Mariel, who had turned exactly 15 years and 1 day old today, gazed intently at his reflection in the mirror. The reflection showed pale white skin, as if it hadn't been exposed to sunlight for a long time.
Mariel's dark blue hair was no longer long, but not quite short either. He had cut it just enough. Mariel divided his hair into two sections: the middle to the back was combed neatly backward, while the middle to the front was combed to the sides, revealing his forehead. The bangs on both sides were long enough to perfectly frame his face.
The mirror showed that Mariel had a slightly pointed nose and thin lips. His eyes were bright red, like blood bathed in light. Hanging from his ears was a pair of double-helix earrings in red. There were also two red piercings in each ear, ensuring the earrings didn't look lonely.
Mariel wore a plain black short-sleeved V-neck t-shirt. Over it was a red leather jacket adorned with many black stripes. The jacket was unbuttoned, leaving the black shirt fully visible. For pants, Mariel wore black elastic ones with a red belt perfectly wrapped around his waist. Complementing his outfit were classic dark blue shoes.
As he stared intently at his reflection, Mariel felt he had grown well. He stood 164 cm tall—above average for his age in the Western Continent. Five years had passed since he could use prana, and two years since he first saw his spirit.
According to all the information Mariel had gathered, spirits were categorized into four types: King Spirits, Legendary Spirits, Natural Spirits, and Beast Spirits.
Beast Spirits were the most common, taking the form of ferocious beasts as their name implied. However, unlike modern wild animals, Beast Spirits were immensely large and powerful.
Natural Spirits were the second most common. They usually appeared as humans with long ears or tiny humans with wings. Sometimes, they took forms resembling plants with arms and legs. There were even some with dove-like wings. Ancient humans were also included in this category.
Next came Legendary Spirits. These were considered rare. As the name suggested, they took the forms of creatures from legends. Dragons were the most well-known example of this type. Some were even said to resemble dinosaurs.
Lastly, there were King Spirits. These were the spirits of gods and god-like beings. Very few people possessed these spirits. It was said that Emperor Gilgamesh had a King Spirit named [Tiamat]. In his prime state, he was said to be capable of destroying an entire continent with a single full-power attack. However, there was no evidence, so it might have been exaggerated.
Based on the appearance of his spirit, Mariel believed his was a King Spirit. However, he couldn't confirm it because the spirit refused to acknowledge him. It even refused to tell Mariel its name. Because of this, Mariel could only use the spirit's basic abilities. He needed to prove himself to the spirit to earn its recognition.
"Oh well," Mariel muttered with a sigh.
Even so, he wasn't too disappointed. He considered himself lucky to have met his spirit. From what he had read, only one in a thousand people ever encountered their spirit. Most humans lived their entire lives without ever being able to use spirit powers.
Moreover, even though he couldn't fully harness his spirit's power, Lukhiel had told him that he was strong enough relying solely on his prana and wind element. He hadn't tested his strength against others, but he was strong enough to make Lukhiel fight seriously. And the demon never gave false praise.
However, Mariel wasn't strong enough to make Lukhiel bleed. To be precise, he wanted to hide his spirit's abilities from the demon. Not because he didn't trust him, but because Lukhiel hadn't revealed his special demon powers either. During their fights, they both only used wind elements. He planned to show his abilities during their decisive duel.
Today marked the first time Mariel would leave the cave he had lived in for the past eight years. Lukhiel had left the cave two days ago; the demon wouldn't return for another two or three months. Because of that, he had no time to feel disappointed. Mariel would leave the forest and travel to Londinia.
In those eight years, he had never seen the outside world or interacted with other humans. Mariel intended to take advantage of his master's absence to explore the city. He also wanted to see what the Sterminatore Organization was like in person. Perhaps he would spend a few weeks there. Lukhiel hadn't forbidden him from traveling, so he could do as he pleased.
Taking a deep breath and ensuring nothing was wrong with his appearance, Mariel turned around and left the cave. He carried nothing but a backpack containing two sets of clothes and some money earned from Lukhiel's "ventures". They didn't have any valuable possessions to bring. The cave only contained books and ordinary furniture.
Mariel sealed the cave entrance with a large boulder. Then, he let some vines hang down from the top of the cave to cover the boulder. Only after that did the teenager leave. He went straight west, taking the fastest route out of the forest.
Mariel wasn't worried about anyone entering and stealing. There was nothing special inside. More importantly, he and Lukhiel frequently patrolled the dense forest, which contained two lakes. There were no more demons or criminal groups here. Humans rarely ventured deep into the woods. The Karb Forest was only inhabited by wild animals and plants.
It took Mariel three hours to exit the forest. He could have been faster if he ran at full speed. However, Mariel didn't want to rush; he ran at a moderate pace along the quickest route.
Once he exited the forest, the sight that greeted him was a green meadow and rising hills. In the distance, he faintly saw a settlement. There was also a large lake nestled between a few hills. His vantage point, being somewhat elevated, allowed Mariel to clearly see the lake's edge.
The city of Londinia lay beyond that lake.
Because of the distance, Mariel couldn't see the other side of the lake. Therefore, he couldn't spot the city's silhouette. But he was certain Londinia was there. It was located right on the lake's edge. That was why Londinia was known as the kingdom's primary producer of freshwater fish.
According to what Lukhiel had told him, there were three routes he could take to reach the city: across the lake, around its right side, or around its left side. The fastest route was across the lake. He could either run on water or take a villager's boat. If he chose the other routes, he would need to hire a horse-drawn carriage unless he wanted to run the entire way.
Of course, Mariel chose the fastest route; he wanted to try riding an actual boat and crossing the lake. He had already run on water a lot of time. Using a raft had also grown boring for him. What would it feel like to sail on a boat? How would the boatman handle strong winds blowing against the boat's direction?
Mariel ran swiftly across the lush green meadow, his vision remained clear despite his high speed.
Prana truly was a blessing for humans. If in the past it was impossible for Mariel to match a horse's speed, now he could even race a wind wave. Prana enhanced his body to—significantly—exceed physical limits.
Mariel reached the main road leading to the lake after nearly an hour of running.
Now, the lake was less than three kilometers away. He slowed his pace from running to walking to avoid drawing attention. He had already passed two horse-drawn carriages, and there were more ahead. To avoid catching the attention of patrolling royal soldiers, he mimicked the pace of other pedestrians.
"Hey, you!"
Ah... perhaps he should have stopped running farther away from the main road, which served as the junction for all paths leading to various villages. If he had, maybe one of the passengers in the carriages he passed wouldn't have followed her now.
How should I respond?
Mariel thought as he kept walking. For the past eight years, he hadn't interacted with anyone beside Lukhiel. Moreover, the owner of the voice was a girl his age. Of course, he understood the basics of social interaction. But putting theory into practice was never as easy.
Should he act calm and mysterious?
"Hey, don't pretend you're deaf!"
Should he try being friendly, cheerful, and sociable?
Or should he adopt a cold, indifferent attitude?
Mariel was confused. He had studied various personalities to help him connect with others. However, he had no idea what kind of personality the girl following him had. That's why Mariel hesitated. Being friendly, cheerful, and approachable seemed like the best option, but it could backfire if his potential conversation partner disliked overly enthusiastic people—
"Hey!"
Mariel flinched and stopped instinctively, his head snapped toward the person who had just grabbed his arm.
The girl had a pretty face with fair skin and a slightly sharp nose. Her long, bright red hair was tied in a ponytail, with bangs framing her face perfectly. Her eyes, a striking purple, radiated high confidence.
She wore a calf-length black dress with short sleeves, slit straight down both sides of the waist to the hem, revealing plain blue knee-length shorts underneath. A dark blue wide belt adorned her waist. The most noticeable thing about her, however, was the large sword she carried on her back.
The teenager, who was seven centimeters shorter than Mariel, had a slim figure. Yet her assets were far too prominent for someone her age. Thankfully, her outfit was modest, and she wore a thin metal chest and back guard. Otherwise, most eyes would naturally be drawn to that area. Even Mariel's. Ah… it reminded him of his dream last night.
"Hey!"
Tch, these hormones are so annoying. I want to get through puberty already.
"Hey! Are you deaf or something?! I'm talking to you!"
At least, I've learned a little about this girl's personality.
"Helloooo! Are you alive? Oh, am I too dazzling that you're stunned like that?"
"You…"
"Huh?"
"…Are you an angel sent by the gods for me?"
"Eh?"
"Oh, sorry, you're just too beautiful, so I thought you might be an angel descending from the heavens."
"…O-oh, ah…." The girl scratched her right cheek lightly, even though it wasn't itchy, while her left hand began to twirl a strand of her hair. "Umm…mmm…I-I'm not as beautiful as an angel…."
"So, what is it? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Ah! Exactly!" The girl, who had been flustered a moment ago, quickly regained her composure. "I saw you speeding by earlier. I also sensed that you're strong. Are you part of Sterminatore? But you're not wearing their uniform, so maybe not. Oh! Are you planning to join the Round Table Knight selection tournament too?"