Chapter 15: The Training Grounds, The Knight Commander And The Purpose.

"Y-young-g Ma-master, h-how is your health now?"

A shivering mess of a knight, spoke to me.

"I heard that you woke up just 2 days ago, s-shouldn't you be resting now?"

And honestly, I found him funny as he practically pleaded the last part about me.

And since I found him funny I tried to make it even funnier, after all you don't get a magic user to make fun of everyday.

With my finger pointed at him, I asked him, "You, what is your name?."

The knight gulped as heavily as he spoke, "Ruti, my name is Ruti, Young Master."

Almost saluting me in the process, but that was just the start.

"Okay, bend down a little, Ruti."

"Excuse me?"

"Bend down, Ruti, bend down." I said again this time emphasizing the 'bend down' part.

"Y-yes, Young Master." He said and did as I told him.

'Damn he is tall', I thought as I still had to tip toe to reach his ear,

"Listen well Ruti, I have been resting for 2 days.

You heard that 2 whole days!

And now all my muscles are sore!,

Obviously I have to move them a bit, right?

That's why I'm going to the arena.

And you, can rejoice!

For you will be my proud escort me, you get that right?"

I whispered the first part, while pompously declaring the last sentence.

"B-but shouldn't Young Master, be resting?"

"Oh, are you perhaps refusing me?", I said, while giving him a side eyed gaze.

"NO!!, Of course not Young Master, how can I refuse you? I, I-"

"Yes, you?"

"I was merely concerned about you Young Master!"

Oh boy! Just look at how adorable he is! And people call me cute!

"No need to be concerned, no need to be concerned, I will just move around a bit okay, so get to the escorting already."

"O-okay! Young Master follow me!"

"Yes, yes go ahead, if you escort me well, I might even reward you… by sparring with you, around ten times!

What do you say? A great idea right!"

I said as showed him a full view of my pearly whites. (A/N: A smile showing his Teeth.)

"But, but, Young Master I can't spar with you while being on my patrol duty, please reconsider.", Man, who said that only women can make puppy eyes, just look at him, doesn't he look like a puppy, a puppy who's about to cry?

"Hmm…", With a thoughtful look on my face, I held my chin in my hand as I thought hard, or that was how I made myself look.

In the end I sighed, "It can't be helped then, since you have to do your patrol," I said till that as I looked at his face, which looked like a hopeful puppy gazing at his master, alas, "I can just go easy on you, in the tenth round!", I continued cheerfully.

His face fell, as a huge 'You had to think that long, just to go easy on me!' could be seen written on his face.

Seeing him like that I couldn't help but laugh, as I decided to break the joke and said, "Okay, okay, haha, don't get angry, this was a joke okay, pftt a joke.", I somehow stopped laughing and said normally,

"I won't fight you guys, as you said I have been ordered to rest, so today I am just going to watch. After all, I have to see how much you have improved in a year."

He was clearly caught off guard by my declaration as he dumbly asked, "Really?"

"Yes, yes, really, now come on escort me like a proper knight." I told him after breaking his mumbling streak of, 'Young Master joked, 'that' young master, and he said he won't fight, i-is he really Young Mast-', with a pat on his shoulder.

After that I just followed him, my new escort knight, as I thought, 'That was fun.'

***

After my little charade, we reached the Arena aka The Training Grounds.

Other than some 'Young Master' greetings along the way, there were no obstacles, and it was still funny to see those people's shocked faces when I actually replied them.

Well, I wasn't doing this only for fun, I simply wanted the talk that 'Young Master is now a lot more approachable' spread throughout the estate.

It will make my life a lot easier if that happened, I don't want everyone in the estate to be terrified everytime I speak to them, like Ruti was.

As for him, "Ruti, you can go.", I sent him back, as soon as the arena came in my view.

Of course, he doubted his ears when I said that, as he repeatedly asked me, 'Really? It is okay to go back?'.

Only when I said, 'You can accompany me if you want to.', that he left.

Actually, I didn't have him escort me for nothing.

Though, I knew how the arena looked, I didn't know where it was, such were the memories I received, making me rely on shuddering escorts to reach my destination.

I lamented my fate as I walked into the arena, with my hands in my pockets.

And once again, I marveled the miracle of magic and technology.

The building itself looked like a coliseum, but even with its big size it would be too small to actually have a proper training session for platoons of superhuman knights, but that was only if you saw it from the outside, as soon as you step inside, you will notice something strange with the space.

Yes, it was the cutting-edge space bubble technology, though the building looked as large as football stadium from outside, it was all for show, other than some symbolic matches held there, it was actually never used, for the real arena was actually held inside a colossal space bubble.

A space bubble whom, you would enter as soon as you crossed the entrance.

And that's what I did, as I walked through the entrance and entered a lobby, a vast lobby.

Here all kinds soldiers, knights, guards were moving around, alone or in groups, the place itself was buzzing with people, and that buzzing only intensified as people noticed my figure.

Believe it or not, Rayne was a popular figure in the arena, he had several done several feats in here, like defeating an experienced knight of a higher rank, or surviving against a whole platoon of E rank knights, though E rank knights were the lowest knights in the Estate, like Ruti.

Consisting of only Soldat rank mages, but considering that Rayne did this when he was 11 and was also a E rank, such an achievement was nothing short of impossible.

His feats along with his status made him a VVIP of arena.

Sadly, he didn't interact with anyone more than necessary which also marked him as arrogant, but well, there is always a good and bad side to everything.

Anyways, what he did spared me the trouble of lining up in front of various counters in the lobby, as I walked to a more isolated counter, with little to no people and lined up there.

Of course, the buzzing due to my presence bothered me, as I was a bit of shy person in my previous life, but I tried to ignore it.

At least they were keeping their distance, I wouldn't know what to do if they swarmed me, I thought.

Though, I could still hear some of their discussions,

'See, I told you Young Master will be here as soon as he wakes up, now give me the money you bet yesterday!'

'Tsk, here take it, I bet it thinking that he won't come here when he on his probation period.'

'Then, you are too naïve you poor sod, in all those years when has Young Master ever listened to the Count.

Hehe, it doesn't matter though, as long as it makes me money.'

'But really, shouldn't he be resting?'

'Tsk, I told you, you are too naïve.

Do you think the Count, an Archmage, is a fool, Young Master won't be able to train even if he wan-'

(A/N: Remember, him being a Magus is a secret known to a few, most of the people think he is an Archmage.)

Just as their conversation was getting interesting my turn came.

So, I stepped forward, not minding the talk I just heard, and asked the lanky-looking-man sitting behind the counter, "Hi Belan, tell me if any of the vice commanders are having a session?"

Yes, I knew him or at least Rayne did.

Belan Ramamon, he had brown hair and matching brown eyes, which along with his rectangular glasses and brown waistcoat gave him a bartender-ish look.

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But even though he looked like a dried leaf who would be blown with a gust of wind, he was strong.

Stronger than me, he was a C+ peak Generic ranked Magic user.

As I said, Rayne was strong, maybe the strongest in his age, but just in his age.

This world was filled with strong people who could crush him like an ant.

But this didn't mean that every counter manager could flip him on his ass.

Even if the world had strong people, they weren't this common.

Rather, most of the Magic users had F~E rank talent.

So, why were strong Magic users were seen all around the estate?

Well, the answer was simple, because it was this estate.

And which estate was this?

It was one of richest estate of the Alexis Empire, the empire which unified the whole world.

It was the estate which gets the most recruitment applications from Magic users every year.

It was territory of a Magus, one of the strongest beings in the world.

So, how couldn't the members of this estate be cream of the crop?

It would be rather strange if they weren't so.

Anyways back to the topic, Belan responded to my query with a troubled face, "Yes, Young Master, there are Vice commanders carrying out training sessions, but I'm sorry to say, you not allowed join any them or even hire a personal training room, it's a direct order from the Earl."

Oh, is this was what the duo were talking about earlier?

Well, it's not like I wanted to join in the first place.

"Belan, you know that I'm under probation, right?"

I asked him.

"Yes, I know.", He responded calmly.

"Then, why do you think that I want to join the training session?"

I asked again with my eyebrows arched upwards and before he could answer that I continued,

"I simply want to spectate Belan, and that doesn't go against my probation."

"Is that really so?"

"Is that really so?"

Two people asked simultaneously, obviously one of them being Belan.

As for the other voice, it came from behind me.

"Is that really so, Young Master?"

That voice, the one from behind asked again, and from that light yet penetrating voice, I knew who I was dealing with.

An Expert Grade Knight, an A- rank magic user, one of the few people in this estate who can actually fight Amy, the Chief Commander of all Knights, Raniel Shin Devart.

The Knight Commander was a young man in his 30s, with black eyes and black hair that were spiked to the side and a relatively short frame of 178cm covered in full plate armor, and no matter how you looked he was too young to actually handle this position.

Or so some newbie would say.

(A/N: 178cm is relatively short from Rowen's standards.)

The various scars than were visible on almost every exposed part of his body, proved that, he was born and build for the battlefield.

I half turned as I looked at him.

Feeling the strong energy oozing out of him, I concluded, this guy is strong.

Unlike Amy, he was no Assassin, he was a Knight!

And his energy was tempered to intimidate the opponent, to make them surrender before the fight even starts.

And that energy, was a part of the young Archmage, showing off it's nature on each of his moments even in his voice.

But was that enough?

Was just his oozing energy enough to intimidate me?

As a fucking if!!!

Though, this wasn't actually a time to start a test of courage, nor was I a shonen protagonist, so I simply answered with a, "Yes" before averting my eyes.

And that was enough, for he said, "Okay, Belan sign the Young Master up, I will personally make sure that he won't exert himself and only spectate."

Though Belan didn't look convinced, but with the Chief Knight Commander personally taking responsibility, he could only do as he was ordered.

So, after a few quick taps on the counter we were signed up, apparently, the counter had a screen that was only visible to the registered person.

In a defeated tone Balen said, "Just follow the normal process and go to training room 2."

With that he gave a small bow to both of us, which I acknowledged with a nod and followed the Knight Commander, who had left even before Balen stopped talking.

And it turned out that I was not the only one following the Commander as a platoon of soldiers, elite soldiers, started following him as soon as they spotted him walking away from the counter.

So, he was actually planning a drill for elite soldiers.

Wait, then wasn't I too lucky this time?

I thought as I quietly followed him, to the training room 2…

***

-Caw

-Caw

Evening sunlight cascaded the sky, dying the whole world red, as a few birds kept making noise while returning to their nest.

I was on top of the clock tower that I wanted to visit.

I enjoyed the view, I enjoyed the atmosphere, I even enjoyed the wind caressing me, but my mind wasn't here.

The training session didn't last long, only about for an hour, after that I was free so I followed my previous plans, I roamed around the territory, strolling as I liked and even visited this clock tower.

But, the whole time I was absent minded.

My mind was still there, in that training room, repeatedly playing the same scene in it, like a broken record.

A lone Knight Commander, crushing hundreds of elite soldiers.

That overwhelmingly violence.

That overwhelmingly power.

That ferocious grin as he said, 'I'd like to fight Young Master one day.'

All that kept repeating on my mind, kept weighing on it, refusing to leave, as goosebumps emerged on my body.

I wasn't terrified, nor was I scared but still, these goosebumps refused to leave, why?

I asked myself, dreading the answer more than the situation, as I searched, searched, and searched some more before I finally found it, an answer that left me shivering...

I was EXCITED!!

I wasn't terrified, nor was I scared but I was excited!

That power, that skill, that violence, I wanted to be able to do that, I wanted to be that powerful not just for the sake of changing this world's fate but also to be just that powerful.

I don't know when, but I too was grinning, it was a small grin just a simple curl of my lips but it was there, on my face, as I realized what I really wanted.

I finally found my own purpose.

'I want to become Stronger, I want to fight him, and I want to beat him.' I thought as I took a one last look of sunset, before I left...

"Tomorrow, I'll finally take my first step." I muttered as unconsciously that grin changed into a full smile.

'Am I a psycho?' I questioned myself as I returned for dinner…

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