Chapter 116: The World’s Greatest Swordswoman and the World’s Greatest Mage

Taking a small breath, Calyra leaned forward just a little, her expression brightening once more as she searched for something simple to say.

"By the way Rosalin, your garden is really beautiful. When I came in, I almost forgot why I was here..." she paused, then lowering her voice slightly. "ah, actually, I did forget."

Calyra giggled lightly.

"I was wandering around and somehow got lost. I was supposed to wait in the guest hall, but I chased after a beautiful butterfly instead and... somehow, I ended up here."

Then, she lifted a finger to her mouth. "Fufu~ so please don’t tell anyone, okay? Let’s keep this as our little secret."

Rosalin looked at her quietly.

Her hands rested on her lap. She could not find the strength to speak, but after a brief pause, she gave a small nod.

Calyra caught the nod, and her smile grew even brighter. Then, she leaned back slightly, resting her chin on her hand.

"Also, Rosalin, my father already told me about you," she said after a moment, her tone softening just a little.

"He said your body is still weak, and talking can be hard sometimes. But he also said you’re getting better."

Rosalin’s eyes lowered. For a brief moment, her expression turned uncertain, shadowed by a weight she could not put into words.

Calyra tilted her head slightly.

"Hmm~ is it true?"

Then Rosalin nodded.

Calyra’s face lit up.

"That’s great!" she said loudly, her voice filled with genuine delight. "Then that means one day you’ll be completely fine, right? You’ll be able to walk around anywhere you want, and talk as much as you like, and do whatever you feel like doing."

Rosalin blinked a couple of times, a little dazed because the words felt distant to her. Not impossible, but far away, like something she had already let go of a long time ago.

Calyra leaned forward again, her eyes shining.

"Then what will you do?"

Rosalin froze.

But Calyra continued to press her further.

"Hehe~ like when that day comes, what do you want to be? And what do you want to do the most!?" she asked.

Silence followed.

Rosalin’s lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

She had never truly thought about it... Or perhaps, she had long since forbidden herself from even trying.

Could she really... recover from this illness? Could she truly become something, do something... of her own choosing?

Rosalin quietly wondered.

At the same time, Calyra watched her for a moment.

"...You haven’t thought about it yet?"

Rosalin hesitated.

Then, slowly, she shook her head.

Calyra smiled again, softer this time, but just as warm. "That’s okay," she said lightly. "You don’t have to decide right away."

She straightened in her seat. "Fufu~ Though, I already decided mine," she continued, her voice carrying a quiet pride.

"As I previously said, I’m going to become the greatest mage in the whole world. Not just strong, but someone who can do anything with magic. Just like ■■■■.I want to see places no one else has seen, learn things no one else understands, and protect... the people I care about."

She looked directly at Rosalin again.

"And you can do the same."

Rosalin’s eyes widened slightly.

"You’re already getting better, right? That means you’re moving forward, even if it’s slow. So one day, when you feel a little stronger, you can start thinking about what you want."

She smiled, bright again, but this time there was something deeper beneath it.

"It doesn’t have to be something big like mine. It can be anything. Something small is fine too. As long as it’s something that makes you want to keep going."

’Something that makes me want to keep going...?’

Rosalin’s gaze trembled.

The words stirred something quietly within her chest, unfamiliar and faint, like a small light that had only just begun to lit up.

Calyra tilted her head slightly, watching her reaction with curiosity. "Do you like swordsmanship? Your family is known for that, right?" she asked suddenly.

Rosalin blinked, caught off guard.

Then, after a moment, she nodded.

That was what her elder brothers were practicing.

Her late elder sister, too.

Calyra’s smile widened.

"Then maybe one day, hehe~ you’ll have your own knights under your command," she said, her voice filled with excitement. "Rows, rows, rows of them~ All wearing shining armor, and standing proudly at your side. And you’ll be the one leading them — the one they all look up to!"

Her blue eyes lit up as her imagination took shape.

"Oh... and maybe you’ll even carry your own sword someday. Hehe~ one that was made just for you, Rosalin."

She leaned forward slightly.

"And when you swing it, it’ll be so graceful and powerful at the same time! Swoosh~! Anyone who sees it won’t be able to look away. Fufu~ they’ll be drawn in by your swordsmanship."

Calyra nodded proudly.

"Eh, hold on... but if you’re going to become a swordswoman in the future..."

She straightened suddenly.

"Then you should aim to be the strongest swordswoman in the world!"

Her smile widened as she placed both hands firmly on the table with a light thump.

"And I’ll become the strongest mage in the world!"

A soft laugh escaped her, bright and full of delight.

"Fufu~ it must be fate, Rosalin."

"You and I... we are destined to be someone great!"

Calyra said it with a bright, unwavering smile as she stepped closer to where Rosalin sat across the table.

Rosalin’s golden-amber eyes widened slightly, a faint light flickering within them.

’Destined... to be someone great? Me? Someone who couldn’t even lift a finger? No way... is she crazy?’

For a moment, she did not understand. The words sounded bold, almost unreasonable, like something plucked straight from a nonsensical fairytale.

How could someone say such things so easily, as if it were already decided? How could someone crippled like her become someone great?

Impossible!

And yet...

As she looked at the girl standing before her, so full of certainty and warmth, so full of unwavering conviction, those words did not feel empty.

They smothered softly in her chest.

Calyra continued, "So Rosalin, when you’ve fully healed, when you’re able to walk again... why don’t the two of us have a spar?"

Rosalin blinked, pulled from her thoughts.

A small, bewildered sound almost escaped her lips.

Now what was this girl even saying now?

’A spar... with me?’

It sounded so absurd that made Rosalin want to laugh.

And yet... as she looked into Calyra’s eyes, she felt that those were not words spoken out of childish fancy or passing whim.

Calyra truly meant every one of them!

And more than that... Calyra did not speak as someone wished to pursue that greatness alone.

No... she was reaching out, inviting Rosalin into that dream, as if their futures were meant to be woven side by side.

But honestly, to walk toward something wondrous and absurd together...

Such a thing was ridiculous.

It was foolish. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

It was fantastical even!

And yet, strangely... it moved her heart.

Because for the first time, there was a person who saw Rosalin not as someone to be pitied. But someone that was worth believing in... like anybody else.

And that faith... so simple, so sincere, lit up an ember that touched even the coldest corners of her heart.

"A spar..."

Rosalin quietly mumbled.

Calyra slowly nodded.

Then, with an eager smile, she gently took both of Rosalin’s hands into her own and lifted them between them.

"Yes, Rosalin, in the future, just the two of us..."

"A spar between...."

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[Chapter 116: The World’s Greatest Swordswoman and the World’s Greatest Mage]