"Training is one of the easiest and fastest ways for anyone to gain proper control over their mana," I stood in line with all my other classmates as Swordking Mane's voice resonated in the training hall.
"However, having a strong body is also important; the better the container, the better it can handle mana," he continued as he walked in front of us.
"Physical strength is a very important aspect of training with mana, and for Aura users, that's their lifeline," he emphasized, standing before us.
"Now, pair up, all of you. We will have a short sparring match with pure physical strength." With that, he fell silent, and murmurs among the students began.
"Why do you look so happy today?" Fatima asked, standing beside me.
"I do?" I asked, touching my face.
"Yep, you have an extra glow on your face," she replied, squinting her eyes. "So what happened?"
"....Nothing," I replied, memories of last night flooding back. "I just had a better morning."
[Grace slapped you in the morning, remember?]
'That was just a gentle tap.'
[....Right, says the second coming of Aeloria.]
'....I am not a masochist and don't you ever call me that.'
"Emily," I called out to the girl who was slowly walking away from us, trying her best to ignore me.
"...Yes?" She asked, looking at me, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Pair with me," I said, but Fatima quickly interrupted.
"Hey, I want to pair up with her," Fatima replied, grabbing Emily's hand.
"I...I think I will pair up with her as well," Emily added, nodding gently, which brought a smile to Fatima's face.
"You heard her, pretty boy," Fatima said with a smirk, looking at me. "Now, go away, find a partner for yourself."
I didn't reply, but instead, I just looked at Emily, who was trying her best not to make eye contact.
"Sigh... Fine," I replied, starting to look around the place for another partner.
But just as I looked around, another girl caught my eye.
Aeloria walked towards me and stood before me, her eyes fixed on me as she said, "Pair up with me."
"No," I replied, starting to walk away, but she quickly grabbed my hand.
"You want to learn how to use spirit energy, don't you? I can help," she said, gently squeezing my hand.
"....Fine," I replied, noticing a lot of eyes on us, particularly Aron's.
She nodded as she stood beside me.
"Now, if all of you have found your partners, then start, and if you need any instructions, ask me," Mane's voice once again resonated as he walked back.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked as Aeloria stretched in front of me, checking her out.
She wore leggings that accentuated her ample thighs, paired with a white t-shirt covering her upper body.
Did I ever mention that she has the biggest breasts in the entire class?
[You did.]
Hmm, I don't appreciate them more. Maybe I should keep more eyes on them.
"Stop ogling me, Eden," she said, covering her breasts with her hand as she glared at me.
"You didn't answer my question," I asked, ignoring her words.
".... Let's make a deal," she said, rushing towards me.
Swish.
"I'm listening," I replied, taking a step back to dodge her round kick.
"....I will keep an eye on Aron and make sure his influence doesn't get too much and he doesn't reach his full potential," she said, grabbing me by the back of my neck and attempting to place a knee on my face.
"You know I can do that as well," I replied, slapping her forearm with the back of my hand.
"No, you don't have much influence on the nobles; on the other hand, I have a lot of control over them," she asserted, stepping back and attempting to kick my face again.
"Even then, it's not like he can win against me," I replied, leaning backwards to avoid her kick, which narrowly missed my face.
"You keep forgetting, Eden," she continued, throwing a punch at my face. "The more women are around him, the stronger he will get."
"I know," I said, tilting my head to evade her punch. "And stop targeting my face."
"Tch, anyway, before those control freaks start to act up, you need to make sure he doesn't stand up against you," she insisted, waiting for my reply.
At the mention of control freaks, my eyes quickly turned to Mane, who stood at the corner.
"Hmm, what do you want in return, then?" I asked, looking at her.
"Time."She replied looking at me sincerely,"please give me time, I can't win against you if I don't have enough time."
"Time," she replied, looking at me sincerely. "Please give me time; I can't win against you if I don't have enough time."
"...you could always side with Aron, you know?"
"Again, Eden, I am not a whore who will sell my body," she replied, looking deeply into my eyes. "But I will do anything in my power to save Angelina."
"....You know, sometimes I do envy Angelina," I replied with a light smile. "She truly found a wonderful friend."
"She has a lot of responsibil—."
"And you know they jiggle too much; it's hard to concentrate," I quickly interjected, making her stop her words.
"....What kind of fucking pervert are you?" she replied, covering her breasts again.
"Open pervert."
"...I didn't ask, idiot, and eww, seriously, open perverts are the worst kind."
"....You have zero rights to criticize me."
"Anyway, what's your answer?" she asked again, returning to her serious self.
"Isn't that obvious," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "No."
".....I thought so," she sighed, her shoulders slumping as she started walking towards Angelina.
"You didn't teach me how to use spirit energy," I said, making her halt her movement.
"Learn that yourself. I don't want to make you more powerful than you already are," she replied before resuming her walk.
And just as she walked, Mane, who had been looking at us the whole time, quickly approached me.
"How have you been, Eden?" he asked as he stood in front of me.
"Alive," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
"Yeah, it's good to be alive, isn't it," he said with a light smile. "You should cherish your life, Eden."
"....."
"Haven't I told you to do your role properly?" His tone sharpened as he glared at me. "Why did you pull that stunt of yours yesterday?"
Again, I didn't reply but let him talk.
"You had to come in between Cardin and Aron. Because of you, things will get complicated."
"....."
"Looks like my warning is a joke to you. Maybe I should—"
"You know what, fucker," I interjected, making him stop as I walked closer to him. "Do it."
"What—"
"I said do it. Call your fucking wannabe 'real rulers' here. I want to see what the fuck they can do," I growled at him as he looked at me with astonishment.
The last time, I didn't say anything to him because I thought those who are above ascension level are a big deal.
But not anymore... I am a bigger deal than them.
"Think it through before barking at me, Mane," I lightly patted his shoulder as I walked past him.
And immediately my gaze fell on Cardin and Aron.
"Hey, both of you fuckers, how long are you going to delay your match?"