The first girl his age he'd ever seen.

She seemed a bit shy, hiding behind Gadi with a mild-mannered countenance. Her blue eyes met Archibaldʼs dark red eyes and they stared at each other for quite some time.

"This is my daughter, Milim.." Gadi tried to get her to be more open by gently drawing her out from behind him, but she was reluctant still. He gave up on trying to get her out and sighed instead.

She passed Archibald over to Michael who carried him briskly in his muscular arms. It was expected of someone who specialized in the use of swords. Whereas Amara was a Support Mage in her time.

Bending to address her, Amara told her playfully "You look beautiful Milim, and I love your name... Do you want to know mine?" even with Amara having an affinity for kids Milim was still unresponsive.

She hid her face even more. Burying it into her father's cloak.

"She's a bit shy.." Gadi chuckled nervously.

"It's fine, she'll open up soon enough... My wife has a good history with kids. Isn't that right Archie?"

Archibald blinked a handful of times in minutes. As if every second he spent blinking was a moment he wasted not looking at her, "The prophecy is true... A Dandere!" he screamed.

"Archie are you okay?" his abrupt scream got Amara worried, mostly because he was saying words she'd never heard before.

He chuckled gently, "Yes mother, I'm fine!" an energetic response which in its own was suspicious.

Neither Michael nor Amara believed that their son would know much about girls. Also, this was his first time even seeing one, their son wasn't like other children who loved the thrill of the outdoors. He had an innate fear of crossing the borders of his own home. Rather choosing to isolate himself from the other kids in the village.

Archibald still had his eyes fixed on Milim, he was absorbed by her beauty. He knew she had potential to become a beautiful lady if time was kind to her.

("I've totally done this before. It's the classic love story - childhood friends turned lovers. We start off innocently enough, just hanging out and having fun. But as time goes on, she starts to see me in a different light. And who can blame her? I'm pretty great. Eventually, she falls head over heels for me and we can't keep our hands off each other. The sex is mind-blowing, let me tell you. We decide to tie the knot and start a family. And you know what? We're still going strong, living our happily ever after. It's a tried and true formula, folks.")

"So, who am I teaching?" Gadi finally went down to business.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

They both looked at the pride of their life; Archibald as Amara and Michael uttered simultaneously "Here he is! Our little bundle of joy!" they constantly showered him with love and affection. As should any parent.

It took a lot of effort for Gadi not to laugh. He turned a bright red colour, proof that he held it for a substantially long time before he bursts out laughing. He couldn't help it at this point, from his point of view it was ridiculous.

Because a child showed signs of being an early bloomer the parents then believe their child has what it took to become the best Sword Arts practicioner.

"He's little! He's definitely not up to five! And what's the most ridiculous, a child needs to be ten at least to practice Sword Arts! Hahahah!"

("This guy's a bastard. I'm three yeah, but my stats with a sword are enough to face even those ten year old bastards who get to enjoy the luxury of practicing it!")

"Come again?" Amara asked.

It didn't take common sense for anyone to know that was a red flag. It was wise he kept quiet at that point and focused on finding something else to substitute for his misbehavior. Gadi knew to be careful of his next few words. He really needed the money.

"It's just, your son's too little to handle a sword, stamina and strength is one of the first things that must be built when practicing the use of a sword. I'm not sure he'd be able to handle a sword.." he spoke truthfully.

But Michael and Amara assured her that their son was a prodigy. After all they saw the destruction he wreaked at the backyard with the basic use of a wooden sword.

"Okay then.." Gadi reluctantly agreed as he scratched the back of his head.

Archibald wasn't comfortable with going outside, a fear he picked up in his previous life as Haruto Sakamoto. The fear of being judged by others and failure before even trying were the key roles that played in his demise. His lack of motivation.

He was so afraid to fail that he actually failed.

...

Moments later, Gadi and Archibald were outside, prepared for their first lesson. There was a stable nearby where Michael kept the horses, the plain fields there was where the two commenced lesson. It was about fifty meters from the house.

"There are four Sword Arts, those are Thunder God, Black Moon, Sky Lord and Sword Saint which specializes in speed, dexterity, defence and discipline respectively..." he was speaking a bit too quickly.

Archibaldʼs only saving grace was that he already read on this particular topic so whether or not he listened wouldn't affect him.

He paused to see if Archibald was on the same wavelength as he was. But seeing the boy made no request to refresh or recall any sentences, Gadi reluctantly believed he was moving along with the story.

"There are seven ranks used to divide Sword Arts in function and efficiency. Heliotrope, Azure, Cerulean, Jade, Amber, Gold, Scarlet... this is in the ascending order of strength."

So far Archibald was able to use Sword Arts to Azure (2nd) rank. An impressive feat for someone his age.

Gadi went on to explain that there were eight classes or ranks used for practicioners that in turn guage their strength or capabilities. Initiate, Savant, Advanced, Disciple, Master, Grand Master, Saint and King.

"You're human so you're probably not gonna go higher than Sword Disciple rank unless you really are a prodigy then there's the possibility you can reach Sword Master rank.." Gadi was a bit pessimistic but he was speaking based on actual proof. No human surpassed the rank of Master because above that rank were Sword Arts that required high mana output.

Humans were one of the few races with just enough mana. It'd be ludacris to say any one of them could go above the 5th rank, and also unrealistic.

("Geez talk about pessimistic guy, doesn't he know that I am the one who knocks? I'm definitely gonna level up in this world, prolly solo everyone in every kingdom. And let's be real, having a chiseled physique isn't just about impressing the ladies; although that's definitely a bonus. It's also about being physically strong enough to take down my enemies. So, bring it on world, I'm ready for whatever you've got.")

"Archibald! Archibald! Archibald!" Gadi called out his name several times.

He abruptly answered "Dungeons and Dragons!" he was thinking about sculpting the ideal body for himself he forgot about the importance of the lesson at hand.

"What did you say?" he asked the young lad.

Nervously scratching his head Archibald took some time to compose the right words to get him out of that question. "A bedtime story my mother tells me, it's not important.." it was a partly successful attempt but not the best thing to say.

Because now, Gadi saw him as mommy's little boy. Almost certain he wets himself twice a day. A record worse than his daughter; Milim.

"Now, I'll show you a Sword Skill.." said Gadi to Archibald.

("Finally! It's about to get Rome of Thrones up in here! Let's see what he can do!")

He was excited to see what was in store for him. Learning with Gadi, he was slowly getting exposed to the outside world, one he tried desperately to avoid.

The time had arrived, his awakening drew closer.