Author's note: I think I'll keep it at the pace I'm trying to be at right now, one chapter of this story around the end of the month with roughly 5000-6000 words and a chapter for my other story in the middle. This way everyone should be somewhat content, right?
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Pratty's POV
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"Alright! I managed to win the first battle! Ahh… I feel relieved…" I'm still overcome by joy. Almost everyone in the guild congratulated me… And it was a good idea to take a bath before coming back, I feel pretty refreshed, barely tired anymore.
"I'm glad to hear that." Sugar is also rather happy, she smiles gently. I don't think I would've been able to do any of this without her… She might be a little bit strange and often acts embarrassing, but she's a pretty nice person…
"Yo, Pratty! You here?" Master Bron. He is probably here to congratulate me as well. No, probably not… he will just tell me how much harder it'll be later on and how I should not get too proud of this small victory…
"Yes, Master." Well, even if he told me that I'd still be in high spirits right now. It may just be the first battle, but I did fairly well, at least I think so. Chaves was fairly week, but I will win this tournament, even if there will be stronger opponents.
"Hey there! I heard ya won the first battle!" Hm, he seems to be rather happy for me as well. Maybe I won't get a sermon after all…
"Hehehe, yeah! Are we celebrating that by any chance?" Master Bron's frown somehow tells me that won't be the case…
"Don't be a fool! Ya only won the first round!" 'Sigh' He could just let me enjoy the moment for now, couldn't he? Well, he is right, but I would like to celebrate this for a little bit. I mean, why not? I did well…
"Uh…" Well, I'll just let him talk. He probably won't leave us alone until he's done with his speech either way.
"Besides, others around ya are waitin' to compete. Most of them won't make it past the first round. And even if they were to win, there can only be one champion." I didn't think about that at all… It's somewhat sad, looking at it from that angle…
"…" I don't even know how to respond to that… Master Bron is the mentor of all of us. He has to cheer for all of us and he has to console those of us who don't make it… I wouldn't want to be in his situation, especially not if two members of our guild fight each other…
"If yer gonna become a craftlord, learn to watch yer surroundings. Think outside yer shell." He is right, as a craftlord I'll have to make difficult decisions all of the time, won't I? And I can't be egocentric, I have to consider what others think and feel as well.
"I understand…" That's something else I have to think about. Well. I never thought becoming a craftlord would be an easy task. Father had very little time for me and my mother, so he must've been fairly busy. Will I also have little time for my family…?
"With that said… Ya deserve yer celebration today, for winning the first battle. Keep up the great work, Pratty!" So he was going to congratulate me, after all. Somehow he always makes me feel a little bit down before telling me the good news.
"Thank you, master!" Hm, I think that makes the good news feel all the better, doesn't it? And I shouldn't forget about the negative things in a moment of happiness either, I have to think of both sides.
"… Alright! I guess I'll walk for a while!" It's still a little bit early to go to bed and I don't feel all that tired, so I might as well catch some fresh air. Hm, where should I go now? I think I'll to the harbor with Sugar.
"Let's go to the harbour, Sugar." She seems to be rather calm and happy. I think this will be rather relaxing, hopefully without any talk about marriages and the like…
"Okay." We go down the stairs and pass by some other members of the guild who seem to be rather happy for me. I hope many of them will get far in the tournament, though I still hope that I'll win. Well, I don't hope so, I will win!
The air outside is fairly cool and clean. There are few people walking around at this time of the day, it is somewhat special. The town at night… I used to be afraid of the town around this time, but now I like it very much.
The sea is almost everywhere in this city, the soothing waves, the seagulls and the smell of the sea… This city is so wonderful, especially when the moon is out. It almost looks as if liquid silver was flowing through the water canals instead of mere water…
It is such a magical atmosphere… It was a good idea to go for a walk with Sugar, after all. There is almost no-one out here at this time and the only sound comes from the waves and the birds. I think we will get on this ship again.
"Sugar, let's go-" Hm, the small movements on the ship are also rather relaxing, though Sugar probably won't feel much of that, since she is floating all the time…
"Congratulations on winning your first battle, master." Ah, at least someone really appreciates my efforts. Though it was probably rather Sugar's work, without her I probably would have lost today. She sure is amazing…
"Thank you, Sugar. But, it was all thanks to you, I really appreciate it." She really did a lot for me and she doesn't even ask for anything in return. Well, she wants me to marry her, but that's a different matter entirely.
"No, master… I only fought as you have instructed. I haven't been this excited in a long time, though. I felt as if I were fighting alongside Master Shintetsu…" I think that she's just flattering me now… my father was one of the strongest craftlords ever, from what I know…
"A sword is not strength. A sword is not skill. A sword is not fellowship. That's what one of the craftlords said today." I think I'm beginning to understand the meaning behind those words, though I could be wrong…
"The three tenets of craftknighthood: craftsmanship, sword skills and guardian beasts." Though there is probably much more to it than what I understand right now…
"Yes… after fighting alongside you, I think I understand a little more of what that means. Perhaps if both of us work harder together... We'll be victorious!" Sugar also seems to be encouraged by this. I believe even stronger in our victory now…
"Yes, master. Please remember that I'll always be with you, even after we win the tournament." I think she really means that… It's great to have such a wonderful friend, isn't it?
"Thank you …" I don't really know what else to say… She wants to be there for me, for the rest of my life… That'll be a long time… Well, at least I hope so…
"Even if you tell me no, I will be forever by your side…" Now she is slightly blushing… Well, I'm still happy that she is around, even if she is a little bit strange at times…
"No worries! I would never say no to you, Sugar." Well, I would say no to her if she asks me for something ridiculous such as marrying her, but that's not really what I meant.
"Master Pratty, could I ask you something?" Hm, Sugar seems to be serious about this. I wonder what she's going to ask.
"What is it, Sugar?" I just hope it's nothing bad. Or related to marriage…
"You mentioned that you think you understand the three tenets better now. Could you tell me what you have learned?" Uh… That's a little bit embarrassing, I think. Sugar will probably laugh at me for thinking the meaning behind the three tenets is so simple…
"Well… Uh… But you won't laugh, will you?" I have a feeling that she'll laugh either way, but I guess it won't hurt to tell her…
"As you wish, Master Pratty. I won't laugh at you, no matter what you'll say. Probably…" I didn't quite catch that last word, but she said she's not going to laugh at me… Well, I might as well tell her already.
"I think that the three tenets mean that a sword is neither strength nor skill nor partnership but a combination of all these things. At least that's what I think it means…" She is chuckling quite a bit… I probably shouldn't have told her…
"Ah, I'm sorry, Master Pratty. I wasn't laughing at you or anything. I just remembered that Master Shintetsu told me the exact same thing once." 'Sigh' Is there anything I can say at all without reminding someone of my father…?
"And…? Was he right? Am I right?" Sugar seems to think about it for a moment and answers after a while.
"I think that there is no right way or a wrong way to interpret the three tenets. There are many possible interpretations and some craftknights study them for their entire lifes without reaching a definite conclusion." Great… So how should I know how I should act as a craftlord…?
"I think that's a little bit too much for me… I'm not really that good with philosophy and other intellectual topics…" It's somewhat sad, I think, but that's the way things are right now. Though I'll probably have to learn about those things as well.
"Don't worry about it too much, Master Pratty. You will probably see many different meanings in those words over the cause of the years. And it's not bad at all, for your first interpretation." She's probably just saying that to cheer me up…
"Well, it was nice going out for a walk with you, Sugar. Maybe we should do it again tomorrow. Oh, and you don't have to make anything for breakfast tomorrow, we collected more than enough money today so I think I'll treat you to a restaurant, alright?" Now she's almost radiating happiness…
"That sounds wonderful, Master Pratty… A romantic breakfast… Though the night would have been a better time, with candles and everything~" I think she's getting the wrong idea…
"Not like that, Sugar… I'm just inviting you as a friend. Don't make more of it than what it is, alright?" This sounded a lot more awkward than what I intended to say… "Look, I'm sorry, just don't push it too far."
"I understand, Master Pratty. And that is fine, for now. I think I will go around town for a bit, on my own." I think I made her sad… Well, she probably wants some time to herself, it was quite a long day for both of us.
I think I will also go somewhere else for a while, since it isn't too late yet and I don't feel that tired. Hm, I wonder what the moon would look like from below the water… I always wondered about that. But now I have a way to find out, don't I? Maybe I'll even meet Sanary and get back at her for earlier… As if…
So I walk towards the Central Tower. It must be a wonderful view through that small "window" in the wall. Sugar was going into some shop on the market or something, but I guess she wouldn't want me there right now…
Somehow I feel a little bit down because of that, but what I said was too rough, even for my taste, I should probably wait until later before I talk to her about that again. The other craftknights are probably already in their beds by now, so the labyrinth should be empty.
Even the summon beasts seem to rest at night, none of the slimes I see are trying to attack me or anything like that. I guess even they need their rest, huh? Well, the ones in the deeper levels are probably not like that, otherwise this place would be unprotected at night.
These strange crystals also seem to emit light. The dungeon is as bright as it was during daylight. Wow, this is amazing… I didn't really pay that much to it before, but you can see parts of the city from down here.
Well, it's all fairly distorted, but you can still see some of it. And the moonlight is shining through the entire ocean, or so it seems… I can even see the fishes. The deeper the water the less the moonlight, I guess. There is a dark abyss below us.
But it doesn't seem to be so threatening, it rather reminds me of a slow descend from being awake to falling asleep. I wonder what might be, deep down there… Well, I'll probably never know. I can also hear some footsteps…
"Oh, Sanary!" I didn't really expect that- Well, I wasn't really expecting anyone to come down here at this time. Though Sanary seemed to like this place, so it's only natural that she would come here as well, right?
"Congratulations, Pratty…" And a nice reply? Maybe I could even take that as a compliment? I guess she is rather nice, at least when she isn't making fun of me. Well, everyone deserves a second chance, I guess.
"Hehehe. Thank you. You saw my match today?" I'm not really too proud of it, I think I could have been better, but I won, so that's alright. Though Sanary is probably still a lot better than me. Or she's just overconfident, but I somewhat doubt that…
"You fought well. Do you remember what Master Sakuro said? A sword is not strength. A sword is not skill. A sword is not fellowship. A craftknight's true strength can't be judged just by the quality of his weapon, the skill to use it, or by the strength of his guardian beast."
"Yes, I remember that. I was talking to Sugar about it before. I came to the conclusion that all these things are needed to be a good craftknight." Hm, Sanary doesn't seem to be about to laugh at me. Maybe it wasn't so stupid after all…
"Yes, only when one is endowed with all of these qualities can one be considered a good craftknight. You proved yourself today that you really are the daughter of Craftlord Shintetsu." Wow. Everyone seems to shower me with praise today…
"Hehehe." I guess great minds think alike. Well, I'm not that great a mind, but I guess I'm not stupid either. Or maybe I am. Well, whatever.
"By the way, what brings you to a place like this?" I came here because I made Sugar sad, so I wanted to give her some time to herself… Not really any other reason. And I don't really want to talk about this with Sanary…
"No particular reason, but… I was just recalling the time I met you here…" Well, that's part of the reason I came here and I'm sure that no-one would want to listen to the troubles of some stranger one barely knows
"… …I see." I don't think I was too convincing and Sanary probably saw right through it, but she doesn't seem to be interested in pressing the matter any further. That's actually a relief for me, I don't really want to talk about it right now either way.
"Actually, I was going to exact my revenge on you here if I ran into you, but… You seem a little upset. Anything wrong?" Well, she'll probably tell me right away if she doesn't want to talk about it, so I don't really worry about asking.
"Uh, not really, but… I feel a little nervous…To tell you the truth, I've received the notice for my first match today, and I'm really nervous… So I took a walk to calm myself down…" Hey… Sanary acts pretty tough all the time, but she has a real cute side to her, too.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You're grinning at me… I bet you think I'm cute when I get all girly, don't you?" Whoa, how'd she know that!? She saw right through me. I didn't even realise I was grinning…
"I don't mind. I'm not embarrassed by it. After all, I am a girl." I actually somewhat like her attitude, now that we are talking in a relaxed manner. Maybe we'll become friends after this whole tournament…
"Yeah, I can see that…" It's not that hard to tell, in my opinion. A violet shirt, a white breastplate with red laces and her long red hair… I have never seen a boy wearing something like that.
"I'm going to become the cutest and coolest woman ever!" She could probably do that, she is rather cute and probably quite capable. I can be happy that Sugar doesn't hear my thoughts right now…
"I see… I think I now know now why you try to act so tough all the time…"
"You're a strange one…" Hm, maybe I am. Master Bron tells me the same all of the time...
"You think so…? You're basically saying, to become a proper girl, she needs to be able to do anything that a boy can do. Am I right? That's a really tough thing to do, but good luck! I'll be cheering for you!" At least that's what I think she meant…
"It's none of your business…" Though judging by her grin she seems to be rather amused.
"Hehehe, sorry. Say, I'm hungry. Would you like to come and eat with me?" I have more than enough money for something today and there should be more than enough for inviting Sugar tomorrow as well.
"I'd like to, but I need to rest up. I've got a fight tomorrow, so I really shouldn't go out." I can see that, I might have another match tomorrow as well, for all I know…
"Oh…" Though I would have preferred some company…
"That's what I SHOULD say, but I wouldn't mind joining you two for the company." Hm, that's right, I should go and look for Sugar as well, since she doesn't want to return home over night she'll also need something to eat.
"Really? Are you sure?" I don't want to get into Sanary's way and bother her when she should be resting instead…
"Yup! Let me tell you something. No proper girl can refuse an offer of a good meal!" Well, I guess that should settle it. Tonight I'll have dinner with Sanary and Sugar.
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Sugar's POV
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"That sounds wonderful, Master Pratty… A romantic breakfast… Though the night would have been a better time, with candles and everything~" Ah, a romantic visit at a restaurant, all alone with Master Pratty…"
"Not like that, Sugar… I'm just inviting you as a friend. Don't make more of it than what it is, alright? … Look, I'm sorry, just don't push it too far." I can somewhat understand what Master Pratty is trying to say, but it still makes me feel somewhat sad…
"I understand, Master Pratty. And that is fine, for now. I think I will go around town for a bit, on my own." A little bit time for ourselves should be good for both of us as well. I will just visit Nathalia and Norbert, Master Pratty will probably find something else to do.
She probably wouldn't want my company right now either way… I know that I should refrain myself from trying to flirt with Master Pratty so much since it always backfires, but I can't really help it. I didn't get to be with Master Shintetsu because I was too hesitant…
Am I too persistent now? I don't want to lose Master Pratty as well… It might be a little bit strange to fall in love so fast, but I am head over heels in love with her… If only she could show me a little bit more affection…
No, that isn't really right either. She does show me a lot of affection, more than what I could ask for. If she really wanted to she could have send me back home when I wasn't needed or she could have thrown me out of her room at the Silver Guild…
But I do want more… Well, you can't force love, I guess. Though you can give it a little push, from time to time… Not that I really can influence the outcome of our relationship. I might not even live long enough to marry Master Pratty…
Tch, enough of these stupid and depressing thoughts. If it comes to it I will gladly sacrifice my life for Master Pratty. Master Shintetsu did the same for everyone else and he even had a wife and a daughter…
"Good evening, Sugar. Can we do anything for you today?" I didn't even realise it, but I'm already in front of the store and Norbert gestures for me to come in. I guess I was a little bit distracted. Well, enough of the depressing thoughts, Nathalia already has enough of those, I should rather try to cheer her up.
"Good evening, Norbert. I was just coming by to visit, that's all. Is Nathalia also here?" I don't see her anywhere, so she's probably upstairs right now or outside.
"Mother is upstairs, though she's probably asleep by now. I could go and get her, if you want to. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."
"No, that's alright, I wouldn't want to bother her. I can come here again tomorrow and see her." I wouldn't want to wake her up, it's always unpleasant. If I come back again tomorrow it would be better for.
"Alright, but you can still stay for a little while, if you want to. It's quite boring in a shop all alone in the evening." Well, I could also use some company, there is no-one else I know around here and I probably won't meet Master Pratty again until I go to bed.
"Well, I can hardly refuse such a polite request, can I?" Well, I could, but I have no reason for that right now.
"Alright, you can take a seat over there. Would you like some tea or something else?" Well, a nice tea would be quite refreshing.
"Yes, I would like that. Thank you very much." A little bit of distraction can't hurt, right? Right now it would be a welcome change. I've been thinking too much about depressing things. Well, as I thought, enough of the depressing things.
"Are you alright, Sugar? You seem to be somewhat down." Or not… Well, I would also ask if I saw someone I knew seemingly depressed.
"It's nothing, I just had a small disagreement with Master Pratty." I might as well talk about it for a little while, though I'll leave out the details, I think. That wouldn't be very fair towards Master Pratty.
"I think Pratty is a nice girl, though she is a little bit slow at times. If she did something wrong she probably didn't mean it that way. At least that's the case with the Pratty I know." He is right about that much…
"Yes, I know. It just got me to think about other depressing things and went into a spiral downwards. Anyways, I feel better now, thank you." I haven't forgotten all about it, but I can think about that some other time, right?
"That's good to hear. I will also have to congratulate her when she comes by. She did very well in her match today and you were also very good. You make a great team." Oh, the tournament. For a moment I forgot about that, it seemed to be rather irrelevant…
"You charmer. But Master Pratty was rather good, for her first time. She might win the tournament, after all." Actually the tournament is pretty much a farce to distract the people, but it might also keep Master Pratty occupied.
"Well, you got me there. But what is this "She might win the tournament"? Geez, you of all people should believe in her, shouldn't you." Well, he is right. If I doubt Master Pratty I wouldn't make a good wife, right?
"Sorry about that. You are right, she will win! She is the daughter of Master Shintetsu and I am helping her! There is nothing that could stop us!" Well, almost nothing, but true love conquers all, right?
"That's more like it! There were quite some people cheering for Pratty, though Chaves wasn't really that popular to begin with. Well, there were also some bets, but most thought that Chaves would win. Well, more money for me…"
"Hmhm, you are quite sly, aren't you?" Quite amusing to think how surprised the audience must have been. Especially those who bid against Master Pratty… Well, serves them right. How tall or strong someone is isn't everything, after all.
"But of course, I am a businessman, after all. And we always have to search for some new source of income, otherwise someone else will take our place. Kidding aside, I'm happy for the both of you." Norbert is quite a pleasant person to be around, with a soft voice and he isn't looking too bad. Well, I have Master Pratty, so I don't care about that so much…
"I'm also very happy for Master Pratty. Winning the tournament is her great dream, after all." And since it is her dream it is mine as well. There will be a lot of work to do before Master Pratty can be a proper craftlord, but we will be together for all that time and even beyond that~
"She always told me how she would become a craftlord when she grew up. And it seems as if she would follow it through. Well, here is your tea." There's nothing better than a cup of tea after a tiring day. Well, except for a bath with Master Pratty...
"Thank you very much, Norbert. Well, I will probably have to take care of most of the work, Master Shintetsu also was never very good at the paperwork and Master Pratty seems to be exactly like him." Fruit tea, quite good, not too sweet and not too sour.
"Well, I never really got to know Shintetsu, he was always busy with his work from what I know. It is quite a lot of work to manage a city, so I can understand it. And Pratty and Amariss seem to be fine on their own."
"Master Pratty is rather reliable, from what I can tell. Though she's also a little too idle… Well, I still like her very much." A lot… well, maybe a little bit more…
"She often went shopping for her mother, although she was late most of the time. She always had to hurry up because she slept so long, at least that's what Amariss told me." Hm, just like Master Shintetsu. He was always late as well, almost no exceptions…
"That does sound like her. If I don't wake her up every day she would probably lose the tournament because she'd oversleep without me." Well, that might actually happen, if I don't take care of her…
"If that's the case I am happy that you help her out, otherwise I would probably lose some money… Not to mention how Pratty would feel about it." Well, she would be really depressed… I don't really want something like that to happen, but it's not impossible.
"Don't worry, I will take good care of her." Hm, I wonder where Master Pratty is right now and what she is doing…
"Hey, Sugar. Here you are. Oh, hello Norbert." That was… Master Pratty? I hope I'm not beginning to hallucinate… It hasn't been that long since we parted, after all.
"Hey, nice to see you." Sanary is also here. Well, Master Pratty was probably spending some time with her and decided to go shopping or something.
"Hey, Pratty, Sanary. Nice to see the both of you. Can I get you something?" It must be fate for us to meet like this~
"Ah, no, thank you. We were looking for Sugar and I saw her coming in here a while ago." I have to… hug her!
"Master Pratty… I missed you…" I did it again… Master Pratty is taken completely by surprise and she sounds really cute as she yelps…
"Wah. Sugar, stop it already..." My beloved Master Pratty has returned to me… I shouldn't be so impulsive, it will just make Master Pratty upset again… But she is so soft, her hair is so fluffy and she smells so good~
"Oh, that was quick. I was expecting some sort of conversation before they would become reconciled…" I should really let Master Pratty go… She seems to be pretty upset…
"They had an argument? Well, Norbert, maybe we should leave them alone…" I would prefer some time alone with Master Pratty, but she wouldn't want that right now, I guess. I wait another moment and let her go, though not willingly…
"Sugar, please, don't be so impulsive… And no, you should not leave us alone, Sanary…" Now that I think about it…
"Why were you looking for me, Master Pratty?"
"I was going to invite you and Sanary for dinner, Sanary has a match tomorrow in the morning and we thought we'd have some fun before that." Well, I could do without Sanary's company, but this is better than no time with Master Pratty…
"Hm, I would enjoy that. Just let me finish my tea." It would be very rude to let it stand here just like this, after all. I quickly drink the last bit of tea.
"Well, have fun out there. I will take care of the shop." Well, someone has to do it. Besides, I don't really want any more company, Sanary is more than enough…
"Thank you for the tea, Norbert. I'll come by again tomorrow." After we all said good bye to Norbert we went out onto the street.
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Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to mix the scenes of the characters a little bit, I hope the outcome is somewhat enjoyable. So far I didn't hear anyone being against having more than one of the scenes, so here is the result. I'm not really sure about it, but I guess it's acceptable?