“Is that all you can do?!” [Arka]
Maya threw a punch at her older brother’s face, but he easily evaded it and hit her in the stomach. The air was knocked out of her from the powerful blow and before she could recover, another punch struck her in the face. She stumbled backward and somehow managed to stay on her feet. She glared at Arka who was obviously looking down on her, but her will to fight wasn’t there.
The two of them were in the training room of the Catallard residence. It was a vast room with white walls and a wooden floor. Swords and other weapons were hung on the walls, but this was a fistfight, so none of them would see their turn. Nearly twenty people were sitting close to the walls and watching the battle unfold in front of them.
Earlier…
When they reached Maya’s former home, Arka, who had rushed on ahead to report to the prime minister, was waiting for them. The guards accompanying Ryner’s group were dismissed and they were promptly taken inside the huge building that only the rich could possess. The three of them waited in a room until the head of the clan, Argos Catallard, finished his business and met them.
He was wearing clothes that resembled those of Arka, or maybe it was his son imitating him. The deep blue shirt was a vest that was tied by a black belt built-in at the hip. The sleeves of the black pants were slightly bigger and he had sandals on his feet. Although the clothes of the father and son were similar, the difference in stature was obvious.
He was a big, burly man in his late-forties whose body was filled with bulging muscles. Scars were visible on his chest and there was one vertically across his left eye. He had dark blue eyes like his kids, but his short hair was of a deep purple. He had ears and tail just like Arka and Maya, but they didn’t make him cuter. Rather, because of the perpetual scowl on his face, they gave him the air of a beast. In short, the disciplined warrior had a scary face.
“…” [Argos]
Sitting at a table, Arka had finished explaining how he met Maya and what she told him about being a slave. Once he was done, no one spoke a word. Ryner was on one side with Evelyn and Maya next to him and Argos was on the other side with Arka. Even though Maya’s father was silent, his sheer presence put a pressure on everyone around him.
When he looked at Evelyn, the blonde vampire reflexively stiffened her body and got ready for a fight. When he looked at Maya, the disowned daughter stared at the table with her ears hanging down. When he looked at Ryner, the sleepy-looking man yawned, prompting Arka to get mad at him.
“Human, don’t you have any shame?” [Arka]
He asked as his eyebrow twitched and his fists shook with fury.
“Sure I do. I just don’t bother to hide it.” [Ryner]
Ryner lazily answered while scratching his head.
“Why you…!” [Arka]
“Enough.” [Argos]
Just as the beastman was about to pounce on him, his father’s gruff and stern voice stopped him in his tracks.
“…” [Argos]
The head of the Catallard clan kept staring at Ryner to get a reaction out of him and gauge his strength, but the man simply stared back with his lazy expression. He had no idea if he was just too dull or incredibly powerful.
“Say…” [Ryner]
Ryner suddenly spoke to him while he was poking at his strength which startled him a bit, but he managed to hide his surprise.
“You’re the leader, so you’re the strongest, right?” [Ryner]
Argos wasn’t sure how to answer that question that came out of the blue and kept silent.
“My father is the strongest in our clan.” [Arka]
It was his son that answered in his stead with pride in his voice.
“Then, that makes you weaker than your dad?” [Ryner]
“T-that’s correct.” [Arka]
The question that seemed to have some bite in it annoyed Arka, but he told the truth because of his admiration for his father.
“So how many more are stronger than you? Three? Five? Ten?” [Ryner]
“None! I am the second strongest in our clan!” [Arka]
“Liar.” [Ryner]
“What?!” [Arka]
“I’m sure there is a bunch more and you just don’t want to admit it.” [Ryner]
“Keep talking and I’ll knock you down, human!” [Arka]
“Knock me down? If you’re not the strongest, how do you know you’re stronger than me?” [Ryner]
“Why you piece of…!” [Arka]
The human’s casual questions and remarks were getting on his nerve. He was obviously making fun of him even if he seemed like a defenseless, carefree individual that was thinking of taking a nap.
“Maya, how strong is he?” [Ryner]
“W-well, he’s…” [Maya]
Ryner suddenly began talking to Maya under this tense atmosphere, causing her to panic and fidget in her chair.
“Is he stronger than you?” [Ryner]
“T-that’s…” [Maya]
“Of course I’m stronger than her!” [Arka]
Ark practically leaped to his feet and slammed his fist on the table.
“… Really?” [Ryner]
Ryner asked with a doubtful look while tilting his head.
“Damn you!”[Arka]
“ENOUGH!” [Argos]
Just as the young man was about to jump on Ryner to punch him, his father’s booming voice froze him stiff. He reproachfully glared at the black-haired human before sitting down again.
“Calm down, I’m only messing with you. It’s not like you have anything to prove. So what if you’re weaker than her.” [Ryner]
The idiot put on a small smile and waved his hand at him as if saying that his worries were trivial. Everyone could hear Arka grinding the back of his teeth. His face was full of murderous intent and he was holding himself back from strangling the other party. If it was anyone else, they would have become too scared to move under that bloodthirsty glare, but Ryner took it like it was a breeze. His obvious fake smile annoyed the hell out of Arka.
“Dad… Please, let me fight.” [Arka]
He squeezed out these words between his trembling lips.
“No, like I said, even if you’re weaker than Maya, you don’t need to-.” [Ryner]
“YOU’RE STILL SAYING THAT?!” [Arka]
He was at his limits.
“Didn’t she tell you anything?! She couldn’t keep up! She was too weak and was forbidden from entering the city! How could I be weaker than her?!” [Arka]
The dark blue-haired beastman yelled loudly.
“Ok, ok, relax. If you think you can beat her-.” [Ryner]
“Not think! I CAN beat her!” [Arka]
“I get it, I get it. Go ahead and fight her if you want, sheesh.” [Ryner]
“MASTER?!” [Maya]
This time it was Maya who got up from her chair and stared at Ryner incredulously. Then, turning her eyes in front of her, she realized what she did and said with her two family members present. She looked like a child that was caught doing something wrong and quietly sat down with a meek expression.
“It doesn’t look like she’s too willing to fight.” [Arka]
Arka said with a mocking smile on his face.
“Ah, you’re right. Should we call off the fight?” [Ryner]
“No. A Catallard doesn’t run from a fight.” [Arka]
He turned his sights to his little sister and spit out the next words.
“But you’re not a Catallard anymore, are you?” [Arka]
“I… I…” [Maya]
Maya was panicking because of how things were progressing. Argos, who had remained quiet and merely observed Ryner, closed his eyes and nodded.
“Then, you two will fight in the main training room. No magic will be allowed.” [Argos]
His gruff voice sealed Maya’s fate. The huge beastman sat with his arms crossed and had his scary expression as always. His son arrogantly smiled at Ryner and his little sister and was confident of his victory. The beast girl wanted to say something, but looked like a scared animal and kept quiet. Evelyn, who had taken the role of the spectator, calmly sat through it all. Ryner, being Ryner, just watched them with his sleepy-looking eyes and casually scratched his head.
Under this strained air where not even a mouse would dare enter the room, the human male with messy black hair gave a thumbs-up to the blonde vampire next to him under the table. She responded by giving him the same hand signal. As always, her former foster father knew how to use his words and manipulate those around him. Put bluntly, he was good at annoying others.
“Getting tired already?!” [Arka]
One punch from Arka knocked Maya back and made her go weak in the knees, forcing her to kneel down to catch her breath. She was panting heavily and was bruised from head to toe. Her older brother was standing about ten meters in front of her. Around them were spectators that came to see the match between them.
“Our clan’s fighting style requires us to be fast and strong! Like the ferocious cardivore! How can you beat me when you lack both?!” [Arka]
Her master Ryner and her partner-in-crime Evelyn were sitting together. Her father was also present with his scary expression. Her mother was also there with her usual scowl. Her older sister and two younger brothers were also present along with many other individuals. Her older brother’s two wives, her older sister’s husband, the members of the branch family of the Catallard clan… All of them could see her pitiful state.
“You actually call some weak human your master?!” [Arka]
A straight kick flew at her. She crossed her arms and blocked it, enduring the stinging pain. She couldn’t win. He had always been better than her. He and her other siblings were always better. All her life, she desperately tried to catch up to them, but never succeeded. Her parents that had been patient finally kicked her out to save face.
A roundhouse kick cleanly connected to her abdomen and knocked her backwards. She struggled on her back and managed to sit on the floor. But, she made no move to get up. She was tired, tired of this result that had been the same for nearly thirty years.
Everyone could see that she was giving up and it was clear who was going to win. Maybe that was why they, who were dead quiet a moment ago, were now talking loudly. When Maya looked in front of her, she could see Arka with a frown on his face. His line of sight wasn’t aim at her, but at someone behind her.
Whack
“What are you doing, kid?” [Ryner]
A chop to the head followed by that lazy and carefree voice.
“Hey! This is a one-on-one duel! Step back!” [Arka]
“If I wasn’t allowed, your parents would have stopped me. Just relax or you’ll go bald.” [Ryner]
She slowly turned her head and looked behind her.
“Master…?” [Maya]
Squatting down and staring at her with his sleepy-looking expression was her beloved master. The crowd was in an uproar because he intervened in their fight, but since Argos didn’t seem to mind, no one made a move to stop him.
“What’s with those slow and dull movements? Did you forget what I taught you?” [Ryner]
He spoke to her in a low voice so no one else could hear them. Maya was too ashamed to look him in the eyes.
“T-that’s, well… Ow!” [Maya]
“Huh? I can’t hear you.” [Ryner]
She suffered a triple chop attack on her head.
“Did you forget what I said? Well? You damn brat.” [Ryner]
“M-Master, wait! Ow!” [Maya]
The combo didn’t stop. Even though she was already beaten up, her master was adding more injuries. Moreover, he called her a brat while being younger than her. She would have found it weird, if not for the fact that she now knew he was much older than he looked.
“‘If you can’t go back because you’re weak, then I’ll train you to be strong enough to waltz back in and shut them all up.’ I’m pretty sure I said that.” [Ryner]
Ryner’s words made Maya’s body go stiff. Her eyes widen as she remembered her first meeting with him and what he told her. Slowly, she turned her head until she could look at him in the face.
“You trying to make me look like a liar?” [Ryner]
He gave one last chop on her head without breaking eye contact. It was a weak one that wouldn’t hurt a child.
“I… I…” [Maya]
“You’re not a Catallard. Don’t force yourself to be one.” [Ryner]
Those words felt like a punch knocked the air out of her. Ignoring her reaction, Ryner gently began to ruffle up her hair.
“You’re Maya, my slave, my shield and my sword. I’m pretty sure YOU said that.” [Ryner]
This time, she felt like her breath got caught in her throat.
“Were you lying?” [Ryner]
Ryner poked her black collar with the tip of his index finger. It was something that he gave her, something that she always wore.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Something that she cherished.
“N-no…” [Maya]
She managed to squeeze those words out in a feeble voice. The dark blue-haired slave couldn’t pry her eyes away from her master’s face. Slowly, the anxiety, fear and frustration that gripped her heart when she came back to her city were leaving her. Her pained expression was melting away and a small smile took its place.
“Are you done yet?” [Arka]
Arka, who as standing with his arms crossed, asked with impatience and irritation. When he stared at his father to ask for instructions, the huge beastman shook his head, implying that he shouldn’t interfere with them. But, his patience was nearing its limits. Any kind of intervention during a formal match was forbidden.
“You heard him.” [Ryner]
Ryner patted Maya’s head and placed his hand on her back.
“Go get him.” [Ryner]
He gave her a light push and she instantly sprung to her feet.
“Yes!” [Maya]
She answered in a strong and loud voice as she faced her older brother once more. Her body that was in pain felt light and her ragged breaths became softer. Her gaze that was constantly wavering now focused on one thing. She didn’t feel like losing. She was going to win.
“Ha!” [Arka]
The moment Ryner reached the wall, Arka charged in with a powerful shout. He was going to take her down with a punch to the face, but Maya parried it with her elbow and immediately counterattacked. Her movements were faster and sharper than before. The difference stupefied him and he couldn’t react in time, causing him to eat a fist in the face.
With the sudden change in her actions, many were bewildered while others sharpened their eyes and closely examined her. They were a family of warriors after all, so most of them instantly started analyzing and scrutinized her new speed and strength. It wasn’t that different from before, but the way she now moved made it seem like she was a different person. Whatever that human whispered to her, it was incredibly effective.
“You already have plenty of training with your own peculiar style. Instead of teaching you a new one from scratch, we’ll build up on what you know. I’ll also give you some tips and a few tricks to help you out.” [Ryner]
This time, the fight wasn’t one-sided anymore, stunning those watching except for two people who were faintly smiling. Maya stood her ground as she traded blows with Arka. While she was completely focused on her duel, a part of her recalled the time she spent training with Ryner and what he taught her.
“This is pretty obvious, but try to blind your enemy. Sight is the sense that’s relied on the most. If ripping out their eyes isn’t an option, hit near them to cause internal bleeding so that the wound inflates and they can’t open their eyes.” [Ryner]
Maya blocked his strike with one hand and attacked with the other, hitting his left eye which made her opponent stagger on his feet. She used this opportunity to send a blow to his stomach and another to his face again. Arka gritted his teeth to endure the pain and wildly went on the offensive. His upward kick was stopped by her arms that were crossed in front of her, but it left her wide open. He tightly clenched his fist and sent it flying towards her face.
“Here’s a dumb way to block a punch when both of your hands are occupied. Make sure it hits dead center, ok? And try not to use it. It’s bad for your brain, skull and general health.” [Ryner]
Instead of jumping back to try and dodge it, Maya took a step forward and met the attack head-on. The punch impacted the center of her forehead.
“Argh! D-damn it!” [Arka]
Blood flowed out from the wound, but it was Arka that yelled in pain and retreated. He held his throbbing hand and cursed in a low voice while staring at her with a baffled expression. However, he quickly focused on the fight again.
“If their punches are too fast for you, watch their shoulders and line of sight.” [Ryner]
“UWOOOOO!!!” [Arka]
Arka unleashed a flurry of punches with all his might. Maya, without blinking, carefully watched his movements to read his attacks. She blocked, parried and dodged most of his fists, showing skills that weren’t seen at the start of their fight. The spectators who knew her as a failure couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“That’s it. Stay swift on your feet. Feel free to charge straight in when you’re sure you can win. Otherwise, move erratically. Don’t let your enemies follow you.” [Ryner]
The older brother tried to hit his little sister, but she kept jumping from place to place like an annoying rabbit. His fists were blocked and his kicks were dodged. When he managed to land a blow on her, he used this chance to get in a few more strikes. But, despite flinching from the pain, she didn’t stop moving and never took her eyes off him. The tide of the battle was changing. He was no longer in control.
“You can’t win, Maya! Just fall!” [Arka]
The dark blue-haired woman with animal ears answered his provocation with a kick along with a punch. He dodged her first attack and caught her left arm under his armpit. Finally, he had her pinned down.
“Don’t panic like a fish out of water when you get caught. In some cases, it’s a chance for you. For example, if he’s got your arm and it doesn’t look like he’ll break it anytime soon, drag him close and attack. While he’s busy holding down one arm, start beating him up. We were born with two arms for a reason, after all.” [Ryner]
Completely ignoring her brother’s triumphant smile, Maya grabbed onto his back with her left arm that he caught and pulled him closer. Expecting her to struggle, he was too surprised to react to her consecutive punches that repeatedly struck his stomach. He bent forward and let out short grunts of pain as she hammered him with her right fist.
“Alright, next grapple move that can happen. Lock my arm under your armpit and don’t let go. Now, I’ll do it to you, so remember it and try it on me next.” [Ryner]
The former Catallard sent a quick strike to her brother’s face which made his head jerk back. Then, she grabbed the nape of his neck with her right hand and strongly pulled him towards her as she fell on her back. Using her momentum to give her a push, she rolled backward and ended up on top of Arka.
In the face of the unexpected move that resulted in him lying on the floor with Maya straddling him, the beastman let go of her arm by accident. With both arms free, she began to pummel him with right and left punches to his face. It was a shocking and embarrassing sight for those watching. Not long ago, they were snickering at the disowned Catallard’s poor performance. Now, the most likely candidate to be the next head of the clan was getting beaten up by her.
“R-RAAAAAHHH!!!” [Arka]
Roaring to pump himself up, Arka successfully kicked Maya off him and hurriedly got back to his feet. He was disoriented from all the hits he took, but still somehow managed to stand up and resumed combat. Maya could have attacked him during that time, but she waited for him to make the first move which irritated him.
He sent a roundhouse kick, but she leaned back and avoided it at the last second. He quickly followed up with two straights punches and a left hook. His little sister dodged the first two and ducked down for the last one.
“The chin is a good weak point. Hit it and it’ll rattle your opponent’s brain.” [Ryner]
She jumped up like a spring and delivered a devastating uppercut to his chin. The poor man’s head jerked back and he lost strength in his legs. He fell on the floor with his limbs twitching from the shock. He wasn’t about to get up anytime soon after taking such a powerful blow. The winner of the match was clear. A moment of stillness fell on everyone in the room.
“That’s enough.” [Argos]
Argos’ gruff voice recalled the crowd back to reality.
“… Arka lost?” [Maya’s older sister]
The second eldest child, Maya’s older sister, couldn’t believe it.
“S-she won…” [Clan member]
Her family shared her sentiments as well.
“Impossible!” [Clan member]
No one among the clan members expected this outcome. Whispers of disbelief and exclamations of refusal flew around. However, they all shut up when their clan leader raised his voice again. The big, muscular man stared at Ryner with his sharp eyes for a moment and, as if making up his mind, looked at his son that was on the ground. A few minutes passed with no one moving, not without his permission.
“Arka.” [Argos]
When his first born recovered enough to lift his upper body from the ground, he called out to him. The young man turned his head towards his father. Bitterness, shame and frustration were visible on his face.
“Have you lost?” [Argos]
“No…! I… Can… Still fight!” [Arka]
With difficulty, Arka answered his father with a resolute expression and slowly picked himself off the ground.
“Then, magic will be allowed from now on. Continue.” [Argos]
Nodding, Argos declared and turned his gaze to Ryner again. No fuss or rejections were heard when he decided that the match would continue. The majority of the clan members also agreed with his decision. However, his wife, who was sitting next to him, did stare at him with a raised eyebrow.
The human with the strange white eye didn’t look shock or outraged that his slave wasn’t announced the winner. Rather, he was yawning and acting as if this didn’t have anything to do with him even though he brought such a huge change to his daughter. Or maybe, he already knew the outcome of the fight. Having arrived at this hypothesis, Argos hurriedly watched his two children again.
Arka, using his huge mana pool, pumped large quantity of mana into his body strengthening spell. The members of the main family of the Catallard clan were all born with vast mana pools and talents. Now that magic was allowed, there was absolutely no way he would lose to her who had neither.
Panting and in pain, he was still shaken from the previous blow, so he decided to put everything he had into one attack. It would be all that he needed to finish this anyway. The floor cracked when he kicked off and charged at her with speed that no ordinary man possessed. His raised right fist flew straight to her face and struck her cheek.
Although he controlled his strength so that his little sister wouldn’t die, she was surely going to need to recuperate for a few days. However, against his and everyone else’s expectations, Maya, who cleanly received his fist, actually held her ground and was still standing.
“Oh, and this trick isn’t that important, but you could try some psychological attacks too. It might be effective against your enemies.” [Ryner]
Arka withdrew his hand and stared at the side of her face with disbelief. It was impossible for her to endure that. She should have fallen already.
“No way… How…?” [Arka]
Maya, who had remained immobile, tightly clenched her right fist.
“Oh my, you held back? Thank you.” [Maya]
She slowly turned her neck and matched eyes with him. A chill ran up Arka’s spine when he saw her expression.
“What kind? Let’s see now… In your case-.” [Ryner]
“But I won’t hold back~.” [Maya]
“Punch them with a smile on your face.” [Ryner]
A powerful fist connected to Arka’s face and sent him flying like a spinning ball. Woefully unprepared, he crashed through the wall behind him and lost consciousness as the loud impact created a hole with cracks running around it. Blood flowed down his face and the faint heaving of his chest showed that he was still alive. The sound of small debris falling on the floor reverberated in the otherwise silent room. No one moved a muscle.
“… Winner…” [Argos]
One person spoke up after unfreezing. His voice was slightly shaken up which was a rare sight to behold.
“Maya.” [Argos]
Not a single person rejoiced, but three people celebrated in their own way. Evelyn nodded to her partner-in-crime and smirked at the stiff beastmen who had round eyes like saucers and mouths wide opened. Ryner watched over the victor with gentle, sleepy-looking eyes. Maya, although bruised and out of breath, was standing tall and sported her usual easygoing smile.
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*Author note* I'm thinking of changing the description of the fiction again. Anyone got any ideas to offer?