Author's note: So this chapter starts with a time skip as I originally didn't have anything special to say during the 3 months. If you think things suddenly rushed ahead too fast or think I should have fleshed out more things please let me know.

Also thanks for taking the time to read this story!

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Chapter 5

---Three months later---

Early in the morning, the atmosphere was tense in the Nishka training room.

The two groups were on the opposite sides of the field, staring each other down. On one side was Yumi and Calgar, the other had Luna and Sol. It was the beginning of a mock battle.

Over the last three months, Calgar had been strictly training Yumi in order for her to improve. He would reprimand her when she made a mistake and praise her when she succeeded.

A month into the training, he even began to teach her a few of the simplest and least taxing to use spells of his. However she still was not able to use them more than once. The effort took a heavy toll on her stamina.

Every few days, they would hold a mock battle. Usually it was with Ivan when he had free time, but sometimes the opponents were Luna and Sol. This was one of those days.

Calgar began to explain. “The rules will be simple; Luna and Sol will win if they are able to touch Yumi. Yumi will win if she is able to be untouched for five minutes. I cannot act without Yumi’s orders, and you girls can only attack me. Understood?”

Everyone nodded. “Understood.”

“Then… begin!”

As soon as the words left him, Luna dashed forth at a speed that was hard to follow.

“Let’s finish this up quickly Sis!”

Yumi reacted quickly. “Calgar seal her movements!”

He crouched and held his hand to the ground. “Brace yourself Luna, [Capiant].”

Vines surged from the ground and wrapped around her legs, firmly rooting her to the floor.

Luna tugged at the vines, but they wouldn’t relent.

She grumbled. “Kuh, how annoying.”

Yumi didn’t keep her attention only on Luna. Sol had prepared some sort of attack. Her right hand was faintly glowing.

She ran close to Calgar. “Prepare a barrier! Cover both of us please!”

Calgar stood up. “[Arma Murum].”

A metal dome sprung up and covered the two, just as Sol unleashed her attack.

“[Caeco Effulsit]!”

The world was dyed white, as if the sun had descended to earth. Without the protection of the dome, Yumi would have definitely been blinded.

During this time, Luna had freed herself from the vines and was quite irritated. She gathered a sinister black aura and launched it towards the protective dome.

“[Exedo]!”

The darkness splattered on impact like paint. It then quickly spread and devoured the dome, revealing Calgar and Yumi.

However Calgar had an attack prepared when the dome disappeared.

“Now Calgar!” Yumi shouted.

“[Collisio].”

A powerful shockwave flew towards the twins. Luna was able to deflect the majority of the attack away from her, but Sol wasn’t. She was thrown to the far side of the field and tumbled after hitting the ground.

Luna closed the distance with Calgar and sent a horizontal kick to his right side. It was so fast it looked like a blur.

Yet Calgar caught it in his hand easily. Luna twisted her body around and sent her other foot straight for his head.

Calgar ducked while letting go of Luna’s foot. As she spun around he lined up his fist with her abdomen.

“[Forum Inrupit].”

Luna’s eyes grew wide. “Oh Shi-.”

An explosive sound echoed through the training room. Calgar’s strike landed and Luna was blown away, crashing into the wall. A faint outline of her was left as cracks when she slid to the ground.

Yumi cheered for Calgar. “Alright way to go!”

Calgar turned to her. “Yumi focus!”

“Ah, sorry!”

Suddenly Sol had appeared next to her. “It’s too late for that!”

She had recovered and approached Yumi from a blind spot while Calgar had that short exchange with Luna.

“With this, we have won again.” She said as she reached out her hand to Yumi.

But Yumi was determined. “Not yet! Calgar lend me your strength. [Arma]!”

To her words, a translucent shield appeared in-between her and Sol. Sol was genuinely surprised by this, and couldn’t react fast enough to deal with it. Using the precious seconds she had gained Yumi gave another order.

“Intercept her!”

Kicking off from the ground, Calgar created a small indent where he stood. Bringing his right shoulder to bare, he lowered his body and rammed into the side of Sol.

“Gggh!”

She once again was sent tumbling away. Both twins were down and silence enveloped the room. The atmosphere grew tense and Yumi kept her eyes on both girls while breathing hard.

She had borrowed some of Calgar's magic for the shield she made, but it was still to the point that it left her almost completely drained.

Luna had stood back up. Yumi took a deep breath and gulped down her saliva. Just as she was about to give Calgar an order, he clapped his hands, which echoed throughout the room.

“Time. The battle is over. This time the winner is Yumi.”

Yumi stood there for a bit, not fully understanding his words. But finally they registered in her head.

“I won…”

It barely came out of her breathless mouth.

Calgar heard it however and nodded to her. “Indeed you have. Savor it Yumi, it has shown how much you have grown over these past three months.”

For all the mock battles against the twins, this was her first victory.

Sol and Luna both walked up to them.

Luna stretched her arms and legs, still having an annoyed look. “I can’t believe it. Even if it was only a fraction of our power, to be able to last five minutes… Grrr, so frustrating!”

Sol dusted off some dirt and agreed with her sister.

“Indeed, I too am vexed about this outcome. It seems I must change my opinion on mortals. At least some are not completely useless.”

While Luna and Sol were cold to Yumi in the beginning, through watching her earnestly listen to and train with Calgar, their opinion of her steadily rose. This didn’t escape Calgar’s attention and even Yumi herself noticed the change.

Whether it be pride or something else, neither twin would admit it though.

Still breathing heavy, Yumi let out a small laugh. “It seems I have come that much closer to my goal, huh?”

Luna waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t get conceited brat. You’re still not even close to touching Father’s greatness.”

Calgar patted her head. “Now, now. You all were splendid. Luna, Sol, transform and rest for now.”

“”Yes.”” They both replied. After transforming into sword form, they settled themselves in their respective sheathes.

Calgar turned to face Yumi. “How are you doing? To think you would attempt to use one of my spells, I was surprised.”

She had finally steadied her breathing, but was still feeling fatigued. “It was a quick decision. I wasn’t even sure if I could pull it off, but it seems the training you gave me came through.”

“True enough, however while you have considerably improved in giving your orders with confidence, you still got distracted there Yumi. Keep working to suppress those wandering thoughts and keep a calm and focused mind.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

Calgar put a hand on her shoulder. “With that said, this ends our training. Your break is almost over right? I think its best if you relax and prepare for when we leave.”

Yumi let out a sigh of relief. “That sounds absolutely wonderful.”

At that moment Yumi’s parents entered the room.

Minna showed a small smile at her daughter’s state as they walked over. “It seems you two have just finished up?”

Calgar nodded. “Indeed, the three months training has ended. I’ve told her to relax and prepare for when school starts.”

Fredrick added. “That’s right; your break is up already huh? Are you excited to go back Yumi?”

Yumi couldn’t suppress her smile. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t. Thanks to Calgar, I can go back to school with my head held high.”

“That’s good to hear. I know, let’s take a family trip to the resort you still have two weeks left right?”

“Yes, but I should be there a week early to sort everything out. However a small trip with everyone sounds wonderful.”

Minna spoke up. “Then I’ll begin the preparations immediately.”

Everyone left the training room in high spirits.

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In the blink of an eye, a week had already passed.

Yumi and her mother were in her room packing clothes into bags for her return trip to the military academy.

“To think these three months flew by in an instant. I felt like we barely had time to spend together.”

Minna was slightly pouting about her daughter’s return to school.

Yumi gave a wry smile while folding her shirts.

“I’m sorry mother; I guess I spent too much time with my training with Calgar that I ended up neglecting you and father.”

Minna shook her head. “No, it’s fine. It was important to you, I understand that. It’s just that you’re growing up and my chances to spoil you are steadily decreasing. It’s a slightly lonely feeling is all.”

Yumi set down her clothes and embraced her mom, startling her for a moment.

“I will always be your little girl mother, and I will never grow tired of your affection.”

“Yumi…”

The two hugged until a soft knock was heard on the open door to the room. The two women looked over to see Calgar and Fredrick standing in the doorway. Yumi shyly released her mother and the two men entered the room.

Calgar apologized. “Sorry for interrupting but it is about time for us to depart. Yumi are you ready to go?”

“Yes I have just finished packing my clothes. I’m ready to depart.”

They all went to the entrance, where Yumi’s brothers and grandfather waited.

“It was nice to see you again sis. When you get back to school, show them how awesome you’ve become!”

“Have a safe travel my sister. We will eagerly await your return.”

“Yumi, be sure to enjoy your school life. Calgar, please watch over my precious granddaughter.”

After them came farewells from her mother and father.

“Study hard Yumi, I know you’ll make us proud.”

“Have fun, and bring back many stories for us.”

“Thank you everyone. I’ll be sure to visit when I get a long holiday.”

Calgar and Yumi walked down the path to the front gates and left the Nishka residence. They walked along the side of the road heading toward the center of the city.

Calgar turned to Yumi as they walked. “So what exactly is this school we are going to like?”

“It’s an academy that focuses on military aspects such as combat and strategic thinking. Most who attend do so with the goal of joining the military when they graduate, but for the children of the Lords who serve the king it is mandatory to attend, even if you won’t inherit the household.”

“They think it’s something you should know regardless of what you intend to do huh?”

“Yes. I think it’s more of a ‘what if’ case than anything else.”

“I see. Then what exactly should I do once we arrive? Do I need to always accompany you?”

“For some classes, yes you need to accompany me. They will be the mock battles and ability training, but for lectures and the like you’re free to do whatever I think. Well, it might be safer to ask the principal what is ok in your situation.”

“Makes sense.”

They had reached the downtown area. Here the foot traffic was heavy, but people gave Calgar ample space to move.

“It seems I stand out, but there is nothing I can really do about it…”

Yumi reassured him. “True, but I think that most people will think you are a knight of some kind rather than a spirit. Knights are greatly respected in our country, and with your armor being so elaborate and beautiful, they probably think you are someone important.”

“Is that so? Then my mind is slightly at ease then.”

“Ha! These people should be bowing down before Father. To think they have the gall to actually stand before him. It pisses me off.”

The voice that suddenly insulted every person in the vicinity was only heard by two people, Calgar and Yumi. It was Luna who had suddenly spoken. Even while the twins were in their sword forms, they could communicate via telepathy.

“Luna, you can’t expect too much from the mortals. You have to lower your standards for them like Father has. That way when someone who isn’t useless like Yumi comes along, you can be pleasantly surprised.”

“Ah, I get it. As expected of you sister. It was a mistake to expect anything at all.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Calgar sighed quietly and Yumi had a wry smile.

They navigated through the sea of people and approached the intercity transports.

There were many lines to each booth which sold the tickets. The two had gone to the line for the ticket to the capital.

As they were waiting in line, passing the time with idle chatter, Calgar suddenly turned his head and looked off in a direction.

Yumi was puzzled and looked to where he did, but didn’t see anything strange.

“What’s wrong Calgar? Did you see something?”

He stared in the same direction for a bit longer then shook his head. “No it’s nothing. Sorry about that. It seems our turn has arrived.”

They stepped forward to the booth and were greeted by a female receptionist. She paused for a bit when looking at Calgar, but quickly regained her composure.

“Welcome to the intercity ticket booth to the Capital Beista. How many will be going?”

Yumi responded. “Two of us please. Here is the money.”

She handed over a paper note with a number on it. Calgar didn’t recognize this type of currency.

The receptionist looked it over and handed back a different note with a few copper and silver coins.

“Thank you for your purchase. Here are the tickets. Have a wonderful day.”

Calgar nodded as they left. “You as well Miss.”

They boarded the carriage after showing the tickets to the coachman and sat down in the farthest seat in the back.

“Yumi, was that money you handed over earlier?”

“Yes it’s a bank note. Have you never seen one?”

“No I’m more familiar with the coins than the note, unless they have changed. Is it still 100 coppers to a silver and 100 silver to a gold?”

Yumi nodded. “Yes that is correct. The only difference with the bank note is that it represents the same amount as written so it is easier than carrying around a lot of coins. To exchange it you just have to take it to any bank and they will give you the coins or transfer the amount into your account.”

Calgar folded his arms. “Oh? I bet the person who thought of that was highly praised.”

“Yep. It was a champion of Laanex after all.”

Calgar tilted his head in confusion. “Champion of Laanex? I thought the Gods didn’t interfere with the mortals?”

Yumi shook her head. “They don’t. A Champion is someone who has been born with the blessings of a god or appointed by divine revelation through their priests. They are far superior to us average people.”

“That still seems like interfering to me.”

“Well some say it’s the gods’ final pity. Either way Champions are extremely rare. Maybe only one a century I guess?”

“Hmm. I bet there isn’t the same Champion in a row either?”

Yumi put a finger to her chin. “… Now that you mention it, you’re right.”

Calgar chuckled. “Well if it wasn’t like that, they would probably argue about who has more champions than the others.”

“You talk as if you were close to them Calgar.”

He suddenly grew quiet and his atmosphere changed.

Yumi guessed she said something bad and quickly apologized. “I’m sorry I said something insensitive.”

“… I was close to them. I’d like to think I still am. It’s just that it brought back memories, both happy and sad.”

Yumi hesitated, but asked anyway. “If you don’t mind, would you be willing to share some of the happy ones? It’s a long ride to the Capital.”

“Sure I have plenty of stories to share. Which would you like to hear?”

“You read about what the history books say about the gods’ right?”

“Indeed I did. Quite hilarious how their image and real selves compare.”

“Then tell me about their real selves. I’m very curious.”

“All right, I’ll start with Raylen. She’s depicted to be loving and warm with a smiling face. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Did you know when she was growing the world tree she actually stopped halfway and said ‘This is a pain.’ Auromi had to practically force her to finish it or all the animals would have died.”

Yumi had a shocked face. “You’re kidding me…”

Calgar waved his finger side to side. “It’s too early to be surprised yet. I have plenty more where that came from. You see Laanex actually…”

Outside the coachman called for the last passengers to board and started up the engine to the coach. It rumbled to life and slowly started heading towards the city gates.