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Evan D. Sherden, Passed Night (1)
After Eir awakened the Devil Rune and acquired power equal to Elizabeth, the two began sparring. Two small and cute girls seemed to be bickering from afar, but it would be surprising to see them up close. Every time the two clashed, it sounded like a bomb was going off.
“You’ve gotten stronger. On top of that, the basic status accumulated during physical training is high; you could sweep away soldiers by the dozen…”
“It’s more shocking to see the master’s sister who doesn’t lose against Eir.”
“Isn’t that going to be completely overturned soon? Eir has another card.”
The Enchant skill, Elemental Charge that gave the power to bullets by summoning the spirits. Eir had succeeded in activating the Devil Rune, and Evan wanted to proceed with the Elemental Charge training, but he nodded at Ctheasil’s suggestion to wait and see for the time being to get used to the Devil Rune.
“I’ll adjust as fast as I can, so let me play with the spirits!”
“Yes, I’ll let you play with the spirits soon, so work hard.”
“Thank you!”
Eir moved on without noticing Evan’s subtle correction. It was an I-didn’t-tell-you-a-lie strategy.
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“Brother, I want to be stronger, too!”
“Liz, you’re strong enough now.”
“But I don’t want to be pushed back by Eir…!”
Elizabeth seemed to be getting stronger to build her self-esteem. Evan, who had been thinking for a while about whether he should watch a child turn into a combat machine, decided to give up neatly soon.
“Then should I teach you another martial art? It’s Heaven’s Weight. It’s a martial art only used by Mikhail and me.”
“Teach me!”
Evan took out the card due to Elizabeth’s complaints, born from envy. It was none other than Heaven’s Weight. Since he was taught by Ironwall Knights leader Mikhail D. Aerock, Evan had developed and evolved it independently, and now it was hard to find any trace of the original form. However, Evan didn’t sincerely intend to pass this on to Elizabeth. More precisely, he knew she wouldn’t be able to master Heaven’s Weight anyway. This was because Evan had never succeeded in transferring his skills.
“I have to discuss something with you before I teach you.”
“What is it?”
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“As I said before, Mikhail and I are the only ones handling this martial art. I am the Astray leader, and Uncle Mikhail is the head of the Ironwall Knights…this is, it’s a martial art meant for the Knight Commander alone.”
Elizabeth was nodding her head over the information he spouted.
“So after Liz learns this, she becomes the head of Astray after me. Okay?”
“Yes!”
All right, the succession had been confirmed! Miriam would be angry if she found out, but since the ‘Elegant Lady’ plan had gone awry anyway, the Astray leader’s inauguration route would be the best result for Elizabeth. It should be! Evan, who pretended to deceive the others, whistled, avoiding the gaze of the other members.
“I can’t believe you’re planning to retire the year you took the helm, Evan…”
“The original design for retirement is to do it in advance.”
Over the next few days, Evan trained Elizabeth on the tricks and movements of Heaven’s Weight. Evan himself might not be very aware, but his ability to educate someone else was significant enough to be sublimated into a class of leaders. Elizabeth also followed his teachings without difficulty as she was born with talent, but the training wasn’t easy.
“I thought I could do it, but I can’t…I guess I don’t have a talent for fighting, brother.”
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“Grappling doesn’t correspond exactly with talent, Liz. Don’t be disappointed. Let’s do it step by step.”
He said so, but Evan was stunned to teach Elizabeth. Elizabeth was very quick to learn and master something; although she had a rough grasp of the two-morning stars, she had skillfully wielded them. If Evan had talent like Elizabeth’s, he would’ve been much stronger than now, but he wasn’t jealous of his younger sister’s talent anymore. He just admired it purely.
“This is too hard.”
“You don’t have to hurry, Liz. Let’s take a break if you’re tired.”
“Yes…”
Perhaps this child could learn Heaven’s Weight, which even Default hadn’t mastered yet. Evan tried hard not to reveal such expectations as he soothed Elizabeth. During the whole process, he couldn’t help but cheer that his retirement was going to come much quicker than he imagined!
* * *
While Evan was stuck in his office after a long time following the morning training, Shine knocked on the door and came in.
“Master, I heard that the capes for the Knights are finished.”
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“Oh, good timing.”
“Timing?”
“Yes.”
When Shine tilted his head, Evan replied while scratching his cheek.
“I got word from the witches that they were having a ceremony tonight.”
“What kind of ritual is it? A ritual that sucks your ‘spirit’, Master?”
Evan further explained while flicking Shine’s forehead.
“Lua’s coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Oh, I see. Well, the cape is also a symbol of the witch.”
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“Coming-of-age ceremony…”
Diona, who was standing behind Evan and listening to the conversation, mumbled in a meaningful tone. The rabbit ears bobbed by themselves.
“I’ve heard something interesting.”
“Diona, I think you’re starting to resemble Arisha or Maybell.”
“You’re mistaken, Master. Not only do I belong to a group of women who check Belois’ dominance, but I can’t be allied with you. Well, Master, I’ve got an important business to attend to, of course!”
“Get her!”
But it was already late. Those who learned about Belois’ coming-of-age ceremony would soon grasp the meaning. Evan knew this would happen, so he tried to let them know as late as possible, but Evan couldn’t help but feel empty.
“It’s better to give up, Master.”
“Look forward to it, Shine. Sooner or later, there will be a moment I’ll give it back.”
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Shine and Evan left the room, arguing as usual. Designer Ottpah was waiting for Evan in the lobby on the first floor of the headquarters.
“Hello, Master Evan! I’m here to show you the finished cape!”
“Oh, different designs for men and women.”
“Well, look at this first!”
As the most famous designer in the Capital city, Ottpah succeeded in creating a stylish full-body cape that emphasized unity but revealed the individuality of gender differences. The men’s were bigger and sharper, whereas the women’s were more attached to the body so that the body line could be revealed, and overall, it had a softer impression.
“Let’s take a look, Master. There are properly printed logos on the back.”
“Well said! This is a magical thread made with the help of the alchemists! It contains the hardening capabilities you wanted, so if you breathe in a little mana, it becomes stronger and sharper than it was originally!”
It was a very satisfactory result. Hardening was a simple ability, but its performance could be amplified depending on the material. This cape’s material was dragon leather, so the existing armament already had a powerful defense!
“Moreover, it is possible to increase or decrease the volume as the user desires. Look, depending on the amount of mana you add, you can increase the volume and apply it to harden.”
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Evan picked up the cape and tested it. Even though he only input a tiny portion of his mana, the cape stretched more than three meters sideways. Furthermore, when the hardening was activated, it hardened wholly and quickly blocked the way forward. It had built a strong wall that no one could easily breakthrough.
“The last one is the hood. When you wear the hood, you can create a magical shield that protects the entire face. Besides, it also has visual aids.”
Ottpah smiled.
“I can’t believe it. They’ve all become artifacts. I don’t know what the material is, but it was a great experience.”
“Perfect. Do they all exhibit this kind of performance?”
“Well, it’s…no.”
Evan’s expression hardened at Ottpah’s hesitation. Ottpah waved her hand right away.
“No, I didn’t mean there was a product that didn’t perform well. There’s one special suit, a cape made with a little more care for you, Commander.”
“What?”
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Ottpah took out a cape that was hidden at the back and held it out to Evan. It didn’t seem very different from others on the surface, but Evan could tell the difference when he took it.
It was decorated with purple thread on the rim. What was more, if he added mana, it shined brightly!
“I thought the Commander’s cape should stand out more!”
“Yes, it’s better to be able to recognize the Commander easily, but…what’s the performance?”
“The rest are all the same, but since it’s for the Commander…”
“Because it’s for the Commander of the team.”
“A slightly more noticeable effect.”
Evan looked at the cape, wondering about the looming Ottpah. The tightening of the decorations on both shoulders allowed any garment or armor to be stably removable, indicating a great suit that satisfied both user convenience and performance.
“Okay. So, what do you think, Shine? Do you know what it means to stand out?”
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“Ah…oh, well. Yes, I see.”
Evan himself was still oblivious, but Shine seemed to have grasped the cape’s additional function as soon as he wore it.
“What, what is it?”
“No, it’s just more noticeable, Master. I was just saying.”
“Yes, yes! I was expecting it, but now that Master Evan is wearing it. Whew…”
Bad words surrounded Shine, and Ottpah’s breath was slightly rougher. Evan, who became anxious for no reason, took a step away from them, and not only Ottpah but also Shine instinctively took a step forward.
“No, what is it?”
“Master, were you here? I have something to report to you…oh my God.”
Just then, the headquarters door opened, and Maybell came through it. Evan felt something ominous but turned around anyway.
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“Stay where you are, Master!”
“…!”
Maybell, who threw away what she was holding in both hands, ran towards Evan! Evan was frightened and turned away, but he didn’t even have time to throw off his cape!
“I already know what you mean! Now, stop thinking and leave everything to me!”
“Save me, Lua!”
It was three hours later that Evan realized that the additional function applied only to the Commander’s cape amplified the wearer’s charm. There were already more than a hundred seeking Evan by then.