The eyes were sparkling.
If she only had a tail, Arisha would be wagging it like crazy as she clung to me, filled with excitement.
“It’s just a simple martial art. You could learn it from the King of Rights, right?”
“My uncle can’t do stuff like that!”
I mean, he’s the King of Rights, but can’t even pull off a wall technique?
“Alright, alright. Chit-chat is nice and all, but we need to inform Leena’s parents that she has awakened.”
With the defeat of the devils, the connection between Leena and Derlevano was cut off.
Maybe it’s because the devil didn’t manifest directly, just possessed her, so the job was easier.
I wonder if I can skate by and get an assignment exemption like this.
Of course, if they don’t, I’m not just gonna sit there.
“Your handling of the situation is surprisingly tidy. The way you severed the link with the devil was like that of a seasoned cleric… Were you perhaps from a church?”
Not really.
I do have a friend from a church, though. I’ve seen Serin do a lot of stuff back in the day and helped her out, which made it easy for me to dispel the possession.
But why bother sharing all that?
I just shrugged, and the King of Rights didn’t seem inclined to pry further, stepping lightly outside.
“Uncle!! Leena opened her eyes!”
Only Leena, Arisha, and I remained in the room.
Arisha, who was right next to Leena, beamed as Leena began to rise from her seemingly dreamlike state. What a bright child.
“Arisha…?”
“Leena! It’s me! Are you alright?! Huh?!”
Her radiant blonde hair danced about. Though her green eyes showed plenty of worry, Leena’s words quickly brought back her signature cheeriness.
“Umm… I feel a bit strange, but…”
It’s better than feeling bloated from being possessed by a devil, so I told her to just hang in there.
“They say it’s all good now!”
“Really…? Am I really okay…?”
Arisha’s gaze landed on me, and I nodded.
Possession by a devil isn’t exactly a common occurrence, so there’s no way she’d get possessed again.
Still, just in case, I’m planning to keep my eyes peeled.
“It’s okay!”
“Leena!!”
And then it happened.
The door burst open, and Leena’s parents rushed in.
I could get a hint of how immensely joyful they must have felt that their daughter, who had just been possessed by a devil, was back to normal.
So I smiled warmly at that teary-eyed family embracing each other.
“It’s all thanks to you, uncle!”
Before I knew it, Arisha was beside me, tugging at my clothes with a bright smile.
But this wasn’t all just my doing.
“If the King of Rights hadn’t wanted to save that girl, I would never have known she was possessed by a devil.”
“I told my uncle, though?”
“Well, that means you deserve some credit too.”
“Really?”
Arisha tilted her head cutely, then broke into another radiant smile.
Her expression said, “I don’t know anything,” but it warmed the hearts of those around her.
“Well, we’ve taken care of what we needed to do, so let’s get going.”
“Sounds good.”
“Why are you leaving like this!? You can’t do that!”
“Yes! Please stay for at least a few days!”
Leena’s parents were ready to put on a show just to stop us from leaving.
I mean, we can just leave, right?
But with the tears rolling down their cheeks, how could we?
The King of Rights looked at me, awkwardly, and after a moment of thought, I nodded.
“Then I’ll stay for just a few days before leaving.”
“Thank you! Thank you! We will never forget this honor!”
Honestly, there’s no need to remember it that much.
While resting in the room prepared by Leena’s parents, I heard a knock, and the door swung open.
“Uncle! I’m coming in!”
“You already walked in.”
“Hehe~. Uncle, uncle.”
Ignoring my playful jab, Arisha beamed and rushed towards me, tugging at my clothes. My outfit’s going to stretch at this rate.
“About that thing earlier. Can you teach me?”
Sparkle, sparkle. Those overly bright eyes were fixed on me.
But why would she want to learn from me when her uncle is the King of Rights?
I glanced out the window. It seemed the King of Rights, meditating in the garden, sensed my gaze and slowly lifted his head.
“What is it?”
“Arisha is asking me to teach her a wall technique.”
Teaching it isn’t exactly hard.
But maybe there’s a reason the King of Rights taught her only the Arang Technique and not the wall technique.
So I asked, but what do you know? He just shrugged and nodded casually.
“Do as you wish.”
“Wha? Is that okay?”
“I was going to teach it soon anyway. Let her feel the difference between your interpretation and mine; it’ll be good learning for her.”
That actually makes sense.
In that case, I won’t hold back.
“Alright. I’ll teach you.”
“Wow! Really! Uncle is the best! The best!”
Bouncing up and down happily, Arisha dashed over and hugged me tightly like a puppy.
If I left her like that, she might cover my face with kisses, so I quickly let her go.
“Let’s go do it outside; it’s not suited for inside.”
“Okay!!”
After arriving in the garden with the lively Arisha, the King of Rights sat cross-legged, watching us.
I wonder if this is okay.
“The wall technique is basically a fluid martial art, like water.”
“Yup! Teacher!”
“Uh? No need to call me teacher.”
“But you’re teaching me!”
“When your uncle teaches you, do you call him teacher?”
“Um? No. But my uncle is my uncle and teachers are teachers.”
So she’s trying to form that kind of relationship, huh?
I just nodded at Arisha, who had those sparkling eyes on me.
After all, I’d be getting called teacher eventually; might as well think of it as a head start.
“Where was I? Right. The wall technique is fundamentally a fluid martial art. Arisha, how does water flow?”
“Um… well?”
“Hah, this kid. Hahaha.”
Rather than smack her for her way-off answer, I just stroked her head.
This kid’s head is nice and soft, making it satisfying to pet.
“Hehe~.”
“Exactly. Just like you said, water flows easily. As long as no obstacle completely blocks its path, it naturally flows through every gap. The wall technique is just like that.”
I stood from my seat and readied my stance.
Arisha’s eyes sparkled as she watched me crouch down.
She must be focusing.
“Water doesn’t fight easily. It just lets everything flow freely.”
As I extended my hand, it slowly arched through the air.
In that moment, the fallen leaves around us began to shift with the movement of my hand.
Staring at a single leaf that floated up, I moved my hand again.
“That flow can be a torrent sometimes.”
Paaang!!
Though my hand struck the air, the leaf gently slipped past my fingertips.
Playfully leading the flitting leaf, I made another motion with my hand.
“It all comes down to a simple flow.”
Shwooo…
The gust I created lifted the leaf back into the air.
With my eyes still on the leaf dancing in the air, I moved my hand once more.
“That flow can be gentle, but also incredibly strong.”
Sasaak!
As my extended hand met the leaf, it crumbled into dust.
Lowering my hand, I stared at the remnants.
That’s the essence of the wall technique—hiding strength within gentleness.
I subtly glanced at the King of Rights, who nodded, seemingly satisfied with my demonstration.
“Wow! That’s amazing! That’s amazing! I want to try too!”
Arisha jumped to her feet, standing beside me.
Arisha, awkwardly taking her posture, reached out her hand.
“Haha. You have to lower your stance a bit more.”
“Like this?”
“Yep. From there, stretch your hand out.”
Paaaan!!
You can clearly tell she’s trained in the Arang Technique.
The way she put all her strength into her reaching arm and leg makes that obvious.
“Ehhehe. Is this not it?”
Considering she embarrassed herself after trying, her shy smile was pretty cute.
Sure, keep smiling. They say laughter brings good fortune, anyway.
Though she’s playful and adorable, Arisha is not one to neglect her duties.
During her stay at the mansion, she consistently practiced, and by the time we were set to leave, she had mastered the basics of the wall technique perfectly.
“Basics are the most important. Practice every day.”
“Okay! Teacher!”
“Then learn the rest from the King of Rights.”
Mastering the wall technique’s basics in just a few days shows she has potential.
So she can learn the rest from the King.
I looked at the King of Rights, who nodded gently, arms crossed.
“Hm. It’s a pity. I wanted to learn more from you, teacher.”
“That can’t be helped.”
I have to return to the Tower of Sages while Arisha must follow the King of Rights.
“Are you planning to go to the Academy when you turn adult?”
“Yep. My uncle said he would send me there.”
“Well then, let’s meet there.”
“Huh? Teacher, are you going to the Academy too?”
“Yeah. By the time you become an adult and enroll, I’ll probably be at the Academy too.”
“Wow!! I’m so excited! That means I can learn even more from you then?”
“Right, so train hard until then.”
With her eyes sparkling, Arisha bounced around me before suddenly pulling me in for a hug.
She’s already an affectionate kid, and we’ve been pretty touchy-feely these past few days, so of course, she does this now.
I just patted her back as she tightly hugged me and smiled brightly.
Was that nice for her?
After a joyful laugh, Arisha whispered softly in my ear.
“Promise to meet again, teacher.”
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