‘Not bad, Jerry. You’ve really improved. I’m so happy right now!’

Ciara’s mind was in ecstasy, seeing the man she loved achieve such a great feat. The fruits of his endless training we’re finally showing.

Of course, someone like Ciara would never say how she truly felt out loud—especially with the boy right beside her.

And so, she resorted to the usual way she communicated with him.

“Hmph! You’re still too weak.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Don’t you worry, though. I’ll soon catch up to you.”

That optimism of his that never faded away, and his constant efforts to achieve that goal… Ciara was lost inside its ecstasy.

Even after so long, none of them had changed in the slightest.

‘Yeah… I look forward to that.’ She smiled internally.

Of course, she couldn’t say that as well.

“You wish! Hahahaha!”

And so, both of them returned to their Base, ready to be cheered for their victorious efforts on the front lines.

‘This is what you wanted, right, Jerry?’ Ciara smiled as she watched the boy give an exhausted round of laughter.

Truth be told, she didn’t really care about protecting the Kingdom.

Ciara simply wanted to be with Jerry. It was his choice to spend his Apprenticeship in the Northern Border—where the conditions were harsher and it was more perilous.

He wanted to get stronger, as well as protect everyone in the Eastern Kingdom.

As a result, Ciara had no choice but to tag along with him.

Despite all his objections, they both ended up in the same platoon and had to see each other every day.

Their rooms were also beside each other, so it was easier for Ciara to sneak into his.

Even after their Apprenticeship was over, Jerry remained in the North, insisting on protecting everyone.

‘I just can’t say no to him, can I?’

As a result, she too remained.

Even now, when they were hailed as the trump cards of the Northern Border, Ciara didn’t exactly feel anything. She didn’t care for the praise of others.

“No, you shouldn’t thank me. It was all Ciara. She did a wonderful job! I was just trying to keep up.”

As Jerry’s words of praise sounded in her ears, Ciara felt a wave of satisfaction course through her.

A warm feeling spread inside her, displaying itself on her face.

“Compared to her, I was… I need to work harder!” Jerry smiled, pumping his fist in determination.

‘Idiot… you… you’ve grown so strong already.’ Ciara smiled, looking at the man she loved.

His growth was beyond expectations.

That was purely because of his efforts.

‘Even though you’ll never catch up to me…’

Still, she wouldn’t mind it if he eventually did. After all, that would mean his dream would come true.

Either way, as long as he was by her side, Ciara felt like nothing else mattered.

If Jerry wanted to fight, she would fight too. If Jerry chose to side with the Demons, she would also do the same in a heartbeat.

The ball was in his court. And so, she waited for what he would do next.

“We should probably rest, but… I want to train some more. A Demon invasion of that scale means they’re definitely taking this war seriously now.” Jerry said, turning to Ciara.

“Training, uh? Then, count me in.”

“O-Oh, you don’t have to… with me…”

“Don’t be a wuss. Let’s go.”

“Fine. Fine. Let’s. It should be fun.”

And so, the two of them walked away from the crowd who smiled behind them. The people who watched the boy and girl all had the same thoughts pertaining to them.

Ciara ignored them, though.

‘Where he goes, I go. We are bound by fate, and we are in love. No one is allowed to stand in our way. As long as I have him and he has me, that’s enough.’ A wide smile spread across her face.

‘After all, I belong to him… AND HE BELONGS TO ME.’

That was all there was to it.

It was all that mattered.

***************************

“Looks like they handled things well on their end.”

I was just about to address the Elves who were with me, as well as my comrades, when I got a report from the scout Automatons I stationed in the Eastern Kingdom.

Apparently, both assaults had been completely extinguished.

For the North, Ciara was more than enough to handle it.

I was surprised to see Jerry Keller in action as well. His growth was beyond what I expected, but that was only natural considering whom he chose as his rival.

‘Looks like he even mastered Elemental Chamber and retrofitted it to suit his Fire Attribute.’

It was impressive, to say the least.

But, of course, the most surprising of all, was the incident at the Eastern Border.

A single swordsman defeating a horde of Demon Beasts and a Demon General—devastating the area as a result.

I could only expect that from one single person.

‘So you’ve turned into a monster too, Edward?’ A slightly intimidated smile spread on my face.

I was initially superior to him in Martial Arts, but not anymore.

My limit was the Peak Level, but Edward was already in the Transcendent Realm—at least when he used Martial State.

‘Amazing. Simply amazing!’

Everyone around me was growing at a phenomenal pace.

‘If I didn’t train for over a hundred years back then… I would have been left behind.’ Once again, I was grateful to The Hermit Arcana.

My talent, compared to others, was very small. Not only that, but I also had many fields to cover.

My goal was not to be simply focused on one area.

Magic. Martial Arts. Alchemy. Engineering. Knowledge. Anti-Magic.

I needed to diversify as much as I could to see a clearer picture.

If I didn’t have enough time, it was possible that I would not be able to attain a level of mastery in any area.

‘Good thing I did!’

In any case, it was finally time to wrap up the nuisance of Zenkiel’s strategy.

‘Let’s get this over with, shall we?’