Swordsman

"Ah, so you're a noble..." I glanced back into her crimson eyes. It seemed Abigail didn't care how others perceived her.

Without any expression, Abigail casually ate the ice cream she had bought, not even bothering to look back at Eizan.

Realizing something was heading our way, Abigail said, "Eizan, it seems our conversation ends here." She stood up and tossed her ice cream into the trash can next to where we were sitting.

"Suddenly? Why? Is something bothering you?" I asked, surprised.

Her eyes glowed again, confirming something. "No doubt about it," she said. Though I didn't understand what she meant, Abigail could be quite intimidating when she acted like that. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Someone you know is coming this way. I don't want them to see us together like this." I was still confused. Someone was coming towards us? Who could it be?

"Who is it?" I inquired.

"If they see you, you'll have a hard time calming them down," she replied. Ah, now I understood. She must be talking about Sophia. "You're right, Sophia is coming this way with someone," I said. "Hey, it's rude to read my mind like that, Abigail."

I stood up from where I was sitting. "In that case, let me introduce myself properly before we part ways. My name is Eizan. I may not have noble blood like you, but I hope we can be good friends." I extended my right hand to her.

"What is this?" Abigail seemed puzzled by my gesture.

"It's a custom among humans to shake hands when they meet for the first time," I explained.

Abigail smiled. "You're something else, aren't you?" She extended her right hand as well and grasped mine. "We'll meet again at the Academy."

"Alright, it was nice meeting you, Abigail." Abigail smiled, and then a black mist enveloped her, causing her to vanish from my sight. Just after she disappeared, I heard hurried footsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw Sophia and Elisia.

"Hah... Hah... Look, Sophia, Eizan was with another woman!" Elisia pointed at me, still catching her breath from running.

Sophia straightened up from her bent-over position, exhausted. "It's just Eizan, Elisia." She gave Elisia a sharp look.

Elisia straightened up too and peered at me, standing about ten blocks away from them. "Eh?... W-Wait, I swear I saw him with someone before I went to Lady Eva's place," she stammered. Sophia gave her another sharp look, causing Elisia to sweat nervously.

"Uh... I can explain," Elisia said, scratching her head awkwardly, feeling guilty as if she had lied to Sophia. "Huff, it's okay, Elisia," Sophia sighed. "Why do I feel relieved knowing Eizan wasn't with another woman?"

I approached Elisia and Sophia. "How about you both accompany me to the weapon shop we saw yesterday, Sophia?" I suggested, eager to make the most of my time in the city.

"You mean the place we passed yesterday?" Sophia raised an eyebrow, recalling the location. "That's right!"

"Not a bad idea. I want to see if there's a good bow I can use at the Academy," Sophia said, excited at the prospect of finding a new weapon, as her current bow had broken during our journey due to her immense power.

"Let's hurry!" I ran ahead toward the weapon shop, with Sophia quickly following. "Come on, Elisia!"

"Eh?..." Elisia still seemed exhausted from her earlier excitement at catching me with Abigail.

We sprinted through the city and finally arrived at the weapon shop. The entrance looked slightly bigger than I remembered from yesterday. Did the owner change it frequently?

We entered the shop, and a bell chimed as we opened the door. Inside, I saw a large man sitting by a furnace, forging a sword. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his right hand and turned to greet us. "Welcome to my shop. How can I help y—" His words stopped short when he saw three fifteen-year-olds entering his store.

"What are you looking for, kids? There's no candy here. Go outside," he said, turning back to his work.

"We want a sword and a bow, sir," Sophia replied innocently.

"I don't sell weapons to children. Leave," the blacksmith continued without looking at us.

"We're from Axeris Academy, and we need to order a sword," Elisia bravely stated.

The blacksmith gave us a sharp look, his tone lower than before. "I don't make weapons for arrogant kids like you."

"Why not? We'll pay you double," Sophia said, placing her money pouch on the counter. The blacksmith remained unresponsive.

Suddenly, he stood up, grabbed a cup of water from his furnace, and drank it slowly. Setting it back down, he faced us with a stern expression, walking towards the counter and sitting behind it.

"Hah... Why are kids so stubborn these days? What will you do with the sword you buy?" He picked up a sword and began cleaning it with a cloth.

"Of course, it's our duty, right? As future students of Axeris Academy, we need a weapon to channel our Elements," Elisia explained, showing her understanding of the Academy's system.

"I know the Academy's system well, but what I'm asking is, what will you do with the sword I make for you?" He continued cleaning the blade, and we all fell silent, unable to answer his question.

I sighed and responded, "Of course, we'll use it for good."

The blacksmith paused his cleaning and looked at me. "Prove it, kid. Swing this sword and create a shockwave strong enough to move everything in here." He handed me the freshly cleaned sword.

Without hesitation, I took it eagerly, but as soon as I grabbed the hilt, my hands buckled under its weight. "This sword is heavy..." I muttered to myself.

The blacksmith folded his arms, watching me struggle. Sophia and Elisia stepped back, giving me space. "I can't lift it with my natural strength alone, but if I channel Mana into my right hand, I might be able to lift it," I thought, trying to focus my Mana.

I began to channel my Mana into my right hand, but something felt off. Despite the flow of Mana, I still couldn't lift the sword.

"You won't be able to lift it that way. The sword has a special skill to absorb Mana from its wielder to strengthen itself," the blacksmith explained.

In that case, there was only one way, using my Element to lift this weapon.