Alfred shot awake, but made no noise. For the first time since his first life, he had been completely unconscious and defenseless. Every night he had made sure to train himself to wake at the slightest irregularity, so he was understandably shaken and confused. At this moment, he was working out where he was.

'Medical wing, huh? I definitely won. Was my use of HSM too much? No, that's not possible. I no doubt over used it there, but I can take that amount of mental pressure. I think my body legitimately shut down there.'

He sat and pondered for a bit, coming to the conclusion that ' The control I exerted over my body seems to be too much for my current level, but as a proof of concept, it was great. Despite the difference in experience, äura level, and technique library, I was able to win against a bona fide battle genius in a fair 1vs1.'

Alfred heard a few voices on the other side of the tent chatting. He recognized the main doctor and nurse, who seemingly shipped him and Jürgen together.

The nurse opened the curtain with the doctor in tow. Their expressions told Alfred that they already knew that he was awake.

"2820, you have been asleep for 18, going on 19 hours now. I'm sure you already know what injuries you sustained during yesterday's battle, and rest assured you'll only walk away with that scar on your face" he said nonchalantly. "I did a few checks earlier, and you seem to be rested enough. Leave within the next hour."

The doctor walked out without any formalities, leaving Alfred alone with the nurse.

"That boy is already out of the ward despite the beating you gave him," she chuckled. "He seemed absolutely smitten, though. Honestly, I might have heard your name more than I blinked by now. How did you do it?"

Alfred ignored her and threw the thin white covers off his body. He felt well rested but slightly tingly, which he guessed was due to some medicine he was given for a speedy recovery.

Feeling his face, he located a distinct scar running across his face from where Jürgen slashed him. He wasn't one to fret over such small things, and in fact took it as a reminder about how unpredictable techniques can be, and to not judge things based on his earthly knowledge.

The nurse took him ignoring her as a sign of silent embarrassment, giggling slightly.

"Make sure you eat well, you didn't take too well to us feeding you," she held up her hand that had a bruise on it "so you haven't had much."

Alfred's eyebrows furrowed. Still, he didn't have much to say since she seemed perfectly fine with the injury, treating it as more of a normal occurrence. Shaking his head, he slipped out of the bed and bowed in gratitude, quickly vacating the room after. Once his mind was off the battle, he remembered his rewards. Cysandoth was the most likely person to know how to claim them, so he started there.

In the enclosure, Cysandoth was meditating under the tree in wait. Once he sensed Alfred round the corner, his eyes opened.

"Master, should we gather the rewards now?"

Cysandoth stood up and walked over. "After you eat, then yes. We'll get the Manifesto item first, but I'm afraid that we must leave the weapon for later. You still have not mastered all the forms I would like you to, so we have no way of knowing what you are most suited for."

Alfred nodded. Inwardly, he was looking forward to how a high quality weapon felt, but that excitement wasn't nearly as pronounced as the opportunity to get a manifesto item or meeting the Empress Elanora Naji herself.

Thinking about his master's decision, he recalled Kororo. Over the past few days, he had been incessantly practicing the style with great results.

The movements and foot placement came more naturally when compared to Nidas al Djol, and the style overall took advantage of his natural perfect reaction speed and HSM as much as Nidas al Djol does.

Through his battles with the wisp, Alfred eventually picked up on its underlying effects. While Nidas al Djol has drastically increased Alfred's capacity to double task to the point where now he can memorize two techniques at once (not learn, but memorize), Kororo has given him insight towards controlling his movements. The effects of this are far more widespread.

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Alfred now has greater capacity to utilize HSM to its fullest extent. Furthermore, when using Kororo with a Claymore, his control over the blade skyrockets. Every time a small crack opened up in either his or the wisp's guard, the other was able to slip in like the wind and strike. It's not like the strikes delivered were "impossible", no, they were just precise. Incredibly precise.

Even still, there was one last effect of this precision. It allows Alfred to choose when his attacks land, within reason. If something "should" have landed a fraction of a second earlier, but lands later, it can really mess up the rhythm of an adversary. The opposite is true. Imagine going up to block a strike, just to realize it had already hit. Alfred already had the time to decide when and where an attack lands, now he is closer to finally having the control necessary to act upon these thoughts.

Alfred shook his head. 'The genius of the creators of just two styles is nigh incomprehensible! I don't even know where to start with making my own style! Let alone technique… thank god I have the opportunity to answer at least a few questions through the Empress.'

.

.

.

"We're here."

Alfred looked up to the sign above. 'The Exchange. Who would have thought I would get something so precious here?' Alfred thought. Looking at the clerk working the front desk, Alfred surmised that she had already been informed of his visit.

The area was quite open in comparison to many of the other rooms, making Alfred doubt if he really would be receiving something as precious as a manifesto item here.

Still, he went up to the desk and stated his number. "2820."

She nodded and entered something on her tablet. The process took quite a while, but soon an older man flanked by two guards came out of a hidden door behind the clerk holding a small box.

"2820, your pouch," the clerk said.

Alfred nodded, placing his pouch with his numbers on it on the desk. She grabbed it and checked something to confirm his identity, and since everything was in order, she signaled the older man .

"2820," he started, "this is what is known as an Item Compressor. Item Compressors are used mainly to store weapons and food when people are traveling. It has 4 cubic meters of allotted space, meaning that items placed inside will only take up exactly as much as they do physically. Do you understand?"

Alfred nodded. He had questions, but the man seemed completely uninterested and unwilling to talk more than he had to with Alfred.

"Good." He opened the small box making visible its contents. "You need not worry about growing out of the wrist band, it is made out of a form-fitting material with a lot of leeway. It shouldn't break too easily either.

"Now, send your äura signature into it so we can be done with this."

Doing what was asked, Alfred finally received the manifesto item and put it on. As advertised, it fit perfectly on his wrist, but he could easily stretch it like a rubber band if he slipped his finger underneath.

Alfred picked up his pouch and looked down at the Item Compressor on the same arm he was holding said pouch in. "Hmm…"

Sensing a connection, he roused his äura and witnessed before his very eyes the pouch vanish.

Internally, he knew that wasn't true. He could still feel its presence in the back of his mind. With his äura, he took hold of it. Low and behold, it appeared in his hand as if it were always there. 'What sort of mechanism is this? Is there even one? And… what else could a manifesto that could create something like this do?'

Visibly, it just looked like a wristband made out of fabric similar to lycra, and no matter where Alfred looked he couldn't find any openings or inserts.

"We have to go to the Empress now. I received the instructions on how to contact her in your place after you stayed asleep for long enough."

"Where exactly do we go?" Alfred asked. "It's not like she has time to wait in the same spot for this long, does she?"

Cysandoth smiled and shook his head. "Is that even a question? I don't think I need to answer that."

Cysandoth frizzled Alfred's currently unbraided hair. "First, make sure you refer to the Empress as 'Her Highness' at the very least. If anyone hears you speaking that, especially while still being a slave of the colosseum, you will be executed on the spot if I don't do something first. Second, the Empress has hands in everything, so you can't expect her to have time for you… normally. That's why the colosseum reacted so well to the special reward this time.

"Honestly, many would give up ten of that little Item Compressor for the same opportunity you have right now. Essentially, you have a high priority ticket for a meeting. Such a ticket may even override a routine meeting with the Prime Minister."

Alfred's eyes widened. "The Prime Minister…"

"Yes. I don't think I have to say this, but you must take this seriously. Don't ask stupid questions, and don't get arrogant just because you're a genius, since she is one too."

Alfred nodded obediently. Taking into consideration his current societal standing, it was surprising he would even be able to look at the Empress directly, let alone speak with her. After his initial excitement wore off, a twinge of unease crept within his mind.

He ran a much larger risk conversing with the Empress compared to fighting in the last tournament. There, even if he messed up, a Master martial artist was lying in wait to save him at the last moment, and even still, he was in his element there. All he does, all he thinks about, all he seems capable of dreaming about, is fighting. Having to enter the minefield that is conversing with a monarch who just happens to be one of the most experienced and skilled warriors the continent has seen is putting it lightly, stupid.

'Backing down now would be even dumber, though.'