Yuna sat under the shade and looked at Austin, who worked ever more desperately than he used to.
Ever since he came back from the Moonlit Orchid expedition…
Too bad the techniques available to learn at school were far too low-level. The will to learn was there, but the materials to learn from were not. Most of the techniques he learned were even his own improvised moves, honed through numerous battles with beasts in the forest.
Well, she would like to help such a desperate him, but Yuna didn't know a damn thing about swordsmanship. Although she had read many novels about sword masters, she focused more on the characters and their growth, not on what they actually learned. She wasn't interested in it and instead had more interest in sci-fi, metaphysics, and supernatural things.
However…
If there was one thing she was interested in when it came to swords, it would be the sword control techniques that allowed immortals to fly on swords, as well as the Ten Thousand Sword Scroll, where a sword could split into thousands.
But… she didn't know how it was done, no matter how interested she was.
All hope was not lost, though. There was one thing that could realize some of those control techniques. It was mentioned in the novel, and Yuna, who was interested in such techniques, paid particular attention to it. It was just that… that method wouldn't be available until half a year later.
The passage in the novel read:
• It was a pity. If he had chosen the other one, he would have been able to learn a formidable sword technique. But the one he chose was not without its merits. Everything had its own destiny…
At that time, Yuna, who was about to get excited that the main character was going to learn her favorite sword technique of splitting his sword into ten thousand pieces, was doused with cold water.
She cursed destiny and couldn't even sleep through the night, tossing and turning with a stuffy heart. That was also the reason why the novel was shoved into her average favorites list.
This time, Yuna swore on her name to make up for that regret. She couldn't learn it herself, but she could let others learn it, and finally witness sword splitting with her own two eyes.
…
Yuna opened the door to her house.
Her grandfather, who was near the chimney, turned his head and almost dropped the firewood. Grandpa Orion quietly picked it up and, with forced calm, greeted Yuna.
"Our Yuna is back!"
"…Yeah."
Yuna's lips twitched. Don't think she didn't notice that her grandfather almost mistook her for a ghost.
Ignoring him, Yuna greedily inhaled the fragrance wafting from the kitchen.
"What's for dinner today?"
Yuna asked, salivating.
"Roasted turkey. Go wash up, I'll prepare dinner."
Grandpa Orion stood up and headed toward the kitchen.
"Okay~"
At the dinner table, Yuna took a tentative bite of the meat. Although she knew she would most likely vomit blood later, she still put on a façade of eating so as not to worry her grandfather… and because she really wanted to taste it.
As for explaining her situation, Yuna subconsciously didn't want anyone to know. She didn't know why—call it intuition or something. There had never been a case like hers, at least not in her research, and she didn't want to worry her grandfather, who was just an ordinary person.
"Grandpa, are there any major events happening half a year later?"
"There will be the hundredth anniversary, a centenary celebration in half a year. There should be many vendors and merchants coming to Huin Town to profit from the celebration of its hundred years of establishment," Grandpa Orion answered.
"I see…"
So that was half a year later. Yuna didn't know exactly why vendors would come then, but now she did.
Placing the roasted turkey under the table, Yuna burned the food into ashes in a matter of seconds. It was her way of getting rid of it without her grandfather noticing. She didn't want to waste food, but it was the only solution she could think of to avoid his prying eyes.
Yuna spent the next few months in relaxation. She also worked on her wind abilities and even forged an idea on how to use wind offensively—air compression.
Compressing air until it exploded.
Man, her brain was smart. She was a genius.
Her first experiment was on a rat. She compressed air inside the rat's brain, and its head exploded. It was so violent and bloody that it directly gave Yuna nightmares.
Even though she was a wuss, Yuna still diligently exploded rats' heads. Scared as she was, she liked the feeling of having a life at her mercy—and that frightened her.
"Unless it's someone I dearly cherish who is in danger, I will refrain from using this on others."
Yuna solemnly made a promise to herself. She didn't want to take pleasure in power. What she feared most was losing her sense of self after gaining it.
Thankfully, as of now, even though she had good feelings toward Austin, the only person she dearly cherished was her grandfather.
Her heart was paradoxically huge yet extremely small. Except for her grandfather, she wasn't willing to throw away her humanity and bottom line for anyone. She could live with the sin of committing bloody murder for her grandfather's safety, but she wasn't willing to become a sinful murderer for others.
She could look out for others' safety and even let herself be harmed for people she felt goodwill toward, but she wouldn't sacrifice her morality for them. She was willing to be harmed only for her peace of mind. If someone were hurt before her eyes while she could have saved them, she would be plagued by nightmares.
She didn't care if others suffered nightmares because she was harmed saving them. Her peace of mind was what mattered most. She was that selfish.
Her mental safety was the most important thing to her. ┐( ∵ )┌
Back then, she chose to consume the dimension stone only because everyone was going to die anyway from its potential explosion. For her peace of mind and to protect her grandfather, she would rather die herself and let others suffer guilt and bad dreams. They would be alive—who cared about their mentality? She'd already be yeeted to heaven or hell anyway.
Yuna always knew that deep down, she was a heartless scum, and she was perfectly fine living with that selfishness. Humans were inherently flawed, after all.
She was who she was, and her ego was so huge that even knowing her flaws, she didn't want to change them. She firmly believed: This is who I am. ᕙ(⇀_↼")ᕗ
Maybe because Yuna was strongly stimulated by her late-night monologue, the dimension stone embedded in her chest glowed with a faint purple light, and she began to hear a voice in her sleep.
[…Please… someone… anyone… God… light…]
The voice was fragmented and broken.
Yuna, deep in sleep, faintly heard the desperate plea of a young child. She wanted to ignore it, but the desperation was so intense that she couldn't bring herself to do so, lest guilt consume her.
"…It's okay. I'm here… I'm here…"
Yuna subconsciously responded as she awakened. The stone, as if satisfied with her answer, shone brighter—and she disappeared from her spot.