Magic, Love, Family Pt. 04

"Hey!" The loud voice beside his ear, cleared his mood.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come in, quick!" Rose spoke shaking her head. She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the entrance of the shop. "You can buy whatever you want! It's on me!"

"Really?!" Raymond asked surprised.

"Of course! You've finally awakened your attribute! I was so excited when I got the news, I couldn't catch a wink these past few days."

Raymond arrogantly hummed, feeling quite pleased with himself. With a wide smile on his face, he asked, "Why were you excited though?"

He expected that Rose would say that she was so excited because of the sheer joy she'd felt for him, or something along those lines, but he almost stumbled to the ground when he heard her answer. "Why? Obviously, it's because I won't have to hold back in our spars anymore!"

"You! You, violent freak!"

"Ha-ha..." Rose laughed noisily and then suddenly brought her dazzling face close to his. In a wicked tone, she asked, "You're not scared, are you?"

Raymond gulped as her hot breath hit his face. He sniffed her alluring scent and grunted before pushing her away, "Who's scared of whom?!"

"Ha-ha... Little Ray Ray is scared!" Rose teased and ruffled his hair.

"I told you not to call me that!"

...

"Lady Rose! Sir Raymond!" A handsome, middle aged man greeted and welcomed them inside the shop's lobby.

"Huh?" Rose started looking at him and then questioned, "Uncle, didn't I see you in Ryhor only a week back? When did you arrive here?"

The man smiled jovially and then explained that he had arrived the day before since he had some business in Ostorth. He then turned to Raymond and congratulated him, "...Tygrine Family had gained another scion in their ranks!"

Raymond was a little surprised that he would encounter Theodore Henry here in Ostorth. Theodore was the president of the Ryhor branch of the Henry Trading Association, and a very busy man. Nonetheless, he didn't pay much mind to it and decided to politely accept the few words of praises. Quite typically though, Rose cut in before he could respond.

"Why, of course! Raymond is a scion of our family, after all..." After a moment's pause, she waved her hand and remarked joyfully, "Well, whatever. Now that you are here, I can get a great deal!"

"I'll do my best..."

"Come, Ray! Let's look at some swords!"

Raymond followed her excitedly. He could finally get his hands on a magic sword, one which could multiply his power by many folds.

***

Scene 5

"I can't believe you bought this for me!" Raymond's eyes glimmered as he appraised his new magic sword. He had also purchased a new armor, wrist guards, along with a few other equipment, however, his mind was occupied with the sword.

The new sword was heavier and longer in reach than his previous one. It also had a magic gem embedded in the base of its hilt, carefully crafted to increase the mana circulation of its wielder and amplify it by three times. Obviously, it had costed a lot, nearly three-years of his allowance worth.

"You can't just have shabby equipment anymore! It would be embarrassing for me..." Rose deflected his heartfelt words with an easy tone. As an awakened, she had significantly larger allowance than Raymond, as well as having other sources of income. Still, it was a huge investment.

"Did you learn any spells yet?"

"Only a few... Lily taught me..." Raymond absentmindedly answered, all his focus elsewhere at the moment.

"Oh yeah..." Rose abruptly snatched the sword away from him and glared at him. "Don't you ignore me, Ray!"

Raymond was shocked speechless for a whole minute before he muttered, "I'm sorry. Please, can I have it back?"

"Hmph!" Rose snorted and handed it back to him.

Raymond knew she had a fickle temper and in all honesty, he always thought that she was a bit of a loose cannon. Moreover, she had been very nice to him so he decided to look over the little things, only if to keep peace for the time being.

"Okay, can you please tell me what is the secret thing? It's a magic stone right?"

Rose flashed him an innocent smile. "You really want to know?"

It was exasperating at this point, but Raymond played along, "Yes, I want to know."

"Hmm," Rose put her finger to her lips and pretended to be deep in thought. After a few seconds of holding that pose she asked in a serious tone, "You want to try out your new gear?"

A little skeptically, he answered, "Yes, but what does it have-"

"Come with me!"

Rose grabbed his arm and dragged him with her.

...

Raymond panted as he glared at his cousin. She was arrogantly looking around, observing the training grounds. It had taken them a good thirty minutes of hard running to get to the military base of Ostorth from near the lake they were at earlier.

He huffed while his breathing gradually returned to normal, "You, crazy woman! Why did you bring me here? And will you finally, for the love of lord, tell me what it is?"

"Fine! You're such a crybaby!" Rose brought a leather pouch from lord knows where and pulled out a shiny magic stone, with a tiny murky spot in the middle of it.

Raymond's eyes glimmered with excitement. It was just as he had thought, a magic stone of earth type prime beast, not any smaller than the one he got from Miranda. He tried to snatch it from Rose but she was like a cat.

"Tsk-Tsk," Rose tutted. "Little Ray Ray is a naughty boy, isn't he?" She laughed heartily when he glared at her menacingly. "Fine, fine..." She paused to put the magic stone back in the leather pouch and concluded with a playful wink, "you can have it if you win!"

"Win?" By now their commotion had drawn in the nearby soldiers who were staring at them, more accurately at Rose. Raymond unmindful of it questioned, "Win what? Against whom? You?!"

"Ooh... that would be going too hard on you!" Rose glanced at the soldiers, who had all puffed out their chests. She pointed at one of the more handsome looking one and remarked, "Against him! Yes, defeat him and it's yours!" She suddenly brought her lips close to his ear and whispered, "Or you can just beg for it!"

...

"Sir Raymond!" Emil Gudmundsson slightly bowed his head at Raymond and then turned towards Rose. Time seemed to stop for him as he gazed at that stunning face. With a deep longing evident in his voice, he greeted, "Lady Rose!"

"Emil. I hope you've been well."

Her voice sounded sweet as always, like it was the call of lark. It had been more than a couple of years since that time in Purvoth. He still remembered that steamy night, the best night of his life. They had met while she had come to see her mother and discuss some business. He had been tasked to show her around the base, not that she needed him to, but it was her request. After that, the next two days were the best days of his life. Those fiery hairs and that mesmerizing ass, they were never far away from his thoughts.

"Uhhm..." Raymond cleared his throat and that broke Emil's stupor. He apologized immediately, "Please overlook my rudeness, I was just a little taken aback..."

"Looks like you're not the only one!" Raymond's tone was full of ridicule and his eyes cold. Emil was confused by the sudden hostility, however, it was not his place to question Raymond.

"Lady Rose, you've called for me?" With some hope, Emil asked. He was not stupid so as to believe that there would be a repeat of that time, still, he believed that if he could somehow impress her enough, she would give him a chance one more time.

Rose glanced to her side, at the frigid face of Raymond, and a smile bloomed across her face. "Have a spar with Raymond here!" She paused and when she was convinced that she had his complete attention, winking playfully, she added in a low voice, "If you perform admirably, I would be very happy..."

A fire of want burned inside Emil. He was reminded of that ethereal night and could only stare blankly at her. It was hard to look away from her. As a soldier and an awakened, he was always taught to be alert at all times. However, he didn't mind being in a daze if the cause of it was Rose.

Miranda and Rose, their existence in Gelodesh was akin to two fairies. The difference being, Miranda was like an unattainable goddess residing high in the sky. Whereas, Rose was like an angel who would sometimes come down to play with the mortals. He was one of the lucky mortals.

Emil spluttered, "Yes, as your wish..." He couldn't believe that he was doing it again, staring at Rose. from the corner of his eyes, he noticed that with each passing second, Raymond was growing more and more annoyed. "Sir Raymond, shall we?"

Raymond snorted and followed Emil.

"Ray! Don't embarrass me!" Rose's voice sounded behind their backs.

...

In the widest training arena, the two men stood facing each other. The distance between them was nearly 20 meters. It would see a little too far away, unless the abilities of awakened were taken into account. The arena was a flat surface with a very little amount of snow and sand mixed in patches. It was done to take into account the environment of neighboring kingdoms.

Surrounding the round arena were a few of the soldiers. Rose on the other hand was stood inside it. The arena was big, big enough that there was at least ten meters of space left behind both men. So Rose, who was cautiously watching them from one end of it, wasn't to be a hindrance. She had a sharp look in her eyes and there was an aura of alertness around her. Fights between awakened were always dangerous, even if it was a friendly spar.

Moreover, Raymond appeared extra motivated. She didn't know if it was because he was eager to test out his new power or something else. One thing was clear though, he was extremely serious about it. He held the same stance when he had fought her previously. Still, there were minute differences. His knees were bent in an angle slightly larger than before and the grip of his left hand on his sword, held vertically parallel to his gait, seemed a little looser. The new sword was lighter and sharper so he could definitely afford to swing it with one hand, but she was sure there was another reason for this change.

...

"Sir Raymond!" Emil signaled his readiness as he drew his twin daggers from his sides. He glanced at his left towards Rose, and was disappointed to find that she wasn't paying attention to him. However, he didn't dwell on it. His gaze turned serious and the air around him changed. He no longer seemed like a love-struck fool instead a veteran warrior.

The tension in the atmosphere was palpable. It was eerily silent, only sounds being that of heavy breathing and the drops of sweat hitting the ground.

"Huh!" Raymond grunted and his voice echoed in the silent environment. In a burst he halved the distance between them.

Emil brought his dagger in front of his face and bent down to receive the impact from his sword. He had known about Raymond's fighting style and how he liked to attack with heavy blows from the front. Although he believed he was well prepared, he was wrong in this instance.

"Petra Vlastos!"

A large projectile made of rock flew towards Emil's face. Shocked by its size and speed, he hurriedly rolled to his side. Raymond was over him by the time he had dodged it.

Before Emil steadied himself, Raymond's left hand, which had shot the stone projectile, gripped the sword and brought it down two-handedly. The sword made a beautiful curve as it arced towards Emil's head.

*Tong*

Sound of metal clashing reverberated. Emil felt the full brunt of Raymond's power. He was shocked by the sudden spell and his opponent's strength. The twin daggers in his hands were magic equipment, he shuddered at the thought of them being ordinary iron ones...

Raymond sneered as he looked down, "Be serious, loverboy... you won't get a second chance in a real fight..."

Emil kicked on the ground and extended the distance between them. His expression was a little foul at being embarrassed. He peeked at Rose who was still focusing on Raymond. Inwardly, he shook his head and wiped the sweat stuck to his blonde eyelashes.

"You are very powerful, Sir Raymond. Although I never meant to do it, I apologize for unintentionally misjudging your ability..."

The truth was, Emil was more than a little surprised. Raymond had only just awakened his attribute, and by normal sense he shouldn't be this powerful and proficient with his spell casting. Then again, nobody was normal in the royal family. There was a particular rumor in the kingdom about how Raymond was exceptionally talented with mana, yet mysteriously he failed to awaken. Emil, now, believed in it somewhat.

"I won't hold back... Here I come!" Emil dashed. He was much faster than Raymond and was upon him in an instant.

Emil slashed upwards with his right dagger, and in the same breath he brought down the other dagger downwards from opposite angle.

*Clang*Clang*

Raymond deflected both of the daggers with his sword as his body backpedaled by the force of Emil's strikes.

"Huff!" Emil grunted as he unleashed a flurry of strikes. The twin daggers shone beautifully as they reflected the light. Raymond continued to retreat towards the arena wall as he deflected each of his attacks.

"This is nothing!" Raymond shouted and kicked at him when there was a slight window of opportunity. Emil skillfully dodged to the side, though Raymond had increased the distance between them in that moment.

"Is this all you got, loverboy?!" Raymond sneered.

Emil furrowed his brow at that. Raymond was pretending to be unfazed; however, he could see that Raymond's hands were somewhat shaking. Emil was impressed that it was only to that extent and Raymond was still standing scot-free. He hadn't held back this time and had used his full force.

"You're very impressive, Sir Raymond!" Emil commented calmly. Though he didn't have the raw power of an earth element awakened such as Raymond, he had complete confidence in his speed being a wind element awakened. What had impressed him the most was the technique of Raymond. There weren't much openings he could aim at and he had been deflected quite proficiently even if had the advantage of quick strikes.

"Again!" Emil dashed and stabbed with his right hand straight towards Raymond's heart.

Raymond smirked and single-handedly brought his sword downward aiming at Emil's neck, confident because of the longer reach of his weapon. However, the stab was a feint and Emil changed it to a slash at Raymond's wrist. While Raymond tried to pull back, Emil bent sideways to get out of the scope of the sword and increase the force of his slash. At the same moment, he thrust his other dagger at Raymond's throat.

"Hooh!" Emil grunted. He was sure that this would be the end of the spar. Raymond was stuck, as the momentum due to the downward strike of the sword had made it impossible to pull back the sword and dodge the thrust to the neck at the same time. If Raymond had waited just for a moment longer, he wouldn't have tried to pull back his sword and wouldn't be stuck in this situation. However, it was for that tiny opportunity alone that Emil had employed this tactic.

The second dagger was very fast, enhanced by his wind magic spell it was faster than the one in his right hand, and would reach Raymond's throat in less than a second.

"It's over..." Emil whispered to himself as he saw the panicked expression on Raymond's face.

He guessed that Raymond would prioritize saving his wrist. It was a given, after all. It was a spar and not a life-death encounter between enemies. He had planned to stop his thrust just before it could actually injure Raymond. With a dagger at his throat He was completely confident in his victory and relaxed his hand. Abruptly, though, the situation changed.

"Petra Vlastos!" Raymond screamed. A round stone, size of an infant's fist, explosively shot from his free hand and struck square on Emil's armored chest. The large and revolving projectile instantly pushed Emil's body backwards, making his legs airborne. In that split second, Raymond changed the grip on his sword and let it strike against the dagger.

"Petra Vlastos!" Another, much larger, projectile blasted out from Raymond's hand and crashed on Emil's chest.

It blew the blonde man away. His body slid on the hard surface for a few meters before coming to stop. When he stood on his feet, a trail of blood seeped through his lips. He wiped it with his empty hand, his dagger lying on the ground by Raymond's feet.

"What? Did you think it was over? Did you think it was enough to defeat me, lover boy?!" Raymond sneered.

Emil glanced around to find that there was a lot of admiration among the spectating soldiers' eyes. He heard praises for Raymond's quick-wittedness and technique to not only get out of an extremely sticky situation, but also reverse it.

"I honestly can't deny it..." Emil nodded. He couldn't quite believe the extraordinary battle instincts of Raymond. It was as if, all his moves were seen through and he had been lured into a false sense of victory, only to be blown away, literally.

"Idiot! Is this how the captains of our Kingdom's military taught to act?!" Raymond commented disdainfully.

Emil couldn't argue against Raymond's word. He felt quite idiotic himself. The first rule of any fight was never to underestimate one's opponent, and he had done it twice. Judging by the strength of his spells, the number of times he had used them, and the force of his sword to knock away the dagger, it was almost unbelievable that it was a power of 2-star level awakened. Even if the difference between their equipment was vast, and he had miscalculated Raymond's strength, it was absolutely insensible to not recognize that Raymond was a 3-star level awakened.

"Congratulations on progressing to 3-star level, Sir Raymond!"

Emil hadn't, for a second, thought that in nearly a week of awakening, Raymond could have progressed to 3-star level. One required great luck, riches, and talent to accomplish it. Raymond was quite late in his awakening and might very possibly be the least talented among his sister and cousins, nonetheless, he was a Tygrine. For an awakened, money was as important as their lineage and talent, and the royalty, of course, had their ways and secrets.

I have made a fool out of myself... Emil mused. He dared to take a quick glimpse of Rose's face, and his heart tightened after he did. Rose looked incredibly proud as she gazed at Raymond. Emil felt aggrieved as if he was set up by the cousins, one of whom he absolutely adored. However, there was also a slight hint of surprise on Rose's face, and it made him realize that it was his fault, not theirs. He inwardly cursed for neglecting the possibility of Raymond being at 3-star level until this moment.

"Oh, so you finally noticed? Bit of a scatterbrain aren't you?"

Emil felt pissed off after that particular comment. He was already feeling ashamed of his terrible performance in front of Rose. He had seen her around countless of times, not least in the past few days, but this was the first time she had talked to him after that night. His heart beat had quickened when she had called for him, and all he had wanted was to leave a good impression.

There's a limit... Emil couldn't hold back his anger at bay to any further extent. He knew Rose hadn't chosen him just because he was strong and could provide Raymond with an ideal sparring partner. It was also due to his reputation as a calm and sensible commander. That's why, when Raymond continued to hurl insults at him he had chalked as an agitation tactic, cheap provocation. Right now, he felt really provoked. Raymond might just have been doing it so that he would not hold back his powers and fight with all his strength, or there might be some other reason. Still, it was quite grating to constantly put up with it, especially in company of Rose.