C15
By the time Shirone and Rian returned to the room, it was nearing noon.
“Haha! Did you see their faces?! That felt sooooo good!”
“But are you really okay? That knight's oath… I think you overdid it because of me.”
Rian's expression became serious. Despite how immature he was, he understood the weight of the knight's oath.
“Shirone, I did not take the oath because you are my friend. You're different from my brother. You have the power to attract people.”
Shirone felt the sincerity.
But listening to such praise made him feel awkward, so to lift the mood a bit, he tried to joke around.
“Haha! I feel too much pressure. But if you want to protect me, you'll have to improve by several folds.”
Rian flinched.
“Hey, don't poke where it hurts. I already know that. By the way, you surprised me there. Saying what you wanted to say in front of my whole family. Weren't you scared?”
“Hehe, there's a secret to that.”
Shirone explained how he imagined jumping off a cliff, which he realized before his sword battle with Rian.
Thinking it would be of some help towards improving his swordsmanship, Rian was puzzled once he heard the story.
“Jumping off a cliff? Why would you do that? Are you perhaps… An idiot?”
“…An idiot?”
He couldn't believe Rian called him an idiot.
“No, just listen carefully. I don't mean you should actually jump off a cliff. Simply imagine it. You aren't dead until you fall flat on the ground. It means that you need to focus on the present instead of needlessly imagining the future.”
“But if you jump off, you're dead. It's you who needs to think it over. If you jump, you're as good as dead.”
“Argh, seriously! If you don't even jump off the cliff, ultimately, you'll end up not being able to do anything!”
“Aha, then I can do it. For example, I would jump without any hesitation to save you. Because that's what a knight does.”
Shirone blinked.
It was completely different from what he wanted to convey, but he thought that was who Rian was.
'You really are the polar opposite of me.'
At that moment, someone came in. Someone who he thought he would never meet again.
As Reina peeked her head inside the room, she let out a small sigh. Shirone's face flushed at the sight of her.
“Hi. The atmosphere on the opponent's side was too fierce, so I came to my ally's base to evacuate.”
“Get out. We were having a man-to-man talk.”
Shirone waved his hands around hurriedly as Rian was sending Reina away.
“What's wrong with you, Rian? Your sister helped out a lot. You're welcome to come in, Reina.”
“Hey, you just don't understand. That witch must be…”
Rian, who was spitting out slander, thought for a while and closed his mouth.
Shirone and Reina. Reina and Shirone. Those two names were coming and going in his head.
Reina came closer, walking briskly like a cat, and sat between the two.
“Anyways. Rian, you were pretty cool back there. I can't believe you took out the knight's oath card. I really can't beat you.”
“How come you sound like you're teasing me?”
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Infinite Mage (Novel)
