About ten minutes ago.

I entered Crete's office at his summons.

As I had seen before, the interior was meticulously organized, as if belonging to someone with OCD.

‘It's been a while since I've been here.’

I had often been here since I first arrived at the Bares mansion, whenever Crete would give me chores.

… And this was also the place where Crete had force-fed me the Gu Poison.

Thinking back to the past, I naturally found myself lost in memories.

Good memories of the past….

Good memories….

Hmm.

No matter how much I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any memories that could be called good.

I quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked away.

Bares Crete.

He was sitting at his desk, going through a mountain of documents one by one.

The speed at which he worked was astonishing.

‘…As expected of the head of the Seven Deadly Sins.’

Seeing Crete so engrossed in his work reminded me of Samuel in Gluttony's territory.

He would also need to improve his ability to handle work like Crete if he were to rebuild his own territory later.

Well, I thought Samuel would do well on his own, but I was also a little worried.

Wouldn’t he die from overwork at this rate?

‘Not that it's any of my business….’

So, I decided to wait patiently until Crete was done with his work.

And so, I waited in front of Crete for a long time.

I frowned slightly.

‘My legs are starting to hurt.’

Crete, so engrossed in whatever he was doing, didn't even seem to acknowledge my presence, even though he had called for me.

… Judging by his serious demeanor, it seemed to be something important.

Just how important was it that Crete was putting so much effort into it?

As I had seen earlier, Crete was a very fast worker.

I could even say that even Samuel, with his current lack of experience, couldn't match his speed.

However,

For Crete to take this long….

‘Is it related to what Crete is planning?’

Crete, who was planning something, was putting his heart and soul into it.

If that was the case, the sheer volume of work he had wasn’t hard to understand.

However, I was at a loss because I didn’t know what he was planning.

And so, I waited even longer for Crete to finish his work, and it was only after a long time that he finally looked up from the pile of documents.

*Swoosh-*

And he stared at me.

*Flinch-*

I couldn't help but shudder as Crete's cold gaze fell upon me.

The look Crete had been giving me all this time had been one of indifference.

Even that was enough to scare me, but his gaze now was completely different.

His eyes were…

Beastly.

Or perhaps, a wounded beast.

Crete was giving me a look I had never seen before.

It wasn't that I had done anything wrong to deserve such a look.

Crete had been giving that look to the documents.

Seeing that, I became curious about what kind of documents Crete was working on.

But there was no way I would dare to ask him about it directly.

I simply met Crete's gaze and spoke.

“I heard you called for me, Master. But if you're busy, I can come back later.”

*Swoosh-*

But Crete shook his head.

It meant there was no need.

And then Crete began to speak to me.

“You have curious eyes.”

“…Yes.”

I nodded obediently.

I had a feeling that Crete would see through any lies I told, so I immediately agreed.

And I was curious about what Crete was planning.

… Hoping that my current sense of unease was just my imagination.

However, even with my affirmation, Crete only shook his head.

“You’ll find out soon enough. I have a job for you then, so focus on improving your skills like you are now.”

*Swoosh-*

With that said, Crete beckoned me with his hand.

It was a gesture to come closer.

*Thump, thump-*

Unable to disobey, I moved towards Crete.

Crete then glanced at me with an indifferent look.

And then Crete spoke.

“You’ve grown.”

“Yes, I have.”

“You seem to have just learned Fighting Spirit, but your Mana capacity is overflowing.”

“…That is correct.”

I couldn’t help but be astonished by his words as he accurately assessed my condition at a glance.

A master like Crete could easily see through my level.

The insurmountable gap between me and Crete.

I realized it once again and opened my mouth.

“…Actually, I haven't properly learned Fighting Spirit.”

“Oh? Explain what you mean by not properly learning Fighting Spirit”

“Well, that is….”

I explained to Crete that I had learned Killing Aura instead of Fighting Spirit.

I thought that Crete, of all people, might be able to give me some advice on my current level.

However, I had conveyed it without mentioning that I was using Killing Aura as a Trait, so Crete didn't seem to fully understand.

“Show me.”

“Yes.”

Crete told me to demonstrate.

*Hum-*

Thus, I activated my Trait, Killing Aura, and poured my Killing Intent into Fang of Darkness.

Crete's eyes then lit up with interest.

“You've condensed the energy of Killing Intent into your sword. Not a bad approach.”

“Is that so?”

Crete saw through the fact that I possessed the energy of Killing Intent at a glance.

Perhaps he had known about it from the moment I arrived.

I didn’t know why he didn’t stop me, unlike Ares.

Well, I guess Crete’s unique arrogance might be ignoring even the fate of Killing Intent.

However, Crete soon lost interest in Killing Intent and continued speaking.

“However, I can’t say it’s all good. Because no matter what, it’s nothing more than a shortcut.”

“…I’ve also been concerned about that. I don’t know how I can use proper Fighting Spirit.”

I honestly confessed my problem.

Crete, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, spoke again.

“Interesting.”

“What do you mean by interesting?”

I tilted my head at Crete’s sudden remark.

Crete chuckled and spoke.

“The technique you used to imitate Fighting Spirit doesn’t have Will imbued in it. But it’s full of aura. That’s more like Sword Lacquer than Fighting Spirit.”

It wasn’t close to Fighting Spirit, but similar to Sword Lacquer.

*Thump-*

It felt like I had been hit hard on the head.

So, what I’ve been using all along is….

No, that couldn’t be right.

If it was Sword Lacquer, would it even make sense that it was driving out my Fighting Spirit?

“But this can counter Fighting Spirit, and even win.”

“Why do you think so?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Why do you think Sword Lacquer is weaker than Fighting Spirit?”

“….!”

Crete’s words struck a chord with me.

Yes.

Why did I think Fighting Spirit was a higher level than Sword Lacquer?

Fighting Spirit and Sword Lacquer were completely different levels.

It was true that as one's understanding of martial arts increased, one would realize that Fighting Spirit was more difficult to learn than Sword Lacquer, but in reality, the two could not be compared.

As Crete had said, if Sword Lacquer was imbuing a weapon with mana, then Fighting Spirit was a technique that imbued it with Will.

Will and aura are different.

I had forgotten this simple truth because Fighting Spirit was difficult to learn.

Crete, who had enlightened me, spoke again with an indifferent expression.

“You bear the fate of Killing Intent, so you don’t need to imbue your sword with Will. Since Killing Aura is already a Will of its own, all you need to do is pour in more aura.”

“Thank you…! ”

I thanked Crete.

For a moment, it felt like a lightning bolt had struck my head.

The problem that I had been struggling with had been solved in an instant.

Since Killing Aura was already like Will, even if it wasn’t proper Fighting Spirit if I poured in more mana, my Will would be amplified accordingly.

It was no different from Sword Lacquer, which was the principle of condensing mana, but the power would be worlds apart.

Ha….

As I realized this, I felt a sense of shame along with happiness.

To think that I would be helped by Crete.

I still get angry when I see his shameless face that blames me for making Rene cry,

but the fact that he saved me from the Eater Bird and gave me a solution to my current condition was enough to forgive him a little.

If I ever become a Demigod, I’ll let him live.

I forgave Crete a little in my heart and spoke.

“By the way, may I ask why you called for me?”

“…It’s nothing much.”

Huh?

I asked casually, but I noticed Crete’s pupils shake for a moment.

It was a very brief flicker, but I couldn’t miss it.

As I was looking at him suspiciously, Crete spoke.

“What did my daughter say to you?”

“…She said that you made her cry.”

I told Crete straight away.

*Twitch-*

Crete’s eyebrows twitched.

“…So it was true. Did she tell you anything else?”

Crete didn’t deny that he had made Rene cry.

So, he really did make her cry and put the blame on me.

But the atmosphere was too serious for me to bring it up, so I decided to think about what Rene had said to me.

“Hmm.”

What did Rene say?

She definitely….

“She said you’re leaving soon.”

“Leaving… that’s not wrong.”

Crete nodded.

Leaving Rene’s side?

Was that really true?

Why would that daughter-obsessed man…?

“May I ask why you’re leaving Miss Rene’s side?”

I asked Crete about it.

But Crete only frowned.

“…You’ll find out then. You’re dismissed for today.”

Crete shook his head and,

*Thump-*

Kicked me out.

So I was left standing outside, blinking my small eyes.

“What was that all about…?”

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