Chapter 132: Delivering the Sword Early, Reliance and Promise
“Have you talked to Uncle Jason about this yet?”
“Not yet.”
Liya softly spat out the two words, and upon hearing them, Ron immediately felt that something was amiss. Could this girl be wanting him to go and break the news to Jason?
“Alright, then I will go talk to Uncle Jason. But as for whether you should actually join the Territory Guard, we’ll discuss it after we talk to him. We will respect your choice, but please don’t make any decisions in private.”
At this moment, a sudden sense of relief welled up in Ron’s heart. It was a good thing the Territory Guard had already stopped recruiting. If it had been a bit earlier, Liya might really have hidden it from the family and joined the Territory Guard secretly.
It wasn’t that joining the Territory Guard was an extremely bad thing, but making such a decision on her own without discussing it with her family was somewhat inappropriate.
Hearing Ron’s promise, Liya nodded somewhat excitedly. “I knew you would definitely help me. Once I join the Territory Guard, we can train together.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you really want to join, that will be a matter for next year. By that time, I might already be a Formal Knight!”
“Then you can be my instructor!” Liya immediately changed her tune.
“That should be possible.”
Ron rubbed his still-smooth chin and agreed. Although he was currently quite far from the position of an Apprentice Instructor, it was still something he could strive for!
“Alright, I should start my next round of training.”
Ron handed the plate in his hands to Liya, then resumed his sword-wielding, pacing perception training, which simultaneously served as physical reinforcement.
However, before Ron could finish this round of training, it was interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected visitor.
“Mrs. Nina, what brings you here?”
At this moment, Nina was draped in a low-key gray cloak that covered her entire body. If not for Ron’s decent memory and the fact that he had seen her not long ago, he truly wouldn’t have recognized her!
“Ron, it’s alright if I call you that, right?” Mrs. Nina’s voice still carried a trace of hoarseness, and her tone was steeped in sorrow.
“Yes, of course, no problem. Aren’t names meant to be used? You can just call me Ron. And this is my fiancée, Liya.”
Naturally, Ron didn’t dare neglect Mrs. Nina. If they were in his homeland, her status would fully warrant the title of “Master’s Wife.”
Morris had treated him so well. Even though an element of investment was involved, who could say there wasn’t the slightest bit of master-disciple affection? Furthermore, the benefits Morris had given him had genuinely been tucked into his pockets; that was an indisputable fact.
He not only introduced himself but also introduced Liya in passing. After Ron’s introduction, Liya obediently called out, “Mrs. Nina.”
…
Ron’s respectful demeanor softened the sorrowful expression on Nina’s face. Subsequently, she extended a hand from within her cloak, a hand holding a longsword.
Seeing that Transcendent Weapon he had once held with his own hands, Ron’s gaze couldn’t help but freeze. He didn’t reach out to take the sword, looking at Nina with confusion:
“Madam, this is…”
“Your performance in the Martial Tournament has earned my approval. The territory will be launching a major operation soon, and this sword, which already belongs to you, is being handed over to you early. I hope you can continue walking the path that Morris did not finish.”
Looking at the sword in her hand, a trace of reluctance flashed through Nina’s eyes, but she still resolutely pushed it toward Ron. “Take it. Since Morris trusted you, I have no reason to hold onto it any longer.”
Seeing Nina’s resolute attitude, Ron accepted the sword Morris had left behind. With the longsword in hand, he didn’t feel much triumph in his heart. Instead, he seemed to be infected by Nina’s sorrow, his mood turning heavy.
It wasn’t just Morris himself, but also the various suspicious points behind his death that made it difficult for Ron to cast this matter aside.
…
After delivering the sword, Nina prepared to leave. Before departing, she told Ron, “Morris told me several times that if Jenny weren’t still so young, he would definitely have tried to matchmake you two.”
“This…”
Ron had assumed Morris was just casually mentioning it that night, never expecting he had actually brought it up to his wife. With this matter being brought up again now, not only Ron, but Liya probably felt a bit awkward as well.
In response, Ron immediately made his stance clear. “I am already engaged to Liya. Instructor Morris was very good to me, and I will treat Jenny as my own younger sister and take care of her. But as for matchmaking and such, please do not bring it up again in the future.”
“Mm, I understand.”
A hint of gloom flashed through Nina’s eyes, but she quickly recovered, forcing an understanding smile at Ron. She then tightened her cloak and quietly departed.
…
After Nina left, Liya cautiously walked to Ron’s side, yet said nothing. She merely looked at him with an inquiring, expectant, and worried gaze.
Seeing this, Ron sighed inwardly. He reached out and placed his hand over Liya’s, which was still holding the plate. Once they could feel each other’s warmth, he slowly spoke:
“Rest assured. The matchmaking Instructor Morris spoke of was just a passing remark. I expressed my refusal right then, and there will be no exceptions now or in the future. Having you is enough for me.”
“Having you is enough for me.”
To a young girl deeply in love, there was nothing more moving than the reliance and promise of her sweetheart. If she weren’t still holding the plate, Liya truly would have cast aside all reserve and thrown herself into Ron’s arms.
However, her reaction wasn’t much better off. Hearing Ron’s words, she gave a soft “Mhm” and turned away shyly, saying to him:
“You continue training. I’ll go heat up the roasted meat for you!”
“Okay.”
Ron didn’t stop Liya. Even though eating cold or even raw food wasn’t an issue for him at all, he still needed to humor a young girl’s feelings.
Watching Liya walk quickly into the house, Ron safely stowed the Transcendent longsword he had just received from Nina, leaning it against the door. He then resumed his training with his original sword.
The situation during the outdoor survival training had already proven that at his current stage, using a Transcendent Weapon, apart from its single use of being incredibly sturdy, served no other purpose. It was actually less handy than his original sword.
He would at least need to wait until after he advanced to Formal Knight before it was necessary to switch to a Transcendent Weapon.
As for right now, sticking with an ordinary weapon was the better choice.
…
In the evening, Ron went to Liya’s house to continue the celebration. When Jason returned, he brought a piece of news that was hard to classify as good or bad: tomorrow morning’s apprentice training would shift from the usual formation drills to territorial mobilization, maintaining order, and treating the wounded. Evidently, the territory was already prepared for casualties.
And in order to train the apprentices, the territory had even specially invited previously wounded soldiers over, which sent waves of pressure crashing over Ron.
This was not just because of those voluntarily contributing wounded soldiers, but also because of the impending great battle.
Ultimately, the dinner concluded in silence among Liya’s family and Ron.