"At all times, day or night, I will always serve my master with all my power." Arisa, the lilac-haired girl, made her vow to Satou in front of all of us, bringing an end to the contract ceremony. I feel Satou is going to have his hands full with her. Well, it might actually be better than me. When I asked Peal to help me train, she quickly showed how ruthless she could be.
She has me run in the morning and practise sword forms in the afternoon. Sometimes a few members of the castle guard join us and give me advice, but most of the time, Peal gives them advice. She mentioned being a warrior, but I never expected how skilled of one she was. Every time she spares with me, she wins, and out of the guards, only the strongest can put up a fight against her. At first, they insulted her for being a Demi-Human, but now most of the guards have a deep respect for Peal. They are even coming to her and asking to be trained alongside me.
It wasn't all bad. While training, I learned two new combat skills from Peal and the other guards, and my swordsmanship has dramatically improved. Sharp Edge was the first skill I learned from Peal, and after three hours of practice, I managed to get that skill to level one. It is a simple that increases the sharpness of my weapon that I am sure will come in handy. Parry is the second move I learned, and after an extended amount of training, I also managed to get to level one. Training must be another way to level up skills because my one-handed sword reached level seven after two days of constant training. I am still level thirty, so I am not sure if that will change with training, but I am happy, even if it is just my skills getting better.
On the third day, the Earl Seiryuu had someone begin to teach me magic, but instead, something unexpected happened. When they showed me some magical scrolls and had me cast magic through them to get a feel for them, I found myself able to use the spell just from reading the scroll. No one could explain it, but in the end, everyone believed it was the power of the hero. Earl Seiryuu explained that every hero has unique powers, and maybe this is one of mine. The earl left shortly after to gather more scrolls and left me to read. It was annoying but worth it as I got the skills Fire Magic, Lightning Magic and Ice Magic all to level one.
As for the spells, I learned they were Fire Shot which is similar to a fireball spell I have seen in countless games. Lightning Strike, which reminds me of a thunderbolt attack I remember from one of my favourite childhood shows. I wonder if people would blast off if I hit them with it. The final spell was the most powerful spell I learned. Ice Storm. The spell would send countless icicles towards a target that could piece steel plate armour when used. It is a powerful spell but consumes a lot of MP, so I would have to be careful when using it.
I spent the rest of the third day practising magic, deleting my MP repeatedly while drinking magical recovery positions to recover faster. They tasted horrible. I never thought something so vital in RPGs would taste so bad. The liquid was bitter and slimy, making me wince whenever I drank some. Still enduring the torture of my tastebuds allowed me to get my magic skills to level two. It was then that I noticed the power of the levelling system. After my magic levelled up, my spells were so much more powerful.
At level one, the Fire Shot spell only caused a small fire on the strew target, but now it is rapidly engulfed in flame. At the same time, my Lightning Strike covered a wider area and felt more powerful while the icicles of the Ice Storm spell moved twice as fast. I don't think it will be safe for me to train here once my magic reaches level ten. Magic really is harder to level up as it took a whole day to advance a level compared to only a few hours with my combat skills.
That night I was invited to eat with the earl and his family. I was nervous and scared of messing up, but the earl's daughter Henry calmed me down and reassured me everything would be okay. It is a shame Peal couldn't join us, but she seemed happy to eat with the castle guards. That might be because she is winning a lot of money by defeating the guards in arm-wrestling competitions. Still, she seems to be enjoying herself, so I won't complain.
