I wasn't sure what his deal was. Maybe Ronan wanted to knock some humility into a child he'd just met, or maybe he genuinely wanted to see how capable I was.
Either way, the smirk plastered on his face while looking down at me didn't sit well. Sure, he was taller any grown man would be compared to a five-year-old but that smug look made it feel more personal, his attitude change after how training back home.
Or perhaps, I thought dryly, he just wanted to test me for my own good. To see how far was the training. Still, I couldn't tell which was worse mockery or pity.
Gripping the small wooden sword my parents gave me, I walked toward the edge of the camp. Ronan stood there waiting in the open clearing, twirling his practice spear like he was already bored.
"So," he said, the corner of his lip curling. "You know how to reinforce your weapon, right… genius?"
His tone dripped with sarcasm.
At this point, Father already knew what was happening. I could feel his gaze from behind, calm but watchful. He probably thought this would be a harmless spar, a little "lesson" in humility for me. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Father. Mother, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as composed. She stood beside him, gripping his arm tightly, eyes darting between us as if one blink would make me disappear.
At least if I got hurt, she'd be the first to patch me up.
Ronan stood about five meters ahead, his posture relaxed. The others from his group Lyra, Alina, Darin, and Scarlet watched from the side with curious expressions. I doubted they expected much from a child with a broken mana core.
I exhaled slowly, lowering my stance.
His figure came into focus the distance, his balance, the rhythm of his breathing.
For a moment, the camp faded away, replaced by memories of my past life royal duels fought at Dawn of blades, where victory decided the fate of kingdoms.
He wasn't an opponent. He was a challenge. And I never backed away from those.
With a burst of speed, I dashed forward, the wind rushing against my face. My small hands gripped the sword tight as I swung from the right.
Ronan smirked, already raising his staff to block. Predictable.
I shifted my weight and twisted my foot a feint, followed by a quick step diagonal to his right side. It was a movement from my old sword style, designed for misdirection.
But curse this small body. My balance was off, and my legs didn't respond like before. The step was sloppy shorter than intended. Still, it worked.
His guard had opened.
Before he could react, I swung for his ribs, the wooden blade humming through the air. For an instant, I let a small thread of mana trickle into the sword. It wasn't much just enough to harden the strike.
The look on his face shifted from smug amusement to wide-eyed surprise.
The blow landed.
A solid thwack echoed across the clearing.
But Ronan wasn't an amateur. He pivoted on his heel, the impact only staggering him slightly before he swept low, his leg slicing toward me in a roundhouse.
I jumped instinctively, barely dodging his kick only to see the blur of his wooden spear from the corner of my eye.
Too close!
I thrust the hilt of my sword forward to intercept it, timing the motion by pure reflex.The weapons clashed midair with a sharp crack.
And then physics did its thing.
The recoil sent me flying backward, my small body bouncing across the grass before I landed on my side with a loud groan. Every part of me hurt.
If I hadn't coated my body with a thin veil of external mana before the impact, I'd have probably broken something.
Groaning, I pushed myself up, rubbing my throbbing head. When my vision cleared, I saw seven stunned faces staring back at me.
Mother was the first to move. "Virel!"
She dropped to her knees beside me, hands glowing with faint light as she whispered a healing spell. The soothing warmth spread through my body, easing the pain.
Meanwhile, I spotted Darrin casually flicking Ronan on the back of the head hard enough to make him stumble.
Heh. It was an accident! He was just to good for his age.
"Vir, are you hurt? Tell me if anything feels wrong," Mother said, her voice full of concern.
"I'm fine, Mom," I assured, though my pride hurt more than my body.
Ronan groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "You sure this kid's never trained before? What kind of five-year-old moves like that?"
Father crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't teach him that."
Ronan blinked. "...You didn't?"
Father crouched beside me, his expression mixed with confusion and pride. "Vir, where did you learn to fight like that?"
I forced a small, innocent smile. "From watching you, Dad… and reading."
Yeah, right. Like I could tell him I used to be a swordmaster who fought wars in another life.I'd rather not get exorcised this early in my second life.
Ronan let out a long sigh, then chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Guess I deserved that one, huh? Sorry for going rough on you, little man."
Apology accepted. The bruises would heal, but the look on his face when I caught him off guard? That memory was priceless.
A soft voice came from nearby. "Your movement… it was strange. That step after you feinted how did you do that?"
I turned to see Scarlet, the quiet mage, staring at me with genuine curiosity. That was probably the longest sentence I'd heard her say all trip.
"Ah, that?" I said. "It's not hard. When I feinted to his right, I used the shift of my foot to redirect my body. My right foot anchored, then my left pushed off at an angle while I channeled a bit of mana for acceleration."
I realized too late that everyone was listening. And before I could stop them, Ronan, Lyra, and Father were already trying to mimic my step in the clearing. Even Scarlet rushed over to test it herself.
Mother, sitting beside me, chuckled softly and ruffled my hair. "You did well, my little swordsman."
Darin and Alina laughed quietly, offering me a thumbs-up. "You did great, kid."
The others gather around the camp fire doing one of two things.
As for me, I fell asleep beside Mother in the tent, her warmth steady and familiara reminder that, despite the past and the broken core within me, this second life wasn't so bad after all.