A wooden sword whistled through the air as it slashed down at me horizontally.
Even if it was made of wood, its speed and the weight it carried would render me unconscious if it struck.
The good news was that I had already prepared for this attack. Paul was never one to mess around, after all.
My feet planted themselves on the ground as I assumed the Water God's stance.
My sword attempted to intercept his in a parry.
With a swift motion, his sword collided with mine. However, I didn't feel his sword slip; instead, his sword bounced off mine.
It wasn't as if I was strong enough to put up that much resistance, so I knew immediately it was on purpose.
He was using a North God technique, one I hadn't expected.
Paul smirked, as if he'd set a trap for me. His sword, which had previously seemed so unsteady in his hand, swung down with determination and force.
I reached out and unleashed a Sonic Boom to back away from the man and avoid the blow. However, he didn't give me the luxury of a respite.
He spun on his heels and charged at me like a beast hunting its prey.
We were separated by, at most, about two feet after my sudden retreat.
At a moment like this, I would have fired a Stone Cannon, but I knew that would defeat the purpose of this fight. Besides, I would most likely kill the man, something I had no intention of doing.
So instead, I chose to analyze.
His legs and arms instantly tensed, and his body pressed against mine.
Unwavering seriousness burned in his eyes as his sword swung down diagonally, aiming for my neck.
The sound of his blade became dull and silent as it whistled through the air.
My eyes could see it.
Paul's Longsword of Silence, but my body couldn't withstand the speed of the blow.
The only way I could react was by using my "force", so I forced my body to move.
I gripped the sword so tightly I could feel the blisters that had formed on my hand beginning to tear.
I only had one hand on the hilt, but that was all I needed. His blow came fast, faster than my body should have been able to react, but I could see it, and with magic, I could force my body to move to intercept it.
Everything happening in front of me was within reason and under my control.
When his blade collided with mine, I knew I had it caught... I barely managed to get my blade to grip his and let the momentum of his attack carry him past me.
Puzzlement flashed in his eyes, and for the first time in our fights, Paul Greyrat, my father, was caught off guard.
My sword soared toward his collarbone as I applied my left hand to the hilt, and with the help of wind magic, I struck my father. "Ow!" The blow ricocheted off the man.
That's a bit of a shame after all that preparation.
I'd been doing my best so I could at least use the skills I'd acquired to my advantage...
The man relaxed noticeably and rubbed his shoulder.
"That might leave a bruise." He gave me a ridiculously large smile.
"That sounds like you're making fun of me, Paul." I sighed.
"Well done, Rudy!" He rubbed my head. "If you were older, your old man would be dead!"
He took his sword and stabbed it into the ground while coughing into his hand and trying to look as dignified as any womanizer.
Whatever he'd planned, it seemed he'd been rehearsing it.
"Today you can consider yourself an advanced practitioner of the Water God style." He seemed pretty happy right now, right? With that stupid grin, I'd be fooling myself into thinking he was enjoying the loss.
"Fuuuu..." I sighed as I sank to my knees with a big grin.
For a swordsman, the only way they could reach advanced rank in any style is to use the "force" Paul talks about at will, but since I turned four, I can use it, so he said I'd have to use "Flow and the Longsword of Silence" to advance to advanced rank.
"You're only six years old and you can stop a Longsword of Silence, Rudy. I consider that more than enough to advance to advanced. In time, you'll get the hang of the force, so your striking power won't be much of an issue. Just make sure you don't forget your dear old dad when you become a powerful Water King or something, okay?" He winked at me as he finished.
"Aren't you going to tell me not to get all cocky and arrogant?"
"No, I know you're not the type to do that. Besides, even if you did, people probably wouldn't take you seriously." He laughed, and I couldn't help but share some of his sentiments.
I breathed in and felt cold air enter my lungs.
It had been over a year since my fifth birthday, and it was now autumn.
The warm summer breeze had subsided, replaced by a chill. Winter would come in due time, but for now, all I had to worry about was training with my father.
That's how my days went by.
I was six years old, and Roxy was still here, but Sylphiette would be graduating soon. Apparently, Roxy had told our families the night before that Sylphie would be graduating soon.
Soon, for the girl, apparently meant a couple more months, but I had the impression she just wanted to stay a little longer. Still, this meant Roxy would finally be leaving Buena...
It's a little sad, but there's nothing I can do about it for her.
Speaking of the two girls, Roxy was tutoring Sylphiette today. On the hill, we always played, if I had to guess.
The wind whipped around me, and a slight chill ran down my spine. "I heard winter isn't going to be so kind this year," Paul said in a monotone beside me.
I looked at the few houses visible from our yard.
That was another problem.
This winter posed a problem.
It was a fact. From what I'd heard, the weather patterns seemed to be leading to a bitterly cold season.
The source of our speculation was obviously our resident genius, Roxy, but I realized she was right, based on my own observation of the clouds and the help of some of my magic. Not that I thought she was wrong for a second, but you can never be too sure.
Anyway, winter was shaping up to be a terrible one.
One that had the villagers worried for their own safety. I knew we were fine; Paul always worried about having enough to get through the cold season.
What I was worried about was the safety of Sylphiette's family. Sure, it's corny coming from a guy, but I don't think worrying about the girl is wrong.
"Father, do you think everyone will be okay? During the winter, I mean?" I looked at his face. He was still staring blankly.
"You don't have to worry about that, Rudy. If anyone needs help, they can come directly to me..." In an instant, his nonchalant demeanor gave way to a glance at the landscape.
"What the hell is that?" His question caught me off guard.
I looked where he was looking, and what a surprise? A dozen wagons were climbing a hill, blocking our view from where we were standing.
Frankly, it looked more like a caravan than anything else.
The lead wagon was driven by a middle-aged man who looked like a broccolini plant, and he was accompanied by Laws, who was strolling alongside the moving carriage. He spoke a few words to the man and, upon seeing us, waved.
"Hey, did you get any supplies or something, Father...?" My question fell on deaf ears. His expression told me everything I needed to know. I had no idea where those wagons were coming from. It looked like we had another problem on our hands.
We waited for them to approach the house, and as they did, it was clear how full they were. At a glance, there was food, clothing, and even the typical appliances, like pots and pans.
I even saw windows that could be installed. They were definitely not common in this area. Sure, our house had them, but Paul was a low-ranking knight, so it made sense that we had one of the nicest, if not the nicest, houses in the village.
"What the hell is all this, Laws?" Paul ran to greet the convoy and his friend.
Laws raised his eyebrow questioningly.
"You don't know?" He looked toward the wagons. "So... who sent these guys?"
The atmosphere darkened almost immediately when Paul's hand rested on the pommel of his sword.
"Yeah, who sent them?" It was an innocent question, but considering the ominous feeling in the air, it wasn't meant to be a polite one.
The driver of the lead wagon smiled nervously. "We don't know either, sir." I could almost see him sweating at the situation he was in.
"Look, he was just a guy in a helmet and white coat. Just talking to him gave me the creeps." Paul's hand never left the handle. "He just walked up and paid us to do this. It was enough money that we couldn't refuse!" Bribery, huh? That sounded just as much like the man he was talking about.
"That still doesn't explain why someone would pay a couple of merchants to deliver supplies to a remote village!" Paul was getting more and more agitated. He was uneasy about this kind of situation. It makes sense, considering a King of the North threatened our lives less than two years ago, according to what Paul told me.
"Look... sir." The man raised his hands. "My crew can attest to the quality of the goods we have." Paul looked at the wagons. I could see the indecision in his eyes about what to do. He worried about who these people were or what they were planning, but he knew the village needed help.
"Dad, I'm sure the village could use the supplies. You know, with winter coming." He looked at me in dismay. He didn't seem to want to budge.
It almost seemed like he wanted me to take his side, but I was worried about Sylphie and her family's well-being, and if this could help, so be it.
"You don't look a gift horse in the mouth." I persisted a little further.
He looked at the ground for a moment. His face twisted, thoughtful. He was worried, but he also knew the village needed those supplies.
A moment later, his hand fell from the pommel of his sword. "Ha, fuck it! Okay! It's not like I can just turn all this down." Paul raked his hand aggressively through his hair.
"Laws, go get your wagon." He looked toward the packed caravan. "I have a feeling we're going to need it."
...
The unloading process was long, to be sure, but we made it. Laws returned and brought Roxy and Sylphiette, and even Zenith came out and offered any help she could.
Lilia was inside preparing dinner, so she stayed put. Considering the state of her leg, it wasn't like she could help much with the moving.
It took us about two hours to get almost everything organized.
There was still quite a bit of unpacking to do, but we'd taken a short break.
As for organization, we separated the perishables and dry goods into one area.
Then, we put the appliances and other everyday items in another. We were careful with the windows.
They were too handy to just throw them around.
"Well, now the village should be ready for the next few months..." From what I heard from Paul, he and Laws were sorting the supplies and dividing them evenly. That meant my sword lessons were cut short for today.
"Is that you, Rudeus, sir?" One of the men ambled up to me. His face and body were a bit chubby, but I could tell he wasn't lazy when it came to physical labor.
He had the disposition of a seasoned tradesman, from his tone to his bearing. So why was he approaching me to ask me a child's name?
"Uh, yeah? Who's asking?" I asked a little defensively.
"Great! Here you go! The man who hired us sent this specifically for you!" the man said, pulling out a silver bracelet with a dragon on it from his pocket.
"How strange..." I muttered as I studied it and then put it on. It felt a little heavy, but nothing more.
But why would someone give me something that looks so expensive specifically?
I decided to put the bracelet in my pocket and help unload the supplies.