24 Hearts

13====================

Serenia: City of adventurers.

I empathized with Riel, for exiting through the window was not a common practice. Kain opened the front door, entered, grabbed his shoes, and went out again. All the while, he was complaining, asking why we were taking so long to come out.

Riel and I looked at one another with exasperated expressions, and we followed Kain as we laughed. We opened the door to Kaseun’s mansion and took the corridor that led to the training ground. It was afternoon, and even though the Sabraks were nobility, they did not keep a contingent of knights. Therefore, only I, Kaseun, and Kain ever trained here.

Kain took two small wooden swords from the wall adjoining the grounds, where all the weapons hung. One, he gripped tight while he tossed the other to me. Riel saw the wooden sword flying through the air, and she stepped back with a groan. I reached out and grabbed the weapon by its hilt, swinging it lightly then.

“I don’t have much energy,” I muttered, for I had trained with Kaseun in the morning and practiced in a personal capacity after that. I was fatigued, to put it bluntly. There had been a lot of sweat and groaning. Even if Kain and Riel had said nothing, I worried that my body stank rankly of sweat.

In all honesty, the battle against Kain could be burdensome. Kaseun had tutored him for a long time, and I was tired. Still, along with Kaseun’s training, sparring with Kain offered me an opportunity. I was a child without a source of income.

Kain would be selected as -Gabriel’s Sword _ Palace Prosecutor (Hidden_S)- by the temple of Jopiel before he reached adulthood. It was a title with great potential, and many bonuses would be given to you once you retire from the position. It is, in fact, a deceptive job that quite suits the protagonist of my game. Still, that’s the future, not the present.

Right now, I had the advantage of being a -Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)-

The thing that worried me was the experience gap between us. While I had only been training for a year, Kain had been tutored by Kaseun from a very young age. Our abilities to adapt and judge strikes would surely be different.

“Are we going to start?”

I was wrenched from my complicated thoughts and was the first to move. Kain came at me, holding his sword in both hands. He swung at me then, and I lifted my wooden sword to block his. As our weapons clashed, I knew I had the advantage of strength over my opponent. Kain looked a bit embarrassed, as he also realized this. I immediately swatted his sword to the side and made a short piercing thrust toward his chest. It was a counterattack that Kaseun had taught me, and it was a quick way to end an opponent whose heavy strike had failed.

Still, Kain easily dodged backward, the tip of my sword missing him by mere inches.

“So, is it true that you learned from grandfather?”

“Of course. But I’ve only been learning for a year, I mean, compared to you…”

The two swords clashed against each other again, with a dull thud resounding through the courtyard. Kain had a grin on his face as he twisted his sword, forcing mine downward. I tried to free my weapon in an upward sweep, but it was forced point-first into the sand. I jerked it back, wishing to prepare my defense, but the tip of Kain’s sword was already touching my throat. I paused, looking at the other boy with amazement in my eyes. My body was twitching, and a thrill of excitement ran through it.

Yes, this is it. I want this.

You need to be experienced to master a blade properly! I almost shouted this revelation aloud, yet repressed my urge at the last moment.

“Hmmm, you certainly don’t seem to have much training experience,” Kain said as he stepped back from me, his face full of mischief. “See, when I combine my motions, I don’t think about them. Thinking is too slow. I can’t give you good advice, I’m still learning too, but you get used to certain techniques if you train enough. That’s why I can dance with grandpa like that!”

“Wow. Kain, you looked so great!”

Kain merely shrugged when Riel clapped her hands and shouted praise at him from where she sat. This situation would certainly hurt an average child’s pride, yet I was no child, even if Judah was one.

“Once more, once more. Come on, let’s continue,” I said, gesturing for Kain to come at me.

“Huh? Um, it’s not very fun… Okay! Fine then. Let’s do it!”

“Thank you,” I said with a sincere smile. I cared little for winning; all I wanted to do was spar with my new partner! Kain looked at me and readied his sword. And there I was, doing something that I had for my entire adult life only done in my thoughts and imaginings.

I tried all sorts of ideas, moving in this manner to gauge how my opponent would react, and then realized that I could easily move into his flank. Ah, no, that didn’t work, so how about trying this?

I smiled with each swing of the wooden sword. Kain, living up to all my expectations, showed me no quarter. At times he easily blocked strikes I was sure would land. Other times, he counterattacked and had his weapon pressing into one of my vital spots in the blink of an eye. I did not feel discouraged, even if I would already have died ten deaths if this were a true battle.

In my life, I had never thought of being talented in martial arts. In retrospect, I had learned kendo for only a month, and even then, my body could not move perfectly. My mindset then was one of ‘just learn this stuff because exercise is healthy.’ Additionally, because I was not planning to become a warrior, I tended to lessen my strikes’ power. I had figured that, even with the protective gear, I could still inadvertently injure my opponent.

This situation was radically different. I pressed Kain as much as I could, trying to prevent him from regaining his strength after he blocked my first strike. I was adjusting to his style. Even though I failed every time, it was clear that victory was not far away. I had but to adapt and to learn.

I judged the arc of Kain’s sword accurately in his next strike, batting it to the side as I bought the tip of my weapon to rest on his throat.

“What?”

I wasn’t sure whether I had caught him off guard or whether he had allowed me this small victory. Looking at the surprise written upon his face, I suspected the former to be the case.

I was breathing deeply then, as I stared into his face. As I cooled off a bit, I saw that the tip of my sword still rested on the nape of Kain’s neck. I slowly brought the weapon to my side once more.

Having scored my first success filled my heart with pride. And once I had eked out this victory, Riel jumped from her seat and cheered me on.

“Wow! Judah, you finally won? Are you guys done now?”

At first, she had been interested in seeing the wooden swords bumping back and forth at such a pace. Later on, though, it all became so very boring for her. Still, the reason she had not fallen asleep was that seeing the two of them moving all the time while sweat poured from their bodies looked pretty cool. She had actually been watching Kain from start to finish, and this was what had kept her awake.

I wiped the sweat from my brow as I watched Riel stretch out and yawn.

[Through sparring, you have put into practice sword techniques that you had only known in theory]

The system log flashed before me, so I quickly checked it. It wasn’t much, so I dismissed the window. At that time, I felt displeasure at the sweat flowing all over my body. Clothes that had already been soaked in sweat were soaked once more. My clothing now stuck to me like melted toffee. I frowned at the discomfort, yet a greet refreshing feeling that surged from the depths of my heart countered my dislike of the stickiness. It was the greatest emotion I had experienced since coming into this reality.

I was exhausted and fell to the ground, and Kain joined me. Riel rushed into the adjoining building. Soon enough, the scrawny girl groaned as she carried a large basin.

Riel bore it all the way to us with her small body. She had filled it to the brim with cold water and had even brought several towels along.

She held out a towel, and I, in my sweaty state, reached out for it.

“Thank you, Riel,” I said.

“Oh! Ooh. I wanted to hear that from Kain first. I didn’t hold the towel out for you!”

Her words were regrettable in a way, yet I just laughed. I knew all too well that Riel liked Kain. It might be a common cliché, yet I had always believed that childhood friends were the best romantic partners for a man. She was set to become a useful mage that could aid me in the game’s mid-to-late phases. She was but a D-class mage now, though I knew well that she would become an A-class tower lord. Riel stared at me with a pointed face.

“You know, Judah. I have a question for you,” she said.

“Yes, ask me,” I replied as I wiped the sweat from my body.

“Why did you laugh so much, even if you lost so many times?”

“Because it was fun.”

“Hey! So are you happy? Even if you lost?”

Kain also looked at me, obviously trying to gauge my reaction. I felt embarrassed under their stares, even if there was an admiring quality contained in them. I had said that even losing could be fun, and that was not false.

“Yes, I am happy even if I lost. Because, I lost today, but I will practice steadily and someday I will win. I have natural talent, so I’m sure I’ll be able to beat Kain like I did the last round.”

“What? Kain was just unlucky. He will win tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after the day after tomorrow! You’re not going to hurt him, right!?”

At Riel’s tirade, Kain just gave an awkward laugh and said nothing. I stood to return the sweaty towel to the basin, but my legs were wobbly, and I almost slumped to the ground. As I stood still, I could feel that both my legs and arms were very stiff and sore.

I might have overdone it for the day and hoped that I did not injure something.

“You okay, Judah?”

I just nodded at Kain’s question. I found it to be absurd, for I had never been this tired.

“Yeah, I just have to take a break and then I’ll be okay.”

“Why don’t you just sleep here tonight? Grandpa can’t object to that, and we have many empty rooms.”

I wanted to tell him that I’d be okay, yet I was tired and knew I would struggle to walk to my home. I sighed and told Kain that he should ask his grandfather. He ran into his home, and I just lay next to the field as I watched him jog off. It was nice just to lay down,

I wanted to fall asleep as the cool breeze danced over my skin. As my eyes fell shut, I stopped myself at the last moment, instead choosing to stare at Riel. I had not spoken to many children during my time here.

I had only been in the library, on my jogs and here, training my swordplay. It was all I had really done in this reality. The few children who saw me promptly ran away, teasing me by calling me a cursed child. The kids that approached me did not do so with good intentions.

I was used to being alone by now, as most people here were confused by me. Riel and Kain had visited and chatted with me today, and their companionship made me feel strange.

Riel frowned as she finally noticed that I was staring at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?

“You like Kain.”

Her reaction was instantaneous. Her face turned red, and she even gave a small, nervous hiccup. Riel was greatly embarrassed but finally came to me as she giggled and laughed.

“You, you! So, uh, how did you know? Did Tina tell you?”

“No, Riel. I just know.”

The mirthful surprise on her face turned into a wary mask at once. She shuddered like a cat guarding its meal, and she spoke to me in a low, threatening whisper.

“If you tell him, you die. Okay?”

I just chuckled and nodded. “Don’t you worry, I’ll keep your secret.”