The Sword Master Only Wants to Protect

Liebu Mountain Academy was the biggest, most renowned place for those who wished to learn swordsmanship. There were seven reputable sword masters who taught those young talents in this place. From a young master to a beggar on the road, Liebu Mountain didn't look at their background, but at their aptitude and moral conscience.

In the middle of the large training grounds, many apprentices crowded the place. Some of them had obtained their spirit sword, while some younger ones still holding their training sword. All of them were equally amazed watching two of their masters sparring in the arena.

One of those two masters swung his sword down hard. He smirked when his opponent withstood the blow with her own sword. The impact was so strong that sparks flew from the collided metal.

"Come on, Lulu. Tired already?" he asked, teasing. Even when he himself was panting lightly.

The man was Rion Ren, one of the masters from Liebu Mountain. He was strong and his moves were fast and agile. Many people had tried to challenge him, but very few could match his power. And even fewer who were able to defeat him.

Rion Ren was a handsome man with a tall, muscled body and broad shoulders. His hair was shoulder-length, carelessly tied back into a short ponytail. He had lips that naturally curved a little upward, which made him have a friendly and approachable look. His skin was the color of honey, glistening with sweat. His dark eyes were bright with excitement.

"Don't call me that," 'Lulu' said, without slowing the tempo of her attack.

Rion somersaulted backward, narrowly avoiding a high kick. Then immediately stepped to the side when her sword almost stabbed him between the eyes. Her sword managed to cut the tip of his shot ponytail, though. So, she counted it as a win.

"Why? Lulu is a cute name," Rion said conversationally, as if they were sharing a pot of tea and not fiercely fighting. He ducked his head down when her sword swung, threatening to sever his neck. "Alright, alright. Master Ludriev, please go easy on this brother of yours!"

The woman, Ludriev, thinned her lips, and a displeased frown somewhat appeared between her pretty brows. She attacked even more forcefully than before and didn't give any chance to Rion to strike back.

"Mercy!" Rion shouted, even when his smile grew wider, clearly enjoying this fight.

"You are not my brother," Ludriev said, punctuating each word with the slash of her sword.

"I am not. But, I'm older and we've been learning and now teaching here for twenty years. So, of course, I'm more than a friend. I'm your brother, not related by blood, though. But still your older brother."

Rion knew riling up Ludriev like this would drive her even more aggressive, and that was exactly his aim. Ludriev was strong. She once fought a thousand rebels who attempted to sneak attack the kingdom and wiped them all in one night all by herself. The emperor was so pleased he asked her to be a general in the palace, but she refused. Therefore, people called her the Goddess of War from Liebu Mountain.

Ludriev was a tall woman (but still shorter than Rion, and often got teased with that). She loved fighting and would gladly fight anyone who dared to challenge her. Therefore, even if she looked lean, she had quite toned muscles beneath all those layers of clothes.

She rarely smile, but her facial feature was delicate and her almond-shaped eyes made her look soft. There was a beauty mark under her left eye. This made those people (mostly men) often underestimate her. Before she proceeded to beat their ass.

Ludriev spun on one heel and used the momentum to swing her sword down strongly. Rion raised his own sword to deflect her. He heard a low but crisp 'clink', and glanced a little at his sword. There was a small crack on the weapon.

He quickly took two steps backward, trying to get some distance from Ludriev.

"Wait, Lu, I think-"

But the War Goddess didn't even let him finish the sentence. She jumped nimbly like a frigging monkey, her sword slashed so fast it was barely visible.

Rion didn't have enough time to dodge. He hopelessly used his sword to meet hers. The poor sword broke completely. Its shards clinked pitifully to the floor. Ludriev's eyes widened in surprise. She tried to stop, but her momentum was too strong and everything happened too suddenly. Her sword grazed Rion's arm.

Blood immediately seeped through his cut sleeves. Ludriev flinched and staggered backward, looking at the wound wide-eyed, and then looked up to meet Rion's eyes.

"Well, I guess I lost," Rion said lightly. He threw his broken sword to the side. "As promised, I'll take you down the mountain and treat you to something delicious. Let's go!"

"I didn't agree with that promise." Ludriev's eyes flickered on his arm again. "Treat your wound first."

"Aww, is my little sister worrying about me? I'm touched."

Ludriev pursed her lips. The wound should treat as soon as possible so it wouldn't get infected. She knew this. "I'm not. People will stare if you walk around with bloody clothes like that."

"Ah, you are so cruel. My poor tender heart...." Rion clutched his chest with a fake aggrieved expression.

"Quit that." Ludriev threw her sword to the side, too. She waved her sleeves at the apprentices, who were staring at them with blatant adoration. If you all have time to sit around lazily like this, go train!"

All those apprentices immediately dispersed and scurried away. Rion sighed. "Couldn't you be a little gentler? They're still young. Let them having fun doing things they like once in a while."

"What young? If they want to be stronger, they have to train. Idling around like that wouldn't get them anywhere. Let's go to Lin first and get your wound tended."

Rion gave up telling her the method of teaching was not only forcing those youngsters to train all the time but also giving them some break time so they wouldn't be too stressed He had told her this many times before, but she seemed couldn't quite comprehend with the idea. Since 'break time' and 'having fun' in Ludriev's version means more fighting.

She even trained those who took her classes by telling them all to fight her at once. Saying that it would be better to get into practice directly than just reading the theory in the text. Those apprentices would often be found in Lin's recuperation house later. They were groaning in pain, but strangely, would talk about Ludriev's next class in high spirit.

Sometimes, Rion thought if these youngsters deliberately looking for a beating.

"We don't need to go to Lin's house. Let's go to my place so I can change. This is a minor wound. I can handle it myself."

Ludriev took her spirit sword she had previously put on the side of the arena, and followed him without anymore words.

Spirit sword was forged in a special method for those who reached a certain level in swordsmanship. The sword was unique and believed to be sacred, as it had its own spirit, which, if it didn't feel a strong connection with the wielder, they wouldn't be able to use it. Therefore, usually a sword spirit only had one owner and vice versa.

"Where is your sword?" Ludriev asked.

"Ah, I leave it in my house. I don't need to carry it around in our own home, do I?"

"Yes, you do. What if there's an attack? You are too reckless."

"Didn't I have the strongest sword master with me right now? Who would have the gut or is foolish enough to attack?"

Ludriev used the hilt of her sword to jab him. "Stop that."

"Yeah, ok." Rion grimaced in pain and rubbed his side. "But the name Goddess of War really suits you. Honest!"

"Shut up," Ludriev said, flustered. She could feel heat spread on her ears and cheeks. She looked away, trying to hide it.

"Lulu is so cute when she is shy~"

Rion and Ludriev were about to enter the front yard of his bamboo house when he heard a shout from ahead of the pathway.

"Master!"

A young girl ran in his direction cheerfully. Her face was flushed, maybe from running all the way here, as she smiled at him. Rion was about to warn her to slow down and be careful when her feet slipped and she fell forward right into Rion's arms, who was fast enough to catch her.

"Ruby, what did I say about no running around carelessly like that?"

Ruby immediately pulled herself back from his arms. She flushed even harder. "I- I'm sorry, Master. I was too clumsy."

Honestly, Rion got worried about this apprentice of his. Ruby was too clumsy. She often stumbled around like that and fell into his arms. Even more so when he taught her a sword move. He even gave her an extra hour for a private lesson because she had difficulty learning it.

She stumbled and fell on him over a hundred times in their last private lesson.

Rion felt like he should invite Lin over to get her checked. In case Ruby had any dis-coordination in her limbs.

But that was strange. Because Ruby was the most talented apprentice he had. She learned quickly and had always been a star in his classes. She was also very good at other things like house works and reports. Rion himself was more of a free soul, which meant he was relatively bad at any chores. Ruby often helped him to keep the house clean most of the time, and even cooked for him. Her food was delicious!

It was quite baffling when she couldn't get this one move.

Or maybe his teaching technique was the problem? He might need to ask Ludriev to teach her later. See if she still stumbles if Lu was the one teaching her.

"It's fine, Ruby. Why are you here and not practicing your flute lesson?"

"I had memorized the song, Master," Ruby said, eyes gleaming with pride and looking as if she was practically begging for a compliment.

Rion couldn't help but chuckle lightly and patted her hair. "Ruby is indeed very smart."

At that moment, Ruby finally realized the wound on his arm. Her face went aghast, and she instantly panicked. "Master, what happened to your arm?!"

"Ah, there was a minor accident today. It isn't too bad. It's okay, it's okay. Ruby, stop making a face like your master is dying."

"Master is not dying! Don't speak like that!" Ruby daringly took his hand and pulled him into the house.

Normally, she wouldn't just do something reckless like that. She was respectful and always kept her distance cautiously. But Rion thought she might be too agitated to care about propriety at the moment since Rion was rarely getting hurt. He didn't have the heart to reprimand her.

"Who did this?" Ruby found the box of medicine and they were all sitting around the table. Ludriev was so quiet the whole time Rion almost forgot her presence. "Who did this, Master? I would go and stab them one hundred times over."

"Err...." Rion glanced at Ludriev, who was looking out of the window with a glare. "It's just a small gash. What's the use of so much fuss over it?"

Ruby looked like she would say something more, but then she pursed her lips and quietly helped him to clean and bandage the wound. Rion let her be if it could make her feel better. Also, it would be difficult to bandage his own wound with one hand.

"I will prepare dinner for Master. Do you have anything you would like to eat?" Ruby asked when she was done.

"Actually, for today I will go to the town with Ludriev. Ruby doesn't need to cook dinner for me. You can also play and went down to the mountain with your friends. Have some fun, but don't get back too late, alright?"

"Master will go with Lu- with Master Ludriev?"

"Yes. I lost in today's sparring so, I'll treat our Goddess of War something nice."

Ludriev glared at him. "If you want to go, then hurry and change. Why are you talking so much?"

"Don't speak like that to Master!" Ruby said furiously.

Ludriev gave her an unimpressed look. "Or what? I can speak all I want. What is a little kid like you going to do about that?"

Ruby was only an apprentice. She certainly didn't have any power against a sword master like Ludriev. She put on the fakest smile she could muster and said sweetly, Master Ludriev seemed to not enjoy my Master's company. So, why would you want to go with him? You can go alone."

Ludriev wasn't someone who possessed socializing skills or was good at reading people's hidden intentions. But she was a fighter. Her instinct in a fight was sharper than any knives. She could sense someone's oppressive aura when they were about to attack. And Ruby had been ticking on her instinct since day one.

"Who said I don't like his company? He made the promise himself, why is it you are the one who seems troubled?"

Rion, who watched their passive-aggressive exchange the whole time, had had enough. "You two, stop it. What are you even fighting about? Ruby, I will go down the mountain today. If you finish the flute lesson I gave, you are free to do what you want for today."

He waited until Ruby nodded. Somehow looking anguished. "Yes, Master."

"Good." Then he turned to Ludriev and tried not to sigh. Why did she look so smug, as if she won a battle? She quarreled with an eighteen-year-old kid. What was so good about it?

"Lu, wait here. I'll be back soon."

Rion disappeared into his room.

.

.

The dinner in the town was nice, Rion thought. It was difficult to see if Ludriev enjoyed it or not, since she had very little expression on her face. But Rion had been with lived with her for years, along with other siblings. He could see the subtlest change in her expression.

They were strolling the busy town street. The people had Harvest Festival right now, therefore the town was quite bustling with cheerfulness.

Ludriev was walking beside him with the same impassive face she always wore, but right now, the permanent crease between her brows eased a little. She was nibbling on a chicken skewer they bought from a stall as a snack.

"It's good, isn't it?" Rion asked with a smile.

Ludriev glanced at him and hummed in agreement.

"I heard they will have fireworks later. Do you want to see it, Lu?"

As expected, Ludriev frowned. "What's the point of fireworks? It's loud."

"It's beautiful," Rion corrected. "And pretty. Just say it, Lu, you've never seen one, have you?"

Ludriev scoffed. "It has no use."

Rion rolled his eyes. "You've never seen one. How could you just decide you would not like it? Just trust me and come with me, okay? I will show you how to enjoy life!"

Ludriev really didn't care about fireworks. But she couldn't really deny anything from Rion. The man didn't know this. But, when he smiled like that, Ludriev felt her heart doing this funny thing like beating too fast and too hard, off-tempo, and before she knew it, she agreed to whatever Rion said.

Was this some kind of disease? She might need to see Lin after this. Just in case it got worse.

They found a suitable spot to watch the fireworks. It was a small hill a little further away from the bustle of the town. The first booming sound from the firework had Ludriev clenching her teeth in surprise, body tensing for defense, prepared for an attack. It was all the reflex of her fight instinct.

Rion laugh and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Relax, Lu. It's just fireworks."

The fireworks bloomed in the night sky in colorful bursts of light. It lit the night sky and the surroundings briefly before being replaced with another. And another. It was the myriad of colors. Beautiful, but Lu's eyes weren't on the sky.

The fireworks made it easier to see Rion's face. Ludriev saw this face every day, sometimes even to the point of being annoyed. But it was only the two of them, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. The light from fireworks somehow made his face feel more pleasant to see. Ludriev only could see his side profile, but his eyes were sparkling from the light, and the smile on his face was... nice.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Rion suddenly looked at her, and Ludriev couldn't fight the blush on her face. She looked away and muttered, "Yes, very pretty."

"I know you will like it! If you have time on Summer Solstice, I'll-"

A loud explosion sounded from the direction of the town. It was clearly a different explosion from how a firework should hear. Ludriev must've noticed it too because she instantly stood up and looked at the bustling town down there. But they couldn't see much from this distance.

"Something happened in town," Ludriev said, alarmed. Her eyes squinted in the dark. The fireworks suddenly stopped, and they heard the faint screams of people.

"Let's go."

They ran all the way back to town. When they arrived, it was pure chaos. People ran headless and screaming in terror. Houses burnt and destroyed. It was difficult for them to go through.

Rion and Ludriev didn't see it at first. Upon arriving, they only spotted a small group of the apprentices of Liebu Mountain. Their swords were all unsheathed, and they stared warily ahead.

"Had someone gone to notify Master?!" One of them shouted to his friends.

"Senior Rei had gone back to the Academy!" someone else answered. "He's the fastest among us. Master would be here in no time. We just need to hold back until they arrived."

Rion was just about to ask what was it when a big, black tail swung beside him. It made Ludriev, who previously stood there, flew a few feet backward and collided with one of the house's wall until it crumbled.

"Lu!" he shouted and whipped his head in time to see their opponent.

It was a giant lizard. Very, very big. It demolished at least three houses under its body. Its entire body was black, which made it difficult to discern in the dark of the night. But, the eyes were blood red with vertical black pupils. It looked menacingly at Rion and opened its enormous mouth, ready to spit a ball of fire in his direction.

It was a demon! A Fire Spitting Lizard Demon!

"Get down!" Rion shouted harshly. Everyone complied with his order and immediately laid flat on the ground.

Fire burst only one foot away above them. They could feel the heat on their back through layers of clothes. All those apprentices were frozen still and didn't dare to move.

Rion took a brief pause after the demon finished spouting fire to bark another order at those youngsters. "Back off, all of you! Now!"

"Master Rion!"

"Master!"

They were all shouting his name in relief and obediently rushed to retreat. Most of these apprentices were still too young. Ron only spot two of them who had their spirit sword, while the rest were still carrying their training sword. They were like stalks of bamboo shoot, still too young and too green.

They must've gone down the mountain to see the festival, too. Rion felt bad for them.

They had no time to dwell any longer here. He instructed, "Help to evacuate the common people. One of you, go back to Academy and tell Recuperation House about the situation. Get Lin if you can. Help those who are wounded and find them a safe place. Stay on guard."

"Yes, Master!"

Those apprentices dispersed quickly to follow his order. Rion focused his eyes on the lizard, who watched him cautiously as if sizing up his power. This kind of demon was like an animal; they could sense danger and be usually smart enough to see if their opponent was stronger than them or not before they decided to either fight or run away.

This Fire Spitting Lizard seemed to decide the small human in front of it was not worth fearing. It pulled back, drawing its body to stand straighter, so it could show that it was so much taller and bigger than Rion. It hissed sharply, showing dominance.

"You're quite a big boy, aren't you?" Rion muttered, unsheathing his spirit sword. Now that he had time to assess more of this demon, he noticed it was actually not entirely black. It had a faint dark blue color gleaming dimly and pulsing along its spine, followed by its breath. "And quite a pretty one, too."

Rion said it with a hint of regret. It was a pity to kill this creature. He was interested in all kinds of monsters and demons. They were unique and fascinating. But, unfortunately, very deadly too, so Rion often found himself left with no other choice than to kill them.

The lizard narrowed his eyes at him. Especially at his sword. Rion knew all kinds of spirit weapons frightened demons. Spirit sword infused with pure spirit energy from the wielder. The stronger the wielder is, the stronger the sword, too.

Rion swung the sword in the air twice. It thrummed in sync with his energy. "Sorry. I'll make it quick and less painful for you."

He jumped up to the nearest roof easily. The lizard hurled its sticky, wet tongue in Rion's direction, maybe hoping it could catch him, then eat him whole. He easily jumped to the side. Its tongue hit the roof where he was previously stood. The roof instantly wrecked with its attack. Rion used his right foot as support to leap up and aimed at the lizard's neck. Though unfortunately, it turned its head too fast, and Rion's swords sunk into its left eye.

It let out a loud, pained squeak, tossing its head from one side to the other side. The movement made Rion sway back and forth, using both of his hands to hold the hilt of his sword so he wouldn't fall. One time, he swayed too close to the lizard's slightly opened mouth and almost plunged himself directly into its throat.

"Shit-" Rion panted. "I told you... I'll make it quick! Why... hah... you didn't listen?! Stupid lizard!"

The lizard shrieked horribly and collapsed on its front. Its bottom jaw collided painfully with the ground. Rion flung away from the impact. His sword was still buried to the hilt in its left eye.

Rion coughed and groaned, quickly jumped back on his feet, and glared to the side, where Ludriev flicked his bloodied sword, obviously being the culprit who cut the lizard's front feet.

"What was that for?" Rion protested.

"What? It almost ate you. You're welcome," Ludriev deadpanned.

"Yeah, okay, thank you. But, you don't need to-"

The lizard let out an angry-pained shriek as it turned its head slightly. Its one eye full of revenge and hatred. The lizard opened its mouth and its tongue whipped out so quickly towards two people who somehow didn't go with the others.

"Zephyr!!!"

His sword vibrated and flew back to his hand with a sharp fizzing sound. Every sword master could name their spirit sword once they got it. It wasn't necessary, but it felt inappropriate to not give them a name, since the sword had a spirit in it. Moreover, the sword would respond better when their master called their name. Even if they would still respond if the master only used their energy.

Rion's sword was named Zephyr. The 'gentle breeze', even though the attack was not anything gentle at all. It was always deadly, but with the minimum wound. This is how Rion could show a little compassion to those who fell as his enemies. A quick, merciful death.

Rion had jumped even when his sword was still flying in midair. He used his spirit energy on the sole of his feet to increase speed. He moved so fast Ludriev barely had time to react at all. Rion let his instinct take over. He spun once on his left foot and slashed the lizard's tongue. Blood sprayed all over the ground. But Rion didn't stop there. He jumped forward and drove his sword down hard until it severed the lizard's neck.

The lizard gave one last whole body jerk before it went completely still. Its right eye was open wide, as if it didn't have enough time to process what had happened before its life was over.

"Ri... on...?" Ludriev stared at him, wide-eyed.

For a split second, she didn't see the silly and friendly Rion Ren she knew in her whole life. For a split second, before he slashed the lizard, Ludriev saw his expressionless, cold face. Those eyes were so dark, they seemed as if devoid of any emotion.

Ludriev felt a shudder run up her spine. Belatedly, she realized it was fear that she felt.

Rion turned around before she could see more of his face. He strode fast to two people still crouching on the ground.

"Why are you still here?!" Rion's voice carried over. It sounded frantic, a bit irritated, but mostly worried. "I told you to run! Why didn't you listen to me?!"

"M- Master...."

One of those two people was a familiar face to Ludriev as she walked closer to them. It was Rion's most doted apprentice, Ruby. She sat on the ground, looking up at her master with a pale face and misty eyes.

Rion took both of her arms as his eyes roamed around her body, searching for any sign of the wound. "Are you hurt? Did the demon hurt you anywhere? Ruby, tell me if you felt any pain!"

"I- I'm not hurt, Master." Ruby swallowed hard. "I'm fine...."

Rion seemed like he didn't hear her, or he didn't trust her. He kept examining and checking her hands, arms, legs, her clothes, back, everything. As if Ruby hid the wound somewhere in her body. When he found none, he looked back at her pale face with a disapproving frown.

"I... I'm sorry, Master." Ruby seemed to hold herself back, but it could only last for two seconds. Her expression crumpled as drops of fat tears fell down from her eyes like pearls. "I'm sorry... I was worried about Master, so... so I hiding here. But, then I see this girl trying to run fearfully... I- I was afraid she would get hurt. So, I...." Ruby cried as she pointed at a little girl who was looking down and shaking the whole time. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Master. Please don't hate me...."

"I-" Rion was taken aback. He was so worried that a drop of his irritation leaked into his voice just now. He didn't expect Ruby would take it that far. "Ruby, shh, don't cry. I don't hate you. How could I? I was just very worried. I thought you were already running away and in a safe place. I was just worried. Don't cry anymore, alright?"

He tried to coax her to stop crying and used his hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Look at this. You cried so much your eyes were all red. Stop crying already. I'm not mad at you."

Ruby nodded her head and wiped her face using the sleeves of her robes. She was still sniffling, but there were no more tears fell from her eyes.