Chapter 52
“What’s with all that…?”
My voice shrank to almost nothing, as if it could vanish into a mouse hole.
I couldn’t quite understand what Meteo meant.
In a world where everyone helps each other, why take it so seriously?
Meteo was only nine years old. Sure, I was a year younger than him, but it wouldn’t have been strange if someone else had saved him.
We were still fragile children.
So what? Was it wrong for someone to save him?
I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he would think that way.
“Anyway, thanks, Crescent.”
Meteo suddenly stood up from the sofa. I blinked, surprised—was he already planning to leave?
I stayed seated, looking up at him.
“I should be the one thanking you. You’re the one who taught me how to use a gauntlet. If you hadn’t come to find me back then, I wouldn’t have even known how to use it.”
“Thanks to that, I realized how much I still lack. I faced a huge barrier in the Demon Realm.”
Huh?
His answer didn’t match my question.
I guess my words didn’t even register in his ears.
“That’s obvious, isn’t it? Even for you, you’re only nine years old. You’re still in the middle of your training.”
“The demons won’t wait for me just because I’m young. They won’t give me time to grow fully.”
“…!”
Only then did it dawn on me. My lips parted slightly.
I had wondered why he seemed so anxious, and now I realized—Meteo even at that age felt the pressure.
He believed he had to play a significant role in saving the world.
Was it because he was born with the divine power class rank of Adamas, the very top?
He must have been expected to do so much because of it.
“I’ll have to undergo separate training from now on. In the Temple, I can receive high-intensity special training with the knights-in-training I choose.”
“What? That means you won’t be home for at least a few years, and you won’t even go to the Temple. Will the Marchioness allow that?”
High-intensity special training…
I hadn’t dismissed the thought myself, but as a beginner paladin like me, I wouldn’t even be allowed to take it.
For now, I had to adapt to the training I was already receiving.
But Meteo wanting to undergo special training—given his divine power, it was possible, yet it seemed like a lot to take on.
He shook his head, and his snow-white hair shimmered brilliantly.
“My mother won’t stop me. Anyway, I’ll leave as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow.”
“!”
Just like that?
I felt a sudden chill in my chest.
There was still time to rest, yet he was planning to leave for special training immediately. That meant he wouldn’t see his family for at least three years.
I didn’t mind not seeing him myself, but—
“That training has quite a reputation. I’ve heard many give up as soon as it starts. Are you really sure about this?”
“I don’t care about that.”
“So… we won’t see each other for a long time either?”
“No need to.”
“That’s true. Training is more important, after all.”
I nodded, accepting Meteo’s words as natural.
Exactly.
There was no need for him and me to see each other frequently.
As much as he wanted to become stronger, I had to diligently improve my own skills too.
“Crescent.”
“Hm?”
Meteo suddenly called out to me.
His clear eyes were more serious than before.
“I will always be the one who saves someone. Not the one being saved.”
He’s got quite the lingering pride…
It seemed being saved by me had been a shocking experience for him.
I quickly tried to soothe him.
“Yeah, of course. But there’s one thing I want you to know. Just as you want to save others, there are many who want to protect you. That means you’re precious too.”
Born an Adamas paladin.
The person said to be capable of killing a demon lord, just like Baldwin Pluto who eradicated Baal five hundred years ago.
As important as countless lives are to the people of this world, Meteo himself is incredibly valuable.
Just as in the original game, without him, the world cannot be saved.
I hoped Meteo would value himself as much as he cared for others.
“So if someone else saves you, it’s okay. Don’t think it makes you weak. It just proves how important you are.”
“….”
Meteo didn’t respond.
He just looked down at me quietly.
Did he understand what I was trying to say?
Feeling a bit awkward, I looked away.
“Ahem. Anyway, you have to tell me how the special training goes. I’m curious too.”
“….”
No reply came.
Sunlight streamed through the window, stretching across the floor.
Even in the shadows, Meteo’s presence seemed dazzling.
The next day, Meteo truly left for the Temple, heading to the location where the special training would take place.
Due to the nature of the training, the Temple kept everything about the training location and contents strictly secret.
The only thing spreading were rumors that trainees were pushed to the brink of death.
In fact, some paladins had died during training.
But those who completed the long, grueling special training always returned as undeniably the strongest paladins.
Just like Ruben and Miles.
“Don’t cry, Miles. Meteo isn’t leaving forever, is he?”
Ruben clicked his tongue.
Miles had been sniffling, clutching a handkerchief the whole time.
I marveled at how even the Marchioness shed tears worrying about her child.
“It’s really embarrassing to cry in front of Senti. Didn’t you and Father survive your special training just fine?”
“You don’t know! That place is where you could really die!”
Miles snapped at Learwin.
A tear fell from Miles’ deep blue eye. The sight seemed unusually forlorn.
‘It must be an incredibly harsh training.’
I couldn’t even imagine it. I just rolled my eyes once.
If Miles found it unbearable, it must truly push people to their limits.
“You have no idea! That’s not training for humans; only monsters can survive there. Meteo is still too young by five years!”
“Are you underestimating our son? If it’s impossible, Meteo will know how to come back!”
“No. I say this because I know Meteo. He’s never one to quit from the start.”
“Then he might stop halfway. Just trust him a little.”
“Yes, Miles. You survived that training; what makes you think Meteo can’t?”
“…Yes.”
Miles reluctantly closed his mouth. His lips still trembled, tears unceased.
Did Meteo realize how much his father worried for him?
‘And how could he decide to leave for such harsh training overnight… not a single family member stopped him?’
Miles only broke down in tears after Meteo had left.
Ruben and Learwin supported his decision without any sign of worry.
Outwardly, the family seemed extravagant, but in reality, they only knew training.
The son heads to the battlefield, the family can’t stop him, only worry from behind…
I thought once again about the Pluto family.
They seemed, even after five hundred years, to only think of defeating demons to save people.
‘Then I should step up too.’
While receiving their support, I had to do my part.
More importantly, I didn’t know how long my father’s soul, sharing a body with the demon lord, could endure.
He protected me from the demon lord’s attempt on my life, so the demon lord would stop at nothing to destroy him permanently.
‘That’s why I need to get strong quickly. Level up!’
If my father and Meteo are doing their best, I’ll do my best too!
