Claire didn't need to say much; canned food, while not particularly hard to swallow, was still canned food. No matter how it was prepared, it couldn't taste great.
After tasting the delicious food made by Roa, Claire compared it to the food she had eaten before. She hadn't felt much before, but now she wondered what kind of food she had been eating previously.
Looking at Roa with a slightly resentful gaze, Roa returned the same strange look.
"Claire, why are you looking at me? Is there something on your mind?"
"No, nothing."
Claire really wanted to ask if she could join him for meals in the future, but her strong sense of pride prevented her from making such a request.
After bidding farewell to Claire, Roa practiced the sword technique called Purple Lightning by himself.
While his own understanding was important, Roa still brought Greyworth out.
Greyworth watched Roa's figure, clicking her tongue in amazement.
"Great progress, but there's still room for improvement."
Greyworth began to guide Roa step by step, and her method was to personally demonstrate the sword techniques to him.
The speed of Purple Lightning was indeed fast, but after experiencing that stunning feeling, this level of speed was no longer impressive to Roa.
After all, what Roa learned was also a fast sword technique, one that pursued a single lethal strike, pure to the extreme.
The reason Roa continued to study this blade dance was that he saw many possibilities within it.
It could derive many sword techniques; as long as Roa polished it a bit, it could become another set of blade dance.
The two practiced against each other, always causing the surrounding vegetation to suffer unprecedented devastation.
By the evening, the Spirit Forest was already in ruins.
With a casual wave, Greyworth told Roa to go home and rest, while she herself yawned and headed back to the academy.
Roa shrugged and vanished from the spot.
Roa knocked on Ellis's door, and footsteps could be heard from inside. The door opened, revealing Ellis wearing a blue and white apron, smiling at Roa, "You're back?"
Compared to the previous day, Ellis's face no longer bore as much shyness and innocence.
Roa nodded and walked into the room, where he saw the table already filled with several dishes that looked quite appetizing.
Ellis pointed to a chair and said to Roa, "Well, sit down. I don't know if you'll like it, but give it a try."
After taking off his coat, Roa picked up his chopsticks and took a small bite, expressing his approval to Ellis.
"It's delicious."
Receiving Roa's affirmation, a smile appeared on Ellis's face.
They chatted casually about small events at the academy, and as Ellis complained about the students' usual mischief, Roa couldn't help but chuckle.
Ellis was a serious person, not only strict with others but also with herself.
After complaining about the students, Ellis frowned and said to Roa, "Recently, the academy has been a bit unsettled, and the dark elves around seem to be becoming more active."
Roa nodded but didn't take Ellis's words to heart. Seeing the worried girl, he casually comforted her a few times before going to take a shower and then lying down in bed, preparing to sleep.
A voice from Est echoed in Roa's mind.
"Master, do you need me to warm your bed?"
Roa replied, "No need."
Then the two fell silent. Roa didn't tell Est about the dream; he wanted to understand Est better and learn about her past.
Roa closed his eyes and began to count sheep.
However, the more he tried to sleep, the more he couldn't. Unable to fall asleep, Roa started chatting with Est.
"Est, you don't have to call me 'Master' anymore."
Est's characteristic cold voice replied, "Alright, Roa."
Roa turned over and looked at the pink wall, curiously asking, "What do you think of my blade dance?"
The topic shifted to the blade dance from the afternoon, which was the only thing Roa could think of, but more than that, he wanted to hear more praise for his beloved sword.
Est didn't hold back on her compliments, praising Roa's blade dance from an observer's perspective.
That stunning feeling still lingered in Est's memory.
Receiving Est's praise, Roa's mood brightened.
However, Est suddenly added, "But…"
The most dreaded words to hear are "but." Roa's heart skipped a beat as he curiously asked, "But what?"
"Master's blade dance seems more suited for fire-element spirits. Although I can also perform well, it still feels a bit lacking."
Roa pondered for a moment and nodded.
Est's words did have some truth to them, but as a high-level Sword Spirit, her power was not inferior to Roa's.
Lost in thought, drowsiness washed over Roa, and he once again fell into a dream.
In the blink of an eye, the scene changed dramatically.
Roa began to observe his surroundings, his gaze immediately drawn to a dazzling figure before him.
It was a girl, a girl bathed in light, holding a magnificent steel sword, with intricate patterns carved on the sword that sparkled under the sunlight.
Areishia.
Her brilliant golden hair swayed with the wind, and she was clad in armor, her expression hidden behind a helmet. Areishia's right hand thrust forward, expressionless, piercing through all the monsters before her.
These monsters were dark elves that had gone berserk. Dark elves are difficult to deal with; even if an ordinary spirit user kills them, they cannot be completely eliminated. They will gather as black mist and eventually reappear in the same form, continuing to wreak havoc.
However, the monsters killed by Areishia did not turn into mist.
Under Roa's watch, the monsters let out a mournful wail as the holy sword emitted a brilliant light, the intense radiance melting the monsters' bodies, ultimately dissipating them from this world.
Roa clicked his tongue in amazement, feeling a sense of admiration. Was it true that the Holy Sword of Demon Slaying deserved its reputation?
It turned out that the name of the Holy Sword of Demon Slaying originated from here.
Areishia's blade dance was simple, yet it was not lacking in beauty. Simplicity did not mean simplicity; Areishia's combat experience was high, and even Roa couldn't find any flaws.
The silver-white armor Areishia wore emitted a faint glow. The number of enemies was vast, yet Areishia stood alone.
To be precise, Areishia was the only one there.
In the distance, a group of priestesses was engaged in a difficult battle against the monsters.
But clearly, Areishia had no expectations of those people.
In any battle, there are bound to be mistakes.
Transforming into a meat grinder, Areishia thrust her sword into the body of a massive bear-like monster. Suddenly, a pitch-black wolf engulfed in flames leaped out from the side, its claws reaching for Areishia.
The claws easily pierced through the armor but ultimately stopped just beneath the girl's skin.
Roa frowned, sensing a faint aura of divine power emanating from Areishia.
Was this the passive ability of the Holy Sword of Demon Slaying?
Areishia directed her gaze at the wolf, remaining calm. She reached out with her left hand, grasping the wolf's neck, and forcefully slammed it down.
The ground was directly smashed into a huge pit by Areishia's strike, leaving the wolf dazed.
Once the right hand holding the Holy Sword of Demon Slaying absorbed all the demonic energy, Areishia pierced through the wolf on the ground.
After the wolf died, the mist it emitted was substantial, even three to four times more than that of the bear-like monster.
Looking at the puncture mark on her armor, Areishia frowned.
At that moment, Roa heard Est's slightly concerned voice.
"Master, are you alright?"
This was the first time Roa heard their conversation in a dream. It was clear that they had spoken before, but it was the first time Roa had heard them talk.
He could sense a hint of worry in Est's tone, which made Roa feel a bit emotional.
Est had never cared for him like this.
After all, he was also her Master.
Roa quietly grumbled in his heart, then turned his gaze back to Areishia's skin.
The girl's skin was flawless; it didn't appear rough from battle, nor did it look tanned from sun exposure. Areishia's skin could still be described as smooth and fair as jade.
Areishia calmly said, "I'm fine. I have your [Steel Protection], so I won't be harmed."
Roa felt a bit emotional looking at Areishia. She was also an expressionless person, and it was likely that Est's cold demeanor was learned from Areishia. Shaking off these random thoughts, Roa silently committed the Steel Protection to memory, planning to ask Est about it later.
The battle continued, and Areishia fought her way into a massive castle.
All along the way, Areishia displayed formidable strength, easily dispatching even high-ranking spirits with a single strike.
Without the aid of magic, Roa could only rely on his eyes and senses to observe Areishia's graceful blade dance. However, as he watched, Roa's brow furrowed.
Having experienced multiple worlds, Roa's knowledge allowed him to notice something was off after watching for so long.
The dark elves that the holy sword killed each time had their mist absorbed by the holy sword.
This mist carried a strong ominous aura; rather than mist, it was more like— a curse.
And the Holy Sword of Demon Slaying did not purify curses; it continuously absorbed them.
In other words, it did not possess purifying capabilities.
Recalling that Areishia disappeared after defeating the Demon King in history, as if she had vanished like a legend, Roa couldn't help but feel an extremely ominous premonition in his heart.
Could it be?
The battle progressed little by little, and Areishia arrived at what was known as the Demon King's palace.
It was a vast room, and at that moment, a man sat at the top.
The man was enveloped in a brutal aura, and a powerful divine presence swept through the surroundings. Upon seeing the figure, Areishia immediately gripped the Holy Sword of Demon Slaying and charged at him.
There were no opening lines, no introductions like in novels where one would say who they were and who the other was, followed by a dramatic buildup of their strengths.
Yet even so, Roa could sense the identity of the man from the aura he exuded.
Solomon, the Demon King who brought suffering to this land, rumored to be a spirit user with seventy-two contract spirits.
The battle was about to begin. The Holy Sword of Demon Slaying erupted with unprecedented light, its silver-white sword shining like a bright moon, the surrounding darkness unable to corrupt this pure light. The two divine presences clashed, resisting each other.
Solomon revealed a mocking smile, his crimson eyes opening as he spoke in a deep, hoarse voice, "I am the endless shadow from another world, the enforcer of eternal sins—"
A long sword as black as ink appeared in his right hand, entwined with a thick, ominous aura. The scent of death and decay filled the entire palace, and this aura reminded Roa of someone he had sensed it from before—Greyworth.
The Holy Sword of Demon Slaying clashed with the Magic Sword, and the two powerful forces resisted each other, their battle stalemated.
But it is obvious that Areishia is not Solomon's match in terms of strength, and she has clearly fallen into a passive position in the contest of power.
Noticing this, Areishia changed her strategy, turning sideways to Solomon and delivering a whip kick, using the momentum to retreat behind her.
Then Areishia began to continuously consume Solomon with her blade dance.
The battle continued, and Areishia's blade dance was exquisite. The intricate blade dance provided Roa with a rare visual feast. In contrast, Solomon's swordplay could hardly be called a dance; he was simply using brute force, swinging his blade recklessly.
There was no technique to speak of; even a superior swordsman would likely have a higher level of skill than Solomon.
Yet, despite this, each of Solomon's strikes was undoubtedly terrifying. Under the dual pressure of divine might and strength, he fought evenly with Areishia.
Areishia's divine might was not weak, but compared to her opponent, it still fell short. The only advantage Areishia had was her exquisite blade dance.
The clash between the two became increasingly intense, with the violent divine might shattering the ground and causing the surrounding walls to crack under the pressure.
Every time the pitch-black longsword collided with the silvery steel sword, it produced a tremendous roar.
The powerful divine might swept in all directions. Areishia sidestepped Solomon's strike, gripping the Demon Slayer Holy Sword tightly.