863 Everyone Has Something They Are Confident In
“Yes!” The little girl named Hathaway wriggled and tried to get back on her feet, but she still did not let go of the giant sword in her hands, as if it were the most important thing for her today. Therefore, it was impossible for her to stand up with only her elbows. After she finally lifted herself from the ground, she fell down again.
Again and again, Hathaway failed to get up, and her knight teacher simply watched without saying anything, as if he were telling her that she could count on n.o.body else except for herself to become a knight. Gradually, Hathaway’s cold but beautiful eyes seemed to be covered in mist, but she bit her red lips and furrowed her eyebrows hard, not letting out any sound of pain or distress.
Even Old Green found it unbearable to keep watching. He said in a coa.r.s.e voice, “Sharp…”
Hardly had he called the man when Douglas, who had been observing quietly, opened his mouth and said gently, “Sometimes, you drop things temporarily to better hold them in the future. Do not impose too much pressure on yourself.”
Hathaway raised her head and stared at Douglas with her misty gray eyes, as if she were considering what he meant.
Fernando chuckled. “If you cling to your giant sword, of course you can never get back on your feet. I’ve never seen any kid as silly as you!”
“This is a mission!” Hathaway spewed out her words one after another. She was too angry and did not know how to speak logically yet.
Fernando said, not in a good mood, “Throw the sword on the ground and pick it up again after you stand up. Otherwise, with your body coordination, it’s impossible for you to get back on your feet!”
He had seen Hathaway’s real problem but pointed it out in the bluntest way. In the meantime, he added to himself, “Your language ability also needs improvement!”
Hathaway’s face turned dim and grim again. Nothing could be seen except indifference and stubbornness. Also, she did not follow the subtle suggestion behind Fernando’s mockery but kept on trying. She supported herself and fell again and again. Finally, after countless failures, she sat up on her knees and raised the giant sword, slowly rising to her feet while relying on it.
Looking at that scene, Old Green seemed excited. “Besides the color of his eyes, she has the determination in his blood!”
“Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have accepted the mission, even though it was given by that big shot in person.” Her knight teacher who was called Sharp smiled in consolation and mixed feelings. His blue eyes were as peaceful as a windless ocean.
Hathaway’s little face had been contaminated by the dirt, and her hair turned messy. Holding the giant sword, she turned her head and looked at Fernando. She did not say anything or make a snort, but her indifferent eyes alone were enough to darken Fernando’s face. He mumbled, “There’s a chance to succeed by trying repet.i.tively when it comes to such little things. If it were anything else, such an idiotic approach would’ve caused a person to be killed in the first few attempts. It’s impossible to start all over again.”
Her face unchanged, Hathaway turned to Douglas and bowed in respect. “Thank you.”
Her voice was both gentle and chilly.
“Determination is a great quality.” Douglas praised her before he continued, “However, you need to learn to recognize your mistakes. Persistence does not mean that you have to persist in mistakes. You should always think and handle problems based on facts.”
Hathaway nodded her head, half confused. She stumbled to her teacher with the giant sword.
Sharp smiled and said to Old Green, “I’m surprised to see such a philosopher in your place. I’ve only heard similar things from the cardinal theologists. However, he said the opposite, claiming that persistence means persisting in the truth, and that the truth is the Lord’s teaching.”
In the past, due to the long lives of many intelligent creatures, they had the spare time to consider the metaphysical questions, and that was how philosophy was born. Then, many common scholars joined them, not giving up thinking just because their life spans were short. They were known as philosophers or thinkers. However, as the War of Dawn went on and the Church dominated the world, the philosophers that they disliked were going extinct.
“As a matter of fact, everyone thinks as long as he lives. That is, if he is not an inferior creature,” Fernando interrupted again with his mean mouth.
Sharp turned around and looked at him; the smile on his face was suddenly gone. The atmosphere in the lobby of the small hotel was suddenly frozen, and the sound of seawater surging vaguely came out. Hathaway’s face suddenly softened, as if she were looking forward to what might happen next.
“Cough.” Old Green coughed and broke the silence. “Sharp, don’t be petty with kids. He’s always like this. It’s nothing personal.”
Although Fernando could not reveal his vibe as a senior-rank sorcerer, he still glared back at Sharp impolitely without backing off.
“Hahaha, hahaha.” Sharp suddenly burst into laughter. “Interesting. He’s very like me when I was young. I used to despise and mock other people; pigheaded and unlikable.”
Fernando sniffed and turned around, ignoring the guy. He did not sense anything similar between them.
Sharp sat on a high chair before the wood counter, and Old Green poured him a gla.s.s of hard liquor without him saying anything.
“Hu! Only you still have this recipe! It’s been a long time since I tasted such hard liquor!” Sharp drank and chuckled. “I became civilized after I was almost beaten to death by him several times.”
It seemed that he was really of a mind to teach Fernando a lesson just now.
Fernando sniffed but was not mean again, because he knew very well that it was best not to expose his magic capabilities in Rentato unless he had absolute confidence. Otherwise, both himself and his partner might be killed!
Sharp finished the gla.s.s of liquor and turned to the little girl, Hathaway. “You can find a seat and wait for your roasted fish with honey. Well, you may put down the giant sword now.”
Hathaway nodded and put the sword on the table. Then, she pulled a chair as deftly as a deer and sat down, before she took out a blue-covered book from her magic pouch.
Turning the pages, she began to read carefully. The indifference on her face was gradually gone, and she curled her lips and frowned now and then.
It enlivened her and made her more like a regular quiet kid of her age instead of a unique one a moment ago.
“Chronicles of Antiffler?” With a pair of sharp eyes, Fernando couldn’t help but read the t.i.tle of Hathaway’s book. “You’ll get dumber and dumber if you read such kind of books at such a young age.”
Hathaway raised her head and looked at him. Then, without saying anything, she was buried in the book again.
Douglas was amused by that, finding it impossible to understand Fernando’s behavior.
Lauren chuckled and sat next to Douglas. He said in a low voice, “Do you feel that it is unlike Fernando? Actually, he has always been like this. He’s mean and sarcastic and impatient when it comes to important issues, but he also likes playing with kids and making inappropriate jokes with other people. You’ll understand it better after you get to know him.”
He completely ignored Fernando’s glare.
“It means that he has a young state of mind.” Douglas chuckled. “However, I think kids are better to be encouraged…”
Lauren went on to say with a low voice, “Fernando used to have a sister who ‘accidentally’ died at twelve. So, he has always been fond of little kids, although he never admits it and would rather tease them…”
Pa.
Fernando patted the table hard and interrupted Lauren’s betrayal.
“Hehe.” Sharp seemed to have perfect hearing although he was drinking nonstop. He chuckled in time, suggesting that he heard everything.
Hathaway turned the pages much more slowly, as if she heard Lauren’s words too. Her tightened face was greatly relaxed.
Lauren smiled in satisfaction. It was exactly what he hoped. He hoped that the two parties wouldn’t burst into a fight, and their ident.i.ties as sorcerers would not be exposed.
Fernando stared at Lauren without blinking, as if he were considering how to deal with the guy tonight.
After reading Chronicles of Antiffler for a while, Hathaway put it back and took out another thick book with a black power, several sheaves of paper, a quill, and a delicate bottle of ink.
Opening the book, Hathaway wrote and drew attentively, emanating the most eye-catching glow of confidence, which was exactly what she lacked most previously!
“Basics of Mathematics…” Fernando saw the t.i.tle on it.
He was not surprised. Mathematics was the only magic-related knowledge that the Church allowed to learn in public. It was because some n.o.bles wanted to make sure that they were not deceived by their accountants. But of course, most n.o.bles were still proud of their inability to calculate.
Douglas could also see clearly in the dimness. He smiled. “As a matter of fact, there are simpler ways.”
He was too delighted to control himself.
“Really?” Hathaway pursued bluntly, as if she found it hard to believe.
Now that he already said it, Douglas did not back off. He walked to her and sat down. Picking up the quill, he offered her another solution that was creative and convenient.
Hathaway stared at the paper before her in a daze. After a dozen seconds, her indifferent silver eyes were revitalized, and she nodded affirmatively. “It’s real.”
As she spoke, she repeated the method and considered it for a while. Then, she quickly turned the book to a certain page and pushed the book to Douglas. Her face was still nonchalant, but she said with expectations in her eyes, “What about this one?”
Douglas read it. Before he said anything, Fernando, who had approached at some point, already mocked, “You don’t know how to solve such a simple question?”
He introduced the solution quickly.
Hathaway furrowed her beautiful eyebrows first, but after her calculation, her eyebrows gradually relaxed. Then, she quickly turned the book to another page. Without saying anything, she simply looked at Douglas and Fernando.