On a more secluded bed in the room next door where the girls slept, Enrico was covered by a blanket. He had slept quite a lot and had just woken up. Turning his face, he saw the girl who had asked him to accompany her to the next room. It was Aoi, and she was sleeping deeply, her hair covering her face.
'She really showed her face.'
When he moved a little to get out, he brushed her hair behind her ear, revealing her appearance. The true face of Aoi Inari possesses a pure and serene beauty, almost supernatural. Her skin is clear and flawless, her almond-shaped eyes convey calm and depth, while her delicate nose and soft lips form perfect harmony.
'The Inari family really deserves that title.'
Even the shape of her face reinforces a natural elegance. Her beauty is not flashy, but irresistible, reflecting the prestige of the Inari family as the most beautiful in all of Tsuyokuni.
'Christmas was actually fun.'
[It must have been very fun for you.]
'Hey, system, did you sleep well?'
Provoked, the system stopped talking to him and disappeared. It seemed she couldn't handle a joke.
'Well, it's time to prepare their food and then I'll see how my disciples are doing.'
Leaving the room, he took a look at the other girls to see if they were fine. Focusing his gaze on Valença, he saw that her percentage had increased to four percent in the sixth circle of both of her magics.
'Just as I thought, as soon as I came back she had already reached the sixth circle.'
Looking at the time, he went to the kitchen. He was hungry, so they would be too when they woke up. Meanwhile, on the training field, one of Enrico's disciples was watching a battle unfold in front of her.
'This isn't even a battle, why did Kaela decide to fight her on this specific day?'
Erina watched the explosions happening around her with a tired face. She also felt that she had been surpassed by Sisaka, but knew she should retreat for now and focus on training.
'Of course, my strategy doesn't work much for me since I don't evolve as fast as they do, but at least it should work for one of the two.'
With a sigh, she watched the knight who had been their instructor during the last year. She was the one containing the power around the explosions. That was because the training field was isolated by simple seals, just enough to contain the excess magic without interfering in the fight. It was the special magic of Siena Red.
"The two of them are strong, very strong… tell me, teacher, what do you think of Kaela's decision?"
"That she is perfect to be a knight and should join us."
'I honestly think these knights are stupid.'
The ground already showed old marks from previous battles, black cracks caused by fire. Kaela advanced, her body leaning forward, fire mana slithering around her arms like living creatures, long and flexible, with fangs made of compressed flames.
'Fire mana increasing.'
The heat rose with every step, the air shimmering, as she tried to impose pressure from the very beginning of the battle, aware of the difference in circles, but determined not to retreat.
"Fire Serpents."
The fire serpents shot out in sinuous movements, attacking from irregular angles, biting the space where Sisaka had been an instant before disappearing.
"I already told you, you won't be able to cause even a scratch on my forehead."
"I didn't ask you, idiot."
With a confident smile, Sisaka continued to dodge while Kaela wanted to jump in rage. Each attack left something like incandescent grooves in the ground, exploding into flames when they missed the target.
'It's a good trap. If it were me before reaching the sixth circle, I would definitely be caught.'
Sisaka moved with economical precision, her feet barely touching the ground for long periods, spiritual constructions forming ahead of her movements like natural extensions of her body. Translucent barriers appeared and disappeared at the exact necessary moment, absorbing the impact of the flaming bites without even cracking.
'Damn it, how did she surpass me if I was stronger before? Did she do special training with the professor? I need to increase my power.'
Kaela increased the intensity, forcing more mana into each conjuration, the serpents growing in size and speed, some splitting into multiple heads to try to confuse movement reading.
'Three-headed serpents.'
The fire was not chaotic; there were clear attempts to surround, cut off escape routes, and push Sisaka into an unfavorable zone. Even so, every attempt was anticipated. Sisaka created spiritual platforms under her feet, lifting herself above the flames, or blades of solid energy that cut the serpents in half, dissipating them into burning mana particles.
'How annoying, I feel like I did back then.'
The difference in circles became evident in the stability between the two. While Kaela needed constant adjustments, breathing heavily, her mana flow oscillating with every missed attack, Sisaka remained calm, absolute control reflected in how quickly her constructions appeared.
"Spiritual chains."
Spiritual chains extended from the ground, temporarily binding one of Kaela's legs, forcing her to break her own magic to free herself, losing time and energy in the process.
"It's over."
Suddenly, Kaela felt a blade at her neck. It was Sisaka's katana coming from behind, held firmly by her own hands. Indignant, Kaela threw herself to the ground with an upset expression.
"How did you get so strong?"
"As if I would tell you—"
"I found you, Erina, Kaela. I have a unique ability to make you grow just like Sisaka."
The two looked at Sisaka, who stood still for a few moments. It seemed like she wanted to cry, even with a serious expression, as she saw Enrico approaching. She raised both arms awkwardly.
"Wait, professor, let me be a little more arrogant with them."
"Oh, it seems I interrupted your fun. Alright, I'll sit over there and see what happens."
Enrico sat down with a cynical smile while the two continued to stare at Sisaka with deadly expressions. Even with that look, she smiled confidently again.
"What is it? Angry? You can come at me together if you want."
As requested, the two ran to face her head-on. Sisaka hadn't only irritated Kaela since she arrived; even Erina, who hadn't done anything, had been bothered by her arrogance, so she couldn't forgive it.
"Sisaka, you're dead."