《Bu ni Mi wo Sasagete Hyaku to Yonen. Elf de Yarinaosu Musha Shugyou (LN)》 Volume 1 - Prologue VOLUME 1 Prologue More than a hundred years have passed since I was born. It¡¯s been a pretty long life, now that I think about it. I took off the dougi I always wore to reveal a body riddled with wrinkles. I had really pushed this old decrepit body past its limits. Looking at my reflection in the dojo¡¯s large mirror, I realized that, now that I looked at it, my body was even more riddled with scars than with wrinkles. It had been more than a hundred years since I was born. The time I had dedicated to martial arts was almost as long. It was a body that I had been abusing for almost one hundred years. In my opinion, it did a great job of keeping up without complaint. ¡­The strongest, huh? I wondered just how many foolish things I had done chasing after those two words. There wasn¡¯t a day when I did not push my body to its limits. Every day I would send my body to battle, carving scars on scars. And over time, all of the muscle that I had built disappeared, until all that was left was this body that resembled a dead branch. However, I¡¯d become even stronger now than the time when I¡¯d had bulging muscles. If only I had understood the effectiveness of technique sooner, I would have aimed for that from the¡ª Cough. As I coughed, enough blood came out to make one wonder where exactly it was hiding in such a dried up body. It was a body that had surpassed one hundred years. Its strength expired, and I collapsed forward while sitting. ¡­ I had contracted a disease. It was a rare disease said to invade the lungs, causing one to cough up blood and eventually leading to death. It wasn¡¯t as if the disease was incurable, but this old body could not endure the necessary treatment. It was a disease that even my master could not beat. It was no wonder that someone as inexperienced as me could not beat it either. In his dying moments, my master told me something. He said he regretted that the medicine in his homeland, far past the ends of the world, would have been able to cure the disease. I see. Even my master, who had taken martial arts to the limit, had regrets in that moment. As I was now, I could truly understand his feelings at the time. ¡°Fu, Kukuku.¡± Unintentionally, an old man¡¯s laughter was squeezed out along with the blood. Looking back on it, mine was a life filled with regrets. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at my own foolishness for realizing that at a time like this. Offering up my body to martial arts¡­. Forget children¡ªI had never even found a wife. Without ever even building wealth, I had simply dedicated my body to martial arts. Without ever even witnessing the accomplishments of my disciple, whom I loved like a daughter, I was at death¡¯s door. ¡­But I didn¡¯t care about any of that. I regretted the fact that I had spent all 100 years of my life offering my body to martial arts, and yet been unable to glimpse its summit. Even my master had said that he himself had yet to step into the halfway point. In that case, the place I stood in now, was it a fifth of the way? A tenth? If only I hadn¡¯t relied on brute strength when I was younger and instead sought to understand martial arts, perhaps I would have been able to train just a little further. It is often said that life is all about moving forward while piling up regrets. Even if I had lived a long life for a human, it was a life filled with nothing but regret. I didn¡¯t need a wife. I didn¡¯t need children. I didn¡¯t need money. I didn¡¯t need anything. So I prayed to heaven, please, let me¡­.Grant me the time. Grant me the time to reach the peak of martial arts! Even I thought that I looked like a kid throwing a tantrum. But even so, I wanted time. ¡°Ma-Master!¡± Just as I was praying to the heavens, my beloved disciple ran in, almost breaking the dojo¡¯s doors. At that moment I lay collapsed on the ground with my coat soaked in blood. After running to me, she lifted my dried up body as if it were weightless. All of the tears that she was holding back made her eyes glisten. ¡°Please don¡¯t go! Please don¡¯t leave me behind, master¡­!¡± A dam broke, and the disciple¡¯s young face overflowed with tears. I opened my eyes, almost as if the gentle tapping of her lithe fingers had awoken me. ¡°Master! It¡¯s me, Alma! Do you recognize me!?¡± It was my pupil Alma. When she saw me open my eyes, she broke into a smile, even as she continued to cry. You don¡¯t have to be so loud, you know. I thought to pat her head, but my body refused to move. I had taken her in when I was 50, a little girl with no family. Who would have thought that she and I would be together for so long? When I took her in, she had looked to be about 12. By the time I was over 60 years old, she had the face of a 15 or 16 year old. My master was surprised by that, and thought that, if she were human, she would have to be some kind of apparition. However, if you looked at her features, you would understand why she looked so young. She had pointed ears that were just a little too long for a human being. Alma was part of a race called Elves, who enjoyed a long life. Elves grow at a similar pace to humans until they reach the age of 12. After the age of 12, elves age much more slowly¡ªabout ten times more slowly than humans. I had always thought of her as my own daughter, but, geez. An old man past 100 and a girl of 16¡ªwe look like a grandfather and his granddaughter! ¡°Don¡¯t¡­cry¡­Alma¡­ A practitioner of the Shijima style¡­should not cry so easily.¡± I couldn¡¯t move my hand, but I somehow managed to squeeze out those words. The smile behind the tears became stronger. ¡°You¡¯ve regained consciousness¡­!¡± Maybe it was because she felt what little life force I had left from my words, but her words trembled with joy. Alma had been desperately applying healing magic on me since she walked in, and thanks to that, it appeared that I had recovered enough energy to move my arms. However, I was like a broken vessel. I could feel the life force given to me pouring out from my side. To begin with, this magic was meant to treat injuries. Magic to stop a dying man from obeying the laws of the universe did not exist in this world. But Alma probably couldn¡¯t accept that. I had heard before from Alma herself that I was like a real father to her. It seemed that those feelings were real. It made me a little happy. ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­ Stop the magic. The time for me to obey the laws of the world has come.¡± Finally able to move it after all this time, I placed my arm on her hand. Even though I had recovered a bit, Alma¡¯s face was filled with despair. ¡°No¡­. No! Is it not too early to give up yet!? When my training is not complete? Please do not say such selfish things!¡± Just like a child throwing a tantrum, Alma refused to listen to my words. ¡­It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t understand her feelings. The time when my master died, he said something similar about me throwing a huge tantrum, too. I had already thought this earlier, but dying without being able to see my disciple¡¯s growth was a really sad thing. In that case, there were things I needed to say to her, as a master of the Shijima style. And as a father. ¡°Listen well, Alma. These will be my last words. As a father, as a master, these are my last words. Are you ready?¡± ¡°¡­No¡­ No¡­ Don¡¯t go, master.¡± Maybe because she saw that my eyes were tinted with resignation at my own fate, Alma collapsed in tears. I had little time left. Even if reaching the pinnacle of martial arts was impossible for me, I had to pass on the techniques entrusted to me by my master to the next generation. I waited for Alma to calm down. Simply explaining them was not enough; I had to pass them on. It would pointless if they were not left behind. It took some time, but eventually, Alma seemed to calm down. Her teary eyes were locked onto me firmly¡­. I was happy that I was able to be her master, her father. Please forgive me for prioritizing passing on the torch of the Shijima style, with the weak ember of life that I have left. ¡°First, my words as your master, Slava Shijima.¡± Sniffling, she nodded and listened while holding her tongue. ¡°At this time, Alma, I recognize you as the third master of the Shijima style. You may still be inexperienced, but¡­ I have conveyed everything to you. Work hard and pass on the techniques of the Shijima style¡­. Alright?¡± I heaved a small breath and swallowed back my coughing. Most likely, this was truly my last shred of strength. There was no way I could speak so well again. Perhaps sensing this, Alma simply nodded firmly while shedding tears. It really helped that Alma was such a good, reasonable child. With this, I may be able to leave behind some words for her as her father. I desperately fought my ragged breathing and continued. ¡°Polish¡­ the techniques you have now, Alma. When you gain some insight¡­ You will have fully understood the Shijima style¡­. I entrust you with the Shijima style, Alma. ¡± ¡°¡­Yes. I understand, master.¡± ¡°When that happens, you will become Alma Shijima¡­ Cough, cough!¡± ¡°Master!¡± Dammit! It looked like I wouldn¡¯t last much longer. I was such a fool. Coughing brought me so much pain that I wondered if a hole had opened in my lungs. There are still things left that I have to convey, you old bag of bones. ¡°And¡­ From here on are my words as your father, Slava Vesa¡­!¡± ¡°Please stop it! You really will die!¡± Where had her usual lovely voice gone? Alma¡¯s voice wavered so much as she shouted that her words were barely comprehensible. Please don¡¯t say that. In the fifty years that we had spent together, I¡¯d hardly every done anything father-like. I am sorry that it is so late, but please, let me act like a father for once. As Alma desperately fought to restrain herself, I placed my hand on top of her head. I didn¡¯t think I had that much strength left in me, but¡­ It seemed that humans could really pull through when it counted. When I reached out, she did not refuse my bloodstained hand. In my last moments, she silently bit her lips. ¡°I loved you. I did not have a wife or any children, but I always had your smiling face by my side. Without a doubt, you were my daughter. ¡­Live a long life. You can do whatever you like. Just make sure that, in your long life, you find real happiness.¡± Even I was surprised by how gently I said it. Alma had been crying all this time, but, for just a moment, her tears seemed to stop. ¡­Alma, who had lost her parents, and me, her foster father. It was not always easy, but we had a happy life together. I prayed that my daughter would find a happy home and live a calm, peaceful life. I had conveyed to her all the things that I had to. As if all my previous regrets were all gone, I was enveloped by and unbelievable sense of fulfillment. ¡­However, a new regret was born. If having a child was such a happy thing, I should have married at least once. But if I did that, I don¡¯t know if Alma would have been my child. ¡­In that case, perhaps it was better this way. ¡°Master¡­? Master¡­!¡± Alma¡¯s voice seemed so distant. I felt my warmth fading as my consciousness began to slip away. Ahh¡­ It was a good life filled with regrets. Just as my hand fell from Alma¡¯s head, my consciousness fell into darkness. ¡­If it were possible, in my next life, I would like to live a life without regrets. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡­Just how long ago was it that I thought that? Before I knew it, I was looking at a man and a woman. If I had to guess¡­ From their characteristic long, pointed, ears, these two were most likely Elves. Speaking of Elves, aside from Alma, I only knew a couple of others¡­ Well, to begin with, Elves were a reclusive race. There were many who lived their whole lives without ever leaving the Elven country. I did not know anything except the fact that these two were Elves. Naturally, It was not as though I had any recollection of ever meeting these two before. ¡°Dear, just now, wasn¡¯t he looking at us?¡± ¡°Ah, he was looking at both of us, wasn¡¯t he? ¡­ At this age, do you think he understands that we are his parents?¡± The two Elves laughed merrily as they peeked at my face. ¡­How strange. It seemed like these two were laughing while describing my movements. Wondering if there was a baby next to me, I turned my head and looked around. However, all I could see was a wooden fence. When I put that together with the soft sensation on my back, I realized that I was laying on a bed. ¡­No, wait a minute. What was this? To begin with, I was supposed to be dead. So why was I here, sleeping in a place like this? Or rather, wasn¡¯t this bed too small? ¡°Oh my, he just shook his head. I wonder if he is denying our words.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible. And besides, if that were true, Mom would be sad.¡± ¡°Ahaha. You¡¯re right.¡± The couple looked at each other and laughed. ¡­.What was this feeling of dread? Something was wrong. Just what had happened to me? I could think of various possiblities, but the whole thing was a confusing mess. However, even while I denied it in my head, one possibility came to mind. The possibility was enough to send a chill down my spine. ¡°Say, is it alright if I hold him?¡± ¡°Sure. Go ahead.¡± With a face full of joy, the Elven youth extended his hands towards my armpits. My gaze shifted as he reached towards me¡­ Impossible. No matter how decrepit I may have been, my body should not have been that light. No. Rather than ¡°light¡±¡­ It was small. ¡°There we go. I¡¯m your daddy!¡± Just like that, without any time to resist, my body was lightly lifted upwards. ¡°Ufufu. Don¡¯t forget about mommy. Right, little Slava? I¡¯m your mommy.¡± It was non-stop chaos. When my name was called among all the chaos, my body stiffened. ¡°You see, Slava, you¡¯re named after a legendary martial artist! It seems that he was the only person Alma-sama respected. Grow up to be a splendid person, Slava!¡± What did she just say? Did she just say ¡°Alma-sama¡±? Slava and Alma. That pairing made my head hurt. Even as I denied it, I still reached the answer I had earlier rejected as completely absurd, but once they called my name the idea came right back into my mind. Just maybe, I had really¡­ Become this couple¡¯s son!? ¡°Hmm¡­. Doesn¡¯t the shape of his ears look like Mommy¡¯s? They¡¯re slender and beautiful.¡± ¡°Oh my. His face looks just like yours, dear. Well, he is our son. I¡¯m sure Slava will be a wonderful child.¡± There was not a single thing that disproved the unbelievable reality before my eyes. If I had to say, I would say that this was a dream that I was seeing in my last moments, but¡­ No matter what, this was all too vivid. So then, did that mean that¡­ I had really become this couple¡¯s son? ¡­ So this was the death that awaited a person after they lived their life to the fullest. My contract with the grim reaper had been cancelled in an unexpected way. While wrapped in the couple¡¯s arms, my mind simply obeyed the instincts of my childish body, and I was struck by a heavy sleepiness. Maybe once I opened my eyes again, I would find myself in heaven. But if¡ªand I mean, if¡ªI was to really be this couple¡¯s son¡­ This time, I would definitely live a life without regrets. The peak of martial arts that I once failed to reach¡­. This time, without fail, I would climb my way there. I solemnly swore it. Volume 1 - CH 1 Chapter 1: The 5 + 106 Years Old Boy I sat with a clear and serene mind, meditating deep in the heart of the forest. Meditating meant emptying one¡¯s mind and naturally attuning oneself with the surrounding life force. It could very well be called one of the pillars of the Shijima style. I crossed my legs and lowered myself onto the earth, silently becoming one with nature. By doing so, I calmed the magic energy swelling within me and honed my mind and spirit. Even now, I can smell the scent of the lush grass. I can feel the life force coming from the grass. After seamlessly melding with the gentle flow of my magic power, the ravaging torrent of youthful life energy that flowed through my body transformed into a calm river. It may be due to the fact that I had been meditating since I was a baby, but the magic power residing in my body had already reached a point where it was comparable to that of a master¡¯s. Since I had not been able to practice using my body much, I had yet to reach the level of fighting prowess I had in my previous life. However, in terms of magic power, even at this age, I am already at about 70% of what I had in my previous life. For me to become so unbalanced¡­ Geez, the Elves¡¯ magic affinity is truly frightening. I was around 5 years old when I gained the ability to move around freely. I went out to the forest surrounding the village and finally started my physical training. For someone like me who had already passed 100 years of age, pretending to be a kid was rather difficult. I was already extremely precocious for my age, but¡­ I pretended to be a regular child and waited until an age where it would not be unnatural for me to move about. Today, I was finally allowed to walk outside. Even if I did spend all day meditating, after pushing myself to the limit in my previous life, the four years I spent being unable to meld my qi with nature were vexing. However, that, too, would end today! From today on, I could train to my heart¡¯s content! The life of Slava Vesa¡ªnow the life of Slava Mashura¡ªbegan today! After having have been released from the fear of running out of time, I was granted close to 10 times the lifespan of a human. What was needed most in order to perfect martial arts was time; even my master had lamented that fact. I was overjoyed at getting my hands on it. Even with my worn old soul, this was the most joyous thing that I had ever experienced. Just when I was thinking that, I suddenly felt my body¡¯s natural magical power dispersing. It was quite unbecoming for someone my age to get so worked up like this. ¡°¡­Not good. It seems that I startled the spirits,¡± I murmured as I watched the green lights leaving my body. When was the last time I had scattered my mana while in the middle of meditating? Curiously, even my immaturity felt good at that moment. Anyway. I began to train the body of my dreams. Without even calming my rapid heartbeat, I began to concentrate once more. I gathered the magic power in my body and imagined the shape of a person in the empty space before me. Just as I did that, a human figure that looked just like me appeared before my eyes. ¡­To be exact, the figure looked just like I had in my previous life. Since it was made out of magic energy, it did not have a face or clothing. However, it was tangible. Furthermore, the construct could move exactly the same way I could. ¡­That¡¯s right. There may be times when it could not react according to its opponent, but, when there were no martial artists of sufficient strength around, it could be used as an opponent of the same strength to compete against. In the Shijima style, this is referred to as ¡®Shadow Dance¡¯ because it invokes the image of dancing with a shadow. In my previous life, I had been unable to move my body for the 3 years before my death. If you add the time I spent in this life, it¡¯s been around six years since I last exercised my body. Facing a familiar opponent once again, I could feel my passion for martial arts burning. ¡°Prepare yourself!¡± Standing before my mute clone, I smiled with a hint of enmity. I held my right arm vertical just before my face and my left arm stretched out at waist level, with both of my palms wide open. Rather than striking with my fists, I took the perfect stance for deflecting blows. It was the basic stance of the Shijima style that I had taken up for countless years. I had just about half of my magic power remaining after creating the construct. We had the same style, the same stance, the same level of skill, and the same speed. We closed the distance between each other while maintaining our stance. Finally, like a lit fuse that had burnt its course, we burst forward. In an instant, the distance between us vanished. The sound of violent blows rang throughout the forest. Avoiding a knifehand intense enough to cut through steel, I used that intensity to attempt to throw the shadow. However, the body that the shadow was operating was none other than my own. Reading all of my movements, it adjusted its stance in midair. As it landed, the shadow penetrated through the soft earth with a kick. With speed as fast as the wind, this time it seemed sure to hit my body. The shadow that I had brought to life was me at my prime. Because of the difference in our reach, it successfully landed a strike on my body. ¡­Hmm. I see, I see. With my current young body, the length of my arms and legs was lacking after all. However, it was also true that I was endowed with agility and flexibility to make up for that difference. After being blown away by that strong hit, I fixed my stance and closed in on the shadow. Naturally, since I controlled the shadow, it saw me draw nearer. It took the worst possible course of action for me; it aimed a kick at my chest. However, I used my small size to dodge under his leg. It was footwork that took advantage of my small body. I simply wanted to give it a try, but the results turned out to be excellent. With its leg still outstretched, the shadow was truly what you would call ¡®full of openings¡¯. I aimed at a fatal opening and struck it with my palm. I gathered my magic power into the palm of my hands and struck with the most basic attack of the Shijima style, ¡°Strength¡±. The sound that rang out was so loud that one would not think it came from a child¡¯s body. The shadow¡¯s body was sent flying. ¡­ Ah. This is it. The sound of battle. The smell of battle. It had been a while since I was wrapped in the intoxicating feeling of battle. I could not hold myself back any longer. Six years ago, I could only look on with envy at my disciple¡¯s training. Feeling pleasure instead of pain made me question if I had awoken some kind of masochistic tendencies. ¡­ No, I had not awoken to anything. The answer to my own question was that, in the end, all martial artists were, without a doubt, huge masochists. There was no difference between a martial artist and masochists. If that were not the case, there is no way that they could continue with their unorthodox training for countless years on end. Throwing and being thrown. Kicking and being kicked. Throwing and being thrown. Having the perfectly equal levels of strength, the fight inevitably became a long one. In the end, the battle between me and myself lasted until I sensed that someone from the nearby village was close. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°I¡¯m back, mom, dad.¡± ¡°Welcome home Slava¡­What happened to those clothes?!¡± What greeted me as I returned home was my father¡¯s screaming over my dirty clothing. Looking at it, I understood. My clothes were covered in mud here and there. ¡­I missed that. I healed my body perfectly so that they would not worry but I completely forgot about my clothes. And at that age¡­No, now that I think about it, I was only 5 wasn¡¯t I. But given that my real age is more than one hundred and six years old, I have no choice but to say that it was really unbecoming for my age. But I really messed up, didn¡¯t I? Just what excuse should I make? ¡°Are you hurt?! Did you fall somewhere?! Does it hurt anywhere?!¡± My father, Aram Marshall, came running towards me with flowing blond hair. In the Elven society long hair was not uncommon even among men. Because of that, his hair was billowed around him. He was what you would call a slim youth but oddly enough his hair suited him¡­ Let¡¯s stop there. I needed to face the current situation. ¡°Yeah. I, umm, tripped. I am sorry for soil- for getting my clothes dirty.¡± That did not sound like the words of a young child. That choice of words was pathetic. ¡­I should have gotten used to the words by now but I just cannot seem to get used to them. Nonetheless, my father¡¯s worry was genuine. He is the kind of father that would wholeheartedly trust such an odd and creepy child as me. Looking at him suffer like this also made my own heart ache. ¡°I¡¯m not hurt. It doesn¡¯t really hurt anywhere so I¡¯m fine. But I shre-ripped my clothes.¡± ¡°Slava! ¡­ It¡¯s fine. As long as you are safe papa is ok. It¡¯s too bad about the clothes but we can always just get new ones. But you are our one and only treasure. Please don¡¯t do anything dangerous.¡± My somewhat melodramatic father hugged me. This is also something I cannot get used to. It feels ticklish and embarrassing but, warm. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡± When I murmured my apology, my father¡¯s hands moved away and this time moved to my shoulders. No matter how you look at him my father looks to be only about 20 years old but this year he is more than 100 years old. In which case, his age is not that far off from my real age. Both the life span and the speed at which they age are different from humans and elves, and that applies not only physically but also emotionally. There are individual differences but an elf of around 100 in human terms would look like nothing but a 20 year old. I realized that not only does that is that true for their physical appearance but more importantly, it applies emotionally. ¡°Good. As long as you understand then it¡¯s fine, Slava. Papa won¡¯t say any more. But next time you do something dangerous I might get really angry. Do you understand that?¡± ¡°¡­I understand. I¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡± For some reason, my father seemed convinced by that. He disappeared into the kitchen. Just a moment later, the strict yet gentle voice of my mother reached all the way over here. ¡­Geez, even if it was something I brought upon myself, things are about to get troublesome. ¡°Slava~? Mama did tell you not to do anything dangerous didn¡¯t she~?¡± The voice came from deep inside the living room. It was my mother, angry with worry, Martha Marshall. Next time I go training I will make sure not to do anything to make my parents worry. I swore that to myself. I was too old to be getting lectured by my parents. It is disgraceful. Volume 1 - CH 2 Chapter 2: The World After the Void While living in the warm village, I devoted my days to training. Before I knew it, I had become 12. It varied from person to person, but an elf¡¯s growth slowed significantly at around this age. For elves, it was, in various ways, a turning point. Even if it was only a small affair, we celebrated the passing of 12 years since birth. This was also the time period in which one began to attend school full-time. For humans, school started sometime between four to six years old. However, these were elves, the long-lived race. Time flowed much slower for them. In any case, turning 12 years old was a turning point for me. When one reached this age, many new possibilities opened up. But, by far, the change that I was looking forward to the most was attending school. The reason being that, finally, my ability to read would no longer seem unnatural. I was somewhat looking forward to going to school, but¡­ This elf school was not as simple as it seemed¡­. ¡°Uu. I¡¯ll be so lonely without Slava.¡­ Make sure to come home during the holidays, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Stop making such a big deal about it. I¡¯ll try to come home as much as possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m counting on you, Slava. Because when Mama is sad, Papa is sad, too, okay?¡± First of all, living in the dormitories together was compulsory in this so-called school. Even if I was not directing an attack at anyone in particular, this power was not something to be flaunted about. So, in order to keep my abilities hidden, I would have to devise a way to train in the dormitories. At the very least, I would have fewer opportunities to perform shadow dancing than I¡¯ve had until now. Even so, if I thought about it as a period of learning, I was able to bear it. I wanted to appear as much as possible like a normal young boy right now, so I had been staying away from books. If I properly attended a school, though, it would no longer seem unnatural. Since, in the end, it was only two or three years¡ªif all I had to do was hold out for that long, I could deal with the restrictions on my training. ¡­ Or so I thought, but I soon learnt that my judgment was na?ve. ¡°Muu¡ª But not being able to live life to the fullest with Slava¡­. And it won¡¯t just be for two or three years, you know? Aren¡¯t you sad, darling?¡± ¡°Of course! But if going to school will help Slava grow, Papa will endure it.¡± Watching my parents¡¯ back-and-forth for the umpteenth time, I heaved a sigh. From what I¡¯d heard just now, it seemed that¡ªmaybe because of the late age at which you attended elven schools¡ªyou were enrolled for, at the very least, more than 3 years. I was about to go mad over having to restrain myself from fighting for just three years. To have to hold back for even longer was just¡­. ¡°¡­I also think that it seems like a pretty long time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Will Slava also be lonely, just like Mama? It will be fine. Your time at school will go by in a flash.¡± From my father¡¯s words just now, to an elf, the span of time spent attending school could be described as ¡°a flash¡± in a few years. ¡­Hmm, I can feel the ¡°culture gap¡±. In my previous life, I could not understand the words that the youngster used.¡­ But the difference between races was even more noticeable to me now. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fun. I think there are many things to gain from it. Papa is cheering for you~!¡± I understood that those were his real feelings, but I still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was brushing it off like it was someone else¡¯s problem. My parents confused my slightly reproachful look for a kid¡¯s cute desire not to be separated from his parents. I did not hide my sigh. I was reading a book with the sound of children¡¯s laughter coming from behind me. Unlike Altora, the village in which I had grown up, there was an unusual amount of children here. Perhaps because they were a long lived race, there were not many elven children. However, this place had enough children to make one think that there was nothing but children here. Which was not surprising. After all, this was Milafia¡¯s national Alfaleia Academy. It was one day away by carriage from the village in which I had lived. I attended this school, in which elven children from all across the country of Milafia gathered. Just like I had first planned, after being placed into an environment where I could not move recklessly, I began to read books as soon as I was taught how to read. It was not like I could not read before that, but I was sure that a child reading characters he¡¯d never even been taught would seem strange. After being placed into an environment where I had no choice but to study, I discovered that learning something other than martial arts was pretty interesting. If I thought back and put together my experiences from over 100 hundred years, one thing was clear: I had hopelessly single-tracked mind. ¡°Are you reading a book again, Slava-kun?¡± As I was sitting, bathed by the rays of sunlight filtering down through the leaves of the tree, a young girl¡¯s voice called out to me. I slipped a bookmark into the book and turned my head towards the voice calling from below. There stood a girl with velvety flaxen hair weaved like fabric into two braids behind her head, smiling in my direction. Her age was¡­ In human terms, it was about 10 years old. She was a girly girl whose trademark trait was her friendly smile. ¡°Oh, Selia. ¡­Yes, since today is a cool day.¡± Even at a school where no one had previously known each other, after attending for a month, one was bound to have made an acquaintance or two. This girl named Selia was the first friend I had made in this life. Kind to everyone and always cheerful, she was popular in class. It seemed that she¡¯d first called out to me out of worry that I lacked the cheerfulness of a normal child. After that, we began to talk often, and, for someone of the same grade, she had a thoughtful and somewhat mature way of thinking. Being friendly and lacking in shyness, when she found out that I knew more than other kids in class, she had started to follow me around a lot. After she came to pester me for the answer to a question, we would wind up talking and laughing with each other. We would pass our days together like that. After spending so much time together, she and I slowly became best friends. After she told that to our classmates, the way in which they treated me became unreserved. Even now, I was able to enjoy an uneventful school life. ¡°Ehehe. Can I sit next to you?¡± ¡°Yeah, go ahead and sit. I wonder what kind of question you have today.¡± ¡°Uh-uh. Not today. I just wanted to spend some time with you, Slava-kun.¡± I¡¯d had a daughter in my previous life, but this time it felt like having a granddaughter. I wonder if this was what it felt to have your granddaughter come to play. ¡°Hey, Slava-kun, what are you reading?¡± While I was enveloped by a feeling of peace, Selia looked at the book in my hands with sudden interest. ¡­Hmm. The book doesn¡¯t really suit my image, but¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if I show her. By the way, at some point in time, I had started being called ¡°gramps¡±. Kids at this age cannot be underestimated. They are sharp in unexpected ways. ¡°This is a book about the history of martial arts. I wanted to know how the people I respect were remembered.¡± I turned the book to show Selia the cover, careful not to let the bookmark fall out. It simply read, History of Martial Arts 13048. 13048 was the latest year on the calendar used by the elves. In other words, it was about the current year. Elven history was apparently much older than the human calendar, which was only about 1000 years old. ¡°Martial arts? Isn¡¯t that the thing that Alma-sama¡¯s famous for?¡± Selia tilted her head while smiling, an invisible question mark floating above her head. ¡­Alma-sama, was it? The god of martial arts, Alma. I heard that in the elven country, she was so famous that there is no one that did not know of her and her master, Slava. I felt a little uncomfortable about someone like me, who was unable to reach to pinnacle of martial arts, being talked about. But, more than that, what caught my attention was the name of my disciple, Alma. She had followed my words and worked hard to leave behind the Shijima name. I wondered just how many years it took her, and what became of her after she trained her body to the fullest. Yes, that was the thing that bothered me the most. It was the thing I wanted to know most at the time. I had forgotten while peacefully passing the time with Selia, but now I remembered. Until now, I had been unable to come across the information that I wanted. And when I finally became able to read openly, the book that I wanted had come at a high price. Starting a few years back, I became old enough to receive an allowance. Although that allowance was only enough to buy small sweets, I saved that money for a long time and finally got my hands on The History of Martial Arts¡­ which I currently held in the palm of my hand. ¡°Since I don¡¯t really know much about Alma-sama, I thought I could study from this book.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird. You don¡¯t know much about her, even though you have the same name as Alma-sama¡¯s master.¡± I smiled wryly and did not say out loud that I knew that. Even if I said that the book was really about me, no one would believe me. I would just be ostracized for being a weird kid. ¡°Well then, I wish to continue reading this book now. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Hmm? Sure! Just being together with Slava-kun is fun.¡± Selia smiled, carefree as a blooming flower. I opened my book to the page with the bookmark again. There it was¡ªthe name I¡¯d been looking for. ¡±Alma Shijima¡±. So that child had passed down the Shijima name after all. I began to read the passage on her. Alma Shijima. The martial artist that succeeded the Shijima style Iwao Shijima established. Originally an orphan, she was raised as a foster child by Slava Shijima (born Slava Vesa). Looking up to Slava Shijima, the father who had raised her, she dove into the Shijima style. By combining her outstanding magical power and the superior martial arts of the Shijima style, she took down many powerful martial artists. Recently, she has also spent a lot of effort training newcomers, in order to pass the Shijima style on to promising young boys and girls. She has set up a tournament held in various places. She named it the Iwao Shijima cup, after the founder of the Shijima style. Looking at her record, she had never lost in an official match, and many experts regarded her as history¡¯s strongest martial artist. The author of the book seemed to agree with that view. However, Alma herself is adamant about the fact that her master, Slava Shijima, was history¡¯s strongest martial artist. From this, one can see that she deeply respects her master, Slava Shijima. Still¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe that that girl accomplished so much. Looking at the detailed record of her brilliant accomplishments, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. It looked like the little girl that I thought of as my own daughter had grown even more than I expected. She had always been a diligent child after all; there was no doubt that she had followed my words and honed her techniques. I forgot that Selia was watching and continued to read the article without hiding my big smile. The article was a raving review. I could not stop grinning¡ªbut suddenly, I had a weird feeling and my eyes froze. ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± Selia turned to me. ¡°Is there something you don¡¯t like in the book?¡± Her voice was filled with worry. It wasn¡¯t that I¡¯d seen something that I disliked, but there was one thing that had caught my attention. I told her that and flipped back one page. What caught my attention was the part in the outline that read ¡®recently¡¯. The way it was written made it seem almost as if though she were still alive. Could it be that I might even get to see the face of my accomplished disciple again? Feeling an unexpected stroke of good luck, I grew terribly excited as I searched for a specific entry¡ª It was currently the year 13048. Going off of that number, if Alma had been born between 12700 and 12800, as an elf, there was a good chance that she was still alive. I found the line that I was looking for, and my heart filled with delight. 12956 ¨C . There was no number after the line. In that case, it meant that Alma was still alive. This was what you would call a miracle. I thanked the heavens for granting me the chance to see my disciple¡¯s growth with my own eyes. If that was the year of her birth, then counting down meant that right now Alma was¡­ ¡°Oh? That back is¡­.¡± As we were absorbed in reading the book, the dignified voice of a young girl floated down to us from above. Beautiful blue hair that would put the ocean itself to shame, eyes filled to the brim with a gentle light while still conveying a stern feeling¡ªthat otherworldly beauty, I had seen it somewhere before. ¡°Fufu, it¡¯s kind of embarrassing. Looking at a book about myself makes me feel a little weird.¡± Her face was exactly like the one in the book. No matter how much time passed, there was no way that I would ever forget my beloved disciple¡¯s face. She was standing just above me. Alma Shijima. Born 12956, still alive as of 13048. In other words, Alma was currently 92 years old. In human terms, she¡¯d be around 20 years old. That meant that, in the current world, only about 30 years had passed since I died. Looking at the unchanging face of my beloved disciple, who, from my perspective, I¡¯d just recently parted ways with, made me freeze up. I¡¯d thought that she would have become an old lady long ago, but it appeared that, unexpectedly, I had been reborn not too far into the future. Too little time had passed¡­. Alma had grown into a dignified lady. To me, it was not long ago that I¡¯d seen her clinging to me and crying. It felt as awkward as an actor declaring his retirement, then coming back after only one or two days. My jaw dropped. ¡°Ah!! It¡¯s Alma-sama!! Are you the real one? Say, are you the real one?!¡± ¡°Fufu. What a good, energetic child. Mm-hmm, I¡¯m the real one. Although I don¡¯t know if someone like me even has impostors to begin with.¡± There was no one among the Elves that did not know her, the legendary martial artist. Selia ran and jumped right into her arms. Her opponent might¡¯ve been a big 12-year-old girl, but Alma effortlessly took her head-on charge. Alma spun her around as gently as a father would his own son. Her eyes spinning, Selia squealed in delight. That game went on for a little while. Eventually, Alma gently returned Selia to the ground. Selia seemed a little reluctant, but even so, she happily stepped down. ¡­In my previous life, Alma always used honorifics, but¡­ The ¡°Alma Shijima¡± before my eyes spoke with a strong sense of dignity. I wonder if this change happened after I died, or if she had always been like this when I was not around¡­. My mind was in mayhem, thinking pointless things like that. ¡°Well then. There¡¯s something I want to ask, but before that. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Selia. Why is Alma-sama here?¡± ¡°I see. Selia is a good name. It¡¯s nothing. I just have a little business in this school¡ªHmm? There was one more?¡± While merrily chatting with Selia, Alma noticed my presence. Alma bent down to take a look at my face. Looking into those eyes that I was so familiar with filled me with a strange feeling. The terrible feeling of dying and leaving her behind. Saying all of those things, only to end up living in the end. Well, I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s the right way to put it, but at any rate, it was something like a feeling of guilt. What dominated in my jumbled thoughts was a strong sense of duty. I had to make sure not to reveal my true identity to my daughter. She had a deep admiration for Slava Shijima. Now that I¡¯d been turned into an elven boy, I doubted she would make the connection¡­. But any careless word or gesture could make her realize. To begin with, the fact that Slava Shijima had died was the undeniable truth. The dead never return. Certainly, I had the mind of Slava Shijima. But at present, my body was that of Slava Marshall. Which meant that I was no longer Slava Shijima. I was just a young boy who aimed to become a martial artist. It had already been 30 years. Slava Shijima died a long time ago. That was the undeniable truth, and I was sure that my daughter had come to terms with it. Revealing my true identity was not an option. In her shoes, even I would not believe in such serendipity. I wanted to avoid stirring up trouble in the present world. ¡­Or so I say, but in reality, to the current me, the relationships from my previous life were unnecessary. It seemed that, for the last few decades, Alma had spread my name far and wide. If I revealed my true identity to her, she would most likely do the same thing again. I had finally gotten this nimble body, so losing it right now would be a waste. The more famous my name became, the more trouble may follow. I did not know exactly when it will happen¡­. But when I reached the epitome of martial arts, then I could reveal my true identity to her. I swallowed my desire to reveal my identity to my beloved daughter and strengthened my resolve to hide my true identity. I had been given the chance to start over again. This time, I would reach profound peak of ¡°the strongest¡± without fail. Since I decided that, I must make sure not to show any openings. ¡°Eh. Umm¡­ Nice to meet you?¡± So I purposefully decided to use the words ¡°nice to meet you¡± in order to keep myself aware of the fact that it was our first meeting. I was sure that, without some form of hint, even a genius like Alma would never suspect the boy before her to be her own master. Alma smiled at me after my awkward greeting. ¡°Nice to meet you. Are you Selia¡¯s friend? What¡¯s your name?¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t like I could avoid the most troubling question. My name was the same as in my previous life¡ªor rather, I was named after myself. If I said that name to Alma, she would most likely relive some painful memories. If possible, I would like to use a fake name¡­. But, since Selia was here, I couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°My name is Slava Marshall. I heard that my parents took the name from Alma-sama¡¯s master.¡± Therefore I decided to be completely honest. From the moment I decided to hide my identity, I made up my mind. If asked, I would give my name even to those I¡¯d had a connection with in my previous life. As expected, adding a ¡°-sama¡± to my daughter¡¯s name felt unnatural, so I almost dropped the honorifics by accident. The fact that I was able to hold back was my only saving grace. ¡°¡­I see. From my master¡¯s name¡­.¡± Now then, what will my daughter think? It looked like the answer to my question was the worst case scenario. Alma looked down, and a slight shadow appeared over her smile. She had a few tears in her eyes. ¡­It had been 30 years, and she still hadn¡¯t let go of her grief? 30 years may seem like a long time to a former human like me, but to an elf it wasn¡¯t long, so I supposed it was understandable. Seeing my daughter¡¯s tears like this, I wanted to reveal my true identity to her¡ªbut there was no way she would believe me, anyway. Because of that, I did not tell Alma. Before long, Alma swallowed her tears and smiled. ¡°It is a good name. That is the name of the greatest, strongest martial artist in history. Become a splendid man worthy of that name, okay?¡± ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Alma smiled and returned to her normal self. ¡­My daughter was strong. But, ¡°the greatest, strongest¡±, huh? Even if I was her father, wasn¡¯t she overselling me a little? It ended up becoming a chance for me to hear another person¡¯s assessment of me. But¡­ As expected, it was embarrassing. Now that I thought about it, there was a period of time when she worshiped me almost religiously. I guess I should have properly rejected those feelings towards me at the time. ¡°Now then. Selia, Slava. There¡¯s something I want to ask you. Do you know where the principal¡¯s office is?¡± After regaining her composure, Alma straightened her body which she had bent in order to peer at my face. Now that she mentioned it, she had said that she wanted to ask us something. It seemed that she¡¯d wanted directions to the principal¡¯s office. ¡°Yes. To get to there, you¡­. No, on second thought, I will guide you. The directions are a little complicated, and I am not confident that I can say them properly.¡± ¡°I see. In that case, please do so.¡± In order to efficiently guide Alma to the somewhat hard to get to principal¡¯s office, I stood up and put away my copy of ¡°Martial Arts History¡±. Alma looked happy as she accepted my proposal. ¡°Yay! Together with Alma-sama!¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa. You¡¯re really energetic, huh, Selia.¡± Selia happily jumped towards Alma. Just like before, Alma received Selia like it was nothing and held her up in her arms. If you think about it from a human¡¯s perspective, there was no way that lifting a young girl with one arm¡ªno matter how small she may be¡ªcould be considered easy for a 20 year old girl¡­. And yet, Alma walked naturally, as though she couldn¡¯t even feel the weight. When I focused my eyes a little, I noticed the extremely smooth and powerful layer of magic that covered Alma. Good. It seemed that she had continued to meditate. I was able to see my disciple¡¯s growth in an unexpected place. Unintentionally, I nodded in happiness. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Well then. Now that everybody has gathered, let us head off to the lecture hall.¡± After guiding Alma to the principal¡¯s office, I returned to my classroom, where I waited sleepily until the homeroom teacher, Finley McGavan, startled me back to my senses with his loud voice. The teacher looked around the classroom with a calm expression. When I looked to the sides, except for a few boys who were absent, just about every seat was filled. Oh, right. Now that I thought about it, they had said there would be a assembly in the afternoon. I followed the instructor, who led a group of kids who had only just turned 12 years old. For some reason, my classmates had decided that I would be the class representative. So I lined up right behind Professor Finley. As part of my job as class representative, I had to make sure that no one missing in the line. ¡°Everyone is here, professor.¡± ¡°Thank you, Slava-kun. Then, shall we go?¡± After receiving my report, the professor took a quick look for himself and began to walk. We looked just like ducklings. When I began to walk behind the teacher, the other 20 students realized they had to follow as well and began to walk. We met up with the other classes and students from different years, and we all walked together at the same pace. Before long, we arrived at the prided lecture hall of Alfalei Academy. I wondered if there was any particular reason for the elegant ornaments scattered throughout the hall. When I asked, I was told they were built to be extremely resilient. I arrived at the auditorium tilting my head in confusion at the elves¡¯ love of beauty and functional aesthetics. I sat down in the area where the rest of my class was. When I said ¡°easy does it¡± as I sat down, I realized that I still had not gotten over my habit from a previous life. ¡­ Now then. What exactly was this meeting supposed to be about? The principal was already standing on the stage. Despite being of elven blood, he had a white head of hair and a full white beard. I¡¯d heard a rumor that he is over 1000 years old; but to have been born just after the start of human history. Wasn¡¯t that just a fossil? If possible, I would also like to live that long. If I had that much time, I was sure that I could glimpse the peak of martial arts. ¡°Ah¡ªAhem. Can everyone hear me?¡± The principal¡¯s voice was transmitted to every corner of the lecture hall by a magical stone installed on the stage. While I thought jealously about his age, the rest of the students arrived. Before I knew it, the afternoon assembly had begun. ¡°Good, good. It seems that you can hear me. Everyone is so nice and well-behaved, aren¡¯t they? Now then, before everyone begins to make fun of the principal¡¯s long speeches, let us get to the topic at hand.¡± The old elf laughed merrily and stroked his beard. Just like he said, a principal¡¯s speeches tended to be long and rambling. Although it was only a faint memory from more than 100 years ago¡ªI felt like when I went to school as a human, the principal¡¯s speeches then had also been long. I was never certain of the meaning of those speeches at the time, and I was sure that that it would be the same now. It might have been different if I were an educated old man that returned to school, but I was just an idiot obsessed with strength. Most likely, the content of the speech would fly right over my head. In that sense, the principal¡¯s decision was right. Kids of this age were huge rascals. They couldn¡¯t understand tedious speeches. ¡°Good. Now then, please come in.¡± The principal looked towards his left, away from the students. The stage was set up so that the left and right sides of the stage had to be entered from the opposite direction; which was why, from my perspective, it looked like someone was coming in from the right. Now then, who exactly was coming? Just when I started to formulate a guess, I saw a figure. ¡­That blue hair waving along with her gentle steps. That blue hair that I saw just a few moments ago from up close was swaying in the distance. ¡­No way. ¡°Now then. Alma Shijima-dono, please greet the students.¡± ¡°Understood. ¡­ Some of you may know me already, but my name is Alma Shijima. From today on, I will teach all of you at this school martial arts. You will begin martial arts and I hope that, even more than your bodies, I can train your minds. It may only be for a short while, but I look forward to our time together.¡± Loud cheering broke out immediately. My ears were assaulted by a wave of yelling. It wasn¡¯t at the point of ¡°there may be some of you that know me¡±. Not a single person here that didn¡¯t know her! The students¡¯ feverish passion was enough to make me think that. I thought they had been exaggerating when they said that there was no one who did not know Alma. My mouth hung open in disbelief as I realized that was indeed the truth. And not only that, but she would be teaching martial arts here. I wondered if I could keep my identity hidden. I heaved a sigh. The training that had already been hard to begin with had just become all the harder. Volume 1 - CH 3 Chapter 3: The Martial Arts Class ¡°Slava, Sid, are you both ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± It was late afternoon in Alfaleia Academy, several days after Alma¡¯s arrival. I faced my classmate in the sturdy auditorium. It was a newly established martial arts class as part of our physical education. A practice match was taking place in the middle of the class. It appeared that they chose the auditorium because it would not break even if things got a little heated¡ªbut I doubted that they had built the auditorium so steady for such a reason. Even if it was only a practice match, this would be the first time I faced off against a person in a long while. The name of the boy facing me was Sid Oldham. He was always saying he would leave the Elven country and spread his name far and wide as a great adventurer. He had wild green hair and an aggressive look in his eyes. I couldn¡¯t say that his typical behavior was very proper, but I didn¡¯t dislike the kid. ¡°Hehe! I won¡¯t lose to a guy that always has his nose stuck in a book!¡± It¡¯s true that he was always playing pranks, and he had a foul mouth. He even slept during class. But when it came to physical education, he always got into high spirits and participated out of his own free will. He participated especially eagerly during martial arts lessons. For better or for worse, I took a liking to the pure young boy so full of childishness. ¡°Listen to what I just told you, and let¡¯s have a fair fight. Now then¡­. Get ready!¡± Do not strike too hard. Hitting the eyes and the crotch is forbidden. If you feel any danger, disengage immediately. Alma¡¯s rules, for the most part, could be broken down into these three things. If either of us broke any of the rules, Alma said that she would stop the fight. Alma was far enough away to not get in the way of the match, but I was sure that stopping it would still have been extremely simple for her. ¡°Here I come, Slava!¡± ¡°¡ªAlright. You may come at me with everything you have.¡± When the fight began, I took the familiar stance I had taken thousands of times before. It was the stance we had just learnt, but I was sure there would be no problem even if I used it better than would be expected of a beginner. It was the basic stance of the Shijima style. It was the stance developed by my great master, Iwao Shijima, which excelled in defense. When I first began studying under my master, this stance was largely considered rather bizarre. But now that the Shijima style had spread and even had its own separate branches, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that this stance could be considered one of the basics of martial arts. Ever since I first learnt this stance, I have had a strong connection to it. I smiled, feeling as if I was greeting an old friend. My opponent, Sid, took the same stance. However, since he did not understand the essence of those movements at all, his stance simply imitated the motions. It reminded me of the time I¡¯d had a disciple. It was oddly pleasant. My opponent now was merely a young boy who knew nothing of the meaning behind martial arts. Even so, I was happy to be able to guide him in the form of a match. Now then, all that was left was for Alma to give the start signal¡­ But no matter how long I waited, I did not hear Alma¡¯s dignified voice. I glanced at Alma in confusion, and¡­ She was frozen in place, her mouth hanging wide open. ¡°Oi, teacher, what¡¯s the problem? Let¡¯s start already!¡± Sid undid his stance and put his arms behind his head; he seemed to be fed up with waiting. ¡°Eh? O¡ªoh, right . I¡¯m sorry. Please get back into your stances, both of you.¡± It seemed like I was not the only one who was confused. Sid wore the same puzzled expression on his face. Upon hearing Sid¡¯s voice, however, Alma snapped out of her confusion and returned to normal. ¡°That stance¡­ It can¡¯t be¡­ But it is so perfect¡ª?¡± I fixed my stance. Sid¡¯s mind seemed to be elsewhere as he took up a stance full of mistakes. Alma was muttering something, but at this distance, there was no way I could hear what she was saying. ¡°Are you ready? ¡ªBegin!¡± But that did not matter right now. How many years had it been since I faced off against a youngster like this? Unlike dealing with disciples of martial artists who didn¡¯t know what they were doing, raising an inexperienced youngster is one of the greatest joys for a martial artist. ¡°Hyaa!¡± As soon as the signal to begin the fight went off, Sid dropped the stance he had held just a moment ago and launched a foolishly simple punch. It was a defensive stance so it was hardly suited for an attack but, other than dropping his stance he did not accomplish anything. ¡ªGood. It was a carefree, extremely childlike punch. I smiled at his naivet¨¦; I wondered exactly what he would come at me with next. But I was a martial artist¡ªone who had never given up my childhood dream of becoming the strongest. No matter that it was only a practice match, I was not so soft as to lose on purpose. I moved the hand I held in front and wrapped it around Sid¡¯s arm, diverting the direction of the force. Without using much power or magic, I used Sid¡¯s arm as a pivot and disrupted his stance. Not in order to attack but rather to move in. Not to erase but rather to redirect. After disrupting his stance, I swept his feet lightly. Even if Sid was boy with a small build, I felt no weight as I sent him tumbling into the air. Alma and the rest of the kids were dumbfounded. Some of the children were cheering at the scene of a person flying into the air. This is what is known as responding to brute force with martial arts. In order to show that to those little kids, when Sid began to fall I caught him carefully as I gently stopped the momentum of his fall. ¡°Eh? What? Did I just¡ªlose?¡± ¡°Yes. Alma-sama said it before, right? These are real martial arts that don¡¯t rely on strength, Sid.¡± I had my hand on the back of Sid¡¯s head, right where it would have touched the ground. Sid muttered as if in a dream, finally realizing what had happened after seeing the ceiling and my face. ¡°Aw-Awesome! As expected of gramps!¡± A portion of the student cheered at the flashy moves. Before I noticed it, I was surrounded by applause. In my later years, I used to think of cheering as annoying noise¡ªbut the children¡¯s honest praise wasn¡¯t half bad. I said children, but now that I think about it, I was about the same age. Being unaccustomed to the situation, I let out a slight bitter smile¡ªand stiffened immediately. Wait a minute. What did I just do? If I remember correctly, I think that I threw Sid really well. I thought back on each and every one of my actions. When I realized what I had done, my face turned green. What am I, an idiot? My bitter smiled instantly turned stiff. My original plan had been¡ªyes, I was only supposed to borrow Sid¡¯s attack and sweep his legs until he tumbled over. But what I had done afterwards was a mistake. What I did just now was the Shijima style technique, ¡°Shadow Leaf.¡± The technique throws the enemy¡¯s body like the weight of a leaf. It uses rotational power, called centrifugal force, and borrows the opponent¡¯s own strength to twirl him faster and faster in the air and then throw him head-first into the ground. It was a technique that put to practice all of the fundamental skills of the Shijima style. It was as if my whole body had turned to stone. I peeked at Alma, moving stiffly like a rusty door. ¡°Slava¡­kun. That technique, where did you¡­? No. It doesn¡¯t matter where you learnt it. How did you learn that technique so well at such a young age?¡± ¡­I screwed up. It was a technique that I had practiced hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It was understandable that I had done it unconsciously, but why did it have to be here? It seemed to have become second nature to me. I was so foolish. I wanted to smack my own head. But now wasn¡¯t the time; I could blame myself later. The one who had seen my technique the closest, Alma, had an expression that was difficult to describe. It was filled with bewilderment. ¡°Ah¡­ Well¡­ It seems that my father has studied the Shijima style before¡­ He has trained me in the technique that gathers all the basics of the Shijima style, Shadow Leaf, since I was little, so¡­ Umm. It is certainly a technique that should not be used on someone who only just started martial arts today. I apologize.¡± I wondered if I had talked too much. I had said it very smoothly. After giving an excuse that had even me convinced, I put on an expression as if I were reflecting on my actions. The fact that my father was a member of the Shijima style was a complete lie, but although the Shijima style wasn¡¯t very popular when it first started, it now had so many branches across the world that my story should be believable. ¡°He has been training you in the technique since you were little¡­? At what age did you start?¡± ¡°When I was five. But, even though I asked him to teach me more, he did not teach me any other techniques.¡± ¡°Then, are you saying that you learned nothing but this technique?¡± ¡°Umm. Yes.¡± ¡­I was a really good actor, if I may say so myself. I think it really looked like ¡®a kid reflecting on showing off his martial arts too much.¡¯ ¡°Well, it¡¯s something that I was going to teach eventually. The fact that you got there first¡­ It¡¯s not something to praise you for, but since this is a Shijima style match, it is also not something to complain about. Your concern for your opponent was also good¡­ It was a perfect ¡®Shadow Leaf.¡¯ You have talent.¡± Alma smiled, though it was a tad awkward. ¡­ I-I made it somehow. I need to learn from this and be more careful in future. Geez. To have to hold back on my instinctual movements¡­ I felt like I was getting further away from the peak of martial arts. However, it might come in handy when I have to use a feint. For the time, I was relieved at the averted danger. I hoisted Sid, who I had been holding this whole time, onto his feet. Just as I lifted the now-conscious Sid up, Alma instructed us to move away from the sparring area. That was really close. I need to be careful when I use Shijima Style techniques in front of that child. I wiped the sweat off my brow as I realized the danger of these martial arts lessons. As I did that, Sid, who at some point had sat down next to me, was holding the ends of his exercise clothes. ¡°¡­ What happened?¡± His eyes told me he wanted to say something, so, since I was technically his senior, I asked him. Even if I did stop half-way, I had used a Shijima technique on him. I just hoped that he was not gripped by fear. ¡°You¡¯re awesome Slava. What did you do to get so strong?¡± When he said that, his expression was the complete opposite of what I expected. He was filled with admiration and respect. ¡­ I see. ¡®How do I get stronger,¡¯ is it? That¡¯s something I would like to know as well¡­ Or so I would like to say, but let¡¯s teach him the one thing that I have learnt for sure. ¡°You need to be diligent every day. If you have a strong will and train for a long time, Sid, then you, too, will eventually become as strong as me.¡± ¡°Diligent¡­? That just means I have to try my hardest! Alright! One day I will definitely beat you! Just you watch!¡± Just as I thought, kids around this age really are too dazzling. I smiled, forgetting that I was at the same age as that dazzling kid. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C At the Elven school, Milafia¡¯s national Alfalia Academy, where elven children from all across the country gather, in the only room in which adults gather, a peerless beauty groaned. While still young for an elf at 90 years old, she was the legendary martial artist that had carved her name into history: Alma Shijima. She had put forth an effort to raise young boys and girls in order to find someone worthy to inherit the Shijima name. After visiting different schools and traveling all across the country, she finally found a young boy that caught her eye at the most prestigious school in the country. She held a book with all of the student¡¯s information in the palm of her hand. The page it was opened to read, ¡®Slava Marshall¡¯. The name was the same as that of her now-deceased master. ¡°¡­ There must be something wrong with me. For me to remember my master when I look at that kid¡­¡± Alma put the book down on the desk and looked up at the sky. She remembered the face of her great master who, from an elf¡¯s point of view, died young because he was part of the human race. Slava Marshall. Not to mention the race, the eyes, the nose, the ears, their builds¡­ nothing was the same. Her first impression of him was that he was a regular, well behaved boy. But after the first lesson just now, she had to rethink that opinion. ¡°Seriously. Even though they look nothing alike¡­ Why does he remind me of my master?¡± She already knew the answer in her heart but said it out loud as if though that would confirm the answer. ¡­ It was that graceful ¡®Shadow Leaf¡¯. It was a Shijima style technique executed so smoothly that all the moments seemed to merge together. But more than that, it was the natural way in which he took up the Shijima style stance that reminded her of her master. ¡°For him to have the same name¡­ Master, is this your guidance?¡± Alma was speaking to her master in heaven. Nobody answered her. However, she was sure about one thing. She had finally found him. Her eyes burned with determination. Her world, which had been so drab until now, once again filled with color. ¡°Master¡­ I finally found a successor to entrust the Shijima name to.¡± Alma murmured towards the heavens once again. ¡­She was completely unaware that her master, who was supposed to be in heaven, was that young boy himself. The boy in question sneezed a little, feeling the intertwining fate from his past life. Volume 1 - CH 4 Chapter 4: My Own Story I was in a perfect place. The rays of the sun pleasantly warmed my body. It was right before noon. Luckily, I had just gotten hungry. I was surrounded by a slightly different liveliness than I usually felt. At school, I was used to hearing the sound of people¡¯s happy chatter. But what caught my attention at that moment was not the happy voices of children playing. ¡°Ah! Look, look! Slava-kun, that looks really good!¡± Said a lively voice, as its owner pulled my sleeve. I turned to face in the direction of Selia¡¯s familiar voice. ¡°Let¡¯s see, let¡¯s see¡ªI see, honey bread. You really love sweet things, don¡¯t you, Selia?¡± ¡°Ehehe¡ªMaidens love sweet things, you know.¡± Selia was pointing at a store selling bread wrapped in a shiny golden coat. Today was a day that only came twice a week. Normally I would be training, but today was a little different. I went out to Alfalia¡¯s streets with my schoolmates, Selia and Sid. There was no real purpose. If I had to say, we simply went out to walk and eat and buy things. In my previous life, this is where I would have scoffed and called it a waste of time. But, oddly enough, I have come to think that doing something like this was not bad once in a while. I wonder if I became more honest with myself after having had died once. ¡°Sweet things are fine and all, but I want to eat something salty.¡± The one who said that while walking with his arms crossed behind his head was Sid. After facing off against each other during the martial arts lesson, we¡¯d started spending more time together. I¡¯d taken a liking to the friendly young boy. Lately, the three of us¡ªSid, Selia, and I¡ªhad been spending a lot of time together. However, today was a little different¡ªThere was one more person in the group. ¡°Now, now. There¡¯s plenty of time. We can just take our time looking around.¡± A kind voice admonished the pair of them while smiling. Many people walked by, and each and every one of them stopped to marvel at her beauty. Alma Shijima. A living legend. There was virtually no one in the elven country who did not know her. She was also the source of my small worries. Not many people in my previous life had understood me better than Alma. In order to keep the freedom I had finally obtained, my daughter must not find out my true identity. On top of that, meeting some people then continuing then meeting some more somehow felt awkward. ¡°Going out to play with my students is nice and refreshing. I would think that keeping such lively kids together would be hard, but Slava is a real adult, huh.¡± ¡°¡­Someone like me still has a long way to go. More importantly, is sensei also having fun?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, I¡¯m having fun.¡± But thinking about how I¡¯d hardly ever spent time like this with Alma in my previous life really had me thinking that this is just about the only time. ¡°Is that so? In that case, I¡¯m glad.¡± I muttered slowly and carefully, almost as if confirming the words. I did not intend for her to hear it, but my small voice was not drowned out by the bustle and reached her ears. Her long, well-proportioned legs bent slightly, and I was suddenly looking right into Alma¡¯s eyes. ¡°Fufu. Thanks. You are really kind, Slava.¡± Alma put her hand on my head while smiling gently. ¡­ Now that I thought about it, I used to do that to Alma often too. It must be some form of karma. Today, I was in the opposite position. It gave me an odd feeling. ¡°Hey, Alma-sama, Slava-kun, let¡¯s go get food already.¡± ¡°Ah. You¡¯re right. Should we get going, Slava? It looks like Selia and Sid can¡¯t hold on much longer.¡± Alma¡¯s blue hair swayed as she stood up elegantly. I stood under her shadow which was taller than me as I agreed with her. We headed not in the direction of the honey bread, but rather towards Sid¡¯s skewered meat shop. I guess that was because sweets are meant to be eaten after a meal. Personally, I preferred food that was more filling in the first place. ¡°You guys finally came! I¡¯m starving!¡± ¡°Sorry about that¡­ Now then, what should we do? Should we eat them here?¡± I asked no one in particular, glancing at the tables set up in front of the store. ¡°Let¡¯s do that. Afterwards, we can walk around while eating the honey bread.¡± The one who answered was Selia. Now that I thought about it, she had said that she wanted to eat honey bread. In that case, it would be difficult to walk around while eating both honey bread and a skewer. ¡°It¡¯s a little rude, but it might be fun to eat while walking around once in a while. But it would be terrible if you got some on your clothes while eating honey bread. Be careful when you walk, alright? Lately, the neighborhood has gotten worse. Let¡¯s avoid trouble as much as possible.¡± The one that responded to Selia was Alma. From her expression, it looked like she was having fun. Alma had always loved sweet things. It seemed like that hadn¡¯t changed, even now. ¡­I guess you could say that the way she cautioned us was very teacher-like of her. ¡°Mister! Give me two beef skewers! And also white bread!¡± ¡­ While I was thinking, it became my turn. Since my parents gave me an allowance, buying this much shouldn¡¯t be a problem. It was an allowance I got for my good grades, but having to buy something with my allowance at this age was a bit sad. But at the moment I had no way to earn money myself. At this point, I had no choice but to gratefully take the money while thinking that I would pay it back some day. ¡°I¡¯ll also take a skewer and white bread. Only a little salt on the skewer, please.¡± I¡¯ll leave the difficult stuff for later. For now, I will simply enjoy my time with my schoolmates. In my previous life I hardly ever ate luxurious meals, but even so, I really love eating. In my late years, my favorite light seasoning was one of the few things that could move my heart. After eating at the beef skewer stand, we walked the streets of Alphalia. After getting their hands on the honey bread, the girls smiled wholeheartedly; it was as if they were biting into little pieces of happiness. ¨CI heaved a sigh without thinking. I wonder how many years it¡¯s been since I walked around so leisurely like this? In my previous life, I was focused solely on reaching the peak of strength¡­ I wondered if I had started to think a little more like them after being reborn as an elf. For a former human like me, walking on the streets was really filled with new experiences. It brings back memories of my previous life when I traveled to various countries. This world is made up of four countries: the Human country, the Elven country, the Djin country, and the Werebeast country. While they all came from the same origin they were divided into different races by their interesting special traits. After living a long time in the Human country and getting familiar with it, from my perspective, there was one big difference between the streets of the Human country and those of the Elven country. There were almost no other races walking about. I see. It was just like the impression I¡¯d gotten in my previous life. It seemed the Elven culture was xenophobic to some degree. As I thought, the elves really were very polite. In spite of all the people on this busy street, it was still somewhat peaceful. I had been surprised when I visited the Djin country. The streets themselves were not much different, but the public order was terrible. The Werebeast country was special, even at first glance. Their special trait would cause anyone from the other three races to say ¡®ah!¡¯ when they saw it. The shape of a Werebeast¡¯s ears and tail varied between individuals. Furthermore, their streets were also special. My master said that the layout of the streets resembled his faraway homeland to which he may never return. If possible, I would like to visit the mysterious Werebeast country again. ¨CEven if you could describe all the races with the same word, ¡°person¡±, when you think about it, there is much more to it. Culture, roots, and personality all vary from race to race. Because of their different sensibilities, a war had broken out in the ancient past. Although, I suppose to the elves, it would have felt like recent history. The war ended a long time ago. Except for the aloof Djin race, the other three races have all joined hands in peace. The elven countries¡¯ isolation from other countries may have something to do with the current state of affairs. Looking at the layout of the streets, I was lost in thought. Once I graduate from school, I would like to travel to those countries. Each of the four countries has its own history and its own path. This time, for sure, after being reborn as an elf and being blessed with a long life span, I would take my time to travel the world¡ªand I would like to test myself against truly strong people from various places. It was a dream that I could never fulfill because of my health, lifespan and position. When I thought that I could finally make that dream a reality, the ends of my lips curled up¡ªand it was at that moment. ¡°I want to hear about Alma-sama.¡± With her lips glistening with honey, Selia turned her pure eyes towards Alma. After the small spell of silence was broken, I also turned my eyes to Alma without thinking about it. When I looked, Sid was the same as me. The only difference was that the honey bread had already disappeared from Sid¡¯s hand. ¡°Eh? A-about me?¡± As expected, after being asked such a question out of nowhere, even Alma was surprised. Maybe it was because she rushed to answer, but when she moved her mouth away from the honey bread, her mouth was covered by a glossy layer just like Selia. ¡ªI see. I also have some interest in hearing about Alma. We often had conversations as a father and daughter, but I have never exchanged words with Alma as a teacher and student, as an outsider. ¡°Ah. I also really want to hear it! Tell us an epic!¡± Sid also looked at Alma with shining eyes after getting swept up by the flow. ¡°Eh? An epic? For me to tell it myself, ¡­¡± Alma looked left and right and forgot all about the honey bread in her hands. When faced with such sparkling eyes, even the elven hero will falter, huh. After getting her path of escape cut off by those two, Alma turned to look at me. It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t willing to give her a lifeline, but since I also wanted to hear about Alma, I couldn¡¯t do that. When faced with her puppy-dog eyes, I smiled gently. After realizing that her last hope had betrayed her, Alma let out a sigh and dropped her shoulders. ¡°Ah¡ªerm¡­ What does Selia want to know about?¡± But even so, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t completely given up. Thinking that it would be better than telling her own epic, she turned to Selia with an awkward smile. Being born as an elf, I was familiar with Alma¡¯s achievements, but it¡¯s not like I was personally there. I am not sure about the details. I wanted to hear it directly from Alma, but looking at things it seemed l couldn¡¯t expect much. ¡ªA few years back, a giant dragon attacked the world. It was impervious to magic. Alma defeated the dragon, which had defeated the world¡¯s heroes, using Shijima-style techniques. After defeating the dragon with only her fists, she started being hailed as a hero across the world. I wanted to hear the details about that time, but it seemed like getting the person herself to talk about it would be hard. But it¡¯s about my daughter whom I had not met for more than ten years. No matter what it was, as a parent, I would be interested. Now then, I wonder just what exactly Selia¡¯s going to ask. Just a step away, I looked at Alma, unable to conceal my interest. All eyes turned to Alma. Just as one would expect, the question that came out of Selia¡¯s mouth was¡ª ¡°Then¡­ I want to hear about the person that Alma likes!¡± It was an extremely girly, extremely cute question. ¡°¡ªWhat did you say?¡± It was an extremely evil question that made me freeze up. The person she likes, you said? Are you saying that my little girl has a lover?! ¡°T-the person I like..? Ok. Though I don¡¯t think Selia will understand even if I tell you¡­¡± From that reaction, are you saying there is someone?! My eyes widened at my daughter¡¯s reaction. Her face was red and she started fidgeting slightly. As her adoptive parent, I obviously want Alma to enjoy a woman¡¯s happiness. There is also the fact that I died without ever taking a wife. More than most people, I want my daughter to have a happy family. ¡ªHowever, now that I have been reborn into this world, I have a duty as a parent to make sure that other person is suitable. Alma is a bit of an airhead, but she can also be a good judge of other people. I doubt there is any way that my daughter would be mislead by someone, but¡­ no stone must be left unturned. ¡°I am also interested. A teacher who is renowned for her martial arts¡­ just what kind of person would she be interested in?¡± ¡°Ehh¡­ I want to hear about some cool adventure instead of¡ª¡± ¡°We can do that after, right? More than anything, there are two people here that want to hear about that. Can¡¯t you let it slide?¡± I took a step forward towards Sid who was trying to take the conversation back. Forgive me, Sid. I have a duty to make sure that my beloved daughter is not being strung along by some weird man! ¡°Umm, uh¡­ yeah. It¡¯s rare to see Slava-kun get so worked up.¡± It seemed my true intentions had been exposed a bit. Sid became quiet and slunk behind me, so that our positions were switched. ¡°Ok, I give up. Do you really want to hear it?¡± Alma¡¯s expressions did not seem altogether unwilling. If anything, there almost seemed to be a part of her that wanted to discuss the matter. If it¡¯s like this¡ªif we push her, she will tell us. ¡°I want to hear it!¡± ¡°Umm. Please!¡± In that case, I will push her. I will not let this opportunity slide. I advanced towards Alma in total sync with Selia. Unlike her previous hesitation, Alma started to fidget bashfully. I may not have been able to witness it in person, but I must at least listen to the story. Then if the man turns out to be no good¡­ As a former father, I ignored the murderous intent welling up inside. Alma placed her hand on her cheek. Alma displayed none of her usual elegance. In its place was the smile of a cute, love-struck girl. ¡°I-It can¡¯t be helped¡­ It¡¯s going to get mushy; is that ok?¡± I nodded my head along with Selia. As we nodded, Alma sneaked a glance at our faces and began to talk. ¡°First of all, that person is really strong. Much stronger than me.¡± ¡°Really?! Stronger than Alma-sama? Awesome!¡± ¡­I see. First of all, stronger than her, huh? Not bad. Strength has nothing to do with gender but even so, a man must at least be strong enough to protect the woman he has fallen for. ¡°He is also a really kind person. He was really busy so he didn¡¯t really have much time for me, but he still showered me with deep affection.¡± I see. If he really is kind, that can be considered as the minimum requirement. I cannot forgive the fact that he neglected Alma because he was busy¡­ However, as a man, I can understand that he had to maintain the household to a certain degree. ¡°Eeh. So he was kind, huh. Say, say, was he good-looking?¡± ¡°Of course! He had a slender body wrapped in muscle and a broad back¡­ I think that looking at it from even an elf¡¯s perspective, his face was also handsome.¡± So, Alma seemed to have a liking for his looks too. Well, he seemed to be okay on the inside and on the outside, and also seemed to hold a position that kept him busy¡­ At this point, everything sounded good. However, there is something that Alma said which I can¡¯t get past. ¡°Does ¡®even from an elf¡¯s perspective¡¯ mean that this person is not an elf?¡± The fact that she went out of her way to mention it from an elf¡¯s perspective means that this person is not an elf. I voiced my question while swallowing the word ¡®bastard.¡¯ When I asked her, Alma¡¯s eyes widened in surprise for just a moment then became clouded by a shadow. ¡°¡­Umm. That¡¯s right. He was human. If I had to find a flaw, it would be that his life span is different from ours.¡± As she said that, her smiling face hid a deep sorrow. Including my master and I, having been amongst humans, just how many people did Alma say goodbye to? It is precisely this reason that she knows exactly what a difference in life span brings. However, that just didn¡¯t seem to be it. From the strength of her emotions¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­? ¡°¡­In that case, is that person¡­?¡± ¡°Umm. He passed away already. But I really liked him¡­ no, that¡¯s wrong. I still like him even now.¡± Just as I thought. Alma was smiling as she said all of that but for some reason her expression was just like the time when I died. To get so angry over a dead person¡­ I still have a long way to go. ¡°Erm.. I¡¯m sorry Alma-sama.¡± When Selia looked at Alma¡¯s downcast appearance, she hung her head in shame. When Selia did that, Alma laughed. There wasn¡¯t a trace of sadness left in her expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Selia. If anything, I¡¯m the one that should be saying sorry. I still love him even now. Whenever there¡¯s a chance, I like to boast about him.¡± She closed an eye, and with that smiling face¡ªyes, it is exactly what you would call a wink. I thought she was a cry-baby, but it seems that in the time I didn¡¯t see her, she grew more than I expected. ¡°Since you asked, I¡¯m going to have you listen to the whole story, you know.¡± ¡°Ahaha. I couldn¡¯t ask for more!¡± I realized that I was sighing. She is really strong, my daughter. The way she wholeheartedly thinks about the deceased is just like her. As a parent, I really hope that she can find a new love and become happy. But for him to be stronger than Alma¡­ I would have liked to spar with him at least once. ¡°You said just now that he was stronger than you, but what kind of techniques did he use?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh yeah, I forgot Slava is also a martial artist. Fufufu¡­ You see, he was a practitioner of the Shijima style, just like you.¡± ¡°What! He was also a practitioner of the Shijima style?¡± I asked out of pure curiosity, but the answer I received surprised me. It is true that the Shijima style is a superior martial art, but for him to also practice it¡­ Even amongst Shijima style practitioners, Alma is strong. When compared to my master and I, I think she has yet to surmount the wall. However, looking at it from the point of view of those that study martial arts, she can be said to be at the peak. But even so, the world is vast. The number of people that are stronger than Alma is not low. The number is not low, yet¡­ for it to be specifically the Shijima style is surprising. I didn¡¯t think that that there was anyone that skilled when I was still human. Someone must have appeared after my death. ¡°If it¡¯s not too hard on you, I would like to hear about it.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re interested? If it¡¯s about the Shijima style, I would be more than happy.¡± In that aspect, she is certainly my daughter. Looking at Alma become so lively talking about martial artists, I showed a crooked smile. Seeing her so happy, I started to feel a little happy myself. That just goes to show how much she respected him. I remember some promising young students of the Shijima style. But there was no one I knew who could have caught Alma¡¯s eye. I awaited Alma¡¯s story with mixed feelings. ¡°It seems like you will figure it out anyway. Although even if you did, you wouldn¡¯t consider it a great revelation¡­ This person who I like was my master.¡± ¡°Haha, I see. It is indeed true that it is only natural for a master to be stronger than his disciple.¡± The answer was¡­ well, it¡¯s true that it wasn¡¯t much of a revelation. Certainly, the truth was far more simple than what I imagined. It made me smile. I see, I see. Her master, huh¡­ Huh? Her master? If memory serves correctly, Alma didn¡¯t have a master other than me. ¡­No, no. There¡¯s no way. ¡°By the way, was this person possibly Slava-sama?¡± Selia tilted her head while poking her cheek with her finger. It¡¯s a name I was familiar with, and now that Alma¡¯s teacher had entered into the conversation, my body stiffened. ¡°Slava-sama, that¡¯s the legendary martial artist, right? Even I know about him! Ah, Slava also has the same name as that person, right?¡± As if to pressure me, I was addressed with the embarrassing title of ¡®legendary martial artist.¡¯ My past self, Slava Shijima¡ªthat name didn¡¯t have as much recognition as Alma¡¯s, but it still seemed to be famous. ¡­More importantly, what was going on? As expected, my head was a mess. No, I did understand it to some degree. ¡°You¡¯re all well informed. Yup. The person I like is Slava Shijima-sama. He was the great martial artist, but more importantly, my beloved person that died all too young.¡± I wanted to deny it. I never expected that the person my daughter loved would be my past self. Or at least, that¡¯s what I wanted to think. Or rather, what do you mean by ¡®died all too young¡¯? Even if I was taken by disease, I still lived to be over one hundred years old. I was as feeble as a dead tree. ¡°Saying it so bluntly is embarrassing¡­ Alas, I suppose I¡¯m still young.¡± After saying the name of the person she liked, it seemed that my daughter finally started to feel embarrassed about her actions. More importantly, even if I was only your adoptive parent, please feel shame about having romantic feelings for your father. ¡­Was the person who raised her to blame? No, but didn¡¯t my master say that it wasn¡¯t strange for a young girl to say that she wanted to marry her dad? It is true that I was the person of the opposite sex closest to Alma. I wonder if her feelings got mixed up because of that? ¡°But I heard that Slava¡­-sama was like a father to Alma. How do you feel about that?¡± At any rate, for her to hold romantic feelings towards her father at such an age¡­ as a father, it seems that I must fix it. I asked her while having trouble adding ¡®-sama¡¯ to the end of my own name. ¡°B-but you see, Master was really kind and strong¡­ Even if you are his daughter, if such a person turned his affection towards you, wouldn¡¯t you fall for him? To me, he was somewhat like a father and also like an older brother, and he was the closest person to me of the opposite sex¡­ and we were only 40 years apart! It would be impossible even if you told me not to think about it!¡± ¡°I get it. If someone was that nice to me, I would be really happy!¡± But her response only amounted to ¡°well, you can¡¯t blame me.¡± I could feel the cultural difference. My head hurt. I was really worried about whether it would be a good idea to reveal my true identity. I think that it may be better for my past self to remain as a memory for her¡­ The girls were blooming while talking about romance. My eyes coincidently met with Sid¡¯s. He looked thoroughly bored. He must have been fed up. Looking at the girls getting all worked up, as a man, it was hard to join in. ¡°And what do you think Master said then? ¡®There¡¯s nothing to worry about. Let¡¯s warm up your body first. I doubt you¡¯ll like it, but I can treat you to some soup.¡¯ He said this as he reached out to me with his right hand. I can¡¯t express just how much those words meant to a lonely stranger like me.¡± ¡°Ahh. Slava-sama was really kind!¡± More importantly, this whole situation makes me feel uncomfortable. Certainly, Alma, who I raised as a daughter, was very attached to me. Having to listen to lavish praise about myself with three additional people watching was hard. Listening to her rave on and on about me constantly caused my face to light up crimson red. When you take it that far, it becomes an art form. My face was burning hot. ¡°E-excuse me. I need to go take care of something.¡± I couldn¡¯t take it any more. I lowered my head and tried to get away from Alma and the rest. Before I could face my daughter¡¯s love, I wanted to get my heart under control. ¡°Mmm. Should we go with you? It¡¯s been dangerous lately and we never went over any precautions, right?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. It would be plenty if you could just wait for me for a minute.¡± I shook off Alma¡¯s restraint and stumbled away from that strange atmosphere. ¡­I¡¯m at a loss. Just what should I do in order to fix my daughter? I picked up the pace while listening to the voices of my schoolmates and teacher. Obviously, I did not really have anything to take care of. I had gotten away by pretending that I needed to do something quickly, so I should make sure to return soon. I turned back at the corner we had just passed earlier and got away from Alma. Now then, what should I do¡­? When someone has affection for the deceased and you challenge them on it, it could make their feelings flare up even more. Putting aside Alma¡¯s feelings, I would be really happy if she could find a nice young elf. As a foster parent, I wish for her to have a proper love. I put my hand to my jaw and walked while deep in thought. Even if I say that, I didn¡¯t know anything other than martial arts. As expected, I couldn¡¯t come up with anything. This is annoying. It happened just when I was absorbed in my own thoughts¡ª A suspicious-looking man started walking in my direction. At this rate, we would crash into each other. Even if I was caught up in my thoughts, I was a martial artist. I was sensitive to any danger that drew near. The more I looked, the more suspicious he seemed. So there were people like that even amongst the elves¡­ While thinking about something so obvious, I made way for him. There was no need to look for trouble. I was thinking just that when, suddenly, the man swayed and changed directions straight into my path. It was obvious that he changed directions after I avoided him. I moved slowly and without panicking as if to take another step in order to avoid him. ¡°Guhe-!¡± As I did so¡ªmost likely because he had missed his target¡ªthe suspicious man kissed the ground, violently. ¡­Hmm. It may have been impossible to avoid it. It might have gone just like the man wanted. ¡°Oh my. Are you ok? You really fell spectacularly.¡± ¡°You, you bastard! You know exactly what you did!¡± I bet he didn¡¯t think I would dodge that. The man seemed to have hit his nose hard, as he held onto it while standing back up. Well, it¡¯s true that I knew exactly what I had done. I did have some idea of what he was trying to do, but he certainly is a short-tempered one. I crossed my arms and snorted. I didn¡¯t have time to waste on someone like him. ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude?! You looking down on me, bastard!?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even lose any teeth. Unfortunately, I am in a hurry. If you are looking for someone to play the buffoon with you, please look somewhere else.¡± ¡°What the fuck did you say¡­? You looking to die?¡± ¡­Either way it was going to come to this. There was no way to avoid a fight. I wanted to do something about it before we attracted any more attention. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I say at this point, so come on already.¡± The man flared up as I gestured for him to begin. His face was dyed red in fury. Perhaps, he meant to start a fight to extort me. An idiot that would target a lone child¡­ even if I punish him a little, no one would complain. ¡°Brazen little snot-nosed brat¡­! Even if you cry and beg, I¡¯m not gonna let you off!¡± He put his hand into his chest pocket and pulled out a simple knife. I wonder if this is the source of his strange confidence. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s cheap confidence based on material objects. The man broke into a run swinging the knife without any skill or grace. ¡°¡­Fool.¡± Trying to fill the gap in strength with a weapon is not pathetic and can even be called clever. But for him to come swinging wildly like that without any plan¡­ And he was slow. I didn¡¯t even have to dodge it. If I shrouded my body with magic I could take it without a scratch. I was certain even without exchanging blows, this man was a small fry. The moment I understood that, I sighed, thinking, ¡®what am I doing?¡¯ Playing around with an idiot in broad daylight; I may be an idiot myself. After I started feeling stupid, I couldn¡¯t hold back my sighing. At almost the same time, the man came into range. I caught the knife between my fingers without moving my body. ¡°Wha-wha¡­ Huh?!¡± I stopped the knife with just enough force to avoid cracking the blade. No matter how hard the man tried, he couldn¡¯t make it budge at all. I advanced still gripping the knife between my fingers and twisted the wrist of my free left hand. The knife that the man had held with both hands then appeared in my hand so readily that I was almost disappointed. ¡°You¡ªwhat are you?!¡± And just like that, I sunk my fist into his stomach. My fist met with little resistance and stole the man¡¯s consciousness along with his breath. The man collapsed to his knees and kissed the ground once again. ¡°Ugh. Dammit¡­ If only I had ¡®that¡¯, this brat¡­¡± As his consciousness was fading, the man raised his head again and left behind the voice of his regret before embracing the ground once more. Leaving someone that came at me with killing intent without any real injuries, I¡¯ve truly gone soft. I put the knife down beside the man and walked away to escape from the people that started gathering around. I need to get back or else they might start getting suspicious. I turned back towards the road I had came from, praying that the conversation was at least over. All the while, my heart was filled with a strange weight. ¡­Reaching the pinnacle of martial arts is good and all, but it seems that I have found something else that I must do as well. How should I rehabilitate my daughter? I heaved a sigh and silently drooped my shoulders. Volume 1 - CH 5 Chapter 5- The World¡¯s Coincidences Converge ¡°¡­It¡¯s been pretty boring lately.¡± In a room bathed in the red light of the setting sun, a lone old man stroked his beard. The way he crossed his legs while sitting in a soft-looking chair couldn¡¯t be called polite even as a compliment. Perhaps getting tired of stroking his beard, the old man listlessly reached towards the desk. He sluggishly grabbed the cup of cold tea and brought it towards his mouth. The black tea could be considered a top class brew. However, perhaps because it had cooled, its taste was sorely lacking. The old man with the elven ears sighed and put down the cup. His idle hand reached towards his beard once again. His mustache was slightly stained with tea. ¡°It¡¯s been exactly 30 years since Slava died, has it¡­ Too long. It¡¯s been too long.¡± He reached into his rough clothes, which seemed out of place in the room, and pulled out a crumpled photo. The photo showed him with one other old man¨C Slava Shijima. ¡°That idiot¡­ This is why humans are no good.¡± The old man looked like he would crumple the photo, but he returned it to his clothes, taking care not to crumple it. The old man threw himself towards the chair in apathy. Though his aged body lacked strength, the chair creaked under his weight. The old man¡¯s name was Chester Prime. As founder of the Prime dueling arts, he was a martial artist whose name was not written in the spotlight of history. In both human and elven history, there are those who are not depicted in history¡¯s spotlight and remain in obscurity. If Alma Shijima can be considered a representative of the martial artists on the surface, the old man known as Chester could be considered a representative of those who fight with their lives on the line for money and power behind the scenes. ¨CThat old man, Chester, fought on even footing with Slava Shijima in the past. Though he was an elf, he had wasted no time honing his skills, training so quickly it seemed he was in a rush. Day after day he beat people. Before he knew it, he had reached the top. His meeting with Slava Shijima was inevitable. ¡°Damnation. What I¡¯d give to fight him once more¡­¡± He had amassed his wealth with his fists. He should have wanted it desperately, but whether it was the chair he sat in or the other luxuries that filled the room, they all felt empty. He was a man who was just about to surpass 800 years of age, and yet his hands hung lifelessly. In the end, what was it that he truly desired? ¡ª The brilliant room instantly lost its color. Or at least, that¡¯s how it felt to him. At that moment there came a knock at the door. ¡°Master, are you here?¡± ¡°Ah. I¡¯m here. Enter.¡± ¡°Well then, excuse me.¡± A maid came in through a pair of ostentatious doors. The maid was beautiful enough to make him think that if he were 200 hundred years younger he may have gone after her. Her hands held something that resembled a letter. ¡°You have a letter, Master.¡± ¡°I can see that. So? Who¡¯s it from?¡± If it¡¯s from some random person you should have just thrown it away, he implied, but the respectful maid looked at him with a smile. ¡°Shijima¡± ¡°¡ªHuh?¡± ¡°It is from Alma Shijima-sama.¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s from the little miss. It¡¯s been a while¡­ Bring it to me.¡± Chester¡¯s expression changed at the unexpected name. It wasn¡¯t from the person he was hoping for, but there was no way that a letter could come from the person he wanted to hear from. Even so, it was the perfect distraction. He signaled for the maid to come closer and gingerly took the letter from her hand. He broke the letter¡¯s seal with a satisfying sound. What greeted him inside were characters too refined to have written by a martial artist. ¡°That¡¯s just like the little miss,¡± he mumbled with a smile. The letter was formal and started off with a stuffy greeting. The letter was too polite to have come from the daughter and disciple of the man said to be his friend and rival . He smiled at the fact. It was a pleasant letter from an old friend. While Chester was looking through the letter, he stopped at a single word. The smile quickly vanished from his face. The change in his expression was enough to make his longtime maid worry. ¡°Master¡­?¡± the worried maid called out to Chester. The only time the old man wore such an expression was when he was furious ¨C or just the opposite. The maid knew that he also wore the expression when he was overtaken with joy. What was it this time? The answer was¡­ ¡°Kukuku, kakaka! This is interesting. Oi, look at this!¡± Chester laughed from the bottom of his heart. The answer surely lay in the letter he handed her. The maid began to read the letter. She soon understood the meaning behind his laugh. Changing the subject, I finally found someone to inherit the Shijima name. I plan to take him as a disciple and have him inherit Master¡¯s will no matter what. I thought I should inform you since you were Master¡¯s friend. His name is Slava Marshall. He is a young boy that, at the age of 12, reminds me of Master when he uses the Shadow Leaf technique. They do not look anything alike, but somehow his image is reminiscent of Master. I would love for you to see him as well. ¡°¡ªI see.¡± ¡°Kuku. Interesting, right? A brat with the same name as that idiot, she says. That little Miss Alma even says he¡¯s like that guy.¡± Chester continued to laugh boisterously. Anybody could see that he was happy from the bottom of his heart. For that little miss who¡¯s infatuated with Slava to say that they¡¯re similar, just what is he? ¨CI wanna meet ¡®im. I really wanna meet ¡®im. It seems like my life has finally started to regain its color¡­ It¡¯s worth living a long life. The old man finally stopped laughing but his face still bore a wide smile. He stood up from the florid chair. ¡°We¡¯re leaving tomorrow. I don¡¯t even need to say where, right?¡± ¡°Tomorrow? What about her lessons¡ªno, it¡¯s pointless. I understand. I shall make the preparations.¡± Now that his mind was set, he couldn¡¯t stay away. His laugh belied his 800 years of age¡ªit was the laugh of a child. The man once known as the strongest in the underworld stood up¡ª ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¡°Aah-choo! ¡­mm. I wonder if I caught a cold.¡± If someone had been there to hear it they would have definitely said that I sounded like an old man. A bad feeling came over me when I sneezed and said that. It was my day off and I had gone to the mountain that could be seen from school. The place was at a high altitude, so it was colder than at ground level, but since I was clad in magic I could hardly feel it. Which is why I did not know why I sneezed so strongly but, looking at it, the cold and sneezing do go hand in hand. The only reason I could think of was that I caught a cold. but¡ªI do think I take good care of my body. As a result, I had not caught a cold since being reborn. Or so I said, but it was nothing to be overly cautious about. ¨CHmm. I left the trip to the waterfall for another day and decided to thoroughly practice Shadow Dance. I did not feel anything wrong, but I did not let my guard down. Going to the waterfall is a great way to train both mind and magic power, but if one wishes for strength they must take care of their health. It was regrettable but, it had to be done. I looked at the waterfall with some lingering disappointment while I created a clone of myself and faced off against it. After training for a while I had come to realize that the clone was slightly stronger than I was. In other words, it meant my reborn body had yet to catch up to my previous self. The physical abilities of my body hadn¡¯t changed much, but it seemed having better mobility did not make up for my shorter reach. The clone from my previous life had a much longer reach and could continue battling longer, which put me at a disadvantage. I kept thinking about ways to deal with someone that has longer reach but¡­ at any rate, this was a precious opportunity to train that I only had twice a week. The ideas and strategies I thought up during those 5 boring days¡ªI must make sure to test them thoroughly. It was my precious outing; I couldn¡¯t just head home without doing anything. ¡°¡ªLet¡¯s begin.¡± Like this, twice a week, I battled with my clone. I had no intention of doing anything else today. I decided to hit and be hit to my heart¡¯s content. The mountain rang with the sound of each strike. Animals kept away from the area. My fight lasted all day. I used my remaining strength to somehow get back the dormitory. Since I did not have any magic left, I had wounds left in unseen places again. Even if I did only do it twice a week, I may have been spending too much magic on training. I needed a little more self-restraint. I had been reckless, but I somehow managed to will myself to my bed. Soon the sound of deep breathing began¡­ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Morning came. Even if it was an endless cycle, I guess I could not help but feel somewhat depressed when I thought about how long I would have to wait for my next day of training as the cycle began again. I put on my school uniform and headed towards the cafeteria. The dormitory was one story tall and had its own cafeteria. Since the dormitory separated students by gender, the cafeteria on this side was filled with boys. Today¡¯s breakfast was fish. In my previous life it was something I ate often in my later years. After having had tasted the deliciousness of fatty foods once again in my new life, I didn¡¯t think much of the food and simply headed to my seat. I felt the cold touch of the metal as I took the fork and knife and expressed my thanks for the meal. Hmm. It smelled nice. Even though it was made for so many students at once, why was it so¡­? The smell from the fish really whetted my appetite. It truly bears repeating: fish really is great. There is no doubt that smell goes from the nose straight to the stomach. I was so hungry that the fish was all I could think of as I raised my knife and fork to dig in. ¡°Ah, this is the one. Hey Slava, good morning.¡± ¡­The timing was almost as though Alma had planned it out. I stopped my knife at the familiar voice. Lately, Alma had been meeting me like this more frequently. It seemed that she wanted to make me the successor to the Shijima style. She invited me to become her disciple. Becoming my disciple¡¯s disciple would be a laughable story. Every time she asked I refused with a reasonable explanation, but¡­ Hey, during a meal¡ªespecially breakfast! What is this?! When I turned to voice my complaint, I expected to find Alma¡¯s eyes below mine. But there was something there that I was not expecting. ¨CAlma was certainly there, but that was not all. Smiling at me was another familiar face that I never expected. ¡°Hoh. This brat, is it? I should say it¡¯s nice to meet you, brat. I¡¯m Chester Prime. I¡¯m this kid¡¯s master¡¯s¡­ His rival, I guess.¡± He had an elf¡¯s characteristic pointed ears, an annoying white mustache under his nose, and a body smaller than mine had been in my previous life. His smile could only appear to be sarcastic. There was no way I could forget that face¡ª ¡°What he says is true. Let me introduce him to you, Slava. He is my master¡¯s friend, Chester. I wrote about you in a letter and he said he wanted to meet you, so I thought I would introduce you to him.¡± Chester Prime. My lifelong rival, he was so strong he was even called the Underground¡¯s King of Fists. There was no way I could forget that idiot¡¯s face after fighting him so many times. I see, that¡¯s right. Since Alma was still so young, there was nothing strange about the fact that that old man was still alive, or rather, there was no way he would have died. The connections from my previous life just kept popping up one after another. I felt as if though I was bound by the chains of fate. Volume 1 - CH 6 Chapter 6: Worthy Rival It was finally time for martial arts class. Normally I didn¡¯t mind this class¡ªit allowed me to have matches from time to time and gave me a chance to reinforce the most basic of basics of the Shijima style. On top of that, I get to see Alma. Even if it was bothersome in some ways, I liked martial arts a good degree more than the normal day to day school activities. However, things were different today. ¡°The little miss has gotten good enough to teach others, huh. Life is really worth living.¡± ¡°I am still inexperienced. I couldn¡¯t let Master¡¯s¡ªShijima¡¯s¡ªtorch go out. Although I have wanted to find a successor for some time, it was only just recently that I was able to actually find him.¡± In addition to Alma, who was also instructing the students, watching my every move, there was now another person who thoroughly knew my moves: my good rival, Chester Prime. ¡­Damn shitty old man. What is a person from the underside of society doing here at the Academy with such a crafty face? There is a martial arts circle much deeper and darker than the stage where Alma lives. What the hell is their boss doing here in this peaceful academy? In my previous life, Chester took every opportunity to pick a fight under the pretense of a ¡°match¡±. Not only was he strong, but he probably knew my techniques even better than Alma did. I had a feeling this wouldn¡¯t be easy. It was hard enough to deal with Alma, but with that battle obsessed idiot Chester around, I had no confidence in being able to keep my identity a secret. I broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Your face is super green. Is that old man scary?¡± Sid stood next to me, teasing me while looking at my green face. This really wasn¡¯t funny. As much as I hated the notion of it, I honestly feared Chester¡¯s existence at the moment. ¡°Everyone please pay attention. Today, my master¡¯s rival, Mr. Chester Prime, has come for a visit. I doubt that there are any that know him, but he is stronger than me. Especially in battle prowess, I could not even compare to him. He has come here today especially to teach you all. Rest at ease and learn from him.¡± There was a commotion¡ªthough that was to be expected. Of course, there was no way that any of the students would know Chester Prime. ¡­Well, I know him, but let¡¯s put that aside for now¡ªhow would a person that has never stood in the underside of society know people obsessed with defeating each other? If Alma introduces an unknown man as being stronger than her¡ªthe person whom the elves regard as the strongest¡ªit could only be taken as a joke. Even if everything she just said was serious. Even I in my previous life suffered to those killer fists. For Alma, who has yet to reach my previous peak, I wouldn¡¯t say there was no contest, but it would be as hard as catching snow. ¡°Now then, today let¡¯s first practice the basic movements. After learning the basic movements, let¡¯s have some practice matches.¡± Regardless of my apprehension, today¡¯s martial arts class begun. Obviously she had no way of knowing how I felt, but¡­ for her to call Chester of all of people¡­ Without voicing a single complaint against Alma, I did as I was told. I purposefully took an incorrect stance. A ¡®stance¡¯ was much deeper than it appeared to be on the surface. Even if different peoples¡¯ stances appeared the same at first glance, after many years of refinement, one¡¯s own idiosyncrasies would inevitably appear. I was no exception. The person seeing it firsthand was Chester Prime. Alma notwithstanding, the moment I took a proper stance, I was certain that Chester would see right through me. It could even be called trust, in a sense. Unless that old man had gone senile, there was no way he would forget our fights. It was that kind of self-serving trust. Not as a feint, but rather to purposefully ruin my stance, was like blasphemy towards martial arts. It hurt my heart. It felt awkward, like purposefully adding the wrong amount of salt to a dish. However, if I didn¡¯t do at least that much, there was no way I could fool Chester¡¯s eyes. In accordance to Alma¡¯s instructions, I would show off something lacking somewhere¡­ something that may not even be fit to be called a technique. Ah, this was annoying. Go home already, old man! I cursed my evil friend 600 years older than me in my heart. There was no way he would notice, but the fact that I thought so in my haste was proof that I still had a long ways to go. ¨CHowever, I would come to realized how na?ve I was. ¡°Oi, Boy¡­Slava was it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? Yes, that¡¯s right¡­?¡± Chester, who was looking over the students with Alma, stopped walking in front of me. That mustache warped into a perverted, truly hateful smile. There was no way he should have known it was me since I was holding back, but as I was panicking silently, Chester drew his face closer. After I stopped my movements, Chester whispered quietly enough so that I only I could hear it. ¡°¡­You are really taking it easy aren¡¯t you, boy?¡± My face stiffened at the sound of his terribly happy voice. There was no guarantee that he had figured out my true identity. He had only seen through the fact that I was holding back. I fixed my unsightly expression and turned to Chester as I regained my composure. ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s not like I am criticizing you. Your stance is perfect. Even so, to deliberately hold back on only the important parts¡­ you thought you were being clever, didn¡¯t you?¡± I gnashed my teeth thinking that it wasn¡¯t baseless trust. This man was my worthy rival. I had forgotten that he may be the man with the most experience against that Shijima style. The movements may have been perfect but there was no reason behind them. Are you saying that he saw through my empty movements? At this point excuses were worthless. If I said any half-baked lies, I may only make my situation worse. I understood the circumstances in which I found myself. ¡°You are¨C¡± ¡°I will not say anything in front of everyone. I can even keep quiet to the little miss. Let¡¯s see¡­ Come to the principal¡¯s office once school is over. If you do that, everything will stay the same, kid.¡± I didn¡¯t know what Chester was thinking, but he said to come to a place where we could talk. This was a fate I could not avoid. What he essentially meant was ¡°I could tell Alma if you would prefer.¡± That crooked nature of his hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest, that shitty old fox. ¡°I understand. Let¡®s do it that way.¡± In the end I didn¡¯t have a choice but to jump straight into the fire. Chester didn¡¯t give me the option not to come. He looked extremely satisfied. After finally pulling his face away he showed his aggressive fangs and said, ¡°I look forward to it, Slava.¡± ¡­What did he just say? He had been calling me ¡®boy¡¯ until just now. I stopped from having my name called so suddenly. The way he called me, it¡¯s almost as if¡­ ¡°Bastard, how much do you¡­?¡± ¡°Look forward to it. Kakaka, I will be waiting for you.¡± He must have been satisfied after laughing for a while. He stepped away from me and corrected the some other students¡¯ techniques. I broke out into a cold sweat, but at that moment, all I could do was feign composure. Alma instructed the next technique, but my mind was somewhere else entirely. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I was extremely reluctant, but after finishing school, I headed for the principal¡¯s office. I stood before the door, which was somewhat more elaborate than those in other rooms. Normally, students had little business with the principal, so it was rare for there to be someone at the door. In actuality, I had not business with the principal. The person I had business with was¡­ the person that said he would be waiting at this place, Chester Prime, that shitty old man. ¡­He called me here by grabbing at my weakness: threatening to reveal that I was holding back. I was really depressed thinking about what he would say. I should have done a better job of it. But if I had held back any more this time, it would have been more unusual and I would have become subject to Alma¡¯s scrutiny. Fruitless answers kept popping into my head one after another as I knocked on the principal¡¯s door. ¡°Pardon the intrusion, it is Slava Marshall.¡± ¡°Oh, Slava-kun. Enter.¡± When I named myself, the principal¡¯s gentle voice responded. After gaining permission, I placed my hand on the door and pushed it open. ¡­The door should have been light, but combined with my current mood, it seemed extremely heavy. ¡°Hey. I was tired of waiting, Slava.¡± This man is the very reason I felt this way. I wanted to complain about this, but if I had, he would have likely figured out my identity. Instead, I heaved a sigh and walked into the principal¡¯s office. ¡°If I made you wait, I apologize. Now, how may I help you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so stiff. I just wanted to talk about old times with you.¡± ¡­In my heart, I clicked my tongue. So much for ¡®what if he figures out my identity?¡¯ He figured it out a long time ago, didn¡¯t he? Looking at his detestable smile, I did not even bother to conceal my hostility as I glared at him. I had even forgotten that the principal was there. ¡°I see. Chester-dono and Slava-kun are acquainted. However, you can¡¯t look at your superiors like that, Slava-kun.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ve known him for a long time, so I don¡¯t mind this much. More importantly, you¡¯re fine with what we just talked about, right?¡± Chester stopped the principal from questioning my attitude. Even as I showed remorse to the principal, I cursed in my heart. But¡ªwhat did he mean ¡®what we just talked about¡¯? I was sure it was nothing good, but I couldn¡¯t do anything at the moment. I had no choice but to wait in silence. ¡°If it is a request from none other than Chester-dono, I do not mind. However, please refrain from anything too violent¡­¡± ¡°I cannot guarantee anything. However, I will do my utmost. Slava, a moment?¡± ¨CI see. I understood the real meaning behind Chester¡¯s words. My conviction hadn¡¯t changed, but I was vexed at the fact that I was dancing in the palm of his hand. Dammit. Alma really did something unnecessary. ¡°Alright, I do not mind.¡± ¡°It is decided then. Well, we are going to step outside, principal. You are not a spring chicken anymore, get some rest.¡± ¡°Ho ho. I am still active, you know. Slava, come to class tomorrow, ok?¡± Now that I had given up on resisting, things proceeded smoothly. She really did something unnecessary. But¡­ Truth be told, my blood was boiling. After getting out of the principal¡¯s office, without a word regarding our destination, we both started walking down the hallway. Walking while holding back my overflowing magic power was tough. I couldn¡¯t help getting worked up. After slowly walking out of the school building, we left through the school gate in the same manner. Since the dormitory was inside school grounds, once you ventured outside the school there was no one around. It was calm. ¡°Oi, Slava.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Stop with that creepy way of speaking. It¡¯s really conspicuous.¡± ¡°¡­Tch. Pointlessly sharp old man. Just go senile already.¡± ¡°KaKaKa! I can¡¯t very well go senile while you¡¯re still alive.¡± After confirming that there were no people around, I returned to my old way of speaking. ¡­To my vexation, it came as naturally as I had expected. Speaking like some know-it-all little brat really didn¡¯t suit my nature. ¡°And? Where are we doing this? This was spur-of-the-moment, right? So what are we doing about the location?¡± ¡°I never thought I would meet the person himself when I was introduced to some ¡®like him¡¯. Don¡¯t you have a good spot?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm. In that case, there is the place I am using. Let¡¯s go there.¡± We looked like grandson and grandfather as we silently headed into the forest together. There was no one to hear it, but if there had been, they would have heard a disturbing conversation as we decided on a destination and headed off. ¡°You haven¡¯t gotten rusty, have you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me, I¡¯m still in my prime.¡± Hearing my old rival¡¯s happy voice, I broke into a run. We transformed into a pair of shadows as we headed to Alback Mountain at a speed that, for a kid and an old man, was unbelievable. At some point I wondered what would happen¡ªbut at that point, I didn¡¯t care anymore. I couldn¡¯t hold back my smile as I headed to my first real battle in a long time. Volume 1 - CH 7 Chapter 7- Beyond the Shijima Style ¡°Ho~ you got a nice place here.¡± ¡°Right? Though I never thought I would bring anyone here.¡± Wewere talking about Alback Mountain, the secluded area where I always trained. Normally no one but me came to this place, but today there was another visitor. We each prepared ourselves as we exchanged small talk, neither of us making eye contact. At first glance this place may have seemed peaceful, but in actuality, the atmosphere was like a swollen balloon, filled with danger ready to burst at the slightest shock. I waited and waited and waited.. For the first time in thirty years, I could finally meet fist to fist with my rival. I linked my arms and stretched my muscles. Chester struck his fists at imaginary enemies. Our warm-up methods were almost symbolic of soft and hard martial arts. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but at that moment, I was most likely thinking the same thing as Chester. I wanted to fight already. For these last 12 years I had hidden my power and dedicated myself to training. It was extremely vexing. But now, I could fight to my heart¡¯s content with an opponent that was evenly matched with me in my previous life. Any heart that wouldn¡¯t be moved by this could be fed to the dogs. My heart, which had been silent for the last 50 years, trembled. The only thing on my mind at the time was my excitement for the battle. ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time already? The sun is going to set.¡± ¡°I was just thinking the same thing.¡± In the end, he was just as raring to go. In which case, it made perfect sense that our thoughts would be the same. I took a Shijima stance, ¡®Flowing Stream¡¯. It was a pillar stance that emphasized defense. After contemplating its form for countless years, it melds into the mind and permeates the body to form an armament based on the principles of martial arts. On the other hand, Chester relaxed and lowered his left fist to waist-level. It was a stance that reeked of offense. Having had spent a long time battling against him, I could tell. That was also another pillar stance. Pillar against pillar. A pure battle with no tricks¡ªI couldn¡¯t get enough. It was almost enough to make me drool. Words were unnecessary. I wanted to fight as soon as possible. ¡°Shijima style ¡®former¡¯ master, Slava Shijima¡ªReady.¡± ¡°Founder of the Prime fighting style, Chester Prime¡ªReady.¡± Oddly, when I introduced myself with the name from my previous life, a strong smile appeared on Chester¡¯s face. He must have been bored. Before he becomes senile from the emptiness of everyday life, I will send him off. After naming myself to start the battle, we stood without moving. Both held a seamless tranquility. However, we were both aware that the fight had begun. There was less movement than before, but both of us were beside themselves with happiness. That tension that seemed like you would get your faced smashed if you let your guard down for even one second¡­ it had been a long time since we last tasted it . ¨CSilence. A deep silence prevailed, even the wind was still. Perhaps the wild monster sensed something abnormal in that place. No signs of life could be felt in the area. The only one¡ªno, the only two exceptions were us. Chester and I faced off releasing fighting spirit enough to neutralize the killing intent that made even the surrounding monsters run off. ¡­Hmm. Surprising him a little wouldn¡¯t hurt. The silence that seemed as if though it would last an eternity was suddenly broken. The one to make the first move was I, who had the defensive stance. For just a moment,¨Cit was really just a moment¨CChester showed some surprise. Sensing that moment, I instantly dashed forward. I crossed five meters in a single step. Having have caught off guard, Chester¡¯s face showed a bitter expression. However, that also lasted for but a moment. Chester, who had a toothy grin all the while, moved his relaxed left fist. It was a speed born from being relaxed to the extreme. His left arm moved at an incredible speed without ignoring space; it vanished at that absurd speed. Just like a snake lying in the shadows, an attack that concealed its shape with its speed assaulted me. If I took it head-on, it would bite through even my bones. It was a bite fierce enough to make one think that even poison would have been kinder. However, I conceded the first move and, having had predicted the snake-like movements, met his approaching hand with my own. I did not let him have the first move in vain. I made sure to take full advantage of the momentum of that iron plate like arm. The skin on the back of my hand was cut to the base. Even a well-made razor wouldn¡¯t leave such a mark. I felt a small pang of pain, but it was a small price to pay in order to borrow that momentum. I used my blocking right hand to control the direction of his strength. However, this old man just had to lift his arm. In using the strategy of moving from the defensive stance, I had to make use of that opening¡ªif my body had been a little bigger, he wouldn¡¯t have had a chance to dodge. Now then, originally I would have loved to smash that grinning face into a different expression, but¡­ I felt a little uneasy trying to use such a big move with just that much. I curved my hand slightly. In doing so, the direction of that powerful momentum shifted. It now pointed towards the heavens. The fierce, lightning fast whip was deflected with an ounce of force and rose towards the sky. ¡°Ge-¡± Chester leaked a small grunt. On his brow there was a layer of sweat. Well of course he would. That left hand pointed towards the sky, that defenseless body, it was practically asking for a fierce attack. I would be troubled if he did not panic. I left my right hand just like that and begun to amass magic power into my left hand. Now then, just how effective would this be against him as he was now? Shijima style palm thrust, ¡®fierce¡¯¡ªI gathered the bursting magic power into the palm of my hand and struck out! From this position, even someone like Chester would have his hands full just trying to nullify the power. Chester jumped straight back but, the palm of my hand struck home on his flank. The old man¡¯s body flew parallel to ground as if though he had been rammed by a raging bull. If he were a normal martial artist, there was no doubt that from the resistance I felt in my hand, he would be dead; however, he was the man that brought together all of the martial artists underground. It would be one thing if he had taken a direct hit but, having had jumped back, I am sure it only served to wake him up. ¡°It looks like you haven¡¯t lost your edge.¡± ¡°Nonsense. I haven¡¯t even had breakfast.¡± He smiled, even as he had blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. It was because we had both recognized each other¡¯s strength that we could have small talk like that. Aah. This is fun. Was fighting always this fun? It was as though I had eaten a small helping of the world¡¯s finest food. I couldn¡¯t stop it. There was no way I could stop it. Before we noticed it, both Chester and I were smiling hard enough to cramp our cheeks. We no longer needed any words. The second time, we both attacked at the same time. It was frustrating to admit it but, if he didn¡¯t let his guard down, Chester was strong. That supple whip-like left arm was troublesome. From a completely relaxed state he could, in an instant, go from zero to max speed. Not only that, his snake-like movements were crafty, and he could control them at will. The destructive power was enough to smash trough steel. Having had been blessed by heaven with a long reach, his area of attack was incredible. Even my past self was burnt by that range of attack. To my current self, with the body of a child, the distance felt absurdly wide. However, I did acquire more maneuverability to make up for this. Of course, it did not change the fact that I was still at a disadvantage, but that was something I had known from the start. To beat him as he was, I needed the resolve to step through the gates of hell. That old geezer was aware of his own strong points since long ago. He will obviously make the best of his reach in the fight. It is frustrating to simply admit his strength, but he came up with a plan beyond outstanding. By the time that he entered into my range of attack, I was completely enveloped by his range. ¡­Just like a fierce snake striking, he aimed precisely at my temple. I tried to defend against it by meeting it with my own arm. Had I not aimed to block it from the start, I most likely would have been unable to guard against it. I had to at least keep my stance. If I collapsed, it would all be over. Taking a hit to the vitals was even more out of the question. In a second, I made the resolve to take a hit. It¡¯s coming, it¡¯s coming, here it is! ¡°~Ugh!¡± It was much faster and heavier than I expected. The shock was like being whipped with a lead rope. Maintaining my defensive stance, I left a trail on the ground as I slid back. It was heavy. It was far too heavy. Taking it head-on was impossible. I pursed my lips at my rival who had improved more than I expected. This damn geezer. What kind of fight does he think this is? I somehow managed to hold my stance. Chester began to run in pursuit. Don¡¯t underestimate me. My stance was a Shijima defense stance. Chester¡¯s fist was aimed directly at my face. If I took a blow like that to the face, forget about dying¨Cseeing my head fly off wouldn¡¯t be strange. Against such a strike, I used my hands. Don¡¯t look down on the Shijima style once it has devoted itself to defense! Rather than saying anything, this time swept my arm downwards. Naturally, my body followed after my arm moved by the momentum and headed towards the ground. I used that orbit to place my knee. With every ounce the same strength as his fist, I sunk my knee into Chester¡¯s face. I could feel his nose being crushed under my knee. However, even as he had my knee in his face, he caught me with his right hand. As soon as I thought ¡®dammit¡¯, a fist sunk into my stomach. I vomited blood even as I was blown away like a small pebble. The distance between us was forcefully widened. ¡°Hwugh¡­Kuku, This is fun, isn¡¯t it Chester?¡± ¡°Bu thead did. Deth id da betht. ¡± ¡®You said it. This is the best.¡¯ Chester and I laughed while we straightened our broken noses and vomited the reaming blood in our throats respectively. Chester had so much blood on his face that you could not tell what he looked like originally but his smile was so pure that it one amazed that it came from an old man. As for me, my face did not have much blood on it, but my internal organs throbbed painfully. That counterattack clearly wasn¡¯t half-hearted, even in the midst of an attack. We were both absurd. I dodged Chester¡¯s attack. However, Chester completely ignored my counterattack and continued with his own attack. And as result, I ended up taking more damage. I wanted to cry. And to think that, even so, I still found this fun¡ªI couldn¡¯t even think anything else, other than that my brain was rotten. Well, that¡¯s how it is. That¡¯s exactly what a brat that couldn¡¯t give up on being the strongest is like. Chester had straightened his crooked nose. I spat out the clotted blood and got my breathing under control. In that case, there was no problem. Now then, let¡¯s continue. Distance was irrelevant. In an instant, Chester put me in his striking distance and unleashed his fist, polished to the point of perfection. I took his fist and countered by trying to twist it past its limit. At this rate, it¡¯s going to break¡ªChester must have thought as much. Once again, he used his remaining right arm and drove his fist into my nose. Didn¡¯t this senile fool feel any pain? Back away a little, I¡¯m telling you that¡¯s against the rules, isn¡¯t it?! However, this time I did not back down either. I took a single step forward just as Chester¡¯s left fist was straight ahead as if to push into it. A distinct cracking resounded. Chester¡¯s fist made direct contact with his own arm. It was definitely broken! My faced was dyed with delight at having have broken my opponent¡¯s greatest weapon. However, it was stained with anguish the next moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught his knee driving into my stomach. Immediately after, I was assaulted by hellish pain. I couldn¡¯t endure and collapsed onto the ground in a puddle of bloody vomit and bodily fluids. But, had that been his fist instead of his knee, I would have been finished. Even if my body was ruled by pain, my mind was oddly calm. But, even so, my brain did not allow my body tranquility. When I saw Chester¡¯s foot about to trample on me, almost as though I forgot about the pain, I took my hand away from my abdomen and grabbed Chester¡¯s leg. He did his utmost to avoid getting toppled but, having lifted one foot, he was left balancing on only one leg. Almost as if though he were begging for it, I tumbled Chester. The silence lasted for less than an instant. Whilst grimacing in pain, we both stood and took our distance. ¡°Haa- Haa- How about it? Shouldn¡¯t you be close to your limit?¡± ¡°Shut it. Khak¡­ Isn¡¯t that you¡­? You idiot, treat the elderly better. Hitting me without holding back.¡± Elbow and Stomach, both he and I were holding our heavily damaged bodies. The pain was no problem, but we were both at out of stamina. That question that reflected out desire, we answered it with our actions. Our next exchange was likely to be the last. Even if we didn¡¯t say it, we knew. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­!¡± ¡°Come!¡± Offense and defense. At the contrasting signals, the two shadows crossed. The damage was roughly the same. However, I understood my own advantage. Since I neutralized his greatest weapon, his left arm, the only courses of action open to him were to either to use kicks or his right arm! On the other hand, I had injured my stomach, but if it was only pain, it wouldn¡¯t be a hindrance. If it was purely damage, though, I was worse off. However, the last one to remain standing is the winner. I had no intention of letting my knees touch the ground until I had been declared the victor. With my awareness heightened to its limit, an instant turned into an eternity. I could see, amidst the world that appeared to flow slowly around me, the Prime fighting style had absolute confidence in its fists. As expected, his last move will be his right fist! However, that was within my expectations. If it was an attack that I had see through, I could return it with ¡®Shadow Leaf¡¯! In preparation for the counterattack, I took the flowing water stance. His right fist swinging in an arc¨C Did not graze me. Impossible! A feint rotation?! I had a stance to catch his arm with both of mine; Chester¡¯s right arm passed just before my hands. It was unthinkable for this man to misjudge the distance¡­A feint at this point?! In that case, a kick or maybe a roundhouse¡ªit can¡¯t be. If it wasn¡¯t his right fist, what was coming? Having have missed the mark, my mind lapsed for a second at having lost the bet. ¡­By the time I realized it, it was already too late. The left fist of the Prime fighting style that had even been compared to a swordsman¡¯s sword. There was no way that this man wouldn¡¯t use it in this situation. With his broken left fist¡­! ¡­Ah, dammit. It was frustrating. Within the slowly flowing world, right before my mind went blank, I certainly felt that guy¡¯s left arm touching my jaw. The backhand blow from his broken left hand smashed right into my jaw. Volume 1 - CH 8 Chapter 8- After the Decisive Battle I opened my eyes to a gentle warmth caressing my cheek. As I came to, I realized that my body had been laid out flat. It would appear that I had fallen asleep. Within my rapidly clearing consciousness, I could hear the sound of dry wood crackling. Lead by the sound, I turned my head and saw a bonfire just a small ways away. Surrounded by timber, there was a decently-sized flame burning. It goes without saying, but this far into the mountains, in a place that one could only reach deliberately, a fire was a rare thing. In that case, who¡ªwell, I already know¡ªstarted the fire? ¡°¡­I lost, huh.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake?¡± I grumbled at the person who started the fire as I lifted my upper body and turned to him. The person in question seemed to be on the other side of the fire. Chester had a dubious smile as he tossed wood into the fire. ¡­Dammit. A large gap had developed between us. I couldn¡¯t help but grit my teeth. For me it was a life and death battle where I gave my all, but it looked like Chester still had strength to spare. The proof was that he even lit a fire while I laid unconscious. If more evidence was needed, there wasn¡¯t a spot on my body that didn¡¯t hurt. All of that was caused by one strike. He put in that much magic into one strike, yet still had enough magic power to treat both of our serious wounds. There was already a gap of about 20 years before I was reborn; after I was reborn, there was another 12-year blank. I did not mean to use that as an excuse, but¡­ even while I was dragging my feet, it would seem that this man raised his skills considerably. ¡°Utter defeat¡­right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Between myself, who has never stopped training, and a child¡¯s body, this result was to be expected. You still haven¡¯t gotten used to your body, right? It was a small change, but your techniques have lost some of their edge.¡± After that, there was silence for a while. ¡­To be honest, it was frustrating. It was so frustrating that I clenched my fist to the point that it bled . I thought I had polished my understanding. I had even raised my magic power to the point that it hadn¡¯t diminished, even when compared to my previous life. And yet, this was the result. The short arms and legs of a child¡¯s body. Even if I did have a greater understanding of the truth, I still could not get used to the techniques I had instilled into my previous body. That feint that Chester used at the end¡ªif it had been my previous body, I think I would have been able to catch his hand as it passed by. Even if Chester had moved an instant faster in order to avoid that, I think I would still have been able to react. But, after it was all over, those were nothing but what-ifs; the result would not change. I intended to accept my defeat. In a duel where I gave it my all without underestimating my opponent, I lost. It would not have been strange to lose my life foolishly; I clenched my teeth harder . I couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous of my longtime rival, who had stepped into greater heights. While I had lost years of my life, he grasped at his life with martial arts. He is at a place closer to ¡®the strongest¡¯ than I. That made me incredibly jealous. ¡°Say, you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just what do you intend to fight when you polish your martial arts?¡± Most likely, at least in the underground world, there was nobody that could match Chester. The underworld is vast but even so, finding somebody that can fight evenly against him would be hard. In which case, for what goal does this man fight? I got curious and tried asking him ¡­Though I already know the answer. ¡°¡­Who knows? I¡¯ve never even thought about it. Though I did lose my motivation a little when you died. I polish my martial arts because I have to. It¡¯s just something that I do everyday. I think of it like that.¡± ¨CThat¡¯s right, there is no such thing as a reason. A goal is only an unreliable four letter word. In the end we are all the same. We martial artists who couldn¡¯t give up on being the strongest are all like this. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I had never thought about it either.¡± ¡°I bet. Well, that¡¯s how it is, isn¡¯t it?¡± As I thought. For some reason, I suddenly went weird and laughter leaked from deep in my throat. As for Chester, maybe he was satisfied by my answer and started laughing heartily. Aah. It was frustrating. I was frustrated at myself for being satisfied even after I went all-out and lost. ¡°I¡¯ll win next time. I¡¯ll make that mug of yours kiss the ground.¡± ¡°Ha, come at me anytime. I¡¯ll keep winning, and when my life expires, I¡¯ll quit while I am ahead.¡± Good grief. Sharp tongued fellow. But I definitely won¡¯t let him do as he pleases. Before he goes, I¡¯ll fight him ten times and win ten times. ¡­Hmm. I hadn¡¯t felt like this in a long time. A close friend is a good thing. ¡°Now then, should we eat? I caught a bird.¡± ¡°You even did that? ¡­good grief, how about aging a little, you old man?¡± Looking at Chester so spry for his age, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. I couldn¡¯t picture Chester growing weak with age at all. The phrase ¡®active for life¡¯ really suits him. Watching Chester impale the meat with a sharpened stick, I was thankful for my longtime rival¡¯s strength. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Hawbeber¡­I know ids somewhat laid to ask but, how did you turn into dab state?¡± ¡°¡­. Seriously late to ask. Well, whatever, I¡¯ll tell you in detail.¡± It was at the moment that I was about to bite into the grilled bird. Chester, who already had his mouth stuffed with food, asked with a voice that was barely understandable. Don¡¯t talk with food in your mouth. After saying that, I also bit into the bird. The bird grilled over a fire released a fragrance that made my appetite swell more than usual. Even though it lacked salt and spices the small almost made my mouth into a fountain, almost as though it triggered a primal appetite. It had been grilled just right. The surface was coated in oil, and the bird¡¯s skin crackled at the touch of my fingers. The moment I put it into my mouth, the skin gave off the texture of a thin baked pastry and dissolved. After the fleeting sensation of the texture on my cheek I was assaulted by meat juices¡ªone could only exclaim ¡®this good?!¡¯ It was the ultimate soup from the grease between the skin and the meat melting. A great wave of flavor followed immediately after the flaky skin. My cheeks relaxed, and from that opening drool begun to flow out from my mouth. I was so enthralled by the bird that I even forgot that Chester had said anything. The skin melted comfortably in my mouth while the meat gently came apart. The meat was laced with the ultimate meat juices¨C Before I noticed it, I had eaten a whole bird. I was not a very big bird but my old self from my past life it was far too much for me to finish. ¡­Hmm. Must be what they call the growth period in children. It had been a long time since I felt such a strong appetite. Having been able to satisfy that with delicious food, I was enveloped in an incomparable sense of satisfaction. ¡°You really devoured that. Where you that hungry?¡± ¡°Thanks to this body. Now then, shall we begin?¡± Chester ate his bird slightly slower than me and smiled at the sight of my way of eating it. Well, it was a liveliness unthinkable in my past life¡­ Though, more than me, the fact that Chester¡ªwho had passed one hundred¡ªcould also eat a whole bird was worth talking about. Putting that aside, why was I blessed with such a coincidence? ¡°To be honest, I have no idea. I can¡¯t say anything other than that, before I knew it, I was entrusted with this body.¡± ¡°Well, I have lived a long life but I have never seen or heard of such a thing. If I had to say, I would say that you are the only one. Can¡¯t think anything other than that it was good luck.¡± As I thought, even Chester who had lived for so long had never had an encounter like this. I looked at my hands unintentionally. There were no callus or scars. They were the smooth, small hands of a child. ¡°But, it really is enviable. No matter how much you have gotten rusty, to be able to able to come back to life without forgetting anything. Hey, aren¡¯t you the strongest 12 year old?¡± ¡°Stop it¡­but, I don¡¯t want to lose to some 12 year old.¡± ¡°I would imagine. Even if it was only a mere hundred plus years, you put your entire life into cultivating those martial arts. You would probably feel depressed losing to some 12 year old kid.¡± ¡°Mere? From my perspective, I am more jealous at you elves that can say ¡®mere¡¯ when talking about 100 years.¡± ¡°At this point, you are an elf too, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± The surrounding became completely dark and we were enveloped in silence. The sound of beasts off in the distance felt loud. ¡°I made a disciple.¡± Amidst the silence, a voice cut through the darkness. ¡°A disciple? You?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± There was a reason why I asked that. A long time ago, Chester said ¡®The Prime fighting style is something that I created¡¯ and turned down many people that hoped to become disciples. It was something that approached the strongest, made with great effort. Chester said that doing something like teaching it someone else was not right. Just what brought about the change of heart? ¡°Didn¡¯t you yourself say that you wouldn¡¯t take disciples?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I intended¡­ but, seeing Alma doing her best to spread the Shijima techniques after you died, I felt a little jealous.¡± Chester scratched his salt and pepper head expressionlessly. ¡°I thought, ¡®If I die, what would be left behind?¡¯ You left behind Alma, but I had nothing. I felt an odd sense of pressure.¡± Chester continued without my encouragement. His face looked a little lonely. ¨CWhat would be left behind, huh? Since I had Alma, I hadn¡¯t worried about it, but¡ªwhat would be left behind, without me becoming the strongest I could be. It was not as if though I had never thought about it . I guessed that he had more to say, so I remained silent. Just as I expected, Chester continued. ¡°But there was no one that measured up. You and Alma kept coming to mind, and I kept thinking that I couldn¡¯t teach the Prime fighting style to someone of that level but¡­ just recently, I finally found a successor. And I thought, ¡®the times are changing¡¯. That mine and your time, was up, and that it was time for the new generation.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you planning to remain active for life?¡± ¡°Of course. I have no intention of retiring at this point. But that successor is the problem.¡± ¡°What do you want? You picked the successor yourself, right? What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°¡­too strong.¡± At that moment, Chester had an extremely happy smile. ¡­too strong? Enough to make him say that much? ¡°Did you say too strong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The brat just turned 15 but, this disciple has unbelievable talent. Enough to make my jealous and think, ¡®when I was that age¡­''¡± Despite the tone of his words, Chester seemed happy. I remembered having a similar feeling when I first saw Alma¡¯s talent. Even though he was older than me, he had only just then discovered the joys of having a disciple. I smiled at Chester, who was talking like he was boasting about his beloved kid. ¡°This kid will surpass me without a doubt. When I thought that, I got unexpectedly happy. I thought I¡¯d gone senile. And? And? What do you think about the brat?¡± ¡­Isn¡¯t he a little too excited? I smiled at Chester all riled up like a little kid. Where did the mysterious atmosphere from just now go? ¡­Somehow it got really dumb. If the story continued like that, I was sure that it was just going to be showing off. They did say that the elderly could go on talking forever. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would know¡­ I only just recently learned how to read elven characters. I have a blank of 30 years or so. There¡¯s no way that I would know about the disciple that you, who spends all his time in the underground scene, took in.¡± ¡°Yeah. You wouldn¡¯t know, huh. Then, I¡¯ll tell you! You wanna hear about it, right?!¡± What a pain in the ass. You weren¡¯t like this. You were more¡­ like a sharpened blade. This was just like a dog without fangs. Just like a master long ago that had just had a grandchild. ¡­A master that just had a grandchild? ¡°Listen to this, it¡¯s my grandchild! She learns everything I teach her perfectly, and when she learns a new technique, she runs to me saying, ¡®Grandpa!''¡± Gra-grandchild¡­? Just now, did that guy say grandchild? I was speechless at my long time rival¡¯s unexpected doting attitude. I thought he was like my master, but there was a reason for that, I guess. No, to begin with¡ªto begin with, this man¨C ¡°You were married?¡± ¡°Huh? At this point? I did that a long time ago.¡± This was my first time hearing it. I thought he had nothing in his head except martial arts. He had a wife and kids, huh? And what was more, he even had a grandchild. ¡°And this grandchild¨C¡± ¡°Wait. Wait. Is this going to take long? If it¡¯s going to take long, sorry.¡± ¡°What? I was just getting to the good part¡­¡± This is what was called a doting grandparent. After experiencing that with my master once, I raised my palm and tried to reign him in. This ¡®grandpa¡¯s¡¯ story would be long. I thought I had patience but looking at his puffed up chest this would be unbearably long. Since it was my master, I had to listen to him back then, but Chester was a different story. I was not about to repeat that tragedy. Not again. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s get down to brass tacks. I have a small favor to ask from you.¡± I heaved a relieved sigh after being able to stop him in advance. But¡­ a favor, huh? I hope it¡¯s nothing troublesome. ¡°¡­incidentally, if I were to refuse?¡± ¡°I will tell Alma your real identity. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be busy everyday¡­? I doubt you will have any time to train¡­?¡± Dammit. Happily grabbing on to peoples weaknesses¡­ I knew it. I knew that I had no choice but to listen either way. From the start I could only pray that it wouldn¡¯t be anything troublesome. ¡°Say it. But, don¡¯t ask for the impossible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. I have to change the topic back, alright?¡± ¡°¡­keep it short.¡± It looked like the favor had something to do with this grandchild. While getting a headache from all the confusing stuff, I thought about what was going to happen to me from then on. Since, a troublesome guy held on to my weakness¡­ There was no doubt that he would push troublesome things on me from then on. I wished he would at least give me a break while I was at school, but¡­ I didn¡¯t know about that now. Well, at this point it couldn¡¯t be helped. At any rate, I had to deal with the problem before me first. ¡°It¡¯s just like I told you, my grandchild is a genius. This brat steadily takes in my Prime fighting style¡­Well, that¡¯s not the problem. The problem is that this brat is too strong. There is no one from the same age that can compete with the brat.¡± ¡­Hmm? I see. Putting it that way, I can see were this is going. For the time being, it seemed less dangerous than it was troublesome. Even so, I would decide after listening to him. Seriously, this damned doting grandpa. ¡°And, that¡¯s where the favor comes in¡­It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s only occasionally. I want you to fight my kid. No matter how strong, the kid¡¯s still not our match. I don¡¯t know any kids that could match my brat other than you .¡± The favor was exactly what I thought. A grandpa trying to help his grandkid that can¡¯t make friends. ¡­My, my. He had really lost his edge. And what¡¯s more, I got treated like a kid. Even if it was inevitable with the way I looked, it still made me feel weird. ¡°If that¡¯s all there is to it, I¡¯ll do it. You¡¯ve really become a ¡®Grandpa¡¯, haven¡¯t you, Chester?¡± ¡°Say what you will. You will be the same when you get a grandchild. You got a second life. It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t do something sad like staying single for life. All things considered, being married is not that bad, you know?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s so.¡± Chester smiled wide at my fed up expression. Did getting a grandchild really make you so mellow? My appearance and Chester¡¯s attitude. Both of us friends had changed a lot. We continued the idle banter. The friendship forged by the fire of rivalry continued until the sky turned bright¨C. Volume 1 - CH 9 Chapter 9- My Daughters¡¯ Precious Performance This was on a certain holiday just about 2 weeks after my match with Chester. I hated losing so much that, after losing to Chester, I renewed my passion to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. I trained fiercely day after day with the meaning of every exercise always in mind. If there was no school, I would most likely forgo resting and simply train continusly. But even so, on such precious day, rather than training in the mountains, I stood on a street in Alfalia. ¡°¡­This was unforeseen.¡± I stood still in front of a massive structure, unmoving, completely at a loss at what to do. My face was dyed with resignation as my long ears picked up the sound of someone shouting with joy. From what I heard, this building had an open roof. That must be how I could hear such enthusiastic joy from someone inside. This building held an exhibit that had recently boomed within Mirafia, the country of elves. To be honest, the reason why I was standing there was also to see the exhibit. But¨C ¡°I never thought it would be this popular¡­¡± No one was given preferential treatment. They all stood there in frustration. The purses from their pockets only had the simple function of letting them in or out. It was a little too much for a kid to have. I checked inside and¡­as I thought, it wasn¡¯t enough. I checked the allowance that my parents sent me every month, but, no matter how many times I checked, it¡¯s not like the contents would increase. I even took a break from training to come here, wasn¡¯t this a little too unrewarding. I got curious at the happy voices that spread out from inside the building. ¡°My daughter¡¯s important performance, I really wanted to watch it today.¡± I pictured my daughter, most likely at the heart of the cheerful voices, and heaved a heavy sigh. ¡­In the past, or so I say, but it was not that long ago. To the elves, it was something that happened recently. It seemed that this country faced an unprecedented danger. The cause was neither war nor disease. It was a completely new source. It was the appearance of a natural enemy¡ªcurrently it is referred to as ¡®Talisberg¡¯. It was the appearance of a dragon immune to magic. For the Elves, a race that naturally excelled at magic, the appearance of such a monster must have been catastrophic. Villages were burnt. Roads were trampled. They had no way to stop it. Many who were hailed as heroes challenged the dragon. Magic repelled, famous swords broken, a mountain of corpses formed. It seemed that it was at that time that Alma appeared. After crossing the sea to return to the elven country, Alma used her magic to strengthen her body and dealt with the dragon without even using a weapon. Just like that, Alma came to be hailed as a hero, and now¡ª In order to prevent such a disaster from ever happening again, the elves had begun to train themselves in martial arts. ¡­Now then, after saying that much, it should be obvious what this building is. The building was solemn and designed on a grand scale based around circular shapes. An open ceiling. Merry voices came from within. Yes, this building was the pride of Alphalia, the giant Coliseum. The building was established for those that traversed the road of martial arts to polish themselves. However, regardless of the fact that a martial art other than magic has begun to spread, it was still a relatively young practice. It was not every day that so many cheerful voices came from that splendid building. Even so, I could hear the voices with my own ears. That was because today was the day came once a month: the day of the martial arts tournament. I could hear the war cries of the martial artists that used these matches to show the results of their daily work as well as the excited comments from the audience mixed in. The country may have been different, but the familiar scene made me smile. Unarmed martial arts tournaments had already become a form of entertainment. ¨CHowever, even so, it could be said that the amount of passion was not the norm. From what I heard from people that passed by on the street, it seemed that this was the first time that the Coliseum had gotten so heated. In which case, what was the reason? The answer was the martial artist that people who love martial arts tournaments most wanted to see. ¡­That¡¯s right. Alma Shijima was participating. The people were excited to see Alma¡¯s fight since she had travelled to many places. A living legend. The strongest martial artist. The Azure priestess. Alma was called that everywhere. People¡¯s excitement reached the peak. Being her foster parent, no matter what, the fact that she was acknowledged brought a smile to my face¡­ However, thanks to that, the coliseum was full this time. I arrived an hour before the start and every seat was already taken. That¡¯s right, the only reason that I was here right now was to watch my daughter¡¯s performance. I thought I arrived with plenty of leeway but it seemed that my daughter¡¯s popularity had far surpassed my imagination, leaving me in my current predicament. Technically, it was not as if though there was no way to get in. Shady men could be seen here and there selling tickets. From what I could hear, it seemed that they had been standing in line for more than 3 days before just to get the tickets, or something like that. And so, they sold the tickets at many times their original value. They got the tickets not to see the show but rather to resell them. These people are called ticket scalpers. It seemed that these people were present even in the elven kingdom. It made me think that, unexpectedly, the elves were just undiplomatic and not actually all that different from humans. ¡­But in any case, I got caught right in the scalpers¡¯ trap by being too optimistic. Even if I did not see her here, I had seen her fight countless times, or rather, I had fought with her myself multiple times. But I had to see my daughter¡¯s precious performance with my own eyes. Seeing as how the event was organized into what most people would call a tournament, the result was a given. I knew that Alma would win, but wanting to see it myself was only natural as a parent. But in any case, there was no use in thinking about what one didn¡¯t have. If I had time to be depressed, I should just use it to train. And then, even if only one day faster, I could polish my martial arts and reveal my true identity to Alma. Now that it was decided, I should start right away. First, running. Now then, today would also be a busy day. In order to get my spirits up, I started to stretch and loosen up my body. Before performing rigorous exercise, one could not avoid careful preparation. It reduced the risk of injury, increased the quality of the exercise, and even benefited one¡¯s mental health. Stretching was truly full of benefits. I bent and stretched my legs several times then put my hands together and stretched them. After finishing the careful exercise, I felt pleasantly warmed up. ¡­Alright, then shall I go? It was precisely when I turned around to head for the nearby mountains that it happened. ¡°A-ah! You bastard!¡± I heard an unfamiliar voice tinged with surprise. Well, if it were my previous life, that would be one thing, but¡­ did I have a relationship with anyone in this life who would call me ¡®bastard¡¯? The voice came from the direction where I was just about to head. I was just about turn around and leave when I was unexpectedly stopped by that voice. Now then, just who exactly was the owner of the voice? The face that I saw¡­ As expected, I had no recollection of it. ¡°Excuse me but, who may you be?¡± ¡°Wha-! You brat! Looking down on me!¡± Although, I may or may not remember this back and forth. ¡­Ah! I remembered. It was the person that tried to mess with me when I was walking down the street with Alma and the rest. Since I noticed, it was not as if though I did not know him. It was simply that I trashed him too fast for him to remain in my memory. Thinking back on it, he did have a face like this. ¡°Ah. I remember now. You were the guy that was trying to mess with me last time.¡± ¡°Your forgot?! As always, you are an annoying brat..!¡± He still had a low melting point. As I thought, it was the same man. However, for him to not only not reflect on it but to do the same thing twice¡­ he was beyond saving. If it was going to be like this, should I punish him a little? ¡°¡­And? What do you want?¡± ¡°Well, nothing. Nothing really but ¡­ Since I saw your face, it¡¯s not as if though I could just let you go home empty handed.¡± He said that while clenching his fists and cracking his fingers. For someone who had just gotten beat up not too long ago, he sure was confident. I understood why. His confidence must have something to do with the shady group standing behind him¡­ wow, he really was a petty one. ¡°Huh? Do you intend to give me a souvenir or something?¡± ¡°Smart mouth little¡­ But! Hehe, it¡¯s fine¡­Soon you won¡¯t be able to say anything anyways! Argi-san, this is the guy! The pompous little brat that got me last time.¡± I guess I should have said ¡®as expected¡¯? The man turned around and called someone¡¯s name. From the group of nine men, which also included this pathetic man, a single person walked out. As one would expect, this man looked shady¡­ but, I heaved a sigh of relief at the familiar sense of shadiness. For an elf, the man called Argi reminded me of someone I used to spar often with in my past life. There are many slender people among the elves. Looking at such an easy to understand body build made me feel like I just witnessed something rare. This nostalgic situation reminded me of my mischievous period in my previous life. Looking at this group, they were totally itching for a fight, but I was also young once. I couldn¡¯t hold back and let a small smile leak. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s so funny, you stupid brat! Last month, this person was the runner up for the tournament that the adults are participating in over there!¡± The shady man spread out his hands as if to present this Argi. The muscled man took in the fawning introduction and smiled boldly. ¡­However, rather than showing amazement, I muttered, ¡°¡­Runner up?¡± The man¡¯s bursting confidence¡­ I was not sure if I could call it that but, those boasting words had a glaring caveat. Ah, but it is not as if though I had any intention to look down onn being a runner up in and of itself, but¡­ I felt that it was somewhat lacking to be yelling it. The nine men all stiffed at once¡­ For some reason I understood that I had done something bad. ¡°Oi, Berry.¡± ¡°Wh-what is it, Argi-san?¡± Argi called someone¡¯s name. The one that answered was the ill-bred small fry. It seemed that the small fry¡¯s name was Berry. While thinking that I would just forget it tomorrow anyways, I stared at Argi, or whatever his name was, ready to burst a vein. ¡°He really is an annoying brat¡­! Oi, you guys, surround him! Don¡¯t let him get away.¡± Argi was most likely the strongest one. With one word from him, the remaining eight people seemed to be in a slight panic as they surrounded me. I thought that this might happen. I was not surprised in the slightest. Rather, this nostalgic feeling was not so bad. ¡°Oi, count yourself lucky, brat. I will personally deal with you myself.¡± The men intended to deal with me by forming a circle around me. For starters, it seemed that they would come at me one at a time. I raised my opinion of them. However, the difference in stature between the man and me was literally that of an adult and a child. Even if on the inside I was an old man about his same age, the man did not know that. Getting so worked up against a kid¡­ didn¡¯t he feel any shame? Although, unlike my past life where I was constantly entangled in fights, in this life such an opportunity was rare. Since he came to present himself of his own free will, I would devour him gratefully. The man clenched his fists and took his stance. He tucked his arms properly and concealed his real intentions with small movements. He seemed to have mastered it to some extent. However, even so, I understood. This was a stance that specialized in offence. Looking at the man¡¯s stance, I took up the ¡®flowing water¡¯ stance that specialized in defense. The atmosphere became even more tense. However, the situation did not last long. Before a sense of stillness could even be born, the man kicked the ground. It was not simple and straightforward, his movements were meant to disrupt the tempo. I wanted to give him points for covering his core. However, moves aside, he was a little too slow. It looked like he still had not made his movements a natural extention of his body. Consciously making the movements was inferior to acting on reflex. ¡°Fa-Fast! As expected of Argi-san.¡± ¡­Though, it seemed that from the perspective of this man¡¯s lackeys, his movements were fast. Hmm. As expected, the country was still within its growth period. Martial arts only became mainstream in the elven country after I died and Alma started being hailed as a hero. Its history was still shallow. The distance between us was closed by Argi¡¯s unpolished steps, and we entered into the effective range for fighting. Argi¡¯s right first flew a second too late. He did not seem to understand spacing. I guess experience was absolutely necessary. When compared to Chester¡¯s offense, this was just too green. I met his fist with the back of my hand and drew it away in a circle. Having his movements disrupted, he lost his balance and I immediately kicked him down. Argi¡¯s body danced in the air. Just as Argi¡¯s face was dyed in surprise, I twisted his open right hand inwards. Shijima style ¡®Strength¡¯¡­ the impact would have been little too strong. I kneaded magic to a safe level and drove my palm into his abdomen. Argi was blown away after taking such a hit directly with no support in midair. Argi finally hit the ground after knocking over Berry who could not dodge him in time. ¡°What?! What was that?! What just happened?!¡± Some nameless man from the group yelled. Looking at it from his perspective, it seemed that he understood that something happened. It was just that he did not want to admit that it was done by the kid standing right in front of him. The leader of the group seemed to be the same¡­ Argi was hurt here and there as he stood up holding his stomach. Did I hold back too much? But even so, it was impressive for him to be able to stand. ¡°Shitty Brat¡­! Oi, You bastards! All of you, surround him! You too Berry, wake up!¡± Argi kicked Berry awake as the men jumped with exaggerated movements. Oh. Feeling powerful is fine and all but it seemed that he lacked the mettle to do things with his own hands. The fact that he chose to do things one-on-one at first was nothing more than conceit, huh? It was not wrong to fight with many against one, but I wished he would show more pride as a martial artist. Everyone but Argi drew their weapons and closed the distance towards me. It was truly a pathetic scene. It seemed that these men could not view themselves objectively. ¡°That defense technique won¡¯t work against multiple opponents, right? ¡­Go!¡± At Argi¡¯s signal the men jumped at me with various expressions. However, it was clear that they did not practice cooperation. Not only was everyone acting as an individual, they were not aiming for the same thing at all. Like that, they could not even add their strengths together. Their movements hindered one another. One plus one did not reach 2 like that. Not only that but¡­ ¡°Hggh!¡± ¡°Bgh!¡± That my defensive techniques couldn¡¯t be used against multiple opponents? I didn¡¯t know if I should laugh at that joke. I took the hand of the men trying to attack me from the left and right with a knife and pulled to make them crash head first into each other. A dull thump rang and the men collapsed into the ground. That made two. A front kick was thrown to my back one beat too late. I twisted my body to dodge and, just like winding a yarn, moved behind him. The rest was simple. Using the momentum from the man¡¯s own attack, he took an attack from behind. That made three. Next were the two men attacking together. I dodged the first one¡¯s wild swing. It seemed that they really did not understand the concept of working together. The knife I dodged cut into the other man¡¯s nose leaving behind a red trail. While frowning at their stupidity I knocked out the man grimacing in agony with a palm strike. I pivoted on my other leg and stepped on the idiot that cut his own partner. He tried to run reflexibly and collapsed as I drove my palm straight into his defenseless body. 5 people. Now then, I tried to sharpen my senses but I did not feel any intent to attack. When I looked around, it seemed that the other four people saw the situation and lost their will to attack. ¡°O-Oi, Berry, what is this guy?!¡± Seeing half of his men collapsed the boss yelled in deep rage. Being yelled at, Berry spoke inaudibly while looking at his collapsed friends and at Argi. ¡­Hmm. I may have been a little childish¡­ Any more than this would have been a waste of time. There was nothing to get from it. I heaved a sigh and dropped my stance. They must have had their guard raised to the maximum. The remaining men all trembled at once. ¡°This does not even count as practice. Any more than this would be a waste.¡± I looked around and made it clear to the rest of the men by dropping my stance and voicing it aloud that I had no intention to fight. It would have been in everyone¡¯s best interest to leave it at that but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t screw around you brat..! You think you won with just this much!?¡± Putting the rest aside, Argi seemed to have no intention to leave it at that. Seriously. Wasting my kindness like that. I seemed that I had to teach them a bitter lesson. I took up my stance again. Looking at the situation, the rest of the men sighed. Even if they did bring upon themselves, being loyal to the higher-ups is ruff. Though, his authority was not bad for them to come at me even after seeing the difference between us. I wondered if they thought that they had a chance of victory? Either way, since they picked a fight, I would not let my guard down. Now then, what could be the ace up their sleeve? I stared down the men. From that look, Argi took a step back and called out to Berry. ¡°Berry, how many of the Crystals are there left?¡± ¡°Huh? ¡­ Ah! Yes, there are five left.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Oi, you bastards, gather up!¡± After taking orders from the leader, the scattered men gathered around Argi. During that time, I could have taken down several of them but, I was interested in the men¡¯s hidden ace. Was it a strategy? A weapon? Or perhaps something else? When Argi gave the order, Berry took out a bag that seemed to have something inside. Inside was a murky blood colored crystal. A cold aura wrapped around the men and Argi looked towards me. He spoke as if to show off those murky blood colored clumps. ¡°Hehe¡­ It¡¯s your fault you damn kid¡­ I can¡¯t have you looking down on us¡­¡± Is it some kind of magic tool? I looked at the cautious men. When I did, they swallowed the crystals. Their magic power instantly and violently soared. The quality and quantity were completely different from just a moment ago, just like a tiger cub changing into a ferocious tiger in the blink of an eye. ¡°¡­Just what is this?¡± If we were to only look at the amount of magic power, it was enough to rival the masters that I met in my previous life. Looking at the men¡¯s personality there was no need to go to the trouble of hiding it. In which case, the reason that these men were clad in magic power was those crystals after all. ¡°Huhu, Hahahaha. It¡¯s your fault you snot nosed kid. There¡¯s no stopping now.¡± The men started to prepare to fight¡­ Being hit by that output would really hurt. Just like the burning a moment ago, the men jumped out at once. Under the strengthening from the magic power their bodies physical abilities went up. Perhaps because of that but, their movements were extremely fast. Looking at the men approaching, I switched gears in my mind. I raised the amount of magic power that I clad around myself. The scuffle changed into a real fight. ¡°Now then!¡± The first one to take down was Argi after all. As if to showing their power, the men kneaded their fists as they left behind a black wind. Just like it seemed, it had impressive force behind it. Taking it directly would be bad. ¡­That is only if I took it directly. Their fists grew near along with a roaring wind. Their simple straight forward strength was swept up by a smaller force and came under my control. There was no need to use much strength; all I had to do was direct it. Almost as if a lead rope pulled his body, Argi lost his posture when his strength lost its aim. After he lost his balance, Argi spun in midair like a runaway wheel. His body spun rapidly. I put my hand on the most important part, the head. ¨CI slammed it. His body was several kilos but he slammed headfirst into the pavement. After making a sound that a human should not make against the pavement, Argi stopped moving. I am sure that I did not take his like but he should not be getting up for a while. ¡°¡­huh?¡± One of his subordinates raised a wild cry. A head slammed into the ground. He was too slow to understand the events before him. ¡°Huuuuh?!¡± His voice rang and he blinked in amazement. It was true that their magic power soared. Even I could take a fatal wound from taking it head on. However, it was pointless if it did not hit. Rather, for the Shijima style that controls the flow of strength, the enemy¡¯s strength could become our weapon. Their magic power soared but their actual abilities stayed the same. It was only natural. The crystals were impressive for raising the magic power of men of this level. However, at the end of the day what decided the battle was everyday training. ¡°¡­Now then, for the remaining three.¡± I took my hand back after I slammed Argi and stood upright. As expected, I could not let this power pass. ¡°Shall I have you taste a little punishment then?¡± I showed my teeth and displayed an aggressive smile. The men that surrounded a young boy were trembling pathetically at the shoulders. Even so, the men did not run, whether it was because their legs froze or for some other reason, they saved me the trouble. That is when I noticed the nine men taking a nap together. Now then, the surroundings should have gotten noisy. Before it became troublesome I should have just taken care of it. ¡­and before that. ¡°It should be this man¡­This is it.¡± I would just burrow one of these suspicious stones. A stone that could raise magic power with a single dose. I had never seen or heard of such a thing before. I was not looking for strength from relaying on an object. However, that demonic magic power caught my attention. Chester who was more familiar with the underside of society might know what that stone was. I would meet Chester at some point. I could just ask him about it then. After hearing that the guards would be here soon from the noise of the people around, I ran off. I was headed for Mt. Alback. My warm up ran longer than I thought it would but I could just begin my training from now. I sped away as I regretted that I could not see Alma¡¯s big moment. Volume 1 - CH 10 Chapter 10- The Silver Maiden I stood with my mouth wide open, staring at the building spread out before me. Yes, it was large enough for it to ¡®spread¡¯ before my eyes. I used my day off to pay a visit to Chester¡¯s mansion¡­ However, this was somewhat unexpected. Someone told me it was a mansion but, looking at the giant building defying common sense, I couldn¡¯t help but mumble. ¡°¡­terrible taste.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I was also young once. It is normal to want to show off. ¡± I should not have said that about a person¡¯s house, but it was what I really thought, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Since the mansion was this large, there must be quite a few rooms. Just how many of them was he using? I did not intend to criticize the way he spent his money, but it should be safe to say that going to that extent was wasteful. ¡°That¡¯s enough about the house, isn¡¯t it? Besides, aren¡¯t you always saying that you don¡¯t have enough time? Come in.¡± I stood there with a fed-up expression as Chester, not bothering to hide his foolish grin, goaded me inside. I called him an old fool while walking down the ridiculously long hallway, when I saw a woman standing before the entrance. She was a remarkable woman with braided brunette hair, wearing what you might call a maid uniform. ¡°I was waiting for you, Chester-sama, Slava-sama. My name is Linette Myu. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± She held up her long skirt as she curtsied while saying my name. ¡­She knows my name. I wonder how much Chester told her. I shot a look at my terrible friend while he still had the stupid look on his face. ¡°She knows everything. But don¡¯t worry, I gave her an order. She won¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°Chester-sama has ordered as such, so I intend to do just that. You have taken great care of my master. He must have caused you trouble. Please let me thank you in his place.¡± ¡°You got it backwards. I¡¯m the one that¡¯s taking care of him.¡± Just when and what did he ever do totake care of me? He certainly knew how to mouth off. ¡°Lynette-dono must also have it tough. Being related to him is troublesome.¡± ¡°It certainly is. However, I am used to it. I am grateful for your consideration.¡± From the looks of it, using humans as a reference, Lynette seemed to be in her mid-twenties. At the very least she appeared to be older than Alma. I assumed that she was older than me in my previous life, and thus treated her with courtesy. Even if I did pass 100 years in my human body, in the elven world, I would still be considered a youngster. A hundred-plus years only translated to roughly 20 years in human terms. It was something like that. Seriously, for such an old man to be considered young among the elves, I felt tears coming to my eyes for some reason. ¡°Now then, the young lady is waiting. She should be approaching the limit of her patience. Chester-sama, please hurry to see her.¡± ¡°Oh, oh. I¡¯m happy to hear you say that. Where¡¯s Shirley?¡± ¡°The young lady is in her room. Rasber and Nishelle are taking care of her but I doubt they can last for long. Please hurry. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m troubling them every time. In that case, let¡¯s go Slava. Before my princess throws a tantrum.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push. I¡¯m telling you that I can walk by myself.¡± From what I heard, it seemed that his grandchild was really taken to Chester. A grandkid that I had never met was not to blame. I would quickly give ¡®gramps¡¯ an answer. I walked in front of Chester while pushing away his annoying hand from my back. ¡°Oh? Are you finally getting into it?¡± I simply made my resolve. I sighed, wanting to answer him, but Chester smiled at the misunderstanding and started to show me around. ¡­He really did spend a lot of money. As we were walking along, I saw multiple blinding paintings of terrible taste. He said that he first started to train for money; however, the main point that was the money had unexpectedly become inconsequential. ¡­Hmm. I wonder how I would use extra money if I had any. As long as it was not impractical, a small house was not a problem. There was nothing better than a good meal, but because I always regarded nutrition, I did not prefer luxury. Outside of martial arts, there was nothing that I considered a hobby or interest. ¡­Hmm. No matter how much I thought about it, I could not think of a way to use that much money. I was actually a rather sad old man. After comparing myself to Chester, I sighed, realizing how bland I was. ¡°¡­are you getting annoyed this far into the game? Don¡¯t make that face in front of my grandkid, alright? Look, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­ Oh well, I will try my best.¡± I wanted to be frank with Chester about what I really thought when he stopped my sighing, but somehow or another I swallowed my words and admitted defeat. That was not right. I was simply focused on a single hobby. I stood next to Chester as if to make an excuse. ¨CAt that moment, I got goose bumps at a sudden burst of killing intent. I raised my guard at the sudden burst of magical power coming from the other side of the door. ¡°Is this the magic power of the grandkid you were talking about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Pretty impressive for a 15-year-old, right?¡± It was an immense magic power with undisguised anger. It was too much for a mere child of only 15 years, but it was too rough to be that of a master. It was as if you could see the youth being stained by the torrent of muddy magic power. I see. Certainly, something like this would make even Chester excited. It would have been impossible to master the Shijima style which specialized in a smooth controlled flow¨C but, there was no one better for the Prime fighting style which was full of destruction. I gave Chester, who was happily laughing, a sidelong glance, when I heard the sound of something smashing. I instantly changed gears and look towards the noise¡ªI saw a door flying this way. ¡­His grandkid seemed to have a very¡­rough temper. I lightly swung my fist at the door that was most likely thrown out by the resident of the room and destroyed it. Just when I was about to complain to the master of the house that it was a pretty rough welcome¡ªin the space blocked by the door, I saw human shapes flying through the air. When I looked, it was a man and a woman flying out just like the door just now. It seemed that they were both unconscious. It was most likely done by the occupant of the room. I calmly caught the woman flying in my direction. I put the woman down and looked towards Chester to check on the other one. There stood Chester alone. I looked away and saw a man with a good build wearing a tailcoat sticking out of a crack on the wall. ¡°¡­It would not have hurt you to catch him. They are your servants, right?¡± ¡°I would be happy to if it were a woman, but I don¡¯t make a habit of hugging men. But more importantly¡­ Oi, Shirley. Grandpa¡¯s back!¡± It was in-character for him. Thinking back on it, he was always that kind of guy. I cast healing magic on the two people, who, judging from their clothes, were the steward and the maid. They would regain consciousness soon, but it would be hard for them when they woke up. I decided to at least treat their wounds. After offering a silent prayer for the poor servants that were made to follow after my rude friend, I followed after Chester, who had just entered into the room. ¡­In one word, the inside of the room looked bizarre. The first thing to catch one¡¯s eyes was the disturbingly girly color scheme. With light pink and white as the base, the room had the type of wallpaper that a little girl would like and was filled with the same kind of furniture. If it were only that much, it would not count as bizarre. ¡­What was bizarre was that almost all of it was in shambles. A stuffed rabbit that had all of its limbs torn off. A bed with its posts smashed and its canopy on top. In that situation, rather than counting the things that were broken, it would have been easier to count the things that were not. If all of that was done by a single little girl, she must have been extremely violent. I stared at the grandfather and granddaughter hugging in the midst of the tragedy while worrying about whether we could really become friends or not. I purely meant to take a look at the hugging granddaughter-grandfather pair who I would be accompanying for a long time. ¡­But I froze. It was the appearance of the girl in Chester¡¯s embrace. I saw something unexpected. My first impression of the girl that appeared before my eyes was ¡®silver¡¯. It was a splendid silver that did not lose out to any precious metal. Among both elves and humans, it was not strange for old people¡¯s hair to turn white. However, it was not white. The color that swayed before my eyes was much more noble. As I stepped into the room, the girl that had been smiling at Chester focused her eyes on me. ¡°Grandpa¡­ who is he¡­?¡± She was so ephemeral that you would not think she was the perpetrator of such a disastrous scene. The girl with the snow white skin, who gave off the feeling that she would break at any moment, approached me timidly. However, her eyes caught my attention just as much. Her eyes were a deeper red than fresh blood. I had seen those eyes before. ¡°Hn? He¡¯s¡­ a friend of your grandpa¡¯s, called Slava Marshall. Let me introduce you, Slava. This is my granddaughter, Shirley Prime. My stupid son had her with a djinn¡­ which would make her half elf and half djinn. Hey, Shirley, shake his hand as a sign of friendship.¡± ¨CDjins. They were hatefully known as the demon race. They were a race that seemed to be made of cruelty and brutality. Their special characteristic was their eyes of pure white and red, like they were dyed in the blood of their enemies. In the past, there was no race known as the demon race or Djin. However, they were so evil that they were crowned with the word ¡°demon¡±. They were a race born to fight¡­ I took in Shirley¡¯s introduction and came to terms with that feeling from just now. The characteristics of the demon race were their white hair that seemed to have lost its color and red eyes. Looking at the mysterious girl with the light silver hair, I could believe that she had djinn blood. After listening to Chester, Shirley broke into a smile. ¡­There was no mistake after all. Just like he said, she definitely had djinn blood. It was a sadistic smile that made you wonder where that ephemeral look from just before went. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Shirley Prime.¡± Her appearance was just like mine, but her bewitching smile was something that should be impossible for a 15-year-old girl. When I grabbed her extended hand, she squeezed with strength unthinkable for a little girl. The fact that I could not feel any ill intent was actually scary. There was no pain, but¡­ it was vaguely intimidating for just a friendly handshake. ¡°Slava Marshall. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Your hand is warm¡­It¡¯s been a long time since I did a handshake.¡± Shirley¡¯s smile had a hint of childishness. Her expression was fitting for a little girl, the complete opposite of just now. However, the impressive strength she was giving off did not match her cute expression. Certainly, she would break an untrained child¡¯s hand if they shook hands. ¡°¡­I want to play with Slava-kun¡­ I get the feeling that if it¡¯s you, you won¡¯t break¡­¡± ¡°Go ahead. You can use your full strength. You¡¯re ok with that too, right, Slava?¡± Chester did not bat an eye at his granddaughter¡¯s disturbing words. ¡­Oh yeah. I had forgotten but Chester was something like the manager of the underground martial arts world. This was why the underground world was no good. ¡°You may come at me without worry. My training is not weak.¡± It was true that I simply wanted to spar with the talent that Chester had approved of. There was not a one in a million chance that I would lose but, it was not a bad thing to look at the potential of someone with talent. And more than that, I had someone like Chester but¡­ ¡°Fufu¡­ Ahaha¡­! Slava-kun, Nice to meet you¡­?¡± For someone that practiced martial arts, it was lonely if there wasn¡¯t some with similar strength. With that much magic power, it was no wonder that no one of the same age could match her. Unfortunately for her, not only would I not be losing, I had no intention of ending up in a draw either¡­ but I did not mind at least becoming a goal for her. Shirley looked this way with a cute smile and sparkling eyes. Seriously, damn old man. Making me compete with an interesting fellow. Facing this seedling that had yet to grow, I couldn¡¯t help but smile lightly. ¡°I¡¯m going ahead¡­ Don¡¯t take long, ok¡­?¡± Shirley sprang out of the room without telling me where she was headed. This was my first time coming to this mansion, so I had no idea where to go, but¡­ it was fine, since I could just ask this old fool¡­ But first I had something to say. ¡°Discipline her properly, Chester¡­ If you always spoil her, she won¡¯t become a good person. What is with this room? You have to scold her properly if she loses her head.¡± I had no idea about her background, but this room was simply abnormal. It almost became a lecture but, I had to say at least that much. My lecture was postponed. I continued until Lynette stopped me. Volume 1 - CH 11 This chapter was supposed to be finished tomorrow but guess I ended up finishing it today for some reason. I know I¡¯ve already said this before but, I¡¯m having issues with sentences here and there, which makes me worry a bit about the quality of the releases from now on. Anyway, just another ¡°short¡± chapter and we¡¯ll be caught up with the previous group! Enjoy, and as always, thanks to all the people that are helping me in the comments. I was walking with Chester, the place Sheryl was waiting at, was the courtyard. When he mentioned a courtyard, I pictured a garden where flowers grew, but due to the owner¡¯s design¡­it seems like it ended up being a training ground. Instead of deciding to make it gorgeous like the interior of the mansion, it was quite the plain space. However, the ground was pretty smooth and even, and with plenty of space to exercise. I see, it was the perfect place to fight. Under the bleak sky, without hiding her bloodlust, a girl in white stood in the middle of the courtyard. ¡¸¡­You are late¡¹ As if her previous innocence had gone somewhere else. She was emitting enough bloodlust that would make certain people want to run away. She¡¯s someone that lost her temper to that degree just because her grandpa returned late, in that regard, she resembles her grandfather. ¡¸Sorry to keep you waiting. However, you could have at least told me your destination¡¹ That being said, she¡¯s still just 15 years old. No matter how strong he says she is, she hasn¡¯t caught up with her grandfather yet. I¡¯m strong enough to compete with Chester. That¡¯s why, I won¡¯t flinch from something of this degree. Seeing me reply to her without much care, Sheryl¡¯s eyes, which had been full of anger, relaxed. ¡¸I see¡­in that case, it¡¯s fine. ¡­I¡¯m sorry¡¹ I was slightly surprised when I saw her retract all her bloodlust instantly. They that say women have fickle hearts but, this was just too extreme. Good grief, what kind of education does Chester give her? I¡¯m worried about her future. ¡¸¡­Hey¡¹ ¡¸Hmm? What is it?¡¹ As I shook my head and sighed, I noticed Sheryl¡¯s crimson eyes focusing on me. She tilted her head and looked like she wanted to ask something. ¡¸Slava-kun¡­are you strong?¡¹ Well then, how should I answer that question? It¡¯s true that I¡¯m confident to a certain point, but the current me, is far from the strength I seek. ¡­Not to mention, I suffered defeat at Chester¡¯s hands just recently. While I was having trouble answering that question, Chester approached me. What is he planning to do? Not knowing what he was thinking, I gave Chester a suspicious look, then, he placed his hand on top of my shoulder. ¡¸He¡¯s strong. That¡¯s why, you can go all out, Sheryl¡¹ Because of his unexpected action, I unconsciously opened my eyes wide. I had been been dragging it out for too long, huh? Even if I say so myself, being this much of a sore loser is quite troubling. It¡¯s not the time to grow timid when the 2nd strongest person in history, as far as I know, is giving me his approval. ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m strong. That¡¯s why, you don¡¯t have to hold back¡¹ I walked towards Sheryl, left some distance between us, and took my stance. Sheryl looked at me and Chester, then, a bitter smile appeared on her face. ¡¸¡­I see, I¡¯m looking forward to it¡¹ Sheryl¡¯s face loosened, and her mouth turned into a grin. As expected of a djinn. They are quite sensitive to blood. Killing intent¡­like that of a child who crushed the insects crawling in the area. While being wrapped in an aura of pure evil, Sheryl showed an aggressive smile one would think impossible for a kid, and took her stance. ¡­She relaxed her whole body. Her body changed into a whip, and she threw a deadly left punch to show off. It was a Prime style technique passed down directly by Chester. To think I¡¯d be able to see someone other than its creator take that stance before I died. That¡¯s not right, this is my second life after all. However¡­it was a stance unthinkable for a 15 old girl. The muddy stream of dark magic power was winding like a vortex, the degree of perfection of her stance was¡­half baked, far from Chester¡¯s level, but still higher than some martial artists. Of course, as someone that has fought Chester for a long time, I can spot the flaws in her stance. Even then¡­ ¡¸£¨Even then, this is some terrifying talent£©¡¹ Many martial artist probably wouldn¡¯t be able to win against this girl. It was an astonishing natural talent. ¡¸Come at me whenever you want¡¹ I have definitely found quite the interesting girl. I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stop smiling if she was my granddaughter. ¡¸¡­Here I come!¡¹ However, she still has a long way to go. If it was the me from my previous life, I would definitely feel jealousy at this talent that would become part of the next generation. However, the me right now, is a martial artist of the same generation. The one who will attain the title of strongest first, will be me. At the same time I proclaimed that¡­Sheryl closed the distance, the strong fist she had inherited from Chester approached my face. Seeing the approaching fist, I bent my body downwards. Her fist inevitably missed. Her first strike was a Prime style technique that would have defeated many people in a single blow. Seeing I had dodged the deadly blow she had inherited, slight surprise showed on Sheryl¡¯s face. However, that only lasted for a second. It¡¯s true that the first strike of the Prime style was powerful, but it wasn¡¯t a martial art that only excelled at that. The essence of the Prime style was like that of a swordsman, who made it seem like he had placed all his power into a single slash, but that was done to deceive its opponent,that slash then turned into 2 and then 3, like an illusion. Her slender and delicate snow-like arms bent like a whip. A full-power blow that one would think impossible to defend with a kibisu gaeshi. How many people dreamt of performing such a technique? The blows she threw out while being composed and laughing, were unthinkable for such a girl. ¡­However, something of this level won¡¯t work on me. It was certainly fast. It¡¯s true that a blow so fast that other¡¯s can¡¯t defend against, is something martial artists seek as a form of cheating. However, I was looking further ahead than that. A more refined way of cheating. ¡¸¡­Eh?¡¹ I lowered my posture further, to the point that my elbows were touching the ground. Because of all the energy she had put into her blow, her body moved forward, and couldn¡¯t be stopped. With her own force, Sheryl¡¯s stance broke, and she rolled forward. Having lost her freedom, her silver hair waved in the air. However, the one over there, is Chester¡¯s disciple. With her overwhelming sense of balance. she quickly took her stance again, and threw a left punch. ¡¸¡­However, that¡¯s too naive¡¹ It was impressive that she was able to fix her awareness, while her field of view was shaking at a high speed due to her carelessness, and even make a counterattack. However, she was still in the middle of getting her balance back. A blow thrown forcibly from a broken stance, was like a treat for the Shijima style. Instead of the right arm that still retained its form, I took her extended left arm. I can¡¯t perform any powerful techniques because I had bent down my body, but if it¡¯s just redirecting the direction of the force, that¡¯s something I can do. No matter how much magic power she put into it, it was a blow from a girl without any weight behind it. From the moment her stance collapsed until now, this fist of hers had gone through many changes. Naturally, it was just a punch that was thrown. She was gradually putting weight behind it, in its incomplete state, I lightly drew her in. If it was Chester, he would have put all his body weight behind the blow the moment he threw the punch, but it seems like the inexperienced Sheryl was not able to do that. As a result, because her blow suddenly had more weight behind it than she expected, her feet were pulled forward. To begin with, her posture had already collapsed, having no means to control her light body, Sheryl landed face-first on the lawn. ¡¸-!?¡¹ The one that was surprised, was obviously Sheryl. I was the one that had countered her technique, the one that was watching the flow of the match was Chester, and he could predict this result. That¡¯s why, the only one that didn¡¯t understand what had happened was Sheryl. From her porcelain nose, drops of blood were dripping. While her fingers were dying crimson from holding her nose, drops of blood were falling to the ground. ¡¸A-Ah, Sheryl, did you just¡­lose?¡¹ It seems like, he¡¯s not only being soft on her. Sheryl turned to face Chester, she didn¡¯t understand what had happened and blood was still flowing from her nose. ¡¸I-I didn¡¯t lose¡­I¡¯m still standing¡¹ ¡¸He only let you stand up out of pity. If he wanted to, he could have stepped on your head and smashed your skull, you know? So pathetic, you didn¡¯t even notice this much?¡¹ Sheryl¡¯s expression changed, now it was filled with pure anger. ¡­It was somewhat childish compared to her previous smile. Compared to the otherworldly feeling she gave, her anger seemed to have substance. ¡­A gust of wind blew. It was an unpleasant gale accompanied by tepid moisture. Even if we were outdoors, the courtyard was surrounded by high walls, this wind was too strong. From Sheryl¡¯s body, an enormous amount of magic power swept over. The reason he said those words to provoke her, was for this, huh? ¡¸That was done in bad taste, old man¡¹ ¡¸Kakaka! However, this is amazing, right? Right?¡¹ Shut up, old man! While shouting, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Sheryl. If you were to say that the previous magic power was like a muddy stream, this was like a well regulated furious waterfall. She was filled with pure rage. They say that a djinn¡¯s magic power rises the more excited they get, but to think it would be to this extent. ¡¸¡­You won¡¯t break from this much, right? It¡¯s fine, right? Right!?¡¹ Following her rage, her smile was full of insanity now. As if she completely forgot her usual quiet demeanor, she became high spirited and innocent. This is why people detest djinns. People would shrink back when this amount of bloodlust was pointed their way. However, that would be the case for a normal person. The one standing here¡­is a martial artist. I¡¯ve found something extremely interesting. Compared to her previous punches, they were now filled with a clear intent to kill and an enormous amount of magic power. They still have a long way to go until they reach Chester¡¯s level but, in the surface world, I doubt many would be able to win against this amount of magic power. Due to her rage, her blows were sharper. The speed and power, were also higher than before. Even if it was me, I would probably lose consciousness if I was hit directly by them. However, in exchange, the blows had become dull. The Prime style was like that, because it possessed its snake-like complexity. This was just a machine throwing punches. Each blow raining down on me was deflected, rendering them powerless. I was not allowing a single blow to hit. I looked at Sheryl, thinking she would be feeling irritated, but she was smiling. ¡¸Ahahaha! Amazing, why won¡¯t you break!? Hey, why!?¡¹ The fact that she was enjoying it from the bottom of her heart, while imbuing each blow with killing intent, was scary. ¡­It was, just too much. It¡¯s not the kind of madness someone this young should carry. Once this is over, I¡¯ll give Chester a piece of my mind. ¡­Well then, I should end this as gently as I can. I deflected the punch that held no acceleration due her exhausted state, held back, and hit her with ¡¸Strength¡¹. The magic power burst when it hit her defenseless abdomen, and Sheryl was blown away. Even if I had held back, it was still strong enough to crush her internal organs. She was supposed to be rolling on the ground from experiencing extreme pain but¡­without any care, Sheryl kicked the ground. The distance that was made between us, was shortened in an instant, and Sheryl threw another punch. ¡­Perfect. Guess I¡¯ll show her. I let all strength drain from my right arm. As if its strings were cut, my arm fell from the stance I was making. On top of her body being young, she had the same reach as me. Once she reached a suitable distance, Sheryl¡¯s left arm dissolved into space. She has good eyes, to be able to properly gauge the distance when fighting at this speed. However, her fist was not able to reach me. At the same time her fist reappeared¡­Sheryl slowly collapsed on the lawn. Even though she had thrown that punch, I was the one that stood victorious. Why was Sheryl¡¯s punch unable to reach me? That¡¯s simple. ¡¸¡­You bastard, Slava¡­that technique just now¡­¡¹ My technique, had hit Sheryl in the jaw before she could reach me. With an acceleration from zero to maximum speed. Usually, a counter thrown after having lost the initiative won¡¯t work. ¡¸¡­Isn¡¯t that my ¡¸Vanish¡¹!¡¹ ¡­That¡¯s right, it was a secret technique that used the fundamentals of the Prime style. Born from nothingness to its utmost limits after relaxing. Originally, ¡¸Vanish¡¹ would use the whole body as a spring to achieve the fastest speed, but I arranged it, and made it into a ¡¸Slava style¡¹ technique so to speak. ¡¸It¡¯s still inferior to yours because I¡¯m only using my arm as a spring. However, you could say that thanks to that, I¡¯m able to do it with both arms. Let¡¯s see¡­I¡¯ll name it ¡¸Night serpent¡¹¡¹ A blow that¡¯s like a snake, melting its body with the darkness of the night. It was a blow that imitated my old enemy, a ¡¸Strong fist¡¹ technique that took a step away from the Shijima style. As one would expect, it was still inferior to Chester¡¯s in speed but, having efficiently made the technique from just theory, I was able to strike first against someone of her level. It was still well made enough to strike any fool that tried to look down on the Shijima style¡¯s techniques. I picked Sheryl up, who was lying face down on the ground, with both hands. Because I only used my arm as a spring, it couldn¡¯t compare to his ¡¸Vanish¡¹ in terms of power, but you could say it was a sure-kill blow if I hit someone in the head with it. ¡¸This is quite impressive, she took a counter and still remained unharmed¡¹ I started walking towards Chester, while holding Sheryl, who was sleeping like a girl her age after having fainted. While presenting her to him in the so called ¡¸Princess carry¡¹, Chester was trembling. Had I gone too far? However, if I didn¡¯t make her faint, I wonder how long the fight would have go on. Well then, what kind of excuse should I make? While I was thinking carefully, Chester, who was holding Sheryl gently, erupted. ¡¸You bastard! Don¡¯t go around stealing the techniques others went through so much effort to create, idiot! Fool!¡¹ ¡­What? What did this man just say? So, he doesn¡¯t care about what happened to his granddaughter? True, it was a situation where I had to stop her no matter what. I¡¯m sure he understood that. ¡­However, I can¡¯t ignore that. ¡¸Hah! This level of skill I can memorize just from looking at it! If it¡¯s that important to you, go ahead and lock it in a jewel case!¡¹ ¡¸Ah!? Don¡¯t get conceited from a defective imitation, you shitty brat! If it wasn¡¯t because of Sheryl, I¡¯d be fine with settling things with you right now, you know!?¡¹ Even though he was at that age, he was making a great fuss. It¡¯s not like he had the rights to the technique, what is this old man complaining about? We both refused to back down. Our first argument in decades, lasted until Sheryl woke up and Chester returned to his idiotic self. Volume 1 - CH 12 ¡¸So¡­what¡¯s with this situation?¡¹ I said that with a blank face, while trying to make sense of the current situation. I beat Sheryl with ¡¸Night serpent¡¹, quarreled with Chester because he said I stole his technique, Sheryl woke up¡­ Hmm, if I remember correctly, it went like that. I¡­no, we were currently sitting in the dining room. After the match, we decided to have dinner together, after walking through another long hallway, we arrived here. Looking at the design, I saw lots of furniture of elven craftsmanship, and splendid paintings. It made me think that this old man was really an elf. Well, this place is pretty spacious too. Who does he even plan to invite by making it this spacious? While thinking about pointless things, I came to the conclusion that, it was boorish to complain about how people used the money they had earned. Besides¡­ ¡¸Guu¡­Sheryl, won¡¯t you separate from that guy and come to grandpa?¡¹ ¡¸No, I don¡¯t want to separate from Slava-kun¡­¡¹ No matter what I think about, it won¡¯t change the fact that I can¡¯t escape from this situation. Sheryl was hugging me tightly. I could only grit my teeth, while Chester was crying tears of blood from looking at us. What¡¯s with this situation? ¡¸Slavaaa! You are bothered by it too, right? That¡¯s why Sheryl, get away from-¡¹ ¡¸No. Even if Slava dislikes it, I won¡¯t let go¡­¡¹ Sheryl turned towards Chester, while rubbing her cheeks against mine as if she was trying to bore a hole in them, she stuck out her tongue. The strength of the arms around me gradually grew stronger, right now, it had raised tenfold and they could strangle a bear to death. ¡­I¡¯m glad I had trained. The situation right now was like a bad comedy, but if I was a normal kid, this would have turned into quite the tragedy. Well, having his granddaughter taken away from him, Chester¡¯s face already looked like that of a murderer. If it continues like this, Chester will explode, and it¡¯ll turn into quite the troublesome situation. I would like to avoid anything troublesome but¡­ ¡¸Fufu, as I thought, Slava-kun won¡¯t break¡­so warm¡­.¡¹ As one would expect, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to drive a girl, that was hugging me like an affectionate cat , off. Though¡­with the strength she¡¯s hugging me with, she would be a lion instead of a cat. She¡¯s hugging me with this much strength, but I don¡¯t feel any malice from Sheryl. I guess it¡¯s something she does unconsciously, I see , no wonder she was starving for contact. ¡¸Chester, you have to take better care of your granddaughter¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m always taking good care of her! Shamelessly saying that¡­!¡¹ ¡­That didn¡¯t go so well. I wasn¡¯t able to convey it properly. He was on the verge of exploding from anger. ¡¸Look, Sheryl. Your grandpa is feeling lonely. How about going to his side for a while?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Don¡¯t want to. However, if Slava-kun dislikes it, I¡¯ll think about it. Slava-kun¡­do you hate me¡­?¡¹ It¡¯s not like I hate her, but truth be told, I¡¯ve been feeling troubled for a while. No, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything wrong with my body but¡­if this keeps going, Chester will turn problematic. However, I can¡¯t say that. After all, Sheryl¡¯s behavior had finally become appropriate for a girl her age. There must be a reason for the insanity she showed earlier. I think I¡¯d like to fill those gaps in her heart. ¡¸No, it¡¯s not like I hate you¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­Then, I¡¯ll stay here¡¹ Therefore, I had no way of getting her off me. They say that one can¡¯t win against a girl¡¯s tears but¡­I doubt many would be able to break free from this. I patted Sheryl¡¯s head, whose cheeks were blushing, her eyes narrowed in happiness. She looked just like a cat. ¡¸Slava-kun, I like you¡¹ I wonder if it was because she liked having her head patted,Sheryl started to rub against my neck in delight. Was it because she was tired? I couldn¡¯t feel much strength behind it. For some reason, it reminded me of Alma. The way she aggressively approaches you once you start to dote on her, is like her. Not having felt this kind of warmth in a long time, speaking honestly, it wasn¡¯t so bad. ¡¸¡­Yeah, I like you too, Sheryl¡¹ With this, I started to understand why people are so enthusiastic about grandchildren. You unintentionally become attached to them, I nearly blurted that out. ¡¸Aagghhh!¡­Slava, you bastaaaard!¡¹ ¡­Thus, having seen that, Chester was grinding his teeth. What should I even do? Is this what they mean when they say ¡¸You can¡¯t make an omelet without breaking some eggs¡¹? There were a lot of things I didn¡¯t pay attention to, that my master said, but lots of things randomly came to mind. If it was the young me, I would have probably brushed Sheryl off, but it seems like my master didn¡¯t only teach me how to fight. While recalling the past, I stroke Sheryl, who had become attached to me like a cat, under the chin. Doing so, it really looked like she liked it, Sheryl looked relaxed and she was breathing gently. ¡¸Hey Slava¡­let¡¯s go to the courtyard, I think I¡¯m about to lose it¡­¡¹ ¡¸Pardon the intrusion, I¡¯m bringing the din-¡­what might this situation be?¡¹ Just when Chester had reached the limits of his jealousy and was going to challenge me to a fight, with the dinner placed on a cart, Linnet entered the room. Judging from her first words, the sight she saw was hard to comprehend. However, it was an unexpected aid. With the dinner here, even this senile old man won¡¯t be able to do anything flashy. ¡¸Well done Linnet! Look, Sheryl, food is here. You won¡¯t be able to eat if you hug him like that, right? That¡¯s why you should separate from that guy already¡¹ You can¡¯t eat while hugging someone else. Chester¡¯s face brightened when Linnet appeared, he could finally separate his granddaughter from this man of doubtful origins. Good grief, showing that shameless face. I didn¡¯t want to watch this guy being manipulated by his granddaughter. ¡­However, Chester¡­no, both of us would know that our judgement was too naive. ¡¸Slava-kun is going to feed me, so it¡¯s fine¡­¡¹ While blushing, Sheryl calmly said that. As usual, Chester stood there, frozen and with a depressed face¡­however, this time, even I had the same reaction. Even though my real age was higher than hers, the current me was 3 years younger than her. This offensive move, given the current circumstances, wasn¡¯t it quite the skillful move? This Sheryl, she¡¯s quite the fearsome child! ¡¸¡­You don¡¯t want to?¡¹ Taking my current expression as one of refusal, Sheryl¡¯s face turned gloomy. Her bashful expression from a while ago and the ephemeral smile were no longer there. Chester¡­this time he looked like he was trying to say ¡¸What the hell are you doing, making Sheryl cry? You bastard¡¹. ¡­You, what do you want me to do? What should I do? However, being stared at by these eyes, there¡¯s no way I can refuse. ¡¸No, well¡­it¡¯s not like I mind¡­¡¹ At the same time I replied, Sheryl¡¯s face looked like a blooming flower. ¡­Why is she so attached to me? No, I think I know why. I¡¯m probably the first friend around her age she has ever made. Not being able to control her own power, Sheryl probably can¡¯t probably touch any person other than Chester or me. That¡¯s why, I should just endure and spoil her for the time being. Chester¡¯s face changed into one of anger again¡­let¡¯s just ignore him. It¡¯s too late for him already. Set in the table in front of me, were various dishes that emitted a fragrant smell. While being bothered by the slightly embarrassed gaze on me¡­the extremely tiring and unusually slow dinner started. ¡¸So, she fell asleep, huh?¡¹ I said so, while Sheryl had her head on my lap and I was patting her head. Play, eat, then sleep. When I first met her I thought she was a terrible girl with a gloomy mood but¡­looking at her now, she looked like a normal kid. While looking at her, I grasped some of those silver threads in my hand. It must have been because she had elven and djinn blood mixed in her, you could say it was like the most beautiful metal, it was to the point that you could mistake it for mythril. ¡¸Being so attached to you, well¡­she was quite cute, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­You are right¡¹ While gently looking at Sheryl, who was breathing peacefully, Chester took the seat next to Sheryl. Seems like he had calmed down. Grandchildren are really terrifying beings. I unconsciously sighed when I saw Chester making a gentle smile I¡¯ve never seen him make before. I didn¡¯t want to think I had lost to this ¡¸Gentle grandpa¡¹ you could find anywhere. ¡¸You see, it¡¯s the first time that Sheryl has played with someone around her age. She might make you go through plenty of trouble, but could you look after her?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like I mind. She¡¯s just bad at controlling her strength. I¡¯m a bit tired, but that¡¯s all¡¹ What was reflected on her sleeping face, was a smile. Without any signs of madness, nor a sadistic smile aiming at its prey¡­just the sleeping face of a girl appropriate for her age. A large amount of magic power, sometimes changes the personality of the person. Having a great power can also be problematic. If she didn¡¯t have that power, I bet she would be just a normal adorable girl. ¡¸¡­I said she was a half between an elf and a djinn, right?¡¹ While bitterness started to mix in his face, Chester started to talk in a voice low enough to not wake Sheryl up. I simply nodded at him. ¡¸That idiotic son of mine, it was nice that he got a wife, but his wife forced herself when giving birth to this kid and passed away¡­ She might have survived if she had given up on Sheryl, but it seems like she didn¡¯t listen and wanted to have her no matter what, in the end it happened like the midwife had said. Even then, she loved the child she gave birth to. I thought he was a worthless son, but he raised this kid without a wife. He was praiseworthy.¡¹ ¡¸¡­Was, huh? So that means¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right, my son is gone too. When this kid was 5 years old, he went to pick some fruits in the mountain, and lost his footing on a cliff¡­that¡¯s why Sheryl, she lost both of her parents soon after having been born¡¹ After sipping a bit from the teacup he had in his hand, Chester took a breath. His face was dyed in sadness, it was also the first time I had seen him make that kind of expression, in the 60 years I¡¯ve known him. ¡¸That¡¯s what happened, having lost both of her parents at a young age, she was left all alone at the age of 5. ¡­Then, I tried to make the wife¡¯s parents take her in but¡­they, they refused saying Sheryl was an unwanted child. Seems like they were already against her marrying my son, as they were babbling about things like that¡­I finally got pissed. Without any care about age, I beat them up. Well, that¡¯s fine¡­¡¹ Chester, narrowed his eyes in a gentle expression, and put his hand on top of Sheryl¡¯s. To think this man, that was akin to a famous blade and would injure anything he touched, would be able to make this kind of expression. After showing his affection towards Sheryl for a while, Chester gazed at me strongly. What was reflected in his face, was another expression I had never seen him make. ¡¸I leave Sheryl to you. I¡¯ll be gone before you after all. At that time, please, don¡¯t let this kid be all alone¡­¡¹ ¡­I wonder if I was making this same face, when I passed the Shijima style to Alma. It was a strong will. His face was that of a man, who requested me to take care of his precious granddaughter after he died. ¡­Today has been full of surprises. I had seen various faces from this man, who I thought I already knew well from our undesirable friendship. Does having grandchildren really make you change this much? To think Chester would be able to make such expressions. ¡¸¡­Leave it to me. This child, is also a friend of mine¡¹ However, it wasn¡¯t because Chester asked me to, I had decided to look after this child¡¯s future of my own free will. ¡¸You don¡¯t even have to tell me. I don¡¯t plan to leave things half-done¡¹ ¡¸Slava¡­£¡¡¹ Looking at his frail self with that irritating mustache, I gave him a small smile. To think that even in my second life, I wouldn¡¯t be able to cut ties with the Prime family. It seems like our undesirable friendship runs deep. ¡¸Fix that pitiful look of yours already. You¡¯ll lose your dignity as a grandfather if Sheryl sees you like that¡¹ ¡¸¡­Yes, you are right. As long as I¡¯m still standing, I plan to be the cool grandpa after all¡¹ Having took the bait, Chester started smiling again. It was an expression that suited him more. ¡¸Thanks, Slava¡¹ For elves, that gap I had of 20 years was short, even if I added my current age, it would only amount to around 30 years. I was wondering how much the world had changed but, to think that even my old friend, who I thought would never change, changed like this, it seems like 50 years was more than enough to change him. Looking at the hard headed like a diamond girl, sleeping peacefully on my lap, my cheeks started to loosen. ¡­Grandchildren, huh? If fate allows it, I would like to have them one day. However, I probably won¡¯t become like him or my master. Well¡­probably. If I think that my friend¡¯s granddaughter is this cute, just how cute would I think the grandchildren that my own children have are? In a certain way, it might be a harder challenge than anyone I have faced until now. Like a child that felt safe, I was suddenly overcome with sleepiness. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s about time for the date to change. My body is still that of a child. While fighting my instincts, I unconsciously closed my eyes. I can¡¯t, if I close my eyes here I¡¯ll definitely fall asleep. If that happens, I won¡¯t be able to return before the lesson starts. Sensing the impending crisis, I started to think of a way to fight the sleepiness. At times like this, the best thing to do would be to move your body, but waking up the the girl that was sleeping peacefully on my lap felt wrong, and it was something hard to do for the current me. ¡­I guess there¡¯s no other choice. I¡¯m reluctant but¡­I have no other choice but to talk to Chester. Luckily, Sheryl is sound asleep. She probably won¡¯t wake up from this much. However, what should we talk about? If we talked about anything related to fighting, we will probably raise our voices after all¡­oh, that¡¯s right. Thinking about it, there¡¯s something I wanted to hear from him. ¡¸That¡¯s right Chester, I picked this thing up in town, know anything about it?¡¹ While paying attention not to wake Sheryl up, I took a sharp crystal from my tunic¡¯s pocket and passed it to Chester. Chester caught the crystal, that had a murky blood color and emitted an ominous aura, without any problems. ¡¸Hmm? You, isn¡¯t this a ¡¸Dark crystal¡¹!? I thought this was something unrelated to you, how did you¡­?¡¹ Judging from his reaction, it seems like he knows more about this than me. ¡¸So they are called dark crystals, huh? It was nothing, it was just that some hoodlums picked a fight with me while I was in town. It¡¯s not like I killed them, but at the time they used that thing. When they did¡­ ¡¹ ¡¸Their magic power turned ominous and increased sharply, right? Yeah, I know about that. It¡¯s a form of doping that has become popular lately¡¹ ¡¸¡­Doupingu?¡¹ Hearing the unfamiliar word, I unconsciously repeated it. When I did, the corner of Chester¡¯s mouth warped in a ridiculous manner. Feeling somewhat irritated, I tried to make the conversation move forward. ¡¸So we have to start from there. How to explain it¡­to put it simply, it¡¯s like a medicine that destroys you in exchange for magic power. It¡¯s becoming popular in the underworld lately, and it¡¯s giving me quite the headache¡¹ ¡¸Hmm? To sum it up, you are saying that just by taking that medicine, you can increase your magic power, right?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t forget the part where I said it¡¯ll destroy you. No, in the case of this one, nothing bad will happen to your body. However, it¡¯ll destroy your mind. Didn¡¯t you see it? How their magic increased stupidly when they ate it. However, no matter how gentle a person is, they¡¯ll turn violent¡¹ My eyes turned to the crystal again, and I pondered about what Chester had said. A crystal that raises your magic power just by eating it, huh? However, it¡¯ll turn you violent. ¡­When those worthless people used it, I already got an idea about what it was, but it turns out that it was really a worthless thing. ¡¸To easily become stronger, quite the stupid thing has become popular, huh. There¡¯s no meaning if it¡¯s not a strength you gained with your own hands¡¹ So stupid. If they find value in borrowed power, I¡¯d like to teach them a lesson. ¡¸You would probably say that kind of thing. Well, it¡¯s like that. It¡¯s a worthless crystal that¡¯s being produced. This is just a rumor, but it seems like it puts a burden on your body. Though take that with a grain of salt¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­I see. I got it, thanks¡¹ I held the crystal between 2 fingers and raised it towards the sky. It sad that something like this had become popular. That being said, it might be interesting to believe Chester¡¯s words. What¡¯s this troublesome thing he speaks of? Might it be something interesting? I tried to put the crystal I held back in my breast pocket. However, maybe because of my slow speed, I was suddenly stopped. At this distance, the only one that could do that, was Sheryl. When I looked, Sheryl, who had just woken up, was grabbing my arm. ¡¸¡­Hmm? What¡¯s wrong, Sheryl?¡¹ With a gentle voice, I shook Sheryl, who was staring at the crystal with sleepy eyes, to wake her up. When I did, Sheryl got up from my lap, and turned to face me. ¡¸I don¡¯t know. However, I feel a nostalgic feeling from that crystal¡¹ ¡¸Nostalgic?¡¹ Because of her unexpected words, I replied like that. It wasn¡¯t a question aimed at anyone, having heard that, Chester placed his hand on his chin. ¡¸Now that I think about it, I often hear that this crystal is mined in the djinn country¡­in the place called Haltigue. Sheryl has been born and raised in Milafia, but her mother might had unexpectedly had something like this on her¡¹ While nodding at Chester¡¯s words, I observed Sheryl, who was looking at the crystal. I wanted to ask her if she wanted to hold the crystal, but it didn¡¯t seem like she was that interested. Having lost her interested in the crystal, She lay down again with her head on my lap. ¡­Mined in the Djinn country, huh? Now that I think about it, I get the feeling that, those men gave the image of detestable Djinns. This is yet another thing that didn¡¯t exist back when I was still living. I felt somewhat amazed and some admiration for this ever changing world. However, no matter what we say, it will keep changing. It had changed this much in only 30 years, how much does the world change during the life span of an elf? I started to feel unusually sentimental, but I quickly brushed it away. ¡­Well then, guess it¡¯s about time I returned. No matter what i say, I¡¯m one that takes lessons seriously. For that reason, I have to leave this place. However¡­ ¡¸¡­eh, this is bad¡¹ ¡¸Ah? What¡¯s wrong?¡¹ I grimaced after realizing the terrifying truth. Chester looked at me unusually worried. Feeling suddenly worried, I said seriously¡­ ¡¸She, Sheryl fell asleep on top of my lap again¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­You bastard, I can take that as you boasting to me, right?¡¹ Even though we went through so much trouble to wake her up once, now I can¡¯t move again. Following that, the flames of jealousy towards me were reborn in Chester, I calmly gave up on tomorrow¡¯s lessons. Volume 1 - CH 13 ¡¸Alright, that marks the end of today¡¯s lessons. Good work everyone¡¹ With a soft sound akin to gentle clapping, teacher Finley closed his book. Shortly after, following Finley¡¯s voice, the sound of a bell could be heard. It was the bell signaling the end of the lessons. With this, we are done for today, huh? Having finished my duties as a student, I took a small breath. You could say that the contents of the lessons weren¡¯t hard, but maybe because I didn¡¯t feel like taking them, I felt tired. Half a day of lessons wears me out more than an entire day of training. It seems like the fact that I¡¯m worse at using my brain than moving my body, hasn¡¯t changed from my past life. ¡¸Ah! Today was also tiring. However, with this, we are done for the week!¡¹ While stretching his body with all his strength, the one who shouted happily, was Sid, who sat behind me. ¡­Judging from his presence during class, I¡¯m pretty sure he spent the entire class sleeping, and he¡¯s still tired? That being said, I guess you could say that, that is also part of his charm. The class that had been silent until a while ago, came back to life. What each student was doing varied. There were those who were stretching, those who were packing their things, those who stood up after having finished their preparations and so on. I was usually one of those that finished packing early and left the classroom, but today I had something to do in the classroom. ¡¸It¡¯s over! Good work, Slava-kun¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, you too, Celia¡¹ While making my preparations slower than usual, Celia came over with her bag on hand from the distant desk. That¡¯s right, today was the day previous to a student¡¯s precious day off. Since we had not hung out together for a while, we stayed behind to make plans for it. In this academy, the dormitories are separated by genders. Because you are normally not allowed to enter the dormitory of the opposite gender, once you leave the school, there¡¯s no place to sit back, relax, and talk. That¡¯s why we are borrowing this place. If you looked around, you could see that there were other students apart from us in this classroom, happily talking with each other. ¡¸Oh, you came Celia. Hey, don¡¯t forget about me!¡¹ ¡¸Ahaha, good work Sid-kun!¡¹ Sid raised his voice because she had not called his name, however, I couldn¡¯t feel any anger from it. Celia knew that¡­it was like mutual trust between us, she just laughed it out. ¡¸More importantly, what are we going to do tomorrow? Are we going to town after all?¡¹ ¡¸I guess so? Do you have somewhere you want to go, Slava-kun?¡¹ ¡­Oh, right. We were making plans for tomorrow. Hmm. Now that I think about it, nothing really comes to mind. What came to mind were places like the mountain or the river but¡­those were dangerous places that I used to train. ¡¸Not really. As expected, isn¡¯t the town just fine? Once we get there, we can think about what to do¡¹ ¡¸There are lots of things in town after all! Alright, we are going to town tomorrow then?¡¹ In the end, we settled with walking around town, because it was a safe choice. Even if we walked without any particular aim, as long as I was with my friends, it¡¯d be fun. Gathering like this to talk without any objective, might be a way to play for us. Even though we had already finished deciding what our plan was going to be, Sid and Celia didn¡¯t return to the dorm immediately. Just talking like this, was fun. While replying to Celia and Sid, I looked at the reddening sky. ¡­Times like this, are also quite nice. From their conversations,their cheerfulness and friendliness was conveyed to me. If I ever had grandchildren, would it be something like this? If that was the case, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand Chester¡¯s transformation. Remembering the smile full of happiness of my undesirable friend, who I lost against, the corners of my mouth suddenly started to warp. ¡­It was at that moment,that a small storm assaulted the school. Suddenly, from the entrance of the classroom, a sound akin to an iron ball crushing a wooden board could be heard. From the sensation I felt from the sound, I believe that had actually been the case. The moment I turned around to look at that direction, I was able to see the pitiful state of the door. Even if it¡¯s a wooden door, a normal person would need to put some effort to destroy it. To do it without any signs of bloodlust, who is this person?¡­ That¡¯s what I would think if this a few weeks ago. The students inside the class were shaking in fear because of the big noise. They tried to calm down without making a ruckus. Everyone¡¯s gazes focused on the place, where the door that was mercilessly blown away, was initially at. The figure that appeared slowly, was as expected¡­the girl that I¡¯ve become acquainted with lately. ¡¸Pardon me¡­¡¹ The one that came into the classroom was Sheryl, with her glittering silver hair waving. Several months ago, I fought with her in Chester¡¯s mansion. Because she has become considerably attached to me¡­when it¡¯s just before a day off, she sometimes does things like this. At first, everyone thought it was an attack from a djinn¡­and it caused quite the uproar, however, once you get to know her, she¡¯s fundamentally harmless. As a result of explaining things thoroughly, nowadays it¡¯s gotten to the point where, the students just get surprised and think ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s her again¡¹, elves are surprisingly tough. By the way, Sheryl. I believe you have to say that, before breaking the door. ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s big sis!¡¹ Sid, who idolizes Sheryl like this and calls her big sis. Apparently, it was a ¡¸Complete defeat¡¹, could it be that he has challenged her to a match? Anyway, it means that to some extent, they don¡¯t shrink from seeing a half djinn anymore, and have gotten used to it. In that sense, you could say that the only one that has not gotten used to this kind of situations, is me. Each time Sheryl comes, I take the stance of trying to avoid any problems from surfacing. ¡¸Ahaha, Sheryl-chan, long time no see¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­Long time no see¡¹ ¡­However, Celia is also one of those that can¡¯t get used to this. For someone like her who doesn¡¯t discriminate and can talk with anyone, the fact that she built a wall around her like this, came off as a surprise to me. I wonder if she had bad experiences with djinns or Sheryl. As I¡¯m friends with both of them, I¡¯d like them to be on good terms, it would be nice if I could act as a bridge between them. ¡­Anyway. For Sheryl to have come to visit the school like this, means that her guardian should have come too. ¡¸Hey, you are there, right?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. I¡¯d have come out even if you hadn¡¯t said anything¡¹ After Sheryl, from the broken door, a white haired old man appeared. There¡¯s no way that this stupid old man wouldn¡¯t have come with her after all. I should probably hear the details from him. While keeping track of Sheryl and Sid, who were making strange poses, I stared at Chester. ¡¸So? What do you want this time? Though, I already have an idea without you saying anything¡¹ As I called this stupid old man, who was captivated by his granddaughter¡¯s cute gestures, Chester fixed his stupid face and turned around to face me. ¡¸Ah? Well, it¡¯s probably what you are thinking about. Even if I say so myself, she has endured pretty well. She has mostly never got irritated either, as a reward, won¡¯t you come to our house tomorrow?¡¹ ¡¸Oh?¡¹ Because of Chester¡¯s unexpected words, I unconciously let that out. Sheryl has endured, huh? Having known her for only this amount of time, you could say that¡¯s some impressive progress. In the old days¡­that being said, it¡¯d only be a few months ago, she would have started hitting things as soon as something happened. From the way he talked, it seems like it¡¯s not like she has completely stopped, but if the frequency has decreased to this extent, it¡¯s true that I¡¯d like to give her a reward. ¡¸Normally I would have said yes but¡­unfortunately, I have plans for tomorrow. It¡¯s something we¡¯ve been planning for a while, sorry about that, would it be fine if I went the day after tomorrow?¡¹ However, I had already made a promise for tomorrow. Sheryl doesn¡¯t have many friends¡­well, you could say that there¡¯s no one else she can come in contact with other than me, I¡¯d like to give her preference. Even then, my friends¡­especially Celia, are really looking forward to tomorrow. I can¡¯t really bring myself to neglect them. As expected, I can¡¯t really give them the ok while having a prior arrangement. My undesirable friend was astonished at the fact that I was doing something appropriate for my real age, even then, Chester managed to move his mouth. ¡¸¡­Oh¡­well, nothing we can do if you had previous plans, is what I¡¯d like to say, but¡­¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Slava-kun¡¹ While I was waiting for Chester, who was hesitating to say something, finish talking, I felt an impact on my back that could have mowed down a big tree. What gave me the illusion of having been tackled, was the shock from being hugged by Sheryl. As usual, she had languid eyes, but lately I¡¯ve noticed slight changes in her facial expressions. Now¡­she looked unusually excited. ¡­Oh, I see. ¡¸With Sheryl looking like that, there¡¯s no way I can back down that easily. Can¡¯t you do something about it¡­?¡¹ Sheryl was rubbing her face against my back to the point that it looked like she was trying shove it into it. As expected, after seeing the current situation, there¡¯s no way that as her grandfather, he would have his grandaughter¡¯s wishes denied. ¡¸I really want to do something about it but¡­hmm, this is troubling¡¹ While exchanging glances with Chester, we both sighed. However, this proved to be a bad move, Sheryl, who was rubbing her face against my back, stopped after all. Oh no, this was not something I should have said in front of the person in question. I felt her face separate from my back, then I timidly peeked at Sheryl. Her expression was different from before, it was an expression of disappointment mixed with killing intent. Dark magic power started to overflow from her body, not to mention her oppressive aura. The students that were still inside the class made puzzled faces, they were probably sensitive to this change in magic power. ¡¸We can¡¯t be together? I¡­am I troubling Slava-kun¡­?¡¹ ¡­The insanity she had kept hidden had still not be cured. That being said, if it continues like this, something that can¡¯t be undone will happen. At the very least, the image of ¡¸She¡¯s harmless to a certain extent¡¹ I¡¯ve worked so hard to make will crumble. ¡¸Oh, no, it¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just that I have something to talk about with Chester. Can you wait for a bit..?¡¹ ¡¸Oh¡­OK, I¡¯m sorry¡¹ I patted her head, like I used to do with Alma in the old days. It was soft like wool, and its coolness made you think of marble. It¡¯s true that they had taken great care of them, but they were splendid silver threads. While I was patting her head, Sheryl¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she leaned on me. It seems like Sheryl likes to have her head patted like this,lately, she calms down to a certain degree when I do this. ¡­As a result. When I do this, Chester¡¯s expression turns into that of a demon, so I have to take care not to overdo it. What should I do? I don¡¯t want to do something as dishonest as breaking a previous appointment, but I¡¯d feel sorry if I neglected Sheryl too. While I placed my hand on my chin to think if there was a way to satisfy both sides, it happened. ¡¸¡­isn¡¯t it fine if Sheryl-chan comes with us?¡¹ Said Celia, who had been watching over the situation from a certain distance. Oh, we had that option. It¡¯s true that it was a good idea. ¡¸Hey, Chester¡¹ ¡¸Yeah?¡¹ ¡¸We are going to walk around town tomorrow, we don¡¯t really mind taking Sheryl along with us. I believe seeing the town will prove to be a good experience for her. Of course, I¡¯ll watch over her so there are no problems, what do you think?¡¹ When I took a look at Sheryl, her usual languid eyes were now shining. We should have talked about this from the start. For these glittering eyes of his beloved granddaughter, Chester won¡¯t be able to refuse. ¡¸Well, if you are the one looking after her, I don¡¯t really have a reason to refuse¡­my bad little miss, for coming so suddenly and it ending like this¡¹ ¡¸No no, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s have fun tomorrow, Sheryl-chan¡¹ At the sudden development, a smile akin to a blooming flower appeared on Sheryl¡¯s face. Because of Sheryl¡¯s inability to control her strength, she had never gone around town. It¡¯s a good opportunity, we should go all out and have some fun. I¡¯ll put more effort tomorrow. ¡­However, there¡¯s something that bothers me. While looking at Sheryl, who was spinning around in happiness, and Chester who had a worried face, I got next to Celia and asked her. ¡¸¡­Was it OK?¡¹ Celia, who was kind of wary of Sheryl had proposed this idea, I could feel joy from her¡­but at the same time, I felt something akin to guilt. Filled with a multitude of emotions, just by saying these words to her, Celia grasped the hem of my clothes. ¡¸¡­Yup, Slava-kun is Sheryl¡¯s friend, right? That¡¯s why I was thinking that, I should try to get along with her too¡¹ While looking downwards, the words she let out, were filled with complex emotions. Since I wasn¡¯t really good at reading other people¡¯s expressions, I wasn¡¯t able to fully comprehend Celia¡¯s words. However, I was able to understand that she had made a compromise. ¡­She¡¯s really a good kid, this one. Towards this beloved friend of mine, I did the same thing as I do with Sheryl, and gently patted her head. When I did that, Celia brought her shoulders closer to me. I looked at her and saw Celia¡¯s mouth moving slightly. I could hear the sound of her whispering something, but I was unable to hear what she was saying. ¡¸It¡¯s because, you do things like this¡¹ For some reason, I felt like she was reproaching me¡­as expected, was Celia having a sense of inferiority? Some time passed until Chester left the school, in the end, Celia didn¡¯t leave my side. ¡¸We have arrived! Good work, big sis!¡¹ Then, the day changed, and we arrived at Alfaleia. The time we spent in the carriage wasn¡¯t long, but it seems like it was still annoying for this little rascal¡­Sid expressed his sense of liberation through his whole body and with his voice. However, now that Sheryl was coming with us, it helped that Chester provided us with a carriage. We can take a carriage from the school, but that does cost money. It can¡¯t be helped since it¡¯s a job, however, it¡¯s not kind on a kid¡¯s wallet. Being able to reduce traveling costs, is a welcome misscalculation. ¡­Even then, from mine and Sheryl¡¯s point of view, it would be faster to run. If Sid and Celia weren¡¯t here, I would have ran, but since we live in the same place, gathering in town would have felt a little meaningless. Sid descended from the carriage, then it was Celia, and then me. Finally, Sheryl appeared from the carriage. I took the confused Sheryl¡¯s hand and guided her outside the carriage politely. Well, the last time I escorted a lady was since Alma. It would be around 50 years since I last did it, I wonder if I¡¯m doing it properly. When I suddenly turned around towards Sid and Celia¡­ ¡¸£®£®£®Umu¡¹ Celia was puffing her small cheeks. ¡­Hmm? Could it be that Celia wanted to be escorted like this too? They say that girls this age admire princesses or high-class nobles after all, if I had noticed, I would have come out first and grabbed her hand. Well, let¡¯s leave that for next time. Though I should probably have done something to turn her mood around. More importantly. ¡¸What do you think, Sheryl?¡¹ Having only come one time when she was small, what kind of reaction will Sheryl give? She restlessly looked around, her eyes were glittering, and you could say smile was an innocent one. I didn¡¯t even have to hear her answer. ¡¸Incredible¡­¡¹ I had never seen such a happy expression from her. It¡¯s true that she was having fun in our match, but those were the eyes of a martial artist having fun in a match. This might be the first time I¡¯ve seen her full of curiosity with eyes befitting a girl her age. We have to make the most out of today. For some reason, I suddenly¡­remembered the day Alma and me became ¡¸Parent and child¡¹. ¡¸So, where should we start from? We should have as much as fun as we can until curfew¡¹ I said so, while putting my hand on her head. When I did, Sheryl¡¯s restless eyes fixed on me¡­ ¡¸£®£®£®Yup£¡¡¹ It was the most delightful smile she has ever shown until now. I should express my gratitude to Celia for proposing this. ¡¸Alright, let¡¯s go then! I¡¯m hungry!¡¹ True, it would be a waste if we spent more time like this. Now that he said it, it¡¯s about time we started getting hungry. Agreeing with Sid, I exchanged glances with Sheryl and began walking. Seeing me start walking, Sheryl started walking in a hurry too. She stood next to me in a hurry, linked arms with me, and then looked at my face to see my reaction. Her getting close like that expressed her full trust in me¡­it was quite cute. With this, I could really understand why all the grandparents in the world are so infatuated with their grandchildren. ¡¸¡­¡­So warm¡¹ It¡¯s probably the first time she has gone out with children around her age after all. Her gestures were undeniably those of a child having fun. ¡­However, the expression of Celia, who was walking a bit behind us, was completely opposite of that of Sheryl. Celia was walking next to Sid and they were talking together, but what they were talking about was unclear. It was just that she was definitely looking at Sheryl and me¡­hmm, looking at her expression, it seems like she wants to say something to me. That time before descending from the carriage came to mind, and a small thought was brought to life. ¡­No way. However, was it because of that? If I thought about it like that it did make sense¡­is Celia by any chance, feeling jealous? The one I¡¯ve known the longest in this school is Celia. We are basically always together during breaks, and we go out together during days off, she¡¯s a precious friend I¡¯ve spent a long time with. However, since Sheryl appeared lately, I¡¯ve been devoting my time to her. That probably bothers her. The previous example of the carriage was easy to understand, but I get the feeling that Celia¡¯s bad mood, is because of the large amount of time I spend with Sheryl. The students that enroll in the academy, they all separate from their parents and live in the dorms. The fact that they are far from their own parents, is something that applies to everyone. That also applies to Celia, who has come from far away. Thinking about it to this point, a clear answer comes to mind. To sum it up¡­what Celia is feeling is, like having a new sister appear, and take her parents away from her? Compared to the children around my age, I¡¯m someone that has lived over a hundred years, so I probably look more grown-up. Celia probably regards me as someone older than her. Parent and child¡­it¡¯s probably similar to what I feel, that relationship between a grandparent and his grandchildren. Now with Sheryl appearing between that relationship, Celia probably thinks that Sheryl has snatched my attention from her. That gesture she made when we got off the carriage. I felt the pieces falling together. Am I not hitting the mark with this train of thought? Being convinced of it, I hit my fist with my palm. Sheryl, who was unaware of the things that were going on in my mind, tilted her head confused. ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t mind me¡¹ I didn¡¯t want to bother Sheryl, so I patted her head. ¡­Wait¡­Is this something I shouldn¡¯t do? I took a peek at Celia¡­as expected, it looked like her bad mood had intensified, it¡¯s true that I had Alma, but I never had two children. What should I do in this kind of situation? If I suddenly started to care for Celia, it would feel unnatural, and it might have the opposite effect. If I separated from Sheryl, who is quite delicate, I might hurt her too. So, what should I do? ¡­As I was considering my actions, it happened. Celia pulled Sid by the hand, and fastened her pace. It wasn¡¯t originally a big distance, but they caught up to us who were on the front. ¡¸£®£®£®Slava-kun, we have somewhere we want to go, so you both should go have some fun in the meantime¡¹ When we reached the crossroad, Celia cast her eyes downwards and left these words behind. ¡­I was planning to take action, but was she faster than me? What should I do? If I followed her in this situation, it would put me in a corner. No choice, I should let some time pass for now. She might come back after having sorted out her feelings¡­if she doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll go talk with her. My exchange of words with Celia happened under the gentle rays of the sun, it made you feel like closing your eyes. I believe I haven¡¯t given my gratitude for such wonderful weather yet. Good grief, the thing called relationships are quite complicated. Even if I exhausted a whole life, there¡¯s still lots to learn. ¡­It would be nice if Sid, who was taken by her, would be able to support her. For the time being, I¡¯ll have to look at how it turns out. Until that time comes¡­what should we do? As I kept thinking, I heard a sound akin to that of a small cat next to me. The source was¡­the area around Sheryl¡¯s stomach. ¡¸¡­Guh, I¡¯m so hungry¡¹ Now that I think about it, she did say she skipped breakfast. Sheryl, who placed her hand on her stomach, looked embarrassed. ¡­Without giving it much thought, it seems like I found something to do. The meaning might be a bit different but¡­one can¡¯t fight on an empty stomach. Until Celia sorts out her feelings¡­for the time being, we should fill our stomachs even if it¡¯s with something light. ¡¸Should we pick something light? What would you prefer, something sweet or something salty?¡¹ ¡¸Something salty¡¹ ¡¸Hmm got it. Then¡­¡¹ If we ate too much, we won¡¯t be able to eat more once we reunite after all. Something small and simple¡­I believe there was a shop that sold sausages around here. A shop that sells juicy sausages and you can choose how you want it cooked. For the record, I prefer it when the shopkeeper cooks it in a big fire, removing the fat on it. ¡¸Shall we eat some sausages? Let¡¯s eat other different things once we reunite with Celia and Sid¡¹ I smiled as I said that, and patted Sheryl¡¯s head, her expression was one of delight. Being happy like this, and sometimes embarrassed¡­apart from the times she got irritated, she was a normal girl after all. I pray that, Sheryl is able to live like a normal girl. ¡¸It would be nice, if she was able to befriend an honest girl like her¡¹ The words directed at the way Celia went, dissolved in the air. Good grief, we are at quite the problematic age. However, I somehow felt like it was fun too. Maybe I should have spent more time with Alma too. I placed my hands on my waist and sighed. Alma, Celia, and Sheryl. Just looking at them, made me want to have children of my own. Should I go search for someone to marry in this life? however, when it comes to love for elves, I have even less idea than in human cases. I sank my teeth into the sausage we just bought, which was still steaming, and its thin skin was cut. It might be because I was thinking of my unmarried life from my past life, the pleasant sound that sounded after the juices, felt lonely. ¡¸Hey Celia, where do you plan to go leaving them behind!?¡¹ To stop the girl that was running while pulling him, Sid shouted this question at her. Seeing Celia, who was usually cheerful and kind, like this, his voice contained confusion. ¡­Walking, though it should be called running in this case¡­they¡¯ve been doing it for a while. What was really going on? Sid was confused at his close friend¡¯s sudden actions. From looking at her expression he felt feelings like anxiety, irritation, sadness¡­complex emotions that he was unable to understand. Sid was unable to understand what was going on. But somehow, he felt like her current expression had turned dark. ¡¸Hey, stop already! At least tell me the reason!¡¹ Having become angry, Sid shouted. They were words that might have lacked a bit of restraint, considering they were words of worry towards Celia, but that was not the case. No matter how young they were, when it comes the difference between genres, Sid would be stronger. That¡¯s why, shaking off the hand that was grasping his tightly was an easy task. Obviously, if he wanted to stop in this place, Celia wouldn¡¯t be able to drag him. However, Sid did not do that. Even if it was only for a short while, she was a friend he had become accustomed to, and she was making a face he had never seen before. Having conveyed this to her, Celia finally stopped her feet when she heard Sid shout. However, because she was not facing his way, Sid was unable to peep at her current expression, even then, he gave a sigh of relief. ¡¸Good grief, at least give me an explanation. We have separated quite a bit now¡¹ In Sid¡¯s playful words, no anger could be felt. When she heard her friend¡¯s voice, Celia¡¯s shoulders started trembling. ¡¸¡­Sorry, for doing something like this so suddenly¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Though I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. However, I don¡¯t want to be kept in the dark, talk to me. Think of it as an apology¡¹ Sid, who was the embodyment of mischief, said in a gentle voice to cool the current situation. Celia was still facing the other way, but her trembling stopped a bit, and she let go of his hand. While feeling a bit of discomfort in his wrists from being pulled around, he waited for her to talk. Before long, Celia started to talking. ¡¸I, I¡¯m such an awful kid¡¹ ¡¸¡­eh?¡¹ At her unexpected words, he got closer to Celia to take a look at her. Having regained some of his cool, her figure entered his field of vision, and Sid noticed for the first time that she had been trembling. ¡¸I like Slava-kun¡¹ Bitting her lips, she squeezed these words out. Hearing these that he felt took all of her courage to say, Sid was surprised for a second, but he was able to comprenhend the meaning of those words. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t raise his voice, and asked her about it again. Celia continued. ¡¸You see? I became friends with Slava soon after enrolling in this school. At first, I thought he was a strange kid that was always alone, but once I started talking to him, I was surprised at how fun it was. He was always calm¡­it made me feel like I was talking to my dad¡¹ Feeling empathy towards Celia¡¯s words, Sid didn¡¯t say anything and urged her to continue. ¡¸And then, before I noticed, we were always together. I felt that if I was close to Slava, I would have a great time, and then¡­before I noticed, he became the person I liked the most in the world¡¹ While talking about Slava, Celia looked happy, but somewhat sad at the same time. Sid was also able to somehow notice that. That his friend had feelings of love towards his close friend. He had been looking at them from close by. That¡¯s why he was able to guess, the reason she had started running like that. ¡¸Big sis, huh¡¹ While containing the tears she had pilled up, Celia nodded. ¡¸Since Sheryl came, Slava has always been together with Sheryl. ¡­They get along really well, right? But I think that Sheryl is being unfair, and I dislike her. Even though¡­Slava likes Sheryl¡¹ She was able to let these words out, even when she looked like she was about to cry. Towards the girl in front of him, the young boy felt a sense of guilt. However, other than letting Celia continue, he was unable to comfort her in any way. ¡¸And a while ago, when I saw her linking arms with him¡­when I saw that, I thought that it was unfair after all¡­even though Sheryl-chan is a good kid, I hated myself for disliking her, and then¡­¡¹ Not knowing what to say, Sid placed his hand on top of her trembling small back. Feeling a slight sense of alienation, Sid finally opened his heavy lips. ¡¸D-don¡¯t say that. I think everyone wouldn¡¯t want the guy they like to get along with someone else¡¹ ¡¸But, I¡¯ve been cold towards Sheryl-chan, you know? Even today, I¡¯d invited her to get along with her better, Slava-kun will hate me for this¡­¡¹ To sum it up, Celia was feeling confused. Usually she was more cheerful than anyone, a gentle kid that was able to make friends with most people. For someone that has lived like that her whole life, she was feeling jealousy for the first time, and felt it was an ugly emotion. That¡¯s why, she ran away. She was scared of this feeling of jealousy, that kept turning uglier. However, Sid, who looked at them from so close, knew. ¡¸You know? I don¡¯t think Slava will hate you just because of that. Look, he tends to act like an old man¡­I get the feeling that he¡¯s treating big sis like a friend, or a child. ¡­Well, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s thinking anything more than that. I don¡¯t know how to say it, it¡¯s not really something you should worry this much about¡­?¡¹ Feeling irritated at the fact that he was not good with words, and that he couldn¡¯t explain it properly¡­Sid tried to convey his words along with gestures. Like this, or like that. The words he let out, were different from those that he had in mind. He looked like he was trying to search through his luggage. However, it seems like Sid was able to reach an answer. ¡¸Well, it¡¯s like that. Believe in Slava. He won¡¯t hate you for something like this. Haven¡¯t you fallen in love with him, because he¡¯s that kind of guy?¡¹ It was somewhat convenient, but it was the truth. Sid let out the answer he had finally found. It was clumsy, but he tried his best to cheer her up, Celia finally raised her head a bit¡­looked at Sid, and made her nostalgic smile. ¡¸You are right, it¡¯s Slava-kun after all¡¹ ¡¸Oh? A-ah! That¡¯s right! He¡¯s the man I approve of after all!¡¹ Looking at the expression he had not seen for just a fraction of a day, he hit his chest, and started smiling. Because the girl he knew had finally come back, Sid could finally smile from the bottom of his heart. ¡¸Hah¡­good grief, don¡¯t surprise me like that¡¹ At the same, he dropped his shoulders from all the anxiety he had accumulated. Good grief, girls are such bitter and sweet beings. Sid made a wry smile, towards the emotion that had no relation to the current him. ¡¸Ahaha! I¡¯ve trouble you¡­however, it¡¯s fine now. I might be able to get along with Sheryl-chan too!¡¹ It was the composure of a girl! The smile Celia gave, looked even more cheerful than usual. It wasn¡¯t just an act, at her overflowing vitality, Sid finally felt like he had returned to his usual every day. Anyway, it took some time, but I wonder if Slava has ran out of patience. I doubt that calm friend of mine has though, he might have started searching for us instead, and we might have passed by each other. ¡¸Well, let¡¯s go back already. If you dawdle around here, big sis might take Slava from you, you know?¡¹ ¡¸That would be troubling. Well then, let¡¯s go back!¡¹ There had been some trouble, but the day off had just started. As one would expect, they had started to feel hungry, they should reunite and go get something to eat. Returning to his usual self, he turned around and faced the way they came from, it was at that moment that it happened. There had been nothing there a while ago, but Sid collided with something and fell on his back. I wonder if I had collided with a passerby? I became a bit confused. The moment he tried to obediently apologize, Sid and Celia saw someone covered in a hood. At the sudden appearance, both of them gathered their sights on that person. ¡­Wondering if he had some kind of injury in his face, they understood that the person in front of them was a ¡¸Good-for-nothing¡¹, and he gave them an evil laugh. ¡¸No good, it¡¯s dangerous for kids to be walking around alone. You might get kidnapped by some evil guy, you know?¡¹ Looking at him, there were several of them, and they surrounded them. At that moment, they remembered. That lately, Alfaleia¡¯s public order has turned worse. Their day off, had only just begun. Giving Sheryl a sidelong glance, who was stuffing her cheeks frantically with fried sweets, I was looking around constantly. It¡¯s been a while since Celia and Sid separated from us, that¡¯s why, there was no sight of them here. Thinking about waiting for them to come back, we didn¡¯t move from this place, bought some food, and were currently killing time. However, there were no signs of them coming back. In this case, I guess we should go search for them? However, what if we start searching for them, they return, and we miss by each other? While thinking that, I brushed the idea and repeated the process over and over. I felt an strange sense of uneasiness. Now that I think about it, they said that the public order was not that good these days. If by any chance, they got into some trouble¡­Not being able to stand still, I stood up. At that exact time. Sheryl took the last bite of her sweet. ¡¸Slava-kun¡¹ ¡¸¡­What is it?¡¹ Without hiding my impatience, I replied to Sheryl. While feeling sorry about the way I replied, my eyes were fixed on the way Celia and Sid went through. ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s go look for them?¡¹ Sheryl grabbed the hem of my tunic. ¡­Is she being considerate? Even though, in Celia¡¯s eyes, she¡¯s someone that she doesn¡¯t approve of. However, I¡¯m grateful. Right now, I want to look for them. ¡¸I owe you one, Sheryl¡¹ I took Sheryl¡¯s hand, and we started to run. The places we had gone to, the places we rested at, we went to all the places that came to mind. Sometimes, we asked passerbies if they knew where they were, and we kept running. However¡­we couldn¡¯t find them. It¡¯s the biggest town in the continent, without any sort of clue, this was the expected result. Something might have really happened to them. If something has happened to them, it would be something I¡¯d come to regret during this long elven life I have obtained. They are the first friends I¡¯ve made in this life. I kept running while remembering their faces. I went to the places they might go, and sometimes I returned to the plaza we were at the beginning, but¡­ As expected, they were nowhere to be seen. ¡¸Hah¡­ha¡­.We can¡¯t find them¡¹ As one would expect, Sheryl had ran out of breath. It was understandable, we had been running at a pace that only adults would be able to run at. ¡­Maybe I should have checked on her before. Where are they? Have they been involved in something? But if they have, in what exactly? My biggest worry was the events where multiple people had been beaten up recently, or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard. A theory was that they were slave traders. If they somehow got their hands on them, I doubt there would be any inmediate danger on their lives but¡­on the contrary, given enough time, I won¡¯t be able to find them anymore. It would be nice if we had just missed each other, but I was starting to panic. I want to brush away my impatience and find them as soon as possible, but I have no leads. While I was lost in the maze of my thoughts and stuck in place. When I had lost my bearings, it happened. ¡¸Hmm? What¡¯s wrong Sheryl?¡­what¡¯s going on¡­h-hey!¡¹ While staying silent, Sheryl started to search inside my breast pocket. Feeling itchy because of her touch, I unconsciously pulled Sheryl away, when I did¡­ ¡¸¡­There it is. As I thought, it¡¯s the same¡¹ Sheryl took something of a dark color from my breast pocket. Before I noticed, She was holding that thing towards the sky. A dark crystal. In exchange for evil magic power, it will dye the heart in darkness. An evil crystal. Why is taking that out now? When I asked her, Sheryl pointed towards the direction Celia had run away to before. ¡¸Far in that direction, I sense lots of things that give the same feeling. Grandpa said that bad people use these crystals¡¹ After hearing those words, I started to think about it. So basically what she¡¯s saying is¡­that she¡¯s telling me the place where these bandits are gathering? I placed my hand on my chin again. However, I had to choose if I wanted to take the road that has been presented to me or not. If by any chance, Celia and Sid had been beaten by an organization and been kidnapped, there¡¯s the possibility that they have been taken to their hideout. However, there¡¯s the possibility that the place they are gathering the crystals at, is just that, and they are a different group from those that had taken Celia and Sid. ¡­However, it was true that I didn¡¯t have any other leads. I reached my decision. ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s go. Sorry Sheryl, can you lead the way?¡¹ That¡¯s right, I have no other leads. Then I should hurry. Instead of regretting it without doing anything, regret it after doing it, those were words from my master. After asking Sheryl to guide me, she gave a small nod, and started running. I followed after her. I tried to go as fast as I could, while taking Sheryl¡¯s pace into consideration. The pace we were going at, was faster than before. ¡­It¡¯s fine if nothing happened. However, if they got involved in something¡­wait for me, Celia, Sid. I¡¯ll definitely save you. I was running, and cold breath came out, but my mind and body were both calm. If they have laid a hand on those pure kids¡­they should prepare themselves. It was a feeling from my previous life that I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. While praying that it could be solved without fighting, I grasped my hands so tightly that blood started to drip. Volume 1 - CH 14 ¡¸¡­We have arrived, it¡¯s just up ahead¡¹ After running in a straight line for a while, we left town and went inside the gloomy forest. The overgrown trees prevented the sunlight from passing through, and it was not surprising how cold it was. ¡­I see, it was just the right place to conceal shady business. If there was a special reason for it, it was because most people wouldn¡¯t go into the forest. I calmed down, and looked around the place. When I lowered my back, I found a part of the grass that had become some sort of path. It was a sign that people frequently passed through here. Whoever it was, there¡¯s no doubt that the people up ahead frequently brought something to this place. ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s go. Hide your presence, Sheryl¡¹ I said to her in a whisper, in return, Sheryl nodded at me. Contrary to her usual carefree behaviour, when it comes to this kind of battle related matters, you wouldn¡¯t believe she was a 15 year old child. It goes without saying that I also hid my presence. At the same time, I strengthened my vigilance to my surroundings to the maximum. ¡­There aren¡¯t any presences close by. However, I can feel a multitude of presences in a separated place. I started to get worked up but I controlled myself, and continued through the path without making any noise. Sometimes I peeked to see how Sheryl was doing, even then I hurried in a way I wouldn¡¯t make noise, in an unexpected moment, the path was gone. ¡­In front of the path, there was a wooden building that completely felt out of place when compared to the surroundings. What¡¯s the purpose of building this? It was too well built for a group of kidnappers that had appeared recently, it made you think that it had been there for a long time. From the information I could gather from looking it at it, it was probably some sort of lumber mill. There was a flatcar installed to place the wood that was cut. ¡­However, those facts were trivial. It seems like judging from all this information, there¡¯s no doubt that this is their hideout. There are two men placed at the entrance of the building. They both carried weapons, but they didn¡¯t look like they were carrying them to carry out a job. You could say they might be mercenaries or something of the sort. However, for them to be here in a place devoid of people, they are most likely not doing some kind of honest job. Guessing from their position and their weapons, they have probably been placed as guards. ¡­No good, calm down. I kept my hands, which were trembling in anger, under control, and calmed down my magic power that looked like it was going to overflow. I¡¯m still not sure that it was them. I have to find a way to listen to their conversation. This place is a bit too far. What should I do? While I was thinking about it, it came to mind. If I think about it, am I not a kid too? If these people are kidnappers, would they leave a kid that has been separated from their parents alone? Having thought of this brilliant idea, I unconsciously hit my fist. I see, if that¡¯s decided, then it¡¯s simple. It¡¯s fine if I go talk to them from the front. That will settle it immediately. If that¡¯s the case, the problem is Sheryl. Even though I have no objections regarding her strength, involving a little girl in a bloodbath is not something I want to do. ¡¸¡­Alright then, Sheryl, can you go back to town and bring someone?¡¹ ¡¸No¡­I, I want to save Celia and Sid too¡¹ Thought so, but it was still unusual for Sheryl to show her own will and refuse. If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t want to involve her in anything dangerous but¡­I felt a bit happy. The times Sheryl refused to do what I said were few. However, I could feel a strong will from her this time. ¡­To save her friends. ¡­I can¡¯t really say no to her here. ¡¸I see, in that case, come with me¡¹ My surprised face, suddenly turned into a smile. She has grown so much, this Sheryl. But I can leave being emotional for later. I nodded strongly to check with Sheryl, and raised my concealed body. With the sound we made from shaking the vegetation with our clothes, the two men acting as guards focused their gazes on us. Because of the surprise they had taken a stance with their swords, but when they saw our figures, they lowered them, and they made vulgar smiles. ¡¸Hey little boy, what are you doing in this place?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right, it¡¯s dangerous, you know? For both of you to be walking around this place¡¹ While smiling as if they had caught their prey with the bait they had placed, the men got closer to us. I just let them get closer to us without showing any signs of vigilance. ¡¸We came to play in the forest, but we seem to have gotten lost¡­mister, what are you doing here?¡¹ While acting clueless, I tried to get information from them. For people like them, I guess they don¡¯t really feel the need to be cautious of a kid like me. ¡¸I wonder what, hihihi¡­more importantly, didn¡¯t you think that we might be bad guys?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right, for example¡­kidnappers!¡¹ Like this, they talked as if they were speaking about our own future. £®£®£®It¡¯s been a while, since I felt this sick to my stomach. Kidnapping children, and from what I¡¯ve heard, they later sell them to some worthless people. These bastards. I unconsciously let my magic power overflow from within my body. ¡¸¡­Did you bastards kidnap some kids today? A girl with flaxen hair, and a lively green haired boy¡¹ ¡¸Ah? Oh, you know those kids. Yeah, we kidnapped them. The girl was making a face that some perverts would probably like after all, she will probably fetch a high price.¡¹ ¡¸We should probably feel grateful towards our everyday¡¯s blessings, right? After all, after today¡¯s big catch, two more kids have come to us. You and that kid behind you will probably fetch a high price too¡¹ ¡¸I see, that will be enough then¡¹ Ah, I¡¯m so glad. That these guys are just bastards and I have no need to feel pity towards them. I slowly raised my arm while fixing my gaze on them, and killed my emotions. I let the magic power that I had been trying to contain, overflow, and it filled my body. ¡¸£®£®£®Eh?¡¹ In an instant I, who had took my stance, grabbed the man¡¯s hand and bent it. It broke off with a dry sound like that of a dead tree¡¯s branch, and it got dislocated. ¡¸What? Gaaaaaaa!¡¹ After a short delay, pain ran through his body. While withdrawing his extended arm, he used his free hand to hold his right hand. For a grown man to exaggerate like this just from having his hand broken. While looking at them with cold eyes that were surprising even for me, I got closer to the other man. Because I moved while not making any sound, the man felt like I had appeared suddenly before his eyes. ¡¸What¡­eh? W-what did you just do!? L-let me go, you shitty brat!¡¹ With a mixture of surprise and fear, the man tried to run, but I kept him in check with both hands. Next to us, the man he had been talking to until just recently, was screaming while rolling on the ground. They were more stupid than I thought. ¡¸It¡¯s nothing, I just have some matters to attend here. Calling all of you one by one seemed like a hassle, so I thought about calling all of you out at once¡¹ ¡¸W-wait, gyaaaaaa!¡¹ Having said what I had to say, I strengthened my grip, and at the same time, his elbow and wrist fractured. The loud voice he let out, was about right. Shouting to this extent, it could probably be heard from every nook of the building. Their cries of sorrow. They were evidence that they only attacked as a group and didn¡¯t polish their own strength. If they put their bodies through fights everyday, they wouldn¡¯t have raised their voices just because a bone or two broke. They are really weaker than me¡­they probably only challenge kids. From the bottom of my heart, this makes me sick. ¡¸W-what¡¯s wrong..!?¡¹ From the building¡¯s window and door, a multitude of men appeared, they got confused when they saw the tragic event happening in front of the door. That¡¯s right, my current form was that of a child. I unconsciously recalled the old days, but if you saw your comrades being beaten by some kids, you probably wouldn¡¯t be able to take in the situation. ¡¸Come out, I¡¯ll have all of you meet the same fate as these guys¡¹ I declared with anger towards those men that looked at us with curiosity. When I did, having started to understand the situation, the men started to come out. If we were talking about just numbers, they had an impressive amount. For an organization, it seems like they had some structure at least. At one glance, there were more than thirty of them. They are more than I expected but¡­it¡¯s not something worth mentioning. ¡¸Hey, kids. Were you the ones that did this?¡¹ From within the group, a big man stepped forward. His gaze had turned into that of someone looking at its opponent. It wasn¡¯t a question, it was an act to overpower his opponent. ¡­I see. It might be because of my appearance, but it seems like he¡¯s looking down on me. ¡¸That¡¯s right. Nice to meet you, your companions took great care of me¡­so I just returned the favor¡¹ Unfortunately, I have no intention to talk. At the same time I replied, I displayed my magic power, showing my intentions. If I do this much, even people that are not used to fighting should get the idea. What the children in front of them, really are. What they kept inside them. ¡¸What? You bastard, what exactly are you?¡¹ Having said those words once I closed my eyes, and displayed nearly the full extent of my magic power. Because of my overflowing magic power wind was brought to life, the trees shook, and leaves fell. Showing my real strength to a certain point, those who had some skill were trembling in fear and fell on their backs. ¡¸I¡¯ll spare you injuries that might last for a lifetime. If you understand, bring out Sid and Celia already¡¹ While glaring at the man that had stepped forward, I filled my magic power with anger. If there was someone able to feel it, they would most likely feel a heavy pressure as if their hearts were being crushed. If they returned Celia and Sid to us here, I wouldn¡¯t mind letting them go and just hand them over the police. ¡¸Hey, why are you getting scared by some kid? These kids that will sell for a high price were kind enough to come to us, you know? Aren¡¯t we quite lucky today, huh?¡¹ However, things wouldn¡¯t go that well. The only ones that comprehended the current situation, were less than twenty percent of all of them. ¡­Good grief, it would have been better if they just gave up after being threatened, without the need to get rough. While making fun of the people that were frozen, over twenty of them took a step forward. The people that couldn¡¯t move an inch, managed to say while trembling. ¡¸Can¡¯t you guys see it? This magic power!¡­get away from that kid now!¡¹ It seems like they were trying to keep their friends in check. It was regrettable, if they weren¡¯t connected to these guys, they might had turned into martial artists at some point in their lives. I can¡¯t feel sympathy towards them. They just happened to kidnap Sid and Celia today, but they probably already stole the futures of a multitude of children. They are getting what they deserve. ¡¸What¡¯s with you guys? Are you turning into good guys this late into the game? Stop that already, it doesn¡¯t suit people like us¡¹ ¡¸I-it¡¯s not the time to be screwing around!¡¹ Without paying attention to those trying to stop them desperately, the men calmly approached us. ¡¸You won¡¯t understand even if I told you¡¹, this idiom exists, it seems like those that can¡¯t understand will never be able to after all. To think they would ignore the warnings of their own friends, it seems like there¡¯s no need to feel any kind of sympathy anymore. It would have been faster if it had been over with their friends¡¯ warnings, the men that were walking towards me, finally reached the spot where I was at¡­and the man who was at the front collapsed where he was standing at, as if the strings holding his body were cut. A palm heel strike as if I was pushing him away, took his consciousness away. I put in enough strength to crack his jawbone, but if I wanted to take away their consciousness I couldn¡¯t help doing this much. Trying to understand why their companion had suddenly collapsed, the men froze in place. I stepped over the man that had completely fainted,stood in front of the man who acted all high and mighty before,and showed him what just happened again. ¡¸¡­Ah?¡¹ He seemed to have been trying to say something, the man¡¯s neck shook while he let out simple sound, and collapsed. As one would expect, if they saw the same thing happening twice in front of their eyes, even if they didn¡¯t understand what was going on, they would probably get what was happening. While they were still a bit slow on the uptake, fear slowly started to spread among them. ¡¸Ah, Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!¡¹ Before long, one of them was unable to contain his fear and his emotions were let out, his fear took the form of his voice, and was let out. The fear that was let out increased vigorously, and one by one, they were consumed by it. They started shouting one after another, and the moment their fear turned into insanity, in order to survive, the men rushed at me. To fight instead of running away, I wonder if that¡¯s the usual course of action for ruffians like these. Maybe because their pride wouldn¡¯t let them have their prey escape, or maybe it was because of their current insanity¡­in any case, they were pitiful. Those who had weapons, I didn¡¯t even try to avoid and caught the blade, then I proceed to kick their legs. The ones that were still standing, I twisted both of their arms, and dislocated them. Those who tried to attack me with their bare hands, I used a palm heel strike directly to their mouths. Along with their consciousness, most of their teeth were broken. In Sheryl¡¯s case, her magic power was inferior to mine, but that was because I couldn¡¯t hold back right now. They might be able to get away without serious injuries. However, they are attacking us with the intent to kill, they should be grateful we are not killing them. The hopeless men laid on top of another, their initial numbers had been cut in half, in the midst of this chaotic situation, a voice reverberated. ¡¸H-hey, you monster, look over here!¡¹ At the same time I kicked a man on the knee after he came to his senses and turned around, I noticed the voice of the big man from a while ago. However,more importantly than that, what was clearly reflected in my eyes, were the two children on his side. I was relieved that the children I had grown accustomed to, were still safe. However, I can¡¯t let my guard down. There¡¯s only one reason you¡¯d bring your opponent¡¯s objective out in this kind of situation. ¡¸Try moving a single step, I¡¯ll kill these kids right now!¡¹ By that I mean, as hostages. If you can¡¯t win, it¡¯s true that there¡¯s other ways to stop me than using their physical strength. However, it seems like they are misunderstanding something. To begin with, hostages are something someone uses from a place the other side can¡¯t reach. The distance is¡­around 20 meters. It¡¯s a bit of a distance but¡­for a practitioner of the Shijima style, it¡¯s like a single step. ¡¸That¡¯s why¡­huh?¡¹ ¡­Shukuchi. Kicking the ground with a burst of magic power from your feet, an important way of walking in martial arts. I shortened the distance between us in an instant, and my eyes met his. I felt grateful towards him for taking his time to bring them here. I drove in a knife hand strike towards both arms that were holding them. Receiving the strikes, the bones got fractured, and he let go of them. I immediately retrieved them, and made some distance the same way I initially came. ¡¸Are both of you unhurt?¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­eh? ¡­Slava-kun!¡¹ Being free from the hand that was restraining her, Celia hugged me tightly with both arms. You poor thing, it must have been scary¡­to be kidnapped without being allowed to resist, you have done well to endure this fear that is beyond anything I could imagine. Because she was safe and she was someone I held dear, I placed a hand behind her back, and patted Celia¡¯s head with the other. I¡¯m really glad. ¡¸I apologize, for taking my eyes off you¡­¡¹ ¡¸Me too, I¡¯m sorry. But you came to save us, right? That makes me so happy¡­¡¹ While shivering, she courageously accepted my apology. I felt grateful towards my friend. ¡¸D-did you do all this, Slava?¡¹ Shortly after Celia, having finally understood what had happened, Sid started to look around. There was a mountain of corpses in the vicinity of the lumber mill. They were not really dead, but they probably won¡¯t be able to stand up for a while. Have I overdone it a bit? They might be a bit frightened by this. ¡¸I did¡­about half of it¡¹ Not knowing how to reply, Sheryl stepped forward in my stead as if to cover for me. However, that would imply I have done half of it already, but I felt something akin to consideration and in that sense I felt grateful. That being said, there¡¯s probably no way I can get out of this. Celia¡­who is still hugging me, will probably be fine, but what about Sid? ¡¸¡­A-amazing! As expected of big sis¡­¡¹ ¡­It seems like it¡¯ll be fine. While showing eyes of admiration towards Sheryl, he clenched his fists. Well, they probably think of these guys as evil people, they probably think nothing of them being beaten. However, we have somehow managed to save both of them, huh. Is it about time for me to calm down? Escorting them home safely would make it a happy ending but¡­ From time to time, they say that the most troublesome things are left for the end. ¡¸That was some splendid skill¡¹ Following the dry sound of someone applauding, the voice of a young boy could be heard. He was older than us, but compared to the rest of the kidnappers, young boy suited him more. It was a strong voice. That tone of voice, was different to the men here¡­if I had to say, he gave the impression of someone like Chester, I turned to face the owner of the voice. The one person that was over there¡­had disorderly white hair, and aggressive and sharp looks. Then, his main feature was, those crimson eyes of his akin to blades, that made you think of garnets. ¡¸¡­This is a surprise, to see a djinn in the elven country¡¹ While raising my vigilance to the maximum, I stared at the young boy. Djinns, a race that is known to prefer conflict and being savage¡­I have grown used to seeing Sheryl, who is a half, but it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen a pure one. I see. The passionate gaze I felt earlier was him, huh. I unconsciously smiled towards the young boy, who didn¡¯t try to hide his killing intent and directed it towards me as if it was a naked blade. ¡¸Isn¡¯t that big sis over there the same?¡¹ ¡¸This child is a half, it¡¯s the first time in my life that I¡¯ve seen a djinn like you¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s unusual. For someone like us to be among the benevolent elves¡¹ While engaging in idle talk, we both walked up to each other. ¡­I had felt it even from a distance, but this is amazing. The quantity of magic power, and how well his body is built, is not something half-baked. Leaving aside those I know from my past life, he¡¯s the strongest person I¡¯ve seen in this life. ¡¸D-Douglas! You bastard, what you been doing until now!?¡¹ From within the people that realized my true strength and decided to not participate, a well built man shouted. The one that¡¯s most likely to be the leader of this organization, is probably this young boy called Douglas. ¡¸Ah? What was I doing? I was evaluating the situation. It¡¯s been a long time since something interesting had happened after all¡¹ ¡¸¡­Y-you bastard! Being silent even after it got to this point! We had hired you as a bodyguard!¡¹ ¡¸Shut up, don¡¯t be so noisy. I¡¯ve come out after all¡¹ Douglas looked exasperated? and made a gesture signaling that he didn¡¯t want to listen anymore. ¡­I see, a bodyguard, huh. It¡¯s true that if it was as a bodyguard, djinns would definitely excel at it. They are brave to the point of being reckless, and strong. If you had them as an ally, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone more reliable than them. More importantly¡­ ¡¸So? I believe the result has already been decided, do you want to keep going?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. Even if I say that, you are also raring to go, right?¡¹ Hopelessly warlike, and battle maniacs until the point that it was stupid. There was no one better to leave the counter-attack to than a djinn. ¡¸I¡¯m well aware of that¡¹ ¡¸Now we are talking¡¹ Well, in that regard, you could say he¡¯s similar to me. It¡¯s been a while since I last saw a fine gem like this. Without seeing his skills, I knew because of his demeanor. This young boy called Douglas, was strong. Without any of us saying anything, we both took our stances. If two people that took pride in their physical strength gathered, there was only one thing to do. ¡¸I¡¯ll be going for a bit. All of you should fall back¡¹ After I took a fundamental stance of the Shijima style, the three of them took some distance. With a glance, Sheryl had still not reached the level of this young boy called Douglas. If they fought, the result would have been obvious. Once I felt they were far enough, I focused all my awareness on the battle. ¡¸There¡¯s no meaning if we don¡¯t say anything before it. Won¡¯t you introduce yourself?¡¹ His garnet like eyes warped, Douglas, who looked like he was having a lot of fun, asked for my name. The fact that he took a stance along with me, means that he had studied martial arts somewhere. It was different from those small fries among the kidnappers, while feeling refreshed at his martial spirit, I replied. ¡¸Slava. Slava Marshall of the Shijima style¡¹ Even though giving information about myself would put me in a disadvantage, I even named the style I belonged to. There wasn¡¯t much meaning in doing so. If I had to say, I just wanted to give the name of my school. That was all. I¡¯m not saying that against someone this strong, not giving them information is a small matter. It just that, this was courtesy among martial artists. Rather than keeping it hidden, saying it out loud. Seeing me name my school, Douglas strengthened his smile. ¡¸Ga¡«¡­this feels good. Guess I should answer your expectations. My name is Douglas Bullard. I don¡¯t belong to any school worth mentioning, let¡¯s just say¡­that it¡¯s just as you see. Good grief, it makes me want to have a stance too. Seeing someone like you!¡¹ He sounded genuinely happy, and smiled. ¡­Just as you see, huh. He had his back lowered, to the point that he faced around half of his opponent¡¯s height, and concealed his relaxed fists. Additionally, he was swinging his body around with repeated movements, hiding the start up of his movements. From what I could gather, it was a stance that specialized on strong blows. It was true that just by looking at it, I could understand that much. It goes without saying that there was no need for him to reveal that on purpose. It¡¯s an impressive martial arts school. He was hopeless by nature. Though in that regard, you could say I was the same. I sharpened my awareness to its utmost limits, I swept away everything from my world apart from Douglas. ¡­The moment of silence felt like it lasted an eternity. The wind stopped blowing, and the moment the trees stopped making any noise. The earth and the heavens split. In this world that had lost the color called sound, a fire was lit. Douglas stepped hard on the ground and dug his feet in. His initial speed, coupled with his breathing. From his appearance he looked like 16-17 years old¡­but djinns are like elves, a race whose outward appearance was younger than their real age, to reach this state at his age was just splendid. Even humans of his same age who had polished their skills everyday, would find it hard to reach this level. There were no obstructions in the flow of his technique, it would be better to say that, him rushing in was part of his technique. Using the momentum of his movement, Douglas let out a left punch. Speed and Heaviness, there was nothing to criticize about this punch. There were no wasteful movements in it, a blow that one could boast about. However, the Shijima defensive techniques won¡¯t feel perturbed even against such an excellent blow, that¡¯s the martial art¡¯s selling point. If it¡¯s a strike, I¡¯ll show you that I can engulf it no matter what, that¡¯s my pride. Against that sharp blade, I used my left hand as an armor to sweep it away¡­at that same time it lost its momentum, I took hold of Douglas¡¯ left arm. For a moment, he clicked his tongue. He realized that our current position, was extraordinarily troublesome for him. If he wanted to hit me with his remaining right arm, his left arm would be getting in the way. Even for a martial artist that doesn¡¯t specialize in hard blows, this would be a troublesome position to be in. Though, it¡¯s not like using his legs was a good option either¡­ Douglas started to twist his body. Instead of disposing of his left arm and making an attack with his right arm, he chose to use his legs that had no obstacles in its way. However, that was a poor move. If you are in a situation where you have only 1 option left, you should just not do anything at all, that¡¯s the Shijima way. The moment he raised his right left, I kicked the remaining left leg. Having lost his footing, Douglas¡¯ body rose to the air. ¡­That¡¯s right, if you know the attack is coming, it¡¯s easy enough to deal with it. Like when you are playing poker and you know what card is at the top of the deck. Suppose that this person was just a normal martial artist, this would be a chance that would decide the match. However, I would come to see that the martial artist in front of me, was above the rest. Aiming at the defenseless body in the air, I imbued my fist with magic power. It was the Shijima style¡¯s ¡¸Strength¡¹, with both speed and power. If it was a normal person, they¡¯d feel like their internal organs would come out. Even for someone with strong magic power like Douglas, it was strong that it would make him unable to fight if he took it upfront. A ¡¸Strength¡¹ against someone that¡¯s in the air. There¡¯s no way for him to defend against it there. However, the one receiving it, is someone akin to a master. ¡¸Gahaha, that¡¯s dangerous!¡¹ From an unstable posture, he was able to see the traits of my technique, and struck downwards. In order to avoid my fist, he aimed at my wrist, a blow aimed to protect himself. The downwards strike that felt like he was crushing ice, was able to create enough force to change his trajectory. In rapid succession, being in an unstable position yet again, he proceeded to kick. It wasn¡¯t a kick with the purpose to deal damage, but to take some distance. Even if I took it, it had no magic power in it, and I understood that it was done without his body being supported by the ground. Even then, I didn¡¯t just obediently take the hit. I can¡¯t kill the momentum of the arm that I just used. In that case, I should just use my leg. Contrary to the previous situation, Douglas has no means to meet this attack. After avoiding his kick that drew a circle in the air, I performed a roundhouse kick. However, my opponent was formidable. Bending his remaining arm, he protected himself at the direct attack on his flank. However. that didn¡¯t change the power behind it. Like an arrow that was shot, Douglas¡¯ body was sent flying, he probably took a great deal of damage from it. After being sent flying, he eventually lost his momentum and landed on the ground, but Douglas places his hands on the ground and stood up. Being able to defend against that counterattack in that situation, honestly means that his reaction speed is absurd. ¡­To be able to be this strong at that age, might only be possible because of him being a djinn. It¡¯s true that because of their warlike disposition and instincts, they¡¯d get into many fights, but this strength is not something you gain just because of that. When you live for a long time¡­even though for the elves¡¯ lifespan I might still be just a youngster¡­you rarely find someone like this. They somehow do it, those that hold talent. ¡¸£¨¡­This is natural talent, huh. While young, he holds strength akin to a raging stormy sea£©¡¹ For me to reach that level took a long time. I felt somewhat jealous towards that talent for martial artist he had. It¡¯s people like him, that make an era. ¡¸Those swift and fluent reactions that look like they have been imprinted in your mind¡­as if it was something that you¡¯d been polishing cunningly for over a hundred years. Just what are you?¡¹ Still, the current me is also a cogwheel spinning in a new era. That something that only I know. Just being able to fight this man here and now. That¡¯s the only thing that matters in my current life. ¡¸Does that even matter? The only thing that matters right now, is this moment¡¹ ¡¸¡­You are not wrong there¡¹ Therefore, to respect this encounter, I¡¯ll give it my all. That¡¯s what a fight among martial artists is. We both smiled, and took our stances again. There was no need to exchange words anymore. Without giving any signals, we both kicked the ground at the same time, and we both entered each other¡¯s attack range. In order to increase his offensive power, Douglas¡¯ fists glowed with magic power. When he did so, rays ran across the air, the punches rushed towards me. Each punch was like a cannon ball, at times I deflected them, other times I dodged them. Those I couldn¡¯t defend against, I stopped. It was done to prevent damage, being unable to kill the force behind them, my body began to be pushed back. While drawing a line on the ground, I kept my posture. The speed and power behind these strikes would place him among the top ¡¸Strikers¡¹. A talent that might make him reach the level of Chester in the near future. However¡­Chester is still far above him. In order to shorten the distance he had made with his own attacks, Douglas kicked the ground while still swinging his fists. Even though it was just to rush in, that kick looked like it could have killed a bear. A thunderous roar reverberated, the already short distance just melted. They weren¡¯t like the previous blows, the ones I saw coming had a clear intent to kill. If I took those hits, I wouldn¡¯t just end up unable to fight. They were blows I couldn¡¯t allow him to hit. However, he was too naive. Even if the power was comparable to Chester at full power, there¡¯s no way I would get hit by those large swings. Having seen the approaching blow, I removed all power from my arm. Draining the strength to its utmost limits¡­but that only lasted for a moment. The muscle that had transformed into something akin to liquid, turned into a snake with my will! ¡­My technique ¡¸Night serpent¡¹ melt into the darkest of the night like a black snake, at the same time my right arm disappeared¡­a vigorous sound reverberated. A so called counter. In the direction the snake had vigorously engulfed, was Douglas, who had taken the hit upfront. Having been stopped by the shock and the pain, I followed up with a kick intending to mow him down. However, he unexpectedly was able to recover very quick, and jumped backwards in an instant, making my leg cut the air. ¡¸¡­Gaha! You are amazing, you can even go on the offensive!¡¹ Even though it was a blow that wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if it blew his head off, Douglas took his stance again, and smiled. The damage might have been great, but it seems like he still won¡¯t go down, huh. He was persistent to a terrifying degree. Douglas gave chase while swinging his damaged body, and lowered his body. While concealing himself behind the tempo of his footwork, he clutched his fists. Even though at that speed it would look like my figure had vanished if he didn¡¯t pay attention, but it seems like eyes had adjusted already, Douglas¡¯ eyes properly perceived me. However, that was all. He had a bad poker face, his current facial expression was like someone was telling me to spare him from a fist fight. ¡­Therefore, in quick succession. Putting my night serpent to use, I threw him intricate punches at a high speed. Unable to ready his defenses, he was not able to defend against these blows penetrating his defense. The previous attack was like having his tail pulled, his smile turned bitter. Even then, he looked as if he was having fun, it might be because he¡¯s a martial artist. However, the result was mostly decided. Douglas was dealing with the rush of attacks well, but my fists were already like a rain of steel. Even Douglas doesn¡¯t have an infinite amount of endurance. If it¡¯s being chipped away like this, there would be no way for him to recover. Amidst the successive blows, damage continued to pile up on Douglas and he finally felt a stab on his knees. Douglas¡¯ eyes opened wide when he saw his hopeless situation. In order to finish him, I made a right fist. ¡­It was at that moment. You could call it a sixth sense, in an instant, I took my eyes off Douglas, and a certain view was reflected in my eyes. ¡¸All of you, don¡¯t move!¡¹ At the same time the small fry shouted, my field of view widened. Shortly after, heavy pain ran through my cheek and I felt nauseous. ¡­I had lost focus, and allowed a blow to pass through! While feeling an unpleasant taste from the intense blow, I was somehow able to regain my posture mid-air, and regained my balance when I touched the ground. ¡­However, my body had taken a lot of damage. Even though both of my feet were planted on the ground, I still felt like I was in the air. While my knees were shivering, I forgot to prepare for a second blow, and turned towards the voice. There it was¡­the figure of a person with his hands around Celia¡¯s neck. ¡­Being too concentrated in the fight, I had let my guard down! I felt irritated at my own shortsightedness. They had taken hold of the existence I was supposed to protect at all costs¡­what a failure! When I looked, she was held the same feelings as me. Sheryl¡¯s face warped in anger and she was grasping her fists tightly, I saw her trying to stand up. It was an unpleasant situation. It was a different situation compared to before, there was a certain distance, but Douglas was here too, and more importantly, having taken a great deal of damage, I couldn¡¯t rescue her with my full strength. ¡¸Heh,hehe¡­.good kid¡­you know what I want to say, right? Don¡¯t you dare move, if you do, I¡¯ll break this kid¡¯s neck. Even for someone like me, doing something like that should be possible¡¹ It made me sick to my stomach. Including all the people that had fainted before, maybe I should have just killed them all. However, there¡¯s no use regretting that now, if it would save Celia I¡¯d gladly do it, but it won¡¯t change the current situation. ¡¸Hey, Douglas, don¡¯t just stand there! Making me go through the trouble of lending you a hand! While that kid can¡¯t do anything, beat him up! Once he¡¯s gone, we¡¯ll be able to somehow deal with the rest!¡¹ ¡¸¡­Hik¡¹ Due to the man¡¯s angry voice, Celia took a small breath. Poor thing, if it would relieve her fear, I would take her place, but there¡¯s no value in taking me as a hostage. Even though I had already died once, losing my life would be unfortunate. It would be unfortunate¡­but if it was throwing my life away for the sake of my young friend, I would be willing to do so. However, doing so in this situations, wouldn¡¯t change it for the better. If it continues like this, they¡¯ll be held captive, then sold and live their lives as pets, it wouldn¡¯t be any different from dying. The only one that can save them here is me, but I¡¯m unable to make a move. ¡­It¡¯s a stalemate. My own failures led to this happening, I can¡¯t bring myself to face Celia and the others. In the midst of all that. A delicate and feeble voice that made me think that I was imagining it, reached my ears. ¡¸S-Slava-kun, I¡¯ll be fine, that¡¯s why, beat the bad guys¡­¡¹ I unconsciously raised my head. Because the words that I didn¡¯t want to hear the most, were said by Celia. Wrong, that¡¯s not it. If Celia were to be gone, there would be no meaning for this place anymore. I had made my decision even as an infant. Don¡¯t make me more miserable than this. The various feelings welling inside me started to vanish. I¡¯m such a pathetic man. Inheriting the Shijima style? What a joke. I felt disgusted at myself for only being able to clutch my fists¡­at that moment it happened. £ÛAh? What¡¯s going on Douglas? You should just go and beat that ki-¡¹ ¡¸Who told you to do something like this? That girl has nothing to do with this, right? Let her go already¡¹ While his heavy body was shaking, Douglas started to walk unsteadily, and he walked towards where Celia was. ¡­Doubting my ears, my mouth started to open. ¡¸¡­What are you saying?¡¹ ¡¸I said, that you are getting in the way of our fight¡¹ It seems like that trash over there couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing the same way I was. It¡¯s not surprising. The only one that knew what he was really thinking here, was Douglas himself. Because of the anger in Douglas¡¯ voice and his mood, the man was unable to find the words to reply, and started to fall back while shivering. ¡¸D-don¡¯t screw with me! You bastard, are you planning to betray us!?¡¹ Even though there was anger in his voice, his face was dyed in despair. Was it because he feared the djinn race? Or maybe because Douglas had built a reputation, and he feared that? Whichever the case was, a reassuring companion, will turn out to be your worst enemy if he decides to turn on you. His back finally coming in contact with a tree, the fiend lost his way to escape. Without giving any care, Douglas closed the distance, and reached a point he could reach him if he extended his arm. ¡¸Betray? You say interesting things. You are aware¡­that you are a scoundrel and worthless, right? I have no sense of duty nor obligations. There¡¯s only dishonor and chaos. You don¡¯t have the privilege to say that I¡¯m betraying you. You guys used me as a bodyguard however you pleased, and I took care of those enemies that got closer to you. We were just using each others because each one was useful to the other. That¡¯s why¡­I can¡¯t forgive you getting in the way of a match against someone this tasty. This if my final warning, let that kid go. You are aware of what I do to those that get in my way, right?¡¹ He raised his right hand, and moving it as if he was grasping at something, the bones in it cracked. When the man saw that¡­he unreasonably started to cry, and started to shout in an unsightly way. ¡¸Shut up! Shut up! To begin with, I took this girl as hostage because you looked as if you were going to lose, you know!? And now you are¡­ah?¡¹ However, his frantic cries didn¡¯t reach Douglas. His knife-hand strike that had become a blade because it was imbued with magic power, separated the man¡¯s head from his body. Immediately after, blood started to gush from his body, and powerlessly, it fell to the ground. Watching the tragedy unfold in front of her eyes, Celia lost consciousness, as she started to collapse, Douglas caught her. ¡¸I was well aware of that. But I told you right? That you were in the way. I took care of the guy that was getting in our way with my own hands. I¡¯ll say this to whoever can hear me! If any of you try to copy this guy, I¡¯ll just make you meet the same end as him!¡¹ Feeling irritated from the bottom of his heart, Douglas shouted. He raised his voice so that all the kidnappers that were still standing up could hear, all of them froze in place. While carrying Celia, Douglas went to where Sheryl was, and put her body in her care. ¡¸Well, I have returned her to you. Since you are pretty strong, if anyone comes to take her from you, just beat them up¡¹ To think¡­this would happen. We had retrieved Celia, the man that I thought was our biggest obstacle, had handed her over with his own hands. Having finally recovered from from feeling lightheaded, Douglas walked towards me. Then, once he reached a suitable distance between us, he stopped. ¡¸Sorry, for having someone getting in our way. If things went on like that, it would have been your win¡¹ As if, he regretted it not having ended that way, Douglas clenched his teeth. ¡­It was probably vexing. Having a third party interrupt a match, and picking up after a fight that you were supposed to have lost. In a fair one on one match that both of us valued, it was worse than losing. While young, his attitude towards martial arts is serious, I couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration towards him. Even though he was a djinn, wrong, it was because he was a djinn that he was a man that was nobler than anyone else when it came to fights. To be able to exchange blows with such a man right now, warmed my chest more than anything. I don¡¯t know who taught him that, but if it¡¯s something I¡¯ve been able to give him right now, I should give my gratitude. However, not knowing who to thank, I can¡¯t do that right now. Therefore, my prayer¡­I¡¯ll offer it to martial arts. After looking up at the heavens, I changed my stance. It was a stance that lowered my fists towards the height of my waist. Different from ¡¸Flowing stream¡¹ which specialized in defense, it was one that concentrated on blows, this was a Shijima stance called ¡¸Surging waves¡¹ If I had to say, I¡¯m better at defensive strategies. However, no matter what, I want to exchange blows with this man. ¡¸The blow a while ago, was pretty effective. I want to get into a fist fight with such a man no matter what. Take your stance, Douglas Bullard. I want to fight an opponent that puts all his soul into his fists¡¹ Unfortunately, I¡¯m not good with words. Therefore, the only thing I can talk with, are these fists. Douglas¡¯ eyes that were fixed on me, turned amicable, but that only lasted for a moment. Swallowing his own words, Douglas¡¯ smile turned bitter. Douglas lowered his back and took his stance, which was the same one as before, a stance that specialized in blows. ¡¸You are a good man. I accept that challenge. Try taking these fists from a man that has nothing but this¡¹ While smiling, his spirit raised up. Even if I say so myself, I¡¯m quite pathetic, I was the first one to accept, but I don¡¯t have much spare energy left on me. However, that applies to Douglas too. There was no better moment than now, to go all out. I can¡¯t let it end without seeing all of this man¡¯s power! Silence returned to the forest yet again. Apart from the people here, the small animals probably left after having been chased by a bigger carnivorous beast. What was left, was just the freezing atmosphere. In the stillness that no one knew how long it would go for, as if a string was cut, it happened at that moment. There¡¯s no choice but to do it now, with that kind of timing. The distance evaporated, and both of our fists were raised with confidence. If I spoke honestly, strikes aren¡¯t my forte. Because of that, I inherited the skills that made use of them that my master left for me. Therefore, I believe that the defensive techniques of the Shijima style are the strongest, and I plan to mainly use them to fight from now on. However, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t admire brilliant blows. Rather, because I had taken blows from such formidable foes, my yearning for people like that was strong. ¡­It¡¯s at this moment when I should unleash it. What I had pictured for a long time, a blow that gathers everything I¡¯ve come across until now! I gathered all the magic power I could muster to its utmost limits, and took a big breath. The magic that had passed above the limits, filled my body with power above what my body could endure. While my muscles were making sounds like they were being torn apart, I still kept pouring magic power into it. Then, the moment it felt like it was going to escape my body¡­I used the only technique I knew to use other than my fists, I used it all on healing magic. Destruction and restoration, the moment the saint¡¯s scales reached balance, Douglas¡¯ fist and mine crossed. Filled with an vast amount of energy, a strike like the eruption of a volcano, my fist was clad in magic power the color of cherry blossoms. Each of our fists passed each other¡¯s, and continued towards their objective¡­ ¡¸Ooooooooohhhhhh!¡¹ ¡¸Daraaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡¹ The ground below us split as if lava was going to come out of it, a thunderous roar that you wouldn¡¯t believe came from people hitting each other echoed. The two shadows intersected, and time stopped, leaving only silence. A single moment stretched over eternity. My fist took Douglas¡¯ abdomen, and his fist¡­dug into my face. ¡¸¡­This is so vexing, I was a step too far¡¹ The corners of Douglas¡¯ mouth turned into an exhilarating smile, and from there, crimson drops started to drip. As if a single strand of blood was being pumped out. Douglas vomited a lot of blood, and fell to his knees. Like that, as if he been drawn to the strength I had shown, Douglas prostrated on the ground. ¡¸O-uooooooooo! He did it! You are amazing Slava!¡¹ The one who confirmed the result of our current situation, was the one that was supposed to be the weakest among us, Sid. It might have been easier to understand what was going on for those with little experience. ¡­That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve won. Even though my endurance and magic power were drying up, I placed my hands on my knees while running out of breath. I looked downwards towards the collapsed Douglas. Unintentionally, I looked at Douglas¡¯ defeated arms. When I grasped those shivering arms, pain ran across all my body. ¡­Shisei Ouka. I named this technique that way. Pouring magic power past the body¡¯s limits and strengthening it beyond one¡¯s own capabilities, and when it looks like the body is going to get ruined from the recoil and let it out, you pressure it with healing magic to stop it, a half self-destructive like Shijima style secret technique¡­Ouka. A technique I devised with my master, but we deemed it impossible and unnecessary, thus sealing it. A defective technique among all of those I had, that I had stored away. Now that I think about it, I wonder how I thought of using such a technique without any previous preparations, even I was shocked by it. However, more than anything, I wanted to exchange blows with this young boy with a technique I yearned to use in the past. I looked at that young boy. Douglas, who had taken a blow with everything I had on it¡­while negligible, he exhaled air. It seems like he somehow retained consciousness after taking such a blow. What would make such a young boy reach this level? My amazement went past simple jealousy. ¡­There¡¯s just a slight moment of difference between victory and defeat. However, during that moment where we were attacking and defending at speeds that were hard to follow with your own eyes¡­my fist, seized Douglas¡¯ abdomen. Douglas¡¯ fist had aimed at my face, even then, it had only scrape my flesh. If only¡­he had been able to reach a bit further, his fist would have hit the bone, and it would have probably taken my life. While having feelings of gratitude towards the young boy that had taken Shisei Ouka and survived, having reached my limits, I lowered my back. It was at that moment that it happened. ¡¸S-s¡­Slava-kun!¡¹ ¡¸What? Uwah!?¡¹ With great vigor, my body was mowed down, and my muscles screamed in pain. It made me think that I had been attacked by an enemy, but I sensed no malice behind it¡­the girl¡¯s voice was mixed with happiness and relief, I was aware of who the perpetrator of the attack was. ¡¸Celia, you regained consciousness¡¹ ¡¸Yup¡­I, I woke up when you were facing that person, I heard about it from Sheryl¡­and, and-¡¹ ¡¸Uguh! S-sorry, but¡­can you go easy on me?¡¹ It might have been done out of worry, but the current state of my body is like that of having wounds all over it, even being hugged by a frail girl feels like I¡¯m being strangled. Even though my voice was filled with anguish, I still placed my arm around Celia¡¯s back. ¡¸¡­I made you worry¡¹ ¡¸¡­Yup¡¹ I patted her head as she raised it, and then Sid and Sheryl showed up. Sid gave me a thumbs up, and copying him, Sheryl raised both of her hands and smiled at me. Because of my own careless, we were involved in this kind of situation, I was still full of regrets because of that. However, I felt even more relieved now that I have taken back these smiles. ¡¸Well then, we should go back. Sorry Sid, can you lend me your shoulder?¡¹ ¡¸Of course! Leave it to me!¡¹ With the help of Sid, I stood up. I could barely walk, it seems like the recoil was bigger than I expected. As expected, using a defective technique in an incomplete state was unreasonable, I probably won¡¯t be able until I heal myself with healing magic. Luckily, this place is not that deep. Even with a kid¡¯s legs, we should be able to get out in no time. I think we came that way. When I pointed the way for Sid. ¡¸Stop right there!¡¹ Several people¡­to be exact, the seven remaining people, stood in our way. ¡­Now that I think about it, these were the remaining men. Damn it, I want to deal with them, but I can¡¯t move. If I were honest, it was not like I had forgotten about their existence. However, luckily for us, Sheryl was here. I wasn¡¯t happy about being lent a hand by a comparable age to that of a granddaughter, but seven people are not enough to deal with Sheryl. ¡¸¡­I¡¯ll say this for your own good, I believe it would be in your best interest to fall back. You have seen this kid move, right?¡¹ The current me has no way to control Sheryl¡¯s strength. If she took her stance now, I couldn¡¯t guarantee their lives. Their half shocked faces, turned into vulgar smiles. ¡­What¡¯s going on? Their faces were full of confidence. Had they not seen the tragic event unfolding in front of their eyes? While looking at my puzzled face, their confidence was broken, and they placed their hands on their breast pockets. ¡­Don¡¯t tell me! ¡¸Do you know what this is? Well, I doubt kids like you know about it¡­hehe, you guys are finished! We won¡¯t let you get away anymore, don¡¯t expect to go back alive!¡¹ Simultaneously from their breast pocked, they took a muddy blood like ¡¸black crystal¡¹. ¡­I unconsciously bit my lips, and blood started to drip. Now that I thought about it, we had been relying on this presence to get here! Not having left any spare energy, I wanted to hit my head so bad. No, if I didn¡¯t go all out at that moment, I might not have won, but it was still a situation where I didn¡¯t have to spend all my energy. The only one that can fight right now, is Sheryl. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m leaving everything to a child. She might have no issues if it was only one or two men using it, but she probably won¡¯t be able to handle this amount of people. I started to think if there was a way to get out of this situation. However, I wasn¡¯t able to come up with anything, and I was overcome with impatience. When I was in that state of mind, the men, swallowed the crystal. Their bodies started to shake as if they were vibrating, and their magic power started to change. ¡­This time, it might really be checkmate. Having understood the situation, I planned to separate from Sid and try to buy as much time as I can, so that these children can run away. ¡­At that moment. A shadow stood in front of me. A girl with silver hair that I had grown accustomed to¡­Sheryl. ¡¸Wait, even if it¡¯s you, against this number of people..!¡¹ I tried to desperately stop Sheryl. However, it was strange. It was true that at times, the magic power Sheryl let out felt ominous. However the her right now, was releasing magic power to the point that she¡¯d reach insanity and would start laughing¡­but what she was wrapped up in right now, was like a calm sea that had been frozen over. I felt something out of the ordinary, leaving me speechless, the magic power of the girl standing in front of my eyes rather than being strong, it felt viciously earnest. To the point that even I,felt fear. The men that had finished their transformation looked like they had felt something, having lost their will to attack, they started to fall back. Even though they were shivering in fear, Sheryl slowly declared in a cold manner. ¡¸¡­You are in the way, disappear from my sight¡¹ It was emotionless, just by saying that¡­all the men fell to their knees. ¡¸W-what..!?¡¹ The scene was too odd, I doubted my eyes. All the collapsed men had vacant eyes, and they had lost consciousness. From what I saw, Sheryl had done nothing. She had just said a single word. Even then, the men looked like the connection to their brains had been cut and had fainted with their eyes open. After giving the men a glance, Sheryl turned towards me. That state only lasted for a moment, she was back to her quiet and innocent self. ¡¸¡­Let¡¯s go?¡¹ As if nothing had happened, Sheryl started to walk. While feeling that difference in atmosphere, I leaned on Sid¡¯s shoulder again and started to walk. ¡­Making the people that consumed the black crystal and were at a certain distance faint with just her voice. Sheryl, what exactly are you? I swallowed my words and took a breath instead. No matter what kind of existence she is, it was true that we were saved by her. For now, let¡¯s just give thanks that we can go back together. With gloomy feelings in our hearts, we went back the way we came from. At times, Sid and Sheryl signaled the way, our first day off together passed by. By the time we reached the town, the sky was in the middle of turning dark.Anyway, I don¡¯t think our day off was wasted. While the shaking of the carriage was hard on my body on the way back, I closed my eyes. ¡­Be it that Douglas,or these crystals, what exactly is going in this world? Unable to sort all the things in my mind, I was overcome with fatigue, and fell asleep. Volume 1 - CH 15 Just the epilogue and we¡¯ll be done with volume 1! Don¡¯t really have much to say this time since the last release was just a couple days ago. Anyway, enjoy. Sorry if there¡¯s any typos in it. Alfaleia¡¯s Academy, early afternoon, the children were full of energy during lunch time. Due to the recent changes in my living environment, I was feeling sleepy even though it was still noon. While cutting the fish with a knife, I was constantly opening and shutting my eyes. It¡¯s been three days since my fierce fight with Douglas. Celia and Sid couldn¡¯t hide their shock in the beginning, but since all of us were able to safely return, now their smiles had returned. In my case, because I had overdone it¡­I had ran out of magic power, and every bit I recovered, I used to cast healing magic on my body. Because I repeated this process over and over, I was always tired. As a result, I was able to exercise now, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about my sleepiness. Sid and Celia who were sitting next to me, were teasing me because of my unusual state and laughing. It¡¯s not like I really minded, though it was kind of pathetic. If it was the old me, I probably wouldn¡¯t have ended this way. A child¡¯s body is hopelessly weak against drowsiness. No matter what I say, I¡¯m currently in a child¡¯s body. If I overdo it, it¡¯ll take a toll on my body faster. While enjoying my idle talk with Celia and Sid, I lamented the fact that I still hadn¡¯t grown used to my body. That being said, it¡¯s true that I¡¯ve only been able to become their friend because of said body. While feeling sleepy, I smiled at Celia and Sid who were having a conversation. One day, I¡¯d like Sheryl to join us like this. Wait a moment, is it just my imagination, or did the distance between Sheryl and Celia shorten since that day? While I was thinking that¡­I was suddenly asked a question by Celia and I stopped moving. £ÛHey, Slava-kun, Sid-kun, do you have any future dreams?¡¹ ¡¸¡­Future dreams?¡¹ ¡¸Yup. Like¡­something you want to become, or¡­something you want to do. You see, I want to become an actress. Performing in a multitude of fun plays and bringing lots of smiles to everyone!¡¹ Towards me who had repeated her words because of her vague question, Celia said that with a big smile on her face. Future dreams, huh. It seems like, even though she¡¯s only twelve, Celia had a dream to become an actress. There¡¯s not much of a difference between elves and humans around the age of twelve. Having a dream, was a splendid thing. ¡¸It has to be adventurer for me! Seeing places that no one has ever gone to, I¡¯ll become an amazing adventurer!¡¹ Sid had already said it before, it seems like he wants to become an adventurer. It was extremely childish¡­yet still a splendid dream. He continues to put effort into it. What would my dream be? Now that I had been asked like this, I was hesitating on how to reply. ¡¸Slava-kun, what¡¯s your dream? As I thought, something like becoming a martial artist?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm, let¡¯s see¡­it¡¯s true that if you were to ask what path I¡¯d like to take, as expected, I¡¯d like it to be involved with martial arts¡¹ After all, I¡¯m not an educated person. Something that would require using my brain, would probably not suit me. However, if I were to say that I¡¯m aiming to become a martial artist, I feel like that would be wrong. If you have the determination, anyone that polishes their fists are martial artists from that day. Being strong or not is secondary. The strong will to become stronger is the most important thing for a martial artist. That¡¯s what my master said. Going by that, I could say that I already was a martial artist. At least, compared to the martial artists that I knew in my previous life, I feel that aiming to become a martial artist these days is somewhat different. Now that I was thinking about my future for the first time, I found it hard to answer such a question. I have heard something quite deep. What kind of dreams do I even have? I had never thought of becoming an actor or an adventurer. I had never thought about earning a lot of money, nor leaving a mark in history. ¡­However, I had become a martial artist. Why was that? ¡¸I want to¡­become the strongest¡¹ That was something that I already knew. I wanted to become the strongest. I wanted to become the strongest man in the world. With just a few words, I expressed my inner thoughts. There was no deep meaning behind it. It was a dream I had as a child and I was still in the middle of it. ¡¸That¡¯s quite the odd answer coming from you. I never thought you¡¯d have any interest in being the best¡¹ The one who laughed while being surprised was Sid. Now that I think about it, they might have been unusual words coming from me. ¡¸However, haven¡¯t you also dreamt of it? It doesn¡¯t matter in what field, to become the best¡­haven¡¯t you dreamt of being at the top?¡¹ ¡¸Of course I have. Even now, I¡¯m thinking of becoming the best adventurer!¡¹ ¡­That¡¯s right. If you were a man, anyone would had dreamt of something like this. It was just that, I was unable to throw away this worthless dream. As if¡­I was just a baby. I still hadn¡¯t let go of that dream I grasped during my childhood, it was quite awkward. ¡¸It¡¯s something like that. I¡¯m the same, I¡¯m still looking at that dream I saw back in the day. Kuku, now that I think about it, it was so simple¡¹ Why was I aiming to become the strongest? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never thought about it. However, it¡¯s like this. It¡¯s not like I want to become the strongest to do something, it¡¯s because I want to become the strongest, that I¡¯m doing something. My contradictory behaviour might be laughable, but it¡¯s good enough for me. ¡¸Hmm¡­I don¡¯t really get it¡­¡¹ Watching both of us smile, Celia tilted her head. This was something like a special privilege for men, it was fine for her to not understand. I heard that sometimes females have this kind of dreams¡­I¡¯d like to meet them and talk to them. Feeling somewhat happy, I felt that the food I carried to my mouth was really tasty. While engaging in a heated talk about our dreams, we finished our meal. ¡¸Phew, It was so tasty!¡¹ Said Sid, while rubbing his stomach. I calmly collected my tableware and after collecting theirs, I piled them up together. ¡¸It¡¯s been bothering me, why do you want to be the best?¡¹ While I was doing it, Celia¡¯s voice got mixed with the sound of the tableware. ¡¸¡­Hmm£¿¡¹ ¡¸You said that you wanted to become the strongest a while ago, right? Sid said he wanted to be the best adventurer. I was thinking about why you wanted to become the strongest¡¹ ¡¸Oh¡­you meant that¡¹ Now that I think about, I only mentioned wanting to become the strongest. How should I answer? I felt somewhat embarrased, for a moment, my eyes went in circles. Well, there was no reason to hide it. ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­I know it sounds a little vague, but as I thought, it¡¯s because I have taken the path of martial arts. Haven¡¯t you thought about it too, Sid? Becoming the strongest person in the world¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Me? Of course I have. If you are a man, you¡¯d have at least thought about it once, right?¡¹ While Sid showed his agreement, I clutched my fist. ¡¸There might be differences among men, but be it humans, beastmen, elves, and even djinns¡­they will have their fist like this. They would picture wanting to become the strongest as them being cool. However¡­they might find another path, open their fist, and take hold of something new. Nevertheless, those who are called martial artist, can¡¯t open this fist. No matter what, even if they win, lose, or get injured. That¡¯s why they might not have anything other than this. Well¡­to sum it up, they are children. They can¡¯t throw their first dream away, they hate to lose¡­that¡¯s why they find it fun¡¹ I slowly opened my clutched fist. If giving up on being the strongest was as easy as doing this, I might be walking another path in this life. Still, thanks to that, I have been able to grasp many things with this closed fist of mine. Like Alma and Chester¡­and lately there¡¯s Sheryl, and these friends of mine. I forgot to tell them, but there was another thing. Not being able to let go until you are on the vergue of death is also something they find hard to deal with, that¡¯s also a trait of martial artists. ¡¸¡­I can¡¯t really understand it but¡­what you are saying is kind of deep?¡¹ It looks like he wasn¡¯t able to understand everything I¡¯d said, but Sid looked deeply moved. While young, he¡¯s still a man. It might be impossible to understand everything, but it¡¯s not like he can¡¯t make sense of it. Like that, I started to smile. The fun times, quickly went by. The clock¡¯s hands, would soon inform us that lunch time was over. ¡¸With lunch time ending, our break time will also end and then it¡¯s lessons, huh¡­.magic lessons are such a pain¡¹ ¡¸Magic is necessary for adventurers,right? If you don¡¯t study it, you might come to regret it later¡¹ ¡¸I know that already.That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing my best even though it¡¯s such a pain¡¹ It was true that Sid was working hard. It wasn¡¯t just a compliment, even though he wasn¡¯t that smart, it was impressive how hard he worked to reach his objective. ¡¸Sid-kun is working hard after all. Is there something you want to work hard on, Slava-kun? You want to become the strongest martial artist, right?¡¹ After cheerfuly smiling at Sid who was hanging his head, Celia proceeded to fix her gaze on me. ¡­Speaking honestly, the times I have been able to work hard have decreased lately. ¡¸Due to certain circumstances I¡¯m staying indoors for now. However¡­my feelings of wanting to become stronger, won¡¯t lose to anyone. I plan to struggle until I can grasp that dream with my own hands¡¹ She meant no ill will, but the words she said with a smile hurt, and I clutched my fist. I clutched them so hard to the point it started cracking. That¡¯s right, my feelings of wanting to become stronger won¡¯t lose to anyone. Now that 30 years had passed since I died, just how much has the world of martial arts changed? The world is vast. There¡¯s sure to be idiots like Chester our there. I can¡¯t help but look forward to it just from thinking about it. ¡¸Ahaha, I see¡­yup. Sorry, Slava-kun¡¹ Contrary to her smile, I was making a face like that of someone that had taken a punishment. ¡­It happened at that moment. ¡¸I heard what you just said, Slava!¡¹ The sun was setting, and the double door of the classroom was vigorously opened. The one who pushed the door open with both hands, was a female elf with long azure hair¡­Alma. ¡¸Your teacher is so happy, Slava. I didn¡¯t know you had such strong feelings toward wanting to become stronger¡¹ With a smile that covered her whole face, Alma started approaching us. ¡­What¡¯s going on? Seeing how happy she was for some unknown reason, I unconsciously frowned. ¡¸The feelings you have toward martial arts are splendid! However, Slava, if you want to become stronger, it¡¯s essential for you to study the Shijima style! How about using this break time to take the first step toward that path?¡¹ It seems like she has come to invite me to become her disciple as always¡­but the timing was too good, I unintentionally looked at Celia. With both of her hands clasped together, Celia winked apologetically. It was as if she was trying to say sorry with her eyes. I started to understand the situation. ¡­I see she might really be able to become an actress like this. Looking at this situation, I¡¯ve been had. Making me make that pledge, was to seal my path of retreat. Well, I¡¯ve been had. Rather that joining the Shijima style, I was once an instructor for it. Becoming the disciple of my own disciple was like some sort of joke. Becoming the disciple of Alma, who I directly taught, as one would expect, there¡¯s nothing I can learn from her. ¡­However, look at how happy my daughter was. She looked as if she had finally caught her prey. I was hiding my identity for my own convenience, I couldn¡¯t just flatly refuse here. Besides, refusing after having had this conversation would feel unnatural. Refusing an invitation from Alma, who is known for being the strongest in the eyes of the elves. It wouldn¡¯t be rare to face heavy criticism from elven martial artists if I did. ¡¸hah¡­I understand. I appreciate the invitation¡¹ ¡¸R-really!? I¡¯m so happy, Slava! With that being decided, there¡¯s no time to waste! Let¡¯s go right now!¡¹ Good grief, making such a delighted face. If there was a tail attached to her, it would be going wild, while I was thinking that, She took me by the hand and started walking. It seems like it¡¯s going to be troublesome for the time being, but¡­oh well. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s been a while since I lasted talked to my daughter alone. While exhaling from my nose, I gave up and smiled. ¡¸Fufufu, at last, we have the chance to talk just the two of us, Slava¡¹ While being pulled by Alma, we arrived at the auditorium where the martial arts lessons were performed. With a smile full of satisfaction, Alma was clearly in a good mood. ¡­Well, if I managed to catch a good disciple, I would also be in a good mood¡­ ¡¸Aren¡¯t you being a bit pushy?¡¹ That¡¯s right, she was being too forceful. It¡¯s not like I personally mind, but I hope she doesn¡¯t do the same thing to everyone else. Having to reproach my own daughter¡¯s behaviour, felt like being stabbed by a nail¡­ Of course, I do understand her feelings, I won¡¯t press too hard. When I found out about her talent, I was extremely happy at the fact that I could leave the Shijima techniques to her. However, if the person itself doesn¡¯t have the will, they won¡¯t last long no matter how much talent they have. Give them time to think, if they refuse a second time, give up on teaching them the techniques, that¡¯s what I thought in the old days. As a result, Alma succeeded the Shijima techniques. However, if Alma didn¡¯t do it out of her own will, she might not have left her name in history. In this path that might not give you anything even if you become strong, the most important thing is your own willingness. I believe that taking a disciple should be done once they are ready. ¡¸It¡¯s true that I might have been a little pushy, but treat it as me thinking your talent holds that much value. That being said, I know it¡¯s a bit late to say this, but I apologize for being this forceful. My master would probably be mad at me for this¡­I might have been in too much of a hurry¡¹ She probably wouldn¡¯t believe that her master is right in front of her eyes. Though¡­that master of hers, is thinking that it¡¯s fine after thinking about it again. She is reflecting on it after all. However¡­when given the chance to think about it, in my previous life, I really only taught about martial arts. Thinking about it, maybe I should have taught her other things. For some reason¡­I¡¯m the one being taught now though. ¡¸¡­There¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry, right? It might have been the case if we were humans, having been born as elves, we still have a lot of time¡¹ It was somewhat clumsy, but I want to convey to the flustered Alma, that she still had time. That¡¯s right, Alma was an elf. She might have lived a bit over a hundred years¡­but she was still a young elf. If she was a human, she¡¯d at an age where she would be nearly inside a coffin, but a hundred years for an elf, is like ten human years. There¡¯s no need to panic. ¡¸Haha, you are right. To be encouraged like this, I¡¯m still green. ¡­I¡¯ll be more careful next time. But it¡¯s fine just this time, I wanted you to experience the Shijima techniques. I won¡¯t pressure you like this the next time. I promise¡¹ Her eyes were somewhat moist, Alma smiled at me. ¡­I might have given this child, a burden too big for her to bear. Elves are fundamentally carefree for the most part. However, unlike the elves who took their time with things, Alma was in a hurry. Wasn¡¯t the entire reason for it, the words I left her? ¡­Yes, the truth might be that. To protect the will of her master and father, she desperately hurried up. In that case, wasn¡¯t it a binding I spell I had cast on her? ¡­If that was the case, I believe I had done something awful. Towards that imploring gaze, I calmly nodded. It seems like the things I have to think about have increased. Can Alma properly carry the weight of my burden? For her, it was the weight of the words from her only parent, I couldn¡¯t even imagine what it was like. Even though I was increasing the bonds I had in my current life, I was still hiding my identity from Alma¡­ ¡­It might be something I¡¯ll talk in the future, but I¡¯ll definitely reveal my true identity, that¡¯s what I think. ¡¸First off, won¡¯t you show me your ¡¸Shadow leaf¡¹ once more? It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just the form. It¡¯s been bothering me since the first time I saw it¡¹ ¡¸Understood¡¹ I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. Putting the fundamentals to practical use. A technique that used all of the fundamentals of the Shijima style. Pulling, making their balance crumble, and then throwing. If you didn¡¯t know this technique, you wouldn¡¯t be able to perform the others. While concentrating I took the ¡¸Flowing stream¡¹ stance, thinking about it, just how many times had I repeated this technique? In my every day training, there was not a day I didn¡¯t perform this technique. ¡­It was like a road without an end. Wasn¡¯t it like it symbolized the path of martial arts? I projected an imaginary enemy in the room, and imagined the punch he throwed. As if to accompany the straightforward punch, my hand moved, changing the direction of my imaginary opponent¡¯s force, his center of gravity scattered. Due to the instability of his centre of gravity, the balance he had from being rotted to the ground was gone, and his connection to the ground became unstable. He was in a posture where both feet couldn¡¯t hold tightly onto the ground, like a ship that didn¡¯t have its anchor down. If I swept at his feet, without the need of much strength, my opponent would easily dance in the air. Losing all support, my imaginary enemy danced in the air. While it was spinning in the air, I caught his head and¡­smashed it against the ground. ¡­With this, ¡¸Shadow leaf¡¹ is finished. I had used everything I had, the best performance the current me can do. This was something I had to do as a father, and you could say it was proof of my sincerity. ¡­If she notices with this, so be it. I still had no intention of revealing my identity, even then, if Alma notices what¡¯s hidden inside this young body¡­ My daughter¡¯s feelings are clear to me. However, to me, strength is everything. That¡¯s what I was supposed to think, but maybe I had grown old, the weight on the scales had reached balance before I knew it. To the point I don¡¯t mind if she notices. ¡¸£¨Well then, how will she react?£©¡¹ After finishing the technique, I released my stance and took a deep breath. Without saying anything, I stared at Alma, who had frozen in place. ¡¸How was it, teacher?¡¹ As if she was a sculpture frozen in time, her slender limbs started to tremble. ¡¸¡­No way, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¹ Her expression, was dyed in astonishment. My technique still couldn¡¯t be called complete, even then, there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone else who had reached this level, apart from my master, Iwao Shijima. In that case, Alma should have remembered something. The auditorium was silent. In deep silence, there was no sound other than that of our small breaths. Eventually, instead of talking, Alma started to walk towards me. She rested her elegant and slender fingers on my shoulder and applied a bit of strength. ¡¸¡­Master? Are you¡­my master?¡¹ Just how many feelings were poured into those words?¡­Even someone like me could feel it. I considered if I should put my hand on top of my daughter¡¯s hand, who had crumbled down while clinging onto me. The present day¡¯s goddess was powerlessly trembling. That girl¡¯s small shoulder. ¡­My aimless hand finally moved. Her small shoulder trembled, Alma grasped my clothes tightly. She didn¡¯t apply much strength¡­Alma, who had been holding onto me, finally realized what she had done. ¡¸¡­Sorry, what am I even saying? W-why am I crying¡­¡¹ Realizing that her cheeks were moist with tears, she grew flustered. The memories of seeing this technique in the past, and her memories of my past self, she was probably trying to deny both of them. Each time the tears overflowed, Alma wiped them. However, the tears didn¡¯t stop. Her pure glass-like back, seemed to be going to break at any moment. I wanted to reveal my identity right away¡­but there were still things I had to do. ¡¸Teacher¡¹ ¡¸W-what?¡¹ While holding her shoulders, I looked at the sky. ¡¸Give me some time. Once I graduate from this school, I plan to go see the world. With the goal of being the strongest, I want to see all kind of martial arts with my own eyes.¡¹ Alma didn¡¯t reply. She probably considered that there was more to it and urged me to continue. What I wanted to talk about¡­was the dream of a young boy, my own dream. Travel around the world. Meet strong martial artists, and exchange blows with them. If I had to put it into words, it was quite the childish dream for someone over a hundred years old. However, I want to make it come true. This dream of mine. ¡¸However, I¡¯ll definitely return to the elven country. I¡¯ll give you my reply at that time. What do you think?¡¹ Alma raised her face, and I declared so with a serious expression. While being filled with tears, Alma opened her mouth. It might be long for a human, but it¡¯ll be short for an elf. In that case, wether it¡¯s short or long for me¡­what would it be like for Alma? Having been separated from my daughter for thirty years, making her wait longer without giving her an answer, pained me greatly, but I still wanted to see the world in front of me with my own eyes. Therefore, I¡¯ll definitely give her an answer. Even if it¡¯s something that will happen in the future. Our eyes meet without separating for a moment. Without words, I conveyed that I was telling the truth. ¡¸Slava¡­I see, thanks¡¹ Then, Alma smiled. The tears she was wiping, had already stopped. ¡¸In that case¡­I¡¯ll wait with anticipation to the day you return¡¹ Alma tried her best to show a smile, as if I was being pulled away by something, I separated from her. Not giving her a specific time, was too half-hearted from my side. ¡­For the time being, allow this old man some time. ¡¸Alright, so that you still would want to knock on the Shijima¡¯s door later on, I¡¯ll have to stay diligent! The fact that I just cried, you have to keep it a secret, alright?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, it¡¯ll stay hidden in the depths of my heart¡¹ I unintentionally let out a small laugh. Since she was small, this child always tried to hide her own weakness. Now that I think about it, when was the last time I was able to speak with this child at ease? Even though I can see her face everyday, it feels really nostalgic for some reason. ¡¸Sorry for taking your time, Slava. Lunch break is going to end soon. Shall we return to the classroom?¡¹ ¡¸You are right. Let¡¯s end it here¡¹ ¡¸Yup¡­well then, until next time¡¹ I started walking after turning around. That¡¯s right, I can¡¯t stop now. Stopping to rest, can be left for later. ¡­Like this, even with Alma¡¯s invitation, I decided to still hide it. Even my unusually long enrollment in the school felt short when I trained and fought against Chester. I actually felt like I was an elf. And then¡­ ¡¸Today, all of you will graduate from this Milafia¡¯s National Academy, Alfaleia. From now on, you will start to walk on your own paths. I want all of you to tread in that road with self-confidence and vigor, one step at a time¡¹ The time came, the children that still looked young, started to walk their own paths. I also started to walk the path I believed in. ¡­I have dedicated over a hundred years to martial arts. After acquiring the life on an elf, I¡¯m going to do my journey again. This was the first step in my path.