"We are going to party~ We are going to party~" Eden hummed happily, dancing around the street without caring about the other people watching him strangely. In his hand, there was a small bag filled with food that he purchased in the market, and the rich aroma of it was enough to make his mouth watery. After such a long day, Eden felt like he deserved to be pampered like this, so he didn't hesitate for a second to use the money he received from Bato to buy a lot of food.
It was already evening, and although the sun was still hanging above, the sky had already turned a deep red hue, and within the next two hours, everything would be engulfed in darkness. The kidnapping incident was also over, with Fiona's big brother being decisive enough to deal with the troublesome knights who were about to create trouble for Eden and Ilya. While Eden was happy that everything was over and had already forgotten about this incident, Ilya herself couldn't help but frown.
"What's wrong, Sister?" Eden asked after noticing her complicated expression.
"No, not really…." Ilya shook her head. Then, under Eden's intent gaze, she finally sighed, relented. "The man – I mean, the leader of the knight before is far stronger than me, and he is not even a match with Fiona's big brother. I am still far at the bottom of the list, so can I really be a knight?" She asked, starting to doubt herself.
Eden stared at his sister for a second, then without hesitation chopped her head hard.
"Ouch! Oh, you dare to tease your big sister now?" Ilya narrowed her eyes dangerously.
This time, though, instead of running away playfully, Eden faced his sister with a clear thought in his eyes. "Sister, why are you starting to doubt yourself? You are still talented enough to beat all the untrained adults in this town, and that is only with the training you receive from the old man Aki. Compared with Fiona's big brother who has everything handed in a silver spoon, you are still way better than him. Listen to me, once you receive formal training, it will be soon for your name to spread across the kingdom. For that, I am sure!" He smiled confidently.
Of course, he himself also had a reservation about the man who Fiona called her big brother. After all, the man just chopped his subordinate's arm cold-bloodedly, not even flinching when doing so. The way he did that somehow told Eden that this was not the first time that man had done the same, which also cemented the idea inside his head not to be too close to the man. After all, no one wanted to have a cruel companion who would cripple the others just because they made a mistake, right?
Meanwhile, Ilya was dazzled at her brother's unwavering confidence in her. She was also a little bit touched by his words. After all, even she herself was doubting her capability, and yet here his brother was, trusting her 100 percent. As for Fiona's big brother being stronger because he had more resources, Ilya didn't think too much, because that was the reality that couldn't be changed at all.
The depression on her face also gradually disappeared, and under the sunset, her smile was shining brightly, relief washed upon her heart. She didn't know what kind of good deeds she had done in her past life to have such a wonderful boy as her brother in this life, however, she was grateful that he was always here to support her dream.
Still… "You brat! Don't think that I would be flattered by your loose tongue! Tell me, how many girls have you been fooled with your silver tongue? Also, how dare you hit my head like that!"
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Have mercy, sister!"
They were chasing each other playfully, enjoying the peaceful evening with a smile on their face. This was something that they learned from a very young age. Even though they were poor, had a not-so-good living condition, and even had to spend the entire night without anything to eat sometimes, they still enjoyed their time together, knowing that at the end of the day, family was the most important thing in the world.
It took them a while before the pair of siblings finally reached a slum area where almost all of the homeless people in the town were living. They themselves had a pretty good house here, at least compared to the other buildings around, with a slightly torn mattress, a worn-out couch, and a small area that they used as a kitchen and a communal area for them to relax. This was the old house that they inherited from their mother, and even though it was on the verge of collapse, the building itself had already survived for more than twenty years, so they didn't have any intention to move out, at least for now.
As they were about to reach their house, though, someone suddenly appeared, rushing quickly with a wooden stick in his hand. Seeing this, Ilya reacted quickly, narrowing her eyes while also raising the wooden sword in her hand and getting herself ready for the impact. Eden himself just rolled his eyes in exasperation, not the first time witnessing this kind of commotion here.
CLANK!
The collision between the wooden stick and the wooden sword was far more powerful than the normal fight between two ordinary people. As the dust settled, Eden could see Ilya gritting her teeth, being pushed by the old man who ambushed them out of nowhere.
The old man himself narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Ilya's wrist and found that there was something wrong with that part. Without hesitation, he swung his wooden stick once again, trying to test Ilya's wrist more. As expected, the girl had a hard time defending herself, and in the end, she couldn't even dodge or parry the man's decisive attack at her wrist, as Ilya had to suffer the experience of being dismantled twice a day.
"Oi, old man! Can you play a little bit softer?! Big Sister is a girl, you know? She needs to be more elegant, not turning into a gorilla after being treated roughly by you!" Eden finally stepped forward, showing his dissatisfaction with the old man.
"Bah! This is a necessary part of her growth! Brat, you are still too young! You don't understand my good intentions!" The old man scowled, not wanting to lose momentum against the boy. "Also, the brats this age are way too soft! In my time, all of the children, no matter whether they were male or female, were treated the same! No girl whined about being treated roughly just because of their gender!"
"Oh, now, you are the feminism warrior? Fighting for gender equality?" Eden just rolled his eyes sarcastically at him.
"Bah! Brat, it is no use talking to you! Your silver tongue is too loose!" The old man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You know, in my time, your tongue would be cut in half for your insolence!"
"Yeah, yeah, your time is best, old man. Get over it." Eden smiled mockingly at the old man, which only provoked the man more.
Ilya couldn't help but sigh helplessly as she watched the old man and her brother bickering with each other. Even though it didn't look like that, those two had a quite good relationship, both wanting to see her success.
In the end, though, before their bickering went too far, Ilya stopped the commotion immediately, glaring at Eden to shut him up before turning around at the old man and bowing politely. "Greetings, Master. Thank you for your guidance today."