“And this is the backyard of the mansion. The backyard is divided into three sections. The first is the training area where someone can practice their mana control and magic without creating total destruction. The second would be the enjoyment area with bathhouses, a bar and different kinds of facilities that resemble the typical ones normal humans would have. The third and last area would be the arena that will be used to house public events and is capable of having about twenty thousand people seated.”

What the hell? I thought the inside was unnecessarily large for just a mansion with so many bedrooms and so many different kinds of indoor facilities that I would have mistaken this for a resort. Now I’m a hundred per cent sure this is indeed a resort.

What the hell do you need such bars and bathrooms when there are also some inside the mansion? Is this the different mindset between the middle class and royalty? Was I just a peasant in the eyes of these nobles?

“Of course, most of these facilities will be open to the public as well as having the younger generation learn more about humans with these.”

Of course, that was the answer. Seeing the mayor saying this with a happy face honestly made me want to hit him. Maybe once.

Will I get in trouble for doing that? Most likely. Is what I want to do bad? Most likely.

Will I be satisfied after hitting him once? Most likely.

But hey! Maybe I could convince the old man to install some of these machines in our garden as well. This way, I could at least try stuff out with my Will and get better at using it.

My train of thoughts stopped as I was looking at the machines and the arena while holding the handle of Keyser because someone started to talk again.

"Father. If it is possible, I'd like to show more of the facilities, especially the arena. Sir may be familiar with these machines but I thought that maybe Laith wanted to test them out."

What was that about, Fe’liu? I wanna do what? Hold it rig- Old man! Stop smiling like that! You may be able to fool everyone else with your ‘gentle smile’ but I can see through that mask of yours! Just seeing him like that made me tremble slightly.

“Oh? If you want to show something then the arena should be enough. The machines you use for your mana training aren’t suited for Will so showing them would be pointless. And while we are in the arena, testing it out wouldn’t hurt much. My disciple honestly needs the training so having you give him some pointers will be much appreciated.”

The twins looked at the old man with surprised expressions. First time? I thought that the twins already had something against me but now even suggesting a fight was a bit too much as guests, right? And old man! Why the hell are you agreeing? As if you want me to train!

'lying bastard! You only want me to get hurt!'

"Alright then! A'ahil! Go and prepare the arena while you Fe'liu and Laith can go prepare yourself. The rest of us will go to the viewer seats."

"Father. I'd also like to spar with Laith if this would be okay for him."

Now you too? What do you two have against me? Did I rub you the wrong way? Did I accidentally say something wrong? Did I perhaps offend you by analysing your weapons? If that is the reason I kind of understand it but that’s still not a reason to fight!

Love peace! Hate war!

The last thing I needed is the elder brother joining in it which fortunately he didn’t. But why can I see slight regret in his eyes? Did he… perhaps want to fight as well? Why the heck are you holding back now, huh? Oh, wait! I was supposed to like this situation.

I wanted to rebuke, saying that one fight will drain me enough but the old man was faster, answering in my stead which he had no right to do so!

"Hahahahaha! Of course, you can! The more this boy learns the better for him."

'DAMN OLD MAN! WHY ARE YOU SACRIFICING ME LIKE THAT!'

"But what to do~? What to do~?"

Seeing the current attitude of the old man not only made me frightened but even the director was trembling now. What did you do to this poor girl that she was trembling like that as well? Answer me!

Wait… maybe the trembling is because what the old man is going to do could potentially harm the relationship between Humans and Elves… Old man! Just shut up!

“The way I see it, this boy can’t fight two fights in a row. That would be too tiring to you, right?”

“Yes! Yes! I can’t fight that long today, unfortunately…”

Wait… what is the old man trying to do? What are you planning, old man!

“As you see, this disciple of mine can’t compete for long…”

“So only one of us should fight with him, sir?”

Yes! Yes! You go, Laetisa! Just continue that way without turning back and maybe I will forgive you for helping this old man give me more torture!

“Oh no no no… this boy can’t fight for long but…”

I slowly moved my palm on my face, trying to hide it with my hand. Here it comes… here it comes…

“... but he can definitely fight more than one person.”

And obviously, this answer was met with pure silence. The twins probably felt offended but didn’t show it because it was this old man that said it. The parents had a neutral expression which was new for me but the person that stood out the most to me was the director that was slightly trembling. I can understand you so well!

I slowly made my way towards the director, nearing her from the side. And with a slight tug and a very low voice, I started to whisper.

“Hey, bis sister Angelina… what are we going to do if this ruins the relation between us and the Elves?”

“That’s not why I’m trembling, Laith… I’m scared of what Mr Hashimoto is planning. I’m not sure if you are familiar wi-”

“I know that smile as well.”

“He is truly cruel…”

Ah! Big sister Angelina… at last… at last I found someone that could understand my pain! But just before I could even express these emotions that were built up inside of me, the mayor started to speak.

“If it is fine for the two of you, then it should be fine. This is the disciple of the strongest human, so don’t think much about it.”

The mayor didn’t show much hate or similar feelings as I expected him to do when his children got insulted. But this was a wise decision for someone who didn’t know what I was capable of, so I forgive you. But the old man… no no no no no!

He shall not receive the slightest bit of forgiveness from me! Never!

The twins looked at each other before agreeing to the new arrangements made by the old man. Fuck… I just wanted to visit my neighbours but this turned out like another brawl I didn’t want to have at the moment.

But my hands were tied and my body dragged towards the arena in the backyard. The arena itself looked marvellous. As if it was a colosseum. And I was standing on a very large platform, opposite the twins who each had a rapier and what seems to be a wand. So magic is in this match?

The old man appeared right between us three while slightly floating in the air. If you want to brag about your powers, you can do it to those that at least reached a decent level!

“The rules are as followed. No extreme spells and Any injury besides the loss of limbs and organs is allowed. Do not worry about anything as I will take care of anyone that got injured during this mock battle. The winner will be decided if one of the two sides is deemed unable to continue or they surrender. Is everything clear?”

“Can I get a weapon as well?”

I raised my hand while asking the old man something stuck in my mind. I didn’t feel like I should take this as serious as the others made it out to be. Maybe I could take it easy after playing along for a while before surrendering. I mean, I can’t fight two intelligent beings that are most likely as strong as I am.

“Use Keyser. And if you lose this match, your sparing time will turn into the same type as your survival training.”

I’ll defeat you with all that I have got! I swear!

The old man vanished and appeared back with the others. I could see them talk but I didn’t hear what they were talking about. But that was not concerning me at the moment. There was something more important than knowing what they were talking about.

“I’m sorry, Laith. But I just wanted to test myself against the disciple of the strongest human. But honestly… getting so underestimated honestly hurts so I hope you forgive me this once after we are done.”

I looked back at the twins who now had crescent moon shaped smiles on their faces. I can understand your intentions so there is no reason to hide them from me, Fe’liu. Slowly going towards the grip of Keyser with my right hand, I took a quick draw position and waited for the signal to come.

“I’m sorry as well…”

“For what?”

“It’s because here there is no option like losing for me. I just can’t lose today.”

Seeing the faces of the two twists made me feel bad. I didn’t want to make a bad impression but losing really wasn’t an option for me. I’ll really not stop until I win!

“I guess you are ready!”

The voice of the old man was the only thing I heard before zoning out. I can’t let anything enter my sight besides the lines. Listen to my soul, relax my mind and move my body.

“Begin!”

SWOSH

Fe’liu and Laetisa dashed towards me with their rapiers aiming for my eyes. I couldn’t help but be impressed with their speed and accuracy with their weapons. Let’s see what they can do.

I swung my blade while dodging to the side. Redirecting the aimed rapiers, I was now repositioned with Fe’liu’s left side in front of me. Slashing diagonally towards his shoulders, I made my first attack.

CLANG

“What?”

Pushed back after blocking my attack with his rapier, Fe’liu was only surprised by how far he got pushed back. But before I could dash towards him, feeling the danger approaching from behind, I spun around and met Laetisa head-on.

“Ha!”

CLANG

Our blades met multiple times, every time redirecting the attacks of Laetisa away from me. I could see the desperation inside the eyes of my enemy. And one mistake she made.

Sidestepping to the right, I gave way for Fe’liu to have his attack almost hit his own sister. Their teamwork was actually good. The only reason this failed was that I could see her looking at something else for that one moment, telling me that something was behind me actually.

She dodged the oncoming magic spell that Fe’liu shot with his wand. Her attention was drawn by the magic spell. So as any natural fighter, I’ll abuse your lack of attention on me to the end and strike.

“Lae!”

CLANG

I guess someone saw through my attack. Well… let’s see how this thing goes. And our fight continued with each attack they made together raining down like rain on me. But using Keyser, I deflected every last attack while trying to move around and land a hit on them.

Clash after clash. Clang after clang. Deflect after deflect. With their relentless onslaught of attacks, they tried to push through my defence and force me to give. I parried every last one of them with Keyser while sometimes trying to hit them with my free hand only to be met with the other butting in. this is not the same as in the dream. They covered for each other. And I struggled.

But unconsciously, I started to grin from ear to ear, enjoying my mock battle. Where is the fun of a fight when you can end it in a moment? There was none in such fights! So enjoying this fight to the fullest was what I tried to do.

And slowly, I could see through their attack patterns. Like I could understand their sword style. The first time I get such a feeling but it is also the first time for me to fight someone with a sword and proper sword style.

A stab towards my left shoulder. A swing for my right thigh. A kick for my head while the other tries to stab me from behind. The more I fought with those twins, the more I understood what the old man meant with battle sense. The more I fought them, the faster my reaction and the better my understanding of their fighting style.

‘Now!’

“Ha!”

CLA-CLANG

A spinning slash. Using all of my power starting from my toes all the way up to my shoulders, I swung my blade while spinning, throwing the two swords away from them. But before I could continue and swing a second time, I was blocked by a thick rock wall that appeared out of the earth.

‘So you are using stronger magic now? Then come on! Show me more!’

Just cut the wall. Just gather my Will in my blade and cut it apart. Or is what I wanted to do but a bad feeling appeared the moment I thought of cutting it. I took my distance that instant, making me sigh in relief after making that jump. Spikes shout out of the wall and pierced through the area I was standing at previously.

I moved in again, this time over the wall and flash stepped right towards Laetisa who tried to pick up her sword while Fe’liu was occupied with me by using his magic.

Reappearing in front of Laetisa, I slashed horizontally with the intent to cut her thighs but she dodged backwards. Come on, Laith!

CLENCH

“Huh?”

I looked down to see my legs bound by vines that shot out of the ground. Since when? And trying to cut them was futile as they regenerated the moment I cut them. Looking at the twins, I could only see the stern faces of two fighters. So now you think it is time to mature? Dammit!

Taking away my mobility was most likely their best option since the thing hindering them from doing damage besides my swordplay was being too fast for them. Clever. Really clever.

But speed isn’t my strongest point. I sheathed Keyser back into the scabbard while doing the only thing I thought would be right to do. Facing someone who used their all without doing the same is a shameful act. Or so the old man said, so I really had no choice. And besides.

I won’t return to that hell!

So with my mind calm and steady, I released all my Will. No more control. I just went wild with it, making even the runes on my body appear as well as my eyes glow. My smile only grew out of proportions after seeing that I could slash out with all of my Will.

The two of them run towards me as fast as they could, shooting spells while rushing towards me. I couldn’t dodge any of them and using Keyser at that moment would mean I will lose my chance for the final slash. So I did something I saw the old man do once before.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the Will outside of Keyser. And moved it in front of me. At first, I thought of blocking the spells with my Will but I don’t have enough for that so here comes my plan.

God, I hope this works! If not, I’ll be hurt like shit!

Slowly moving my Will, instead of putting it in front of the spell, I moved it beside it and pushed it away, redirecting the spell towards the side of me. And I did it again. And again and again. Until no spell was coming now.

“HA!”

“HA!”

“HA!!!”

Three swordsmen found themselves on the battlefield. Maybe if I tell the story that way, my future kids would find the story more interesting. But no. This was a mock battle. A mock battle where trying to injure the other too much was not an option.

Yet the only thing I could think of at that moment was to cut. That was all I ever did before. And so, I pulled Keyser out of the scabbard. The light, the force, the Will surrounding my body vanished instantly. No… vanishing isn’t the right word.

All of it was inside Keyser now, illuminating the whole area with its black light. The last thing I could see from the twins were their serious expressions while meeting my blade head-on. Just that moment before…

BOOM

Shit… What have I done? I was so intoxicated with the fight that I forgot this was a mock battle. Shit! They are alive, right? Not like I could kill anyone that strong, right? Right?

“Fe’liu! Laetisa!”

I could hear the screams of the parents from behind me. Fuck… did I mess up that bad? Please don’t kill me for that, big sister Angelina. The dust cloud that appeared the moment the two hit the wall of the arena was slowly clearing and so, I could see three silhouettes in it.

Wait… three? Oh right… he’d not let them get hurt at all. Should I be jealous now?

“It seems we have a winner. Laith, get here!”

“HIIIII!!! Yes!”

I walked towards the old man right at the moment I slashed at the vines. They thankfully didn’t regenerate but that wasn’t my problem now. He seems pissed.

I was standing in front of a man that is known as the strongest Human alive with his full anger directed at me. Oh dear heavens! Please forgive this poor sinner for his foul actions once. Please!

“You did good!”

“Huh?”

This man didn’t take any drugs, right? Do drugs even work on awakened at all? Wait that’s not the point! The old man clearly was angry! What happened?

“You showed them respect. That’s why you did well. And mock battle or not, holding back in a fight is something only idiots would do.”

“But you are holding back whenever we spar?”

“I’m not fighting with someone I see equal. If I did, I’d not hold back. Now let’s get those two back to the rest.”

Only now did I realise that the twins were actually messed up pretty badly. Or it seemed that way but there was no injury on them. So the old man did heal them or protect them before anything could happen at all.

I took the two of them and tried to support them while slowly walking towards the others. Obviously, this was a task pushed on me by the old man. He could have just used his magic and BAMM! We would be in front of the others but noooooo…

This is getting awkward when none of you is talking with me. I just hope they don’t hold a grudge against me.

“You are damn strong, Laith.”

“...sorry…”

I looked at Fe’liu while apologising only to be met with a kind smile. Damn hotties! What are you smiling for? Do you always have to look like a model even when being beat black and blue, huh?

“No…we are sorry. We made you have a fight with us just because we thought it would be fun to bully a human.”

“Welp… not that I care anymore since you realised before it actually happened… so no hard feelings, right?”

“You are surprisingly nice for someone that looked like the devil moments ago.”

Ugh! Critical hit, Laetisa! Medic! Medic! Man’s about to fall!

Wait… I just now realised I was actually talking with them normally. If this is how I’m going to be more confident with people, I fear that I will have few friends. I don’t want to start a fight just because I want to befriend someone!

“Pffft! You look funny, Laith.”

“I can’t always look like models, Laetisa.”

“What are models?”

“They are usually beautiful and handsome people that are used to advertise products or ideals in the media. You don’t have any models?”

“We have something similar but we do not have something like what you Humans call the internet. Our technology is mostly based on magical engineering and the usage of nature.”

What Fe’liu said was quite interesting but I knew partially that they didn’t have a sophisticated information network as humans do. They started to ask me questions about the internet and other human inventions while we moved towards the others.

This is nice. Making new friends is actually nice. Having more than one person to talk to is nice.

Having more people you can trust is nice.

I’m glad I made that choice that day.

I really am…