Capítulo 28: confession
- Xian's POV -
*sigh* I couldn't help but audibly sigh at the drunken Bell, who was passed out on the table. Mama Mia would usually kick the unconscious men out of the pub at closing hour, but she spared him, as Syr took an interest in him. Turning my attention toward Liliruca, who was sitting across from Bell, I broke the silence between us.
"So have you made your decision?" I asked Liliruca.
"Yes, I want to be taught by you." Though I couldn't see her eyes with my own, I sensed conviction in her voice.
"So be it. I hope you won't regret this decision later." I walked over to the sleeping Bell and carried him on my shoulder.
"Mama Mia, is there another empty room for Bell?" I called out to the kitchen, where Mama Mia was. She looked over from the kitchen door with a question mark on her head.
"You won't use this opportunity to sleep with Bell again?" She said in a teasing voice.
"That was only to heal him."
"Okay, okay, I believe you." She grinned and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.
"Do you have a room?" I changed the subject to avoid continuing this conversation further.
"Don't worry, we have a ton more ever since we reconstructed. Just enter one and lock the door, and no one will bother you and Bell." She returned to the kitchen, and I returned my attention to Liliruca, who was blushing from our conversation.
"Are you going to return to your home?" I asked, but she tried to avert her eyes to hide her embarrassment.
"I-I'm going home. Y-you can enjoy your time with Bell," she misunderstood and tried to leave quickly.
"I do not have feelings for Bell," I said, but she didn't hear as she left quickly. I sighed at this misunderstanding, but I digressed. I ascended the stairs and entered an empty room, setting Bell on the bed. Sensing movement Bell woke up with hazy eyes.
"Xian-san?" His voice was faint, a sign of half-consciousness.
"Go back to sleep," I commanded and walked over to the door to lock it.
"I like you," the drunken Bell said as he looked at me, but I frowned at what he said. "You always helped me, even if the problem was trivial. You cared about me, even if you showed it differently." I approached Bell and looked at his face.
"Say that when you're sober and much older." I flicked his head, knocking him unconscious.
-
After that pub incident, no significant event occurred. With Liliruca studying under me, I tutored her in the commandership I learned from the buried memory of training in the war camp. I also discovered that she could wield heavy weapons with relative ease, but her lack of talent in combat remained a problem.
"Hah!" Bell swung downwards toward me but only met with empty air. I readied my katana for a slash, but an incoming arrow interrupted. Turning my attention toward Liliruca, who was reloading her hand crossbow, I dashed toward Liliruca, but Bell moved between us to guard her.
I motioned for a horizontal slash as Bell parried my blade upwards, leaving me vulnerable for a second. Bell's eyes widened at how much easier it was to parry, and he tried to take advantage of the opening. However, I calmly backstepped and countered his attack with a kick, knocking him right beside Liliruca.
"O flame, grant me strength, cover my very bones with your warmth, and protect my flesh with your shielding burn," Bell chanted. Liliruca drew a greatsword made of ice from her back with a clumsy posture. They both dashed at me, performing a joint attack. Liliruca slashed downwards, and I sidestepped as the greatsword struck the ground with massive force, launching dirt upward.
I slashed at Liliruca, but Bell intervened, blocking my blade as he delivered a punch. I grabbed his hand and used his momentum to slam him into the ground as I dodged Liliruca's slash once more and countered with a kick, instantly grounding her.
I sheathed my katana, signaling the end of the spar, as both Bell and Liliruca sighed in relief.
"Haaah, why do I have to join this spar?" Liliruca complained.
"Even if you are a capable commander, you need to be strong to set an example," I explained.
"But what's the point if I'm only sparring with Bell?"
"In the future, there will come a time when your leadership is needed."
"Ugh, at least let me get a lighter weapon." She referred to the greatsword I made with my ice magic. I had desired a greatsword whose weight far exceeded her body weight. What came into being was a greatsword created out of highly compressed ice.
"My strength has weakened," I mumbled, and my words went unnoticed by Bell and Liliruca.
As Kirion and I are soul-bound, our strengths are connected, and sealing him means sealing a large portion of my power. This slow descent into weakness will only get worse as sealing Kirion meant a part of my soul was missing, a state dreaded by most people as it meant your soul will corrode. Though I could shield it for the time being with Soul Shield, it would be unwise to keep this status quo.
"Truly foolish of me," I muttered, still unnoticed by Bell and Liliruca.
I bid goodbye to both of them and decided to explore the city with no plan in mind. Along the way, I encountered a crowd standing in front of the dungeon entrance, and some familiar figures stood among them.
"Listen up! Our plan is to meet up on floor 15, and once we meet there, we will make our way straight to floor 50!" Finn commanded them at the front, and everyone replied with a rally. After waiting until they dispersed, I approached Ais and the others to greet them. Tiona took notice of me and decided to greet me.
"Xian! It's nice to meet you here," she waved at me with excitement, signaling me to come over and shifting the others' attention toward me.
"Greetings. It would appear you all are very energetic this morning," I greeted.
"Ah, Xian, good to see you. As you can see, we are just about to start an expedition," Finn stated.
"Yes, I only came to wish you all good luck," I quickly left after bidding farewell to continue wandering.
"Beautiful lady, would you like to take a look at our clothing?" A merchant waved at my back but realized the blindfold I was wearing.
"Clothing? What kind?" I decided to see what they offer. The merchant decided not to mention the blindfold, as it is a magical world, and a mage could make fire out of thin air. A blind person's seeing is not out of the realm of possibility.
"We have many! From casual clothing to combat clothing," he explained many types of clothing. It seemed he owned a store dedicated to women's wares, and he offered to guide me through the selections. Many of the clothes seemed normal, with some focusing on accentuating the waistline or making the wearer more appealing.
Spreading my senses, one dress stood out the most, a sleeveless dark blue dress with an intricate design with many details spread across it
"Oh that is one of the dresses imported from outside of the city, it said it came from a city where everyone combat the stronger, and with where it came from it is only natural the dress is made out of sturdy material perfect for combat" The merchant saw me looking at the dress and explained how it came to be
~~
wanna reviews? I can give you a candy if you do :>
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder