Splinters and Ale

"Hmm? You guys have a problem with my decision?"

Ale tilted his bead as he raised an eyebrow and looked at the knights. Although he was a pretty easy-going guy, but even he hated getting his authority questioned right at his face.

'Can't y'all fight when I'm not here?'

He thought to himself as he waited for an answer. But seeing the slightly serious look on his face, the knights dared not complain anymore.

Afterall, no matter how much of an angel Ale was normally, during training, he looked like a devil straight out of hell.

All these knights who had to first-handedly experience multiple training sessions under that demon, obviously had it ingrained in their bones and muscles to never question their master.

"We do not!"

All of them answered at the same time, erasing any and all sort of doubt from their mind. Since it was Ale, the person chosen by him is bound to be special. All they had to do was take order and obey. There was no place for complex emotions or doubt.

That wasn't the end of it, obviously. Alw also knew that. Once the seed of doubt took place in someone's heart, rooting it out completely was the only solution.

But now wasn't the time. So he let the seed sleep and grow quietly for now. On the other hand, the two knights of his, Phil and Gary, didn't seem to have any problem with Ale's decision to begin with.

The only one they cared about was Ale, and Ale's words were the law for them. Even if Ale asked them to bring him the King's head, they'd rather die trying than ask Ale to change his mind.

"Young master.."

"Hm?"

"Would you like to spar?"

Phil came forward and asked. Unlike the other's that were terrified of Ale's training, these two with their unlimited hunger for growth actually enjoyed it much more than they should have.

Getting stronger, it was such an addicting feeling for them, that they couldn't help it. They didn't get drunk on power since Ale was always there to show them the next level, and not let them slack, and they turned out to be one of the best knights not only in the duchy but also in the whole country.

"A spar... Hmm.. Sure!"

And Ale, a part of him also craved thrill. The part that fought bloody battles for decades, the part that spent endless nights on the battlefield, the part of his whicj belonged to the future, it craved violence.

"No mana okay? Let's just use our bodies today."

"Okay!"

"Oh.. How about 2 vs 1? You two and me? "

Ale offered seeing the excited expression on Gary's face. It definitely didn't look like he was willing to wait his turn. During times like these, Ale could see just how battlejunkie these two were.

"2 v 1? Without using mana? Won't that be-ack!"

Phil received a jab on his stomach before he could even finish his sentence. Gary looked at him with eyes that asked "Are you crazy???" very clearly.

Phil wasn't wrong to ask his question. It wasn't completely baseless either. They both surpassed Ale in weightclass and height individually. They were bulkier and had more muscles. In a fight without mana, they definitely held the advantage.

That's what normally should happen. That was the most obvious outcome. Yet, nothing about Ale was 'normal'. They might've forgotten that after a few days of peace, but that's just how it was.

Two years ago, the day Ale first stepped into the training ground, he beat up one-third of the knights there all by himself. It was the day the duchys knights realized what a monster their future master was.

"You guys ready?"

Ale asked, bringing them back to the present. He had already taken off his vest and grabbed a wooden sword from the armory.

The two of them looked at each other and gulped, wondering if they'll even manage to hold a candle to that monster. But their desire for growth overcame their fear and they soon were standing against Ale on the training ground.

"Come."

With Ale's beckoning, Phil charged straight ahead. His relied more on his strength and mana and paid less attention to tactics. His swords clashed straight onto Ale's as a result.

*Clang!*

But the next moment, Ale was behind him, having completely deflected his attack.

Gary on the other hand, loved using complex moves and tactics. He waited for the right moment and launched an attack when Ale had just deflected Phil's attack and broke formation.

*Swoosh!*

The sword that came from the side cut apart the empty air, finding Ale nowhere around it's range.

Ale of the future was a jack of all trades. He could  use any weapons but he didn't have a favourite, and he could fight from any position, not restricting his movements in battle.

Ale's form was refined at times, and on other times, it looked straight disgraceful. But there was one thing common in all of them. That he'd never lose. He hated losing so he'd do anything and go to any length just to score a win.

*Clang*

*Wham*

*Bam*

*Thunk*

Sounds of swords clashing rang all over the training grounds. All the knights present there had their eyes glued to the battle that was taking in front of their eyes. They felt like just by watching something so remarkable they were already growing stronger.

'He's good.'

Even Xion couldn't help but feel a tingle in his arms as he watched Ale parry one attack after another. Right now, he was only using the swordsmanship of the duchy so his moves were more elegant and smooth than usual.

Since demon blood flowed through Xion's veins, he couldn't help but feel excited. Demons were battle maniacs, jumping into the battlefield with every chance they got. That's how they evolved.

'Will he spar with me too if I ask?'

Xion wondered as he continuously clenched and unclenched his fist. A small amount of bloodlust had already started to ooze out of his body just with the thought of it.

"Hm?"

And Ale, being on the battlefield for so long, had naturally sensitive skin. Even the smallest amount of bloodlust could never manage to escape him no matter how distracted he was.

As he searched for the source and locked eyes with Xion, something inside him snapped.

"Heh?"

Unlike how Ale looked, this guy's lust for blood and war was as strong if not stronger compared to the demons. He also enjoyed fighting and felt a twisted sense of satisfaction while trampling on his opponents. It was a side of him that he always worked hard to supress and hide.

But that didn't work in front of Xion. This guy was the only one capable of railing Ale to this extent. As he felt the manic inside him awaken, Ale quickly twisted his sword and took down the two innocent people in front of him.

"Give up?"

He asked, holding his sword on one's neck while using the other ones own sword and holding it against his neck. The two of them quickly nodded their head and accepted defeat, although still a little baffled by their sudden loss.

"Wow.. young master."

"There's really no one who can win against you."

"That's not true ."

Ale quickly denied their baseless accusation and turned to the other side. He was tightly gripping the sword on his hand as he tried to avoid the bloodlust that made his skin tingle.

'Did that guy lose it or something? Why is he so excited?!'

Ale knew that the bloodlust he was feeling was different from those of a murderers. It was pure excitement. This is what happens when a demon gets excited.

Ale gripped so hard on the sword that it cracked slightly, stabbing his palm with the broken pieces of wood.

"Ouch"

He quickly let go of the sword as soon as he felt the pain and looked down at his palm. A few broken pieces had broken the layer of skin and caused his arm to bleed.

"Young master?!"

"Blood? What happened?! Are you okay???"

The two knights hurriedly approached Ale as they smelled the scent of blood coming from his direction followed by a disgruntled look on Ale's face.

"?!?"

But even before the two of them, someone else had already reached Ale and was grabbing his arm for inspection. Xion.

"Ah.. You're hurt."

"Ow! Don't touch!"

Even with Xion's slight touch on one of the splinters, Ale jumped back and pulled his hands away. Although this guy wasn't afraid of sword wound or stabbing pain, he was seriously weak against paper cuts and splinters.

"Oh no... splinters.."

"This is bad... The doctor, call the doctor!"

The two knights of his that knew about Ale's fear, hurriedly called for the doctor as they tried not to panic too much. It was an emergency afterall!