The peaceful days following the battle against Moyasu passed far more quietly than Ryūsei expected.
For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no urgent quests, no explosions in the distance, no enemies waiting around the corner.
Only peace.
And strangely enough…
Ryūsei found himself enjoying it.
The Village of Sapeda, once filled with fear and despair, slowly began recovering from the scars left behind by the Moyasu Gang. Burned buildings were repaired piece by piece, broken roads were rebuilt, and the villagers who once hid inside their homes gradually began smiling again.
Children ran through the streets once more.
The marketplace reopened.
And laughter returned to the village.
It was a sight Ryūsei never realized he missed seeing.
Especially after everything that had happened.
A few days after awakening in the hospital, Ryūsei had fully recovered from the injuries caused by Collision Slash. Though Professor Hexio had warned him countless times about overusing unstable spells, Ryūsei now understood exactly what the old professor meant.
His muscles had felt like they were tearing apart from the inside.
Even breathing had hurt.
Still…
He survived.
And because of that, he refused to waste the time he had left in Sapeda.
So every morning before sunrise, Ryūsei trained.
And every morning—
Mizūmi was already awake before him.
The morning air was cold and refreshing as sunlight slowly rose beyond the mountains surrounding the village.
At the eastern training grounds near the riverbank, explosions of water and light continuously echoed through the area.
"Water Art: Flowing Fang!"
Mizūmi thrust her hand forward, causing several streams of water to spiral around her arm like dragons before launching toward Ryūsei at incredible speed.
Ryūsei quickly reacted.
"Meteor Dragon: Photon Step!"
A burst of white light exploded beneath his feet as he vanished from sight.
The streams of water slammed into the ground behind him—
BOOOOM!!
Water erupted upward.
But before Mizūmi could react—
Ryūsei appeared beside her.
Fast.
Too fast.
His photon blade stopped inches from her shoulder.
"…Got you," he said with a grin.
Mizūmi puffed her cheeks in annoyance.
"That teleportation spell is unfair."
Ryūsei laughed awkwardly.
"I'm still learning it myself."
Suddenly—
A wooden cane smacked the back of his head.
"Ow?!"
Nendo stood behind him with crossed arms.
"You dropped your guard again."
Ryūsei rubbed the back of his head.
"How did you even get behind me…"
Nendo smirked.
"You rely too much on speed," he replied. "A real battle isn't won just because you move faster than your enemy."
Ryūsei clicked his tongue.
"…You sound exactly like Professor Hexio."
"That means he taught you properly."
The old warden slowly walked toward the center of the training field.
Though Nendo's injuries from the battle had not fully disappeared, he still insisted on helping Ryūsei train every single day.
And honestly—
Ryūsei learned more than he expected.
Especially from Mizūmi.
At first, Ryūsei assumed she was simply talented.
But after several days of training together…
He realized she was far more skilled than she looked.
"Hydro Dragon: Oceanic Bind."
Mizūmi raised her hand calmly.
The water flowing through the nearby river suddenly rose into the air like living serpents before wrapping around several wooden targets across the field.
Then—
Without chanting another spell—
The water compressed.
CRACK!!
The wooden targets shattered instantly.
Ryūsei stared blankly.
"…Again."
Mizūmi tilted her head.
"Hm?"
"Do that again."
She blinked in confusion before repeating the exact same technique.
The water obeyed her movements perfectly.
No wasted motion.
No instability.
Perfect control.
Ryūsei narrowed his eyes.
"…That's energy manipulation."
Mizūmi nodded innocently.
"Yeah?"
"…'Yeah?'"
Ryūsei looked genuinely shocked.
Energy manipulation was an advanced technique that required near-perfect control over one's elemental energy. Most Elementalists struggled for years just to manipulate surrounding nature energy without losing control.
Yet Mizūmi did it naturally.
Like breathing.
A water-attributed Elementalist capable of manipulating external water sources this precisely was extremely dangerous in battle.
Even more shocking—
She was also a Dragon Sage.
Ryūsei honestly could not understand it.
"How did someone this strong even get kidnapped by Moyasu…" he muttered quietly.
Unfortunately—
Mizūmi heard him.
Her face immediately turned red.
"T-That's because they cheated!!" she yelled. "There were too many of them!"
Ryūsei burst out laughing.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
"You're making fun of me again!"
Nendo sighed deeply while watching the two argue.
"…You two really act like siblings."
Both immediately froze.
Then looked away awkwardly.
The days continued peacefully after that.
Training.
Eating together.
Laughing together.
For Ryūsei, it felt strangely warm.
At night, the three of them would eat dinner together while listening to stories from Nendo about the old days of the Kingdom.
Sometimes Mizūmi would complain whenever Ryūsei ate too much food.
Sometimes Ryūsei would accidentally provoke her into challenging him to another sparring match.
And sometimes—
They would simply sit together quietly beneath the stars.
Ryūsei slowly realized something during his stay.
He had become comfortable there.
Too comfortable.
It reminded him of home.
A feeling he rarely experienced ever since becoming the Grand Elementalist.
People often looked at him with expectations.
Fear.
Admiration.
Pressure.
But Nendo and Mizūmi treated him differently.
They treated him like family.
And that alone meant more to Ryūsei than they probably realized.
Eventually—
The final day arrived.
The night before Ryūsei's departure, the villagers held a farewell celebration for him.
Lanterns illuminated the streets beautifully while tables filled with food lined the center plaza.
The villagers laughed happily as musicians played cheerful melodies nearby.
Everyone wanted to thank the young Elementalist who had saved Sapeda.
Ryūsei, meanwhile, looked completely overwhelmed.
"This is too much…" he muttered nervously.
"Nonsense!"
One of the villagers shoved a drink into his hand.
"You're the hero of this village now!"
Another villager laughed loudly.
"Yeah! Defeat a former Gādian by yourself and this is what happens!"
Ryūsei nearly choked hearing that.
"It wasn't by myself—"
But nobody listened.
Mizūmi stood nearby laughing at his suffering.
"You brought this upon yourself."
"You're enjoying this way too much."
"Maybe."
The party lasted deep into the night.
Stories were shared.
Music echoed through the village.
And for once—
Ryūsei laughed without worry.
No battles.
No burdens.
Just people enjoying peace together.
It was beautiful.
Morning eventually arrived far too quickly.
The sky glowed orange as sunrise stretched across the horizon.
At the entrance of the village, Ryūsei adjusted the bag resting on his shoulder while staring toward the distant road leading back to the Kingdom of Ryūgū.
The Grand Shōtotsu registration would begin soon.
Which meant—
It was finally time to leave.
Nendo stood nearby with crossed arms while Mizūmi struggled to hide her sadness.
"…You're leaving already," she muttered quietly.
Ryūsei smiled softly.
"Yeah."
Silence followed briefly.
Then Nendo stepped forward.
"You've grown stronger during your stay here," he said proudly. "But remember this, Ryūsei."
His expression became serious.
"Strength alone isn't what makes someone worthy of protecting others."
Ryūsei nodded slowly.
"…I know."
Nendo smiled.
"I believe you do."
Mizūmi suddenly stepped forward before holding something out toward him.
"…Here."
Ryūsei blinked.
"A charm?"
It was a small blue string charm shaped like a water droplet.
Mizūmi looked away awkwardly.
"It's for good luck," she muttered. "Don't lose it."
Ryūsei smiled warmly.
"…Thank you."
He carefully attached it beside the Storm Stone badge Nendo had given him earlier.
The two charms rested side by side.
A storm.
And water.
Somehow…
It felt fitting.
Ryūsei then looked back at the two of them.
"…Thank you," he said quietly. "For everything."
Nendo nodded proudly.
Mizūmi smiled brightly despite the sadness in her eyes.
"You better win the Grand Shōtotsu," she declared.
Ryūsei laughed.
"I'll do my best."
Then—
With the morning wind blowing gently around him—
Ryūsei Ryūgū turned around and began walking toward the distant Kingdom of Ryūgū.
Toward new battles.
New companions.
And the beginning—
Of a brand new chapter in his journey.