Drake Helkhar's Perspective
Three days had passed since Irisha's birthday, and after the party, my family returned to their daily routines once again.
Aauu! She's being rougher than usual. I thought after hitting the ground from one of her punches.
As for me, after the party, I've returned to my training with Zoe, and it seems she's a bit annoyed with me about Angelica all the time. In fact, she's beating me up right now.
If she thinks I'll let her hit me this easily, she's very wrong. I thought, annoyed, before pulling myself together and getting back into attack position.
Zoe, seeing that I had quickly gotten back up, changed her smile to a look of surprise.
"To get up that quickly, I guess you're going to take this seriously now." She said, getting into guard.
"I just want to make it hard for you, sis-ter." I responded with a sarcastic smile as I looked into her eyes.
"Eh? What are you talk—" She said before falling silent when she saw how I closed the distance between us with a single jump.
Taking advantage of her surprise, I quickly made a move with my right hand to direct the wooden sword to her neck, hoping to draw her attention enough to focus on that attack.
Yes! I thought happily as I noticed her move her sword to block my attack. As the swords collided, I let inertia take over, causing my body to spin quickly. As soon as I regained full control of my body, I let go of my sword and threw a punch with all my strength at her ribs.
This will help her know that I'm no longer a child. I thought joyfully to myself. Zoe, seeing my attack coming, did nothing to defend herself. In fact, she prepared a strong punch directly to my face. What? What the hell is she doing?
When my punch finally connected, my smile quickly vanished, because my attack had only managed to move her an inch. Damn it.
Frightened, I tried to cover myself, but it was already too late, her punch was so strong that it sent me flying several meters from where I was standing.
"You're very naive, Drake." She said as I writhed in pain from side to side. "Did you really think letting go of your sword was the best option in a fight against someone much stronger than you? If so, you're an idiot." She said, a bit annoyed.
Shit! Even though I gathered a lot of mana into that punch, I couldn't do any damage to her? Her mana layer is unfairly tough! I thought angrily as Zoe slowly approached my position.
"If you fight someone stronger than you, you have to make the most of your weapons, because if you only rely on your strength and skill, you're most likely to lose, and that… means death in many cases." She said, offering me her hand to help me up.
She's right, I thought that with a few tricks I could easily defeat her... I thought as I grabbed her hand and stood up. This isn't a game, if I make a mistake like that, I could die in the future.
"By the way, Drake, sorry for that punch." She said in a calmer tone as she raised her hand and placed it on the side of my cheek, which had already swollen like a ball.
"Heal" She chanted, making the pain I felt lessen. I still have a lot to learn... I thought that being someone reborn would make things easier, but that's a grave mistake. The only way to be good at something is by training like a madman.
"That's all for today, Drake, you're free." She said, finishing healing me. "Wait, Zoe." I said, calling her attention. "Before you go to bathe, I wanted to ask for permission to go to Angelica's house." "Eh? So you're finally going." She said, making her words sting a bit.
"Before I give you permission, tell me, do you know where her house is?" "Yes, I know where she lives, and I also know that I must not stray from my goal." I replied, making Zoe move away from me again. "Then you can go, but remember to come back before nightfall." She said as she headed inside the house.
Excellent! That means I'll finally get to see her again. I thought excitedly. Since I couldn't visit her these past few days because I was spending time with my family, I started feeling a bit anxious, but today that will change.
After Zoe finished bathing, I quickly entered the bathroom to bathe and then change. After an hour, I was ready, ready to find the house of my future wife.
...
I wonder if I'm following the right path. I thought as I tried to remember the directions given to me by the most beautiful demon I'd ever seen, except for my mother, of course.
I kept walking through the forest until, in the distance, I could see a house with a small garden. Excited, I quickly ran until I entered its garden.
Wow. I thought, amazed, as I slowed down and walked slowly to the front door. This must be her house...
Once at the door, I fixed my hair again and checked my appearance before knocking. After a while, I finally knocked until footsteps could be heard from the other side of the door. Yes, it must be her...
Excited to see her again, I grew impatient inside as I watched the door slowly open. But once it was open, I was only met by a boy around 12 years old instead of the angel I was expecting. Damn it! Who's this brat?
"Do you want something?" Said the young boy in Demonic language while looking at me a bit confused.
Wow! It's the first time someone besides my mother speaks to me in that language. Although I'm not perfect at it, I think I can communicate with him.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Drake Helkhar and... I'm looking for Angelica." The young demon, upon hearing my words, just looked at me confused and in silence.
Eh? What's wrong? Did I say it wrong? I thought worried. No, I don't think that's it, because even though my grammar is bad, I know he should understand me.
Or... Or maybe I got the wrong house? I wondered before looking at him more closely.
No, this is the house. After all, this little boy looks a lot like Angelica. I thought as I noticed they both had similar features. If it's not one thing or the other, what the hell is going on? Why isn't he answering me?
"She... 'Being at home?'" I asked again, not getting a response. "It can't be... I mean Yes! Yes, she is! Sorry. I was just surprised that a brat could answer me in my language," he said after shaking his head from side to side.
A kid? But look who's talking, brat. I retorted inside my mind. Ahh... I have to calm down; after all, he'll be my family.
"My mom is a demon, that's why I know a bit of the language." I commented before trying to look around the boy to see if I could spot Angelica.
"Oh, alright... come in." He said, stepping aside to let me in. "By the way, who are you?" He suddenly asked after blocking my way with his body again before I could pass.
What's his deal? I thought, a bit annoyed. "I-I'm the..." Ahh! I forgot how to say acquaintance. "The... the... the owner of the beautiful Angelica!" I said proudly after the word came to mind.
"What, what did you say?" Asked the boy confused while his expression changed to an anger. Huh? I think I messed up the word.
"No No! I'm just e—" I said before stopping abruptly as I saw a punch coming quickly towards my stomach.
Me and my big mouth trying to be cool. I thought while imbuing the mana from my dragon core throughout my body.
With a swift movement of my hands, I managed to deflect his punch to the side, but before he could attack again, I decided to speak in the world language to clear things up.
"Wait, wait! I don't know what I said, but I meant to say that I'm a friend of Angelica, I'm her new friend!" I said quickly in the world language causing him to stop.
"H– Hahaha" After hearing my words, for some reason, Angelica's brother started laughing loudly as he returned to his previous position. "Come in, come in, Drake, you're welcome in this house."
Wait, what the heck just happened? I thought, confused.
"Thanks…." I replied in the world language again. I better just speak in this language….
As I entered the house, I realized that the living room was directly connected to the main door, so without thinking much, I walked in and sat on one of the seats.
"I'll go call my sister, wait here." He said as he left my field of vision.
He's kinder than I thought…. I reflected. Being alone, I quickly took the opportunity to look around the interior of Angelica's house.
Wow… her house is very… very different from mine. I thought, amazed at the furniture, the tapestry, and the decorations they had. Maybe it's different because they're demons. I noted. Yeah, that must be it.
I wonder who those demons are. I thought as I saw various paintings adorning the wall in a somewhat eerie way.
While I was still admiring their culture, I heard some voices that caught my attention.
"—did he tell you his name?" Said a familiar voice in the distance. "I don't know, but he seems strong, so I let him in." Said the demon who let me in.
As they approached, I tried to think of a way to look cool when she saw me, but with no ideas in mind, I could only think to smile when they arrived, creating a short but awkward silence.
"Paul, leave us alone." Finally, Angelica said, breaking the silence that seemed to last forever. "Okay, but I'll come back every now and then." He said as he left the room.
"So… are you my owner?" She asked timidly in the world language. "What?" I said, not understanding what Angelica meant. Wait! Does that mean what I said earlier was….
"Sorry! I tried to speak in the demon language, but I forgot how to say a word, and—" I said quickly after seeing the embarrassed expression on her face. "Just sorry."
I hope she doesn't stop talking to me…. I thought, scared. "So that was it…." She said softly as she blushed a little. "It seemed too forward for you to say something like that, although, I wouldn't mind if it became something similar in the future."
Wait! What did she just say!!? I thought as my body froze in shock.
"Well, anyway, what brings you here today?" She said, cutting off the strange ideas that were popping into my head about the future.
"Right! I-I just came to get to know you a little more like we said the other day."
"Ahh…" She said, standing up. "In that case, how about we go outside? Since the best way to get to know someone is by playing with them." She said cheerfully.
Even though she's 17 years old, she's still a child for her race…. I thought before mentally laughing inside my head. "Sounds perfect." I said, smiling.
When we left her house, we walked a few meters through the forest until we saw some branches that we used as target practice.
Apparently, in this world, kids usually play with magic. Well, I don't blame them; after all, it's a lot of fun. I thought, smiling as I hit three targets in a row.
Something interesting I noticed while we were playing is that Angelica used long incantations before casting a spell. When I asked her, she explained that incantations help the caster have more control over their spells.
Wow… But why didn't Zoe tell me about this? I thought, confused. Since the beginning of my magic training, I thought there were only one-word incantations, but when you try to say the longer incantations, there's a noticeable difference in mana control.
"By the way, Angelica, what's your core rank?" I said while we were resting, sitting on an old log.
"Huh? My rank? Mmm… a few days ago I just reached advanced, why?" She said, confused.
What!!? I thought, very surprised. "N-not for any reason, I just noticed you use magic more easily, but now I understand why." I said, trying to hide my astonishment.
From the way she controlled mana, I knew she was superior to me, but how is it possible that someone her age is of Advanced rank? I wondered, confused.
It just doesn't make sense, even now Zoe is still at Advanced rank, and I… I'm barely entering Intermediate. Angelica is very talented…. I thought with embarrassment.
"And since you asked Drake, what rank are you currently?" She asked, looking at me with curiosity. Damn it! I shouldn't have asked!
"Me-me? I'm at Advanced rank just like you." I said nervously.
"What!? That's amazing!" She said excitedly. "Even my brother is only Intermediate rank." Only? Good thing I lied.
"That's right Angelica, I'm also someone spectacular." I said, puffing out my chest. "Yeah, in that case, we can have more fun than just casting a few spells at the trees."
Huh? How? I thought, confused by Angelica's words. "Drake, what do you think about going monster hunting in the forest tomorrow?"
Wait! What!? "Bu-but Angelica, that's for older people, besides, it would be dangerous for just the two of us to go monster hunting." I said seriously, trying to dismiss her idea.
"You're right, if we want to go deeper into the forest, we need to go with someone exper… I know! How about we go with your sister? With Zoe." She said, jumping up before looking me in the eyes.
Ah… ahh…. "Yeah… maybe, bu—" "Great! Then tomorrow before noon we'll meet right here." She said, cutting me off.
"But Angelica, I—" I said before stopping abruptly as I reconsidered her idea.
Wait, she's right, if we go with Zoe there won't be a problem, right? I quickly thought. Besides, if all this goes well, I'll be able to build a friendship with Angelica that could someday turn into a deep relationship and then this with her in the fut…
"Alright Angelica, it sounds like a perfect idea." I finally said with a smile. The only problem will be convincing Zoe, but I'll think about that later.
Once we agreed to go monster hunting, we talked a little more and then said our goodbyes after a few minutes since it was getting dark.
On the way home, I started thinking about a way to convince Zoe to come with us, but as I couldn't find the right words in my mind, my worry grew. Ahh!! I can't think of anything!
…
"No, don't even think about it." Zoe said firmly after hearing what had happened with such enthusiasm on the way home.
"But sister, I'm ready to take the next step and besi—" I tried to insist before Zoe cut me off by raising her hand.
"One, you're not ready. Your core is barely at Intermediate rank and two… our parents won't let you be in danger under any circumstances." She said before going back to writing in her journal.
As I suspected, she doesn't want to listen to me. Damn it! I need to find another way. I thought after her rejection.
"I know those things, Zoe." I said seriously as I looked into her eyes after a few seconds of silence. "But… I also know that I won't go hunting alone, like I said, I want you, my sister, to accompany and protect me."
"Huh? And why do you want me to go with you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Because you're the person I trust most in this world." I finally said, making Zoe think for a few seconds before giving me a final answer.
"If I help you with this mess you got yourself into" You didn't have to remind me… "You'll owe me one, got it?" She said, looking me in the eyes.
Why do I feel like this is going to be a bad idea…. I thought before giving her an answer.
"If you help me with tomorrow, I'll agree to do whatever you say." I said, leaving the worries for my future self.
"In that case, I'll take care of getting permission from our parents." She commented with a smile before going back to writing.
"Yes! You're the best!" I replied before Zoe asked me to keep quiet. Oops, sorry….
After waiting for her for a few minutes, she put her journal aside and explained some very interesting things about monsters that I needed to learn before going to hunt them.
Monsters are animals or spirits that evolved by absorbing too much mana with their cores, so once they evolve, they become a completely different species, which is why they also group or mate like other animals.
They're called monsters because they're very aggressive and territorial, so they always stay a bit away from cities to avoid being disturbed.
Right, I remember reading something similar somewhere. The animals and plants in this world also need mana to survive, and they can evolve if they come to understand the mana within their bodies or something like that.
After Zoe explained that to me, she instructed me on combat against monsters. She explained that their attacks are usually clumsy, and that if I use the techniques she taught me in training, even someone like me could defeat a few.
She really didn't have to say that last part…. I thought with a mental tear.
We talked for a few more minutes until mom called us for dinner. Zoe told me she would take care of getting permission after dinner, so I just went downstairs without worries.
I'm glad to have a sister like her. I thought of Zoe as I noticed how she was thinking the whole time during dinner. She's probably thinking about how to get our parents' permission.
We all ate together, and then Zoe asked me to go upstairs and rest for tomorrow, so she talked to Kadian and mom. Although I couldn't hear their conversation, Zoe later came to my room saying that everything was ready, that I should just sleep because we'd be leaving early tomorrow.
Once Zoe left my room, I started thinking a bit while polishing the sword that Irisha had bought me a few days ago.
It's strange, but I feel like time is passing so quickly. It's already been over 13 years since I came to this world, and I still haven't achieved anything noteworthy. I'm just like any normal person in this world… or so I'd like to say, but my fate is certainly sealed. I thought, recalling the deal I made with Bernal.
I have to become the new Dragon God, I don't know how I'll do it, but I must so that I can survive in the future. I told myself as I gazed at my dull reflection in the blade of my sword.
But it's comforting to know that I still have time to increase my strength, and besides, I haven't played all my cards yet, because I haven't dedicated time to learning those techniques that Bernal left me. I thought as I turned my sword to the other side.
And I also haven't used much of Bernal's fragment mana in my spells, and lastly… I still don't know how to use my other core as I should. I thought before the beating Zoe gave me this morning came to mind.
But it's true that I have to keep training, I have to resolve some doubts I had when I came to this world. After all, I wasted a lot of time thinking I could have a normal life, but every time I review Bernal's knowledge, I know more strongly that it simply won't be that way.
Tomorrow, I'll take a very important step in my progress because I'll finally be in a real fight, I'll finally be able to cast spells with the intent to kill, and I'll finally be able to… test out this beauty. I thought, finally, as I looked at my beautiful sword.
"Right, now that I think about it, I didn't give you a proper name." I whispered to my new companion. "I'll call you… Belarus, the Dragon's Guardian." I said before letting out a soft laugh.
It seems like a good name, but I think I'll drop the last part. I thought before laughing again at how cheesy it sounded.
Next Chapter:
Chapter 10: My First Monster II