"Catch this!" When Ranav heard Nanima's voice, he was startled but instinctively caught the object.
"It's... a soap!" Ranav was relieved.
"Do you know how to swim?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Umoya phakamisa," she muttered, making a hand gesture.
Ranav's body lifted off the ground, flew through the air, and with a splash, he fell into the pond. Before he could gather himself, Nanima's voice rang out, "Clean your filthy body!"
He floated for several minutes, blankly clutching the soap in his hand, trying to gather his thoughts. Jessica's voice came into his head, "Congratulations! You have successfully leveled up to the Body Tempering stage. Now gather yourself and go to the stairs."
Ranav swam toward the stairs, noticing his increased strength. After applying soap and scrubbing himself clean, he suddenly realized his predicament. "Where are my clothes?"
Jessica laughed heartily. "Your master destroyed all your filthy clothes and threw you in the pond. What a throw! I like her more every day."
"Don't laugh… What should I do?" Ranav looked down at his body, embarrassed. Except for the stone ring on his finger, there was nothing on him. "I have some clothes at Nanima's house, but how can I go there… naked?"
After some contemplation, he decided to run to the house without clothes. There was no other option. To his relief, Nanima was in her room. He entered his own room and quickly put on some clothes to cover his blunt nakedness.
Today marked one month since Ranav started his sword training. Tenali Raman had been excited to train him during the past month and had showered him with praise over the last few days.
When Ranav arrived, Tenali wasn't there yet, so he began running laps around the ground. After completing three laps, he finally saw Tenali, who was smiling with two swords in his hand.
"Ranav, today you do not need to exercise. You will fight in the inner arena. It will not be a real fight, just practice. Check your sword."
He handed one sword to Ranav, who examined it. It was a katana-like wooden sword. Although it looked similar to what he had used previously, it was a new sword. Then the duo headed to the inner arena of the knight training ground.
As they entered, Ranav immediately spotted a young man standing at the center with his sword. He recognized him as James, the best fighter among the younger generation. James had an arrogant personality, a sturdy body, and quick reflexes. His father was a wealthy merchant in the village, and with both money and strength, James had a group of followers as well. In the past, James and his cronies had made mocking comments about Ranav behind his back, but Ranav had ignored them.
Tenali Raman said, "Now, go to the arena. You'll fight with James today."
Ranav stepped into the arena. James immediately taunted him, "What a waste of my time! I have to fight this baby? Why did you come here? Go home and drink milk. Otherwise, everyone will call me a bully for beating up a child… Ha ha ha." He burst into laughter.
Ranav had his fair share of school bullies on Earth. He had even been one of them once. But one day, Sarah had caught him bullying a kid. She was so angry that she avoided him for weeks. That was the end of his bully life.
Sarah's gentle smile came to mind, and Ranav was so immersed in his memories that he didn't even glance at his opponent. A slight, involuntary smile curved his lips.
James mistook the smile as an insult and became furious. "Boy, you've got some nerve. Today, I'll beat you until you learn how to respect your seniors."
Ranav remained silent, his thoughts still on Sarah. To the onlookers, it seemed as though he was mocking James.
James's cronies grew angrier.
"Beat him!"
"Let him know how to respect!"
"Break his leg!"
The crowd muttered amongst themselves. Some neutral spectators chuckled, while others merely watched with curiosity. No one believed Ranav could win. They had only come to see how the old chief's new trainee would defend himself after all the boasting Tenali Raman had done recently.
Ranav was still lost in thoughts of Sarah when an angry shout jolted him back to the present. Annoyed, he looked at the source of the sound. James was charging at him with his sword raised.
Seeing James's face instead of Sarah's only irritated Ranav further. His sword remained in its scabbard, and his hand rested calmly on the hilt. Everyone assumed he was frozen in fear.
Just as James's sword was about to touch his chest, Ranav moved. In one fluid motion, he drew his sword, slashed upward, and returned it to the scabbard.
The sound of two wooden swords clashing filled the air, followed by a cry from one of the spectators. James's sword had flown out of his hand, and blood dripped from a cut on this spectator's head.
When the crowd turned back to the arena, Ranav stood calmly with his hand on his scabbard. As if he never moved from this position. James, meanwhile, was staring at his empty hand, petrified.
The crowd fell silent, except for the sound of someone crying. Ranav turned and walked out of the arena. He approached Tenali Raman, said goodbye, and left the training ground.
On his way home, Jessica asked with concern, "What happened? You didn't hold back."
"Nothing," Ranav replied curtly.
"I'm concerned about you. Your master asked you to downplay your strength, and you've always done so. But today, you were asserting dominance."
Ranav sighed. "It's a long story, Jessica. I hate rich kids who think they can push others around because their family has money. But don't worry… I'm still me."
"I think this is related to your past," Jessica said softly. "You'll tell me someday, won't you?"
"I'll tell you when I'm ready," Ranav replied.
The rest of the walk home was silent, with only the sound of his footsteps on the muddy road accompanying him.