Ch. 25: Martial Arts [1]

The morning sun rose above the horizon, casting a warm glow across the landscape. The sky was painted with blue hues, creating a stunning backdrop for the scenery.

Rhea took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, freshness washing over her. Stretching her arms upwards, she spoke, "I like the air here, it's so different from my country."

The tranquil atmosphere was also enhanced by the sweet melodious chirping of birds, creating a peaceful environment.

Sylvina, who walked beside her, responded, "Zenith is located amidst the desert, right?"

"Yep." The air here was noticeably crisp and invigorating, a stark contrast to Zenith's climate. 'What a paradise.'

"By the way, I wonder who will be our Martial Arts teacher," Sylvina opened up a conversation.

"Whoever it is, I hope he isn't like our homeroom teacher; his teaching method is grueling."

Now that Rhea mentioned it, the thoughts of yesterday's class came running and sent shivers down Sylvina's spine. She remembered how Gizel made them squeeze out their last drop of Mana, and thanks to it, she almost fainted due to Mana's Exhaustion.

In the end, Sylvina nodded in agreement, "I concur."

Today marked their second day as students at the Academy. The first class in the morning was Martial Arts and they were currently heading toward the training ground.

"No, no, no! Don't join his harem!" A familiar voice rang and up ahead, they saw a wheat-haired boy.

He was having a conversation with several girls near the training ground's entrance. Rhea and Sylvina were not deaf in the least, and upon listening to him, they could only shake their heads in disbelief. It seemed someone was running his mouth off again.

"I suggested—oh?" The moment Péréz's eyes caught a glimpse of his classmates, he greeted them, "Good morning, guys!"

"Do I know you?" Rhea answered curtly as they passed by him.

"What??" Péréz was baffled and the girls around him giggled. Embarrassed, he quickly excused himself, "Uh, please, excuse me."

The boy immediately chased after them and placed himself next to Rhea, matching their pace. "Why did you do that? They laughed at me."

Unbothered by him, Rhea just rolled her eyes.

Sigh in resignation, Péréz changed the topic, "By the way, where are the others?"

Rhea shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe they're off fighting crime or saving the world. You never know."

"Pfft." Sylvina threw her face sideways, trying to suppress her laughter.

Péréz frowned, he looked at Rhea in perplexity, "Jeez, I'm seriously asking, though."

"What are you expecting me to say? I'm not their mother."

Péréz furrowed his forehead. He had no idea why the girl next to him was so rude toward him, "What is wrong with—ah, it's Ralph!"

A tall and muscular black-haired boy was seen waving his hand, they waved back and without much thought, Péréz ran over him. "Hey, Ralph! Do you want to hear some hot gossip?"

Rhea folded her arms and clicked her tongue in annoyance, "I don't like him."

Sylvina chuckled softly, "I can see that."

Curious, Rhea glanced at the pink-haired girl and asked, "So, what do you think of him?"

"Hmm," Sylvina hummed, "I don't know. It's too early to judge."

The tanned girl scoffed wryly, "How wise, I can't be like you."

Yet, Sylvina just giggled, "I'll take that as a compliment."

After ten minutes of walking, they eventually arrived at the training ground. A vast space surrounded by towering trees with its floor covered in soft green grass was revealed.

The training ground was equipped with a variety of training dummies, obstacle courses, and targets. On the left side, there was an armory storage where students could borrow weapons and armor for their training.

There was also an infirmary to offer immediate medical attention in case of an accident. The training ground was located some distance away from the academy, which allowed the students to focus more on their training without any external distractions.

Péréz looked at his pocket watch which read 6:50, he put it back and muttered sarcastically, "As expected of the Imperial Prince, he's always late."

Rhea, who overheard this, immediately confronted him, "Can you stop badmouthing him?"

Péréz raised his hands in defense, "Whoa, whoa, easy. I'm not bad-mouthing him. I'm just stating facts. He's always late."

The blonde girl sneered, "So what if he always comes last?"

Sylvina and Ralph shared a glance before both letting out a sigh as the duo in front of them began to argue. They attempted to intervene, but their efforts proved futile and the quarrel persisted for several minutes.

"You better stop, the Instructor is coming."

"You—huh?"

Their bodies jolted upon recognizing the owner of the voice. They stopped whatever they did and swapped their sight toward it. Soon, a white-haired boy was seen standing not too far away from them and they frowned in unison.

Adrian's sudden appearance left them bewildered.

Ralph hastily shook his head to dismiss his confusion and asked, "Wait, when did you come?"

Ralph was always aware of his surroundings, yet how could he miss him?

"I've been here for an hour," Adrian replied dryly, causing the boy's crease to deepen.

'An hour?' Ralph thought in disbelief.

Didn't that mean Adrian was already here even before their arrival? Then, how could none of them notice his presence at all? Wasn't the Second Imperial Prince an Elementalist? Then how come he moved unnoticed like an assassin? No matter how hard Ralph thought about it, it made no sense.

.

.

.

Adrian closed the book in his hand and fixed his sight on a girl and a boy who were arguing in the distance. Right now Adrian was sitting on a tree branch. Since today was Martial Arts, he got up at 4 am and went here to practice before class started.

Even though he was away from them, he could vividly hear their voices. Throughout their heated debate, it was evident that the main point of contention was focused on him. He had no idea why it mattered to them while he didn't care at all.

Sensing a familiar figure approaching, Adrian leaped down the tree and strode toward them. He had to end their fight before the instructor came because he didn't want to get into any unnecessary trouble. Simply put, they didn't know how petty the old man was.

"You better stop, the Instructor is coming," Adrian interjected.

"You—huh?" They darted at him and confusion colored their faces.

Ralph shook his head and questioned him—although it sounded like an interrogation to him, "Wait, when did you come?"

"I've been here for an hour." Let's not say anything superfluous.

"That's a lie, right?"

Adrian glanced at the voice and Péréz was seen snickering scornfully at him. Shrugging nonchalantly, he spoke, "You can ask the Instructor about the truth."

That was because he bumped into him here by accident, and the old man immediately challenged him to a duel.

Sometimes, he wondered what the original Adrian had done to him. Because the old man seemed to be someone who held a grudge against him, like, he wouldn't stop until he beat him to a pulp.

Now he understood why Nathaniel hated him. But thanks to his improved physical stats, he could get out of the training ground less bloody.

Péréz tried to open his mouth but a voice was heard; making them divert their attention.

"Good morning."

The kids hastily straightened their line before greeting him back, "Good morning, Sir!"

In front of them was a towering elderly man with a robust build and a thick, unshaven beard. His hair was dark brown with a few strands of gray hair woven throughout it.

"My name is Walter and I will be your Martial Arts teacher for the next three years. Be prepared because I won't go easy on you."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Now, introduce yourself."

They did as instructed and soon commenced warm-ups.

"Hmm…" Walter's brown eyes scanned the document in his hand—it was the student's data.

He put them back and four panting youths came into view. The man glanced sideways and a white-haired boy with a pair of cerulean eyes was seen. Unlike his classmates, he looked fine.

Well, if it was that little brat, more or less he had known his capabilities, but not them. He had to witness their strength firsthand before deciding on what kind of training they needed.

As an idea popped into his head, Walter clapped his hands and announced the next sessions, "We will be holding a dueling session and you are free to choose your opponent."

They all raised their hands but Péréz was faster.

"Who are you going to challenge?" Walter asked him.

The group rolled their eyes in boredom, even before Péréz responded to the question, the answer was obvious to them.

"I want to challenge Adrian!" Péréz shouted in animation.

Walter turned to the boy in question, "What do you think?"

Adrian shrugged casually, "I don't see a problem."

With that, the first duel was settled.