but to one day stand on equal footing with his master. And maybe, just maybe, to get a little revenge for all the times she'd pushed him to the brink.
But for now, there was more training to endure. And he wouldn't have it any other way.