I had just finished my shower and I was currently sitting with Granny and Gramps. the girl called Alice, well, She was still glaring at me like I was her nemesis. Why the heck am I her target? it's not like there can be only one grandchild? I am sure gramps wouldn't mind, I don't even think about Granny, she is a softy for kids after all.
We were sitting at the garden table since lunch time had passed. I just asked for some light food. I was hungry but some light food would be enough for now. Still, the light food was more than enough. They had brought about 10 meat skewers and some bread. There were also some fruits that were from the villagers that I had encountered.
"Rekka dear, do you have any plans tomorrow?" Granny asked. She was having tea with Gramps and Alice.
"I don't have any plans…."
"I want to see around the place." Suddenly from my head Ridge gave her thoughts.
I didn't really know when she had come here.
"Who was that?!" Granny was spooked by the sudden unknown voice. Gramps was also looking around. Alice didn't really react much. Boy her glare at me was getting more and more fierce by the second. But as I ate unfazed by that, the maids actually gave me gazes of admiration… I guess it was kind of cool? I was avoiding a girl that was fiercely cute for sure.
"I got myself contracted with a spirit, here." I picked up Ridge from my head to my hand and she looked at everyone and cheerily said.
"Hi nice to meet you." in her mini form she looked adorable. Everyone was shocked to see her but they still were speechless to see her. On the other hand Lia and Elia who were still waiting on the side came forward.
"Wow, a real spirit !"
"Yeah it's so cute!" Both of them had sparkling eyes and they were originally happy to see her, then Granny said.
"Where'd you meet a spirit Rekka dear?" She had more knowledge in the spirit department and had spirit sight which was a rare talent. The only reason no one could detect Ridge was since she had erased her presence to the point she was like a ghost. so it seems even spirit sight can be fooled if a spirit wanted to hide.
"I got her from the capital, from where the people go to get blessings. She was the one who was giving blessings to everyone." although she never gave any blessings, since she couldn't even interact with anyone, it was quite impossible for her back then. still, it seems training there had made many people get stronger.
"What? then she was the spirit that was residing there?!" Grandpa spoke with more surprise in his voice. of course, a spirit that probably was there since the country was founded, and still nobody had seen her, and I just brought her out into the public just like that, it seems that was why Ridge had been hiding until now so nothing like what was happening now should have happened.
"But I thought she was a great spirit then..." granny commented seeing that this little spirit was giving off no amount of pressure at all, I could already see her thought process.
"No, I am not a great spirit…" answered Ridge and then she turned into her big form again. I could also see that Alice was looking interestingly at the spirit now, although I still felt she looked jealous. was she jealous since I was the one who acquired the spirit?
"Then that pressure was from just a lower spirit? That can't be."
"Hey I am not a lower spirit! I am one of the pillar spirits. You guys don't know anything about it, do you?"
"WHAT!!!!" what Ridge said with all her agitation revealed made everyone freak out. I didn't really know what they were shocked about, so I asked about them.
"Say Ridge, What are those then, are they special?" but hearing me, Ridge became angry this time.
"Hmph! I formed a contract with you and then you say you don't know me? I thought you knew I was a pillar spirit. I even told you that normal humans can't stand my pressure. Would any other type of spirit ask you that?!"
"Ooh I guess your umm…. Powerful then.. Well that's good isn't it? if you're powerful, then it's awesome!"
"Hmm yeah that's right I am powerful, the one and only pillar spirit who embodies the earth element in it's entirety. okay then nice to meet you all.`` She finished her introduction and turned small again then sat on my head.
"Ridge, want a skewer? They taste great!" I Offered her so she peeked down from my head and took a small bite. I don't know what being the only pillar spirit meant, but since just contracting with her made my body leap in strength, it was kinda obvious now that Ridge really was one of a kind.
"Hmm they are good but I want to eat the fruits more give me a grape"
"Okay but don't get my hair dirty, I just got them washed."
"Hmm~hmm" As our banter ended, I then realized something. Everyone else was still looking perplexed.
"Rekka, was it not enough that you got the most powerful blade in your position? now you go there and get an all mighty spirit with you too? OOh! How are we going to handle this!"
Grandpa looked at me as if he was going to get a heart attack. Was it such a big deal? I mean, sure she is a pillar spirit, but that the spirits never actually interfere with normal people in the first place and they can't fight, so I am sure it isn't a problem of Ridge being with me.
"Wow Rekka dear, you surprise me more and more! But I am still thinking. I know that spirits have spiritual energy always leaking out of them but I can't see Ridge's spiritual energy." That was probably the reason Granny had missed seeing or feeling Ridge.
"OH ! That's easy, your grandson sucked in all the excess spiritual wave. and, since we are contracted, he can control half of my energy all the time. If I give consent, he can use all of it too, so that way I dumped all my energy into him, he's controlling my energy and keeping it suppressed. I did wonder how he could do such things, but this way, I don't have to tiptoe around people anymore!!" Explaining Ridge to my Granny, I also nodded. That's the thing that I did and am still doing. With the Systems help, I can do this without mental strain but that was harder to explain so I left it.
Sorry system, I am always taking credit for your hard work.
{Answer: Negative! System is only doing as per master's orders Praise is not necessary.}
OOh how humble but hey! System you just addressed me as master.
{Answer Master has completed all criteria's to become Systems holder! As such, the System has accepted Master as Systems Superior.}
Oo then until now what were I to you?
{Answer: Sub-master full time Master ...…. Had not been registered.}
okay that's good news yeah. Then thanks for choosing me System. I hope we can work well together.
{Affirmative: System will strive to fill masters' needs.}
Now there's one thing that happened? well, System sounded a bit more cheerful than usual then this should be a thing to celebrate I guess.
"I can't believe it. you can suppress all that energy and then that Miasma of Amanori and then your own aura! It's like a veil covering all of existence around you, truly something else..." Well I think Granny wanted to comprehend what I did but at last her love for me made her think of those things later and joy in my great achievement first.
Gramps had also returned from his surprising look and on the other hand all my compliments made Alice get more frustrated. if she was a bull, I could say she would look like one who was preparing for charging at me any moment now,
"Hey!! What about our fight, let me beat you. I will show the heroes that you're nothing compared to me.!!!"
"Ooh yeah I still got to do that stuff, man, can't you let go? Why do you even want to fight me? I never did anything to you."
"The hell!! backing up from a challenge are you even a real man?!"
"You shouldn't be the one saying that when you're the one shouting your lungs out! I can hardly see any honorable Lady there, does your pride really amount to that much where a kid younger than you makes you feel insecure?! Nonetheless hearing you shout so much did make me remember a saying- ``Barking dogs never bite." She had attempted to badmouth me but she had forgotten she was a great specimen herself. So I let out my anger. from the very first look at her. I could tell she was bratty, so I knew how I should handle such business; quite ruthlessly.
....
Apart from Rekka being annoyed by Alice. Alice, who felt rage boiling over her from seeing a little kid all prim and proper being called the hero's grandson even inheriting their name, in a fit, a prideful girl like Alice could only see Rekka as unworthy.
Rekka looked like a pretty boy sheltered from any worldly desires. His carefree nonchalance made Alice feel so much anger that she couldn't sit still. In her eyes' the hero's grandson needs to be haughty, strong and power just oozing out of him in a display of sheer tenacity. Hardly Rekka looked anything like that.
Rekka on the other hand chatted with girls politely and formed a humble image of kind and naïve nature. The way he smiled made no tenacity at all. Leaving haughtiness behind he even made a point to be friendly and down to earth with his maids. there was not a speck of embarrassment from how he was acting even now, he was actually proud of his behavior.
But all that was fine. It wasn't that big of a deal… So what made Alice this ticked off?
It was the looks that he got from the heroes. He practically made the hero's down to earth. All her life Alice had tried to reach these two massive mountain-like existences and this guy came and brought the two existences who were practically at a plane of their own down to the ground where everyone else was.
What was this?! Why was this happening?! Why was this guy capable of doing this to the most amazing people she knew!? the doubts, the regret, the sheer disappointment! She found that this sudden situation was something she could never calm down to see clearly, in the end, Rekka was the anomaly and Irregular that bugged her unlike any other had.
Alice who strived to reach Merlin and Melinda from the time she was able to form thoughts, couldn't comprehend a world where an individual such as Rekka, who looked not even able to hurt a fly, was able to not only reach the heroes but he even had the gal to bring them to a place where everyone could reach them.
In reality Rekka, who was subjected to cruel life never liked his own aura. It reminded him of the time he spent stranded. It was a dark past only he could understand. Being agitated by Alice as a child was normal in this case. it was a sensitive subject that even touching it made him feel unpleasant, that was why after coming back, nobody, nobody starting from the maids to even Leila and Lilith brought out the subject in front of him.
Still as the two were not compatible in any way… it seemed that a butting of heads was certainly going to happen.
...…
"What did you say…!!!!!!" as Alice fast paced towards me. I started to get serious. I know I hate pointless figths like these.... but Fantasy was all about being showy, as I released my miasma like smoke, I looked at the girl with a glare, I hate this. This is my home. I don't like to fight here, the maids will they think of me as normal even after they see me as a monster? but even so! if I had to do this then I will. but Gramps stopped her and Granny stopped me.
"There's a practice ground here, you two go there. I don't want both of you to start trashing the place."
As gramps said so, I realized that the tea table was long gone, my miasma had practically vaporized it. Alice over her side had gouged out the floor and the ground had melted around her from heat, since she had stepped up hard to attack me. The cool atmosphere was ruined. One side there was Miasma infused air practically threatening all the world to avoid it and on the other side, Alice was exuding fierce heat as if it reflected just how irritated she was.
"OKAY!" Both of us consented and we all moved towards the practice grounds. Ridge took off from my head and sat on Mai's head. She said she wanted to look at my fighting. But actually the odd thing was, when the other maids had clearly backed off from us, Mai was standing right there behind me.. I wasn't able to ask her as I was already moving to the grounds but it seemed that Mai is clearly a cut above the rest.
"You better be grateful, being killed by me is probably the most you will get in this life." Alice was spewing every bit of insult she could. I could see she was restraining herself from bad mouthing me, maybe because I had Gramps and Granny here but I understood.
I was nothing but trash in her eyes, those red eyes and that demeanor was so much different from the elegant and dignified Leila that I just couldn't believe it. This girl… I had a great urge to spank the bitterness out of her...
But she was my opponent right now. I could also see that she's strong, those words, that confident look and smug attitude wasn't for show, she did have strength but it wasn't on par with my Gramps, she was also manipulating mana so she must be a magic user too. Still she was nowhere near Granny. Only having the capacity and the luxury to have strength doesn't mean you are strong after all.
...…
After distancing ourselves from the mansion, we stood opposite one another looking at each with all the battle lust one could have. A face off was imminent, and as I saw Alice glaring at me, even now that I had released my restrains and showed her my real aura filled with spirit energy, Miasma and… the experience of killing hundreds of thousands monsters behind it, she could still look at me with a straight face not even shivering at the sight… before I left the Edge of the world… I had seen many monsters avoid trying to fight me… that was why I could say that I was at least strong enough to survive at that place, even if I couldn't face real calamities there… I still could survive at their own home ground.
Even with all that behind me, Alice could still face me… I know that I am annoyed at this girl's attitude… but now she feels like a blazing flower from my perspective... a true terror on the field of battle... heh... it seems the fire was rising inside me too. a strong opponent had appeared.
...…..
As She took a combat stance. There were no openings at all in that stance, she was probably born with pure talent in battle and fighting. As she launched towards me. surprisingly she made a blast first from her hands, a spell that was casted instantaneously. The pressure increased her speed and I could see her coming. Rather than using air like everyone else, she had used pure fire power to come to me with top speed twice or maybe faster than even that, so she was a battle genius, her combat instinct must have been her potential for this strength. The blast had barely damaged her but it certainly did what it was meant to do.
She moved towards me but I dodged her with a swift motion. I had used the Flash step. With one leap faster than Alice, I was able to move to the place she was standing on. As if we traded places using instant transmission.
She tripped a little because of her attack not hitting. She must have thought that no one could dodge that attack. Well to any normal person she looked to be disappearing from sight from the first step she took because of the sudden force propelling her, but my perception was on a different level.
"Kuhh!" she made a displeasured noise.
"Hmm, your techniques are good but it is too unrefined, you need more training." My advice hit her hard as a rock. I could see a vein pop in her temple. To tell you the truth. Her pouting face right now looked very cute to me. I felt my sadistic instincts kick in as I saw her face getting redder and redder.
[Your not even letting go of someone that wants to kill you… hehe]
Come on if something looks good then you have to say it. That's my way okay.
[yeah yeah I know! Now then, show her how we fight but I don't want you to use me. beat her without me. Like the time you ate your way out of that beast.]
Hmm really? You really had to talk about that!!
[yeah!]
Okay! Then I guess I will have to get it going too!