“Alright, come at me with all you have,” Silva said. He held a tree branch in his hand to serve as his weapon.
Fay nodded and took her stance. Her sword was immediately covered in flames, and then she dashed at Silva.
‘Hmm, I can sense a lot of Mana from her, but I feel that even Lia has a better flow than her,’ Silva thought. He didn’t feel too much pressure, stepping forward and parrying her attack cleanly.
He didn’t stop there. He moved in, tripping her, and she fell face-flat on the ground.
“You focus so much on your sword that you don’t watch the rest of your body, and that’s a bad habit.
You have to be cautious of your entire body–that’s the first stage. After being cautious of your body, you have to take it a step further and be cautious about your surroundings.”
He stretched out his hand and helped her get up.
“When you get through that as well, you finally enter the next stage: being cautious of your enemy and watching their every move.
If you do that well, you can even predict their movements before they make them.
If you practice to this level, you can reach a whole new stage, and that is being able to create your own space.”
Silva took his stance and then closed his eyes. He extended his senses throughout his body, then to his surroundings, and finally to his opponent.
He merged all of them to create a space around him.
“With this space, you can monitor your entire environment and everything that happens. Now, attack me,” Silva said with his eyes closed.
Fay charged at him again, trying to aim for his blind spot since his eyes were closed. But as soon as her sword got close to him, he moved out of the way.
He then countered and placed his sword against her neck.
“That’s how you do it.” Silva opened his eyes. “This should be enough for now. We’ll continue another time,” he said and left.
Fay watched his back, filled with conflicting thoughts.
‘I came here to simply get closer to him for the sake of father and the family. I didn’t really think I’d learn something this important from him.
Now I am eager for what our next lesson will hold, but before then, I have to master what he showed me now.’
____ _____
When the sun rose, the convoy continued their journey to the city.
It didn’t take more than a few hours before they finally arrived at the city gates.
As soon as the guards spotted their crest, they informed the Duke about their arrival, and they were led to the estate where they would stay.
Inside the house that they were given, they all set their things down and met in the living room.
Ray and Fay sat beside their father, while Silva sat opposite him.
“Alright, Silva, the main event will start tonight. You have all day to do whatever you want.
I advise that you three go through the city and have some fun for the time being,” the baron said.
“Father, why do we need him to tag along? We can handle things just fine,” Ray said.
“Don’t be stubborn, boy. He is here to guard us, and he’s stronger than anyone we brought. There is no one more suitable to guard you than him,” the baron said.
“Baron, what about you? If I leave with both of them, who will guard you?” Silva asked.
“You don’t have to worry about that. We are in the private estate of the Duke, under his protection. You’d have to be stupid to attempt anything here,” the baron spoke with certainty.
Silva didn’t push more than that, so he left the manor with the siblings.
“Let’s head to the market; they have a lot of nice things there,” Fay said.
“I’d rather go to where the guards of the Duke train and watch,” Ray said.
“You can’t be serious, Ray. Tell him, Silva,” she said.
“Why the hell are you bringing him into this?” Ray asked.
“Master Ray, the Baron asked that you both have fun. We have to find an activity that both of you will at least be happy doing.
And as a gentleman, it is advisable that you let the lady pick,” Silva said.
“You heard him, right?” Fay said.
“I don’t care. He can simp all he wants. I’m going to the training grounds. You two can go wherever,” Ray said and tried to leave, but Silva grabbed his shoulder.
Ray turned around, pissed. He was about to lash out, but when he looked into Silva’s eyes, he was stricken with fear.
“We will go where Lady Fay chooses. Do you understand, or should I drag you along?” Silva threatened, his voice like a demon from hell.
Ray couldn’t resist at all. He slowly nodded his head and followed them.
They walked through the market, buying a lot of stuff–from simple jewelry to snacks and food.
They came across a store, and a pendant there caught Fay’s eyes. She wanted it, but when she looked at the price tag and what she had left, she couldn’t afford it, even with her brother’s help.
They had spent all their funds purchasing other things, and she was scared that if she left to ask her dad, it wouldn’t be there when she got back.
“I’ll buy it for you, so don’t worry,” Silva said. He saw the longing in her eyes and decided to help out.
He purchased the pendant and handed it to her. She took it and held it close to her heart.
“I promise to pay you back,” she said.
“No need for that; it’s a gift from me,” Silva said, flashing a smile.
Ray, who had been waiting for them, could finally leave as Silva started walking as well, his face seriously distorted in anger.
It seemed that Silva didn’t know what he did back there, but that is a story for another time.