On the third day of the hero training, I decided to change things up a little. Instead of drills or lectures, we were going to spar.
Serena, Cain, Theresia, and Freya would face off against in short one-on-one matches—with their familiars summoned. To even the odds, I summoned Runa to fight alongside .
The first to step forward was Theresia.
She called out to her familiar, Byakko, but it was still incomplete. Only the lower half of its body had fully materialized in three dinsions. The upper half... remained flat—two-dinsional, like a drawing floating in space.
I chuckled a little at the sight but quickly offered her so encouragent.
Theresia looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she clenched her fists and drew both of her daggers without hesitation.
I hadn’t expected her to still want to spar.
"Take this! [Stormheim Dagger Skill: Ten Lightning Stab]!"
She lunged at with surprising speed. Her lightning-infused magic made her movents wild—agile, but unpredictable.
But before her blades could reach , Runa stepped in and blocked her with a swift swipe of her claw.
Theresia faltered, her eyes filling with frustration as she stared at Runa—my familiar—protecting so easily. She looked like she might cry again.
"This isn’t fair! Help , Byakko!"
She shouted in desperation—and then sothing incredible happened.
Though still half-ford, Byakko responded. A surge of blue lightning shot toward Theresia, wrapping around her legs. The air around her crackled as the spell took hold.
We all stared in disbelief.
"Hehehe! I knew you were smart, Byakko!" Her tears were gone, replaced by a wide, beaming smile.
With renewed confidence, Theresia charged again—three tis faster than before. Runa was caught off guard and couldn’t react in ti. She broke through our defense in a blur of movent.
Grinning, Theresia leapt behind , both daggers aid at my back.
But I had faced faster enemies before. My experience—and [Eclipse Foresight]—allowed to predict her trajectory.
At the last mont, I sidestepped and gently chopped the top of her head.
Thud!
"Oww! How’d you dodge that?!" she cried, rubbing the bump forming on her head.
"Experience," I replied with a slight grin.
I reached out and helped her to her feet, offering a genuine complint on how much she’d improved. She lit up like a child being praised by their teacher.
Theresia... she really is such a kid sotis.
....
Cain’s Turn
Next up was Cain.
"Watch this. I’ve gotten stronger," he said with smug confidence as he raised his hand to summon his familiar.
A swirl of fire began to form—and there it was. A Salamander. Sort of.
The last ti I saw it, it was still just an egg. Now, it had... legs. That was it. Just two stubby little legs sticking out of the bottom of a half-hatched egg.
"...Cain, your familiar... is kinda cute. Look at those tiny legs." I tried to hold back my laughter. Even Runa tilted her head, intrigued by the strange creature.
In my head, Envi was howling with laughter.
"Bwahaha! That savage Cain paired with an adorable baby lizard? What a mismatch!"
Cain’s expression darkened.
"Shut up!... Take this! [Flamore Swordsmanship: Crimson Eruption]!"
His flaming blade crashed down, igniting the ground beneath in a burst of fire.
But Runa and I easily dodged the attack and launched a counter-assault together.
Cain struggled to fend us off. But then—sothing unexpected happened.
His baby Salamander suddenly released a defensive spell: [Fire Shell]. A fiery barrier flared to life around Cain, shielding him from our attacks.
He blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing.
"Hah! Did you see that?! Look at you go, little guy!"
He lifted his familiar with both hands, proud as a parent.
"Incredible," I told him. "Keep nurturing that bond. I’m sure it’ll fully hatch soon—and when it does, you’ll have a powerful Salamander by your side."
"Just wait. I’ll show you what it can really do!"
Though still fired up, Cain stepped back. He knew that was enough for today.
....
Freya’s Turn
Freya approached next.
She looked nervous at first, but her determination quickly took over. She gripped the hilt of her sword and bowed.
"Please guide , Naoki-dono."
I unsheathed my katana with a calm smile.
"Co, Freya."
Runa crouched beside , ready to move.
The mont the spar began, Freya took a deep breath and called out:
"Descend, fla of eternity—Phoenix!"
I raised an eyebrow in anticipation... but the majestic summon I expected didn’t co.
Instead, a small fla burst forth and ford into a tiny, bird-like creature that hovered above her head.
"That’s... your Phoenix?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes... This is the best I can do right now," Freya admitted shyly, avoiding my eyes.
"You’re amazing, Freya. That’s real progress." I smiled sincerely.
Her cheeks turned pink.
From the sidelines, Cain shouted in protest. "Hey! You laughed at , but you’re praising her?!"
"Quiet," I called back.
I turned back to Freya. "Co at ."
"Yes, Naoki-dono!"
She charged with remarkable discipline, wielding her blade with elegant precision. Her form was clean—almost as refined as Cain’s.
Runa and I both took note. The little Phoenix chirped and flitted around her, its fla subtly strengthening her attacks.
When Runa’s claw ca dangerously close to striking Freya’s side, the Phoenix dove in and blocked the hit. Fast and resilient.
I could feel it—the heat of her flas had grown. Freya was definitely stronger now.
After several exchanges, I ended the match. Freya was already winded—even though her summon had only been active for six minutes.
"You did excellent, Freya. All you need now is to keep summoning it regularly, and increase your mana capacity bit by bit."
I held out my hand to help her up. She smiled, breathing heavily but proud.
"I’ll rember that... Thank you, Naoki-dono."Freya smiled sweetly at .
Seeing her like that brought back a mory—The last ti we sparred.
I couldn’t forget it, no matter how hard I tried.
That accidental kiss between us...Just thinking about it made my cheeks flush with heat.
Suddenly, I felt a chilling presence behind .
It’s Serena.
.....
Serena’s turn.
Serena was staring at with a frosty glare—just enough to make it clear she wasn’t thrilled about how close I was with Freya.
She stepped forward with elegant but deliberate steps.
"...Now it’s my turn, my dear Naoki."
Yep, she’s definitely a little upset.
"R-Right. Go ahead, Serena..."
Without hesitation, she summoned her familiar—her majestic northern reindeer, Ei. The summoning was flawless. Ei materialized in full form, his towering antlers rimd with ice, his breath fogging the air.
Snow swirled around them as Serena activated her ice magic. The temperature in the arena dropped instantly.
I tightened my grip on my katana. Runa crouched low beside , growling softly, ready to defend.
"Go, Ei," Serena commanded coolly.
"[Advanced Ice Magic: Sharp Ice Rain!]"
The air above us shimred—and then the sky broke open with razor-sharp icicles, falling like a storm of frozen blades.
I activated [Kasoseki], doubling my speed, and darted between the hail of ice. My [Eclipse Foresight] allowed to read the trajectory of each shard, slipping through them like water.
Runa countered the barrage with [Dark Magic: Shadow Devour Tail], her tail morphing into pure shadow, swallowing the magical ice as it fell.
But Serena wasn’t done.
In a blink, she was right in front of , her blade gleaming with frost.
"[Winterfell Swordsmanship: Frostfang Barrage!]"
Five icy slashes surged toward with terrifying precision. I responded imdiately with [Blackmore Katana Style: Tsurugi no Mai], my blade cutting through each strike in a fluid dance of steel.
But Serena didn’t back off. With a flick of her hand, she summoned two ice clones of herself.
Ei responded in sync, casting [High Ice Magic: Ice Duplication].
In an instant, Serena’s doubles multiplied—six icy shadows now surrounded us.
Damn... this was impressive. Runa and I were on the defensive.
Envi’s voice echoed inside my mind, more enchanted than strategic:
"Serena’s beauty is on another level... wow... marry her."
"I agree..I really want to marry her...but OOHH PLEASE SHUT UP ENVI!! this is not the ti!"
Yeah, I couldn’t disagree. She was stunning.
Deadly, too. One wrong move and I’d be encased in solid ice.
Then suddenly... I noticed sothing was off.
Serena was no longer among the six illusions.
I sensed her behind . My eyes widened.
"[Winter Mirage]..."
She had used a stealth spell—cleverly slipping out of sight while her ice clones distracted us.
But I was ready.
"[Shadow Steps.]"
In the split second her sword sliced through the air behind , I was already gone.
Gasps echoed through the training hall.
Serena had appeared behind in a flash—only to find now behind her.
Before she could react, I gently wrapped my arms around her from behind.
"I got you... my dear Serena," I whispered near her ear.
She stiffened in surprise. Her sword lowered.
"...You found ?" she asked, baffled. "But... I was hidden perfectly."
I smiled and leaned in closer.
"No matter where you are... I’ll always find you. Because I love you."
Her face turned red.
"...I see," she murmured, flustered. "Then... I guess I don’t mind losing."
She laughed softly, trying to mask her embarrassnt.
For a mont, I didn’t want to let go of her.
But then I noticed the sharp glares aid at my back.
Cain, Theresia, and Freya were all staring daggers at .
...I let go.
"Ahem!"
I cleared my throat and turned to Serena with a respectful nod.
"That was incredible, Serena. Your coordination with Ei is already at a level far beyond expectations. You’ve grown more than anyone else here."
"Thank you, Naoki..." she said, bowing lightly, her cheeks still pink.
I turned to the others.
"Theresia, Cain, Freya—you’ve all made fantastic progress too. You’re just a few steps away from fully mastering your familiars."
Runa nodded beside .
"They’ve grown. I can feel the bond between each of them and their familiars getting stronger," she said with a proud smile.
The others lit up at that, their exhaustion giving way to pride.
Ti passed quickly. Before we knew it, the sun was high overhead.
We were about to break for rest when the doors to the training hall opened.
Two figures entered, their presence shifting the entire atmosphere.
Power. Authority. Danger.
Everyone instinctively straightened.
The rcenary King and Queen had arrived.
"rcenary King Yunho... rcenary Queen Mina...?" I stepped forward slowly.
"...What brings the two of you here?"
...
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