Those were the hottest summer I've ever experienced. Ailuros was mostly training my body to get into shape before I started making progress into actual sword fighting. On top of that, Laurence was training my mana flow to become as proficient as possible. It wouldn't have been that bad if he had let me use my mana, but he insisted that he should imbue me with his. I wasn't used to having such warm and enriching mana in my body.
Finally, on my twelfth birthday, something happened.
I predicted Ailuros' sword would thrust to my left side and then he'd slash upward, so I canceled his attack. I quickly thrust my sword at his thumb, making him stagger. Using that moment, I Slashed and jabbed at him. Unfortunately only one of those made him bleed, and he blocked/dodged the rest. Finally, when I finished, I saw a glow surround me.
[Beginner Swordsmanship] has evolved into [Amateur Swordsmanship}!
[Amateur Swordsmanship]
~Oh, you're getting quite good at this now. Increases power and stamina by 4 points when holding a sword~
I started punching the air. "I'm amazing!" I laughed maniacally while Ailuros smirked. "Your [Swordsmanship] skill evolve?" I nodded. "That's better than the students at the school..." I heard clapping from behind me. "I think you're ahead of the kids in the class above you, too," Laurence said before wrapping his arm around me. "Well, there's actually one skill I want to check."
[]
~Progression: 3.2948%~
I felt my horns, and I felt the curve they began to take. "Ailuros, Laurence, will you please accompany me to the throne room?" I asked my two mentors, making up my mind. They both nodded before looking at each other confused. I smiled before turning and gazing upon the late afternoon skies.
I walked down the corridor calmly, thinking about what was about to transpire. I opened the doors and saw Vito standing there with an associate. "Balere? What is it that you need?" he waved his hand, and the associate left.
"I wish to begin attending school. I have achieved [Amateur Swordsmanship], and I believe I have excelled at mana manipulation." He rubbed his chin, which now had stubble. His once deep black hair now had a few strands of grey, making him seem much wiser than when I'd first met him.
I could feel him prodding my mana, feeling my levels. "Alright, I think it's acceptable. You will go to school to learn, but afterward, you will come back here and train with Laurence and, if he feels it necessary, Ailuros."
"Thank you, Father." I felt like gagging as I said it. I was so used to calling the man I had grown up with Father, that this still felt unnatural. "I have one request. I wish to reenter Tugrose Academy so that Ailuro can teach me almost every day, and o he doesn't have to travel here every day." He sighed. "You make a convincing argument. I suppose that won't be a problem. I suppose we should leave with Ailuros tomorrow. Would you mind sleeping here tonight?" He asked my mentor. "Not at all."
"Servus!" He quickly entered. "Please bring Ailuros to his room for the night." He nodded and quickly whisked the man away. "Get a good night's sleep, I want you to show off properly to those losers." I nodded before leaving the room.
As I was walking back to my room, I heard someone whisper, "Psst, Balere!" I turned my head to see Rexana. She was seventeen now, so our relationship has changed a lot in that time. "What's up?" I whispered back. She opened the door wider and motioned or me to go inside.
I sat down on her bed as she showed me different outfits. "Tomorrow I'm going out in disguise, and I wanted your opinion of a few of the outfits." The first one she showed me was very pink and sparkly. "Not like you. Next?" She nodded before showing me the other outfit. The other one had an orange skirt and a stylish shirt with a brown leather jacket on top. "That one isn't much better than the other one, but I think I'd go with that one," I laughed nervously. She nodded.
"Any plans tomorrow?" She asked me. "I'm starting school tomorrow, the one that Ailuros teaches at." She squealed and hugged me. "I'm so proud! Do they have uniforms, or should I pick an outfit out for you?" I chuckled nervously. Rexana had very bad taste in fashion. "N-no, they have uniforms..." She snapped her fingers in annoyance. "Oh! You should get to bed, then! Look at me, keeping you up! Get out!" Before I knew it, I was out of her room.
I entered my room and yawned. "I'm so thankful this is over, it's been literal hell!" I flopped onto my beg and groaned loudly. "Good night..."
I was about to fall asleep when I heard pebbles thrown at my window. I groaned before walking over to it and opening it. "Oh Romeo, oh Romeo, where art thou, Romeo?" I didn't see who was throwing them, and I was only able to see a tail running off. "Weird..."
"...lere! Balere!" I woke up to Rexana yelling at me. "If you want to make it to school on time, you have to get up early!" I groaned as I sat up. She had already left my room, and I was about to get dressed when my door opened again. "I got this from the school. It's your uniform. Get dressed." Ailuros threw it into my room before quickly leaving again.
Once I was fully dressed, I exited my room and went into the living room, which connects to the balcony. Ailuros and Laurence were waiting for me. "You read?" Laurence asked me. "Decently. Are you going to be fine without me?" he chuckled before hugging me. "King Vito is waiting in the carriage for us."
"Bye Laurence!" Ailuros and I exited the castle and got into the carriage. "The king here has graciously allowed me to ride with him." Vito shook his head and sighed.
"So, has the place changed without me?" Ailuros hummed as he thought. "Some things have, but not much. Oh, I think we should reveal your identity to Headmaster Acuzio." Vito cocked his head to the side. "Why do you think that?"
"Well, before Balere left, he was the headmaster's pick, which can give him a lot of leverage. If we show him to be the same Balere, he'll keep those perks." Vito nodded. "Alright, that's fine."
As we pulled up to the school, I activated my necklace, changing the color of my hair and eyes. We stepped out and began walking in, the eyes of parents and students alike following us. When we entered, Acuzio was waiting for us. "Your highness, Ailuros, and Prince Balere, how may I help you today?"
"Can we speak somewhere privately? There is something we need to discuss." He nodded before leading us to a room with only a table and chairs. "Balere, you can undo the spell no," Vito said. My hair and eyes changed back to normal.
"Balere Lowell..?" Acuzio seemed stunned. "We would like to reenroll Balere into your academy. Will there be a problem with that?" Acuzio hummed before lugging out a large binder from his bag. He flipped through it before stopping. "If you didn't know, this school is led by a large council, and ever since Balere left, they've been nagging me to choose a new replacement, so this will work fine. Can I see your status card?"
I reached into my pocket and handed it to him. He quickly read through it while mumbling. "Tha's extraordinary! Alright, I can allow this. I assume you will want to be taught by Ailuros, as well?" I nodded. "It's settled, then! Balere Angelo, welcome to the school!" My hair and eyes changed back to their false colors before we shook hands, the bell ringing in the background.
"Let's see... Ailuros, can you please lead Balere to Mr. Magister's class?" Ailuros sighed before standing. "Come with me."
We walked down the hallway in almost complete silence. "Are my siblings going here?" I asked. "You'll see eventually." That made me hopeful so I smiled.
Ailuros knocked on the door, and I heard running. An Italian-looking man with a thin mustache and hair gelled back, but he was wearing a red and white baseball cap, so you could barely tell. "Ah, hello Mr. Ailuros! How can I help?" His gaze lowered to me. "This Balere Angelo. The headmaster has allowed him to go here, and he is being put in your class. Is that alright?"
"Absolutely! I always love helping kids grow in knowledge, even if they're not special. Although, I suppose I shouldn't say that about you, should I? Please, come in!"
Ailuros left, and I entered the class. "You can sit next to Ms. Celesse over there. Raise your hand." The familiar black-haired girl raised her hand. Wow, she changed a lot!
All eyes were stuck on me as I walked across the room. I sat down next to the girl and placed my bag, letting it lean on the leg of the table. "Hi, I'm Celesse," She said. "Balere Angelo. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Alright, class, pull out a sheet of paper!" I pulled one out and grabbed a pencil. As he spoke to us, the man seemed more and more familiar.
"And that is how King Francais won the war for Laupor. Are there any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "You can have the rest of the class to yourselves, then."
I looked down at my paper and saw it was full of notes. Just how I like it. I put up the papers and stuff when Celesse turned to face me. "So, are you going with us to Mr. Ailuros' class with us?" She asked me. "I am."
"How come?" Someone asked me. "It's because he's the prince and can do whatever he wants, duh!" I chuckled and held up my hands. It isn't anything like that, I promise. Ailuros was mentoring me in swordsmanship already, so it just made sense to put me in that class."
"You know, you share a name with an old classmate of ours," A boy with physical features similar to Celesse's said. I quickly turned between the two of them. "We're brother and sister. I'm older than him by a year and ten months," She swiftly explained.
"Ah, I see. And to answer your question, no, I did not know that." He nodded. I don't recognize seeing him back then...
I heard the bell ring, and I grabbed my bag. "Follow us to get to the training area." I followed Celesse and her brother outside, and I smiled as I remembered the old training field. "Good morning, Prince Balere, how has your day been so far?" Ailuros asked me. "Interesting, to say the least. I learned something today."
"Very good! Would you like a treat?" He asked sarcastically. "Wow, Mr. Ailuros must have a large confidence to say that to someone who can have him executed," I heard someone say. I laughed softly at the ridiculousness of the statement.
I felt a mana presence walk onto the field that scared me. I turned instantly and only saw a little boy next to his sister. "Must have been my imagination..."
"Is everyone here?" He asked. Everyone looked around before nodding. "Good. Today, a student is joining us, so I thought it'd be fun to have him go up against whoever wants to. Your Highness?" I groaned as I stood up next to him. "You're a sadist, you know that?" I whispered.
A little girl with blonde hair raised her hand. Her blue eyes gleamed as she skipped up to be in front of me. I took a deep breath before I was handed a training sword. "I'm not used to the weight of these training swords. Please give me a moment."
I quickly swing my sword elegantly, cutting and thrashing through the air with near perfection. "Hm, alright. I'm ready whenever you are," I said, getting into position. She looked nervous and merely mimicked my stance. "Are both participants ready? The duel will end when one party surrenders. Mana is allowed to defend themselves, but magic use is not permitted. Three, two, one! Begin!"
We both stood still. "Are you going to come at me?" She asked me. "I would prefer it if you began." She nodded before running at me full force.
Maybe it's because my skill evolved, or maybe it's because I've gotten more perceptive, but she seems to be moving so slowly.
I quickly raised my sword to my top left, perfectly blocking her sword, causing a resounding clap noise. I moved my sword to be holding it backward, and I jabbed the hand holding her sword with the handle of my sword. She dropped it, and I picked it up. "I believe this is my win?" I asked. She sighed and nodded. "Prince Balere wins!"
The girl's eyes widened before looking back up at me. "No, never mind..." I handed her back the sword and she sat down next to her brother. "Anyone else?" I asked, activating my [Aura Pressure]. No one raised their hand, and I smirked.
"I'll go!" Celesse jumped up and punched the air three times before standing in front of me. I released my skill. "I don't want to give the whole speech again... Are the two of you ready? Good. One, two, three! Begin!"
I imbued mana into my legs, propelling me toward her. My sword danced through the air as it was heading right for her head. She barely put her sword up to block my attack. My sword caught o her guard, and I separated the two.
"You've trained a lot, haven't you?" I smirked. "I haven't got anything else to do." She walked slowly toward me. "Special skill! [Entrancing Beauty]!" I looked at Ailuros who shrugged. She now walked toward me with a swagger. "With this spell, you'll be so infatuated with me that you can't do anything!" She yelled, laughing.
"Oh, no. What am I supposed to do?" I rhetorically said. I sighed and raised my sword and raised it above my head. She was still a few feet away from me, so she was confused as to what I was about to do.
"Wayward Slash will be permitted," Ailuros said. I smirked. "I would raise your guard." My sword glowed dim grey as I swiped downward. A gale of wind backed my slash, and she brought up her sword to block the attack. When the wind disappeared, her sword broke cleanly in half.
"Thank you for your time." I bowed slightly with both hands. "I guess you're just too strong for me!" She went back to the group.
The group of kids was whispering when a boy stood. His bonded hair and blue eyes matched his sister's, but his eyes were... different.
He stood in front of me, and I could feel my mana replenishing itself. "Three, two, one! Begin!"
He didn't waste any time and tried to go for the throat. Unfortunately for him, I was much more advanced than he would ever be. I blocked his attack and pushed him back. Every time he slashed at me, he was pushed back little by little.
"You aren't bad," I complimented before continuing, "I'm getting a little bored now, so let me finish this." I switched from using both hands to using just one. He attacked me before staggering back. He was confused and did it again and again until he realized what I was doing. "Showing off your speed, huh? For everyone one hit I get off, you hit me ten times."
"Aren't you a small little cookie?" I finished by pushing him over.
"I think that's enough bullying from Prince Balere. Since you've exerted yourself a lot, you guys should sit out the rest of the class," Ailuros told me and the others who fought me. I went over and leaned against a wooden post.
"That was pretty cool." I turned to see Celesse. "How did you break through my [Entrancing Beauty]?"
"I wasn't even affected. I've always been a bit weird with skills like that. The only skills that really work on me are the ones that do damage. Those and [Aura Pressure]."
I looked past her and saw the twins talking to each other. They look so familiar...
I shook the feeling off and leaned back against the wooden post. "So, what do you like to do?" She asked. "Train, mostly. I've been taught magic and swordsmanship since before I was announced to the public."
"You don't have any friends?" She asked. "Not unless you count Servus, the butler, or Rexana. Laurence is also there, but he's more of a tutor than he is a friend." I sighed and closed my eyes. A breeze came by, lifting my hair which hadn't been cut in years. A thick silence overcame the two of us.
"I used to have one," I said out of the blue. "She was the only friend I think I ever truly had. My other friends were either there for only a short amount of time, or they lost my trust." I imagined Pardalis' face and sighed. I felt sleepy, so I yawned before dozing off.
"Alright, everyone. I think that's enough for the day." I opened my eyes to see everyone standing up. "...you know? Man, you are such a great listener!" I turned to my left and saw Celesse still talking. "O-Oh! Uh, thanks..."
I stood up and grabbed my bag. I walked out of the school and saw a carriage waiting for me. "Bye, Balere! I'll see you tomorrow!" Celesse ran off, going in the same direction as the twins. I climbed into the carriage, and I saw Laurence waiting for me. "Howdy!" I greeted. "How was school?' He asked. "So-so. What are you doing here?"
"Your father asked me to do something with you. Wanna take a guess?"
"Sure, let me activate my telepathy really quickly," I sarcastically said. I grabbed my head and started grunting before he flicked me. "We're going hunting."
"Is that allowed?" He shrugged. "We have permission from the leader of this kingdom, so I'm going to say yes."
We drove a few minutes before entering a forest, the road getting rough and bumpy. "I've never hunted before..." I said. When I was younger, my family was friends with another family, and they offered to take me, but I always declined the offer. I wonder how they're doing.
The thought brought me back to the dream with Eliza. God, I miss her.
The carriage stopped and Laurence got out first. I wiped away the tears that were forming and hopped out. "So, what are we looking for?" He handed me a sheet of paper. On it was a photo of a deer with large antlers, nearly half of its size. Not only that, but it had eight eyes like a spider and a tail that looped back into itself.
"That's a laupor, the kingdom's namesake." I nodded and handed the paper back to him. "I'm going to stay here and let you find it yourself."
"Is that safe?" He shrugged. "Vito told me he wanted me to make sure you don't get in any serious trouble, but to let you do your own thing. Get going."
"Can't I have a sword or something?' He shook his head, leading me to sigh. I began walking deeper into the forest, keeping my senses calm.
I imbued mana into my ears, listening to even the smallest step or breeze. I heard a faint step and I imbued mana into my eyes. I saw the supposed deer-like creature.
"Now how am I supposed to approach it without it running?" I crept slowly tards it until I felt I was close enough. My mana went to my hand and I let it go limp. Suddenly, I flicked it, and a blade of black wind shot out at a high speed.
The laupor realized what was coming toward it, and tried to run. The blade caught its leg, and its entire hoof was cut off. I suddenly felt very guilty. What did I do that for?
It fell over and I rushed to its side. I cradled it in my arms while rocking it back and forth. "I'm sorry," I repeated. I looked at its hoof and saw it bleeding a lot.
"Oh lord, please let this work..." My hand began glowing a mix of black and white, and the laupor seemed startled. "Hey, calm down. It's OK, I'm trying to help..." I let go of its hoof and saw the wound closed. It looked like it was born that way.
I helped it up and it staggered a little. "Walk with me. Like this," I said, showing it how to walk. Soon enough, it was limping like it was natural.
I got on my knees and pressed my head against its head. "I pray for your survival." It exhaled before running off back into the forest.
"Well, well, well. Lok at the little liar. You do know you were supposed to kill it, right?" I looked down and sighed. "I just couldn't. It was a defenseless creature who did nothing to harm me in any way, shape, or form. It was a civilian..."
Once again, my memories of the war flooded my brain. "I didn't expect you to kill it anyway. They're illegal to kill, and I'm sure he expected the same results. Come on."
We walked back to the forest before I heard something behind me. I turned to see the laupor running, and behind it was a large tiger-jaguar-cheetah-lion amalgamation.
With a shift of my foot, a large wall of ground was constructed between the two. It ran behind me for defense before the large cat jumped over. I knelt and formed a sword. I was about to go at it when Laurence grabbed my wrist, saying, "Don't it's too dangerous!"
"Don't worry about it. Have a little confidence in me." I smirked and activated [Aura Pressure], and made all of its effects affect only the cat amalgamation.
[Aura Pressure]
~Progression: 20%~
It physically shuddered and I walked toward it. I took a deep breath before summoning cones of black water in my hand. They froze solid in mere seconds, and I threw them at the creature.
I broke two, but because it broke them, its claws froze and shattered immediately. The final one went straight into its side. It fell over and looked at me solemnly. I turned back to the laupor and it was still scared.
"I'm sorry, little one." I lifted my sword right above its heart and stabbed downward, ending its life.
~Level Up! Level: 6~
I knelt in front of the beast and pet its fur. The laupor stood next to me and lowered its head. It knew that the beast was its predator, but it still felt empathy toward it.
"That was very stupid of you. Your mana levels are dangerously low." I nodded in acknowledgment. The laupor butted me with its head and put its oof out. I took it, and it placed something in it.
It bit the side of the beast and threw it up. The beast landed on its back and walked back into the forest.
I opened my hand to see a pearl. "Damn, you got lucky. They only give those to people they trust with their lives." I looked at it from all angles. "What do I do with it?" He raised a finger. "You can do a few things. You can keep it as it is, which is what most people do, turn it into a gem, which they find disrespectful, or you could do the smart thing. Swallow it."
"That's not going to damage me at all?" He shook his head. "...Alright, I'll do it. Here's to the ones that we got." I put it in my mouth and swallowed it.
~Toxic Substance found! Detoxifying...~
"It says it's detoxifying." He nodded. 'Good, that means it is working. Let's get headed home." I hopped into the carriage, and as soon as it got moving, I passed out.