บท 181: Towards their Own Path (3)
When the four of them, including Irene, were concentrating on spirits, Lulu, the cat sorcerer, wasn't just playing around.
'It seems that this is something that can help Irene.'
Lulu thought as she looked at the necklace he picked from Durkali's treasure room.
She had no talent either for control or for affinity for the spirits.
But she could feel something.
And she thought that if she could make good use of the ancient relics that didn't even exist in records, then she would be able to give a lot of strength to Irene in the future.
Even she had a feeling that something was about to happen.
She nodded and turned.
Pah!
Whoo…!
With bright eyes, and elongated limbs, and horns and wings growing on her head and back.
Lulu, who succeeded in transforming more easily than before, was satisfied.
"Great! Indeed, I feel like I have much more strength in my transformed state!"
The sorcerer, who looked at her human-like appearance, immediately shook her head.
And she stared at the necklace Irene had lent her.
Nothing was known about the identity of the necklace; she really didn't know what it was.
But it was fine.
Originally, Lulu was proud to be one of the top ten sorcerers on the continent.
Comparing fighting skills alone may not be right, but if a cat could learn to speak human language, then how strong did the cat's aspiration have to be?
And now that the power of her mind had become stronger due to the effect of the transformation, she was sure that the information about the necklace would just flow into her normally, like it was the case with other things.
"Was what I thought…"
However, no.
A week passed, and then a month, and even after Judith and Bratt left Durkali.
Lulu still failed to uncover the secret behind the necklace.
It was unfortunate, but there was nothing she could do.
Lulu, in her transformed state, had gained the power of intuition where she could see through the essence of things by just looking at it, but this necklace wasn't giving her any information.
But the black cat didn't give up.
Clenching her front paws tightly, she moved with ambitious eyes. Then, she went to Gorha, who wasn't very friendly, and asked.
"Tell me more about spirits."
"… Hmm?"
"You don't need to tell me directly. I am just curious about the concept and knowledge about spirits. Can't you introduce me to a spirit which can speak well?"
"…"
"I'll give you this instead…."
"I-I am not someone you can buy with mone…"
Rumble!
"…"
Snap!
"I know someone who is good."
Gorha grabbed Lulu's front paws and nodded happily, and Lulu had the opportunity to learn about the Five spirits, which the Durkali tribe was so proud of, as well as other knowledge which had its roots in subjects far more important.
The five spirits, earth, metal, water, wood, and fire.
Theories about existed even before that; along with things like the four principles, the three virtues, Yin and Yang, all of this existed from the beginning.
Lulu learned the way the orcs looked at the world step by step, and in two months, she was as good as the orcs who wandered the continent. Those were the individuals who were acquainted with the spirits that they knew the most.
And they were even better than Kuvar, considering that Kuvar was more about theory than actual practice.
"It is a good thing that you didn't learn from me."
"Hahah! Am I a spirit warrior now?"
"No, you aren't. If you were one, then wouldn't anyone who can handle spirits be a spirit warrior?"
"Right."
Lulu nodded gently and focused on the necklace.
It was only a tiny bit, but it seemed almost obvious. The fact that the power contained inside it was something greater than the basic five spirits.
And now she was getting the hang of it.
So even if Kuvar didn't stop talking and messed up her concentration, she didn't mind that he bothered her since he was giving her valuable information.
"Where is Irene? Still with my father and Tarakan?"
"Well, yes. It has been that way since the start."
"Hmm. Right."
Kuvar nodded.
Due to the fact that he was learning divination from Gurgar, he visited the castle inside at least once a week.
Both family and Irene were important to Kuvar, but currently, it was more important for Kuvar to build memories with his teacher, who could disappear anytime.
Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't interested in Irene now.
Kuvar mumbled, thinking about the mental training he started two months back.
"It definitely won't be easy."
Currently, Irene wasn't practicing the Five Spirits Divine Technique. And he wasn't sharpening his swordsmanship either.
But rather, he was focusing on the past.
With numerous incidents, situations, and problems in the Durkali tribe, he was spending time contemplating how he would have solved them.
In other words, it was a more active and in-depth continuation of the worries which plagued him at the Alhad mountains.
'Well, since he can get advice from both his father and Tarakan, he was sure that Irene was in good hands.'
Whichever option was chosen, what would be the judgement a leader should make when facing a difficult situation?
Of course, there was no right answer.
Even if they were great beings in history, they aren't always praised by the future generations.
If one praises a person as an iron-blooded ruler, then others would accuse him of being cold-blooded, and those considered as sages will be called hypocrites.
However…
'The role of a chief is to lead the group while enduring the pressure and burden that comes with it.'
In that sense, he thought that there was no good teacher like his father and Tarakan for Irene.
Although the path Irene chose wasn't that of a king, it was no different since Irene would constantly face burdensome choices.
And experience numerous events that will probably go down in history.
By referring to the opinions of old and young leaders, he could build his own beliefs as well as standards and opinions.
To help him make the best decision when faced with difficult situations.
A mind training worthy for a hero.
'In some ways, it is much more difficult than training the body. Especially since it is Irene.'
Closing his eyes for a moment, Kuvar remembered Irene Pareira.
A person who had the potential to be better than anyone he had met.
Not only did he have a good heart, but he also wanted other people to feel his kindness.
Right. Even though he knew how impossible it was, Irene was dreaming of a world where everyone was happy.
But reality is often cruel.
In a world full of countless misfortunes and hardships which cannot distinguish the good and bad, or the right and wrong, it could be said that the current world was difficult for a hero to walk in, compared to the past world, where exterminating the demons and the devils was the priority.
It wasn't like Irene was overusing his body.
It wasn't like he was swinging his sword hard enough to make his heart explode.
But this wasn't going to be easy.
And despite knowing that, Irene didn't want to run away without trying to give his best.
Although proud of that idea, Kuvar couldn't help but worry about him.
'I hope he doesn't carry a burden so heavy that he can't handle…'
It was time when he thought more…
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door opening. Kuvar and Lulu turned their heads. And a familiar figure was standing there.
Irene Pareira.
A young aspiring hero who still approached people with kind eyes, which was no different from the past.
No, that wasn't it.
Kuvar thought.
Could he add the word 'aspirant' to the name of the young man in front of him?
"Lulu."
"Yes."
Lulu flew to Irene, who called her. Her big eyes were looking into his eyes and his heart as well as his beliefs.
Even if Kuvar wasn't a sorcerer, he knew what Lulu was doing.
"Remember it? What Ignet said to me; 'Next time we meet, I'll ask the same thing to Irene Pareira and not the steel within you.' If I wanted to turn down her offer even then, she said I would have to work a lot harder."
"Yes. I remember."
"How does it look to you now?"
"…"
"Will I be able to stand proudly in front of that person?"
"Even if I don't tell you, it seems like you already know the answer."
Lulu didn't answer.
Nor did Kuvar.
Seeing the young hero who had changed drastically in a few days, and in a slightly trembling voice, he said.
"I have decided. My next destination."
'What am I doing now?'
While Irene Pareira was being taught by Karakum and Tarakan.
Ilya Lindsay was continuing her own training.
It wasn't like she was moving with certainty.
It was because her mind was so complicated that she couldn't come to her senses.
The Five Spirits Divine technique, which everyone else showed great achievements, was sluggish for her, and the swordsmanship which had grown until last year, was stagnant now.
As a result, she was unable to find her own way.
It was around the time when Ilya opened the note which Gurgar handed her, that her heart grew beyond what she could handle.
A short sentence was written in the paper.
'Go back to the beginning.'
It was just some abstract sentence.
But Ilya understood it.
The beginning wasn't limited.
Even if she sunk into the past, concentrated on the present, or moved into the future, there would still be a certain thing constantly in her mind.
'Ignet Crescentia.'
Ilya, who remembered the name after a long time, crumpled Gurgar's note.
She didn't want to accept it.
It wasn't because she didn't want to listen to others' words.
Now, she was struggling to walk her own path, away from the gaze of others.
'I don't need to be obsessed with Ignet anymore.'
Ilya nodded her head.
Right. That was true.
How deeply the obsessive compulsiveness and the anxiety caused by that useless obsession had wounded her. And how painfully it had burned her.
Knowing that, she wasn't going to follow behind Ignet. It was a stupid thing.
Thinking till there, Ilya burst into laughter.
Thinking back, it was silly.
Even though she promised not to wander anymore and walk in her own path without being shaken, she was still the same as in the past.
Swayed by the words of others and dependent on the advice of others.
No matter how great the fortune-telling was, it was something she should refrain from doing, changing her thoughts based on others' words.
Organizing her thoughts like that, her heart turned lighter. And Ilya smiled, closing her eyes.
And when she opened her eyes at the cool breeze which hit her.
"…"
Irene Pareira, who had a different atmosphere, spoke with a radiant look.
"I am going to see Ignet Crescentia."
"…"
"I am a little afraid to go alone, but… could you come along with me?
An absurd thing to say.
She knew it the moment she saw it. The strong energy around Irene. It was so strong that he could probably stand proudly in front of Ignet now.
He was shining so bright that others would be nothing in front of him.
But strangely, this didn't feel bad to Ilya.
Unlike Ignet, who approached like the sun and burned away her brother's confidence in an instant, this light from Irene was… warm.
And thanks to that.
Ilya came to realize that she had been making up excuses till now.
'… I was avoiding it.'
She wasn't getting away from obsessing.
She just didn't have the confidence to face Ignet.
Fearing that she would collapse from fear once again, she ended up running away. And finally, Ilya realized it.
Suddenly, she clenched her teeth.
She had come to her senses now.
Gurgar's note was crumpled, but it was still fine.
Ilya Lindsay smiled and spoke to her dear friend, Irene.
"Gladly."
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