A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"Oh." Nia nodded slightly, without any particular reaction.

There was no thank you, and I couldn't tell how excited they were.

"..." Nia's reaction was a bit off. Wasn't she eager to learn swordsmanship before? Theoretically, she should have jumped for joy just now.

"Dad is going to teach you some really good swordsmanship," Bray said, enunciating each word clearly.

"Is it very powerful?"

“Yes, it’s called ‘Eighteen Styles of Swordsmanship.’ I’ll also teach you the Iron-Breaking Sword Technique.” Bray planned to use these two sword techniques as introductory textbooks.

"Oh." Nia was still uninterested.

In the Imperial Capital Safe Zone, there is no true ruler at present.

However, most things were under Carrasco's control, so most people considered the safe zone to be under his "rule".

Strictly speaking, Carrasco should be considered to be governing.

Carrasco is not the only person with enormous influence.

Just as Carrasco's influence stemmed from the support of many people who were originally part of the empire.

There were also other people supported by different forces, with varying degrees of influence, including some who were originally nobles.

It's funny to say that such a small piece of land is still being fought over by so many people who are constantly trying to gain more benefits.

Even though there are still silver coins wandering outside, they still can't forget this greedy aspect.

They seemed to have completely forgotten how the safe zone was held, and all they wanted was a more comfortable life and greater power.

It remains completely unchanged from when the empire was still intact.

If it weren't for Carrasco secretly keeping things in check, the Imperial Capital Security Zone would probably have ended up just as the Demigod Lord predicted.

There's no need for the Silver species to continue applying pressure; the lower species will perish on their own.

People forget, people become arrogant, people become complacent.

At that time, the countdown to destruction will begin.

Carrasco hasn't forgotten the power of those Silver-ranked individuals, and he knows the safe zone isn't safe, which is why he's going to such lengths to restrain these rusty-brained guys.

So he's so busy he rarely appears in public, because he really doesn't have any time.

He was not an emperor, nor did he have countless powerful ministers descending upon him; he only had a handful of trustworthy subordinates.

There are many things Carrasco has to do personally.

There are also things that he can't solve even after racking his brains.

It's virtually impossible to eliminate the various forces radiating negative influences within the Imperial Capital Safe Zone without crippling it.

Those people have roots that are deeper and wider than you might imagine.

There were also quite a few who outwardly complied with Carrasco's words but inwardly disagreed with them.

However, they still largely followed Carrasco's instructions.

The reason is certainly not that Carrasco's words make any sense; for people who only pursue their own interests, they will only think that they are right.

Those things like maintaining order and restoring normal transactions—

They'll just say it's nothing special.

What truly made them submit to Carrasco to some extent was that Carrasco was tough enough.

Their ruthless methods made them afraid to entertain too many thoughts.

After all, Carrasco was once a ruthless man who treated human lives as mere numbers, and bloodshed was nothing new to him.

Carrasco is willing to sacrifice a small number of people for the benefit of the majority.

Not to mention these corrupt and power-lost individuals.

"..." Carrasco sat on the old wooden chair.

He doesn't need to review too many documents, and the safe zone doesn't have that many of them for him to look at.

Often, after dealing with those people outside, he would sit like this, with a cold face and his eyes closed, resting.

A white longsword accompanied him.

For Carrasco, who had no interest in romance, his most important companion was "Van Carrera".

It's likely that when he needed other partners, it was only for the purpose of having offspring.

He is such a rational person that one would keep one's distance from him.

“Your Majesty,” a tall woman standing next to Carrasco called out to him.

“I am no longer the emperor, there is no need to call me Carrasco,” Carrasco said quietly.

"You will always be our emperor."

“Without Your Majesty, this place would have long since turned into a sea of ​​blood.” Karen was someone who had followed Carrasco for a long time, much like a secretary.

"..." Carrasco did not continue speaking, but simply kept his eyes closed.

Karen didn't care about Carrasco's appearance.

After becoming Carrasco's subordinate, she understood what kind of person Carrasco was.

It doesn't focus on a specific individual, but rather on the entire group.

For Carrasco, the most important thing is not any single person from the former Wel Empire, but "the people of all the empires".

Then, constantly troubled by the situation in the Imperial Capital Security Zone, Carrasco hadn't laughed for a long time.

His Majesty looks so handsome when he smiles.

but--

“Your Majesty, you smiled,” Karen said.

Just now, Karen saw Carrasco lying in the chair and smiled.

His upturned lips made Karen smile unconsciously as well.

Even the tone of his voice had a hint of mocking Carrasco.

“Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve laughed.” Carrasco said with a smile, not trying to hide it, and spoke slowly.

"Did something good happen?" Karen asked.

She was also curious about what could have made Carrasco's lips curl into a slight smile.

It must be something very special.

Unfortunately, Karen guessed wrong, very wrong.

Carrasco smiles simply because of very ordinary things.

"I just saw someone's daughter looking so energetic, and then I played with her for a while," Carrasco said.

He didn't intend to return to his residence at that time, but by chance, he met Bray's daughter.

A child brimming with energy, whose spirit seemed so out of place in this world.

It was this sense of incongruity that drew Carrasco to strike up a conversation.

Later, when he learned that Nia wanted to learn swordsmanship, he couldn't help but sigh, "She truly is worthy of being Blakeras's daughter."

Even through the little girl, Carrasco could see the shadows of Bray and Naruko.

Without a doubt, she is the daughter of these two people, having inherited all their characteristics perfectly.

There are both good and bad aspects.

So, for some reason, Carrasco asked a question that surprised even himself.

"I can teach you a little, would you like to learn?"

Carrasco would probably never say something like that under normal circumstances.

Perhaps it's because Nia is Bray's child, perhaps it's because he sees the fruits of his own efforts in Nia... perhaps it's for other reasons.

"Yes, yes!" the children cheered in their heavenly voices.

Carrasco then wasted some time teaching Nia the basic stances of "Royal Swordsmanship".

When he was young, slightly older than Nia, he started practicing these stances.

Watching Nia clumsily wield the wooden sword, he felt not only no anger, but also a little happy.

For Carrasco, this was just "playing around".

Even now, thinking about it makes my lips curl into a smile.

"Someone's daughter? Is she His Majesty's friend's daughter?" Karen was a little confused.

“Friends? Of course not, I’m not friends with that guy.” Carrasco shook his head; he and Blakelas would never be friends.

We don't get along. This is probably the umpteenth spring in the Imperial Capital Safe Zone.

The small tree in front of the Bray's house began to shed tiny blossoms one after another.

The flowers were shaped like lanterns the size of melon seeds.

Because of their unique shape, they spin around continuously before landing on the ground.

The pink flowers, like countless little fairies, danced in the air.

The weather was lovely; everything was reassuring except for the ever-changing color of the sky.

Naruko stood on the steps of the wooden house and subconsciously reached out to catch the fluttering flowers.

The wind blew by, teasing countless flowers to dance along with Naruko's hair.

Naruko paused for a moment, then saw Nia practicing swordsmanship in the small open space in front of the cabin.

She smoothed her hair and looked at Bray and Nia with a very subtle gaze.

"Hey! Ho!" Nia repeated the simple thrusting motion.

Originally, Bray intended to teach Nia the simplest "One Moment" of the "Eighteen Styles".

However, the progress was not ideal, so I switched to teaching her basic thrusting movements.

Someone once said that if you repeat an action repeatedly, it will eventually become perfect.

Bray rubbed his chin, carefully considering how to tailor his teaching to each student's individual needs.

"Are you... teaching Nia the Salted Fish Thrust?" After holding it in for a long time, Naruko finally managed to squeeze out this sentence.

"A salted fish thrust?" Bray looked at Naruko in confusion.

"This is 'a split second,' which, if used well, allows you to instantly appear in front of someone."

“Okay…” Naruko hesitated, but still couldn’t bear to shatter Bree and Nia’s fantasy.

One is diligently learning the Salted Fish Thrust, while the other believes he can teach a divine skill.

Telling the truth to either side would be inappropriate, so Naruko could only nod and clutch her conscience.

Can Nia really learn swordsmanship like this? Won't she end up as a cute little thing that can only shoot bullets?

"By the way, Dead Fish Eyes, do you eat this?" Naruko suddenly remembered something and asked Bray.

She came out because she was planning to call Bree and Nia to eat something.

I was just stunned by the lightning and forgot about it for a moment.

---

A spring breeze is blowing.

Pink flowers fell on Naruko and Bray's heads.

The biological parents sat on the steps eating, watching Nia sweat profusely.

Nia was really dedicated to learning swordsmanship, much more so than Bray had expected.

If it were anything else, Nia would have complained of being tired long ago and then come running over asking for food.

Kids are just playing and eating, carefree.

Perhaps learning swordsmanship is also a form of play for Nia.