How to get Healed at Demon Farm

"Is this what you call strawberry jam? I've heard about it a few times, but it's my first time actually eating it." 

A boy sits at the top of the table and leisurely tastes bread and strawberry jam. 

Kael Skeld Verdi, the former Lord of the Verdi family and Alfred's grandfather. 

But no matter how I looked at it, it only seemed to me that he was a little older than Speranza. 

At first, I thought everyone was teasing me. 

But looking at Andras and Alfred standing with a very nervous expression, it didn't seem like that either. 

I whispered softly to Lia, who seemed less nervous. 

"Excuse me, Lia." 

"Yes, Sihyeon?" 

"Do the Demons become young again when they get old?" 

"No way. Demons also keep getting old." 

"Then why is he…” 

"I don't know exactly. It's said that it was a side effect of a serious injury incurred during the dimensional war that happened a long time ago…." 

A side effect of getting younger.

At a glance, it seems good, or maybe not. 

“New Ester. If you have any questions, why don't you ask me directly? I'm having a pretty satisfying meal, and my ears are very itchy." 

Lia and I who were whispering were surprised and stiffened. 

"I'm sorry if I get in the way of your meal…" 

"That's fine. There were a lot of things I wanted to talk about, so come and sit close to me." 

I had no choice but to timidly approach him and settle down. 

The appearance and the child's tone still confused me. 

"New Ester, did you make this strawberry jam yourself?"

"Yes, it's made with strawberries and honey produced on the farm. Do you like it?" 

“I love it. I think it's a lot better than I've heard of it." 

Kael, who looked at Alfred with a look of satisfaction, squinted. 

"The one who was kicked out for causing trouble was enjoying the luxurious food that I had never eaten before." 

"I'm sorry, Grandfather…" 

"That's enough. I was just joking. I'm glad you're doing better than I thought." 

Alfred, who was restless hearing Kael's jokes. 

I had never seen him this nervous since he came to the farm. 

Little by little, I began to realize that the boy next to me was really a big person from the Verdi family. 

"By the way, young Ester…" 

"Sir, my name is Lim Sihyeon. You can call me Sihyeon comfortably." 

"Lim Sihyeon? You certainly have a unique name. As expected of someone from the other world" 

He muttered the name Lim Sihyeon to himself a few times. 

"Yes, Sihyeon. I heard you're in trouble." 

"Yes. Somehow I ended up fighting an honor duel…" 

"Did you say the Selberg? You guys really got trapped by that no-name family. At first, I thought it was silly to fight over a field, but now, since I tasted the strawberry jam myself, I've changed my mind. The strawberry field is worth fighting for." 

Kael smiled satisfactorily as he finished his meal. 

As soon as the meal was over, Lia quickly cleaned the dishes and served warm tea. 

Kael continued, enjoying the tea with ease. 

"The Demon Lord seems to have high expectations for you. I heard that the Lord ordered for a smooth settlement with the Selberg family through Ryan." 

"Oh… Is that so?" 

I looked confused because I seemed to have caused trouble for Ryan. 

“But the Selberg family doesn’t seem to step down easily. They wouldn't have worked this hard to set up a trap to just walk away." 

"I wouldn't have come into this, since I've long left the family affairs. But I've decided to move because I have to save the face of the Demon Lord who appointed you as Ester." 

"Thank you, Sir." 

"But you'd better not expect too much. I'm not going to help as a member of the Verdi family, but as an individual." 

He made his point and drew a clear line. 

However, in such a frustrating situation as now, I was very grateful to even for that. 

“It’s a disadvantageous fight from the moment they provided an excuse for the honor duel. Do you know that you have only two options?" 

"Yes………" 

Accept the duel, or avoid it. 

As soon as the terms of the Honor duel were already established, I didn't have many options left. 

“If you want a safe choice, you'd better avoid the duel. You'll get a lot of disadvantages in return for not accepting the duel. But if the Demon Lord empowers me to mediate, I will be able to compromise so that you would avoid getting a huge loss." 

Kael sipped the tea for a moment and continued on. 

"But the Selberg family probably won't stop until they keep shaking your weaknesses and taking away what they want. Once you avoid fighting, it's a natural order to be keep getting targeted." 

The expression of not only me but also other farm families hardened. 

Certainly, as Kael said, the Selberg family was not likely to give up easily. 

“Then there's only one way left,” 

I asked, slightly nervous. 

“Do you mean to participate in the duel?” 

“Yes. In the end, Honor duel is a game played with both sides at risk. If you win, the Selberg family will never touch you again?” 

"That's true, but I don't know if I can go to the duel and win." 

"I've heard about it. You can't even use reinforcement magic properly and you're at a level where you only have the basics of swordsmanship?" 

I nodded while avoiding his gaze for some reason. 

"I don't know exactly what the level of Selberg Young Lord is, but he's definitely not an easy opponent for you to win. He knew that, that’s why he asked for a fight without any pressure." 

"So what should I…" 

"That's why I came here?" 

"….?" 

"I'm not going to make you win this duel, but at least I'll train you so that you can aim for a draw." 

I was surprised. 

“Really?” 

“What would I do by lying to you? You decide whether to avoid the duel or not first. After that, I'll try to help you somehow in my own way…" 

After finishing the conversation, Kael took the slightly cooled teacup to his mouth. 

I was lost in agony when I saw the figure. 

Accept the duel or not. 

For a moment, I looked at the farm members. 

As always. 

The farm family looked trustworthy as if they would respect whatever my decision is. 

Honestly, I didn't want to fight a duel. 

I entered the Rifts a few times and experienced direct combat, but I don't think that’s enough to win a duel. 

Above all, when I lost, the risk I had to bear was too great. 

I will be losing the strawberry field I created with the blood and sweat of many people. 

But avoiding the duel didn't seem to solve the problem. 

If it's an inevitable fight anyway, shouldn't I go out boldly?

Whether I win or lose, I thought I shouldn’t back down. 

On top of that, I also wanted to give a blow to that blond Demon for conspiring and maliciously bullying the people of Elden Village. 

After quite a long consideration, I slowly opened my mouth. 

“Sir, Do I really have a chance?” 

“Didn't I tell you? I will make it to a draw. Depending on your efforts, the outcome can change enough." 

"Then… let's try. I don’t want to fall back without a fight." 

A smile crept in the corner of Kael's mouth when he heard my resolution. 

"That's a good mindset. I'll do my best to help you achieve what you want, as I promised." 

"Thank you, sir. How can I repay this favor…" 

"A helpless old man spending his remaining days in a dark room came forward, so it's not even worth calling it as a favor…" 

He glanced at me and added a word. 

"Hmm… Well, If you really want to repay, why don't you just take care of my meal while I'm here?" 

I nodded as soon as I realized what it meant. 

"Of course. While you're here, I'll do my best to give you the most delicious dishes. Of course, if you want strawberry jam, I'll give it to you anytime." 

A smile grew thicker around Kael's mouth. 

"I like the new Ester. He's so quick-witted." 

He put down his teacup and rose from his seat. 

Everyone stared blankly at his back as he headed out of the dining room. 

Stopping, he frowned slightly and looked at me. 

"What are you doing? Come fast!”

“What?” 

"There's not much time left until the duel. If you're determined to fight, you should start preparing, right now." 

“Oh… Yes! I see.” 

I followed him straight out of the farm. 

Other farm members followed us with anxious looks. 

I arrived at the vacant lot where I train with Alfred. 

I stood with my sword, as I usually did during my sword training. 

On the other hand, Kael was dressed the same and had only one ordinary wooden stick in his hand. 

Even though I understood in my head that the appearance was not real, it felt very strange to look at a child with a sword in his hand. 

“Are you ready?” 

“Yes.”

“Then let's get started.” 

"Ah, hold on a second. Sir? Are you starting right away without explanation?" 

I felt something strange and asked urgently. 

Kael looked at me as if my question was strange. 

"What else do you need?

"Is it the purpose of the training for me to learn……then the explanation of what you're going to teach me?" 

When Kael heard my answer, he chuckled. 

"Sihyeon, you seem to be mistaken. I don't intend to teach you anything new.”-

“…What?"

"It's less than a week before the duel. It's impossible to teach you something new in that short period of time." 

"….." 

"Did you think I'd teach you a new skill and give you a lethal move to knock your opponent down at one strike?" 

To be honest, I thought it would be something like that since it seemed impossible to close the gap with the skills of the opponent in a week. 

It's a duel with a lot at stake. 

“If you could beat him with only the skills you learned for a week, the Selberb family wouldn't have asked for the Honor duel in the first place." 

I nodded in surprise at his logical explanation. 

"It's very simple. I intend to teach you how to avoid death." 

"How to Avoid Death?" 

A very ominous feeling crept up in my mind. 

"I will maximize your instinctive senses before the day of the duel. My role is to bring out the potential hidden in you." 

"How… how are you going to do that?" 

"Every living thing naturally brings out its potential when it faces death. It’s very simple, isn't it?" 

An ominous feeling crept into my mind… 

"I’ll show you death, and you just have to escape it with all your might." 

Kael smiled like a child, but the words from his mouth felt eerie as if they came from the messenger of hell.

(To be Continued )

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