Chapter 174

“I don’t get it.”

Even as she said it, her voice grew smaller, as if she herself wasn’t sure. Maybe it wasn’t uncertainty but embarrassment.

But it’s not strange.

How many people in the world actually find and do what they want to do?

Being able to worry about such things isn’t something to be ashamed of—it’s a blessing. Most people don’t even have the luxury to think about it. If they can just carry on their parents’ work, that’s good enough. If not, they start with manual labor or odd jobs.

It’s not that they want to do those jobs. They have to find work to survive, so they have no choice. Of course, while working, they might grow attached or develop an interest.

But how many people can do that? Even those who do what they want often get bored. And for those who do what they don’t want to do, they usually just get tired rather than attached.

“But if you’ve reached the level of a Master, you must have talent, right?”

“Can you call it talent? In the end, I just copied someone.”

“Copied? Who?”

“My dad.”

Now that she had calmed down, her tears had stopped. Lady Kisea muttered in a somewhat composed voice.

“This is just between us, but I still don’t understand what my dad taught me. I just copied him because I didn’t want to disappoint him.”

“How exactly did you copy him?”

“Just the form, the stance, how to swing the sword, the grip—things like that. My dad always liked it when I did that. Eventually, I became exactly like him when swinging the sword.”

Isn’t that a remarkable talent in itself?

Though if you ask if it’s talent as a swordsman, I can’t say.

“This Destruction Aura is my aura, but it’s not my own. It was originally my dad’s. I just copied it exactly. Maybe that’s why I’m weaker than other Masters.”

Reaching the level of a Master by copying someone else is still impressive. Whether it’s due to inherited talent, Lady Kisea reached the level of a Master just by imitating her father.

Her father had already reached the level of a Master and naturally had his own answers. Lady Kisea essentially stole those answers and applied them to herself.

Normally, one person’s answers don’t become another’s, but they’re father and daughter. The talent passed through blood and lineage couldn’t be ignored, so her father’s answers were half-answers for Lady Kisea too.

But because she lacked her own enlightenment, the depth of her aura is shallow. And she hasn’t tried to fill that shallow depth with anything.

She just clung to her father’s path, Lady Kisea said. But she had already perfectly embodied her father before he became a statue.

Now, even if she wanted to copy him, there was no model left to follow, and nothing more to copy. Lady Kisea’s training was ultimately just about how much she could imitate her father.

“Honestly, I’ve never once found this fun.”

I quietly laughed as she tapped the hilt of her sword. Seeing her so deflated made me feel a bit sorry for her.

“Everyone’s like that. How many people do their work because it’s fun?”

“I used to think that way. Since my dad was a swordsman, everyone said I’d be good with a sword. When I held the sword and copied my dad’s movements, everyone clapped, right? Back then, I thought I was good with the sword and that I liked it.”

“Not anymore?”

“I don’t know.”

Lady Kisea couldn’t continue.

It seemed like we were going in circles, but it wasn’t. I realized she was carrying a heavy burden.

“When did my heart grow cold? I used to really love the sword. I used to count down the days until sword training.”

Lady Kisea complained, sighing and muttering.

“But now, I just hear that I have a talent for stealing. If my dad knew, he’d be furious.”

“If you don’t steal others’ things, I don’t think he’d be mad.”

I sat a little closer to Lady Kisea. Combining what I’d seen and heard from her, I thought about what to say.

“I can’t tell you to throw away everything you’ve built up so far.”

Since she’s reached the level of a Master in swordsmanship, there’s no reason to tell her to let go of the sword now. The right path. The wrong path. Do such things even exist for people?

No one says a winding river is inferior to a straight one. A person’s life itself is a path. Lady Kisea has stubbornly walked her own path. In the end, she achieved her own success.

“But the reason you’ve held the sword until now is because of pride and a sense of accomplishment, right?”

“Nonsense. There’s no such thing. I just did it because I’ve always done it.”

“Or are you afraid? Afraid of losing your identity as a swordsman? Afraid of abandoning the name of the Wolf King, of betraying your father’s image?”

She couldn’t answer. Her tail trembled.

“You no longer feel any interest or enjoyment in the sword, but holding onto it out of stubbornness won’t lead to any breakthroughs.”

“You, what do you know about the sword?”

“I don’t know about the sword, but I know someone similar to you.”

Lucia Western. A member of the Hero Party. Descendant of a famous Demon Hunter family.

She became a Demon Hunter without ever exploring her own aptitudes. I don’t know if she enjoys it, but she certainly has pride in it.

Unlike Lady Kisea, Lucia never skipped her daily training. She pushed her body to the point of pity.

Why she endured such hardships to be a Demon Hunter, even she didn’t know. For her, being a Demon Hunter was simply her destiny.

Lady Kisea seems to be in a similar state. Why must she become the Wolf King? Because her father did. Why does she want to be an excellent swordsman? Because her father did.

Beyond that, there’s no real reason. The difference is, Lucia gave her all to achieve the dream of being the best Demon Hunter, even if it wasn’t her own goal. From what I see, Lady Kisea doesn’t seem to have that drive.

A slightly different example, but Roka also doesn’t enjoy swinging the sword. But she works hard. I don’t see that in Lady Kisea. It seems like she’s just tired of sword training altogether.

“Since childhood, everyone wanted you to become a swordsman, and your father did too, so you followed your father and became a Master, but after that, you lost your way, right?”

She nodded without realizing it.

“Honestly, if you still had the passion to work hard, I would have encouraged you to reach higher levels as a swordsman. But you don’t want to, do you? You don’t want to put more effort into swordsmanship, you just want to coast, right?”

“If only I could. Honestly, I think I’m really tired now. It’s hard to keep training. Maybe I’ve hit a slump.”

“Then, trying a different path once in a while isn’t bad.”

Life isn’t easy, so if you take a different path, you might miss the old one. Right now, swordsmanship might be tiresome, but if you put it down for a while, your thoughts might change.

“…Really?”

“Starting something new doesn’t mean the achievements you’ve built so far will disappear.”

If this were something that required completely overhauling everything you’ve built, it might be different. But it’s not.

Though being a thief doesn’t sound great, it didn’t seem like a bad choice to me. Of course, all I can do is suggest. The rest, as always, is up to Lady Kisea.

“Hmm, I don’t like the idea of becoming a thief…”

Lady Kisea suddenly stared at me and muttered.

“As long as I don’t steal others’ things, it’s fine, right? Not using the talent I already have is just wasting it.”

“Maybe.”

“Right, I have to maintain my dignity. Ever since I got beaten like a dog, Roka’s been looking at me weirdly.”

Just how badly did she lose to say something like that? How did the sparring even go?

I was curious, but I didn’t ask. Lady Kisea didn’t seem like she’d answer. Just recalling the memory made her shake her head.

“I’ve decided. I’ll go with this.”

Looks like our party is getting a thief. I nodded and approved the Seedling.

Lady Kisea trembled as if electrocuted, then quickly checked herself. Soon, she cheered, realizing she had truly gained new knowledge.

Things like lock-picking can’t be applied in combat, but moving swiftly or stealth can definitely be useful. It could blend well with the swordsmanship she’s honed.

“Great! With this, I can teach Roka a lesson next time we spar!”

Whether the next time refers to this moment or not, Lady Kisea opened the door and ran out. I just hope she doesn’t come back beaten again.