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People always say, as a child, so as an adult.
This is true.
In childhood, one has not yet experienced the twists and turns of growth, nor seen the ups and downs of life.
Naturally, one views the world and interacts with it with the purest heart, with the freest posture.
And then.
Wishing to change the world in the future.
To leave one's own mark on this world.
Childlike innocence, roughly so.
Ariel was no exception.
This was also the fundamental reason why, at only eleven years old, she revealed her true feelings in the darkness.
But, childlike innocence had long since vanished. Ariel was quickly tainted by various desires, plummeting rapidly into the depths of morality like a roller coaster after the age of five.
She became a pervert who sat in the backyard every day, drinking tea and teasing maids, lifting their clothes to see what color they were.
Born in a place like the Silver Palace, some things naturally changed without even being noticed.
She even enjoyed it.
Until after the crisis of life and death, amidst great changes, at a moment of being forced to fight for a future, and looking at the Artir River Dam, which had held no special feeling when she left the royal capital.
Certain memories from childhood resurfaced.
It was then that she realized.
Oh, it turned out that her past self was truly so.
'Naive.'
Rumble, rumble.
Light leaped forth from before them, pulling a gate of light from beneath their vision, slowly rising before Ariel's face.
The second, and final, lock chamber gate rose.
"Oh!!"
Accompanied by a certain red-haired girl's cry of surprise, the grand spectacle of the royal capital, a part of Ariel's daily life, came into view.
The castle, nestled on the distant hills, emitted a soft silver glow in the morning light. Silver, shimmering ribbons suddenly twisted and wound through the royal capital. The Artir River flowed down from the mountains, continuously stretching its body, passing through four city walls.
Mansions stood in orderly rows, a luxurious noble district even from a distance.
The Free Zone, where various unique buildings, never before seen, clustered together.
The Commoner Zone, with its neatly arranged houses and straight, intersecting roads, looking very 'orderly.'
The Adventurer Settlement Zone, lined with shops and many small markets suitable for adventurers to set up stalls.
And then, beyond the fifth city wall, the chaotic streetscape intertwined, extending endlessly towards the horizon.
The outer royal capital.
Thanks to the Artir River Dam's foundation, which raised the dam body dozens of meters, forming a small hill, this scene was fully visible to everyone.
Asura was like a shy maiden, stripped of all her clothes layer by layer by the dawn and morning glow, revealed to everyone's gaze.
Ariel, however, had dressed herself again. She waved amidst the cheers of the dam workers on both sides and the resident adventurers who had risen early to set up stalls at the edge of the settlement area.
Her gaze, however, was fixed on what was before her.
—Allen's back was outlined by the fiery glow of dawn.
It seemed that a wise monarch, a grand goal, a distant future, the glory of the kingdom.
These things held no appeal for him; he didn't even bother to feign agreement.
In some ways, Allen Boreas Greyrat was too clear-headed to be a noble.
But in other ways, he was completely a typical noble of the royal capital.
In Ariel's line of sight, the master of equilibrium, Allen, was pulling Eris, who had suddenly jumped onto the railing, with one hand, and holding a blushing Sylphy's hand with the other. He teased Rudy, who was still staring blankly at the gate, then turned to Isolte and remarked on how prosperous the royal capital still was.
This person was covered, from head to toe, in subtle...
'Desires.'
But it had nothing to do with Ariel.
From the way the group huddled together on the vast deck, yet stood more than three meters away from Ariel, it was clear that as they entered the royal capital, the chasm of their statuses and the superficiality of their connections were strikingly evident before them.
Ariel lowered her gaze.
A smile played on her lips.
Suddenly, she understood.
Recruiting Allen wasn't complicated at all.
Just stand in the 'position' where he was willing to let his desires fall.
Thinking this, she stepped forward and walked to the group. Under Allen's surprised gaze, she stood beside them.
She pointed into the distance.
Starting with the easiest one to understand.
"Mr. Rudeus, look, that's the Free Zone."
"...It's even more magnificent than I imagined..." Rudy looked at the panoramic view of the entire royal capital. Even with some expectations, the prosperity of the royal capital still somewhat astonished this old NEET. Then he suddenly realized that Ariel was speaking to him. He instinctively turned his head to look at Ariel.
The morning light fell upon her, complementing her dignified and serious demeanor. Her pale golden hair seemed to shimmer like flowing light in the wind.
Rudy couldn't help but feel that Ariel was indeed the Princess of Asura, the world's greatest human nation. Just standing casually at the bow of the ship, she exuded a solemn sense of majesty.
Coupled with Ariel's foresight regarding the application of magic circles in the lock chamber earlier, she truly possessed what a ruler should have...
"As a token of gratitude for your rescue, would you like me to arrange for my servants to take you to the pleasure district tonight to experience the royal capital's charm? I hear there are girls with particularly large chests, and quite a few racial options too."
Majesty...
...dignity...
??
Rudy's eyes widened in a daze: "Eh???"
Allen looked at Ariel in astonishment: "Ah???"
Isolte seemed to recall a distant past: "?????"
Sylphy looked down at her own chest: "!!!!"
Derrick Redbat repeatedly opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, his expression utterly helpless. He endured for a long while, but finally couldn't hold it in and shouted in exasperation.
"Your Highness!!!"
As for Eris, her eyes suddenly lit up. She turned to Ariel and loudly asked.
"Are there any Beastfolk—Mmmph mmmph mmmph!!!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Allen clapped a hand over her mouth.
Amidst everyone's varied expressions, Ariel clasped her hands over the mast in front of her, smiling sweetly at their diverse reactions.
Unperturbed.
'Excellent.'
'First step—shatter the barriers of status, lay the foundation for building a deeper relationship.'
'Complete.'
So everyone immediately headed to the pleasure district upon arriving in the royal capital.
Allen went with Isolte and Sylphy, Rudy ordered ten young ladies, and Eris happily embraced and sniffed beast girls.
Ariel cheered them on from the sidelines.
Impossible.
It was daytime. No matter what Rudy was thinking, or how eagerly Ariel introduced Rudy to the differences in feel and visual appeal between the girls of the royal capital and those of the Fittoa territory.
Allen would definitely not head to the pleasure district first.
He merely allowed Ariel to use such a self-deprecating, yet effectively demeaning, method to bridge the gap in their relationship.
The sailboat, with full sails, cut through the waves, sailing straight into the royal capital along the Artir River. The people lined the streets, cheering until their voices were hoarse.
This cheering reached its peak when they passed the 'Laplace's Gate of Victory,' a structure resembling a triumphal arch, at the border between the Commoner Zone and the Free Zone.
Finally, it gradually subsided after they turned onto a tributary after passing the Opera House Street.
And then, after another bend in the river.
It vanished completely.
Why?
Because the river area they were in had moved beyond the place where loud clamor was permitted.
At this moment, in everyone's sight, on the south side of the tributary, which was only a dozen meters wide, there was a very quiet dock.
On the dock, just a few steps away, white walls and black tiles, simple in form, fenced off several spacious, high-roofed, single-story white brick buildings resembling stadiums.
Compared to the grand and magnificent opera house they had just seen.
It was quite unassuming.
This was the first stop in the royal capital that everyone had agreed upon after discussing it on the ship.
—The Water God Style Main Dojo.
"We're here. I always used to say that the dock next to this dojo was useless, but today it's finally serving its purpose."
The ship they were on had already furled its main sail, and the boatman was adjusting the foresail to approach the dock. Allen stood at the bow, looking at the Water God Style Main Dojo in the distance, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
He had thought his next return here would be years later, during the Asura royal succession struggle. He never expected to be back here in just over two years.
However...
Two years was already a long time.
Eris looked at the nearby buildings, two plain black and white structures surrounded by a two-meter-high wall, their style completely different from other buildings in the Free Zone. She frowned and pouted. The child had been looking forward to 'her brother's training ground' all this time, expecting it to have some flashy, lightning-filled entrance effect. But this? This is it?
Inevitably, her face showed a hint of disappointment: "Is this the Water God Style Main Dojo!?"
Isolte, with narrowed eyes, chimed in.
"Yes. It's not quite what you imagined, perhaps a bit too simple?"
Eris did not answer.
Isolte was about to continue explaining, but Allen cut her off.
"The dojo was built according to the regulations of the Sword Sanctuary. It is said that many years ago, the then-Regina (this is a title, not a name) also wanted to undertake extensive construction, but ultimately chose this simple style. Compared to other overly extravagant architectural styles, this actually allows the heart of a sword practitioner to 'linger' more."
"When a swordsman steps onto the dojo, all their thoughts should be on the sword in their hand, not on these superficial external things."
Allen pointed to the eaves of the larger, stadium-like building within the Water God Style Dojo and continued.
"And some nobles who always think of using the Water God Style Main Dojo as a stepping stone often end up confined to the main dojo for their entire lives, never even entering the smaller dojo's gates, and leave the Water God Style Dojo hastily at fifteen years old."
"Was their original intention in entering the Water God Style Main Dojo to learn swordsmanship?"
"If the heart is not singular, then one cannot be sincere."
"Eris, your swordsmanship techniques and fundamentals are already in place. If you can just focus a little more, and a little more, and a little more."
"Saint rank will be as easy as picking something from your pocket."
"And the Sword of Light will no longer be distant."
Sylphy and Rudy both blinked, looking at Allen. Although Allen usually seemed like a lively person in everyday life, even joking and speaking very naturally.
But when it came to swordsmanship, he immediately became serious, his tone solemn.
Whether it was discussing martial arts with Paul in Buena Village, or seeking guidance from Ghislaine in Roa, or now teaching Eris as a master.
It was always like this.
The two turned to look at Eris, and at the same time, Ariel, who had been watching from the side, also looked over.
They all knew Eris had a chattering personality and were waiting for her to respond.
But to their surprise, the latter, after hearing Allen's words, took a deep breath.
She closed her eyes.
"Ouch!"
A boatman paddling nearby hit a fish underwater.
A fish leaped out of the river, flicked its tail in the air, and splashed back into the water.
Splash!
Eris opened her eyes. The hint of disappointment in her gaze vanished, replaced by.
Burning intensity!
She lifted her chin, crossed her arms, and turned to Allen, shouting.
"Good!"
"I... want... to... challenge... the... dojo!"
As each word fell, Sylphy, Rudy, and Isolte all paused, a little confused by Eris's strange logic.
Allen was talking to you about swordsmanship, how did you suddenly pivot to challenging the dojo?
Allen, however, smiled.
He knew exactly where Eris's expectations for the Water God Style Main Dojo lay, which she had been asking about all this way.
It was nothing more than Isolte's repeatedly told feat of challenging her way to chief disciple.
Eris wanted to follow in Allen's footsteps.
This was the fire of her 'desire.'
However.
"No."
Eris looked up in dissatisfaction.
"Why!?"
Isolte, beside them, smiled helplessly at her words.
By this time, the boat had already docked. The boatman expertly dropped anchor, and someone lowered the gangplank, leading the dock's boarding platform to firmly connect the boat to the dock.
Allen stepped onto the platform, walking towards the dock.
"You are Sword God Style. We are Water God Style."
Eris followed closely, her red hair waving in the air, a big question mark above her small head.
"Yes!"
Allen rubbed his forehead. Behind them, Rudy and Sylphy also reacted. The former looked at Eris as if she were an idiot, while the latter pursed her lips, looking at her with a hint of indulgence.
"You are a disciple of the Sword God Style Dojo, under the master of full transmission, Ghislaine. We are disciples of the Asura Water God Style Main Dojo, under the Regina of Water God, Leda."
"That's right!"
"Right about what?" Allen stepped onto the dock. "Among us fellow disciples, that's called a challenge. But for you, coming from the Sword Sanctuary, can that be called a challenge?"
Eris finally realized something was wrong. She glared at Rudy, who was twitching at the corner of his mouth, scaring him into instinctively covering his head.
"If it's not a challenge, what is it?"
Allen stopped and turned to look at Eris's face.
"That's called provocation. That's called a dojo raid."
Just as the words finished, Allen turned to look behind him.
"Why did you two follow us down?"
He saw Ariel and Derrick Redbat silently following behind them. When Allen turned to look at her, she gave a very serene smile.
Ariel's expression remained unchanged; she simply replied with a cheerful smile.
"To watch the dojo raid."
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