"You only have yourself to blame for getting into trouble," Arman chuckled.
"You were just lucky. How was I supposed to know that the holder of the Storm Bringer was a scrawny kid who couldn't lift his sword?" Fergus retorted.
"What's the worst-case scenario you said before?" Nico asked.
"There are eight knight castles in Eteria. They'll try to recruit you. And if they fail... they'll kill you to prevent future problems," Fergus replied with a snort.
"Politics," muttered Fergus.
Nico and Arfin exchanged glances.
"I think I should keep my distance from you for a while," Arfin said with a smirk.
Arman and Fergus then left them both to tidy up their belongings to be taken to the West Castle. They were busy filling out paperwork because they would now serve as Nico's guards - until Nico got used to the power of his sword.
Now Nico and Arfin would live in the neighboring West Castle because their names were worthy of being alongside the strong people. Both of them were granted straight into silver rank knights. They both quickly tidied up their room and gathered all of their belongings. However, as Nico had nothing of his own, in the end he ended up carrying Arfin's numerous possessions.
Upon entering the West Castle, Nico and Arfin were stunned because the interior was very different. Everything looked very luxurious there. The floor was made of marble, giant chandeliers, and walls filled with pictures of knights of old who were heroes; like the first knight who killed a dragon, the second knight who killed a kraken monster, and various knights who sacrificed their lives for the glory of Eteria.
There was a very large red flag with a motif of a war helmet and sword when they entered the main hall there.
The tables there were also filled with various foods, from roast goat to mountain-sized cakes, none of them looked small.
Strangely, the West Castle looked very deserted. From the beginning of entering the entrance hall, they did not meet anyone there.
In the main dining hall, there seemed to be only one person there. Geralt was seen behind the table, busy devouring all the food there. The food in the left castle, which was dominated by vegetables and nuts, made him crave for real food. There were three empty plates on his table, and he still didn't stop eating.
Geralt was then surprised when he realized Arfin and Nico were approaching him.
"Sir Nico. The Storm Bringer!" Geralt exclaimed with surprise and half coughing. He then wiped his hands with the tablecloth, stood up, and shook Nico's hand firmly.
"I feel guilty for not fully believing in you back then. Forgive me for trying to stop you," Geralt said while patting Nico's shoulder. But that made Nico stumble and fall forward, kissing the floor.
"Be careful," Arfin said irritably to Geralt as he helped Nico stand up. "We're still kids."
"Uh, why are you...? Wait. You're both still kids." Geralt almost forgot that they were only fourteen years old. It was hard to believe that such young children were actually the owners of the strongest swords in Eteria.
"But why is this hall empty?" Nico asked.
"Of course, your seniors have all gone to fulfill their own missions. Our existence is so important here that everyone needs you all the time. I'm still here because I want to keep practicing. My hand still wasn't accustomed to using my sword," Geralt replied
"You both should quickly take your swords and start practicing. You need to get used to your own swords quickly," Geralt said.
Nico was surprised when he opened his new room in the West Castle. The room was very spacious and luxurious, as if it were made to be the president's room. The floor was covered in velvet carpet, the walls were covered in ceramics, and the interior design looked like that of a rich house. Clean, white, and elegant.
"I think this is too much," said Nico. He felt undeserving of such treatment.
"Nico, look!" exclaimed Arfin. He opened the wardrobe. Nico saw that it was filled with classy clothes such as suits and shirts for formal events. "You don't need to buy clothes anymore!"
Nico took one of the clothes and tried it on. His appearance immediately changed to that of a conglomerate's child.
"How did they know my size?" asked Nico in wonder. He put the clothes back where they belonged. He felt uncomfortable wearing such expensive clothes. If he accidentally ruined them, Nico was afraid they would ask him for money to replace them.
Nico then opened the bathroom. His room had a private bathroom, unlike the East Castle, where he had to share with several people. He was surprised to see the bathtub and shower for the first time. "Now my bathroom is as big as my old house. Do you know what this hose is for?"
"That's for hot water. If you turn it to the left, it becomes cold water."
"What, hot water? Why is it in the bathroom if you want to cook?" asked Nico in surprise.
Arfin just shook his head. He ignored Nico's words because he had just found his sword packaged in the closet. He immediately opened the cover that was covering his sword.
"Look!" said Arfin. "Isn't it cool? They called it a Blaster blade."
Nico's eyes widened as he saw the enormous heavy sword, but Arfin lifted it with ease. A split appeared in the blade's middle, and as Arfin grasped the handle, the split abruptly opened, revealing a cannon barrel that began to gather energy in its midst.
"Stop!" cried Nico, his neck hair standing on end as he glimpsed the cannon's muzzle aimed towards him.
"Oh my God. This sword is hazardous," said Arfin, stunned, quickly releasing his grip and allowing the sword to return to its original form. The blade emitted a sophisticated sound as it closed itself.
The blade was not just a weapon for close combat, but also a powerful long-range shooter. With a press of a button on the handle, the blade could transform into a deadly weapon that fired explosive energy bullets with pinpoint accuracy.
"But it's cool," said Nico, grinning.
They spent the entire afternoon in the training hall Geralt had mentioned. The hall was designed to withstand the strength of West Castle's knights, with black sand flooring, granite walls that looked capable of holding off explosions, and an uncovered ceiling. Various war training equipment, such as armor and shields were neatly arranged on the shelf throughout the hall.
Arfin test his sword's capabilities and slashed at a wooden pillar. His sword slicing through it with ease. By pressing the handle in a certain way, the blade opened and the cannon barrel emerged. Arfin shot light bullets idiotly into the air, creating a magnificent fireworks display. Nico laughed, but it was apparent that the light bullets drained Arfin's energy. After a while, he looked breathless and sweaty.
"No wonder you were brought straight to West Castle," said Geralt, who had appeared behind them. Both were startled, having not noticed his arrival.
"Nah ..., i can only dance with this. My sword is clearly not as good as yours," said Arfin, comparing Geralt's explosive sword to his long-range shooter.
"I rarely see long-range knights like you, Arfin, who can shoot explosive bullets like that," said Geralt, impressing Arfin with his praise. "As far as I know, shooting knights only shoot lead bullets. You also don't need to worry about filling your ammo, as your bullets are energy bullets."
"But I can't be as good as you, Geralt," said Arfin. "You're very agile with your sword. I doubt I can fight you."
"My sword can explode anything, and you're no match for me. However, I still have to get close to you. If we meet on the battlefield, you could kill me from afar before I even touch you. Remember? You're also a skilled marksman who can shoot from a distance. Your arrows always hit the target."
Arfin suddenly realized. He had been shooting his sword into the air while playing around. He thought his sword was only for fireworks.
"Aaah!" Nico grumbled while scratching his head. "I can't wait to hold my sword. I also want to practice!"
They just laughed that evening and tried each other's sword skills. Nico couldn't deny that Geralt was one of the greatest knights Nico had ever seen. The way Geralt swung his sword looked very agile and fast. He could even fly into the air using the explosion generated by his sword.
Nico realized why there were no trainers in the west castle. For swords as great as theirs, there were no teachers who could train them. All swords have their own unique abilities and only their owners can train their sword abilities in their own ways.
After practicing for a long time, they returned to the hall and ate hungrily. Now Arfin understood why Geralt ate so much. The sword consumed all of its user's energy, which is why they had to eat a lot to refill their strength.
Nico was not sure what to eat; it was his first time having the opportunity to choose his own food. He thought back to the days when he had to eat leftover food and struggle every day just to get a handful of rice, which overwhelmed him with melancholy, and he unconsciously cried.
"Why are you crying, Nico?" Geralt asked, surprised. "Is something hurting you?"
"Nico, why are you sad? What's wrong with you?" Arfin asked.
"I'm just happy," Nico replied.
Geralt looked at him sadly, remembering the first time he met Nico. At that time, he had underestimated Nico's shabby, dirty, and old clothes. Geralt couldn't imagine how hard Nico's life had been as a homeless child. He patted Nico's shoulder and calmed him down.
But Arfin still foolishly asked, "Why cry when you're happy? You're not crazy, right, Nico?"
"Forget it," Geralt said, holding back his laughter. Knowing Nico and Arfin seemed to have made him foolish too.