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The warm spring air and bright sunshine heralded a beautiful day and the approaching summer. And while this pleasant time lasted, it was worth making the most of the few peaceful moments.
Ren and Ilva playfully sparred with wooden sticks on a grassy patch.
“I never thought you’d learn to fight with a sword,” Ren chuckled.
“What, do you think I should remain a fragile, defenseless girl?” Ilva proudly placed her hand on her belt. “Actually, it was Buva who dragged me to training, and then it just sort of happened…”
“You’re doing pretty well,” Ren praised his sister. “A couple more years of hard training, and you might even defeat our baron instead of Eir.”
“Ha-ha,” the girl feigned a laugh. “Ren, stop being so nice.”
“I’m not… well, if you say so.” With a swift lunge, the boy knocked the “weapon” out of his sister’s hands and pointed at her dramatically. “Surrender, or face your doom!”
“O-of course, sir, but please don’t kill me…” Ilva pretended to be scared, then unexpectedly launched a barrage of water pellets at her brother.
The projectiles flew over Renold’s head, who had ducked just in time, and clipped off a few strands of his hair.
“You could actually kill someone like that,” the boy said, startled, watching the pellets disappear with a loud splash in the grass.
At that moment, Ilva suddenly rushed forward and pushed Ren with her hands. Stumbling on a protruding root, the boy fell backward, grabbing his sister’s sleeve at the last moment. After tumbling a few meters, they slid down the slope together.
“Ugh, you shouldn’t do that,” Ren grumbled, spitting out the grass that had gotten into his mouth and nose.
“Now you surrender,” Ilva said triumphantly, sitting on top of her brother and grabbing his neck.
“Okay, okay, I surrender,” the boy groaned in a feigned death rattle, rolling his eyes.
Behind his closed eyes, he felt a kiss on his lips, followed by a light slap on the cheek.
“You idiot,” Ilva said, not unkindly, but with a hint of seriousness.
Getting off her brother, she sat down on the trampled grass and began to carefully tidy up her clothes. They were silent for a while.
“I think that until we can, well, get settled,” Renold said slowly, “it would be better if you didn’t go on missions. Because, well, you understand…”
“What?”
“That, well, they’re very dangerous. And if something happens to you, I…”
“Do you really think I’ve been drinking away my brains in Elheim and losing all my money to my bunny girls?” his sister snapped. “Who said I’d be happy fighting alongside him?!”
“I understand, I really am happy for your success, but…” Ren tried to explain, but Ilva cut him off:
“Do you think I’m happy traipsing around wherever Arteria wants, doing whatever Gungnir wants? Do you think I want to swing a sword and cast spells?”
“Well, that’s what…”
“But three weeks in Thrakia were ten times worse than any suffering that awaits us,” the girl finished quietly. “Because I can’t bear the thought of you being in danger every second of my existence. Torture and death would be better.”
“Il, I’m sorry, I…” the boy tried to reassure her, but to his surprise, his sister’s face showed no sadness or distress: only a newfound determination.
“Either we go together, or no one goes. But the latter means the end of all our dreams. And besides, don’t you want to be a hero yourself?”
“…Well, not really. But if you want to, I’ll give it all up too,” Renold replied confidently, looking directly into her sky-blue eyes.
“In that case, you’ll be the one to regret and suffer,” Ilva smiled. “And we also need to think about our brothers and sisters, right?”
Taken aback by such statements, Renold didn’t know what to say.
“If the old man expects me to come to him crying and begging to let us go, he’s in for a big disappointment,” the girl declared. “Ren, go and ask him for a Roman sword, so I’ll at least have something to fight with.”
“Uh, I’ll try to get one, but I can’t promise…” the boy said, scratching his head in surprise.
“And I’ll go visit Claudia, it’s been ages.”
->Ren to Gungnir
->Ilva to the cafe