Chapter 3: The Life of a "Spare"
Before I knew it, seven years passed.
I'd say I was growing well. It'd be a while longer before I had to suffer puberty for a second time, but I was getting a good idea of the trajectory I was likely going to be on as I grew more. I seemed to be growing more inclined to a naturally slimmer build, contrasting Leonel who was looking like he'd be as wide as Sauros by the time he was an adult.
I'd also decided to go with growing my hair out, and by this time I was sporting a pretty impressive mane of red. Though the staff insisted I keep it controllable, so it was next to always cut to a style I could easily pull into a neat if kinda naturally messy tail. The woes of naturally fluffy, mess prone hair I suppose.
Otherwise, it was also seven years of a home life that was equal parts distant and close. After the whole "launched a fireball into the capital sky" incident, after an initial chewing out, with it now being out to the whole Boreas manor that I could in fact perform magic at a level well beyond what anyone my age could manage, James was quick to start calling in the mage tutors to "teach the boy properly". Ironically enough despite his statement about not hiring out home tutors.
Seemed learning the toddler could launch explosive fireballs was enough to warrant calling the Mages Guild to do just that to make sure I didn't blow out a manor wall.
And let's just say it was more of a challenge to not let on that I could use spells silently. I had no clue how silent casting was viewed among mages, so I found it best to ignore mentioning it as something I was practicing and stick to using truncated spell incantations. Otherwise, my normal self-taught methods worked well enough when applied to more formal lessons.
I wound up going through a few mentors over these seven years. It was about what you could expect from court mages, dipping out because their pride ended up wounded by the "prodigy" who grasped their lessons so easily and made the spellcasting they'd dedicated their lives too look almost too easily accomplished even despite his own weaker points. But hey, at least I got a decent wand for spellcasting out of that chain of incidents.
Turns out its tradition that when a student has mastered Beginner spells that they be given a wand for when they begin Intermediate spells… though considering I skipped right past the formal process and was already technically an Intermediate mage by the time I was being mentored, I of course never quite knew that bit until recently.
It was only by the time I was being sent to the royal academy I was consistently keeping a magic tutor around… if because they were being paid by the state and so could only grumble about the fact I performed so well under them.
It was through more formal study I also learned how spells were ranked—and simultaneously how swordsmen were ranked as well.
My spellbook studies had given an idea, but through some more formal education I had a better grasp of it. In short, things were classified among seven ranks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, and God. The way these ranks are used differ between swordsmen and mages, but overall the concepts line up well enough.
But for now, let's keep it focused too magic.
For one, spells are ranked based on how much mana they use to cast. So EG, a Water Ball spell is Beginner-tier because it uses a minimal amount of mana, meanwhile a Saint-tier spell uses enough mana that in terms of scale it can full on effect the weather when used. Heck I even learned the general ratios to boot.
Only about 1 in 20 people are even born with mana amounts suitable for using magic, and a similar number capable of actually learning to use it properly. Much more harshly however, only 1 in 100 mages are able to reach the Advanced rank and that's with one element out of four. My best bet for now was probably trying to reach Advanced rank in Fire spells, if it turned out to even be possible for me.
As it were, mages were succinctly classified by rank based on what tier of spell they're capable of using. A mage thus is only called a Saint in whatever their elemental specialty is not just because they're strong enough to use magic on that scale, but by even so much as having the ability to cast at that tier in the first place. Just having knowledge of the spell isn't enough, predictably, you'd obviously need to have the capability to use it to begin with to truly classify as that rank.
Conversely that means it should also be possible for a lower-tier spell to be slated as on par with something higher tier if the right amount of mana is used for it. My practice with spell modification or melding has clinched that idea at least.
And where have I gotten in seven years of continual practice and formal tutoring one may ask?
Just getting into actually practicing Advanced rank spells. Which as far as the people teaching me were concerned was impressive enough for a nine-year-old to so much as be capable of.
Look, I live in the largest capital city on the planet, and magic doesn't exactly discriminate in what it does or doesn't damage. You try making rapid progress when you're surrounded by a bunch of stiff and petty nobles who don't take kindly to a little kid showing their asses up. Just practicing without the proper care or room to work with has the odds of accidentally demolishing a wall… or an entire building. Again, see the whole "detonated an explosive fireball in the skies of the royal capital" incident.
But the other thing I was now finally learning was swordplay. My first lessons were, unfortunately perhaps, directly from the tutors at the royal academy after I started attending. Lessons were basic but informative, and hey, least now I've got plenty of notes to work off of. And that being the three primary styles of swordsmanship that were taught and expanded on. Those being Sword God, Water God, and North God.
The first thing is that like mages, swordsmen are ranked in the same scale. I can't say much about the ratios as with magic, but there's a general matchup. Though in this case I guess we can take it as more like belts in a martial arts school. Not fully an indication of overall strength but moreso recognition of mastery over techniques and skill. Though from what I've gathered, each school has their own condition for recognizing a student as Saint ranked.
And neat note, in this world people are only recognized as a "Swordsman" if they've practiced any of these styles. A warrior who hasn't is a "Fighter" instead.
Sword God was the most straightforward of the three. It was a style focused on speed and aggression. Practitioners were trained to defeat their foes in as few attacks as possible. The main school that taught this style was much further north here in the Central Continent, up in a land called, creatively, the Holy Sword Land.
This was the style Ghyslaine was trained in and had been teaching to Leonel before we came to Ars, and she was King ranked in the style, a fame worthy feat enough as is. Being recognized as a Saint in this style required one to master a technique called "The Longsword of Light"… no idea what that actually means but it's surely some kind of cornerstone technique of mastery.
Considering the school's motto is [Victory goes to he who moves first] I can imagine it's some kind of lightning quick slashing move.
Beyond Saint rank, unsurprisingly for such an aggressive style, getting past King rank—which requires recognition by the Sword God—is a trial by fire. My tutors weren't keen on saying more than that at current though.
Mostly because the Sword God instructor at the academy wasn't even a Sword Saint anyway.
Water God style was the one based here in Ars. It's a style focused on defensive techniques and parries, in direct counter to Sword God's aggression. Unsurprisingly, this has made the style more commonly seen among knights and the nobility, being more focused on defending the self than active combat.
This one came with some added interest for me since some of what I was learning has to do with also reading the flow of magic, which, well… as a "talented" mage I am obviously pretty apt at doing already. The foundational technique for this style is "Flow", both the most basic yet most important technique on offer. A counter stance that is meant to redirect and counter any blow, so it makes sense it'd be the backbone of the style.
Being recognized as a Saint in this style comes with mastering one of the Five Secret Arts, all of them incredibly difficult to master techniques on their own. Mastering three of these techniques will qualify someone to be a candidate for the school's God rank.
The current Water God is pretty famous here in Ars: Reida Reia, who had inherited the position for mastering a technique that combines the two most difficult Secret Arts, a "phantom sixth art" if you will. The Water God instructor really liked rambling on about the famous master of their dojo. But hey, I wasn't arguing since it meant more info for when I found my way there myself.
Lastly was North God. This one was… trickier. See, North God isn't a style per-se, rather it's about battle tactics, survival, and how best to adapt to one's environment. As a result, whereas Sword God and Water God have defined techniques and traditions, North God practitioners are kind of all over the place. A style formed from a mishmash of useful tricks for a swordsman to know when out in the wilderness or in the middle of a scrap.
Heck, you didn't even need to use a sword at all under North God, any kind of weapon or style of use was seen as permissible. As such, North God is widely spread among adventurers and mercenaries, usually with some mix of Sword God techniques in there as well.
But also, as a result I had no idea how someone advanced in the ranks as a North God user. Guess it just came with recognition from another practitioner of higher rank. And unlike the other two styles, this meant the royal academy couldn't really hire out an instructor for it.
I mean, they definitely could, but they probably wouldn't anyway since North God wasn't popular among the nobility. I'd seen more than a few stuck up noses when I asked about it, some mutters about "a style for ruffians" and things of that nature.
Either way, this is what made up much of my newfound routine at the royal academy. General education for any young noble from etiquette, ballroom dancing, or court manners to the basics of writing and math… which ended up being more than a bit funny since, y'know, Japanese high schooler and all that. When it came to actual education, I was leaving all these noble kids in the dust with any of these subjects.
My early foray into language studies also proved useful. Granted, I did get some looks for the fact I was learning Beast God. A few remarks of "well of course the Boreas kid is learning it." We know the reason why.
Though the fact I'd elected for both the swordsmanship and magical classes certainly brought some looks my way. It wasn't unusual per se for a noble to learn either one, heck younger nobles often took up positions as royal guards or other stations leading up to them taking over their household's leaderships. Rather it was the fact I was taking both to begin with.
And excelling for that matter.
Magic was obviously the easy one since I'd been practicing it for well around seven years total so far, heck the fact I was touching on the Advanced rank at all before I was even ten was enough to make me stand out among the other mage students.
Swordsmanship was the one that came as a bit more of a surprise for me. Sure, I'd dabbled in the idea back on Earth, taken a few kendo classes here and there out of interest. But I'd never really dedicated to the practice, and as such anything I had picked up was, well, as useless as you'd expect.
Heck the only bits of knowledge from my old life I found useful is the math skills. I'm also not stupid enough to think reading fantasy novels is an effective way to "prepare" for suddenly being reincarnated into a world like said novels.
But as I'd started picking up swordplay after joining the academy at seven-years-old, alongside sparring with Leonel when we got the chance, I found myself acclimating to it quite naturally. Sure, nobody was expecting a small child to get that far, but I was sure that by the time I was hitting my tweens I'd start making genuine progress beyond the Beginner and Intermediate stages… heck I was still counted as a Beginner in both Sword and Water God anyway, since both took around three years of training to actually even be regarded as the start of Intermediate.
Leonel was making quite good progress in that regard as well, actually. As a swordsman, that was where he was getting his name among other nobles whereas Romeo excelled at the general side of things but was leagues behind us in magic or swordplay. When he was still attending, the instructors were already talking that Leonel was sure to hit Advanced rank in Water God and Sword God before he was fifteen… of anything the two instructors were in a constant argument which one he'd do so in first even when it was me they were teaching alongside the rest of my class.
It made classes pretty funny that was for sure.
Speaking of the royal academy, it was dense. All about cramming in those lessons and getting those noble children out into what their families wanted them to do. As such, the enrollment period was only for three years. Meaning Leonel and Romeo had already been through their tenure, and I was a year out from my own wrapping up. The biggest thing I remember, aside from the stories Leonel told me about how he and Romeo basically spent those three years constantly competing, was also attending the graduation ceremony.
It was this big feast held at the Silver Palace itself. A time where, be them noble or commoner, everyone graduating was treated as an equal amid that large hall in the palace. It was bright, full of food and music, and all kinds of praise for the students. And all of it just a goddamn horse and pony show. The commoners would no doubt be carted out to go back to their menial jobs while the noble kids would be folded into the petty politics soon enough.
So, I can't say I was really looking forward to my turn on the docket.
As for interesting classmates? Well… there is that princess, but… eh, maybe I'll save that for later.
But, what about life in the Boreas Greyrat house? Well… let's say James didn't seem too fond of how things were going.
It was clear to me and Leonel from the get-go that James didn't have any intention of using us as anything but tools to keep Philip in line. He was fully intending to keep us to the side and ensure Romeo would be the one to take over the Boreas household once he was older. So, Leonel and I standing out thanks to our evident talents where his son was just a good court noble didn't exactly look good for him.
Perhaps more frustratingly for our uncle was the fact he couldn't exactly do anything about it. Oh, we had definitely gotten a few tongue lashings over it, I still remember how hard I'd been chewed out for that Ex-Flame spell incident. Quite sure the only reason James hadn't actually hit me—despite having clearly wanted to—was little more than decorum. It wouldn't look good for the head to go striking the curious toddler who'd shown off a latent talent that'd be useful to the Boreas after all.
Leonel and I were both sure we wouldn't be getting away with that excuse as we got older. For now, we were all just children, uninvolved in court politics or the proper matters of nobility. There were three years until Leonel and Romeo came of age, plenty of time for their already frosty relationship to grow into a fiercer rivalry as they started vying for leadership and put themselves to work as proper members of the Boreas house.
And again, James clearly was looking to rig that one as well.
And me? The youngest son? I wasn't anywhere to be seen in these talks. Leonel and Romeo were the competitors here. Me? I was just the spare. The one who was probably going to be married off to some other royal family, sent away to perform some duty for the royal family, or kept around to be "useful" as far as they were concerned. The only way James and my other relatives here in Ars would even consider the idea was if anything happened to knock Leonel and Romeo out of the race in the future. And that was so far off the thought of me as the future head was seen as laughable.
Leonel had come to me grumbling about the way he'd seen others talking about me behind my back more than enough times to make this one clear.
But hey, being "the spare" had its advantages… well, projected advantages anyway. I'm nine, not a lot I can do right now besides diligently attend school and not cause too much trouble. But as I get older? I can definitely see it coming with perks. Mostly of the "nobody actually cares what I do outside of notice" kind of perks.
The "running off to do adventurer stuff" kind of perks.
Oh, I definitely haven't given up on that idea. And what better way to get away with it than using the fact I'd be under most people's notice to slink off and register in my own time eh? So long as I wasn't straying too far too soon, who'd catch on with "the spare" running around plying his practical skills as he sees fit. Or really, if they did catch on, who'd care?
Well… maybe the staff would. I'd gotten into the good graces with the Boreas household staff over the last five years, and some of the maids and butlers actually gave enough of a damn to be a bit worried I was talking about becoming an adventurer once I was off the leash that was the academy in another year.
Or at least once I was actually old enough to be physically capable of it. A couple years learning from the Water God dojo sounded like a decent enough time. Heck maybe I'd also find a proper magic tutor to help my break out of Intermediate ranked magic.
… or I could just sneak out of the city and practice out in the wilds. I'd figure it out.
As it was though, with me a year out and Leonel free to basically do as he pleased while Romeo was the one getting to do all the fancy noble stuff alongside his father, there was that day when Leonel came busting into my room one day after school.
"Aegir!" And when he did bust in, I was mid some magic practice trying to get the hang of earth spells. Which unfortunately meant the sudden barging in sent some flecks of claw flying across the room as I flinched. "Ah, sorry."
"It's fine," A quick wave of my hand drew the scattered clay off the… everything, reducing it to a small ball in my palm. "What's up? You haven't been this chipper for… a while. Something good happen?"
"Oh, you bet it did!" Leonel pulled up the spare chair I had by my desk, still practically bouncing as he sat down. "So you know I started practicing at the Water God dojo right?"
"Yeah, you did that right out of the academy."
"I was able to convince them to take you on early! So come on, Grell's gonna take us in the carriage!" Grell being a butler whom Leonel and I had been attended to since we'd arrived in Ars. He was an older gentleman, and by this point he felt like a friendly uncle to us.
"Is this what you've been doing for the past few days?" My question got a hurried nod from my brother.
"I mean it's not a full apprenticeship, that'll be after you graduate from the royal academy, but for now they said you can join in on lessons during days off. Besides, you're already almost Intermediate ranked anyway. But c'mon, let's go and get ready, we can talk on the carriage over to the dojo!"
"Alright."
I decided to just pocket the lump and follow Leonel out. He was all too hyped up as we left the mansion, about bouncing in his seat as we loaded up into the carriage and set off.
"So what's got you so amped up about just visiting the dojo today?" I couldn't help but ask, and Leonel snickered as he rubbed his nose. "This isn't just about starting my apprenticeship there, isn't it?"
"Keen as ever my younger brother!" Leonel tapped his chest with a thumb, an oh so proud smile on his face. "I am being tested to see if I qualify for Advanced rank in the Water God style! And I wanted to be sure you were there to see it!"
"Heeeehhh, Advanced Rank before you're fifteen huh? That's definitely impressive."
"Says the kid who's not even ten and might as well be an Advanced Mage already," Leonel's counter praise in turn earned a snicker from me. "Oh! That reminded me, you should also look into the Mage's Guild after you graduate. They'll for sure have more resources for you to look through in learning more spells. Heck, you might even make it to Saint rank through them!"
"You've got some loft ideas about where I could get," though not like the prospect didn't interest me. Honestly though I think I'd be pretty content reaching Advanced rank and staying there. Of anything, with what I plan to do, learning more basic spells and improving on how I use them in practical situations sounds better. Do I really need to know how to cast a spell that manipulates the weather when I'm also planning to use swordplay? "Y'know, I still want to become an adventurer."
"Eh?" Leonel blinked a couple of times. What, did he think I'd just dropped that one after seven years? "Really? I mean, I know the past few years have maybe been kind of boring but… you still want to do that?"
"Better than getting caught up in all those dumb politics," Leonel flinched a bit at my blasé dismissal of things. "It doesn't feel like my thing. I get along better with the commoners at the academy than I do the other nobles. And all they do is stick their noses up at me since I'm "the talented spare" making them all look bad. I'd be better off just doing my own thing, don't you think?"
"Yeah, but… what about…" Leonel shook his head. Seems I'd accidentally tripped on something. "Nah, doesn't matter right now. We have plenty of time. Let's just focus on this for now yeah? Think about that after you graduate, yeah?"
"That was the idea…"
Now it just felt like I'd killed Leonel's mood. If there was one thing I had to praise my brother for, it was that seven years had done little to dull that spark he'd earned when we'd been taken to Ars. There wasn't a day that went by he didn't make it clear he was doing his best to not just show up Romeo, but also stick it to James by proving he was the better son in this race to prove their worth as future leaders. Despite all attempts, he still held firm in his belief that one day, Philip and Sauros were going to take control of the Boreas back from James.
Though I wasn't sure if he was starting to have doubts or not. But… maybe it was my clear disinterest in noble politics. Which is wholly genuine I'll add. But for him, well… guess it's easy to shrug off as the grumblings of an annoyed kid who doesn't know better.
If only he knew, huh?
"It's not like I'd go far," I spoke up again, Leonel perking up. "I'm planning to join the guild branch here in Ars. And I wouldn't take jobs that take me that far away… often. Maybe as I get older… plus I doubt they'd let a kid take on anything too dangerous even if I show the skills for it."
"Yeah but you're nobility. I'm sure they'd let you get away with anything."
"Who said I was going to use the Greyrat name? That'd make me look bad. Last thing I need is a bunch of seasoned adventurers griping about some noble brat waltzing in and acting like he 'owns the place' because I can toss around the name of a capital noble."
"You're too smart for your own good, y'know that?" As Leonel sighed, I flashed a v-sign at him. "Hmm… actually, maybe it would work… an adventurer can take jobs away from the capital… so maybe… yeah that could work out, actually…"
"Leonel?"
"Ahaha, nothing, nothing!" Oh, he was definitely scheming something. Seems Leonel had absolutely inherited that one from our father. "Stuff for later. Grell! How much further till we get to the dojo?"
"Not much longer, Master Leonel! We're already in the Knight's District."
"Hehehe, here we go. Ready, Aegir?" Leonel looked back to me, and I gave him a nod.
For now, though, at least I could say we were still brothers. Seven years of being swamped in noble politics hadn't changed that. And I wished it'd stay that way.
Leonel had been quick to join up with the Water God dojo after he graduated from the royal academy a couple years back. While he was stuck in a lot of the same duties as Romeo, James deciding to try and crimp him out of proper business was more to his advantage than anything. It gave my brother more time to play his other skills and learn things his way.
And he had been almost voracious in continuing to practice his swordsmanship. Leonel himself had told me he wanted to be sure that the day we saw Ghyslaine again, that he'd be able to put up an actual fight against her. Not win mind, I doubt he expected to get anywhere close to her level anytime soon, but close enough to show he wasn't letting what she had taught him go to waste.
It did get him some odd looks during the functions we were stuck attending every now and again. You wouldn't believe how often we get our butts dragged off to parties, be it for relatives celebrating a child's birthday or just typical noble time wasting. I'd gotten more than a bit sick of being dragged to manors and opera houses so James could do whatever shady backdoor shit he was no doubt up to.
I was wondering how many of these parties were also him trying to see which families would "take the spares" off his hands once we were old enough to justify it. If not before… ugh. I can't imagine how much worse we'd have it if either me or Leonel were girls. Kind of glad Eris is still in Roa with the rest of our family, in all honesty, Spare her this kind of crap.
But back on the topic of things. Me and my tangents.
The Water God Dojo was in a part of Ars known as the Knight's District. A part of the city that catered to, well… knights, mostly. It was home to anything a soldier—or adventurer—could need. Weapon and armor smiths making the best Asuran crafts folk could provide, peddlers trading in supplies for the road or in training. Living quarters lining roads and more. Even the Ars Adventurer Guild branch was located here, so one saw a healthy dose of Knights and rougher sorts roaming about the area along with the normal folk who lived here.
Let's just say James wasn't fond of the fact Leonel spent a lot of time here. It was a good ways away from the Noble District up near the castle, and his hostages hanging around the "rabble" was definitely not on his preferred docket. The man definitely wished he had a tighter leash on us than he did, but I suppose we'd just proven to valuable for our talents for him to do that.
A mediocre child would be far easier to keep in line than kids he had to let look for outside sources to foster their skills. But considering our purpose here was making sure Philip and Sauros were kept in check, I guess that freedom was allowed.
Leonel was of course no such mediocre kid. Perhaps not a "genius" like so many people kept calling me, but crafty, quick to learn, and physically able. Honestly, he was someone I was glad to call my brother, reminded me a bit of my brother in my old life. Just… well without some of the scruples of modern day, I guess.
He was at that age, or soon to be anyway. More than a few parties I'd caught Leonel eyeing up some noble girls—or the younger beastkin maids. He'd been getting particularly friendly with a maid girl about our age who had cat features like Ghyslaine.
But right now, he wasn't Leonel the Noble, he was Leonel the Swordsmen. And currently, the Water God dojo was raring to go.
As one could expect for a place that trained royal knights, the dojo was a large and well-equipped building. Multiple halls for training initiates and squires or giving the veterans the room to spar with each other and keep their skills sharp. I'd visited a few times, and it was almost always the sounds of metal on metal or the sounds of heavy clothing and armor shifting about during practice duels.
A trait particular to the Water God school was that its defensive nature meant movement wasn't as emphasized as with say, Sword God and North God. Followers of those schools trended towards lighter equipment, often no heavier than a decent set of leathers and padded gambeson if not less. But Water God? These guys were rocking everything from heavy padded coats to full suits of plate, ranging from the simple to the no doubt stupidly expensive looks wise.
Rare was it that one saw a student here wearing anything less than mail, but there were some. Apparently, Reida Reia was one of them, and considering she'd mastered this "Phantom Sixth Art", perhaps she didn't need armor to put the defense of a Knight to shame.
But it luckily wasn't the Water God that Leonel was being examined by today. Rather, it was a man who'd taken him on as one of a few students here, a Knight by the name of Clive. Decent enough fellow, I'd met him a few times during my own visits. A skilled enough Knight and a Water Saint, the perfect person to learn from. He was also the one who'd agreed to take me on as another apprentice once I was out of the royal academy.
Guess Leonel had put in a good word.
As for the situation, it was a bunch of the knights standing around to form a decently sized ring, with Leonel and Clive standing in the center. Clive was trussed in his full gear, well worn plate armor on display that showed the wear and use proudly, draped in a fine green cloth over the shoulders bearing the Asuran knight's emblem on it. Leonel was far more lightly dressed, though in decent enough protective gear to make sure he didn't get bruised too badly from a good hit.
Anything better would for sure be done once he was done growing. Armor was fun that way and all.
And since this was a test, both were holding simple wooden practice swords. The things were sturdy enough, though far heavier than the kendo sword I'd handled in my old life. Took some getting used to, but I got adjusted to the more European style I could compare them too pretty easily.
"Couldn't help but bring your brother here, eh, Leonel?" Clive bounced his wooden sword off his pauldron, Leonel snickering as I gave a thumbs up.
"I gotta impress him every now and again, don't I? Aegir's almost an Advanced mage, wouldn't do for the Big Brother to get left behind like that, would it?"
"Hahaha, no, no it wouldn't. Then let's not waste time and see how you've improved over these last two years. Ready, Leonel?"
"Of course, Master!"
With a call from the knight acting as referee, the two swordsmen took their stances. Both were different, since Leonel still stuck to what Ghyslaine had taught him. Leonel's stance was more in line with a Sword God user, taking his sword into both hands and raising it level to his shoulders. Clive otherwise fell into the basic Water God stance that the Flow technique started from, the blade lower to his side, leaving his arms loose enough to move in any direction at a moment's notice.
One stance primed to attack, the other to defend.
In terms of style matchup, Water God had an advantage on Sword God. The defensive, counter focused nature of it was a natural bulwark to the aggressive attacks of Sword God, a school well-known for brewing rather impatient and headstrong users. And Water God tended to teach methods of provocation since it was a style ill-suited for making the first move.
[Boreas kid still sticking to starting with Sword God eh? Can't blame him really, if he was taught by a Sword King for a while.]
[He knows Clive won't even make the first move. If anything, starting from what he knows of Sword God is the best option he could've used.]
[Let's see if he can mix what he knows well enough then.]
[This is a test to see if he qualifies as Advanced in Water God style anyway. Sword God is a second thought here.]
Hearing the chatter go as the two stood still made for some pleasing insight. While it was pretty often that swordsmen stuck to a single style, it wasn't uncommon to blend things together that they picked up from users of the other styles to widen their arsenal or make up for weak points. In this case, Water God can help balance out Sword God by making the user more adaptable and able to respond to counters to their head on attacks with their own parries.
True to what the Knights said, there was no chance of Clive making the first move. And all it took was a confident little smirk to bring that understanding to Leonel for sure. So, my brother responded to it, no provocation needed. His first move was itself the most basic move of the Sword God style, a chop aimed at the opponent's arm.
A strike that Clive parried easily enough, his sword moving smoothly and smacking Leonel's mid swing. In a wonderful display of the Flow technique, Clive's sword then guided Leonel's along, letting his swing finish it's arc. As Leonel's natural movement brought him past the knight, Clive took his sword and swung. But rather than the thump of wood smacking into the padded jacket, Leonel's sword shot back around, meeting Clive's swing in a low parry.
The knight smirked as Leonel countered in turn, even as he deflected the boy's swing with his gauntlet in just as smooth a motion. And considering Clive was far larger, it was easy enough to tell he was holding back for the sake of the test. Even I could tell he was sticking to what he needed to for an exam rather than a flat out duel.
But, from the mutters of the other onlookers, I could tell that first exchange alone had impressed them for a starter.
"Well, you've nailed your transition well enough. Impressive as well, considering the awkward angle."
"Hehe, I've been hit enough times by your counters to pick up on it. Let me show you what else I've got!"
And that became the flow of this exam. Whether it was Leonel on the charge and responding to Clive's counters—which started landing as the duel went on—or Leonel proving he could respond in kind with proper Water God techniques. It was all quick, fluid, and measured. Even when Leonel was resorting to more aggressive Sword God movements, he maintained a composure akin to the knight before him.
This went on for about five minutes, and Leonel was keeping pace just fine.
And finally, it seemed my brother had a trick in mind. He again fell into a Sword God stance, taking hold of his blade two-handed and to his hip. He dashed forward and swung, his blade not even making a noise as it went towards Clive. A technique Ghyslaine had taught Leonel and that he'd been refining ever since the Royal Academy: Longsword of Silence.
Clive's counter was quick, all too quick for my to even catch yet, though I could feel the flow of his aura as he countered that rapid swing. It wasn't Flow, but something else. But by the time I had any idea what could have happened, Leonel had been disarmed and was standing with Clive's wooden blade to his neck. Leonel's sword went clattering to the dojo floor, and my brother relented with a raise of his hands.
"Dammit!" Leonel groaned as Clive withdrew the sword, letting himself drop to a seated position, tugging at his jacket to loosen it up. "Thought I could've gotten you with that at the least. What was that counter?"
"The Secret Art I mastered to achieve my Saint status. Though I'll praise you for electing for such a move. Were I a less experienced man, you surely would have caught me with such a swing," Clive extended a hand, Leonel blinking. My brother almost seemed to have expected to fail here. "But you showed an excellent display of skill, Leonel. Your mastery of Water God has clearly grown well these past five years, and the way you're blending it with Sword God is magnificent. Be proud, boy, you've earned yourself that Advanced rank."
Leonel's eyes lit up as he took Clive's hand, standing and returning the grip with a firm shake. He then looked towards me, and I gave another thumbs up as the other knights then began to gather around, patting my brother on the back and giving exuberant congratulations to him.
Though as I moved to join in, I did notice someone hanging back. A boy about my and Leonel's age, watching yet keeping a distance among those still engaged in their own practice. Pale brown hair kept short, and with vibrant blue eyes. The boy wasn't unfamiliar to me.
Heck, he was one of my cousins.
Luke Notos Greyrat, someone I'd met a couple of times at the functions I kept getting dragged to. He was between Leonel and me in age, the son of the current head of the Notos house, Pilemon. And as it stood, one of Leonel's rival understudy's here at the Water God dojo. And I guess now, soon to be a rival of my own once I started studying here as well.
Luke noticed my own watching, looking away without even an acknowledgement and getting back to sparring with his distracted partner.
"Guess we'll be seeing where that goes, huh?" As I spoke to myself, I looked over when I heard Leonel calling to me. "Eh, whatever… let's just have some fun while I can."
Besides, I had the rest of my tenure at the royal academy to think about. This next year was going to be… well, probably not that interesting honestly. Not really looking forward to that graduation party…
