The Resolve

Kurose gripped his sword firmly in both hands.

He closed his eyes,
exhaled slowly,
to concentrate.

Not long after…

Nothing happened.

Kurose opened his eyes.

“I thought so…
it wouldn’t happen.”

Kurose reflected,
with composed posture.

“To be able to use pure mana,
I need more concentration.”

Kurose’s mind drifted back…

“Yusaka-sama,
the first thing
you have to learn is how to control
pure mana.”

“It’s the fundamental thing of this world.”

The king’s chancellor said quietly to Yusaka,
with a steady voice.

“I see,
but more importantly,
I want to see Rin.
Can you tell me where she i—”

Yusaka replied to the king’s chancellor,
his face overflowing with anticipation.

He patted Yusaka’s head.

“Please concentrate!”

He said,
with steady shoulders.

Kurose returned to the present.

“Those were some good days…”

Kurose murmured,
with relaxed shoulders.

“But,
I have to start
meditating now?”

“Sounds exhausting.”

He murmured,
with exhausted eyes.

Kurose exhaled.

“But,
I have to do it!”

He said,
with a smile on his face.

Kurose dropped the sword on the ground with its sheath.

He went close to the great tree.

He sat on the ground,
with his back touching the great tree’s outer layer.

Kurose closed his eyes,
and exhaled slowly.

He noticed
the surrounding pure mana,
and his own mana glowing.

Before long.

At an easy pace,
Kurose’s mana and the pure mana
were gradually connecting.

Shortly afterward.

But,
on the brink of connecting,
they repelled each other.

Kurose opened his eyes.
He exhaled hurriedly.

“Need more concentration!”

Kurose murmured in his mind,
with straightened posture.

“But,
I have two years to train!”

“It will work out somehow!”

He murmured,
with a steady face tinged with a trace of light sweat.

The sun was setting.

Kurose looked at the sun.

“For today, I should go home.”

Kurose picked up the sword with its sheath
and moved toward the forest gate.

Moments later…

Kurose walked on the path,
heading toward the village gate.

He noticed
the guards were going home from their duty.

“Do they even do their duties?”

Kurose murmured,
with a hesitant smile on his face.

Kurose passed the village gate.

After a while—

On his way home,

he saw a girl running toward the village gate.

The girl passed him.

Kurose looked behind him while walking.

“Is she in a hurry to head home
because it’s late?”

Kurose wondered,
his shoulders steady, tinged with a little curiosity.

“Everyone has their own worries, I guess,”
he murmured.

Kurose realized—

“Oh! I forgot the sun was setting.”

He said,
with a hurried voice.

“I have to head home too.”

Kurose ran all the way home.

After a while—

The day was on the brink of ending.

Kurose reached home.

He opened the entry door.

“I-I’m h-home…”

Kurose said,
breathing heavily.

He walked to the table
while exhaling.

He sat on the chair.

Hely came.

“Welcome home, Kurose!”

Hely said calmly to Kurose,
with a soft smile on her face.

“How was your first training?”

Kurose hesitated.

“W-w-well,
I-it will w-work out somehow…”

Kurose answered Hely,
with an uncertain smile while averting her gaze.

“I see.”

“Well,
I don’t know the details, but
do your best, Kurose.”

Hely said softly to Kurose,
with a smile.

“Thank you, Mother,”
he replied to Hely,
with a eased gaze.

Shortly afterward—

Ven came downstairs,

walking toward the table.

“Oh! You’re back, Kurose,”
Ven remarked,
with composed shoulders.

“How was the first day?”

“Did you do something interesting?”

Ven said to Kurose,
with a smile tinged with excitement.

“W-well…”
Kurose replied,
while averting his gaze.

“I guess I was right!
Tell me, what did you d—”

Hely patted his head with her left hand from behind.

“Stop that,”
Hely interrupted politely,
with straightened shoulders.

“It pinched…”
Ven murmured,
with a stiff mouth.

Hely placed the cutlery on the table.

“Everyone’s first day is rough!”

Hely remarked to Ven,
with steady shoulders.

“Even if it’s our son,
the first day is rough for every kid!”

“Well, I cannot deny that,”
Ven replied,
with collected posture.

“He’s still got a lot more ahead of him!”

Hely said to Ven,
with a soft smile on her face.

“It’s our son, so that’s obvious!”

Ven replied,
with composed shoulders.

Kurose’s cheeks slightly reddened.

“W-well, Mother and Father,
I’m going to bed early today,”
Kurose remarked,
with relaxed shoulders.

He stood up from the chair.

“W-well then,
good ni—”

“Wait! Have dinner first!”

Hely said calmly to Kurose,
with steady shoulders.

He sat again.

“Y-yes!”

Kurose answered,
with composed posture.

“Wait, Hely…
where is my cutlery?”

Ven murmured to Hely,
with composed posture tinged with uncertainty.

Hely puffed her cheeks and slightly turned her head.

“I’m still angry about yesterday!”

Hely replied to Ven.

“I did say sorry for that!”

Ven murmured to Hely,
with a relaxed voice.

Hely puffed her cheeks even harder.

“I’m sorry!
I was at fault!
I’m sorry!”

Ven said to Hely.
with a hurried voice.

Shortly afterward.

“Thanks for the food!”

Kurose murmured.

His composure steady.

Kurose stood up from the chair.

“Mother and Father,
now I’m going upstairs to sleep!”

“Okay!
Sweet dreams, Kurose!”

Hely remarked
in a soft voice.

“Good luck for tomorrow!”

Ven said to Kurose,
a smile on his face.

“Yes!”

He replied.
His voice eased.

Within moments…

Kurose went upstairs.

He went to his room.

Kurose lay on the bed,
his head resting on his hands together.

He sighed slowly.

“For two years…?”

Kurose murmured in his mind.

“Originally, I was a magic swordsman.”

“But to train with only a sword…?”

“It sounds exhausting.”

“I should not ask Father for more,
because back then,
grimoires were high-priced
due to containing ancient humans’ ways of mastering magic attributes.”

Kurose murmured,
his shoulders steady.

“We were summoned,
that’s why grimoires were provided to us.”

“But…
I don’t have details about the present.”

“I have never seen a grimoire in my house before.”

After a moment—

Kurose exhaled a calm breath.

“Well, either way,
I want to work hard.”

He murmured,
his voice composed.

“I-I have to…”

After one year..

Clear sky,
Clouds drifted through soft winds.
Trees flustering as if blending with winds.

Kurose concentrating under the great tree vertis.

kurose's mana and pure mana
are on the brink of connecting,
but still repelling each other.

He opened his eyes,
exhaled slowly.

"Some more time and it'll bound!."
Kurose murmured.
with a faint smile on his face.

He stands up.
Cleared the leaves of the tree on his head.

Kurose looks at the sun setting.

"I was out here for a long time i guess."

"I should head home or
mother will worry about me!."


Shortly afterwards..

Kurose walked along the path,
heading toward the village gate.

“Today, I got a little more money from Mother.
I should buy some honey bread on my way home.”

Kurose murmured in his mind.
A smile appeared on his face.

Within moments—

He reached the bakery.

The shop was on the brink of closing.

He noticed.

Kurose hurried and ran toward it.

“G-Granny! W-wait!”
Kurose shouted, breathing heavily.

He rushed to the counter.

He exhaled slowly.

“Oh, Kurose. You were out late,”
Granny said, her posture composed.

“T-ten honey breads, please,”
Kurose replied, his shoulders steadying.

“Okay.”

“It’s been one year since you started training,”
Granny remarked with a faint smile.

“The ceremony is only one year away.”

“Are you going to be okay?”
she asked, her voice composed, tinged with a trace of concern.

Granny handed him the honey bread.

“W-well… it’ll work out somehow, Granny,”
Kurose answered.

His face was calm, with a faint trace of sweat.

“Why does everyone ask me that?
I’ll be okay…
you guys are scaring me…”

Kurose murmured in his mind.

“Thank you, Granny.
I’ll be heading home now,”
he said, his posture easing.

He walked out of the bakery.

After a while—

Kurose passed through the village gate.

As he walked along the path—

“It’s been one year since I started training,”
Kurose thought.

His posture straightened.

“My mana and pure mana will connect sooner or later.”

“My training will finish sooner than I expected.”

“But…

If only magic was here.”

“Even after one year,
I still haven’t seen a grimoire in my house.”

“Maybe they’re too expensive.”

Kurose let out a quiet breath.

“Well… it can’t be helped.
I should give up on that.”

His shoulders steadied, tinged with faint disappointment.

Shortly afterward—

He reached home.

He noticed a girl closing his front door.

“Oh… it’s that girl
who comes to play with my little sister.”

“What was her name again…
Celris? Clara? Cecilia?”

Kurose wondered, his expression relaxed with curiosity.

He walked toward her.

Their gazes met.

“Hello… Cecilia, was it?”
Kurose asked, his expression composed, with a slight trace of sweat.

“H-hello,”
she replied quietly, her face flustered.

“Thank you for playing with my little sister,”
Kurose said, his posture steady.

“Yes…
we’ll meet again next time,”
Cecilia murmured, her cheeks slightly red as she looked away.

She ran off with all her energy.

“Is that girl okay…?”

Kurose murmured, concern slipping into his voice.

He exhaled quietly.

“More importantly…
I want to see Mother.”

Shortly afterward—

He entered the house.

“Mother! I’m home!”

No reply.

“Mother… I’m home.”

“Is nobody here?
That can’t be…”

Kurose murmured, his expression composed.

He walked to the dining table.

Hely was resting with Kurose’s little sister in her arms,
gently patting her chest while sitting comfortably,
softly gazing into her daughter’s eyes with a smile.

Kurose noticed her.

“Mother… I’m home,”
he said softly.

“Oh! Kurose—welcome home.”

“How was your training?”
Hely asked with a smile.

“Today was great too, Mother,”
Kurose replied calmly.

“Oh, I see.
Good luck,”
Hely said gently.

“Mother, I’m going to sleep early today.”

“Oh, I see.
Sweet dreams, Kurose.”

“Yes. Good night.”

Kurose headed upstairs.

“I feel like…
I’m starting to develop an inferiority complex,”
he murmured, faintly smiling with a trace of sweat.

“But… that can’t be it.”

Walking down the hallway—

“Since I’m going to sleep,
let me look at the golden fields one more time.”

He entered a room with a window.

Near it sat a box.

“A box…?”

Kurose murmured,
his shoulders relaxed, curiosity stirring.