Chapter 12: First training (3)
After a few moments of silence, the dust around where the cadet had landed began to settle, revealing a shocking sight to the spectators. A crater-like indentation had formed in the arena wall, several meters deep, with a battered Krado lying at its center.
"What just happened?" Erin wondered, her eyes wide with surprise.
"He almost had Earhart... How did he manage to turn the situation in his favor?"
For the girl and the others, it was truly baffling. From the outside, it seemed like the orphan had nearly overwhelmed Raphael with his strength. But in a fraction of a second, everything changed.
"Wait, could it be that he..." Erin began to realize that Raphael wasn't just showing off; he had intentionally provoked the cadet to make him drop his guard.
She was right.
— Ha-ha-ha, unbelievable! At five years old, he's already thinking better than most adults, — Isabella said with delight.
In the castle room where Isabella was seated, a member of the Circle still sat next to her, stunned.
— Is that even possible? He just kicked him, — the man sat in a chair, lost in thought. — Even if he is an Earhart, he's fighting one of the most talented and experienced cadets of his year. How could he so easily send him flying without a weapon?
— Hm, I don't know, and I don't care, — Isabella replied calmly.
— ...
— As long as he remains a promising child who can become a pillar of the family in the future, I don't care how he wins.
Everyone watching the sparring match was shocked and excited by the turn of events. Raphael not only met the expectations of his family but also completely dominated his opponent, not giving him a chance to respond.
— Damn it... — Lucius muttered, watching the scene with irritation. He hadn't expected to see a clear defeat of Raphael, but he had hoped to find some weaknesses in the boy for future conflict.
However, the boy was demonstrating not only physical strength but also sharp intelligence and cold calculation. He used everything: his weapon, mana, and the environment.
If Raphael were ten years older, he could already be competing with Liliana or Aurora at the same age. This frustrated Lucius, so much so that he couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned to leave the castle.
Meanwhile, the mysterious figure also turned and walked away, fully satisfied with what she had seen.
Raphael stood silently in the middle of the arena, looking at Krado while casually chewing his lollipop.
"What an idiot. If you weren't so damn foolish, you might have lowered your hand for a block, and I would have broken my leg," Raphael thought, evaluating his recent actions.
"But thanks for making me look good."
By his calculations, it would have been enough to approach and place his rapier at the cadet's throat to claim victory. No one would have objected.
However, Raphael felt it was too soon to end the fight and secretly hoped Krado would get back up. He had come up with a rather "amusing" idea.
— Hey, what's your name... Krado? Get up! How do you plan on protecting my family in the future? — he taunted, repeating the instructor's words.
After a few seconds, the cadet finally rose from the crater.
The blow had been staggering, but Krado hadn't stayed down because of his injuries—it was from shame. If up until that moment he thought he was testing Raphael, he now realized he had become a training dummy himself.
— Forgive my ignorance, sir, — Krado said, standing up and bowing to show his respect.
— Hm? — Raphael couldn't help but be surprised by the sudden change in attitude.
"So, you're one of those who need to be beaten down before they acknowledge someone?" he thought.
— Now I'll use all the strength I have left. I hope you'll accept my strikes, — the cadet declared resolutely.
— You still have something left? — Raphael asked with genuine surprise.
Phah!
An unexpected giggle made Raphael turn toward the bleachers. He saw Erin, covering her mouth with her hand, struggling to hold back laughter, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Raphael smiled, noticing this cute side of the girl. But when he returned his attention to Krado, he saw that the cadet had already grabbed his spear and covered its tip with aura, creating several fireballs hovering behind him.
"Oh, so you can not only strengthen your body with mana but also use basic spells. I'd guess you're around the second stage of the Smoldering Spark."
This could be a problem for Raphael. He hadn't yet reached Enlightenment and couldn't envelop his rapier with aura. He also couldn't fully utilize mana, as he had only just started mastering the Spark. The only option was to dodge, but after Krado's words, which implied Raphael should take his hits, dodging would look cowardly.
Of course, if this were a real fight, Raphael would have laughed and done things differently, but now many important figures were watching him. He couldn't let them down. So, he decided to use parrying—a middle ground between blocking and dodging.
When Krado charged again, Raphael was ready. He took a fighting stance, tensing his muscles, and prepared to face the new assault, calculating every next move.
As soon as the cadet closed in, Raphael parried the first two strikes with perfect precision. But then two fireballs came flying at him.
Raphael quickly jumped back, using his left hand to push off the ground and rolled away, avoiding the attacks. As soon as he got back on his feet, the spear was already descending toward his face in a downward strike.
Raphael swiftly ducked and, adding mana to his rapier, forcefully deflected the spear to the side. A kick to his face immediately followed, but the boy reacted in time, blocking the blow with his arm, and leaped back once more.
Krado gave him no time to breathe—two more fireballs hurtled toward Raphael.
— Tsk, — Raphael clicked his tongue in frustration.
If he were still nineteen, he wouldn't have thought twice about such trivialities. But now, he was annoyed by how much time and effort he had to spend on this fight.
He dashed to the left, dodging the first and second fireballs, which exploded behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust. But just as Raphael thought he had successfully avoided the magical attacks, the spear blade flashed before his face, nearly grazing his hair.
— Don't get too comfortable, sir, — Krado smirked smugly.
— That's rich coming from someone who can't even land a hit, — Raphael retorted.
The cadet scowled.
"Hmm, I think it's time to switch roles," Raphael decided, noticing that after prolonged use of aura and mana, Krado's strength had noticeably waned, and his defenses had become less reliable.
Raphael increased the distance between them, took a stance, and instantly closed in on the cadet.
Krado's face tensed, bracing for the attack.
Raphael launched a flurry of strikes, mixing piercing thrusts with sweeping kicks. The fact that he used not only his weapon but also his own body made him a dangerous opponent. However, he still lacked basic elements such as aura and full control over his Spark.
Krado did his best to dodge and block the blows, but the speed and unpredictability of Raphael's attacks—something he had never faced before—began to take their toll. The cadet started to miss blocks, and soon his body was covered in scratches.
Despite his solid physical training, Krado couldn't withstand such attacks for long.
Attempting to widen the gap, he leaped back, but Raphael didn't let him. With a swift kick to the shoulder, Krado was sent flying a couple of meters, only to feel the tip of Raphael's rapier aimed at his eye.
Krado quickly raised his left hand, altering the rapier's path, but the blade still managed to slice his arm.
— Aghhh! — the cadet screamed, jumping back.
Raphael didn't miss a beat and, ignoring the cry, lunged at his opponent again.
The cadets watching from the sidelines were impressed by Raphael's precise and cold-blooded strikes. Even though none of them fully understood how Raphael was managing this, they all abandoned any doubts: a knight of this family was capable of anything.
Erin was especially impressed.
— Wow... — she whispered softly.
In all the time she had spent watching sparring matches, this was the first time she was genuinely awed by someone. The boy in the arena was only a year older than her and, as far as she knew, didn't have much of a reputation. But what was she witnessing now?
Krado, the top cadet of the fifth rank (the lowest), and the most promising among his peers, was being pushed back by a swordsman wielding a rapier—an often-dismissed weapon among the cadets.
Raphael had been relentlessly pressuring his opponent for five minutes straight. If he had faced an equal, the fight would have ended long ago, but the age difference was playing its part.
"Ha... I should wrap this up soon, or I'll end up as the punching bag," Raphael thought.
He had been using mana during his strikes to minimize its usage, but it was mentally and physically draining him. The fatigue from the prolonged battle was catching up.
Easing up on his assault slightly, Raphael allowed Krado to attempt a counterattack.
The cadet gathered the remaining strength at the tip of his spear and struck at Raphael.
Raphael barely noticed the spear as it nearly reached his chest. At the last moment, using mana, he twisted his body with a circular motion, enhancing his flexibility, and in the blink of an eye, he was behind Krado, avoiding the strike.
For Krado, this was a complete shock. He lost his balance, feeling cold sweat trickling down his back. But Raphael had no intention of giving him a chance to recover. Like a phantom, Raphael slipped behind his opponent and, with a powerful strike to the back of Krado's legs, forced the cadet to collapse to his knees.
Krado felt the ground suddenly vanish beneath him. He tried to regain his balance, but within a moment, the sharp edge of Raphael's rapier was pressing against his throat.
Lifting his gaze, Krado locked eyes with Raphael. This wasn't the gaze of a five-year-old child. There was a cold-bloodedness and determination in those eyes, reminiscent of seasoned knights.
Every movement Raphael made radiated absolute confidence. Even if Krado had wanted to continue the fight, he knew he wouldn't be able to win. The cold, penetrating look in Raphael's eyes froze the cadet in place.
Without moving the rapier from Krado's throat, Raphael leaned in closer and whispered just loud enough for his opponent to hear:
— You did everything you could. But this fight is over. You're no longer a threat.
Krado couldn't withstand the pressure. He felt the strength leave his body. In this fight, the victory was clear, and he had nothing left to counter it.
Finally, Raphael stepped back, withdrawing his rapier from Krado's throat, and calmly straightened up. Silence reigned around him. All the spectators were stunned, watching as a five-year-old boy claimed such a decisive victory.
— Let's call it a day, — Raphael said indifferently.
The boy's first sparring match, in which he hadn't taken a single hit, was over.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone