Another year had passed, and I was now nine years old, having recently hit a growth spurt that caused my height to reach the chest of most adult men.
I was glad about my increased reach, even if it came at the cost of new clothes, but Nina was quite upset that I was clearly taller than her now.
But that wasn't important at the moment.
With my legs crossed in a meditating pose, while my arms floated just below the water's surface, I kept my eyes closed as I focused on myself.
Not like I would be able to see much with all the steam in the air.
I was currently submerging myself in the hot pool of near-boiling water, but unlike other times during my training, this time… I had already been sitting here for over half an hour.
And it didn't feel like I would be losing my control anytime soon.
My battle aura was perfectly distributed across my skin, completely consistent and steady as it continuously flowed and cycled through my body.
At this point, spreading my battle aura was as simple as breathing, and the main thing that required such intense focus was keeping the defence enhancement maintained.
I opened my eyes, squinting through the thick plumes of steam as I stared at the boulder resting against a tree.
It was the largest one that Gal had assigned to me, and today, I had carried it around the pool with relative ease.
The two goals for my training… I had finally completed them.
I had attempted the Longsword of Light since I learned of it, mostly to keep building the technique, but each time I tried, it just felt like a stronger Longsword of Silence.
I was missing something… but now…
Yeah. I was ready.
Well… let's go see him.
I raised myself out of the pool, using a cloth to wipe off the water before getting dressed and heading down the path towards the town.
A few people nodded at me as I passed them, their gazes towards me were not what people would use towards a kid.
Instead, it held respect.
It was natural as to why.
I had become the youngest Advanced-rank swordsman in history, and was the disciple of the Sword God, something usually reserved for those who had already reached the Saint rank.
But honestly, I didn't really care about the attention.
If anything, it was pretty annoying, as some of the other kids that had reached the Intermediate rank challenged me, thinking that they could contend with the 'local genius' and earn themselves recognition.
Of course, they quickly realized why I was described as that.
It wasn't like I was ever worried about losing, it was just… useless wasted time, as they weren't even good enough to be a sparring partner, unlike Nina.
It didn't take long for me to reach the main dojo, and while the Sword Saint that was guarding it was hesitant, once he realized who I was, he let me in pretty easily.
Technically, those who weren't Sword Saints weren't allowed in, but it was usually fine if it was just a short meeting. Especially if it was me or Nina, since we knew the rules and were disciplined enough to follow them.
But hopefully, after this… I would be allowed to come here whenever I wanted.
"Hey… not often that you come here so late. You got a question?" Gal said as I entered the main hall, the two swordsmen standing beside him looking at me with intrigue.
"No… not a question," I said, slowly unsheathing my sword. "I'm ready."
"Oh? You think so?" Gal asked, an excited smile spreading onto his face.
"Yeah… I want to see if I can do it," I said.
"I see… you two, give us some space," he said as he got up, walking down from the raised platform where he always sat. "Let's see it, Vincent. Give me your best strike."
I lowered my stance, narrowing my eyes at the man as my battle aura spread across my body.
And then, with my sword held at my side with both hands… the world faded away.
All that existed were three things.
My body, my battle aura, and my sword.
I didn't even care about the target right now, because this wasn't a fight… this was a demonstration.
I felt my muscles tighten in my legs and arms in preparation, like a spring coiling, ready to be released.
My sword was held firm, not even a minuscule vibration present as it simply felt like another limb.
My battle aura flared even stronger, coating my body and infusing into it, enhancing my strength, defences, and all my base physical abilities to inhuman levels.
As a result, I felt my senses get stronger too as my focus briefly returned to the world.
The faint chill of winter nipping at my skin. The scent of burning wood from the nearby fireplace, warming the dojo's halls. The distant clacks of wooden swords from outside.
I felt it all.
And also… around Gal's body set in a combat stance, as well as around me, there was a faint glow… no, it wasn't exactly something visible, but I could still feel it.
That must be battle aura, right?
Well, that would certainly help my Water God Style training.
But this state of mine… this indescribable calm and focus… yeah, this felt right.
Everything felt natural.
Easy and simple, as if a casual sword swing could cut mountains.
With a final breath in, I took a step forward, pushing my battle aura to its limits as I began my sword's movement.
And then… light disappeared.
An array of colours flashed through my vision as it faded to black and white, the distance between me and Gal closing in an instant as I finished my sword swing, landing on the opposite side of the room in a crouch.
My ears rang as I slowly stood up straight, the colours rushing back to the world as I nearly stumbled at the abrupt change.
But that… it felt amazing.
That missing part finally felt filled, and the technique felt complete.
Honestly, a month ago I would even say it was perfect, but now that I was here… I knew that there was a higher level.
"Would you look at that… you actually did it," Gal said, turning towards me.
I was expecting a wide smile like he usually gave me when I progressed, but instead, his face was calm, with a mix of shock and… was that a hint of envy?
No, that's impossible. He's the Sword God, after all. Why would he feel envy for a simple Sword Saint?
But in just a few seconds, that expression faded away as he shook his head, bringing his hand to his chin in thought as he looked over me.
"I didn't expect you to get it this fast, but I guess that's what pairing talent and hard work together does," he said. "Congratulations, kid."
"No… it's all thanks to your help," I replied.
He stared at me for a moment, as if contemplating something.
"Right… anyway, you should go tell that daughter of mine. She might be pissed at first, but it'll just motivate her more," he said, walking to the back of the hall, where his personal room was. "But as for me… I have a letter to send."
A letter?
That didn't seem like something he would usually do.
But still… I didn't really care about that much.
I was now a Sword Saint…
I can't wait to see how my parents will react now that I'm on the same level as my father.
I know he's been excited about my progress, probably the only one more than Gal.
—
A month had passed since I became a Sword Saint, and while I was now allowed to live and spend however long I wanted in the main dojo, I… decided against it.
First, there was my parents, which I didn't want to leave out of nowhere.
Besides, I felt too comfortable living in my house, and while my father suggested that I live at the dojo, my mother was not as receptive.
Second, there was Nina, who wasn't allowed in the main dojo.
It wouldn't feel right to leave my best friend alone, and she had been worried about me doing so.
It was a bit cute to see that side of her for the first time.
And so, despite not having any restrictions, I only went to the main dojo to talk with Gal and to occasionally spar with the other Sword Saints, while I slept at home as normal and trained outside with Nina.
And as a result… Nina finally broke through.
"So you've finally become an Advanced-rank swordsman," Gal said, looking down at his daughter with a smile. "To do it at your age, that's quite the achievement. Well done."
Nina's cheeks flushed at the praise as she instantly looked down, but her expression quickly cooled a moment later.
"T-Thank you, Father, but it's not much compared to Vince," she said.
There was that inferiority again… I could only hope she grew out of it once she grew up a bit and realized how amazing she was.
"Don't try to compare yourself to that monster. Trust me, it's better just to focus on yourself," he said.
I wasn't sure how to feel about getting called a monster, but if it made Nina feel better…
"Anyway, that makes things much easier for the next portion of both of your training," he said, crossing his arms as he looked over at me. "Before, Vincent, even if your Water God and North God styles were at the same level as Nina's swordsmanship, your combat aptitude made it a quick and useless fight. But now that she's at the Advanced rank, you two should be evenly matched if you restrict yourself to using only those two styles."
I guess… and I think I knew where he was going with this.
"You'll spar with her using only the Water God and North God styles, and your skill in them will grow as a result," he said as he turned to Nina. "And as for you, by sparring against someone only using the other two styles, you'll learn how to deal with them."
"But Father… I only need the Sword God Style," Nina said, pouting a bit.
"Yeah, I know you think that, but that doesn't mean you can ignore the other styles completely," he said, shaking his head. "Just like reading and writing, there are some things that you need to survive that aren't just the Sword God Style. By the way… how is that going?"
Nina glanced at me before quickly looking away.
Yeah… that.
"She can read pretty well now, but her writing is… still in progress," I said, having found the right words eventually.
It wasn't like she was stupid.
In fact, when I introduced basic math to her, she caught on pretty quickly.
I could confidently say that Nina was quite the intelligent girl.
But when it came to writing, and most things that weren't the Sword God Style, she was just… very efficient.
A little too efficient.
The type of efficient that stemmed from a lack of care, wanting to just get it over with.
She didn't care about flow or properly connecting words, and simply wrote down the important parts of what she wanted to say.
For example, 'I went to the market to buy grain' would become 'I market buy grain', and sometimes, she would mix up words with similar meaning, like 'road' and 'path'.
You could understand the meaning of most of it, yes, but I wouldn't want her to be tasked with writing any important letters or literature anytime soon.
And as for the magic I had thought of introducing to her, if only so she could learn a basic spell for survival like Eris did with fire… yeah, that didn't even last a week before we both gave up.
"I see… well, that's good… I think," he said, obviously noticing my mixed feelings on the topic. "Anyway, you know what your next task is, Nina. But as for you, Vince, I want you to aim for the Advanced rank in the Water God Style next."
"Why the Water God specifically?" I asked.
"Because I don't know much about the North God Style. And besides, the Water God Style will be more useful for you," he said, drawing his sword as he motioned for me to stand. "I believe I've told you this before, but let's go through this once more, since you'll be focusing on this during your spars with Nina. The foundation of the Water God Style, Flow."
Right.
Flow was the main technique of the Water God Style, and it is what all other techniques build on. And while it wasn't one of the Five Secret Arts of the style, it is so important, and so strong when mastered, that it is often considered the Sixth Secret Art.
I had asked Gal what the other Secret Arts were, but he simply waved me off and said that I would learn it when I was ready.
Anyway, from how Gal described it when he first explained it to me, Flow was essentially the counter-attack technique that was learned from the Intermediate-rank of the style, but now using battle aura to enhance it.
Very similar to the Longsword of Silence, in how it was simply a single fast strike, the foundation of the Sword God Style, but with battle aura enhancing it.
"Come attack me with a Longsword of Silence, Vince. I'll remind you how it works, so pay attention," he said.
"Understood," I nodded as I quickly launched my attack.
The world blurred, but at this point, the speed was slow enough compared to my level that I could still keep up.
And so I saw it.
Gal's sword tilted gently to the side, rising to meet me as the side of his blade brushed against mine, directing my sword off course as his blade suddenly twisted, resting just before my neck as I came to a stop.
That counter-attack really was no joke… it was as if it sucked up the speed of my strike and used it against me.
"Good. You saw it," he said, bringing his sword down. "You understand what to do now?"
"Yeah… the battle aura… it did something," I said, scrunching my eyebrows in thought.
"Exactly. The Water God Style approaches battle aura differently," he said. "It's not meant to simply enhance their moves… although it does a bit. Instead, they control battle aura almost like mana, using it to perform techniques that transcend traditional swordsmanship."
I see… so the battle aura must have done something to the power of my strike.
Transferring momentum… was that even possible?
It must have been, seeing that I had just experienced it, but still… I guess I had a long way to go.
Well… might as well get to it.
"Nina, you ready?" I asked, looking over at her.
"Huh? Obviously!" she replied enthusiastically. "Now are you ready to finally lose to me?"
And so, our training began once more.
—
A couple of months had passed since my new training regimen with Nina, and with the coming of the fourth month, it was also Nina's birthday.
Nina's tenth birthday, to be exact.
Now while for Rudeus and Eris, it meant having a large celebration, things were a bit different here in the Sword Sanctum, as celebrations were usually limited to only achievements for swordsmanship.
Of course, that meant gifts weren't really a thing either, though the tenth birthday usually meant getting an actual sword you could use for a while.
But with Nina… I didn't feel like letting the day pass like that.
While she would be fine without one, she was my friend, and more importantly, she was a child that craved love and attention, though she masked it awfully well.
And so, a week before, I had gone to the town centre in the morning to see if there was a passing merchant with anything that would work, and as luck would have it… there was.
A singular earring, with a pretty blue gem clasped in silver.
It was beautiful, simple, wouldn't get in the way of combat, and the colour matched her eyes…
It was perfect.
Thankfully, despite it costing more than anything I had bought before, since I was quite frugal, I was able to purchase it without an issue.
I had the few hunting trips to thank for the income.
Anyway, with my gift in hand, that crossed out one of the tasks, leaving me with the harder one left to do…
Give it to her.
Well… here goes nothing.
And thankfully, she had come to me.
"Vince! Look!" she said, running down towards my house, a sharp blade held firmly in her hands and a wide smile on her face. "Father got me a proper sword!"
I walked out to meet her in the yard.
"I can see that. Does it feel good?" I asked.
"Yes! Well… not perfect, but that's because Father said I'll grow into it," she said, coming to a stop in front of me as she took a few experimental slashes.
I could tell that the weight was off from how she needed to lean a bit too forward, and how she needed to reset her stance… but it did seem to be a high quality blade.
Much higher than the swords we currently used, which were practically the equivalent of brand-named equipment, and not something that a Sword Saint would have as their lifelong companion.
I would have to wait a year until I got my hand on a real sword that I could confidently use for the rest of my life… that is, unless I became a Sword King and was able to get one of Gal's prized blades.
But ignoring that… Nina.
"Hey, do you want to spar?" she asked, flashing me a grin.
Doing a big speech didn't seem right… so I'll just give it straight.
Simple was always best for this girl.
"Maybe later… but first, here," I said, taking the earring out of my pocket and handing it to her. "I know we don't really do gifts, but I… thought of you when I saw it, so… yeah."
She simply stared down at the blue piece of jewellery, her smile having straightened as she processed what was going on.
"V-Vince, I… we don't do presents," she said, her gaze turning back up to me.
"I know, but… I wanted to," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"Why?" she asked, her gaze intensifying.
"Because I…" I said, my gaze drifting to the side. "Because you're important to me."
I kept looking away from her, simply enjoying the scenery.
The mountains were beautiful, after all.
That was it, the only reason.
"Vince, I… you-!" she stammered, shaking her head as she reached out to grasp my shirt.
That caused me to look back at her, only to see her eyes scrunching up as tears brimmed at the edges.
Huh?
"Nina, what-?"
"Shut up for a second!" she said, stepping forward as she leaned her head against my chest. "Just… why? Why do you make me feel this way… when I can't even compare to you…"
Ah… so that was it.
Ignoring how I made her feel, and what specifically that meant… she felt inadequate.
"Swordsmanship. Magic. Writing. Whatever it is… I can't compare to you," she said, her words choking up a bit.
This wasn't a random, childish outburst.
No… this was the culmination of her frustrations and feelings of inadequacy, built over the years that we had known each other.
I knew they were there. It was obvious from how she acted sometimes.
But I thought that her pride and drive to be better would overwhelm this feeling of weakness.
And that was true, for the most part… until now.
I gently put my hand on the back of her head.
"Nina," I said softly. "Don't say that."
She pressed harder against me.
"You keep thinking about what I can do, and how you compare to me… but you never look at yourself," I continued. "Sure, you're not as strong as me, but you're just as determined… no, even more so. You… you help me push myself to get stronger. Without that… I would probably still be at the Advanced rank."
She froze.
"The earring… I didn't get it because you're strong or talented, which you are… I just got it because it was for you. My dearest friend," I said, feeling her pull away as she looked up at me, staring hard into my eyes. "Because you make me want to be stronger… As I said, you're… important to me."
Her grip on my shirt tightened.
"But I… might never catch up," she said, sniffling.
"And you don't need to. It's not like I'm going to leave or stop being your friend just because I can beat you in a duel," I said, smiling. "Besides, while magic and writing might not be your thing… swordsmanship is. And with how much you adore the Sword God Style… I have no doubt you'll reach my level soon."
Her eyes widened as she hastily looked down once more, her forehead leaning against my chest.
We remained like that in silence for a few moments until she hesitantly spoke up.
"You… all of what you said… you mean that?" she asked.
"Yeah… of course I do," I replied easily.
It must have been a shock to the girl.
Here in the Sword Sanctum, strength meant more than anything else.
In fact, my close relationship with my parents was something extremely rare… though even that might be due to my talents, as they didn't need to treat me harshly in order for me to get stronger.
So the concept of someone caring for her, just for being her… that must have been strange to Nina.
Thinking about it now, I should have said all this sooner, huh?
Sorry… Nina.
"I… see," she said, her eyebrows furrowing slightly before she shook her head. "Then… I'll take it, Vince… the earring."
"Good… but you'll need to get your ear pierced," I said, letting go of her head. "I can do it for you, if you want. I would just need a needle from my house."
"Okay… lead the way then," she said, her tone much calmer than before.
It seemed that she had already bounced back… I knew Nina was strong.
My mother was currently out, having been called to heal some swordsmen after a duel, so I had the house to myself.
Leading her inside, I had her take a seat at the table as I got a needle from my mother's sewing kit, engulfing the tip in flames to disinfect it as I sat down next to Nina.
"Okay… you ready? It might hurt, but you can handle it," I said.
"Yeah… here," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear as she presented her head.
I guess it would be going on her left ear.
I gently reached out to her face, feeling her flinch at my touch as I stretched her lobe.
And with one quick movement, I stabbed the needle right through it.
As expected, she hardly even moved, as the pain she had endured during her training was much worse than a little prick from a needle.
Before pulling it out, I immediately healed the wound back to normal, leaving a perfect hole as I gently wiped the blood from her ear.
"There… done," I said, holding out my hand. "Here, I'll put it in."
"O-Okay," she said, handing me the earring.
Putting it on was quite simple, as I just needed to screw the backing after putting it through the new hole, and with that… it was done.
"There," I said, leaning back with a smile. "It looks great on you, just as I expected."
Her eyes widened as she tenderly reached up to her ear, touching the blue gem as a smile formed on her face.
"Thank you, Vince… I'll keep it safe," she said, standing up.
I expected her to ask to go back to the spar she mentioned, but to my surprise, she sat back down.
Right… onto my lap, her chest facing mine as she wrapped her arms around me in a hug.
"Uh… Nina?" I asked, feeling her hair tickle my ear as she leaned her head on my shoulder.
She smelled nice… like a fireplace.
I didn't really mind it, in fact, it felt comfortable… but still, this position…
"Quiet," she said, tightening her grasp on me. "It's my birthday, so just… let me do what I want."
I couldn't really argue with that.
But still, if this was what she wanted… maybe I would need to settle my views on romance sooner than I thought.
Deciding that I still had some time, I simply wrapped my arms around her as well, enjoying the comforting hug until Nina eventually took me back outside for a spar with her new sword.