Chapter 26 - How I Met My Mentor

{5 days after the start of the trip . . .}

"OI! Letyan! Dinner is ready!" One of the paladins exclaimed while others were finishing a small mound of dry wood that would serve as fuel in case the large fire began to disappear.

The boy in question was lying on top of one of the carriages, watching the stars while getting caught up in some thoughts of his own. The environment that this group was in, was a small clearing, 200 meters from the main road they were using to go to Holy Kingdom. The night seemed extremely gloomy and dense, but the lights created by the moonlight and the flames, caused an incredible and relaxing sensation.

He once again observed the moon, which was at the highest possible point, and then jumped, reaching the ground and walking towards the fire. That large fire had some side supports, which the paladins used to heat some skewers and two pots, in which he could see a bubbling liquid. The sound of the bubbling and the flames dancing with the light wind was the perfect union so that anyone could feel safe and comfortable.

Next to the fire, there were some fallen logs on the floor, so that everyone could sit down while enjoying dinner. Those who have dined before, or who will not eat until later, were standing and on their guard, shields and swords in hand. Among that sight of some paladins sitting and talking, there were two beings that gained a lot of attention, the paladin with the most polished armor of all and the maid who was accompanying him.

"Hmm... Raven, can you fill a bowl for me?" The boy asked his demihuman helper, who was hiding her wolf features.

"Okay!" She affirmed with a smile and did as she was told.

Letyan sat next to his old friend, Masato, who was without his helmet, with bandages hiding the parts of his cheek that could reveal him as half insect. He stopped drinking from the bowl he had in his hands, giving a faint smile.

"Finally decided to come to us? I thought you were going to be admiring the stars all night." Masato said that, laughing and putting the bowl on top of his own lap.

"Hm... It's okay to observe the natural beauty sometimes, right?" Letyan's question made his friend take a long sigh and confirm, after all, he had come from a world where such a simple action was impossible.

Raven brought the bowl of soup to the young man, who drank it without needing a spoon. But after a few long sips, he stopped to listen to his friend again.

"So... You didn't tell me much about how your life was going... I'm curious how you got caught in Kelart's clutches." The sentence of that paladin made the others sitting there start laughing, while the High-Priestess herself, who was sitting inside a carriage with the door open, only looked away due to the choice of words.

"OOh!! Well, it's a pretty silly little story actually..."

"Silly little story?" One of the other paladins stood up, laughing again. "You did what no one here has ever done! And I say as one of those who were present!"

"Yes! I wasn't there, but from what I was told, all the commanders of each sector of the Paladin Order were incredulous and in a cold sweat when they heard about it!!" Someone else had expressed their opinion.

"Ooh!! So was it something impressive? Come on, you can tell us!" Masato patted the young man lightly on the shoulder.

"Eh... People are exaggerating... I mean... I was just trying to get my sister accepted as a paladin."

"Hmmm..." Neia lowered her head a little when she remembered that day. "It was... pretty intense actually."

"Ah! Let's go! Tell him now, before he finds out from 'her' words!" Kathleen commented over. "I myself love it when I can hear that story again."

"You only say that because Remedios isn't good with you." Letyan pouted as he said that, but soon gave up. "Okay okay... I'll tell you then... But I think it's better... starting from a special day of a certain girl...."

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{9 years ago. . . . . Hoburns, Roble Holy Kingdom's Capital}

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In the middle of the streets of the Prime Estate, or more specifically, on top of the buildings... A boy was running across the rooftops, with agility and flexibility above the average. The sky was still beginning to clear with the sun, giving a beautiful tone to see, when the boy stopped at the top of a large building.

"Nothing is better than a landscape like this in the morning." Said that boy, who soon after admiring such a situation, began to go down to the streets, using the walls of some alleys as a safe means of doing it without being noticed.

He wore a crimson red robe, with a hood that was tightly fastened so that little part of his face was exposed. Having leather gloves and boots, in addition to being around 155 centimeters tall, with blond hair flowing out of the hood, on both sides. If it weren't for his voice, he would clearly be mistaken for a young girl.

There was a small shop near where he got off, and as there seemed to be a sign indicating that it was open, he was already entering the place. The store itself was a bakery, there were only 3 employees at the time, and two of them, when they observed the customer, already seemed to recognize him.

"Good morning, Letty! What brings you here so soon?" The owner of the place said that while he was behind a display with several large and warm loaves.

"No big deal, Alphonse. I just wanted to pick up the order I asked you about 4 days ago." Said the boy, revealing his face now. "Also, get me some of the 10 freshest breads you have at the moment, I haven't had my breakfast yet and I want the people at home to wake up already having something very good."

"Of course! Do you want anything more than that?" Said another of the employees as he walked to the back part of the bakery.

"Nothing more than that, thank you." He responded, receiving a small cake inside a paper package, and a paper bag with bread, in exchange, he gave some coins to the owner. "You can keep the change."

Leaving there, Letyan quickly went to a nearby alley, grabbing a strange leather bag from inside his pocket and opening it. Inside it seemed to be nothing, just a strange glyph stuck in the bottom. Activating the power of the glyph, the bottom of the bag became dark as night and he managed to put all those items he bought without any problem inside it, as if that bag didn't obey Newtonian rules.

"Great, I thought I had forgotten my [Bag of Holding]..." He sighed and closed the bag, climbing the walls and adjusting his hood to sneak towards his house.

The Baraja house was a two-story place, with a garden at the rear and some balconies. One of these balconies had a direct connection to the boy's room, which made it easy for him to sneak out like that. But when he arrived at his bedroom, there was already a person standing who was waiting for him, her feet beating rhythmically against the wooden floor and his arms crossed.

The boy just gave a silly smile as he walked through the window and snapped his fingers. "Good morning, mom..." He had a fake smile in the direction of the woman who was there, her name was Leticia.

"Letyan Baraja, what do you think you're doing leaving as a thief? Didn't I already tell you not to do something like that?" The woman's voice was rigid, like a commander's, but that was to be expected, after all she was not only a former paladin, but also the former leader of one of the orders of knights.

"Well, dad is always leaving and showing up like this when he's called to work." The boy tried to answer, while putting his magic bag on the small table in the room. "Besides, I took the opportunity and went to buy bread. I had woken up before and noticed that the ones that were stored had moldy at dawn."

The woman stared at him, her eyes almost closed, focusing right on the boy's face, but soon sighed, shaking her head, as if she was denying something that had gone through her mind. "The maids warned me just now that the bread we had really got moldy, you're lucky." And so she left her son alone.

With a raised eyebrow, the boy removed the items he had bought from the bag and took them to the kitchen, which was practically under his room. There he saw two maids who were preparing some coffee, as well as setting the tables. They were two slightly old women who had previously had the same function in one of the houses for paladins, but had been taken here because of Leticia Baraja.

"Young Mr. Letyan, did you arrive with some goods?" Said the oldest of the maids, she had a sweet and gentle aura, she looked like a granny, even so, that good feeling was not enough to hide the fact that she was still a very competent maid.

"Yep, Doroth can put the loaves on the table and.... hmm.. Hide this cake here until my sister comes down for breakfast." He said handing over what he had bought.

"Oooh, it's so simple but adorable... I honestly would love for Young Miss Neia's birthday cake to be something more flashy, but knowing her... This one you brought really must be the perfect choice." The maid said with a laugh and kept the cake inside one of the kitchen cabinets.

"It's... I had taught her a while ago. Besides, you know very well why she can't get a giant cake right now." He said this as he watched the two maids, who just turned their faces away from looking at him.

That was a common thing to happen, at least when that subject was raised inside the house. And what was this subject? Simply that of Neia following in her mother's footsteps.

Ever since they were both little, Letyan remembered very well how Neia always wanted to achieve the same level of honor and respect that their mother had, that of being a paladin. And this desire inside her was further intensified, as a way to counteract the scary look they both received for their father's genetics.

'If I'm a respected paladin, my damn gaze will be ignored.' That was the girl's logic to motivate even more in that desire. However, this came with a lot of criticism from the parents themselves.

Pebal had that fierce and murderous look since he was a child, and used that genetic situation to scare his enemies and get better chances in fights. Hearing that his own daughter said that she hated having that look, ended up hitting him like one of the arrows he uses, but over time he began to understand that the girl didn't want to follow an extremely violent path like his.

Leticia, on the other hand, couldn't see her daughter as competent enough to be a paladin, and one of the excuses she used was that if Neia couldn't accept herself the way she was born, she would be mentally weak enough to endure anything during training. But there was one more reason why the mother did not want her daughter as a paladin, and this reason was called Letyan.

The son of the family seemed to be so mature, intelligent and genial even during some training sessions with his father, that he himself ended up becoming the comparison of what would be someone perfect to carry that mantle. This same boy realized that, and because he felt guilty, he was always trying to help his older sister achieve that goal, even though his mother always scolded them for this.

Today, it was Neia Baraja's 16th birthday, and not only that, it was also the time to fulfill an old promise...

Promise that involved her being recognized by her father, through hard work before the age of 16. If that happened, she could participate in the registration test to join the Holy Kingdom's Paladin Order. And luckily for her, this had been accomplished a month ago.

Letyan got stuck in those thoughts as he ate a piece of bread, just waiting for the moment, which took less time than he expected.

Neia was entering the kitchen, her hair messy, wearing a basic blue and white outfit. Her tired gaze stared at her little brother, with a faint smile forming when she saw him getting up and approaching her. The boy hugged her tightly, and gently stroked her hair. The age difference was 4 years, but the height was almost the same.

"Happy birthday." The little brother said, giving a kiss on his sister's forehead, while moving away from the hug. "Are you ready for this week? It's going to be crazy."

"I know you're going to be watching me on the day, silly. I want you to give me all the luck in the world." She was still smiling gently.

"You don't need luck. And you know it yourself..." He said while poking one of his fingers on her forehead.

It didn't take long for the saved cake to be exposed to the girl, who had a few laughs. It was a small, simple and lovely cake, with a basic decoration of flowers on the edges and wings in the center, made from slices of fruit.

"Hmmm... Why these wings?" She noticed that, asking very curiously.

"Just a symbolic thing, I wanted you to be able to grow wings to get out of trouble, in the same way that a bird can go to the place it wants." Letyan responded by sitting next to her, watching his sister take a piece of the cake and bring it to her mouth. From her face, it looks like she loved the taste.

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{Returning to the present…}

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"So... Did you have this type of family problems?" Masato questioned, now looking at Neia.

The girl sighed, looking at the bowl of soup that had already been finished, replying without even looking at the extraordinary paladin. "Yes, it wasn't a nice situation, but I'll be very honest, it wasn't the worst situation I could find myself in... I feel like I'd be lost without him giving me strength sometimes... Our father barely got into these situations related to what I wanted to be, it was my brother who had to give a little push in the family conversation."

"I just love pushing people to understand that you shouldn't stay as a viewer. Any problem with that?" All the companions from the Holy Kingdom laughed at that phrase.

"You push everyone in any context, kid." One of them said that, making all the others agree and the boy himself reacted with a simple gesture of hiding his face with his hands.

"The story is about how Hikari-sama joined the royal group of the Roble Holy Kingdom." CZ began to speak, remaining next to Touch_Me. "But so far, the whole story told has only been about the sister."

"Hey, I already told you, my name is Letyan... argh... It's just that this story is completely connected.... Let's get a little ahead of the story if you're a little bored, Shizu." He said, finishing drinking the soup he had in hand.

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{9 years ago... Paladin Order's Headquarters, Hoburns}

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It was the 6th day of the Upper Wind Month, 5 days after Neia's birthday and 2 after Letyan's. Due to the boy now being 12 years old, he could accompany his older sister on that event.

{A/N: Translating the New World calendar into ours, taking into account Neia's canonical birthday and that I made Letyan have the same birthday as Keiko, respectively the dates would be April 1st and 4th. Yes, they have literally almost 4 years of difference.}

Which event? That of enlisting and joining as a member of the Paladin Order.

To get in was even simple in a way. The person has to demonstrate dedication, willpower and a minimum amount of physical state, so that they can pass the exams that were proposed. Many would think that there would be written exams, but this was a confusion that sometimes occurred among outsiders, because those who took the written exams were the scholars who after a while would become royal priests and researchers.

Since the boy wasn't the one who was enlisting, he just sat in an area where family members could see how people were doing, there weren't as many people, even though the number of enlistments today is considerable. Unfortunately, or fortunately in the emotional aspect, Leticia and Pebal could not be there at the moment. The family's mother had said that she would be organizing some things for a party that Letyan would still have, while their father would be on a mission pointed out by the other members of the group he works for, the Nine Colors.

And speaking of the Nine Colors, one of the instructors to observe the exams was none other than Remedios Custodio, a woman who was one of the commanders of the Paladin Order, as well as participating in the same group as Pebal. In this case, the father of the Baraja family was represented by the color Black, while Remedios was the opposite, represented by the color White.

Letyan knew about some of that paladin's mannerisms. He never actually interacted with her, due to the times at which he could visit his father during work. At most the only interactions with the Nine Colors that the boy had were with Orlando Campano, the leader of the squad, and with Isandro Sanchez, represented by the color Pink and also another being within the Paladin Order.

What he knew about Remedios, was the fact that she was an absolute monster in terms of combat, even classified as a Genius among Paladins due to her great strength. An honorable woman who cares about the members of the Kingdom she is sworn to protect. However, on the other hand, she has a very limited mind in terms of social intelligence and understanding of things outside combat, being a musclehead, in addition to classifying in an extreme way what is seen as good or bad.

In other words, a kind-hearted woman, but still an idiot with extremist ideas, which are only harmful if you stop seeing things the same way she does.

He continued to observe his sister in those exams, Remedios had been put to check the group in which Neia was. There were practical things related to running all over the yard until they were told to stop, times when they had to stand still with shields raised, so that others would try to knock them down with sword attacks, and even situations where they had to carry heavy items from one place to another in the shortest time they could.

He just kept smiling seeing all that, the older sister seemed to be getting tired little by little, but compared to the group that was taking an exam with her, Neia seemed to be above average, only 2 other people out of the 20 seemed to be in a better state than the girl. The hard training they had was worth it, after all, this was just the beginning. To really work within a group of paladins, that would make her really blossom into that world she wanted to enter.

However, the boy ended up noticing something a little strange...

The way of acting that Remedios had was completely different with Neia, she was harsher and strangely did not seem to recognize the fact that the little girl was doing well. And this was blatantly obvious when Neia completed another exam related to carrying items, she had been quick and received only one head confirmation of Remedios, but when a person who was a little late performed the same feat, the paladin seemed to smile and clap her hands lightly to encourage.

'Wait... Is it because my mother was a paladin and that's why she expected more from my sister?' It was one of the thoughts he had.

That might be true, but what was happening was more... Frustrating.

When all the exams were over, the sun was already showing signs that it was going to set, even with the sky still clear, the torches and the luminous stones that were glued to the walls, all were lighting up. The candidates were in a line, next to each other, and slowly the instructors of each group were talking about whether the person passed or failed. In case of failure, they seemed to give hints, saying what they lacked to be accepted, whether it was more determination in their gaze, or perhaps more physical training.

However, for Neia...

"Neia Baraja. You have failed the practical exams. In all of them I saw that you were missing something. In addition, you were the one who got the lowest score in each category." Remedios said that while staring at the paper in hand.

That made even some candidates who were in Neia's group in shock. There were those among them who knew they did worse than the girl with the scary eyes, but for her to be called the one with the lowest score? Did that make any sense?

"B-B-But"

"What do you have to say? I've already said, you failed, I hope I don't see you here." Remedios' words directed to Neia, made the younger brother have an understanding of what was really happening.

He stood up from where he was, leaning in and talking loudly. "This is Wrong! I wish someone else would come and rate her exams!!"

His voice caught the attention of the people in the courtyard, who seemed to turn their faces completely towards the boy. Neia was embarrassed and scared by what was happening, tears were already starting to come out of her eyes due to those harsh words.

"Eh? Who do you think you are to order something like that??? Am I not trustworthy to talk about the grades of a failure?" The words that came out of Remedios' mouth made the other instructors look at her, but then return to look at that boy, who was practically invading the courtyard.

"Me? I'm the brother of the one you just gave the wrong grade of all!" He exclaimed and then spoke, also looking at the other participants. "Sorry if I sound rude in saying this, but being extremely honest..."

He looks back at Remedios. "I've been watching the whole process! My sister ended up passing several during the practical exams! Even though she wasn't the best in the world, she was at least above average! Many were complaining, but she swallowed any discomfort and focused on the goal! And you, with that stupid face, come to tell me that someone like that was the worst grade?!"

"L-Letty, please, you don't have to-" Neia tried to intervene so that her brother would stop trying to defend her in that aggressive way, but her voice was interrupted by Remedios.

"So you're against the words of a paladin?! And yet there is such a lack of respect?!" The White of the Nine Colors exclaimed, looking at that boy from above.

"Someone who does what my mother asks just to destroy my sister's dreams, doesn't have my respect even if they point a knife at my throat."

"Let-...W-What do you mean by that?!" That paladin failed a little at the beginning of the speech.

It seems that the boy had got it right.

"I know all too well how respected our mother was and still is here at Paladin Order, even though she retired earlier than expected! So don't try to hide the fact, that it is as clear as the SUN, that she must have asked the favor of not approving my sister!!"

After that logic was exposed, the courtyard seemed to have fallen silent, with such a dull noise being broken by Remedios herself. "She is someone trustworthy. If she says that even her own daughter can't take it, then it must be true, after all, she's the mother."

". . . . Trusting someone else's words, instead of seeing with your own eyes the real information...? What stupidity do they teach the paladins in this shitty place?" Letyan's speech seemed to give a more aggressive intention, but now maintaining a volume considered normal for a conversation.

"Letty..." Neia tried again to get attention to him to stop talking, so that nothing would get worse.

"Not only me, but our father, Pabel Baraja, The Black of the Nine Colors... YOUR FUCKING SQUADMATE!!! HE TRAINED HER! AND HE EVEN GAVE HER PERMISSION TO COME HERE, SAYING THAT SHE WAS READY!! And you come to say that just because our IDIOT MOTHER doesn't want her here, then my sister doesn't deserve a chance that she does?!" It looked like the boy was having a kind of tic in his left eye, now being sarcastic. "IT'S AWESOME!! How can someone like you act that way!!!"

Remedios seemed to be silent, as if she had never expected a situation like this to happen in front of her. That child, who had barely grown up in the eyes of the kingdom, was lecturing her??

"I expected a LOT from you!! I heard so many good things! I felt that finally my sister would be treated fairly when I saw you being the evaluator!! That the fact that she is insecure would become insignificant, because she is here, after she has worked for so long while listening to her own mother disapprove of her dream!!"

"I've been by her side this whole time!! I had to be her support, until the moment I can talk to our father to help her in training!!" He was stomping the ground still approaching, looking like his filter had disappeared. "Do you know why Leticia thinks my sister is no good??? Because she created expectations in me, she PUT ME as the perfect comparison.... And I, being the SHIT of comparison, overshadowed the great brilliance that my sister can have!! That's why I'm saying YOU should never trust that BITCH!!"

Calling her own mother that way, he made Neia start to cry a little more, as she approached her brother. "P-Please... S-Stop... Mom doesn't deserve this hatred..."

"She deserves it the moment she destroys your dream without a logical reason." He answered dryly to his sister and then looked at Remedios. "But... actually... what you did disgusted me... Anyway, I think she really should leave here with me... But not because she 'failed'.... But why would I... now I see... that if such a well-spoken champion is such a person, who blindly trusts a request without any flexibility... So my sister would become a fifth-rate woman instead of achieving her dream... Just by following your orders."

Some of the candidates and the other evaluators looked at the whole scene with astonishment, some even seemed to pray that that boy would not die after saying such things. But Remedios still seemed to keep quiet, looking him straight in the eye and realizing that he really didn't seem to be afraid, or maybe he was an insane person to say something like that under the circumstances.

"Let's go then... I'd rather teach you the ways of cavalry myself, even if I'm not one officially, than let you be close to that woman with the rotten shield." Letyan said that while holding his own sister by the wrist, pulling her hard, everything in that scene was unbelievable to see because it seemed so crazy. "Honestly, it's such a rotten shield for the kingdom that I don't think It could even beat me."

The engrossing silence lasted only a few seconds, until Remedios' voice emerged. "I couldn't beat you…?" Her voice sounded calm, but it had an aura that frightened the vast majority.

"Yes. You heard me well." And so the boy turned his head to face that woman again, now a little further away.

"How confidently do you say that?"

"With the same confidence as why my sister ends up being overshadowed."

"Then I bet." Remedios said in a more serious tone.

"Bet what?"

"Leticia... Baraja..." She sighed before continuing. "She told me a little about you... a genius child who should always be on a podium... She told me that, if you were going to enlist, approve immediately... But it seems that you will never do that, due to a stupid tantrum for not wanting to outshine someone... So... Let's make a bet... Did you say I'm rotten to the point of not being able to beat you? Not being able to beat a child?... If you prove it to me... So I allow your sister to come in... No... I will go more than that... I will personally apologize and kneel down to deliver such a request to you, in front of the door of your family's residence..."

The shock everyone had at that moment seemed to multiply 100-fold, with some gaping at what they heard.

"What if you can defeat me?"

"You're going to get a prison sentence for disrespecting the authority of the paladins, and depending on how the people above me interpret everything you've done... maybe be exiled."

The dread on Neia's face only increased as she stared at her brother, as if her naturally creepy eyes begged him not to do something stupid. However, everyone knows the answer that was given.

"I accept... Let's go here and now... Is there anything in the rules that I should know?" Letyan replied nonchalant.

Remedios ended up being a little shocked by the fact that the boy had actually accepted. 'Leticia... Do you call your son a genius? He's more like a suicidal madman...' She thought, but soon answered the question. "How good do you think you are... You just can't attack with the intention of killing or permanently harming... otherwise, a battle for honor, only a sword and a shield for each. Apart from these details, can you show me what you are capable of, 'boy prodigy'..."

"Remedios... I understand that the boy has gone over the limit a lot, but are you sure you're going to do that?" One of the fellow paladins approached, whispering to her as everyone moved away to make room for battle.

"I will show a lesson about respecting adults and authorities. This is a place to transform rebellious into towers, right?" She answered as she was given a sword and a shield, both made of wood.

On the other side, Letyan was receiving the shield and sword that were being used by today's recruits. With a big smile on his face, he raised that sword completely upwards. "Remedios! Do you know why my mother calls me a prodigy and wanted me here so much? I'll show you!"

She looked intently at that while that other paladin moved away so as not to disturb that mock battle. But what everyone ended up seeing made their eyes wider than before.

"[Vis Fio]!! [Fortis Fio]!! [Felicem Fio]!! [Rapidus Fio]!! [Refectio]!!!" He exclaimed, a bright glow rising from under his shirt.

Magical figures began to emerge floating above the boy. The first was a triangle with a cross in the center. The second was another style of cross, more robust than the previous one. The third was a figure that resembled a horseshoe for minotaurs. The fourth was shield-shaped with thunder around it. And the fifth, created a large halo above the boy's head, with an inverted cross in the center. With the exception of [Rapidus Fio], all the others emitted an almost divine glow. This glow circulated the boy's body rapidly, until it was absorbed by him. The exception, on the other hand, created a greenish aura around the body, which seemed to disappear after a few seconds.

"What was that?" Remedios asked, holding tight to her sword.

"I am a suffering child... Since I was a baby it was discovered that my body cannot hold back the power used to activate magic or martial arts... So, I had to innovate..." He responded by smiling. "I'm a prodigy, for having secretly created a new style of Skill!! What you just saw is my way of buffing my defense, attack, and speed... besides other things that I don't think deserve to be mentioned..."

"It seemed so... divine..."

"That bright light... Wasn't that a technique taught to mid-ranking paladins?"

"He had a halo on his head for a few seconds... Then wouldn't it be a new level of priest?"

The people who were there began to gossip, now seeming impressed by him. Before it was a situation of complete disrespect against a paladin, but now it was a demonstration of someone who achieved something equivalent to paladins without the help of others.

Remedios was swallowing dry her words, but her pride was greater than the feeling of being impressed. "[Fortress]" She said, holding more tightly the sword and shield, using that Martial Art to amplify the defense against physical damage.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, until the first move was made by Letyan. The boy began to run towards the paladin, with his shield raised, but his sword lowered. However, his increased speed thanks to the [Rapidus Fio], was a little more greater than the woman expected, making her response against it to be to raise her shield, seeming to prepare for a surprise attack, with the sword positioned close to her waist.

Being now very close, Remedios took off her shield and swung her sword in order to make a horizontal slash. Her idea was to try to hit him by surprise, since he might have thought she would be only defensive at first. But the boy was no longer in front of her.

During that moment, when Remedios lowered her shield, Letyan had jumped, passing over the paladin in a pirouette motion, hitting the wooden sword on the back of the woman's head. Even with the use of [Fortress], she felt that blow that made her take a few steps forward, while the boy repositioned himself behind her, now waiting for her to do something.

'How did I not see him jumping? Wait… He was too close to perform such a jump!! What?!' That was the thought of Remedios, who turned quickly to try to attack the boy.

There was something very wrong with that. It is unknown if it was due to his stature compared to the paladin's, or if that speed skill was actually more powerful than it appeared. The boy seemed to be able to dodge the blows with some ease.

Remedios tried more and more to swing the wooden sword, but it didn't seem to be able to reach him. On the other hand, Letyan also tried to attack, but the paladin was able to defend herself using that shield. So she was fast enough to defend but not to attack?

Being unhappy with herself in that situation, Remedios decided to appeal against that child."[Flow Acceleration]!" Another Martial Art, aiming to use so finally could land some blows.

The attack hit the boy's shield, and taking advantage of the momentum of that attack, he jumped back, gaining more ground. His expression kept calm, even giving a laugh. "I find it impressive how only now one of your attacks has connected with my shield. Maybe my speed skill is really too much for you to have to use yours in a really close combat scene."

Without responding to that provocation, Remedios stepped hard against the ground, propelling herself to return to the sequence of blows. Now really starting that battle.

Everyone could feel the intensity of the swords against the shields at all times in the air. Unlike the first time, Remedios' attacks didn't seem to move the boy when he defended himself, this was all thanks to Glyph [Fortis Fio], which added a high constitution increase to the user, an increase that seemed to resist any form of knockback related to strike damage. It was even possible to see the boy's legs gaining a slight glow, as if they were sticking to the ground.

No matter how anyone saw that scene, everyone in that audience was just completely amazed by it all. A great paladin and a child prodigy were withstanding each other's attacks. There was a chance that they thought she was going easy on the child for obvious reasons, but the expression she made showed some difficulty.

"He can last against her so quietly... I think in training mock battles that happen randomly with Remedios, she can usually knock people down..." One of the instructors seemed to talk to himself, but soon looked at Neia, the reason for that fight being happening. "Your brother... He must have trained a lot."

The Baraja's firstborn just kept her head down, seeming to be one of the few who didn't want to see the fight. After all, who would want to see their younger brother in such a situation? And not only that, she was depending on him again. It was a bad feeling in her heart, but she decided to try to ignore it with the thought that he who threw himself into it, she hadn't asked for help.

"Actually... how can I say..." She was trying to answer that instructor. "My brother clearly trained, but he trained to keep his body in shape. He, me, and my dad do some spars, but he seems to have a good Battle IQ from the start..."

"So he doesn't train the situation of battling other people so much and still can handle Remedios? Is he really such a young boy?"

"He turned 12 not even 1 week ago." Neia's answer made the instructor even more impressed.

"I can see why your mother wanted him so badly to become a paladin... I heard loud and clear what he was saying before the fight started... Really, a guy like him being used as a comparison of what you need to be minimally... It's crazy. His indignation has a valid motivation. I also didn't expect that any of the Custodio Sisters would decide to trust someone's words more than what they are seeing... unless this someone is Our Majesty, of course."

Neia was silent for a few seconds, until she finally asked something she really wanted to hear. "You were evaluating the group next to mine... from what you saw me doing... I would have..."

"Yes, you would have passed the exam without any problems." the instructor's words made Neia tear up a little. So would she be recognized by someone who wasn't her family? That was all she ever wanted to hear.

"Aren't you worried about your little brother?" He finally asked the most obvious question to ask.

"Being honest with you... He's using only the basics of the basics he knows how to do... I myself am really impressed more that he is using back to back… and that he's not using all of his skills in a battle like this..."

"Wait... he hasn't used everything he has in a battle against Remedios???" Another person joined the conversation, it was a young man who was also there for the exam.

"How could I say... Against my father, who is also one of the Nine Colors... My brother trains with air strikes and from a distance... If this fight didn't have the rule of damage being done using shields or swords... He might have ended the fight much sooner by casting fists all over the ground, or maybe using countless ice shards... Or electric spheres..."

The people who were listening to that seemed to be horrified, so was that a fight that the boy wasn't taking seriously? Or was there something else besides that?

That's when that same instructor noticed something. "He's holding himself as a sign of respect... Even in the depressing situation of before, he still shows respect for the fact that Remedios is one of the most important people in the Kingdom."

Soon, everyone's attention returned completely to the fight, when they heard Remedios scream. This time it wasn't a Martial Art, but a paladin skill. "[Holy Strike]!!" The wooden sword she used shone brightly and was giving one more attack.

Letyan noticed the danger in this, so he decided to use the sword to try to redirect the attack instead of defending. Instead of his plan working, during the contact of the two wooden swords, an explosion was provoked, destroying both in the process, in addition to throwing the boy a little away.

He soon landed on the ground, at that distance he realized that just like him, Remedios was without a sword, that item was too fragile to withstand the skill. It was noticeable to see the boy looking towards the stand with other wooden swords, starting to run in that direction to get another equipment. The paladin wasn't going to let him have that chance, again using [Flow Acceleration] to advance to the front of that stand.

However, this was the trick...

"[Pneuma]!!".He exclaimed, using the glyph of the wind attribute to propel himself to the opposite side of the one he was running, gaining more space to be able to think, in addition to having made the paladin spend more of her stamina to run in that direction from before.

"Time to get my true sword! Let's go! [Secare]!!" From the right palm that was open, a glyph emerged, and from it was summed a sword with a metal blade.

The fight had to be with swords and shields. At no point did Letyan need to actually receive someone else's sword. There was nothing in the rules related to 'not summoning a sword', it just had to be a sword and that's it.

"I was holding on to just Buffs. But since you used that skill... Now it's my turn to use something similar to balance..." Letyan said that with a laugh.

He decided to do it dramatically instead of going straight to the point, just so that Remedios could at least get other equipment. "Oh Grandiose Dios!! Show me how pleased you are with me! Demonstrate your power! Even at night, show me your light!! [Vol Luminatio]!!"

A luminous sphere appeared above Letyan, with its glow becoming more intense and trails of that light floating around the boy as if they were tentacles. Those trails touched that sword, thus fusing the glyphs of [Secare] and [Vol Luminatio], causing the item to change its appearance, becoming a beautiful and almost golden sword. A holy aura surrounding it, after all that elemental glyph had the attribute that could be considered as "sacred" in this world.

Throwing that wooden shield on the ground, the boy only had that sword in his hands. "You can not beat me." And so he repeated the requirements for him to win the bet.

Remedios would now be holding appropriate equipment that wasn't just for training, but clearly wasn't the sword or shield she always carries in super serious battles. there could be seen in her eyes a slight mixture of feelings, fear and surprise.

To see a boy like that doing things on this level, she knew he must be a prodigy according to the words of an old companion, but that was much more than expected. Summon a weapon in the middle of nowhere and imbue the item with holy power? At 12 years old? She was now understanding why the boy had been so angry about what had happened before.

Put him as a comparison of the minimum necessary to train as a paladin? That was pure insanity... One should not compare such a prodigy to anyone! To do so is the most absurd thing of all!

Even now she understood that she was the wrong one in all this, she still wouldn't go after the word she made and would continue with the bet.

The first to make some movement after all that... It was him.

"[Ignis]! [Rapidus Fio]!!" Letyan propelled himself with great speed, his body gaining a green aura around him as flames shot out from beneath his feet.

"[Fortress]! [Strong Strike]!! [Holy Strike]!!" Remedios saw the attack coming at full speed, deciding to try to stop that sword using her own.

When the two swords came into contact, a great burst of light filled the eyes of everyone there, preventing them from seeing what was happening. But when the light went out, it was clear to see the result of that.

Remedios was kneeling, leaning on her sword to try to get up, but failing, a little amount of blood flowed under her hair bangs. Around her was a kind of defense sphere made with holy energy.

Letyan didn't look very well either, the boy was standing, but with his body shaking a lot. The sword he was using was now falling apart in mid-air. In front of him was a grandiose floating shield with figures unknown to many, all surrounding a central cross.

"May I know what's going on here?" A female voice emerged in the distance, being somehow sweet and calm.

When everyone who was watching the battle looked in the direction of that voice, they immediately began to kneel as they realized who that person was. Neia clearly did the same, with her face being hidden as a form of respect for the great being.

The woman in question was slowly walking towards the center of the courtyard, where that betting battle had taken place. She had white and well-cared skin, to the point that looking at this detail in a strange way could be considered a sinful crime. Her hair was long and blonde, with a golden hue that was evident even though the sun had already set. The clothing was elegant, being completely white, with tiny details in cyan and gold, her eyes being a similar cyan. And on her head, a simple-looking crown, appearing to be made of slightly bluish silver.

Next to her, another woman with long brown hair. She dressed in a black and blue uniform, with a second layer of fabric on top of the white color. Using white gloves and headband as accessories. This specific woman seemed to have a calm and composed look, but it was possible to notice that one of her hands was showing some kind of irritation.

The Paladin, who was previously talking to Neia, approached the two women, kneeling again as a sign of respect. "Your Majesty, Queen Calca Bessarez… We were carrying out the exam procedure for the creation of new paladins… However, a problematic discussion ended up happening."

"A problematic discussion?" Queen Calca questioned while taking a good look at the situation, becoming quite intrigued by the floating shield to the point of touching it.

"I will send a report, Your Majesty… But in a summarized form, as far as I can understand. It was a battle of honor. I may not see myself as someone who deserves to say something like that, and I apologize if what I say seems in bad taste. But I see that Paladin Remedios was the person in the wrong initially, with the blame for the mistake being shared between the two combatants when things got heated."

Remedios just sighed, slowly nodding her head, her face kept towards the ground.

"Boy, I know this shield looks magnificent, but I want you to lower it, the fight is over." the woman next to Queen Calca ordered.

"I can't… It's the only thing that's keeping me standing…" Letyan spoke, his voice trembling like his body. "I exaggerated a little…"

"So… while you're standing, young paladin. Could you tell me your name... and show me your vision of things?" The queen said, stopping touching that shield and walking a little to the side to see the boy's face.

"Baraja… My name is Letyan Baraja…"

"Oh… son of Pebal the Black… incredible to know that someone like you wants to join the Paladin Order."

"I'm sorry, your majesty… but you misunderstood… I'm not here for the recruitment exam… My sister is." He sighed, trying to catch his breath. "This battle originated from an argument… an argument related to the paladin, Remedios Custodio, being unfair and completely disqualifying my sister. She even admitted that she did this at the request of an external person... In other words, it didn't even matter if my sister was the best, Remedios would disapprove and remove her from the training field."

His words made the queen and her loyal friend look at the paladin for a moment and give a heavy sigh. It seemed to be something that occurred or perhaps something that was quite possible to happen, fully knowing Remedios' personality.

"Okay young boy… you can relax then… I will ask them to take you to the nearst hospital to take care of your condition." The queen said that in a sweet voice while carefully touching the boy's hair.

Letting out one last breath, thicker and more tired, Letyan passed out right there, not falling to the ground because he was held by the other woman, Kelart.

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{Present times…}

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"After fainting, I was taken to the infirmary, where they used [Low Heal] and [Mana Giver] on me, until my body looked healthy…" Letyan spoke while shaking that bowl of soup with just his index finger.

"Ish.. what a situation huh… But why did you get tired so easily?" Masato questioned, really intrigued by that story, he would never find a real example from Earth that he could use to compare, it was really something that would happen more in films.

"I told you how my Glyphs work." the boy continued, with his eyes analyzing everyone around the fire. "It's a magical system that I created because it absorbs external mana, which passes through my body and is then released in the form of the chosen magic. Due to the fact that I have the Katana, I now have access to mana that can stay inside my body for long periods of time, before I had nothing, and it was a direct conversion."

"Hikari-Sama drained mana from the environment much faster than the process of mana reestablishing itself in that environment." Shizu commented on her boredom.

"Yep, it's like trying to fill a bucket with water that has a hole in the bottom. If the hole is very small, it will be able to hold water for a while. If the hole is bigger, there will barely be a chance of the bucket being half full of water." Letyan decided to use a more practical and easy-to-visualize analogy.

"Anyway… Remedios did what she promised, approving my dear sister, going to our residence, with her forehead kissing the floor and having a signed apology in hands." Letyan's smile of satisfaction made some paladins there laugh and others even scared because it was almost sadistic.

"Not only that, but she gave him a request from Majesty Calca herself, for him to go to the palace to sort out a few things." Kelart chimed in, smirking. "It took me, I think, 3 months for us to make an agreement for him to stay working at the palace. Seriously, what you used back then was already too much for my own mind… When I find out that you had a lot more of those glyphs… I felt like my mind was going to break."

"Oh, don't overdo it." He replied to Kelart and then looked at Touch_Me. "It actually took around 2 weeks. The rest of that time she said was just for them to get the items for my lab."

"True… you mentioned before that you had a laboratory… I really can't imagine something like that."

"Well, Touch. It's just what you can imagine in something like the Tabula Laboratory, but not as impressive." The way Letyan spoke made the Player Paladin understand the situation, but on the other hand, everyone else around had a scared expression.

"Excuse me?!? Your lab is impressive!!"

"Yes! I went there recently to deliver an order of ingredients to you! That place is huge!!!"

All the other paladins started to argue, Neia and the disguised demi humans had already gotten up and gone back inside the carriage so they could sleep. Kelart, on the other hand, also had a look of astonishment on her face, a drop of cold sweat dripping down her forehead.

'Tabula? That guy with the bizarre mask and outfit full of belts? Does he have anything more impressive than the laboratory it took us so long to meet our prodigy's requirements?' the HighPriestess was having these thoughts, while using a small handkerchief to wipe her face.

After everyone had dinner, the vast majority went to sleep, with Letyan, Touch_Me and 3 other paladins being responsible for the group's safety during the night. The 5 walked around the improvised camp, 3 going counterclockwise and 2 going clockwise.

Touch_Me was taking advantage of that moment to train a little sensitivity against dangers. It was obvious how much the ordinary monsters in that world were absolutely nothing to him, and this created a disadvantage that didn't affect him, but worried him slightly. They were nothing to him, to the point of being almost invisible to his senses, if he wasn't focused on looking for such dangers. It seemed that being a World Champion and Lvl 100 Player, had made that heteromorphic body's instincts not understand weakness.

'It's as if my body thinks it's superior, even though I'm someone simple... Hm... Karma and Settings affecting our minds and habits... I remember Ulbert strangely getting used to seeing humans almost killed... I mean... I killed too, of course... but my vision was still getting used to all this being real... However... will I be affected that quickly? Or maybe, this isn't as fast compared to the others?' These were the thoughts of the Half-Insect Paladin, who decided to increase the range of the area he was protecting, so that the others would have a better chance of having a relaxing morning.

A few hours passed and it was time to wake up. Letyan would be sitting next to the fire that had been rekindled, preparing meat skewers and a pot of tea for everyone's breakfast, the black under his eyes being very noticeable. Touch_Me at that moment would be next to his friend, helping him stay awake through conversation. And the other 3 paladins? They had gone directly into the carriages only to pass out from sleep the moment they saw the others waking up.

And that kind of scene was not something abnormal, it was what happened every morning since the trip began, and it continued in this same way over and over again each day. Different people were those who took care of breakfast, controlling the horses they had, and keeping watch during the night, each time it passed.

Every two days, Touch_me tested to see if I was still able to make contact with Nazarick, either through [Message] or some magic scroll, and apparently the radius of effect of those methods were much larger than expected. A tremendous luck for those who were very used to being in contact with others quickly and easily at all times.

Time passed, and after another week of that same routine, it was finally possible to see the Great Wall, an immense barrier created to protect the eastern borders of the Roble Holy Kingdom. They were very lucky, as up until that point, there had only been 2 times that they had been intercepted by monsters, and none of the roads were affected by the weather.

"Oooh… What a magnificent entrance! It looks huge! It's hard to even see the end properly using my keen vision." The Player Paladin was impressed, with his head close to the window.

"Hehehe I'm glad you liked it, this is the Great Wall… one of the many wonders created by our kingdom." Letyan spoke with pride. "It's almost equivalent to the Great Wall of China."

He was so amazed that he took off his helmet, his eyes extremely wide. "Are you kidding me?"

"Kekekeke!!! Well, the way it works seems to be, I'm exaggerating about the length, this one is 100 kilometers long... as I remember, the great wall was 10 thousand kilometers long or something like that..."

CZ and Neia were also with them, with the human having extremely wide eyes while the robot looked super confused. "What is this wall?" they both asked, one just curious and the other in disbelief.

"It's a very long and super old wall that existed a looong time ago, currently there are no remains or proof that it existed, only in very old books." Masato tried to create an excuse, since that information was about Earth, and both girls were unfamiliar with that world.

"And to think that something like this existed in the past… To have been destroyed…"

"That's because it was much thinner compared to our Great Wall." Letyan was being honest in this case, and the answer came to fruition.

Nazarick's Paladin was recovering a little from the shock, even if it wasn't as extensive as that Earth's historic monument, still 100 Kilometers of a fortress was a lot for a world with a Medieval Setting. But attention was soon drawn to the carriage door that received a few knocks. Letyan opened it and saw border guards, who already seemed to recognize the boy just by looking, but even so, he went through the formal process.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, I am Letyan Baraja, Quadrant 043 of the Paladin Order's emergency battalion, currently being just a Royal Scientist…. Eh… with me are Neia Baraja and two people from outside."

"Oh Letyan-san and Neia-san, great to see you back. As for the two extra people…" One of the guards said while holding a scroll.

"We already have permission from Your Majesty. You must have received permission a few days ago under the codename 'Touch'. The other person is one of his personal maids." Letyan said, pointing to the people respectively. "The maid was someone who came at the last minute, apparently she really wanted to see our beautiful landscapes."

"Oh yes, the name 'Touch' is here." The guard said as he opened a letter he had left inside the scroll. "Alright, since she is being brought by your group and High Priestess Custodio's, I think there is no problem. Anyway, I'll write it down just so my superior doesn't get angry with me… What would the girl's name be?"

"Well, the name is Shizu, but you write it with the letters 'C' and 'Z'." Touch_Me responded.

"Hm… A name made up of just two letters?… Ah! It must be a codename, just like yours, sir. I can understand... Anyway, welcome back Baraja Brothers, and to you two, I hope you have a great time" The guard walked away and closed the carriage door, now allowing them to finally enter the sacred territory.

"That man was very polite and friendly. Are all guards like that?"

"Nah, we're lucky." The two Baraja responded in sync.

"I think this particular entrance hasn't suffered any Demihuman attacks in almost a year, so they're in good spirits." The boy responded to his old friend.

"Attacks occur frequently?" CZ asked.

"It largely depends on how desperate they are or if it's a disguised attack by the Slane Theocracy." Neia responded, letting out a sigh. "But a large part of the population is quite paranoid, as this line of defense may be perfect against humans, but for demi-humans who have special abilities or can fly… It becomes a battlefield in itself. For example, the attack that most traumatized the entire kingdom…"

"Yeah, the Long Rain… It was one of the events that most maddened this kingdom… seriously, Monsters that climb walls, become invisible and can attack people with lethal poisons that come out of their mouths. There was a lot of loss… There was REALLY a lot of loss…" Letyan looked at the ceiling. "Compared to things in Nazarick, it might even be something dangerous at one of the intermediate levels, but for the common people… it was a massacre."

"Wow… I guess this wasn't caused by Theocracy."

"No it wasn't, in fact the Long Rain was the creator of the paranoia that the Theocracy takes advantage of in the hidden attacks they carry out." The boy continued to answer his friend while taking a type of cigarette with purple crystals from his pocket, putting it in his mouth and lighting it with a [Low Ignis] on his fingertip.

"Do you smoke?" Masato seemed surprised by this.

"Oh really, I hadn't smoked until now, right? This is just for relaxing a lot... smoking during a reconnaissance and exploration mission, or even on a long trip like this, would be irresponsible... As we are already passing by the Great Wall, I don't think Kelart will complain." He offers one to Neia, who also seems to accept it.

"And is it safe?..." His question made a lot of sense, after all he came from a world full of pollution.

"The smoke turns into ambient mana after 10 seconds exposed to the wind. It's something I'm developing together with some other Priests who live in the capital, it can be used in this way or as incense. The smell reminiscent of vanilla with chocolate and strawberry is perfect for both children and adults. It doesn't have much of an effect other than calming the person if the smoke is inhaled directly from the source."

Letyan even gave the paladin a try to smoke. Putting it close to his mouth, he drew a lot of smoke and… Nothing happened. It seems that his paladin's build, along with his current level, meant that the relaxing effects of that smoke were not felt. Possibly Touch_Me's Player Body associated that with some kind of small Sleep Debuff.

Puzzled by the failure of that, he handed it back to the boy while he was curious about one more thing. "How long does it take to get to the capital?"

"If the weather stays good. We should be home tomorrow afternoon…" Neia said, yawning and adjusting herself there in the chair, starting to sleep. Her hair ends up touching CZ's shoulder, who doesn't seem to mind so she doesn't even take her away.

"Is today going to be the last outdoor dinner? Wow, it was looking cool."

"I hate to disappoint you, Masato. But the last one was yesterday, today we might have dinner at a bar in one of the small towns on the way to the capital."

"I understand…. You're going to pay, right?"

Letyan looked in his eyes, deadpan. "I will only pay for the first round, if you want to repeat some food, beg Kelart."

The two stared at each other for a while until they started laughing. Neia didn't wake up and CZ just looked at the two "Supreme Beings" having fun.

Those two weeks had really passed peacefully for them…