<Do we lack human feelings? No, we have more feelings and ways to express it. It’s just that you are not worthy of the effort.>
-Karakal, to people complaining that he wasn’t looking after them.
…….
<Lenorva>
A border city of the Broshan Kingdom, located by the Kharan Border.
Broshan had a total of three Ra-Shar-Roas, and one was located in <Lenorva>. It was important because of two things. One was that it was a good place for tourists to visit as it was an important trading post. The other was that it was where the Roland family, which created the Broshan’s greatest warrior, Sun Sword Liviath, resided in. It made the city very popular with people.
That was where Sian arrived through Ra-Shar-Roa.
“THIS IS GREAT!”
He shouted as he took a step into the city. He was packed very lightly; he had no bags and only wore very light clothing and a shining necklace. Sian caressed the necklace, <Nitzmatan> carefully. A red light shone, and Sian’s hand was left with a small map and a memo.
“So… the first place to go is the Roland family’s training ground?”
The Roland family had fallen ages ago, and their property was now available for public viewing as a tourist attraction. It was a popular location to visit as it had a famous mark made by the Sun Sword Liviath.
“HEY! YOU!”
A beautiful voice shouted out. Sian clearly heard it, but he ignored it since couldn’t be meant for him. He had no one that he knew here. However, the voice was so beautiful that he wanted to see who it was. He held back because it might make him look foolish.
“Hey! The one wearing a stolen bracelet and comfortable clothing to go for groceries!”
‘Huh?’
He was sure that he was the only one with such clothing. Sian scowled after turning around to see the owner of the beautiful voice. He wasn’t wholly wrong since she really was beautiful. He also knew her, but he wished he didn’t.
“UGH.”
“Wow, what’s with that face? You seem really excited.”
It was the lioness woman he beat up in the Lagran Region. What was funny was that her voice was very beautiful.
‘Her voice and her actions are so ill-fitting.’
Sian ranted inside as he looked at her.
“…What is it? Why did you call me?”
“Oh, why such coldness? Didn’t we touch each other’s bare skin and all? You were so wild back then. I love a wild man, you know. Hehehe.”
The woman smiled brightly at Sian.
‘She must be mad.’
Sian grimaced and replied, but he did so with his voice lowered, afraid that someone would hear them.
“Yes, we did do that. Your right fist touched my left cheek.”
“YEAH! Exactly! It’s called fate. And you sound so polite! What happened to you?”
The woman glanced at Sian from top to bottom and side to side. Sian felt like prey at this moment, a deer standing in front of a lioness.
‘Hm… aren’t I stronger than her? This is weird.’
Sian thought that he was too gentle with this woman, so he decided to chase her away.
“Well, you are MUCH older, so I can only be polite. Maybe I was rude back then because I was so mad.”
At that moment, the woman seemed to be slightly upset, but she kept her cool.
“Ha…haha. HAHAHA! Okay, well, I guess you can be my little brother now!”
‘Brother? Huh?’
Sian was confused. He didn’t know who she actually was, but she had to be very old to have gotten such power. How can he, at the age of seventeen, be her little brother?
‘Is she like me?’
There was no telling if Sian was the only one who became powerful at such a young age. She looked only like her early twenties, so it seemed possible. Therefore, Sian decided to ask her age politely.
“…How old are you?”
The woman was furious, but she gritted her teeth, still smiling.
“Ha…haha. We are not that much apart! I’m a genius, you know.”
“…Okay, let’s leave it at that. Why did you come for me?”
Sian’s reaction upset the woman, but she remembered her purpose and replied, “Oh, I lost my home because of ‘someone’, so I had to leave and travel around the world. I was thinking of teaming up with you.”
“…ugh.”
He did feel sorry for that, so he couldn’t reject her outright. However, as he thought about it, he found no reasoning behind it.
“Wait, I can just compensate you. Why do I need to travel with you?”
“Call me Stiel.”
“Uh… ok, Miss Stiel. So, why do I have to travel with you?”
“You won’t? I will be nice and quiet if I travel with you.”
“Huh? Of course! I was going to enjoy traveling alone!”
Stahntal, or Stiel, smiled viciously at his reply.
“I won’t be nice and quiet if you won’t travel with me.”
“What…”
It was the first time he had seen such a woman. He had never been threatened after using his powers.
‘I guess she needs more beatings.’
After the last battle, Sian had learned to use some of his power without losing his personality. He placed his hand on <Nitzmatan> and <Chrona-Phon> appeared.
He began stretching his arms as he swung his sword about. Stiel flinched and took a step back.
“Hey- hey, hey, hey! Relax! Why do you hate the idea of us traveling together? Aren’t you lonely?”
“Huh? Why would I be lonely?” Sian asked.
“I was so happy to see you! It has been such a long time since I met a human!”
“Huh?”
She had all sorts of people around her, but Sian realized what she really meant. Sian was one of a kind who still considered humans as humans. Other Ra-Banders did not and felt very lonely once they became powerful. Sian felt somewhat sympathetic and turned to Stiel.
“…So you won’t cause any trouble, right?”
“Of course! I can be very gentle and quiet.”
She did not mention that she had already been quiet for nearly two hundred years. She didn’t want to disclose her actual age to Sian.
“Okay, I understand. However, I’m warning you, you better not create any trouble. Once you trouble me, it will mean goodbye.”
“Hehe, threatening to say goodbye when we just met! What a cold man.”
Sian did fight with her, but he did not have any ill feelings towards her, so he accepted her company.
“So, where are we going?”
“We’re going to the Roland family’s training ground. Oh, and you can call me by my name.”
“Okay, Sian.”
They headed out towards their destination.
The Roland family had fallen. The reason for it was because Sun Sword Liviath was too powerful. The birth of the Sun Sword was accidental. He was a genius who was born into the family and learned everything easily and quickly. However, he had a problem. He was so smart and superior that he had no way of teaching what he knew to those who were not at his level. He had no idea why people needed to learn how to use Bander when it was as natural as breathing for him; he had no idea why he needed to practice with the sword when he could just use it however he wanted.
The family prospered until Sun Sword Liviath reached the age of eighty. He was still a Grand Bander at that time and had interest in his family. But when he, Sun Sword Liviath, became a Ra-Bander, he immediately left his family.
Without its leader and successor, the Roland family began to decline quickly, and the mansion was sold. The Broshan Kingdom then purchased it and opened it up for the public to view the traces of the great warrior, and it had now made a good profit from the mansion.
A lot of warriors who were at the barrier paid the expensive entrance fee of 200 talons to look at the trace of Sun Sword Liviath to try and gain ideas of how to break through. However, Sian wasn’t interested in breaking his barrier; he was just curious about how other Ra-Banders lived.
As he and Stiel walked into the mansion, she spoke softly, “Sun Sword Liviath, it has been a long time since I heard the name…”
Sian looked at her strangely as she sounded like she was reminiscing over old memories. Sun Sword Liviath was a man that was over three hundred years old, but Stiel seemed like she remembered him.
“Do you know him?”
“Yeah. He wasn’t a Ra-Bander when I was ten. I saw him at the Royal festival.”
“…?”
“What’s with that look? I even fought him once… Ugh.”
Stiel realized what a blunder she had made.
“Oh, your idea of ‘not much difference’ was in the hundreds? I’m seventeen, not a hundred and seventy.”
“Ha…Hahaha.”
Stiel laughed awkwardly as Sian sighed.
“It’s okay. It’s not important.”
“Haha… anyway. Tell me if you have any questions! I know more about him than anyone!”
That would make the whole visit pointless, but Sian decided to enjoy the mansion as his purpose was to relax. Besides, Stiel paid the entrance fee, so it didn’t matter to him.
They had now arrived at the most famous spot in the Roland mansion. It was the trace left by the Sun Sword Liviath, right after he became a Ra-Bander while training at the training grounds.
It was <Ra-Vash>.
