Chapter 104

ZENITH'S POV

"Not good enough! Dance like you are burning coal!"

For today's training, I had the soldiers spar with me. They all geared up and began spectating the match, waiting for their turn to come.

The soldier I was fighting was not too old. He was barely out of his academics and joined the elite force.

He had shown great promise in trial and training. He had might for someone as scrawny and slender as him.

"Under...stood…" He huffed and puffed, not controlling his breathing.

Before he could exhaust himself any further, I went in for one last strike. His sword flung out of his hands and landed far away from the two of us.

"Fix your footwork, work on your breathing," I gave him the general advice he needed.

"Thank you for the analysis, general," He bowed before picking up the sword and leaving the ground.

His mates embraced him with open arms as he walked outside of the ring–Giving him a pat on the back and reassuring him.

"Next!" I shouted out.

A muscular foe came stomping into the ring, wielding a longsword in his hand and ready for a fight.

His beard which came down to his chest was braided neatly with a black band. His posture and face made him seem like a seasoned warrior.

"It is an honour to fight a skilful warrior like yourself, general Zenith," The goliath of a man bowed down in respect.

"Begin the duel," I said, not wanting to waste the time of other soldiers who are waiting in the summer heat.

He stood back up and took his stance. His sword was nearly as big as mine, making him an intimidating foe, one who is skilled and powerful.

I dashed towards him first, wanting to see how he would react. As expected of a heavy class, he had blocked it with ease.

My sword barely damaged his heavy sword, only leaving the sound of clashing metal echoing throughout the camp.

Not only that, he hadn't budged a single inch. He was completely bound to his position. It would be difficult to break his defense just by attacking with simple moves.

I tried to run around him–a basic strategy when fighting someone heavy. He managed to barely keep up with me, turning and keeping his eyes right on me.

Cheers and chants began as the duel raged on. They were all in support of the soldier who had kept up with me for once.

The soldiers that were given to me are the ones that wished to beat me in a duel for once. It is a dream of theirs to beat me and take the position of general.

It's a false hope that keeps them so disciplined. If they do good, I will allow them a sparring session for training every once in a while.

It keeps them improving and getting better, no matter how hard I go on them, they do not complain.

The Goliath which I am fighting now is no different. I have fought him before and seen him in training. He's all brawn but with hints of the brain. I doubt he went to an academy for training.

I managed to lose him for once and get behind him. I kicked at his feet to take him off balance.

"You're a quick one," He growled out as he tried to turn around. "But you won't be able to do that!"

I sigh and move away from his range. So far he's stayed on the defense, not attacking me once. I have given him opportunities where he can attack but he saw right through me.

Our eyes link together. He had an intimidating aura to him, he had the eyes of a warrior.

"How long have you been fighting for?" I asked him, hoping to make small talk and throw him off.

"Since I could pick up a longsword," The man replied. "That was years ago."

The Goliath spoke as though he was much older. He looked much older with his overgrown auburn hair and beard that could be used as a rope.

It seemed I gave him confidence with the talking. He slowly approached me with the ground quaking beneath. Every step he took the ground began to shake.

Though he was not so tall compared to elves, his hulking size made him seem bigger and larger than life.

He struck at me with a wide swing. It was predictable but I wasn't sure if that's his only plan.

It was a feint.

He struck down at me from above but I managed to dodge just barely. I rolled onto the ground and took a moment to catch my thoughts.

"I expected as such," The soldier replied with an arrogant smirk. "You've always been a quick rat."

I stood back up and got back into my stance. "Disrespecting your general is not the best idea,"

I jumped at him as if about to strike. He thought I would feint but I had gone for a proper strike.

His defense was low, making him lose balance. He tumbled back a few steps before regaining his footwork.

"Wh-" The soldier groaned. "Where are you!?"

The soldier's last thought was to look up, where he would see me. My shadow loomed over him as he glimpsed at me, noticing my shadow.

Before I would hit him with the blade of my sword, I switched my grip and hit his head with my pommel. He fell to the ground and was left unconscious for a second.

"Oi, are you awake?" I slapped him with my blade and asked.

His eyes slowly opened while I waited. He looked at me with a gentle gaze and smiled.

"That was fun," He whispered.

"Too slow, you must be more cunning than that."

He stood back up on his feet and put his longsword behind his back. "Thank you for the advice," he said as he stepped out of the ring, giving me one last glance.

"Let's continue," I walked back to my position. "Who's coming next?

ALEXANDER'S POV

The time I spent with Olivia went by in haste. Every moment I spent with her passed by quickly.

Our date had slowly come to an end, or so I think. We continued to walk around the city, taking in the sights it had to offer. Though we already knew every nook and cranny of it, we both enjoyed it nonetheless.

But, as the sun began to set, I felt fatigued. I wished to end the day off and head back.

"Should we head back?" I looked at Olivia and asked.

She held onto my arm with weary eyes. Even without her verbally telling me, I knew her answer.

"Ah~ Honestly, I would like to spend more time," She tried to hesitate. "But, I do feel quite exhausted myself,"

She gave me a warm smile, making my heart skip. I looked away before my face could react.

"Woah, isn't that Alexander and Olivia?" I heard a soft murmur come from a distance away.

"Let's go quick," I whispered to Olivia.

I began to pick up the pace and walk away before a crowd could gather. The two of us have been followed quite a lot, as expected. There was nothing I could do about it. Even if I wished to be left alone, just the two of us, people would follow and notice.

"W-wait! Slow down!" Olivia yelped.

With her words, I froze on the spot. Maybe I had gone too ahead of myself.

"W-what is it!?" I asked nervously.

"I can't walk that fast," She chuckled. "I'm wearing heels,"

"O-oh, sorry about that. I panicked and-"

"I understand," She cut in. "You heard the whispers too, right?"

I gave her a gentle nod. "They are everywhere,"

"We should start walking again, however," Olivia looked around. "Even a second of staying here grows attention,"

The entire day we had spent walking around the centre of the city. Everywhere we went we were noticed. I doubt we can ever have a normal date with our status.

Still, it is not to say either of us didn't enjoy the day. Olivia talked a lot about her childhood while I added my own stories. In a way, we both related to each other significantly.

A large portion of the day was spent at the cafe I found early on. It gave us time to learn about each other and know for sure if we were compatible. Though I had no doubts about her after the first night with her.

Even if my memory was quite hazy from that night, I still remember bits and pieces which are now engraved into my memory.

My face turns red as I reminisced about the first night. Olivia, being the observant lady she is, took notice.

"Your face looks red. Are you feeling unwell,"

"Not at all!" I panicked and raised my voice.

"Pfft, you must've been thinking of something embarrassing," She covered her smile.

"Not at all!"

For a while, I had been losing my composure. My usual facade as cold, collected and calm was now something in the past.

Before I met Artorius, all I was known for was a stone-cold appearance. It didn't take Artorius a minute to find out how to thaw that icy heart of mine.

For years, I imagined the world to be a cruel and unjust place–though it is not wrong, there is still goodness scattered.

One of those goods that I've found is Artorius.

He was one of the blessings I had received. A true friend I could rely on. Someone strong and smart.

You can't find a better deal than that.

I've learnt much from him. Not only have I learnt how to do business but I've learnt how to fight wars and plan projects.

He had shown me how to turn a bad idea into a good one–How to turn a bad situation into a good one.

If he hadn't pushed me forward to take a chance with Olivia, I would've never been in this circumstance. For that, I feel thankful to him.

As my thought bubble continued to run wild, the two of us made it back to the palace in no time. For a moment, I was worried I had completely ignored Olivia when she was talking–if she was talking.

Olivia let go of my arm and playfully walked in front of me. She blocked my path and gave me a sweet smile but with uneasy eyes.

"Will you answer me truthfully?" She asked while tilting her head.

"Ask away,"

"Did you enjoy today at all?"

"Is that a question?" I blurted out in shock. "Of course I did!"

Her slight smile broke into a wide grin before she turned around. "Tehee! Just making sure,"