A Former Child Soldier Who Uses a Magic Sword Wants to Live with an Older Sister of a Former Enemy Executive - Chapter 107

• Chapter 107 : A day in Seto’s life – Hydra’s chapter

It was the afternoon.

From atop a magnificent stone balcony, Adams was drinking and gazing out at the courtyard.

Seto, standing by his side as his bodyguard, observed the scene as well.

The reason being, a match was about to take place at Adams’ request to see Hydra’s skills. 

Hydra had agreed and was about to face off against Adams’ servants.

It was not clear whether it was because they were nobles from families known for their bravery, but the servants were also all skilled warriors.

Each carried their preferred weapons and would face Hydra one by one.

All of them were seasoned veterans who had seen frontline combat. 

Like Seto had once been, they were warriors who had walked through the chaos dominated by scorching heat and bloodshed, wielding weapons on battlefields.

Wars did not always take place in wide areas such as plains.

Sometimes, battles are fought in hazardous environments like valleys or dense jungles, often at night, fraught with danger beyond just the fight itself.

The people here had survived such hellish conditions and were now formidable warriors.

Each one of them was a hero-level fighter, almost like a devil on the battlefield.

Seto could not help but feel curious as to how well Hydra, a skilled martial artist, would fare against them.

She provided solid support in Silver City, so he thought she had considerable skill.

[Begin!] (Servant)

With that shout, the match started, and what unfolded before Seto’s eyes was mesmerizing. 

Hydra chose her weapons based on the opponents she faced, demonstrating her polished martial prowess.

Against the servant wielding a chain sickle, she used a three-section staff.

Against the servant wielding a greatsword, she used a crescent blade polearm.

In an instant, Hydra overpowered the battle-hardened servants, one after another.

First, she trained her body, deeply embedding martial routines into her soul, and transformed them into techniques.

Swords and spears were extensions of her unarmed strikes, so to speak.

She transferred her inner energy from her fists to her weapons, generating a powerful aura.

This was Hydra’s martial arts technique.

[Thank you for your guidance. Next, please.] (Hydra)

She then faced a rapier master with her own treasured sword, and subdued an opponent wielding two kukri knives by controlling their movements with her pair of iron fans.

Finally, she exchanged punches with a muscular servant who was a former boxer.

For the past few minutes, both Seto and Adams had been watching with bated breath.

What Adams had initially suggested as a bit of entertainment had now turned into something unexpectedly impressive, making him tremble with excitement beside Seto.

[Hahaha! I had heard she won the tournament in the arena, but I never imagined she was this skilled. Seto, what do you think of her?] (Adams)

[…Her movements are flawless. Plus, with the continuous matches and the intensity of the sun, her stamina should be running low. But I don’t see any sign of her breathing being unsteady, let alone breaking a sweat. Seeing her again like this, Hydra is really amazing.] (Seto)

[To reach that level at such a young age… She must have gone through a tremendous amount of hell.] (Adams)

[Yeah… You’re right.] (Seto)

Hydra’s growth had been remarkable.

Even now, her punches and kicks continued to deal damage to her opponent’s steel-like body.

The servant’s movements gradually slowed, and pain etched itself on his face.

Meanwhile, Hydra’s precision only sharpened.

Several swift strikes hit critical points, and the match came to a close.

The servant collapsed onto his back, panting heavily.

A round of applause erupted from the spectators, who had gathered unnoticed, and from Adams.

Seto leaned slightly over the balcony railing and waved.

Noticing this, Hydra smiled and waved back.

But was it just his imagination, or did her smile seem a little awkward?

After a while, Seto and Adams made their way to the courtyard to exchange words with Hydra.

[It was a splendid performance, Hydra. As expected of someone chosen to join the quest to defeat the Demon Lord.] (Adams)

[I am honored.] (Hydra)

[Now then, I was thinking of giving you a reward…] (Adams)

[A reward, you say… Just being able to stay at this estate is more than enough for me. I’m perfectly fine with things as they are.] (Hydra)

[Hmm, no greed at all, I see.] (Adams)

[Are you sure about that? Surely there’s something you’d like, Hydra…] (Seto)

[No, truly, I am content.] (Hydra)

Hydra smiled gently at Seto, her expression calm, as the warm sunlight bathed her face.

Hydra’s peaceful demeanor reassured everyone around her, and Seto felt no need to press further

[Now then, Lord Adams, I will be heading out to run some errands. I heard that there’s a shortage of supplies, and I’d like to help with that.] (Hydra)

[Such diligence. There’s no need for someone like you to be working like one of the servants.] (Adams)

[No, doing nothing while being a guest here would go against my principles. If you will excuse me—] (Hydra)

Just as she was about to turn on her heel, Adams suddenly stopped her, assigning her an assistant to accompany her.

Hydra was about to say that she could handle it on her own, but Adams rejected that.

[It makes me a bit uncomfortable to have a guest doing such menial tasks. But I also can’t ignore your wishes. So, I’ll assign Seto as your assistant. He’s currently serving as my aide, so feel free to use him as you like.] (Adams)

[Aide? Wasn’t I supposed to be your bodyguard?] (Seto)

[Don’t you worry, it’s the same thing, more or less. Or do you dislike helping Hydra?] (Adams)

[It’s not that, but…] (Seto)

[Good, it’s settled then. …This is an order from the head of the Cryfano family. If you’re willing to take on such tasks, it’s only right to follow that command.] (Adams)

[But… Uh…] (Hydra)

[What’s the matter, Hydra? …Do you find my actions unjust?] (Adams)

[No, not at all! Once we’re ready, I’ll head to town with Seto.] (Hydra)

[Good, do your best. Khahaha!] (Adams)

And so, Hydra and Seto set out to run errands in town.

The reason Adams specifically assigned Seto was that, according to him, since coming to the estate, Hydra had often shown signs of feeling anxious, as if she had to contribute in some way, and was pushing herself too hard.

It seemed Adams hoped to ease Hydra’s stress a bit by having her spend time with Seto.

At the time, Adams had expressed his expectations conscientiously, saying “I’m counting on you, Seto!”.

“Counting on me”, he said… It sounds like I’m supposed to do something thoughtful for Hydra. But what would be good? With Satis, conversation comes naturally, but… (Seto)

On the way, Seto found himself struggling with conversation and began to search for common topics to talk about.

Just as he managed to organize his thoughts a bit, Hydra spoke up.

[Sorry, Seto. I dragged you into this because of my own selfishness.] (Hydra)

[Huh…?] (Seto)

[To be honest, just training and gathering information doesn’t calm me down. I can’t relax unless I’m doing something like this.] (Hydra)

[Well, I mean…] (Seto)

[Oh, right! How’s the job of guarding Lord Adams? It’s not too tough, is it? I might be asking something strange, but… you’re not being bullied or getting weird looks, are you?] (Hydra)

[No, it’s fine. Nothing like that has happened so far.] (Seto)

[I see. … Not that I distrust the Cryfano family, but if anything like that does happen, don’t ever try to deal with it alone. If you think something’s dangerous, tell me. If you tell Satis, she’ll definitely worry, so I’ll solve it before it gets to that point.] (Hydra)

[G-Got it. Thanks.] (Seto)

[Hehe, don’t mention it. I’m on your side.] (Hydra)

Seeing Hydra’s smile, Seto thought that perhaps Hydra had been even more at a loss about what to say than he was.

It must have been Hydra who was most flustered when Seto suddenly ended up coming along.

Thinking that, Seto imagined that, even though they had become friends, there might still be some barriers between them.

[Okay, thanks again. If something comes up, you can count on me too. I may not be able to do much, but I’ll help however I can.] (Seto)

[Really?] (Hydra)

[Yeah, of course. We’re friends now, right?] (Seto)

[…Yeah, that’s true. Thank you, Seto. You’re good at encouraging people.] (Hydra)

[Am I? I’ve never really thought about it that way…] (Seto)

[That means you’re a natural at this. That’s one of your good points… I wish I had noticed it sooner.] (Hydra)

[Hydra…] (Seto)

[Ah, sorry. Almost started feeling gloomy there. Come on. We’re almost at the market.] (Hydra)

As the sunlight shone strongly, Seto thought he saw her expression twist with a hint of self-mockery.

Telling him that even though she thought she had gotten over it, there were still parts of the past that were binding her.

Of course, that was only natural.

She also felt some kind of guilt regarding the dark rumors about the Hero Reid.

It seemed as though she was shouldering even that as a debt of her own making, and Seto felt a tightness in his heart.

[Hydra.] (Seto)

[Hmm, what is it?] (Hydra)

[Don’t worry.] (Seto)

[Huh…?] (Hydra)

[I can’t say it well, but I won’t abandon you. If you’re in trouble, I’ll definitely help.] (Seto)

[Seto…] (Hydra)

[I know you’re thinking about Reid and a lot of other things. I want to help my friend with that. That’s how I really feel. You can trust me— Hmm?] (Seto)

When Seto looked up at Hydra’s face, she had turned away and was trembling slightly.

After wiping her face with her right hand, Hydra turned back to Seto with a beaming smile.

[Thank you, Seto. I’m fine now. I have a strong friend with me, after all.] (Hydra)

[Oh, that’s good to hear.] (Seto)

[Yeah. Alright, Seto. Help me carry what we bought.] (Hydra)

[Leave it to me.] (Seto)

Seto replied briefly before following behind Hydra.

They divided the bags between them and walked side by side back to the mansion.

The image of you challenging that magic swordsman in the Silver City is still burned into the back of my mind. The way you poured all your strength and wisdom into each strike… I admire you, Seto. (Hydra)