"Please, have some cake." Mugam glanced toward the servant, who served the two guests sitting across Enix and Fria.
"We are humbled by your generosity, Lady Duchess." Gently bowing her head, the petiete elf smiled, melting Enix's heart.
'T-Too cute! I knew elves were beautiful... but this is too much!' Enix's breath swelled. 'D-Damn... I wish the other trainer was a female too.'
His throbbing heart eased a bit on the side-glance of the slender and jagged man about 25 years old.
He was certainly a human. But his appearance packed even more points than the elf.
With an upright posture, he was the tallest in the room, even bigger than Gruis with some considerable gap— whom was a more than a decent 6.4ft carved butler.
"These two are to be our pupils?" The man spoke, smiling, "My name is Aukharam Gsvaet. I have heard much of you two from the Duke, I am certain you two shall be promising prodigies."
His eyes squeezed slightly as they fell atop Fria, sizing her fiery red hair and eyes, he muttered, "Indeed your eyes are different."
"Gsvaet? Aukharam Gsvaet? I knew it! You are the younger brother of Sir Dukharam!" Fria clapped her hands, jumping from her seat.
Aukharam scratched his cheek with a humble smile, "I am unworthy to be compared to my brother. Please do not expect what you may from him."
Fria nodded her head, "I know... but still."
Aukharam's smile froze and he couldn't help shake his head with a weary grin.
"Pardon her," Mugam bowed with a gentle smile.
"P-Please do not do that, Lady Duchess. They are children, and I am well aware." Aukharam's hands flustered into crosses.
Fria, sensing the odd atmosphere, quickly drew upon her blunder. She stood up and bowed, "M-My gravest apologies, Sir Aukharam. I-I didn't mean to say that."
"...Hahaha!" Aukharam, without relenting his posture, motioned for her to sit, "It is fine, Fria, I take it? And you don't need to be formal with me, just call me Aukh or however it's easy."
"Aukh." Enix nodded his head quickly, 'This world's names are too tough and crude.'
"Enix!" Mugam exclaimed, her voice expressing surprise at his impulse.
"It's fine. As I said, there's no need to be formal. Words do not equate respect, action do. And I plan on compelling them to respect me with my discipline. Not by force." He smiled charmingly.
Making Enix's brows cave in slightly, 'He... certainly has my attention.'
"Y-Yes! Well said, Sir Aukharam. My name is Opprious W. You may also address me as however you deem fit." The elf joined in, finished stuffing the cake in her mouth.
"Miss W!" Enix nodded cheerfully again.
Mugam stared at him incredulously before shaking her head. She knew her son hated names... for some unknown reason to her he once disclosed as, "Chimerical."
"Yes, as I was discussing with Gruis, we have prepared the guest's room for you two each. You may get comfortable today, and you may start tomorrow however you wish." Mugam glanced toward the two.
"Uh! Yes, I forgot Duke Juggu said he hadn't informed you yet." Aukh nodded, "My apologies, Lady Duchess. But due to some reasons I discussed with Duke Juggu, I shan't be living in."
"Hmm?" W glanced toward him with curiosity, murmuring under her breath in wonder, "But living in a duke's house... with all the luxuries to be enjoyed... Who'd reject that?"
"It's as you find best." Mugam nodded, "But if need be, we are always happy to accommodate you."
Aukh nodded, "I hope you two wake up early," A grin broke on his face, "Since it will be dusk when I come to haunt you."
"Immoral! A person who wakes up early is the definition of immoral!" Enix's teeth grinded together, 'I knew he was all prim and proper... he smelt trouble from far away.'
Fria grinned and muttered in his ears, "That's something I have never come across... but I wish I did."
"Already planning on how to ditch me, huh?" Aukh burst into laughter, joined by Mugam and W.
"Don't be worried though, I will train you comfortably with no rush. We won't even bother with fixed times." W. smiled, her pointy ears twerking slightly.
Enix smiled and nodded, "Miss W's the best."
"Enix!" Mugam exclaimed and joined in on the laugh.
"Aw, I have another appointment." Aukh glanced past his wrist watch, and set his sights upon the two, "Before I leave, shall we have our first class?"
Mugam's brow rose. While Gruis sighed, as if expecting that.
W also stared at him in surprise before directing her eyes upon the children.
Enix stared toward Fria, and watched her stare at him. Their eyes glinted, and a mutual understanding formed between them.
They both spoke in unison, "Yes!" "No!"
Enix's body jolted, 'I thought we had an understanding.'
***
They were standing outside in the open field.
It was a recently cleared out area for the two, seperated by small fences, and stripped bare of grass.
And on the back, under the shade of the wall, Mugam sat on the table sipping tea with W.
Whilst Enix and Fria stood, in their same attire as earlier, under the brazen sun alongside Aukh.
He had a sheathed sword strapped on him, and the two were holding the wooden swords he had brought along.
"First of all, Enix, Fria, take hold of your swords."
With ardor, Fria brandished her sword. She held the handle lower down, at her belly button, while the tip, straight and blunt, glared at Aukh.
"That stance..." His eyes widened, "Marvelous." A wary grin broke loose on his face, and he clapped, his eyes dull.
"Marvelous! Looking at you, I can't tell whether you are a seasoned warrior, or an amateur who doesn't even know the basics." His voice collected its firmness slowly, his eyes focused atop Fria, and he nodded, "I believe it now.
"When Duke Juggu told me of how you managed to use a professional move even I am ignorant too, I didn't believe him... but now I do." He smiled and nodded his head, keeping some of his thoughts to himself.
His head turned toward Enix, he too was holding his sword. But he was just holding it, that was all.
'This is what I would expect from an amateur. How can somebody be as keen, yet ignorant even to basics, as her?' His eyes peeked at Fria again.
He heaved a sigh and nodded his head, "Well done, both of you. Now, swing your swords."
Stomping her feet, Fria dashed forward. The abruptness of her charge rendering Enix with no more then a sound and a blur in his vision.
With eyes keenly locked onto Aukh, her fingers twirled tighter around the hilt.
The slender arms of her youthful body tensed tight into logs, and the curves of her muscles bulged out.
Letting out a short cry, her sword arched sideways toward Aukh.
His black eyes darted down, and his curly black hair bristled like a terrified cat. His lips were still morphing out of the shape of the words he had uttered since when all this had happened.
'Clean and precise.' Fria's heart leaped. But suddenly, the world seem to shuffle and shake strangely.
As her eyes blinked, she found herself staring at Aukh as he stood smiling.
"What..."
"Fria..." Enix stared at his sibling in terror, "What just happened?"
Fria stared into his blank, clueless eyes with the same wonder.
"Fria," Aukh smiled, "I told you to swing the sword in air... not at me."
Fria stared straight with blank eyes which slowly ignited in life. She chuckled sheepishly and nodded her head, "Oh! That so?"
Aukh chortled, his brows creased helplessly, "But I guess what you did counts too. And I see Enix has also swung the sword once?"
Enix, swinging the wooden sword again, which, despite its light weight, felt terribly heavy to him with his emaciated body, nodded.
"How did you feel?" Aukh's eyes shone, and his tone dabbled in mystic.
"Feel?" Fria's head tilted, "Umm... Nice?"
"Hahaha! You are a lively person, Fria. But, what I mean is, as you swing this sword down. With all its weight. With all your emotions as they are now...
"Do you wish to train in the way of swordman-ship? Do you... Is this your goal? To master a sword to the pinnacle?"
Enix's eyes glinted, "I see."
"If I teach you how to weild a sword... you will certainly wield a sword to your teens, to your later stages of life... eventually until your due time. So, I ask you, are you prepared to walk by a sword through all your life? Are do you seek something else?"
Fria paused, her mouth slackened.
"This is your today's assignment. Give me your answers in our first week. And this is it for today."
"How thoughtful! And masterful!" Mugam's expression beamed, "He is certainly capable."
W.'s face tensed slightly as she heard Mugam praise Aukh— leaving the fenced area and walking off with Gruis.
"I-I guess I will also start the introductions today." She hurriedly lurched to her feet and walked over toward the two children staring at each other and chattering.
***
"Aukharam!" Gruis called out, his pace hastening to catch up to the former as he strode— lost in his mind.
"Aukharam!" Gruis's hand clasped down on his shoulder, finally snapping him out of his gusto.
"Gruis." He paused, his head turned back slightly.
Gruis felt his heart flutter seeing his quivering eyes.
"That boy... he is too much... That slumbering power..." Gruis's hand shuddered along Aukh's body.
His fisted hands loosened, and a handful of brown dust fell down.
"It contained such a terrifying carving for blood that I... that I almost killed him." His hand latched onto his sword.
"It's fine... Even I was baffled. All that matters is that nothing bad happened." Gruis heaved a sigh, "It is human nature to exaggerate, Aukharam.
"But when it comes to young master Fria... he is beyond all that... he himself is what gives name to exaggeration, I have known him more than you. Trust me."
Aukh stared into his eyes, "I do..."
He shrugged his hand off and began walking off, as he reached the gates and stepped out, he couldn't help but murmur, "That girl is the boy?"