Chapter 57: Matt's words
Since they only had less than 48 hours to train, they had to increase the intensity and focus on where they failed to improve.
For Isla, knowing that Matt was leaving her behind was a big worry that hung over her head, so throughout the training, she kept active and did her best.
After all, she was Matt's teammate at present, but Matt already outnumbered her by over 1,000 Power, which made her feel pressured. Add to that the issue of her believing she was a liability and the worry that Matt would find someone more useful and kick her off the team increased, so she didn't want to let her guard down.
She wanted to find a way to show Matt that she wasn't a burden, but her traumas and low status might not allow it.
Matt naturally noticed the concern in her but didn't mention anything to her. He simply trained hard during these hours with her, focusing on teaching her various things so that she would learn how to be an assassin.
If anything was to surprise Matt this time, it was that this girl's learning ability was relatively high. When she dedicates herself to learning, she can improve quickly, so those little more than 24 hours of training served her well.
At the end of the training, they both sat looking at the moon.
"You don't need to force yourself to improve if you're exhausted. I don't need to change my teammate." Matt said suddenly as he looked up at the sky.
He had always had difficulty making friends since he was a kid on earth. That's why it surprised many that Matt, a person of few friends, married Charlotte, the most popular girl at the time.
But, the issue of him not knowing how to make friends is something he always carried with him, so he was almost unable to make friends during his more than 50 years of life on earth.
He was later betrayed by those he called friends, causing both him and his beloved wife to die at the hands of those guys. That may make it difficult for him to trust people now, even if he is in another world. Traitors and people with bad feelings are everywhere, after all.
But he also does not want to forget what he learned in his more than 30 years with Charlotte because he does not want to lose his head in hatred and revenge; if he were to lose himself in those evil feelings, he would only shame his beloved wife. However, he will equally finish off his enemies and make them suffer for betrayal.
That is why he would value him if he could get someone to trust, even if that person were an ordinary villager with no fighting ability.
Therefore, as long as Isla does not betray him, he will not care if the difference in strength keeps increasing; he will keep her there so as not to lose himself.
Naturally, those were just words he wanted to say but couldn't. His mind was always full of thoughts, but his mouth could not express them. He only hoped that Isla could understand him, a foolish hope, for no one could read minds.
She looked at him briefly and then lowered her head, "Our current difference in strength is quite large, and I feel that, even though I struggle to catch up with you, you are getting much stronger as time goes on." She said and then looked up again at the sky with a sigh.
"Someday, you will have to go slay mighty devourers, great monsters, or perhaps you will fight the human heroes or adventurers who seek our heads, but they are so powerful that I can only see them from afar. So, at that time, it will also be my turn to see you from afar."
"You also have Miss Alice; she is already very powerful and a Heiress. She carries the blood of our ancestors, so maybe her speed is equal to yours, so sooner or later, you will have a similar power level and form a better team, but my speed is several times slower than yours, so I won't be able to be there." She said and finally sighed.
Matt looked sideways at her and smiled slightly, "You know, my wife used to tell me that. My talent was amazing back then, but she was able to catch up with me, and she became the anchor of my life. She showed me that the effort a living being can make can take him even higher than the talent he may have. Talent is limited, after all.
But effort will always get you results, even if they are minimal." Matt flashed a smile of tenderness once he remembered his days with Charlotte.
It was a smile Isla hadn't seen on him before, but one that she found genuinely charming.
"But, although she tried hard, she also showed me that living the happy moments in life was more important than getting over herself, so she used to have a lot of days off, making me sometimes wonder how it was possible that she could be so strong, yet so free." He said and ended with a long sigh of helplessness and sadness.
Isla was slightly surprised by the story he was telling her. It sounded like a story far in the past, so far away that it was impossible to reach it again.
It left her thoughtful and a little dazed, but she still smiled as she realized that he was simply trying to tell her that effort would help her reach the heights she wanted and longed for while telling her never to stop enjoying life.
'It seems Matt has been through a lot in his short life.' She thought with a smile and stood up.
"I'll do my best not to be left behind, and so maybe one day I can introduce you to my Lady; I'm sure you would get along well; she's a very nice Heiress, like Miss Alice." She said, smiling. Matt nodded at her.
"If so, then let's continue to make a good team." Matt replied, and after some more small talk, they both went to sleep.
Tomorrow, the Battle of the Halls would begin.