She led him to the mansions, and not a word was exchanged between the two. He looked at the flowers as they walked; the whole walk felt off without people walking around. Even in his town, at least a few people were always around, making it lively. Right now, this place felt abandoned.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a mansion, and to the right and left were other mansions—a total of five. He saw a maid inside the mansion, and she seemed to be cleaning up the place. The mansion had flowers and bushes all nicely trimmed and properly well kept.
"So why are we here?"
"Well, I was hoping you would excitedly wonder about the mansions and who lives here; seriously, what do you even want?"
She turned to look at him; she looked a bit annoyed, and he honestly felt prideful. He had found a way to get back at her without trying to fight her; it raised a big question. What did he want? Well, power was the only thing he had in mind.
"Power."
He said, and she rubbed her eyes, mumbling something under her breath, clearly frustrated.
"Power...that's it? Then please elaborate because power comes in many forms. There is social status; that's a power. There is power in creating a group or faction. There is power in beauty; are you looking to doll yourself up?"
Her final comment was followed with a smile as she looked him up and down; he absentmindedly used his hands to cover himself, which made her laugh.
"Adorable, but seriously elaborate. What do you mean?"
"I just want to be strong; I want power...Enough that I can't be controlled and can do what I want."
He composed himself, stopped covering himself, and instead tried to come off if it didn't bother them. She looked at him as she tapped her cheek.
"Personal power, well, that's simple. It has a big problem; if your only goal is personal power, you will probably become strong. Ultimately, though, You will be alone. Trust me on this: loneliness corrupts everything. I advise aiming to beat someone instead of striving for pure strength. That way, you get a nice rival and have a proper goal in your goal for strength."
She had more experience than he did, so she might be right; he shrugs at her words.
"I'll think about it, but the only person I want to beat is Iza? that was her name, right?"
"Correct...and that's a perfect target; you better work hard and give me a show; as my student, you aren't allowed to fall short. Now, let me show you where you will spend your time after class."
She held onto his tunic and picked him up; before he could respond, the world seemed to spin before she let go, and he fell on the ground as his head began spinning.
He took a second to adjust again as he looked around. He was sitting outside a fence, looking behind him. The path of flowers led back into the houses and towards the tree. He looked the other way and saw an open field that led towards a lush forest; it made it almost impossible to get into it. It looked as if the sun didn't reach inside. Past the forest, he could see giant mountains surrounding the area, and they ran around the entire forest. It was unnatural, so somebody must have made them; how strong were they to do such a feat? One of the mountains straight ahead lacked a tip. It looked almost as if someone had slashed it.
"What am I gonna be doing here..."
She looked at him and hummed before pointing to the field.
"This is where you will train and fight with other students and where the monthly competition will occur. Of course, you don't gotta fight or train with others, but I recommend it if you want to get better at fighting."
She then points to the forest ahead, a smirk on her face.
"Inside that forest, there will be beasts at the second stage for you to fight; most of the time, people won't use their abilities when you train and fight with them. If you want to get used to fighting different abilities, that's the best place you can go. You need to know a few essential details, although I said only beasts at the second stage are there. They can be even stronger than that, and we will protect you and ensure you don't die. However, we will only do that once you cannot continue fighting. Any injuries you sustain won't be healed. For you, at least. Those above you around "B" and "A" will be healed, although not entirely."
She then points to the tree behind her, although she points closer to the branches above them.
"We have someone watching and making sure you aren't killed up there; they are also responsible for getting rid of any creatures that might be too strong to fight alone. You can go inside the forest with others and fight the beasts...Lastly, there is an essential rule."
She seemed angry as she pointed to the dojo, which was far away.
"Inside the forest, you are not allowed to fight each other. This rule will be enforced and judged depending on how bad the situation is. You might get kicked out of school entirely; people have died because they thought of doing such a thing; they turn on each other as they fight a beast, and one ends up dying."
She points to him and smiles again, which doesn't help him feel at ease.
"You don't strike me as the backstabbing type. Don't worry. This rule is mainly for those despicable little things who have the nerve to try and eliminate their competition. Please don't prove my judgment wrong~"
He nodded, but as he looked at the forest and back at the dojo, he tilted his head, looking up at her.
"Weren't you just telling me not to be alone, but now you tell me people might try and get me killed?"
He said, scratching his head; it seemed hypocritical, which was rubbing him the wrong way.
"Pft, you haven't hung out with people enough. People will be utter bastards whether you are walking this path to ascension or selling bread. But, some will make life much happier for you and be the reason you want to wake up the next morning. Staying in that shell is a way to ensure you will end up alone and sad; You have to take the chance to be hurt, to grow and enjoy life. You might make a mistake and trust the wrong person, or make the best choice in your life and meet someone who makes you glad to be alive. Either way that comes from stepping out of that shell."
She grabbed the back of his tunic and lifted him off the ground.
"Like trusting me to be a good teacher, aren't I just the wisest of them all?"
"Please put me down..."
His feet were dangling off the ground, which did not help his self-esteem. She grinned and let him go as she walked back towards the school.
"Lesson's over for today. You are free to do what you please for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, your classmates should be healed, and I will need you to explain what I told you."
"Why can't you?"
"I wasted all my good teacher points for the week; it's time for me to relax."
He rolled his eyes, his belly grumbling, reminding him he hadn't eaten yet.
"Wait, where do I get food?"
She gestures to the forest before waving goodbye. He sighed as he slipped on his gauntlets; at least he could use the chance to finish increasing his storage.