(Cael's Pov)
It was the next morning. The previous night after meeting him, I honestly still felt pretty awkward so it's not like I had a blast or anything like that. However, even then I was still completely spent by the end of it, so I think I fell asleep surprisingly early actually, which may have explained this.
What do I mean? I'm talking about how I felt as if it was early, but wasn't fully asleep. You know when you're like half asleep, but also clearly awake enough to hear everything around you and understand that you exist? Yeah, that. I was still laying down of course, but my eyes were shut, and I had no real intention of getting up yet.
Maybe I'll manage to fall asleep again if I stay like this for a while.
That was indeed the plan, but… it was brought to shambles shortly after, by my doors slamming open, and what followed it.
"Come in, I told you he's still asleep!"
"Is it really alright to slam the doors open like that…?"
"Hehe, it's fine. Cael sleeps like a dead man!"
Of course…
I hadn't moved, although definitely startled. Was this really worth the effort? Worst case scenario, she's just here to wake me up, but my body felt a little too rested for it to be that time yet. So my conclusion? Nala was probably here with Cifer on their own accord, for some reason. And that, very clearly smells like a pain. So I was hoping that if I just lay down silently long enough, they'd just assume I'm asleep and get out soon enough.
"Come, come! Look at him, haha! I told you that Cael always sleeps more than all of us, and he's always late for breakfast."
"Maybe he slept late last night though?"
"No, Cael always sleeps like that. He never wakes up in time, ah, he does, but only sometimes."
"Is it that big of a deal? He's clearly just not a morning person as far as I'm aware."
"But Cael is really weird with it. Look, even if you pole and shake him, he won't wake up. Wanna see??"
"I'm really not sure if that's a good ide- wait, wait!"
"Cael! Cael! Cael!!! Wake up!!! It's time to wake up already, Cael!!!"
I can hear you even without shouting you little shit!
But I was still hoping for the best. The hardest part if anything was actually holding in my laughter. You know how when you're faking to sleep you suddenly feel the most unwelcome urge to grin from ear to ear? It was annoyingly strong here, but thankfully my annoyance at the situation was stronger, so I kept a neutral face.
"See?? He's not waking up at all!"
"Woah, that actually is a little weird. How does he even get up?"
She thankfully let go of me, but it didn't seem like they'd leave just yet.
"Uhmmm, well, usually the maids do it? I heard they take turns on who wakes him up every day. But sometimes it's me, Maia or Luna! He wakes up really fast when we do it too."
Yeah, I wonder why.
"He didn't wake up now though."
"Because I didn't try to wake him up. I normally do it differently."
Why does she sound so proud..
I'd actually rather have Maia's weird waking up habits from back when we were still in our village under repairs, than Nala. Maia was weird, and sometimes a little painful, but that doesn't even come close to Nala, in terms of how annoying it is to deal with.
And that, is because the little shit genuinely doesn't give a single fuck about what she has to do, as long as I'm out of my bed, unfortunately. Whether it's dragging me off my bed by my foot and making me fall, slapping me across the face, jumping on top of me at full force, or biting me and so on, all of them have happened. Thankfully, she hasn't woken me up too often though, otherwise I'd genuinely develop an early wake up internal clock, out of survival instinct alone.
"Differently? What exactly do you do…"
Cifer himself sounded either worried or shocked when hearing that. It seems like the dude actually has a functional brain at least.
"I don't do anything in particular, I just make him get up. Sometimes it takes a little effort though."
"Is that so…"
"Should I show you??"
"No, I think that's fine. Breakfast is still not done anyway, so we don't really have a reason to wake him up yet."
Cifer, are you actually a good guy after all?!
"Oh, I see. You're right."
"That being said, I am still curious about something."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Why does he keep a single black glove on the raft next to him, and his sword next to the bed?"
"Ah, I made that glove myself for him, hehe! Do you like it?? It was the first thing I ever made!"
"Really? It does look really nice, actually. I saw it on his hand yesterday as well."
"Of course, since he always wears it! Cael really loves the glove I made for him, since he also loves me a lot!"
"Haha, he's a great brother I'm sure."
"He's the best brother ever! I love him a lot too!"
I guess having a gremlin by my side isn't that bad after all.
Hearing my little sister say that while I technically "wasn't present" actually hit me differently. I have no idea how I even managed to hold in my blush or smile honestly, since that made me terrifyingly happy to hear. I have a great sister after all.
"I see. I'm glad for you then. And uhm… well, that also reassures me…"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, y-you know… since now he's also… m-my brother…"
I still can't tell if this guy is a tsundere or not.
From our interactions yesterday he kinda gave off both tsundere and normal vibes, but it is still a little early to judge his character completely… albeit, I do have a weird feeling of understanding of him, either way.
"…! You're right! And you're my brother too now… but I said- I'm sorry, you're also the best-"
"No, no, calm down. I think it's totally fine for you to say he's the best brother, and not me… I've only been adopted completely yesterday after all."
"Are you sure? I really think you're good too-"
"Haha, I appreciate it, but that's fine. More importantly, I'm still curious about why he keeps his sword resting next to his bed."
"Ah, that? That's because Cael's a weirdo! He really loves swords, you know?? But I think it's really cool too!"
Alright, that one hurt a little. Granted, the cool part did ease it, but come on. What's so weird about liking my sword? We live in a world with magic and all that, so having a great weapon you love is only natural, no? Even if not just a singular weapon in itself, at least having a type that you love, like swords for me, should be normal. I think. I hope…
"You sure are excited to call him a weirdo, huh? But either way, you two went out yesterday, right? I didn't see him have a sword on him when you came back though."
"Hmph, that's right! I didn't allow him to bring it!"
Ah… yeah, that did happen.
Yesterday morning, while I did want to take it with me at first, Nala was very sternly set on not allowing me to. As for the reason?…
"Why's that though? You said he loves his sword."
"I know he does. That's why I didn't allow him. You see, a while ago, we were out together and someone was mean to me, and pushed me down, and called me a bad word… and Cael almost beat him up! If it wasn't for Luna appearing then he would've been in trouble!!"
Yeah… it seems like I ended up impacting her more than that guy after all. Luna did mention that I had scared Nala, but I didn't think she actually felt so strongly about it. I figured that since she's still a kid, she'd just be confused at most, you know? Granted though, I did forget that she is still an Ashford.
As naive as the gremlin may seem, for her age she is still extremely smart. The fact that she didn't even allow me to take my sword with me yesterday just in case of something like that happening again, and me getting in trouble? That's enough proof.
"So he almost cut his head off, I'm assuming?"
"Well, I'm not sure… he didn't have his sword with him back then either… but uhm, he did something with his hand, and I saw something in his hand for a bit!"
"Ah… I think I get what you mean."
His tone… he definitely remembers what happened yesterday.
Although I still don't remember too much, I obviously do know the gist of it. Moreover above all, I remember seeing him making a blade out of something that looked like lighting magic. I know shaping elemental magic is possible, since I've seen Maia doing it before, but as far as I'm aware that's a ridiculously hard thing to do, isn't it?
I guess Maia calling him a prodigy in magic wasn't all talk after all. I'll ask him about it later I think, since I'm definitely curious.
"Yeah, so that's why! Imagine what would happen if he did have a sword with him, and Luna wouldn't be there to stop him!"
"I also think it's best to not kill people just for being mean to your sibling… but I'm assuming that wasn't the case for you two, was it?"
"Well…"
"I've heard some things about Cael before. Maia does talk pretty often about him after all. I'm sure that the guy that he almost attacked actually did something bad to you, didn't he?"
"… he pushed me, and I fell. But I didn't really get hurt, so-"
"I see. If that's the case, then I don't think I can agree with you."
"What? Why??"
"Because I'd probably do the same thing as him, haha. Not that I had any siblings before… b-but now I g-guess I'm an older brother, n-no? I.. I'd also n-not stand aside and watch…"
Dude, please decide on whether you're trying to sound cool or like a tsundere…
He sounded confident enough at first, but then suddenly shifted towards his previous embarrassed tone. This guy is really weak when it comes to family stuff, isn't he?
"Hmph! You two are both idiots!! I'm going to tell mom!"
Why am I also being dragged into this…
But as I heard her stomping get dimmer and dimmer, it seemed like she had left the room. I couldn't say for sure since I didn't really hear the door close yet, but it turned out that I had no need for a confirmation, to begin with.
"What exactly are we even being told off for…"
I thought he was talking to himself at first, honestly, which is why I didn't reply for obvious reasons.
"What do you think? Cael."
My eyes opened, as I slowly got up and sat on my bed with a slightly annoyed expression.
"If you knew then why bother pretending otherwise?"
I scratched the back of my head, crossing my legs and resting my chin on my palm.
"After saying all that, she would've gotten embarrassed if she knew."
"My, my. What a caring brother that you are."
"Shut up."
"So? I'm assuming you still have something to tell me, since you're not leaving me alone either."
"Am I not allowed to have a chat with my new brother?"
"You are… just not when we both have questions for each other, and definitely not so early in the morning."
"You really are a terrible morning person, huh?"
"This is me being cooperative, actually. If you hadn't stuck around, I would've tried to go back to sleep…"
I yawned. I wasn't lying after all. While my mind may be ready to operate, my body is still yearning for at least 3 more hours of sleep or so. Needless to say, I still would only get like 20 minutes at most even if he did leave right now, but regardless, I'd gladly take them if possible.
"You should get that fixed, you know? I heard that you want to be an adventurer, but how do you expect to do that when you can't even wake up early?"
"Since when does being an adventurer require an early schedule to begin with…"
"Since always, you lazy owl."
I stretched my arms, and for a second, and I mean really just a tiny little second, no, a fraction of that, getting up did cross my mind. However, as I just said earlier… I still wanted to sleep more. Which is why, as soon as my stretching was over, I laid back down.
"Wait, seriously…?"
"I still have time until breakfast, so why should I get up yet? I told you there's too many things that need to be said, and it's too early for that. Wait until after breakfast or something…"
"Do you not have any shame? Both twins are already up, you know?"
"Don't you have any shame… I feel like the way you talk to me and the way you talk with literally anyone else in our family are vastly different."
"You're basically the same age as me, and on top of that we also have what happened yesterday. The others didn't try to jump me on sight, last time I checked."
"And last time I checked, the exact same thing happened to me, so what now?"
"…fine. You do have a point. We'll talk about it after breakfast then. I have a bunch of questions after all."
I didn't reply, since I had already turned around with my back facing the doors, but I heard him get out and close them behind himself. I had just as many questions, honestly. Nothing about this guy was ordinary, no matter how much I thought about it.
His vocabulary was clearly not that of a 7 year old, even putting aside both the fact that people in this world mature faster and that he'll soon be 8, those don't matter. Add Maia saying he's a greater prodigy than Mio when it comes to magic on top of that, his background as a former orphan kept by the sentinels themselves, and the fact that he's clearly just too smart for his age?
Yeah, I'd hope that no one is even doubting it at this point anymore. There's been cases where I've been a little put off by Nala for example, when she showcased how creepy a prodigy can truly be… but this guy may just be in his own league.
For the next half an hour ish or so, I couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard I tried, with the reason for it being obvious. I thought it would've been best not to mention it yesterday right after it happened so I didn't think much about it, but the amount of questions I had now was increasing by the minute.
Breakfast went by pretty silently, on my end at least too, since for once I was actually focused more on finishing my food and getting out of there as quickly as possible, more than anything else. It seems like he felt the same way too however, since we both finished eating around the same time.
Shouldn't a kid that just got adopted yesterday be a little more awkward, or at least shy, the next day at breakfast? Normally that's what I'd imagine… but well, I could just be wrong there to be fair, so let's not get into that aspect of it. What I do think that's worth mentioning however, is how it seemed almost as if everyone at the table understood what was going on, and intentionally didn't even interact much with either one of us.
Be it us being oblivious or them being too understanding, but regardless, after we both thanked mom for the food, we ran straight outside, and into the backyard. As mentioned before, that place is indeed huge. Not only does it have more than 1 garden for flowers, but there's also an area designed for practice/training.
There's a few dummies spread around openly even, which seem to have some kind of regeneration spell active on them too by the way. I've used them pretty much every day unless I simply had no time like yesterday, and no matter how many times I break them, they're back to brand new within the next few seconds, which is really useful.
We were both slightly out of breath, but it didn't matter now, since we arrived.
"You run a lot faster… than expected… with that scrawny body of yours…"
"Speak for…yourself… not even a monkey would be as buff as you are at… your age. I'm surprised you can even run…"
I wiped off the few sweat drops off my forehead, then took a deep breath. It was more than enough to completely reset my mental and physical state, enough to regain composure. Unsurprisingly however, shortly after that, he did the exact same.
This guy… Is he a copy cat or what?
But more importantly, I didn't feel like wasting any time beating around the bush, so I went straight to my first question.
"Yesterday, I'm assuming you're just as confused as I am, huh? Do you have any idea why we reacted that way to seeing each other?"
"None… I'm just as curious as you are. It felt as if my body moved on its own, and I don't really remember much of it."
"Same here. When I regained control, we were both already detained after all…"
"There is something I do remember thinking during it though, actually. Thinking about it pisses me off honestly, but it is definitely true. It was right before we were held back."
"It pisses you off? So what, did you think you were going to lose or something?"
But although I said that jokingly, it turns out that…
"That's right. As our blades were nearing each other, I remember it very clearly. I thought "this guy… I can't keep up." But then Maia grabbed my collar."
"Can't keep up? What does that mean?"
Saying I was surprised would've been an understatement. I tilted my head slightly, as I sat down with my legs crossed on the grass. But as I waited for his reply, a hazy memory came to mind as well, which should have taken place around the same time.
Now that I think about it, just before Luna grabbed me…
I was thinking that as soon as our swords would clash, the victory would be mine. But of course, we were interrupted right before any winner could be decided.
"I can't say for sure, since my mind is still mostly blank when it comes to the actual charge… but it's something that I usually do, so I'm sure it was the case this time as well."
"Hm? Can you not beat around the bush so much… just tell me already, you're starting to piss me off."
He sighed, then sat in front of me, with a knee up. Then while looking at the ground and completely ignoring my comment, he continued.
"I have really good eyes. It's not like they have any kind of special ability or anything, it's really just great sight plus instinct. Which is why, I'm able to copy a lot of physical moves, as we progress simultaneously. I don't need to have seen them beforehand, although that does help. Once I do something, my body integrates it pretty much permanently."
My eyes widened. Wasn't this bastard practically cheating at this point?? And he's saying it's not any kind of ability either, just straight skill? What kind of fucking genetic lottery did he win? Was he a saint in his previous life or something? No, not even that may be enough at this point. Shit, this guy may as well have been specifically made by a God himself at this point.
"Since when we came to our senses we were both holding blades made by each other, I will go ahead and say that I didn't really copy that one in principle however."
He paused, then opened his palm. From it, a ball of lighting magic appeared, then it began changing rapidly but steadily, into different shapes.
"It's something I've been able to do from as soon as I could use magic after all. Though in this case, given the fact that I most likely copied your swing and trajectory as well, I may have also made a blade because you did."
"So you really are just a copycat after all…"
"Regardless of that. Something here is pretty clear to me at least now. Your sword skill is not ordinary, whatsoever. I heard somewhere that you even helped recruits train their swordsmanship before, now that I think about it. I think that the reason I thought I couldn't keep up right before our swords met, is because I could sense that I'd lose the clash. As I said, I have really good eyes and instincts after all."
My lips curled upwards in a smug grin, as I couldn't help but snark happily ever so slightly.
"I guess it can't be helped, right? I am a really good swordsman after all, hehe… it's only natural that you couldn't keep up with me, yep, yup. Don't worry too much about it, Cifer. Even filthy creepy prodigies like you have a limit. And I just so happen to be yours, when it comes to swordsmanship-"
"I know. And that's exactly what got me so curious."
"Hm?"
His tone was so serious that it pretty much instantly brought me back into composure.
"What do you mean? I'm just better with a sword, isn't that all?"
"That would've been it, normally. But there's a bigger issue here. While under the care of the Sentinel Orphanage, before I was left to my own place separated from the others, we all took lessons collectively."
"Cifer, you… are you actually a loner?"
"Do you want me to hit you?"
"Go on. I won't interrupt again."
"…as I was saying. Though it wasn't for a long time, I was also able to receive some training under really capable people. While you did train some recruits with their swordsmanship, it was just a small fraction. Plenty of other recruits are masterful swordsmen, which is why they're in that division to begin with."
"Once, although it didn't happen again, the top ranked amidst the entire swordsmen division in terms of skill had come to train us. It consisted mostly of technique practice, with his guidance and demonstrations… but we did also have sparring sessions, one on one with him."
Sounds pretty similar to what I did, honestly.
The story itself wasn't necessarily boring by itself, but I wasn't really seeing the full picture of what he was trying to say. Of course, I'd be an idiot if I didn't get the full picture… but nonetheless, I decided to wait and see, while holding back a yawn in the meanwhile.
"The others stood no chance. Every single kid lost, but that much should be expected from the most skilled swordsman recruit. I myself also ended up losing for that matter."
"However… Even though I wasn't able to win in the end, for most of our sparring which lasted around 2 minutes total, I was able to copy his movements, and keep up with them… unlike with you."
So in the end it did go this route after all… huh?
I can't say I wasn't expecting it. I can try to be humble about it as much as I want, but at the end of the day facts are not something you can simply deny. Obviously, it's not like I believe in the best or anything like that, but I'm also sure that I'm far from the norm.
"So? There's plenty of sword styles. Maybe his was just easier for you to keep up with. You're pretty scrawny after all."
"That's not wrong. But I still don't get it. You called me a creepy prodigy earlier, but aren't you one yourself? Even putting aside sword style differences, we hadn't even clashed, yet I could tell that there was simply no way I'd be able to keep up with you, even though I was able to hold my food for 2 minutes or so with someone that should be more skilled in principle."
"…"
"Why do you not act like you're just good with a sword? You even sleep with it next to you, and you've trained recruits, all while being only a kid."
"Does it matter? There's no real reason for it either, to begin with. I just don't feel like keeping my head up too high. There could still be plenty of people better than me."
I was feeling a little uncomfortable now. But the worst thing had to be the fact that I didn't know why. I felt nauseous when faced with the thought. Why do I think I'm simply good with it? Why am I just confident about it, and why do I not acknowledge being a prodigy with it.
Why am I so attached to my sword? Why am I so good with them? Why do I feel so much safer and comfortable when I have one with me? I don't know the answer to either one of those questions. Why would I? I just did kendo in my previous life, so it stuck to me. That's all. That… should be all…
"It's not like I'm telling you to go around saying you're better than everyone. But you don't really act in any way, which is weirder. You're clearly aware and confident in your skill, and you're not even afraid of saying that to reporters, yet you're this uncomfortable when being faced with accepting that you're a prodigy."
"Why wouldn't I be uncomfortable with it? Being a prodigy is… not something that I'm interested in. Does it matter if I don't act in any way regarding my skill? As far as I'm concerned, as long as I can do my job as an adventurer in the future, that's all that matters. I don't need to be loud about my skill to properly kill a monster, do I?"
"You don't. But at the same time, you're forgetting the most important part here."
"What are you even talking about at this point? If you're just trying to mess with me, then you're really better off cutting it off before-"
"Why do adventurers kill, to begin with? Whether it's a monster or another human. Of course, not every adventurer does that to begin with, since some are just too weak to go on physical quests. But those who do, and do it constantly… Why do they?"
I froze. I could feel a few sweat droplets forming on my face, while my eyes glued themselves to the ground.
"You know that already, don't you? It's something so obvious that anyone aspiring to be an adventurer knows by heart. It's to save people. You kill in order to protect. You use your blade to save. That's what a high ranking adventurer does."
"Recruits do the same of course, but in their case it's more silent, and collective for the entire continent. Killing monsters or people that are simply too dangerous for society as a whole. But adventurers do the same thing for a smaller group of people, with less money and requirements. That's why they're more liked by the general people, but I'm sure you already know that."
There's no way I wouldn't know that much. That's the essence of an adventurer after all.
But even then, I still couldn't lift my head. I still couldn't speak. And I was still uncomfortable, with the words that I knew would come out of his mouth soon.
"Cael, Maia talks about you pretty often, so I do know some things about you. On top of that, there's the alley incident that was talked about in the alley as well, alongside that in front of the gates."
Stop it…
"That's why, I was curious. But ever since earlier, my curiosity deepened, because of how hesitant you seem to be when acknowledging this."
It's not like that. It's really not.
"You're clearly more skilled than the average, hell, maybe even than anyone else given your age, and current level. You could ease up the minds of those who you will save eventually as an adventurer with just your presence alone if you acted more confident about it."
It doesn't matter. That's not the case. Stop trying to make me look better than I am.
"You could become a true hero in the eyes of society, that would reassure people of their safety as soon as they'd see you. It's not a hard thing either, since you're more than skilled enough for that. All you'd have to do is just try and make the blade your personal public image."
""Cael Ashford. The adventurer whose blade exceeds his name. Everyone is left speechless when they see it in action, as no one else seems to be able to make it do what he does. If it's in his hands… then you'll surely be safe, once he arrives. Even without facing you directly, as long as you see that he's holding a blade, then you should know. You're safe." Or something like that."
"It wouldn't be hard to push that narrative, you know? You could enter the adventurer field in 2 years with your skill preceding your debut, yet you're doing nothing. Why is that?"
But surprisingly… Once I heard him finish his little speech, I actually calmed down instantly. My mind cleared up for some reason, and I felt myself smiling even. I wonder why. Why was I feeling so weird about this? But also, was my smile even a normal one? I'm not sure. It didn't feel like it, but I also couldn't tell.
Regardless though, as I looked up and straight at him, I could reply without any issues, so that's all that matters.
"I just don't think it matters."
"Did you even hear anything of what I said…?"
"I heard it all. Annoyingly well, actually. But even so, my answer doesn't change, and the reason is simple."
He seemed confused, haha. I guess that can't be helped. Our views on the matter seemed to be polar opposites after all. That meant I had to be clearer when answering.
"I do get what you mean, don't get me wrong. Someone that can confidently acknowledge their skill, to a point where they can make it their public image are reassuring. Especially if they have the capabilities to back up their words too. I'm sure many love those kinds of people, and admire them."
"Then why-"
"But I don't really think that's a style that fits me. It's not like I want to become an adventurer just to save people. I don't like playing the hero, and I have no intention of becoming one. If I do help someone, it's because it's the right thing to do, and no other reason."
"Are you hearing yourself?! That's-"
"I want to become an adventurer because it sounds like a fun thing. It's something I've always dreamed about, that's all. If I have to save people in order to maintain my position as one in the future, then so be it. I have no issues with doing it."
"…"
"If I'll be saving them regardless of whether I want to or not, then I don't think I have the right to act like someone whose main goal is reassuring and saving others, unlike me."
"Even if I was the single best swordsman in the world, it wouldn't make a difference. I'm still just myself, not a hero. That's not all either though, since even putting aside my own feelings regarding the matter, I think you're wrong when it comes to something."
"What's that supposed to be?"
"The fact that I would need to actually act like I'm a prodigy, for others to acknowledge me as one."
His eyes widened, for the first time since I began talking. I didn't even know he could make such an expression, since until now he'd been fairly straightforward and composed. It was funny, that's for sure. I could continue with an even lighter heart seeing it.
"If I'll be saving people anyway, word will spread. That little commentary you made regarding a hypothetical future… it's not something I need to do anything in particular towards achieving it. Not that it's my goal to begin with, for the record though."
"If my blade will exceed my name, then that will happen regardless of whether my words boost it or not. People will talk regardless, and I'm sure you already know how much they love doing that either way."
"People admire people that are able to reassure them with their capabilities, but above all they admire those capabilities to begin with, don't they? So if the only variable factor is whether or not I boost it, which is also not something I'm comfortable with, then I don't see why it would matter."
I got up, as I looked at him confidently this time, while making a sword out of mana in my right hand.
"You've already said it yourself. I'm aware of how skilled I am, and I have no issues admitting it. But I don't care about claiming to be a prodigy or the best. All I want to do is do my job, and do it successfully."
"So get up. I also have a bunch of questions for you after all, since I still think you are the creepier prodigy here. But those can wait for a little, since before that, I'll show you what I mean."
He still hadn't opened his mouth, but nonetheless he did as I said and got up. I turned towards the dummies that were on my right, and pointed towards them with my sword.
"For this demonstration, put yourself in the shoes of someone that's about to be attacked by those couple of dummies."
I said while walking behind him, around 10 steps or so, and he took a few steps closer to them.
"You're hopeless. No one's around to save you. You're incomprehensibly weaker than those dummies. You will soon die."
I kept talking, while also starting the demonstration. With steady steps towards him, I readied my blade, and began creating a mana attack at its tip.
"You're scared. No, terrified. You're screaming, you're panicking, you're praying that something will happen, anything, to change your fate."
He was a surprisingly good actor too, by the way. Hell, he even dropped on to the ground, while looking at the dummies.
"But just as they're about to take your life away from you…"
Sending it above his head, thinning and spreading it out enough to cut all of the dummies' heads off at the same time, I paused my sentence. Then, I walked up until I was around 5 steps ahead of him, and turned my head backwards just enough to glance back at him, with a smile on my face and while still holding my sword.
"But then a completely normal adventurer arrives, saving it. Ah, well… though I guess I didn't display any actual swordsmanship now… but regardless, I did use it so it should still count? Anyway!. Regardless of the details, let me ask you one thing."
His eyes, still wide open as he looked upwards at me, seemed to glow for just a moment. I guess he did get my point after all.
"If you really were in that situation, and things played out that way… even if your savior was someone that didn't make an image for himself as a swordsman prodigy, would you hesitate in spreading word about his capabilities? … again, assuming I'd actually use my sword in a more relevant matter at least."
Smiling understandingly, he extended his arm towards me, and I helped him get up while he replied,
"I'd definitely… spread the word about him, as much as I could."