Chapter 33 - Cyborg-tl

Lihen said so with drooping eyebrows, but did not shy away from her touch. Rather, his heart seemed to melt every time she touched him. But he tried his best not to show it on his face.

“But what about Owin? Why are you alone?”

“Because Kael ordered it. Today’s morning’s training is self-study.”

“Really?”

The spacious training ground contained the traces of the time that had passed.

Lihan was fourteen, and Hyazelki was sixteen.

Lihan was turning fifteen because it was his birthday.

Hyazelki, who tied her hair up, slowly warmed up.

Over the past five years, Hyazelki has grown remarkably.

The child’s body grew into a woman’s body, her smiling face was still pretty, but she was no longer as weak as before.

“Lihan, shall we have morning training together today?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Hmph!”

Seeing Lihan spitting out a word of rejection at once, Hyazelki picked up the wooden sword with a sullen face.

Lihan was always obedient and well-behaved, but he always shook his head whenever Hyazelki asked for a duel.

Lihan’s movement with the wooden sword was spectacular. He is now strong enough to rival the knights of Euston.

On the contrary, Hyazelki’s swordsmanship was neat. Without unnecessary movement, it was swung in a straight line.

By not neglecting his training, Lihan got a more attractive body with moderate muscles.

After moving their bodies for a long time and sweating, the two completed their morning training.

Hyazelki, who took a breath after gulping down water, left the training ground with Lihan, saying, “Let’s go.”

The weather was very warm.

Looking up at the sky, Hyazelki took a deep breath.

“Summer is nice.”

“You like winter, too.”

“Yes, all the seasons are good. But it’s better because it’s Lihan’s birthday in summer.”

Lihan’s birthday was early summer. There were times when she was worried that it might be her fault for him to spend his birthday quietly.

Ever since she enjoyed her first Summer Festival in Bavaria at the age of 11, she had never been to a Summer Festival again.

She had a lot of good memories, but it was also because Kael nailed it saying that there should be no more crowded places touring.

Of course, she didn’t mention that she wanted to go either.

Of course it was fun. The fateful meeting of that time led Yuri to occasionally get new clothes from Medil.

As Hyazelki and Lihan grew up, they contacted Medil when they needed to get new clothes for them.

Hyazelki and Lihan sat by the lake together, had lunch, and played with their feet dipped in the lake.

It was an unforgettable memory.

However, she couldn’t forget the shock of using the power of the watch for the first time, so she couldn’t bear to say that she wanted to go to the Summer Festival again.

“Jiel is arranging to have a firework display again at night.”

“Really? Hia likes fireworks. Good for you.”

“No, Lihan. They are doing it because it’s your birthday. It’s a fireworks display for you.”

“Yes, but what Hia likes is enough for me.”

“I told you not to. It’s for you. So you should like it!”

“Yes, I do. I like it if Hia likes it.”

Hyazelki shook her head and sighed deeply.

“Not what I like, but what you like.”

“That’s why I learned swordsmanship.”

“That’s true, though.”

Hyazelki was worried because he seemed to like nothing else.

She wanted to see Lihan enjoying something fun.

‘He loves swordsmanship, but…….’

Still, she thinks it is fortunate that there is one thing for him to enjoy.

“Oh, Hia.”

Lihan, who was passing through the garden, suddenly stopped walking.

“Yes?”

The coral hair tied up behind her back flowed down as she tilted her head.

Hyazelki was growing beautifully. If she goes out on the street for a stroll, she’ll surely draw everyone’s eyes.

“Do you want to go to the forest with me today?”

“Forest?”

“Jiel said he would take me outside the castle because it’s my birthday.”

“Really?”

Lihan’s lips twitched again as he saw Hyazelki’s shining eyes.

“Hia likes flowers and trees, so he asked me to go to the forest with you.”

“Again! You should say ‘let’s go’ where you want to go! Oh, come on.”

“But……”

Lihan dropped his head with a sullen face as he saw her sighing deeply.

“I really like it.”

That’s unfair.

Isn’t it really a foul thing to say with that expression?

Besides, it’s Lihan’s birthday, so Hyazelki decided to let it go at this point.

“Yes, yes, I understand. But I like it if Lihan likes it, too.”

“Yes.”

After passing the garden back to the castle, Yuri welcomed the two.

The two, who returned soaked in sweat, washed up and had breakfast.

Not every year, but Jiel tried to be with Hyazelki and Lihan on their birthdays if possible.

Of course Kael didn’t seem very pleased with it.

“By the way, will Papa go with us?”

When Hyazelki asked after the meal, Kael asked back with a puzzled face.

“Where?”

“Jiel is taking us to the forest today.”

“Forest?”

“Yes! It’s a forest in the North.”

“There won’t be much to see in the summer.”

“Really?”

Jiel waved his hand and refuted Kael’s sour answer at once.

“No way! The forest is beautiful all year round!”

“…Well, it doesn’t matter. But Hia, you must not fall behind us.”

“Yes.”

Now, Hyazelki is strong enough to protect herself, but Kael’s overprotection remains.

So she nodded softly because it was pleasant for someone to worry about her.

“Wait, do you want to go, too? Really?”

“Why not?”

“No, well…… not like that.”

Jiel turned his head, blurring the end of his words with a bitter face.

He didn’t think Kael would be very interested, so of course, the three of them were the one to go.

“Then is the forest prettier in Winter?”

By saying there’s not much to see in Summer, doesn’t that mean it’s more beautiful when it’s not Summer?

“It’s beautiful in Autumn, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I will take you to the forest this fall and Winter.”

“Good!”

At Hyazelki’s words of enthusiasm that clearly meant she was already looking forward to Autumn and Winter, Kael glanced out of the window.

He seemed very reluctant, but he didn’t show much.

After breakfast, Hyazelki and Lihan spent some time reading in their study.

It was because the messenger bird unexpectedly arrived to Kael.

“What do you want to do the most when you go to the forest?”

Lihan blinked blankly at the sudden question of Hyazelki.

“……Training in the forest?”

“What?”

She asked back, wriggling her eyebrows and looking at him as if it was absurd.

Then she sighed and turned to the book again.

Hyazelki couldn’t understand why he likes swordsmanship so much.

Of course she’s good at swordsmanship, too.

She fixed her eyes on the book again and concentrated.

However, at the end of Lihan’s gaze, who was staring at Hyazelki, he could see something black shaking.

Lihan threw the book in his hand quickly without realizing it.

Smack.

The book, which quickly passed before Hyazelki’s eyes, hit the wall behind and fell to the floor.

Surprised, Hyazelki opened her eyes wide and looked back at Lihan.

“What did you just……”?”

“No, it’s just…….”

Lihan, who stared sharply at the wall, soon relaxed his expression and slipped over.

“There’s a bug…….”

“There must be a scratch on the book…….”

Hyazelki, who drooped her eyebrows, got up from her seat, but Lihan quickly stopped her.

“Sit down. I’ll get it.”

Lihan, who went to pick up the book he had thrown away, looked around as if he were looking for something.

“What’s there?”

“Huh? Uh… No.”

Lihan kept glancing at the wall as he came back.

Hyazelki was only surprised by his slightly different attitude.

When asked what was going on, Lihan only answered that it was nothing.

* * *

They were not able to leave the castle until noon.

Kael flew straight into the sky after leaving the castle with Hyazelki and Jiel with Lihan.

Although it is a forest in the Northern part of the land, it was not close enough to walk there in a day.

Instead, they flew through the sky and quickly reached the Northern forest that Jiel mentioned.

It was a green forest with an early Summer feeling.

“Wow!”

However, the forests in the Northern part of the country were more turquoise than green.

Looking at the leaves that were a little more blue, Hyazelki’s eyes shined.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

“Yes!”

“The Northern forest is blue!”

When Hyazelki said while looking at the green tree, Jiel nodded.

“All the trees growing on the Northern land are affected by the cold air.”

Jiel, who began to talk like that, eagerly explained to her about the bluish-green trees in the Northern land. There is a winter tree in the Northern land that does not wither in the cold and does not wither throughout the four seasons.

The turquoise forest was beautiful throughout the four seasons, and some Northern countries sell specialties made of these leaves.

He added that the tree grows only in areas that are not very hot even in Summer, so it will be hard to see except in the North.

While Jiel and Hyazelki, who were so excited, were scrambling through the forest, Kael and Lihan calmly did not take their eyes off the two.

“How about you? Do you like it?”

“Yes, I think it’s a good place to train.”

Kael looked bored for a moment at Lihan’s return reply.

“I think they asked me to come because it’s your birthday, but those two are more excited.”

“I like it if Hia is happy.”

Kael glanced at Lihan at the answer, which was somehow decisive.

Then, with a big smile, he lightly disheveled the child’s hair.

“I left the present in your room.”

“What?”

“I’m going to hold you from using the real sword until you become an adult, so bear it for another two years.”

“Ah……thank you.”

Lihan replied with a puzzled look, perhaps at his unexpected remarks.

“The dagger should be fine. Happy birthday.”

Kael, who put his hand on his shoulder, looked at Lihan and raised the corners of his mouth.

Then he first walked toward the two while leaving this sentence.

“You’ve grown a lot.”

Certainly Lihan has grown beyond comparison with when he first came to the castle.

Kael said that because it had been quite a while, but now he has grown so tall because he ate well, helping him (Kael) overcome the shock he had when he first saw him (Lihan).

At first when he arrived at the castle, he could hardly eat and was skinny, so his body was smaller than his peers, but now he is taller and bigger than Hyazelki.

He seemed pretty reliable for a 15-year-old.

When Kael took his steps, the bewildered Lihan followed suit.

Hyazelki and Jiel approached the bluish-green tree and were discussing hard looking at something.

Kael looked around once and hurried to the two.

“Really?”

Kael somehow felt a little anxious as he looked at Hyazelki with her eyes shining.