In a World without God

Chapter 5

"Descendant of the Witch, Duel with Me!"

Here we go again. Edulis, sitting on a tree ledge in the Varus Swamp, lost in his spell, opened her eyes at the sound of the voice.

"How many times have I told you not to come here? What if you run into a monster?"

"It's okay. I'm only following in your footsteps. There are no monsters on your path." With that, Murjana laughed. It was a childlike, innocent laugh.

On the day of their first encounter in the swamp, Murjana asked Edulis.

"A great lie? What is it?"

"Have you never thought about the statue of Valar in the Memorial Hall, and why he holds a straight sword and not a curved sword?"

"Captain Valar was skilled with any weapon. There is nothing strange about what the statue is holding."

"But the swordsmanship that comes down through your family is curved swordsmanship, isn't it?"

"No, it is not. The swordsmanship of the Ishtar can be applied to any weapon that can be held and wielded. A spear, a club."

"Yeah, but it doesn't have any thrusting movements, does it? Why is that?"

At Edulis's question, Murjana's eyes widened and her pupils rolled from side to side. After a long moment, she answered.

"Um... it's because... Captain Valar doesn't like the stabbing motion...?"

Edulis was dumbfounded. That wasn't the answer he'd been looking for. Maybe this child was like Valar in intelligence.

"Come to think of it, why is that? Why is there no stabbing? What's the answer?"

It's because the Black Fang's sword is not designed for stabbing. Valar was not trained with any other weapon than a curved sword. In fact, he wasn't all that good with it either. What he lacked in experience compared to the other mercenaries, he made up for with his overwhelming strength.

Murjana groped for an answer, but Edulis didn't tell her.

"Think for yourself. Don't be fooled by what others tell you."

"A statue with a straight sword... why was there no stabbing movement.... Ugh... I don't know, can't you just tell me, I don't want to have a headache."

Murjana was sleepy, but Edulis didn't tell her the answer. Edulis led an exhausted Murjana out of the swamp, knowing that if he told her now, he wouldn't believe his eyes.

But just before they left the swamp, Murjana said. "I don't know anything about Captain Valar. But I do know one thing: You are not a bad man. That's what I think."

"Really? What made you think that?"

"It's easy. You're standing beside me right now, walking, matching my slow, exhausted pace, watching my surroundings to make sure I'm not being attacked by a demon."

Edulis didn't speak a word.

Murjana smirked at Edulis. Edulis didn't bother to reply.

From that day forward. Murjana came to visit Edulis every day. She pursued Edulis relentlessly, as if she had no one else to hang out with. There was no way the Ishtar family would allow Murjana to hang out with Edulis, but she seemed to be sneaking out of the house.

"Listen, witch's spawn.. I had a duel with my cousin Nasser yesterday, and I won! You should have seen the look on his face after he lost to me. He used to disrespect me so much.."

"Yeah."

"It's because of you, descendant of the witch. So I brought you a gift. It's jerky made from the thigh of a Sijia water buffalo, and the meat is very tender. It's the finest quality! Eat it and let's duel!"
"Hey, wait."

"What? What's wrong? Is it better to have a duel before eating? That's good. I've been on a roll lately. I'm not going to be beaten one-sidedly today!"

"No.... Hey, let me say something."

Only then did Murjana stop talking. When they first met, Edulis hadn't expected Murjana to be like this. He thought she had a mature sense of mission for her age, but in reality, she was just a kid. A child who was a little more talkative than others.

"What is it?"

"Don't do that. The witch thing."

"Oh."

It was almost a greeting now, but Edulis still hated the word "witch," no matter who said it. No matter whose mouth it came from.

"Okay. So... what do I call you then?"