Current Situation Report

Evening had come, and the sun was about to set.

Deep within the Water God Style dojo.

Linus was seated properly before Leda the Water God, giving her a brief report on recent events.

"You've worked hard, Linus."

"Not at all. It is an honor for me to be their teacher."

"How have those two children been doing lately?"

"They're both excellent."

It had already been a week since Hilde joined the dojo. The situation he had initially imagined, where she might grow arrogant because of a little talent, had not occurred. If anything, she was almost too diligent.

Every day, she came to the dojo especially early for morning practice, and she seemed to arrive earlier with each passing day.

The result was that Isolte had started coming earlier and earlier too.

The two children seemed to be competing with each other...

They clearly seemed to get along quite well most of the time, yet they always insisted on competing over things like this.

Linus truly did not know what to say.

"Hahaha..."

When Leda heard this, she could not help laughing.

Clearly, she was pleased to see things develop this way.

Linus hesitated for a moment.

"Lady Water God, I'm worried they may be pushing themselves too hard..."

"Healthy competition helps them improve together. It's a good thing. Leave them be."

"Yes."

In Leda's view, this level of rivalry was harmless.

"Then, in your opinion, how is that child Hilde's swordsmanship?"

"That child has a very solid foundation. After some polishing, she can already be evaluated as an Advanced swordsman. If she continues her training, she may be able to learn the secret technique and become a Water Saint in less than five years."

"Five years, hm. Not bad."

Leda nodded.

"In that case, once she becomes a Water Saint, give her a spot."

"A spot... in the knight examination?"

"Yes. That child seems to intend to become a knight and make something of herself. It's good for a young person to have a clear goal. With her abilities, she can do it, and her age isn't a problem either. For an old person like me to be able to help these children grow at the very end is also a blessing."

"I understand."

Linus bowed and withdrew, stepping backward as he left.

At the same time, Hilde and Isolte were in the middle of sparring.

"Clack, clack, clack—"

Their wooden swords struck each other, ringing out with crisp sounds.

Isolte turned sideways and blocked Hilde's forward thrust, then pressed down along the motion.

Hilde turned her wrist, shed the force, and quickly retreated half a step to reset her stance.

Neither of them attacked rashly.

In the next instant, Hilde moved.

She lowered her body and charged forward, her wooden sword sweeping up from below.

Isolte struck with an expressionless face, catching the incoming sword at a subtle angle. The wooden swords let out a faint creak.

Hilde suddenly withdrew her strength, slid left, spun low, and slashed horizontally toward Isolte's ribs.

As if she had expected it from the start, Isolte raised her sword vertically to block while lifting her knee forward.

Hilde pressed down with her elbow to deflect it, borrowing the force to leap back.

The distance between them opened again.

The two silently wiped the sweat from their brows, staring at each other as they waited for the instant the other exposed an opening.

This spar had already gone on for an hour, and neither of them had gained the upper hand.

After all, the swordsmanship both of them were best at was the Water God Style.

And as Hilde improved, the gap between their levels was gradually shrinking.

At this point, the fight had almost completely become a contest of stamina and focus. Whoever revealed an opening first, and whoever could seize that opening, would decide the outcome.

Linus, watching from beneath the eaves, glanced at the sky and sighed helplessly.

At this rate, they would probably keep fighting until midnight.

Then he picked up a wooden sword from the rack beside him and strode straight into the center of the field where the two were facing off.

Almost the instant their view was blocked, both of them moved at once.

The two swords slashed at each other with Linus standing between them.

Linus gripped the sword hilt with both hands, drew in a deep breath, and unleashed a Water God Style secret technique in a sweeping motion—like an endless, surging river that swallowed up everything cast into it. The two sword strikes they had launched at each other were no exception; they were destroyed within that immense torrent and became part of his sword force.

Splash!

Bang—

The two who had just been swinging their swords with fierce momentum were sent flying like headless flies.

With two muffled thuds, they hit the ground one after the other.

"Ow! What was that for, Teacher Linus? We were sparring!"

Isolte rubbed her head and complained as she climbed up from the ground.

On the other side, Hilde said nothing, but her childish little face was just as full of displeasure.

"That's enough. Look what time it is. Besides, you've already fought to the point where it's a contest of stamina. Is winning or losing really that important?"

Linus pointed his sword at the sky.

"Huh?"

"It's this late already?"

Isolte froze for a moment.

Hilde, meanwhile, inwardly cried out in dismay. It was almost time for work!

Two days ago, she had successfully gotten a job.

It was at the dessert shop Isolte had taken her to before.

Although she had been questioned because of her age, Hilde had still managed to convince the manager through hard work.

Her daily work hours were three hours starting from sunset. The pay was not especially high, but it would let Hilde save up a small private fund in case of emergencies.

"I should go."

Hilde got to her feet. She had to hurry and change clothes, then head over.

If she was late only a few days after starting work, it would leave a bad impression.

"Wait, Hilde."

Linus stopped her. "There's something I need to tell you before you go."

"What is it?"

"I just went to see Lord Water God and reported on your recent performance. Lord Water God was very pleased, and said that once you obtain the title of Water Saint, she will recommend you for the knight examination."

"!"

At those words, Hilde could not hide her surprise.

Isolte also froze for a moment, then immediately pounced over, hugged Hilde, and laughed. "That's wonderful, Hilde! This way, even when we're in the knight order someday, we'll be able to stand side by side!"

Hilde was stunned for quite a while, so much so that she even forgot to push away Isolte, who was hanging off her.

"But I remember that you have to be an adult to take the knight examination."

"Oh? Are you that confident you can become a Water Saint before you turn fifteen?"

"Does Teacher Linus think I can't do it?"

"Heh..."

Looking at Hilde's serious expression, Linus smiled without committing either way.

Then he changed the subject and answered Hilde's original question.

"You don't need to worry about the age issue. Lord Water God currently holds the position of swordsmanship instructor in the Asura Kingdom, so she still has some say. The most important thing is strength. As long as you have the strength of a Water Saint, even if someone wants to gossip, there will be ways to shut them up."

"I see... Thank you very much."

Hilde did not think her relationship with the Water God Leda had reached this level, yet the other party had made her such a promise.

The only explanation was that she cherished talent.

This favor would have to be repaid someday.

"Then I'll go change."

"I'm coming too! Oh, right, Hilde, do you want to go celebrate together?"

"No, I'm scheduled to work today."

"Ehh..."

Isolte caught up with Hilde, and the two entered the changing room together.

There was no one else in the changing room besides the two of them. At this hour, basically everyone had already left, making it seem a little deserted.

Hilde opened her locker.

Just as she was about to take off her sticky training clothes, she suddenly noticed an extra note in the wardrobe.

She picked it up and glanced at it.

"Eight o'clock tonight, side gate of the north city wall."

"If you dare not show up, you're dead."

What the hell?

Hilde checked the wardrobe over and, after confirming nothing was missing, casually crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it into the wastebasket beside the wardrobe.

Only an idiot would go.