Chapter 9

Several years later...

Ryan turned 14. During this time, a few things in his life had changed.

He became stronger, much stronger than before. Training with rings had its impact, and now he could lift enormous weights. His endurance seemed almost endless. The prana level surpassed the A rank...

If Ryan could be classified as a servant rank, he would likely be marked as B+...

Although Ryan became stronger, he faced a dilemma. His growing body needed rest, as he noticed increased pain after workouts recently.

Ryan also didn't forget to try developing his own fighting style. Luckily, his knowledge of anatomy helped him identify weak points in the human body.

Using a classic sword, no more, no less, his fighting style involved "cutting off" the opponent's life energy.

He knew that every living being had life energy sustaining their soul and body. Without it, anyone would perish.

Testing his eyes, he noticed a peculiar property.

Each time he "cut" the death line of a living being, its soul and life energy vanished into nothingness. Trying not to "cut" but "touch" the line significantly weakened the opponent, often leading to death.

Ryan had to think long about how to "touch" the death lines correctly without instantly killing the living creature.

He couldn't tell if his morality had worsened due to the eyes' influence.

Despite fearing that his emotions were suppressed when using the eyes, he couldn't ignore their utility. He effortlessly killed living beings.

He tried to maximize the potential of the eyes, realizing they had no other side effects except emotion suppression.

His style lacked specific movements, adapting to each opponent. Only some defensive and offensive postures were created to respond more effectively to attacks.

His style had very few flaws, as the word "adaptation" was inherent in nature. Adapting, anyone could surpass their own limits.

But, as they say, "What is created by human hands is never meant to be perfect."

His main flaw was a too swift death or the influence of external factors.

Having regulated his abilities, he was very satisfied.

Now, Ryan walked through the forest, seeking his next prey.

Having grown up, Isabella began to trust Ryan with hunting. She noticed how skillful he was at skinning animal carcasses.

However, trust didn't come immediately. Initially, Isabella was shocked—how could an 12-year-old go hunting? It was dangerous!

However, deep down, she understood that Ryan was not a child of this world. His way of speaking was comparable to that of an adult, and his actions demonstrated how experienced he was.

Sometimes she doubted if he was an adult in a child's body, but such thoughts didn't last long when she saw him playing with her dear daughter, Jeanne.

Resigned to the fact that he hunted beasts, she could only pray that harm wouldn't befall him...

Let's return to Ryan...

Ryan had a puzzled expression. "Where are all the animals?" he thought, extending his senses further and further.

Even a kilometer away, there was no sign of large life.

Wondering what had happened, he noticed a sword thrust into the ground.

The sword looked incredibly beautiful. It was whiter than the purest quartz... Its guard was simple but strangely attractive...

He didn't understand why this sword attracted him so strongly.

He had never felt such a sensation before... As if... a mother calling, wanting to pull you into her soft embrace...

Shaking his head and cooling his mind, he looked at the sword more seriously.

Why wasn't his mental protection working? What kind of sword was this? Why was it here?

Many questions floated in Ryan's mind, but he understood that he would find answers to all his questions when he drew this sword.

Approaching it, he grabbed the warm guard, to his surprise, and...

Hundreds, no, thousands of voices surfaced in his consciousness...

But they vanished the moment he understood...

However, it was enough to make him fall to the ground in cold sweat and horror...

In those voices, hope could be felt... Hope for something... He couldn't describe it; it was so heavy that he was on the verge of madness.

["Master, this sword..."] - she said with slight difficulty. ["It is not crafted by human hands. It is incredibly powerful... In its strength, there is a concept... Hope? Yes, this sword is the embodiment of Hope..."] - she said with a slight unease. It was hard for her to determine the origin of the sword... As if something hindered her from doing so.

Ryan nodded at her explanation, feeling much better than before.

"So, it's a conceptual sword? But how did it end up here?" he thought with curiosity, looking at this beautiful sword.

His thoughts were filled with various warm events... Events of the Past, Present, and Future.

"Could it be..." he thought with a slight tremor.

It was a sword similar to Excalibur... However, something in his consciousness told him that this sword was something more than Excalibur...

"Well, time will tell what kind of sword this is. I guess I should give you a name." he muttered, coming up with a good name for this sword.

"Burning Hope." he suddenly murmured.

He felt that there was something surging inside this sword... Unyielding.

Perhaps it was the power of the concept of Humanity's Hope. Despite all adversities, they managed to overcome their own trials.

Without delving into this complex topic, he decided to postpone it for later.

Returning, he greeted Jeanne, who met him at the door. "Hello, Jeanne. How are you?" he asked, and Jeanne smiled in response. "Hello, Ryan, I'm fine. But what's that sword on your back?" she asked with confusion and mild curiosity.

Ryan noticed that Jeanne had started growing steadily, and, like a blooming bud, her beauty began to flourish.

He was afraid to imagine how many men would want to marry her...

"I found this strange sword in the forest..." Ryan said with a complicated expression.

Seeing his expression, Jeanne sighed. "You always bring something strange, Ryan. Isn't it time to behave more responsibly?" she reproached him.

To this, Ryan just scratched his head and smiled. "That's just who I am. Get used to it."

"I... I need to talk to you, Ryan." Jeanne said seriously. Ryan was slightly surprised by the seriousness in her voice, but nodded.

Following her, they sat by a tree, almost touching shoulders

"I heard a revelation in a dream and... That I must save France from surrender and crown the Dauphin... I... I don't know what to do, Ryan..." she said with a slight and uncharacteristic heaviness in her voice.

Ryan made a surprised face, but from his memories, he knew that on her 14th birthday, Jeanne D'arc would receive a revelation, after which she would set herself the goal of saving France.

"Try to calm down. Remember, you're not alone. I'm always ready to lend you a helping hand, wherever you are." he said with a gentle smile. Jeanne blushed slightly and nodded to his words. "Thank you, I definitely feel better now."

"I'll try to help you as much as my abilities allow. I learned to hunt while in the forest, and apparently, I had some talent in it." he said, and Jeanne, expressing sincere surprise, opened her blue eyes wide. "I also developed a good training program, so you'll be some ready for this cold and cruel war." he finished, sighing.

Suddenly, Jeanne stood in front of him. "Thank you... Ryan... I'm very grateful to have you in my life!" she said with a bright smile.

To this, Ryan just smiled back. "Of course. Our meeting was definitely not accidental." he said with a laugh.

Jeanne just pouted at this, but her cheeks were slightly pink with embarrassment...

Why didn't Ryan try to stop her? He couldn't. Christianity in France was a separate topic of conversation. Especially for villagers who hoped for God's mercy in harvest and endeavors.

Jeanne was a strong supporter of faith in God. Trying to impose his ideals and desires on her, he would offend her and her faith in God, which he couldn't allow himself.

Perhaps he would regret his decision. However, he would go against her destiny, no matter what it cost him...

But why did he feel like there was something missing?

This question gnawed at his heart like poison. Maybe his heart lacked love?

But weren't Jeanne and Isabella with him?

"Ah... I see..." Ryan muttered with a foolish smile.

From the beginning, from the first meeting - Ryan loved Jeanne.

But initially, he didn't believe in his feelings. He could sympathize with Jeanne because in the anime, she was truly beautiful.

However, talking to her in person and understanding her personality better, he began to notice qualities in her that he hadn't seen before.

Perhaps that's why he felt that emotion when he imagined her death?

Ryan didn't know the exact answer and wanted to leave this question for a time when everything would be calm.

"Let's go. Let's start our training with a simple warm-up..." With these words, Ryan began Jeanne's preparation for the impending future...

"Only Time will reveal, and Fate will inscribe in the testament of the upcoming..."