So it was decided that I would fight Alaric.
We went to a tougher section where we could battle.
Alaric and I took our stances.
Meanwhile, Seraphine said excitedly,
"Who do you bet on?"
Althaea frowned at her excitement. She didn't want another embarrassing moment, but still replied,
"Alaric looks far more stable according to his stance. I don't know if this match is a good idea. Elric might not last even ten strikes."
Seraphine pouted and said,
"Aww… I wanted to bet on him, but now you've already picked him, so I can't choose him! I should've chosen first before asking you."
Alaric and I just stood still.
He could also see that my stance was lacking compared to his, so he wanted to give me a little advantage by letting me take the initiative.
But I decided to wait for him — that would be more advantageous for me.
Finally, realizing I wouldn't attack first, Alaric moved.
I felt his intent, and if that wasn't enough, I could even see him moving in slow motion.
The only problem was — I couldn't move that fast myself. But since he was still a little distance away, I managed to block him, and our swords clashed.
He was shocked. He hadn't expected me to block him so easily. But his strength… I couldn't match it.
He pushed me back, but I had anticipated that, so I shifted slightly to the side and twisted my sword a bit. I still felt the force of the push, but half of it helped me rotate.
Using that momentum, I spun and attempted a 360-degree slash, but he stopped me before I could hit him.
Now, since my sword was horizontal and his was vertical, he used his strength advantage to try and overpower me. He rotated his sword so that our blades pointed downward, forming an 'X'. Then he continued rotating, and I realized he'd try to push me with his shoulder once we were side by side.
So I ducked right as he did. His eyes widened, and he rotated, using my back as leverage.
But then he started smiling.
Don't tell me… he wasn't using his full strength and speed before.
You see, Alaric lived in a small village. A knight who once served a baron belonged to that village. After retirement, that knight noticed Alaric's talent and trained him a little.
His technique is above average, even by academy standards, though it's still not the best he can do. Many teachers have already observed this in just one month.
But his strength and agility are monstrous. In fact, he's the strongest and second fastest among all first-years.
So maybe, seeing my stance, he held back at first. But since I kept up, now he's going all out.
It's not that I can't see his movements — in fact, from my perspective, he's slow.
But my body just can't keep up. My speed and strength are already at their limit.
And then he moved.
I could see him clearly — I could tell what he would do, but I couldn't move! Damn it!
---
Alaric's POV
I stood in front of Elric, my stance ready.
He took his stance too, but I could see several weaknesses in it. His technique wasn't that refined.
Maybe I shouldn't have asked him to fight — he probably wouldn't last long. And after what Seraphine did, we'd just look like bullies ganging up on him.
Sigh.
Well, I'll let him attack first. That way, he can build some momentum.
I waited, but he didn't move.
Fine, then I'll move first.
I went for my initial strike, and he blocked it. I didn't expect to win in one move anyway, but something felt strange.
I couldn't quite put my finger on it… but I sensed something.
Well, no need to think too much.
I started exerting more strength to break his guard and gain the advantage.
But I was shocked — he shifted slightly, twisted his sword, and countered with a 360-degree slash.
I managed to block it, but now I understood what I had felt earlier.
He's weaker and slower than me, yet somehow he's always where he needs to be. That last attack — if he'd been even slightly too early or too late — he would've completely lost momentum.
But he timed it perfectly. Flawless.
It wasn't the best technique I've ever seen, but it was the best he could perform. I could feel it.
Well, let's see how he handles this.
I started rotating our swords to push him aside, then planned to shoulder-check him. But he ducked right as I moved.
If it had been anyone else, they'd have lost balance — but I used his back to rotate to his other side.
Damn…
He's slower, weaker… but he can keep up.
Time to use everything I've got.
And I smiled unconsciously.
Oh, he looks shocked. Did he guess I was holding back?
Hahaha… well, let's continue, shall we?
I planted my feet and gripped my sword tightly.
He wasn't fast enough to react this time.
Was I wrong? Should I have asked before going all out?
Too late now.
By how he's performed so far, he shouldn't get hurt badly — a little, maybe, but that's how one grows stronger. Strength comes through pain.
I slashed — but something completely unexpected happened.
Seraphine suddenly exclaimed,
"Flight magic!!!"
He flew up and avoided my strike.
"Are you a magic swordsman?" I asked, astonished.
---
Althaea's POV
Seraphine asked me as we watched the match,
"Who do you bet on?"
I replied,
"Alaric looks far more stable according to his stance. I don't know if this match is a good idea. Elric might not last even ten strikes."
Honestly, I didn't think it would last that long.
Seraphine pouted,
"Aww… I wanted to bet on him, but now you've already chosen him. I should've picked first before asking you."
Alaric seemed to want to help Elric a little, but Elric wouldn't take the initiative.
Then Alaric moved. He was faster and stronger, but Elric blocked him — and even pulled off a 360-degree slash.
Such timing… I wonder if I could pull that off.
Elric was overpowered again, but he ducked when Alaric tried to push.
Somehow, Alaric saved himself by rotating over Elric's back.
Then Alaric began using his full strength. He's stronger than I am, though my technique is better.
But what happened next surprised me — Elric avoided the slash by flying away.
---
Adrian Lewin POV
Alaric came toward me. I could probably block him, but I might get hurt in the process — and I didn't want that.
So I "flew" away — at least, that's what it looked like.
What I actually did was teleport.
Why do they think I'm flying? Well, let me explain.
You see, I can see much better than they can.
Let's say I teleport to a certain height.
Now gravity starts pulling me down. But since my omniscient ability allows me to perceive even a 0.001 mm movement (actually even less, but let's assume that for now), every time I move 0.001 mm down, I teleport 0.001 mm upward again — and repeat.
From my perspective, I'm teleporting continuously, but the scenery barely changes.
To others, though, it looks like I'm perfectly stationary in the air.
The same goes for moving through the air — I teleport 0.001 mm up and in the direction I want to go, hundreds of times, for even a small movement.
To others, it looks like flight.
It only works thanks to my omniscience.
Back to the fight — Alaric now looked cautious, but I raised my hand and said,
"I admit defeat."
His eyes widened.
"Why?"
I shrugged and said,
"I can't fight properly while flying."
He nodded and sheathed his sword.
Now, why were they so surprised? Let me explain.
You see, there are swordsmen — those who fight with swords — and there are magicians, who use magic.
Swordsmen do learn a bit of magic, since it's useful, and magicians learn a little swordplay too.
But swordsmen don't start magic training early — they focus on their sword skills first. The same goes for magicians with magic.
Flight magic is considered a convenient spell, but swordsmen are usually advised to learn it only after reaching B-rank. Magicians, on the other hand, learn it much earlier.
Why? Because swordsmen aren't very good at magic, and magicians aren't good at swordsmanship. So they first focus on their strengths.
Then there are Magic Swordsmen — those skilled in both. They learn both arts together and fight by combining them. But they're rare.
Actually, you already know one powerhouse who's a Magic Swordsman — if you haven't guessed yet, it's the Second Sun.
Yes, Karna.
I told you before — he uses magic and even forms swords with it.
Why form a sword? To look cool? Maybe. But he can truly fight with it.
So, since Magic Swordsmen are rare, everyone was shocked.
Why did they think I was one?
Because they'd already seen me fight with a sword, and now I was flying faster than even Seraphine could at her current level.
It's only natural they assumed that someone who fights with a sword and uses advanced magic must be a Magic Swordsman.
But I didn't respond when Alaric asked if I was one. If Seraphine challenged me to a magic duel, I'd be done for.
It's not that I haven't learned magic — I have — but I'm not very good at it yet.
Since I plan to use Nature Force, I'm in no hurry to specialize. So for now, I just learn both.
Don't get me wrong — I can appear extremely fast and even seem to fly at incredible speeds, fooling many SS-ranks into thinking I truly can fly.
So why surrender? Why not just win?
The problem is — I'm not actually flying. I don't gain momentum. I can easily be pushed back.
Not exactly — I can teleport back after a little push, but overall, I'd still be forced back eventually.
So, I admitted defeat.
---
After the fight, Alaric said,
"Why don't you fight Althaea too? It'll give you more perspective."
Althaea agreed,
"Yes, I'd like to fight you too. Let's say I enjoyed your way of fighting."
Seraphine jumped excitedly,
"Me too! Me too!"
I laughed awkwardly and replied,
"Actually, I just came to see this place. I'd heard a lot about it. I'm leaving the city soon."
Althaea nodded,
"Well, if you don't have time, nothing can be done."
Alaric added,
"We can always have a rematch inside the academy."
Althaea agreed,
"That's true."
I smiled and replied,
"Alright, bye."
They were just testing me by mentioning the academy — they weren't sure if I was really a student. I didn't confirm it. Whether we meet again depends on how things unfold.
Alaric waved,
"See you in the academy."
Althaea and Seraphine said together,
"Bye!"
Shaking my head, I left the place.
A little farther away, my escorts were still watching me.
Lucas asked,
"Flight magic?"
I shook my head, laughing,
"No — just teleported so fast it looked like that."
Everyone looked shocked.
Then Brock started laughing.
I said,
"Let's go. Time to travel."
And just like that, I — on Flash — and the other Claw members on their respective Sky Dogs began our journey toward our next destination: the next Nature Force.
It would take only a few days, since we were already close.
I took a rest, having encountered a few members of the main cast.
How this event will shape my future is a mystery. Time will tell…