Chapter 10: Teleportation gate

Jasmine's point of view:

I leaned against the trunk of a tree. Because of my black armor, I couldn't feel the bark, but there was something about the damp wood's coldness that I liked. I marveled at the darkened horizon and the moonlight casting needles above me. The view from the treetops was always beautiful, but I didn't enjoy it as much as other times.

I drew a knife from my waistband. It was identical to the one I had given to Arthur and Kiyotaka. A rough black handle hunting knife. Many emotions rushed through me as I traced the silver blade with my finger. Arthur had fallen off the cliff, and I knew there was nothing I could do but in the background, my mind was playing out what-if scenarios. If I had finished my fight faster, I might have been able to assist the Leywin brothers in escaping. I let out a helpless sigh. Nothing could be done at this point, but we all knew that this journey would leave an imprint on our lives.

I was thinking about all of this while watching the camp, as I always do. The panoramic view was useful for spotting potential threats, but it also reminded me of the clearing where Arthur demonstrated his abilities and taught us the feint he devised. As I remembered that scene, a small sad smile formed on my lips.

A small, dark-brown-haired figure slipped out of his tent as I was lost in nostalgia. As he made his way into the woods, the faint light from the campfire barely illuminated his small figure.

'Kiyotaka slipped away again'

He'd been doing it for a few days. I initially assumed he just needed to use the restroom, so I left him alone. However, he went around this time every day. Curiosity got the best of me this time, so I nodded to Adam, who was also on guard duty on the other side of the camp, and handed over the task of keeping watch to him.

When Adam nodded, I used mana to strengthen my legs and leap to another tree branch, never losing sight of Kiyo's small figure. My flight was quiet and agile. My path through the treetops was illuminated by the moon. However, I decided to test Kiyo's perception by being a little more careless in one of my movements, causing the leaves to move slightly.

Kiyotaka shook his head slightly, perhaps listening for the unusual sound, but didn't seem to think much about it. I was expecting him to turn around and notice me, but maybe I was expecting too much. Could Arthur have detected me? Although I knew from personal experience that being compared to others was detestable, I couldn't help but wonder. Which of them would be the more powerful? That question probably couldn't be answered now.

I shook my head and stopped thinking about meaningless things because they wouldn't get me anywhere. I jumped again, and Kiyotaka came to a halt when my feet touched another branch. This area wasn't far from the camp, so it wasn't particularly dangerous. I'd watch him for a while and then leave if he just wanted to use the restroom. However, after a few minutes, Kiyotaka pulled his practice sword from its sheath, which caused me to raise an eyebrow.

Kiyo assumed his normal posture and swung his sword against a nearby tree. He made the same downward motion over and over. I was relieved to see he was only practicing.

I sat on a tree branch again, this time watching Kiyotaka go through his training routine. I admired his dedication.

I leaned forward a little as he started throwing some attacks at the tree. The satisfying sound of the wood scratching the bark. He wasn't bad, but his inexperience was apparent. Despite his small stature, his figure appeared dangerous due to his precise movements. He had a talent for the swordplay. With the right teacher, he would be a great swordsman.

After a while, he seemed to abandon his sword training and pulled out the knife I had given him. I squinted, but he simply turned it in his hand, as if settling into its grip. He attacked in a low stance, using the reverse grip on the knife.

As he cut deep into the tree in one fluid motion, I raised my brows in surprise. The terrifying sound of the knife edge cutting through the bark. As he returned to his original position, his brown hair swayed and his blue eyes darkened. He wasn't quite powerful enough to threaten someone like me, but those ice-cold eyes told me otherwise.

He cut, cut, and cut some more. I became engrossed in his aggressive but elegant figure. Apart from his lack of striking power, he was like a small whirlwind that left no obvious openings. When an opening appeared, he countered it with a clever move. Although the tree did not move, I had the impression that the outcome would be the same. Even if it were a real person, Kiyotaka would easily destroy them. When he grew up, he'd be a monster. It almost made me doubt Reynolds decision to hire a tutor for him. If what I saw here was correct, he would humiliate the Xyrus academy's prodigies in a matter of years.

I landed softly from the branch that had been my seat after he finished training, panting slightly. Kiyotaka sat in front of the tree, admiring his cuts as if he were a painter admiring his masterpiece. Not only that, but I could feel the mana swirling around him and being absorbed; he was purifying his mana. With everything I could do, it was difficult for me to observe him as a normal child.

When I finally got close enough for him to notice me, even my voice sounded hesitant. "Where did you learn to wield daggers?"

Despite having his back turned to me, he seemed unsurprised by my presence, as if he had known I was coming all along.

He spoke as I walked past him to admire the tree with many cuts. "Books."

I smiled slightly at his response, shaking my head in amusement. 'They are brothers after all.'

I used my fingers to trace the lines of cuts on the tree, admiring the depth of the splintered marks in the moonlight. They were deep gashes, clearly mana-infused. It was impressive that someone his age could be so intelligent and full of potential. I made a decision and turned to face him. His entire face was fixed on me, as if awaiting my verdict.

I drew my daggers from their sheath around my waist. Kiyo looked at me with interest as I took a stance, but when I gave him a look, he seemed to understand and took a stance with his knife as well. We could at least train while we were here. I was particularly intrigued by a move combination he had used.

(***)

After a while, I smiled at him, and it was too late to continue. His breathing was labored, but he continued to attack me with zeal. His apathetic expression never left his face, but in his eyes was a fire capable of overcoming everything, as if he could devour the world if necessary to survive.

"Sufficient." I said.

He lowered his knife, and stowed it. He nodded and inhaled deeply, beads of sweat dripping from his wet hair to the floor. "Sure."

We said nothing more, both of us coming to a silent agreement about what had just happened here.

We walked silently toward the camp, the reddish orange color of the campfire becoming more visible. "Tomorrow at sunset." I said simply.

He nodded, and we both went our separate ways. Kiyotaka went to wash up before going to bed, and I went back to my post to keep watch. There was no need to waste water because I hadn't sweated. I was taking out some dry food so I wouldn't get bored on my watch when I heard someone land right on the branch next to me.

"Adam."

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"We were training."

He gave me a confused look. "Training?"

"Yes, he is very good at handling daggers."

He was silent for a while, watching Kiyotaka's figure disappear with a bucket of water to clean himself. "You're going to train him?"

"I guess."

I could feel Adam's gaze on me, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He simply nodded and jumped off the branch.

'Train him.' I wasn't sure I could even train him. His newly formed core limited his ability. His techniques were good; I was picking up on some as we practiced, but it appeared that I would have to ask him directly about others that I didn't quite grasp. But I didn't know how to ask him to teach me. Wasn't I supposed to be the veteran? What would he think of me?

I sighed, it didn't matter, for the moment I would limit myself to watching. Tomorrow would be another day.

(***)

Kiyotaka's point of view:

After cleaning up, I got into the sleeping bag and lay down next to my mother. I curled up next to her as she began to sob in her sleep. This was normal for her these days.

Her sobs faded as she hugged me tightly, and I reflected on what had happened. Jasmine had taken her time following me and had even considered moving me earlier, but she finally did, and now I could really train.

With her as my trainer, I could train freely and have an excuse for my almost abnormal improvement if anyone found out, plus Jasmine herself was quite experienced with the daggers, so a few tips from her would be beneficial.

Our journey was coming to an end. I wasn't sure if Jasmine would still be teaching me when we arrived in Xyrus, but I hoped she would teach me something so I could tell my parents. The 'who knows' here didn't work as well as it did in my previous world.

I closed my eyes and waited until I fell asleep. I was a little curious about a floating city.

(***)

"Go ahead," Said a plate-armored guard in front of a jet black frame.

Finally, our caravan had arrived at the teleportation gates. The large frames with runes were guarded by several guards in plate armor. I was surprised to see that there was almost no one else but us. I expected something as useful as a teleportation gate to be more crowded. However, it appeared that the Grand Mountains were not a particularly busy place to begin with, which made sense.

Alice smiled as she took my small hand in hers. "It may feel strange, but I'm here with you." She affirmed. Her warm hand was attempting to reassure me. But I wasn't afraid; I was just curious.

I nodded toward her and she snuggled up next to me.

Helen, who had been talking to the lairs to let us through, finally gave the go-ahead and the carriages started moving again. The first carriage plunged into the rippling amethyst substance that comprised the portal. My attention was drawn to this phenomenon, and my curiosity was piqued as I tried to figure out how it was possible and how it worked.

Of course, with my limited understanding of mana, it was impossible. It could not be explained by modern science either. Bending space to come out somewhere else was something humans were still a long way from discovering. The Alcubierre metric, a warp drive that works with antimatter, came the closest. Something far removed from current human civilization, or at least from the one I recall.

Our carriage approached the portal as I was thinking. When the front of it came into contact with the amethyst substance, I immediately felt an attractive force, and my world sped up.