"Nessa…"
When Arthur appeared before Nessa, seeing his exhausted appearance, her face showed a mixture of shock and anger.
"Who did this? Was it Mom?"
Arthur nodded gently.
"This is outrageous! I'm going to confront her right now!" she said, about to leave the room.
"What a coincidence—the Master is also looking for you," Arthur said quietly. "She said you need to go to the dueling arena immediately."
The girl, who had been about to leave, immediately stopped and turned back.
"What should I do, Arthur? I don't want to go to the dueling arena," Nessa said, her eyes filling with tears.
"There's nothing I can do," Arthur said helplessly. "I already took a beating from Master for both of us. Do you want me to go to the dueling arena and face Master again?"
Nessa nodded and replied with a small "uh-huh."
"Nessa, do you want me to die in the dueling arena?" Arthur collapsed onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow. "It was our fault from the beginning, so we deserve to be punished. Besides, Master seems to be in a much better mood after beating me up, so there shouldn't be any problems."
"You know Mom's personality. She may look like she's in a good mood now, but her expression could change the moment she sees me," Nessa said with a sigh. "But there's nothing we can do. The Black Dragon's Blood Essence isn't easy to obtain. If we had failed, we might never have had another chance."
"In the end, even though this kind of essence blood is hard to come by, it's still possible to find it if you search. But it's really unbelievable that Mom still hasn't given you any proper supplements until now."
"The Master also has to deal with her sister. If she strays too far from the Land of Shadows, trouble could arise here," Arthur sighed.
In fact, there was another country near the Land of Shadows, and its queen was Scáthach's sister.
She was a warrior queen, and her martial prowess was equally formidable, not to be underestimated. That was why Scáthach couldn't freely leave the Land of Shadows. Once she did, Aífe could cause trouble.
However, Arthur never believed that Scáthach could lose to Aífe. This world didn't seem to be the same as the myths he knew. In addition to being a powerful fighter, Scáthach possessed runic magic, so dealing with Aífe should be easy.
As for why she still hadn't resolved the issue with Aífe, it was probably because she struggled with that sibling relationship.
"You're really biased in favor of my mother," Nessa frowned in displeasure. "In fact, she should have known about our departure from the Land of Shadows a long time ago."
"And you think I don't know that…?" Arthur muttered.
"She even foresaw Cú Chulainn's future… It's not impossible that she saw our adventure beforehand," Arthur added.
"Forget it. I'll go see Mom now. You should rest for a while," Nessa sighed.
"Be careful, Nessa," Arthur reminded her.
"Don't worry." The purple-haired girl smiled gently, not taking the situation too seriously, and waved her hand. "I'll go first, then."
After saying that, Nessa left the room, a shadow gradually covering the smile on her face.
After watching Nessa depart, Arthur suddenly remembered something.
Is Artoria at that beach today? If so, should I go tell her…?
After all, Arthur usually trained with Artoria every day. If he suddenly didn't show up today, she might worry—so it would be better to let her know.
But Scáthach had ordered him to remain in seclusion for the time being. If he tried to sneak out now, he would surely be punished again later, right?
Arthur couldn't help but feel conflicted.
After weighing the pros and cons, he chose to follow his heart.
Forget it. I'll behave today.
---xXx---
On the other side, in the vast dueling arena.
"Mom, I'm here." Nessa stopped in front of Scáthach, her face still bright with smiles, seemingly unconcerned about whether Scáthach was angry or not.
Scáthach tossed her spear to Nessa, looked at her, and said slowly, "Nessa, you are the most talented person I've ever taught. Your talent is in no way inferior to Cú Chulainn's, yet you don't cherish it… It seems I haven't trained you for more than half a month, haven't I? This time, let me see how much you've improved since the last time."
Nessa reached out and firmly grasped the spear, murmuring to herself, "Arthur said you weren't angry anymore, but it seems he was lying…"
"It doesn't matter. I'm prepared to take responsibility for my actions." She lifted her head, met her mother's gaze, and raised her spear.
After a period of training—
"Ha… ha…" Nessa breathed lightly, yet remained standing, staring at Scáthach, biting her lower lip, clearly unconvinced.
"So the claim that you weren't training was just a lie… You've been training on your own, Nessa," Scáthach looked at her daughter. "Is it because you don't want to fall too far behind Arthur?"
Nessa said nothing, but the look in her eyes confirmed Scáthach's words.
Seeing her usually cheerful daughter's cold demeanor, Scáthach maintained an impassive expression and spoke calmly. "Nessa, I know what you want, but you must understand that I cannot leave the Land of Shadows."
"You could have easily resolved the matter with your sister, yet you kept delaying it for so many years. When Arthur grows two more years older and his physical development is complete, even if you obtain something to strengthen his body, it will be too late."
"In the end, even Cú Chulainn has done more for Arthur than you," Nessa said, a mocking glint in her eyes.
"So your deliberate refusal to train and your hostility toward me during this time are all because of Arthur?" Scáthach shook her head slightly. "It doesn't matter. The time is almost here. I will leave the Land of Shadows for a while."
Nessa, who had stubbornly refused to admit defeat until now, froze for a moment. She looked at her mother and asked unconsciously, "Where are you going?"
Scáthach didn't answer, only looked up at the sky. "That boy is nearly sixteen. As his master, it's time I did something for him."
"What are you going to do, Mom?" Nessa asked.
Scáthach spoke a few words in a neutral tone.
Nessa's eyes slowly widened. "You want to ask the god Lugh for help?! Mom, I'm not questioning your abilities, but—"
"Nessa." Scáthach interrupted her, lifting a hand to scratch her head. "You know, I've lived in this world for a very, very long time… If someone could defeat me, I'd actually be happy with the result."
"But," she continued, "unfortunately, no one can."
Her words overflowed with confidence, and though her tone was calm, it was as if she were speaking of something utterly ordinary.
"While I'm away, you only need to make sure Arthur stays safe. My sister may be belligerent, but she won't indiscriminately kill innocents. If things get too bad, it's fine to hand the Land of Shadows over to her for now. When I return, I'll take everything back."
Nessa nodded vigorously.
This was truly an incredible gift. If Arthur could receive the blessing of the sun god, he would become as strong as Cú Chulainn.
"Very well, that settles this matter. Now then—shouldn't we talk about your unauthorized trip into the depths of the Forest of Ordeals with Arthur?"
Scáthach changed the subject, her gaze fixed on Nessa.
Nessa's face froze for a moment. She turned around, stretched, and said, "Ah, the weather is so nice today."
"Yes, perfect for things like extra punishment…"
"Mom!" Nessa threw herself into Scáthach's arms. "Give me another chance. I promise I won't do anything that dangerous again. You're partly at fault too—if you had told me earlier that you were preparing a gift for Arthur, I wouldn't have had to take him on that adventure."
"So that's your reasoning?" Scáthach asked with a faint smile.
"Go to your room and reflect on your actions for the next two days!"
"T-Together…?" Nessa tried to ask.
"Obviously."
"That's great!" She clenched her fists, unable to contain her excitement.
Then she quickly covered her mouth.
Hold it—don't laugh. I can't laugh right now.
But it was already too late. Scáthach cast her daughter a strange look. "Go back to your room and face the wall."
---
(End of the chapter)
A/N: According to Irish and Scottish mythology, Scáthach's daughter was named Uathach. However, since it's an annoying name to write, remember, and even pronounce, I decided to change it to Nessa.