Aster smiled lightly at me.
That smile was undoubtedly genuine.
It was true that we had conflicting opinions, but that was just a difference of opinion. There was no reason for him to hate me as a person.
That was probably Aster's way of thinking.
“Don't show that kind of thing just anywhere.”
“If I practice while being picky about the location, my skills won't improve. I'm already slow because I lack finesse.”
...What did this guy just say?
Even while speaking, Aster put his hand to his mouth and mumbled as if another thought had occurred to him.
Seeing that, I asked,
“Are you practicing alone because you don't have a sparring partner?”
“That's right. You're the same, aren't you?”
“...Well, that's true.”
Actually, my situation was similar.
It was embarrassing to say, but I didn't have a sparring partner either.
This wasn't because my swordsmanship had grown to Aster's level.
It was simply that no one would spar with me. Even when I approached them first and made a suggestion, they would recoil in terror and back away.
‘...My image is mostly from that time I struck Belphegor.’
Well, if I were in their shoes, I wouldn't want to fight someone who wielded the power to shatter the Seven Sins. Who knows what they might do if things went wrong.
If it were purely about swordsmanship, I had a lot to learn from the people here, but no one would face me.
Thus, Aster and I stood there in a strange silence.
Aster and I, both without sparring partners.
Actually, there was a way to resolve this situation. But neither of us brought it up first.
As Aster and I stood together, the surrounding gazes subtly converged on us.
We could just spar with each other.
‘I don't think I can beat Aster's swordsmanship, but.’
Still, if there was anyone here who could handle Aster, it would be me. And I would also have things to learn from Aster.
Besides, we were both holding wooden weapons, and there was no chance of losing our composure, so it would be relatively safe.
However, Aster held me in high regard.
He had envisioned a version of me that wasn't real and had repeated trial and error and training to surpass it.
Was it okay for me to shatter that illusion now?
Above all, did Aster even want to spar with me at this moment?
At that moment, Aster looked at me and took a stance.
“There's no point in just thinking about it. Let's spar, Frondier.”
As if he had been thinking the same thing, Aster took a stance and looked at me.
Drawn by that, I also adjusted my grip on my sword.
I could clearly feel the surrounding gazes focusing on us.
...Being the center of attention in a spar where defeat was certain was extremely uncomfortable.
Aster was the first to charge in. I took half a step back and lowered my sword.
I read the trajectory of Aster's sword and clashed with it.
And immediately regretted it. My hand, from the grip to my shoulder, tingled with pain.
I had wondered how much I could resist when our strength clashed, but I was no match for him in pure physical power.
I sidestepped to avoid Aster's force and retrieved my sword. As if filling the momentarily opened gap, Aster followed me, and a series of strikes flew in. ℝäꞐǒ𝐛Èṧ
Thwack! Clack! Thwack!
The sound of wood hitting wood was a bit underwhelming, but from my perspective, they were terrifying blows.
However, thanks to ‘prediction,’ I could respond even if the speed was a little slow...
I thought I could, but I suddenly tripped on Aster's twisted foot and fell.
Perfectly capitalizing on my fall, Aster's sword touched my neck.
‘The prediction was wrong.’
Prediction wasn't always accurate. I read the flow by observing the opponent's gaze, muscle movements, and in my case, even my ‘sixth sense,’ but it was impossible to read every little detail.
However, just now, Aster's movements had completely contradicted my predictions.
“...You can do that?”
“That's what happens when you rely too much on prediction, Frondier.”
To be able to bluff everything, from muscles and gaze to the flow of Internal Energy...
Aster stood up and reached out to me.
The moment I took his hand and stood up, getting closer to Aster.
Aster whispered in my ear.
"We might become enemies."
How could I accept that?
I quietly hid my chills and looked at Aster.
Aster's eyes were serious, without any hostility or murderous intent.
He said to me with such a face.
"I don't know much about difficult things."
Aster gave a slightly awkward bitter smile,
"But I have a good intuition."
He still looks at me with calm eyes.
The same gaze as he looks at a friend.
"You think too much. About something so huge that I can't even imagine. I don't know what it is. I don't know how such a thought is possible. But that's probably why you stopped the war. So I can understand even more."
Perhaps, it's my full name being called for the first time by Aster.
"I can't do that. Even looking at small things, it's overwhelming to push away what's in front of my eyes. But at least, I know that you see something with your eyes. So, you can do it. Before something goes terribly wrong."
His eyes are trusting me.
Even after saying that he would become an enemy, his eyes are trusting me.
"Frondier, if it's necessary to save the world."
With a clear face, without a hint of deceit.
As Aster Evans himself, he smiled with his whole heart.
"Let's become enemies with each other, Frondier."