"By the way, have you seen Rizel?" Vina scratched her head. "She can be absolutely confident in her abilities and doesn't need training, but she could have at least sat with us."
"Whoa, isn't that you?!" a childish voice sounded behind me. "Guys, come here!"
Behind us, a group of familiar kids gathered, accompanied by a young teacher dressed in a silly camouflage outfit.
"So, you are the guild that helps people all over the country! Can I have an autograph?!" The kids knew us well; after all, we had helped them stage a play about our adventures.
"Well, I don't know," Katrina became slightly flustered. "We were about to go for training."
"Can we join you?" The familiar class monitor didn't lag behind the princess.
"I don't know," as Kat wasn't particularly good with children, she said, "Well, if your chaperone doesn't mind."
The princess looked at Rizel, and she just nodded in response.
"Well, you can be present, just be careful," by that time, everyone had finished breakfast and stood up from the table. "Hmm, there's something familiar about this teacher, but I can't figure out what."
Everyone headed back to the guild house, and the children kept asking everyone questions. However, I managed to step away from the group and get closer to Rizel.
"Looks like no one recognized you, which isn't surprising. But didn't the kids ask where you knew us from?"
"Well, Mili convinced them not to ask unnecessary questions, and they all take me for a regular Academy student acquainted with the best guild."
"How convenient. Did anyone else manage to come?"
"Well, here, the mayor, your not-so-polite employer, and the owner of the pastry shop with her daughter's family also made it."
"Serena didn't come?"
"No, I didn't dare ask, but it seems something happened to her. I don't think she died, but she couldn't make it."
"That's alright; I just need to know she's fine. By the way, are you planning to train as well?"
"Well, I'd like to spend some time with the kids, so I'll train at night."
"Ah, so sleep isn't part of your training, of course?"
"Don't worry; I can go without sleep for several days."
"Yeah, it'll be amusing if you fall asleep during the next battle; I can already imagine Vina's loud laughter shaking the Colosseum."
At my words, Rizel blushed a little and lowered her head.
"Alright, I won't push too hard, but I'll still train at night."
Hilda bid us farewell, saying that fighting against an opponent whose abilities you don't know is much more interesting, and she headed towards a tent adorned with wolf skins. Back at the guild, Grain quickly set up benches for all the curious spectators, while Levris, shaking her head sadly, created a few boulders and mazes to keep the children entertained.
Everyone divided into groups. Aileen took Miriam aside and spent a long time asking her about something, practicing shooting several times and trying out each other's weapons. It seemed that the fact they were the only female archers in our group brought them closer together.
Algo and Leira took on training Vivien. After my explanation, Leira was able to refill Algo's sword with the mana of the winds, giving him a temporary boost of strength. However, Vivien struggled with the training; she attempted to harness Leira's lightning and use it in combat, but wielding an electricity-charged spear proved difficult. After an hour of unsuccessful attempts, Vivien turned to Aileen for help.
After a brief conversation, the twins went to the basement, rolled out a couple of barrels, and headed to the beach. I went to call them for lunch, but I couldn't find anyone on the beach, even though it was fenced off like the rest of the area. Maybe they swam away from here, but then they left in their clothes.
Left without a partner, Algo and Leira decided to help the others. Seleria trained Katrina and Ragni, although it looked more like a one-sided beating. Since they were fighting without magic, relying only on their fists, Seleria easily dodged all their attacks. I don't know who her teacher was, but neither Ragni's strength nor Katrina's speed could reach her. Her fighting style was somewhat similar to mine, evading the enemy's attacks and striking at vulnerable spots. She effortlessly evaded Ragni's powerful blows and, from the side, hit the opponent's kidneys or, slipping between Katrina's arms, struck her solar plexus with a straight palm. On one hand, it looked like a well-honed martial art, but it would be deadly if Seleria had some small hidden weapons, like blades on the back of her palms. Besides, this style was effective only against humans; I doubted it could be applied against thick-skinned and large monsters. However, I decided not to dwell on it.
After a couple of hours, Seleria got tired of fending off the attacks of two opponents and suggested replacing her with a pair of lovers. The princess herself sat with the children and began showing them some simple fire magic tricks.
Leira took on Katrina's training; after all, her father had passed on to the princess the basic skills of hand-to-hand combat for lightning mages, and Leira only needed to remind her how to use them correctly.
As for Algo, he engaged in a sparring match with Ragni. His mithril sword and the black dragon's claws were on par in terms of strength and sharpness, making it an even fight. Of all the opponents, Algo remained the most problematic for the dragoness; despite her immense strength, she lacked the necessary speed. Thus, occasionally utilizing wind magic, Algo could easily evade her sight. This training was very beneficial for her, and Rizel closely observed her opponent.
Finally, it was time for me to begin training with the katana. Rumy brought two new blades from the blacksmith; they were made of good steel but, of course, were no match for "Cold Fury".
"Krito, are you sure you want to fight with a katana? Hilda is a formidable opponent," Asura worried about me, preparing for our sparring.
"Don't worry; I'm unlikely to defeat her with these blades. I need something more powerful."
"We won't be able to convince you otherwise, so let's start already," Rumy rushed into the attack. Her strikes were not forceful; she tried to show me the peculiarities of the katana. Unlike a classic sword, you had to aim to strike with the edge, and maintaining balance during defense had to be done differently. Asura observed the battle and occasionally corrected me.
Gradually, I mastered the skills and continued sparring with the girls until evening, getting accustomed to the new blade. As the sun began to set on the horizon, Asura approached me.
"I wanted to show you the most powerful technique that can be executed with a katana," Asura sheathed her blade and moved it slightly back. "You've already seen me use this technique. It's not too complicated, but to execute it perfectly, you need practice."
With one hand holding the scabbard, Asura swiftly drew her sword and struck in front of her. The sword cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound.
"With this strike, you can kill a person if you deliver it at close range. I didn't think I'd need this technique, but with the use of magic, it takes on a different meaning," Asura took my katana from me but hesitated to use it for an attack. "Just like the wind blade, another magic is determined by the force and speed of the strike. This strike is the fastest among the possible ones, and the magical wave gains maximum power. If things go really bad, this technique can turn the situation in your favor."
"Yes, it will come in handy," I took the sword back from Asura and sheathed it. "I think that's enough for today, and tomorrow I'll try to hone this skill."
Everyone else had already finished their training, and I saw the girls returning from the beach. Their clothes were dry, and they looked perfectly normal, except for Miriam, who was wearing glasses very similar to Aileen's.
"And where have you been all day? And what's with the glasses?" I pointed at Miriam with uncertainty.
"Well, I found out that Miri has some minor vision problems. Almost the opposite of mine: she sees perfectly at a distance but can hardly make out anything up close."
"Probably developed from my shooting training," Miriam added.
"No need to be embarrassed; for an archer, that's not bad. But in everyday life, it clearly bothered you."
"What can I do? Glasses are quite expensive, only nobles can afford them, so in normal life, I rely on my sister's help."
"Well, enough of self-pity; now you'll be able to see normally," Aileen reassured her, but I still had questions.
"And where were you all this time?"
"Oh, we were just inventing some things," Aileen coquettishly smiled.
"Krito, look what Aileen did for me," Vivien showed me her hands. She was wearing gloves similar to the ones she had before, but there were strange black linings on the inner part of the palms. "If it worked, I'll be able to stop electrical discharges with these."
"What do you mean? Are you saying you can catch lightning with your bare hands?"
"Pff, no, of course not; lightning will incinerate you before you stop it. But these gloves block organized weak electricity," Aileen took out a black shapeless cloth from her pocket and threw it to me. "Here, I accidentally got hold of this material; it's weak, easily cut, and dented, but it provides good protection from electricity. I had a couple of experiments with electricity using this thing, and it made them easier, but I couldn't come up with any other use for it."
"Hmm," I squeezed the strange material in my hands; it easily yielded to pressure and changed shape. "So, if, for example, you wear clothes made from this material, you don't have to fear lightning?"
Aileen stood in place, lost in thought.
"Hmmm, no, you won't like it. For my experiments, I made a pair of gloves from this stuff, and the sensations were far from pleasant. It's uncomfortable to wear, and it sticks to your hands, so I decided to make only overlays for Vivien's gloves."
"Are there any other materials that can protect from electricity?"
"Yes, many organic substances, various resins, glass, and this," Aileen replied.
"And where did you do all this?! You weren't on the beach!"
"That...," Aileen leaned towards me with a conspiratorial look, "is a se-cr-et!"
The girls laughed merrily and ran back to the house.
The next day, the training went without any significant incidents. Vivien could now comfortably absorb lightning with her spear, but Miriam and Aileen were nowhere to be seen all day, with occasional tremors in the ground from the direction of the beach. The other mages periodically changed partners for combat to practice skills in different areas.
Rizel, occasionally dozing off, likely from her nighttime training, sat with the children and observed everyone. Taking advantage of the sneaky teacher's drowsy state, Vina even managed to sell her some sweets for the kids, but the necromancer didn't seem to notice.
The day flew by imperceptibly, and the second stage of the tournament was approaching, promising to be intense.