They walked to a shop in the northern part of the capital city. This weapons shop has been famous for over 100 years and has been passed down from generation 1 to generation 6 and then proceeded to buy and sell much equipment from all over.
* The bell in front of the store rang* as Deric opened the door and entered the shop.
"Wow, it's really big." Mariel and Segal were shocked because the inside of the shop was very large and spacious.
This weapons shop is called "Sigirius the Oldest's Sword Shop". People came to trade swords and shields and many other weapons. Whether it's claws, iron pendulums, axes, bows, as well as more than 1000 different weapons and armor in the shop. Each type of weapon and armor was arranged in an orderly manner. From children to adults, there are countless options to choose from this.
"You can choose your sword here." Deric said, pointing to various silver swords for ages 10-14 that placed in one corner.
Mariel picked up several swords and flicked them back and forth to check which sword was most suitable for her hand. As for Segal, he found a larger and more powerful silver shield of his own. However, the savings that he had were still quite short. So, he put the shield back in its place with regret.
Deric noticed and walked over to pick up that shield. Then he patted Segal's shoulder gently as a consolation.
"Don't worry, I bought this for you. Segal, kept the money for your personal expenses." Deric said.
"Thank you very much, Father Deric." Segal said gratefully and bowed.
"Alright, now we got a sword and a shield. Claudia waited here with Mariel. I and Segal would go to the payment desk." Deric said, holding a sword while Segal followed closely behind him and carrying his shield. There weren't many people waiting in line to buy weapons.
Mariel looked at the bow and arrow weapons in front of her with interest. As for Claudia, she stood nearby and watched her daughter, keeping her out of sight.
*Wink*
Mariel suddenly felt strangely like she could sense some kind of mystery power. But she couldn't figure out what that power was or where it came from in this shop.
She turned to look around the shop to see where this feeling was coming from, but she couldn't feel it anymore.
"Is there something wrong, my dear? Are you looking for something?" Claudia asked curiously.
"Oh, it's nothing. Maybe I just thought about it too much." Mariel replied.
Deric and Segal then carried boxes containing a sword and a shield, and then they left the weapons shop to prepare to go shopping for food supplies.
"When Mariel is 15 years old, she can pass the entrance exam for her intended high school for magic. I will buy a new sword as a gift because in this high school of magic, there must be even stronger sword weapons than this. If you use this sword, there is a chance that it will be destroyed easily." Deric said.
"Thank you, Dad." Mariel was even more motivated than ever to prepare for the entrance exam in the next 2 years.
"The final exam at the end of this year, which comes next month. You prepare to do it as well? my dear." Claudia said.
"Don't worry, Mom. This 3rd year, I will take first place and make you all proud of me." Mariel said with confidence.
"I'm always cheer up on you, Mariel." Segal said, patting his sister's shoulder gently.
They walked away and looked away from the weapons shop. The upper at the shop in the southern place, you would not have known that if you weren't paying attention, there was a sword placed inside a glass window that was completely covered with a cloth. This sword had been kept for generations and had never been taken down from its shelves for anyone to see again because there was one sentence that the current generation of shopkeepers listened to that remains in their minds until the present day.
"Don't open it, until 2nd generation of legendary swordsman is appeared."
Now, beneath the cloth that covered the glass box, a light flashed for a moment that no one noticed, then the light extinguished and returned to normal.
Time passes until the end of the year. All students graduate from the third year of their education. This final year, Mariel was able to take 1st place in the exam, she won over Frederick by only 2 points overall.
"Congratulations, Mariel."
"Congratulations."
All my friends in the classroom came together to congratulate her greatly. As for Mariel, she thanks everyone for their congratulations.
Frederick, despite losing by just 2 points, still came to congratulate her because the real goal of these 2 people was not just to conquer each other but it was about stimulating each other so that each one is diligent, concentrated on reading textbooks for using knowledge in the future.
After the farewell party for the third-year students, parents and children said farewell to the teachers, made good wishes to each other and listened to the final farewell ceremony from the headmaster before going home.
"Can I go to your house? I would like to talk to you about something." Frederick asked Mariel.
"Sure. Let's your driver follow my father's car to the house then." Mariel replied.
Frederick and Mariel's parents responded to this and allowed them to talk. Then they drove together to Mariel's house, which didn't take long. Frederick's mother and father were waiting in the car with the driver. As for Frederick, he walked out of the car and walked to the front of the house.
"Can I ask you one question? Mariel." Frederick asked.
"Yes, you can. What is it?" Mariel asked curiously while Derik and Claudia stood behind and watched them.
"I intend to continue my father's business which involves trading with other cities. Our income is stable to a certain extent. Is it possible if the two of us to be still in contact with each other. When the time is come, I plan to bring my father and mother to come here, then we intend to ask your family for an engagement." Frederick asked with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"What!!!" Mariel stood still, stunned by Frederick's request.
"Well, I love you, Mariel. Since we got to know each other, I always had only you in my heart and I needed you to be my girlfriend in the future, is that possible?" Frederick said and became more serious than before.
"Well…" Mariel hesitated to answer.
"If you're not ready to answer. I can wait for your response. At least I can tell you about my feelings for you." Frederick said, trying not to force Mariel's feelings.
Deric and Claudia stood behind, smiling encouragingly.
"Can I tell you something? But please don't be mad at me." Mariel said, gathering up her courage.
"Sure." Frederick nodded.
"I can't accept your request because I have great goals in my lives." Mariel said and then she told Frederick that her dreams were of becoming a great swordswoman. Her life involved going on adventures and doing missions in different cities. She was unable to be a wife to anyone, but she was also happy to be best friends with Frederick forever. If there is any danger to him, she will rush to help him immediately.
Frederick listened to everything and was depressed for a while but in the end, it seemed like he understood everything that Mariel told him. He took a deep breath; it was like he was relieved to at least they expressed their feelings honestly.
"I understand. May you be the best swordswoman, Mariel." Frederick said, holding both of Mariel's hands in support.
"Thank you very much for understanding me." Mariel replied with a smile and held Frederick's hand tightly.
Frederick left an address for Mariel, so she could come to his house at any time.
"You can come to see me anytime. We will always welcome you and your family." Frederick said, shaking hands in closing.
"Sure, I'll find time to visit your house in the future." Mariel replied.
"Finally, can I ask for one more thing?" Frederick said in a slightly trembling voice.
"What is it?" Mariel said in confusion.
Suddenly, Frederick came so close that his face was almost touching Mariel's. Then he gathered the courage to press a soft kiss to Mariel's lips to express his love for her.
Ouch!!!! Mariel stood stunned after being kissed by her close friend for the first time. The body was stiff like a stunt. She was unable to move. The expressions on her faces were unresponsive to anything around her.
When they finished their kisses, Frederick said goodbyes, and bowed to Deric and Claudia. Then he hurriedly ran back into the car with an embarrassed expression on his face.
When the car drove away, Deric and Claudia smiled and immediately comforted Mariel from behind.
"Congratulations, my daughter. About your first kiss." Deric said.
"This is the taste of first kiss, my sweetheart." Claudia said with a soft chuckle.
Mariel shed a few tears. Her face was still shocked by what had happened unexpectedly. Her body, hands and feet were as stiff as stones and did not respond. It seemed that her soul would fall out of the body for a moment.
(No!!! my first kiss was stolen by a boy. It's not true, is it?) (Chai thinking)
"My first kiss, no!!!!!!!!" Mariel cried out in utter shock and embarrassment.
Since then, Mariel had about two years to prepare for the entrance exam for the number 1 high school of magic. It would be very hard to be a student at this school because each year, students from more than 10 cities come to take the entrance exam here. This year approximately tens of thousands of students took an exam and only 500 were recruited for this school.
A total of 9 textbooks for exam preparation were purchased and placed on Mariel's desk in her room. In addition to having to take all these exams over a period of 2 days, there would be a test of knowledge in the use of basic Qi and magic powers for each student too. These extra points were taken into consideration when deciding to attend the high school magic of the student's choice.
Mariel divided her time each day without wasting a single moment. She helped Deric and Claudia clean the barn in the morning. In the afternoon, she reviewed textbooks and practiced with Deric so that she could use her Qi and magic more skillfully and without weaknesses. On the weekends, when the Segal came to visit, they would gather to practice more. They focused on the physical energy power at this point, especially was still quite a weak point for Mariel.
*Clunk*
The sound of two swords clashing loudly, but the difference was that Mariel's sword had fallen out of her hand, while Segal's sword and shield were still in both hands, ready to fight.
"I understand you, sis. This is the disadvantage of female swordsman. A physical body that cannot be compared to that of a man. A direct physical clash will make the chances of the woman not being able to fight and losing very high." Segal explained while reassuring his sister.
"Why I always lose to you? If it was about magic power, I would not lose to anyone but physical power. I was always lost to both dad and you. It was not fair for me." Mariel said in pain as she looked at her own hands, which were swollen and red and blood was flowing out.
Mariel immediately thought of something that could help strengthen her body's muscles. It was about the knowledge that she had from the past world from watching television programs in childhood which may be able to help her a lot.
Mariel wakes up early and goes jogging, running around the village, then eats food, focusing mainly on protein. Then she exercised her body in various positions to gradually build up muscles. Even though it wasn't to the same level as men, at least she could clearly notice that her body had changed significantly.
"It took only a few months for you to start to gain some muscle like this. Nice!" Segal said, squeezing the muscles in Mariel's arm that she had shown him.
"This is not enough because I need to be as strong as like you, brother." Mariel said.
"Good, then let's continue our training, sis!" Segal said, immediately feeling excited.
"Alright! Let's do it, brother." Mariel said, immediately slamming the sword at her brother.
Deric and Claudia walked outside the house and saw their children slamming their swords at each other in several moves without focusing on using magic power but only using pure physical energy.
*Clunk* *Clunk*
The sound of swords clashing with each other non-stop, but this time was different because Mariel began to be able to handle the attacks and clashes of their fight better.
Mariel's eyes shone with more and more confidence, and she could feel that her dream goal was one step closer to reality.
"Watch me! I must become the best female swordswoman in the future." Mariel said.