Capítulo 11: First training (2)
A dark-haired four-year-old girl sat in the bleachers, bored as she watched a boy from the Earhart family struggle to stay awake, just as she was, while listening to the instructor's tedious lecture.
The orphans were not allowed to leave the training ground without permission, even if they had finished their exercises.
Erin had no choice but to sit and wait until the child from the main family completed his training.
Just as she was about to doze off, her attention was drawn to the boy, who suddenly stared at her with a shocked expression on his face.
"Why is he looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with my clothes?"
Erin was dressed in the standard cadet uniform: a black shirt with a personal number on the left side of her chest and loose trousers tucked into boots.
Nothing unusual, except for the bluish runes visible on her left arm.
"Maybe it's because of them?" she wondered.
She didn't know why she had these runes. For as long as she could remember, they had always been with her.
They were the reason she sat alone now, while the other kids chatted happily in their groups.
Although Erin was a pretty girl, often catching the eyes of boys, she was still regularly teased and called "marked."
There were even times when she was found beaten in a corner of the dormitory, simply because she had caught the attention of one of the boys.
But seeing such a look from a member of the ruling family was something new and frightening for her.
Erin knew that the youngest son of the Earhart family was despised by his older brothers, but an Earhart was still an Earhart.
She watched him intently, trying to figure out what he was planning and preparing herself for any possible consequences.
If this boy wanted to, she could be thrown out or even killed in a matter of seconds.
Fear gripped her, but outwardly she remained calm, sitting with the same bored expression.
Complete confusion compounded by ignorance of the situation.
Of course, Raphael didn't even consider the idea of expelling her, let alone killing her. His shock was caused by the fact that he hadn't expected to see Erin until a few days later.
But since, in his previous life, Raphael had never come to training so early, he had never encountered her before.
— So, you've been here all along… — Raphael quietly whispered with a slight smile and a calming tone.
— What? — the instructor's voice snapped Raphael out of his thoughts.
— Oh, sorry. Let's continue.
— Very well. Now we'll have a sparring match between you and one of the cadets to assess your skills.
Cadets were the orphans who had grown old enough to train and become future weapons of the Earharts. Typically, one became a cadet at the age of six and remained one until fifteen.
Erin was an exception, having earned the title earlier due to her exceptional abilities. It was precisely because of these and her solitude that she had once caught Raphael's attention.
— Cadet Krado! Come down and prepare for the sparring match! — the instructor shouted.
— Yes, sir!
A boy of about seven with chestnut hair tied into a ponytail descended into the arena.
He picked up a spear and took his position in the ring.
Raphael followed suit, grabbing a rapier and standing on the opposite side.
— On the count of three, begin! — the instructor announced loudly, standing between them.
The eyes of two hundred cadets and orphans gathered in the bleachers were fixed on the upcoming match.
For Raphael, this was an important moment—a chance to make a name for himself and gain respect.
If he displayed his strength, cadets might rally around him, becoming his eyes, hands, and blades.
If he lost, his prestige would plummet to zero. Not only would no one rally around him, but they would stop taking him seriously altogether.
The fact that his opponent was a more experienced cadet didn't matter to anyone.
The Earharts were expected to perform miracles.
"What a fucked-up family," Raphael thought with a smirk.
But it wasn't just the cadets who were watching.
In the corridor by the window stood Raphael's older brother, Lucius, with his arms crossed behind his back. He waited for the moment when the boy would disgrace himself so he could eliminate him from the list of potential heirs to the family leadership.
Elsewhere in the castle, sitting in a chair, the Mother Superior and a member of the Circle Council were discussing Raphael's potential, deciding whom to appoint as his mentor in the future, and whether he was even worth it.
But there was another observer.
In the castle courtyard, hidden in the shadow of an archway, stood a figure almost blending in with the surrounding darkness. A faint light barely touched her graceful silhouette, revealing elven features and a greenish tint to her hair.
Her gaze was focused on Raphael with a slight smile on her face, and in it, there was a glimmer of hope.
— So, one… two… — the instructor began counting down.
Raphael focused, his mind cleared, and he eagerly awaited the start of his first fight since his death.
— Three!
As soon as the instructor finished counting, Krado lunged forward, intending to strike with a thrust, infusing his spear with aura.
"Already using aura? He's no pushover," Raphael thought.
When the spear was just inches from his face, Raphael suddenly turned and deflected the strike with his rapier.
Krado staggered back in surprise, losing focus for a moment, and Raphael took full advantage of it.
He surged forward and attempted a thrust at the orphan's leg. Krado reacted quickly, bringing his spear up to block the attack.
As expected, Raphael saw the block coming and instantly increased his speed. He pivoted and delivered a swift kick to Krado's jaw.
Krado was sent flying several meters back. The cadet struggled to get up, but Raphael didn't give him the chance.
Covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye, Raphael landed another kick to Krado's jaw, sending him even farther.
"Shit! What the hell is this? There's no way a five-year-old should be this strong," Krado thought in horror, lying on the ground.
It wasn't just him—everyone else was shocked by the decisive and powerful strikes from the boy. Even though Raphael was an Earhart, the first sparring match was supposed to be less intense. But he acted as if this wasn't his first fight.
— Get up, — Raphael said provocatively, casually chewing on his lollipop.
— Tsk...
Krado slowly rose to his feet, assuming a fighting stance. He had underestimated his opponent, and now he had to regain his dignity by landing at least one hit on the Earhart.
This time, the orphan changed tactics. He threw his spear at Raphael and, strengthening his hands with aura, charged at the boy.
"Oh, changing tactics so quickly? Impressive," Raphael thought.
He deflected the spear with his rapier, preparing for Krado's close-quarters attack.
The orphan unleashed a flurry of blows, aiming for vital points, but each one was either blocked or dodged by Raphael with equal speed.
With cold precision, Raphael calculated every trajectory and chose the most advantageous positions to evade.
Despite his age, Krado was strong, and his blows could have been lethal if any had landed.
Raphael knew this and waited for his opponent to make a mistake.
Seeing Krado gradually losing his composure, Raphael decided to push him further, adding fuel to the fire.
After another failed strike from the cadet, Raphael suddenly sped up, tripling his speed. He took half a step back and then, with a sharp lunge, delivered a thrust with his rapier to Krado's cheek.
The blow wasn't lethal, as Raphael intended, but it left a deep cut, forcing the orphan to retreat.
Krado touched his cheek, seeing blood on his fingers. Everyone around, including himself, realized that if this had been a real fight, he would have lost his head.
But beyond the obvious defeat, Krado was stunned by something else.
And he wasn't the only one.
— What was that? — Lucius, standing in the corridor, couldn't tear his eyes away from Raphael, his gaze wide with shock.
— That wasn't aura… How did he do that?
Elsewhere in the castle, Isabella observed with a smile.
— So, the boy has already chosen his style at the age of five, — she murmured.
— Madam, was that mana? — her advisor asked, slightly surprised.
— Yes, he reinforced his legs with mana during the push-off, which allowed him to dramatically increase his speed. And since he chose a rapier as his weapon, delivering such a strike was a piece of cake.
— But with a First Stage Smoldering Spark, is that possible?
— It's possible with practice and by using mana only in critical moments. But the fact that he's already developed his own style… it's impressive.
Isabella and the advisor returned to watching the fight, their interest in the boy growing.
Somewhere in the shadows of the castle, a warm smile appeared on the face of a mysterious figure.
Krado was furious. He couldn't afford to lose with such humiliation and decided to use more powerful, albeit less refined, attacks.
Retrieving his spear, which had landed nearby after his previous attack, he coated it with aura and mana of a reddish hue, indicating his affinity with fire.
— Decided to use both aura and mana against a five-year-old? — Raphael taunted. — That seems a bit unfair, don't you think?
— If you were anyone else, this wouldn't be happening.
Krado charged forward again.
Raphael understood that this fight would be more challenging than he had anticipated.
Even with his experience, the gap in strength was evident.
He had just regressed and wasn't yet accustomed to the body of a child, not to mention that he barely had two percent of his former power.
The only option was to dodge and wait for the right moment to counterattack.
Krado launched one attack after another, gradually driving Raphael into a corner. His strikes were powerful, even emitting bursts of aura that made it difficult for Raphael to move.
— Give up!
— What else you got? Keep swinging those little arms of yours, — Raphael smirked, even while being cornered.
Raphael couldn't resist throwing in a jab, even when the situation was clearly not in his favor. That was just his nature—he never missed a chance to toss out a few sarcastic words if he could get away with it.
Krado was now even more enraged. The veins on his forehead seemed ready to burst. Normally, Krado wasn't known for his calmness, and now, with Raphael deliberately provoking him, he completely lost control.
"What is he doing?" Erin thought with concern.
She had been impressed by Raphael's actions at the beginning of the fight, but now he seemed far too reckless.
Raphael appeared unaware of the dangerous game he was playing, and it disappointed her.
Krado, preparing for a decisive strike, saw Raphael cornered, his back against the wall of the bleachers. The spear's blade was already flashing before his eyes when Raphael suddenly reinforced his legs with mana—but this time, not for a lunge, but for a jump.
A split second before Krado's strike, Raphael pushed off the wall and leaped behind him at breakneck speed. Instantly spinning around, he delivered a sharp blow to Krado's unprotected left side, sending him flying across the arena.
The thunderous impact echoed throughout the arena, and silence fell over everything.
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