Wait, wait. Hugo, stop it,” Lucas rebuked, scowling at his fellow captain. “You’re an adult. Why are you acting like a child again?”

“Hey, hey, I’m not the one who offered the challenge,” Hugo responded defensively, pointing to the boy. “You ask him. Also, we are just going to stretch our muscles to loosen them. Why are you so serious? Right, young master?”

Lucas sighed in frustration as he turned and glanced at the young noble. “Young master, please. You’ve just recovered. It would be a big problem if you got injured, or worse, became unconscious again. The commander will have my head if that happens.”

Elysian smiled warmly at the worried captain. “Thank you for your concern, Lucas. Don’t worry about the commander blaming you for this; just blame it on me. Tell him that you tried to stop us, but I was just too stubborn to be stopped.”

“But young master…”

“Stop it,” Hugo said, chuckling as he patted the back of his friend. “The young master has spoken, and you have your alibi,” he stated. When Lucas was about to argue with him, he immediately added, “That’s why you look so old; you have plenty of wrinkles on that forehead of yours; you take things too seriously. Relax, my man, and just enjoy life, or you’ll just end up like Cedric.”

“You!”

“Let’s go, young master. Let’s finish warming up because I’ve plenty of things to do today,” Hugo said, leading the way as he strolled to the training ground.

“Don’t worry,” Elysian said, patting the arm of the captain before following the older soldier. As soon as he entered the training ground, he immediately felt something was different. Gone were the boisterous laughter of the young soldiers as they chatted their way through their daily routine. He could still see familiar faces like Yorick and the ever so chatty Winnifred. But instead of filling the entire area with their energetic presence, the place was full of tension and oppressive pressure.

Elysian immediately knew why. As he glanced around, he could see the intimidating stare of the gruff soldiers, studying his every movement as he continued his walk. These weren't the young soldiers he often met but the real ones, who were often sent to the fringes of civilization to face the monsters that threatened Ironspire. These were the men and women who would kill without a second thought if given the order. He could see it in their eyes, they were the same breed as him. They had faced death over and over again until they had hardened to the point that they had now become monsters.

Hugo noticed the boy looking at his soldiers. “Young master, don’t worry. My men won’t dare harm you, so you don’t need to be afraid,” he quipped, chuckling loudly so that everyone could hear. “I’m sorry for their deathly presence. They’ve been at the border for many months without any companions other than monsters and savages of the Great Forest. So please pardon them for their disrespect. I hope you won’t take offense.”

“Why would I?” Elysian responded loudly so that everyone could hear as he glanced at the captain. “These brave and selfless soldiers have risked their lives to defend the barony. Instead of being angry, I should be grateful.”

“Thank you for your understanding, young master. I’m sure the lads are happy to hear that,” Hugo replied, stopping at the center of the training ground.

As his two companions went and stood with Yorick and the others, Elysian continued to walk, standing in front of the captain. “How do we do this? What are the rules?”

“Rules? What do you mean? Let’s do it immediately,” Hugo said, looking impatient with all the talk. “Why make it complicated?”

“Seriously? Aren’t you shameless?” Elysian snorted, sighing in irritation. “Do you think I’m a fool? If we don’t make it fair and equal, it won’t be much of a fight. It’s better not to do it then since the outcome is already decided.”

As the two were talking, the soldiers on the training ground slowly gathered around as they grew curious about what was happening.

“Me, shameless?” Hugo asked before chuckling. “Did you just find that out now?”

‘It seems I’ve found my match. He is as irritating as me. Did my enemies also find it so frustrating that they wanted to pull their hair out?’

“Do you want to fight or not?” Elysian asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I thought we would just stretch our arms and legs. You did not say we were fighting,” the captain said, his grin widening. When he noticed that the boy had finally had enough, he added, “Okay, okay, I was just messing with you. If you want it to be fair, then let’s make it fair. I’m currently at the Apprentice Stage, which means I’m a stage higher than you. I will lower my power and speed by half. If I use more than that, I will immediately lose.” Glancing to the side, he pointed to Lucas and continued, “He’ll be the judge of that.”

‘Second stage. He’s in the Apprentice Stage, which is called Body Refinement in the eastern continent. If things are equal, he is twice as powerful as I am. That is, if we have the same talent and abilities. It’s hard to know that stuff, however.

Okay, this is doable. As long as we are in the same cultivation stage, I’m confident I can win.’

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Looking at Lucas, Elysian nodded, which the captain returned. “Okay, I agree,” he said as they went and got some practice swords on the side.

“I’ve heard about your fight with that old man. If you’re confident that you’ve defeated him, I’m sorry to say that you’ll just be disappointed,” Hugo stated, chuckling when he saw the boy raising a brow. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just giving you some friendly advice.”

Back at their positions, they held their swords as they prepared themselves to fight. “Do you think you’re stronger than the old man?”

“I’m not as arrogant as you, boy. I’m just saying that I can use my aura while he can’t. And I’m ruthless. I won’t go easy on you even though you’re a child and the son of my liege,” Hugo stated. When the boy just snorted, he added, “Why don’t we make a bet like you did before? One silver for the winner?”

“You’re not asking for one gold?” Elysian asked teasingly. “I thought you were confident you’d win.”

“I might be confident, but I’m not stupid. No matter what, I won’t gamble that much money on anything.”

‘It seems I’ve misread him. He isn’t a thoughtless, overconfident brute who only thinks with his fists. He has self-control. Well, this is going to be a challenging fight.’

“Okay, let’s bet, but I won’t gamble on something like one silver. I don’t need it. Hmm…” Elysian remarked, pondering for a moment before a smile spread across his lips. So that everyone could hear, he said in a loud voice, “Why not treat the fine lads who just came from the borders with a drink?” This immediately got everyone’s attention as they looked at the young noble, who just smiled at them. “What do you say, three rounds of Ironspire’s finest piss-tasting brew?”

This immediately got a laugh from the soldiers as they clapped and cheered him on. This small gesture from the boy quickly eased a bit of tension that seemed to have pervaded the place. “What do you say, Captain?” Elysian asked, smirking as he looked at the officer.

“What could I even say? If I refuse that bet, my men will skin me alive,” Hugo quipped as he received some teasing shouts from his soldiers. “Fine, fine, I agree to the bet. Don’t worry, young master, I’ll be sure to enjoy the drink.”

“Why don’t we start?” Elysian muttered as he channeled his aura into his feet.

“My pleasure,” Hugo responded, preparing to attack. “Lucas.”

“Start,” Lucas said, with worry evident on his face.

At the start of the fight, the two seemed to be thinking the same thing, as they did not make any movement; instead, they carefully studied what the other might do.

“Are you just standing there?” Hugo asked, chuckling at the dilemma of their situation. “Why don’t you come here and attack, so that we can start this fight already?”

“Tsk, you’re making the child do the work. You are really shameless, Captain. Aren’t you ashamed, with your soldiers watching?” Elysian muttered, baiting him.

The officer just laughed and seemed to enjoy the situation more as the boy taunted him. “Okay, you’re the one who told me to attack, so don’t blame me.”

Hugo suddenly disappeared before appearing in front of Elysian with a wide right swing coming his way. The speed was so great that he nearly missed it, even though he was preparing for it. Drawing from his long experience, he dove, narrowly avoiding the strike. Suddenly, the boy stabbed his sword forward, counterattacking.

Hugo’s eyes widened at the sudden attack from the boy. He did not expect him to make a move in such a situation. Though unexpected, he masterfully turned his body to the side, taking a gash instead of a serious injury, had it been a real aura-reinforced weapon.

Stepping back, Hugo laughed and said, “When I heard you beat the old man, I couldn’t believe it. Now seeing you fight, I can imagine. In the right situation and circumstances, there is indeed a possibility that you could do that,” he muttered as the aura around his body disappeared, seeping deep into his body as he tried to condense it in every fiber of his being. Suddenly, Hugo’s muscles bulged bigger, greatly increasing their power. “I didn’t expect I was going to enjoy this.”

“Hugo!” Lucas shouted as if reminding him that he needed to be careful not to injure their young lord.

‘Sh*t, this is bad. I do not know what he did, but it seems to greatly increase his physical capabilities.’

Without listening to Lucas’ warning, Hugo moved for another attack when suddenly a pebble infused with aura struck his knee. Instead of hindering his movement like it had when the boy used it with his other opponent, the pebble just fell before reaching the soldier’s body. Confused by what happened, Elysian launched another pebble, which was followed by another and another of his highly precise projectiles, hitting the same location again and again.

‘What just happened? My attack just fell, not even touching his body.’

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, boy, but that won’t work,” Hugo said, laughing as he took another swing at the young noble. “I’ve already heard how you fought the old man.”

‘Tsk, I’ve wasted a portion of my energy without getting anything in return.’

Elysian hurriedly retreated in frustration, before moving to his right to counterattack. However, his maneuver was met with a kick in the stomach. Luckily, he was able to raise his wooden sword, blocking the attack, which sent him skidding backward.

“Damn, that was close,” Elysian muttered. Just as he thought he had gotten out unscathed from the brief exchange, his vision blurred, sending him to his knees.

“Do you want to give up now, young master?” Hugo asked, grinning widely, satisfied with himself as he just stood there, looking down at the boy.

Groaning from the pain in his arms, abdomen, and chest area, Elysian steadied his mind as he inspected his injuries.

‘What the abyss just happened? What abilities did he even use? Or did he? I only saw a normal attack from his sword and kick, nothing special there. Sh*t, my body hurts like I’ve been beaten by a blunt weapon and struck over and over again.’

Still confused, it did not stop Elysian from slowly getting up as he racked his brain to understand what had happened. Finding no answer, he glanced back at the soldier, narrowing his eyes as he stared at his smug face.

“You better give up, boy,” Hugo said confidently. “You’ve lost. You’ll just hurt yourself if you continue to fight.”

“Never,” Elysian responded with clear defiance, loud enough to be heard by everyone watching.

‘I don’t care if I lose or win this fight. My only concern is the image I project to these soldiers, whom I’m trying to change their opinion of me and gain their trust for my plan in the future. If I give up now with such a poor performance, I will just ruin the positive reputation I’ve gained by winning against Jareth.’

Gritting his teeth, Elysian raised his weapon as he prepared again for another confrontation, when suddenly his wooden sword crumbled to the ground.