Don't worry, Eldern. I'll protect you from this bastard, Ryudien whispered to himself.
"Why?" Elyra asked.
"Why?" Damnern replied.
"Why does Eden have to train when he's still so young?" Elyra protested, clearly dissatisfied.
"Oh? So Elyra dear isn't tired of playing with Eldern yet? Alright then, Eldern. Papa will cancel training today, but…" Damnern said.
"But?" Elyra asked, her expression turning serious.
"Papa wants to play too. Is that okay?" Damnern asked hopefully.
"No!" Elyra replied without hesitation.
Damnern immediately turned away and walked off with a dejected posture.
"Seriously, he's just leaving like that?" Elyra thought.
"At least I managed to save Eldern," she thought again, looking at him with a proud expression.
"Why are you so against Eldern training?" Eldern asked in confusion.
"Well… um… Eyya doesn't want Eden to get hurt again," Elyra replied, struggling to find the right words.
"Hehe, so Elyra is worried about Eldern, huh? But Eldern's fine. Besides, Eldern wants to become the strongest warrior—cool like Papa," Eldern said as he gently patted Elyra's head.
"Why…?" Elyra wondered silently, a strange tightness forming in her chest.
"I'm sorry, Elyra. Eldern can't play with you this afternoon… but don't worry, tonight Eldern will read you a storybook, okay?" Eldern said gently.
"Alright then, Eldern's going first, okay?" he added, preparing to leave.
"I want to come too!" Elyra replied immediately.
"Damn you, Damnern Solv. You even made this kid afraid to skip training… yeah, of course it's like that," Elyra thought bitterly.
"Hm… sigh…" Eldern let out a small sigh.
"Alright then, let's go find Papa first. He's usually in the backyard," Eldern said at last, unable to resist Elyra's pleading expression.
The two of them arrived at the backyard and saw Damnern training by himself.
"Papa," Eldern called out.
"Huh? You're not playing with Elyra anymore?" Damnern asked.
When he noticed Elyra was there as well, Damnern approached her.
"Did Elyra come to watch Papa train?" Damnern asked.
"Eyya came to watch Eden!" Elyra replied with an annoyed expression.
"Huh? Alright, alright. So Elyra's upset because Eldern doesn't want to play with you, huh?" Damnern said, holding himself back from hugging her.
I'm here so you won't do anything strange to Eldern, Elyra thought.
"Alright, Eldern. Let's begin the training," Damnern said firmly.
A few minutes later.
"W–wait… seriously?" Elyra hadn't expected Eldern's training to be nothing more than repeatedly swinging a wooden sword.
Wasn't training supposed to be about surviving in the wilderness or fighting packs of wolves? she wondered in disbelief.
Eldern noticed Elyra staring and smiled proudly.
"You're staring so hard at my training, Elyra. Kikiki," Eldern said with a small laugh.
"Oh! No wonder I couldn't find you—Mama's little girl is here," Elina's voice rang out as she approached with a glass of cold sweet water.
For some reason, Ryudien—now living as Elyra—always felt at peace whenever Elina was around.
"Mama always comes here?" Elyra asked.
"Yes, dear. Mama always brings cold drinks for Papa and Eldern," Elina replied softly.
"Papa only has time to train Eldern on his days off. That's why Eldern always trains so seriously—so serious that he even refuses to play with Elyra. That's why Elyra came here, right? Hehe," Elina continued, laughing lightly as she lifted Elyra onto her lap.
Only then did Elyra finally notice the determination on Eldern's face as he trained.
"Is training… really that fun?" Elyra asked quietly, her eyes fixed on the happy expressions shared between father and son.
"I don't know," Elina replied simply.
Suddenly, a servant appeared, escorting an unfamiliar man.
"Lord Damnern, this is a messenger from the royal palace. He brings an official letter from the King himself," said the servant, Gabnor (25 years old), the only male servant and also the Solv family's guard.
At that moment, Ryudien (Elyra) felt the same aura he had sensed the first time he met Damnern Solv.
That gaze… this is the Damnern I know, Elyra said to herself in panic.
End of Chapter 4