And now I have to go back a little. Though another Nature Force is closer, and I will have to come again to claim it, there is nothing I can do.
The Nature Force I am going for now is important, and it might get claimed if I don't hurry.
So I left first thing in the morning.
Now we were in the sky—me and the Claw members. I thought of something and asked:
" In case I need to extend the mission a little, I don't have to go to the Adventurers' Guild, right?"
Raven replied,
" No. In escort missions, since time can be increased due to attacks or other reasons, you can extend the time limit by 5 percent of the originally fixed time, with a minimum of one day. But since wars are going on right now, it is increased to 10 percent, or a minimum of 2 days."
Then I said,
" Okay. Then approximately 15 days."
Raven nodded, then added,
" Of course, the fees are also increased."
I laughed at his reply.
After 10 days I passed over a city named Averinth Dominion—old and iron-willed, known for its knights.
The MC had stayed here for a little while during vacation. Is he still here? Well, it doesn't matter.
I entered the city and looked around. This city isn't known for its knights for no reason—even kids carry small wooden swords, trying to imitate knights.
The stalls are filled with swords; not all of them are made from wood.
Many kids were playing the "Knight and Fugitive" game, in which some acted as knights and others as fugitives fighting back.
This city is ruled by Duke Leopold Arkwright. He is a hero of this kingdom. He is, quite obviously, SS-Rank in strength, but he is very strong. He can kill many SS-Ranks in a single strike.
You see, because powerhouses are made with such vague criteria, the difference in strength between SS-Ranks can be huge. Some SS-Ranks are so strong that a single one might handle hundreds of others. Such people, who are far beyond normal SS-Rank but still not true powerhouses, are called pseudo powerhouses by the novel community.
But make no mistake: any real powerhouse can defeat such a pseudo powerhouse easily.
Duke Leopold Arkwright is one of these pseudo powerhouses.
Another thing this city is famous for is the Tournament of Honour.
Knights from all around the world come here for this tournament.
In fact, the heir of the Duke is always chosen through this tournament. When every child is old enough, they are enrolled in it. Basically, what I mean is that a 5-year-old can't realistically defeat a 20-year-old.
So, when all those who want to become Duke are old enough, they enter the tournament, and the winner becomes the next Duke.
Of course, some may enter before then, but that doesn't mean much for inheritance of the title.
Now, one of the main characters is a heroine: Althaea. Yes, it doesn't sound very knight-like, but there is a reason.
You see, when she was born, the Duke's beloved Duchess died. He was very sad and angry—at whom, even he didn't know. So he didn't see Althaea until the next day.
When he finally did, he started crying, because she looked just like the Duchess. She became, in a way, a healer for his broken heart—thus the name, Althaea.
She is the only child of the Duke, so he loves her dearly.
In fact, he loved her so much he didn't let her touch a sword until she was five.
When she turned five, the Duke had a Count as a guest for some work. The Count's son came too. The boy played the knight-fugitive game with Althaea. She was knocked down in a single strike, and her hand was swollen.
The Count almost thought the Duke might kill his son, since he knew how much the Duke loved Althaea.
But instead, the Duke realized from this incident that she needed to be strong. From then on, he taught Althaea with as much strictness as he loved her.
And now, she is the strongest female student in the 1st year.
Well, this city is not my destination, but since I was passing by, I thought I should visit it.
…
I took the most luxurious hotel in the city, as always.
What should I do now?
Yes, I remember. There is a place where people fight each other to improve their skills. Just go, and if there is an opponent at your level, you fight.
I asked for directions and reached the place, then went inside.
A staff member asked about my strength. I felt confused—how should I explain something like that? Of course, there are tests to find out, but my Nature Force would make the results useless.
So I said,
" I'm in the 1st year of Celestara Academy."
Oh, I didn't tell you the name of the academy yet? Well, what would you even do knowing it? We've come this far without it. But since I've said the name, let me tell you a little.
---
Celestara Academy
Meaning: "Celestial" + "Stara" (stars).
Academy that aspires to the highest cosmic truths, where every discipline converges.
Everything is taught here: magic, swords, martial arts, alchemy, runes… You name it, and they teach it.
And if you feel something is not taught, tell the academy—within a week, they will start teaching it.
---
Back to the story.
The staff nodded and sent me somewhere. I was shocked, because I found three main cast members there.
The MC and two heroines.
One was obviously Althaea. I will at least tell you the names of the MC and the other heroine:
Alaric Blackwood – the MC.
Seraphine Nightingale – daughter of a Magic Tower Elder.
And looking at them was strange....
Alaric Blackwood — The Swordsman
His was average height but lean and wiry. Short, dark-brown hair that always looks slightly messy. Grey eyes that seem older than his age, observant and calm.
His personality was Quiet, analytical, often stands at the edge of crowds though with friends it's different. His calm confidence makes others think he's a prodigy, though he just works harder than most.
2) Althaea Arkwright — The Knight's Daughter
She appeared athletic build, fair skin, auburn hair tied in a neat braid. Emerald eyes full of determination.
Her personality was Competitive, proud, and disciplined. Tries to act like the perfect noble knight, but has a warm, slightly awkward side when flustered.
3) Seraphine Nightingale — The Mage
Her appearance was slender, long silver-blonde hair, violet eyes that shimmer faintly when she uses magic. Always smells faintly of lavender and old books.
Her Personality: Brilliant but playful , yet scores near-perfect in exams. Loves teasing Althaea and calling Alaric "Mr. Serious."
In this section, only the three of them were present. The staff had made a good choice… sigh.
----------------------
I wasn't sure if meeting them was a good idea, so I covered myself. In fact, many here did the same — after all, who knows if someone with huge pride ends up getting defeated? That would be a real headache.
Soon, Althaea noticed me and muttered,
"...Who is he?"
Her words drew the attention of the other two toward me.
Seraphine Nightingale asked her,
"You know him?"
Althaea replied,
"He's also from Celestara Academy, I think. Since The staff brought him here to us."
To which Seraphine responded,
"Oh… is he also a first-year?"
Now Althaea looked at her and said,
"Yes, but he might even be in our class."
Then Alaric said doubtfully,
"It's not that I don't trust you, but still… why hide from classmates?"
Now, from her initial muttering to Seraphine asking if I was also a first-year — that was too far for me to realistically hear. But then again, my powers aren't exactly realistic, so I did hear everything.
I thought the embarrassing part was over and I could just pretend I didn't know them. I mean, it's not like you know every classmate.
But I was wrong — the most embarrassing part came next.
Seraphine suddenly exclaimed in shock,
"Don't tell me he's the zombie!!! He's the only one who'd want to hide!"
My steps froze. At least say zombie-looking, please.
I was already very close when Seraphine screamed loudly. There was no way I could pretend not to have heard. And since I was now within talking range, etiquette demanded I introduce myself.
But I didn't know what to do. A simple greeting to a classmate should be fine, right? Yet my identity was covered, and I felt too embarrassed.
Their conversation continued regardless.
Althaea replied to Seraphine, clearly regretting not covering her mouth sooner,
"...Yes, he could be. But who knows?"
Seraphine continued, completely unaware she should really stop by now,
"Yeah, I remember he had red eyes! Aren't I smart? Maybe I'll get nightmares tonight since I remembered him."
The other two now had very awkward expressions, since if I was Adrian, she was bad-mouthing me nonstop.
You see, Seraphine topped the theory exams, which were held when the academy opened. She spent most of her time buried in magic books, so she didn't really know when to stop talking. Actually, she does know, but right now, due to low social experience, she can't quite apply it.
At night, she'll probably bury her head in her pillow, regretting every word she said — so I doubt she'll have nightmares.
In terms of combat, compared to theory, she's not as strong. I think she ranked 18th, while the others were within the top 10. That's her current level, but next exam after rank evaluation exam she ranked third among the female first-years.
Anyway, I went ahead and introduced myself.
"I'm Elric."
Alaric muttered softly,
"...Elric?"
He said it so quietly that even the girls didn't hear — but I did.
Then he introduced himself,
"I'm Alaric Blackwood."
Althaea followed,
"Nice to meet you. I'm Althaea Arkwright."
Seraphine was about to speak, but Althaea, not trusting her, quickly introduced her too,
"She's Seraphine Nightingale."
Seraphine looked offended, but the two ignored her.
Alaric then asked,
"So, what are you doing here?"
Althaea gave him a look, as if thinking that handling one Seraphine was already tough — how would she deal with two of them?
Realizing how that sounded, Alaric quickly corrected himself,
"I mean, are you already done, or did you just arrive?"
Yeah, that didn't fool anyone.
I replied,
"I just came."
Alaric nodded happily, then suggested,
"So did we. Why don't you battle with us?"
Normally, I would've refused, but I wanted to see I, the user of two Nature Force could handle the current protagonist, so I said,
"Yes, let's do that."