The battle was over, and the swordsman had won a fight against someone ranked higher than himself. Kai found himself being carried by Elijah, with Julia beside them. Kai opened his eyes and said, "Elijah, I lost," those being the only words he uttered.
Julia wore a confused expression, and Elijah reassured him, "Don't worry about it. Let's go have a banquet to celebrate your return alive."
"No, I would rather go and sleep," Kai replied, laying his head back. But he suddenly felt himself being thrown to the ground. "What was that for, idiot? I'm injured, you know," he exclaimed, annoyed.
Julia slammed his head to the ground, asking, "Why did you do that?" She continued slapping him repeatedly, causing Elijah's swollen face to show concern.
"Argh! He was acting lazy, so I…" Elijah started to explain before Kai stopped her, realizing she might seriously injure him.
"You'll end up killing him at this rate," Kai sighed, inwardly chuckling. "Anyway, where are we going?"
"To this 5-star restaurant," Elijah announced, standing up and brushing himself off. He whispered a thank-you to Kai.
"You're going to waste all our money again," Kai thought before saying, "Your match is in two days, so be prepared."
"Yeah, don't remind me for now. Let's just focus on getting something to eat and drink," Elijah said, excitement evident in his voice.
"Are you sure you want to remove the bet?" Kai asked, feeling a twinge of excitement himself.
"Yes, I'm removing the bet, so enjoy yourself," Elijah confirmed.
"What are you guys even talking about?" Julia asked, amused by their exchange.
"Kai turned eighteen, and since then, he's been drinking non-stop. So, I made a bet with him, which he lost," Elijah explained. "Since then, he couldn't drink and also tried to bet me not to eat so much food."
"And he lost," Julia chimed in, completing his sentence.
"No, I won, but Elijah almost died in one of his matches, forcing me to remove that bet," Kai explained, snapping himself out of his reverie. Julia just chuckled, observing both of them.
'They act so normal, even though Elijah is part of the royal family,' she thought, smiling fondly at Elijah's down-to-earth personality. Unlike the others who carry themselves with an air of superiority, Elijah remained refreshingly different from them since the day they met.
Sometime later, Julia's voice rang out, "Wait, what?"
"Yes, the Horseman family or group in the city threatened me, saying they will kill me in my match two days from now. They also know that I belong to the Dominic Family, weird, right?" Elijah spoke between mouthfuls of food.
"The Dominic Family, I know that name," Kai exclaimed before realizing something. "Wait, what?" Kai lowered his voice when he noticed he was attracting attention in the restaurant.
Taking a deep breath, Kai said, "Are you talking about the Dominic family, one of the most powerful families around, led by two women?"
"Yes, how do you know about them?" Elijah laughed, realizing he might have said too much, judging by Julia's and Kai's shocked expressions.
"That explains your talent and overwhelming power," Kai sighed, calming down. "She and her maid once came to our planet and fought my father, defeating him effortlessly."
"Really? They never showed me their full power, so I can't tell if they're powerful or not," Elijah chuckled, deciding not to mention their familial connection.
"I wasn't there, but from what people said, my father, one of the leaders of my clan, was defeated like it was nothing. It was really shocking," Kai explained, sighing.
"Julia knew, and I thought you did too," Elijah said, shocking Julia, who was sitting out of the conversation. Both of them stared at her as she blushed and sighed.
"I knew. Your face is well-known among the different families," Julia admitted, though neither Elijah nor Kai pressed for further details, sensing her discomfort. Changing the subject, she asked, "Kai, you said you lost when you won. What was that all about?"
"That's because I defeated him using power alone, which isn't really a victory," Kai explained, wearing a disappointed expression.
"It is a victory. What did you expect?" Julia questioned, confused.
Elijah stepped in to clarify, "No matter how much power you have, even if Kai was still at his F+ rank and his opponent was just a G rank but knew the essence of combat and technique, he would have lost. No matter how powerful or fast he was." This reminded her of the young man who used strings, mostly weak but killed his opponent with ease.
"Technique is everything, but it's better to have both, which will make you unstoppable," Kai added. "Either way, we have a long way to go, but we've achieved one of our goals."
"Yeah, we can now start roaming the galaxy after I finish my match," Elijah smiled, murmuring, "After that, maybe we'll start planning."
"How do you know you will win?" Julia asked, but both Kai and Elijah just smirked, not answering her. The reason was simple: he couldn't lose if he wanted to travel the galaxy. So the only way was winning, and if he lost but stayed alive, he would just try fighting again.