Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 19 ❆ Techniques

Thank you for waiting! I had fun with this chapter too!

The monks decided we would be given three days of rest to recover from the injuries we'd sustained from the battles we went through. And it was a reasonable move. Having to fight consecutively with no rest would no doubt only bring much harm to the competitors, and it would defeat the purpose of the recruitment process.

The second round of fights would begin with the Loser's Tournament—a battleground of all the folks who had been defeated in the first few fights. After that, only then would Maun finally have his first battle with Stone Guardian.

"Eren, Mistress Veronika said you shouldn't overextend yourself in the fight you'll be having against Black Flame," I told her. "You can afford one loss. So if things get tough for you, don't stubbornly hold on and fight. It might end up becoming worse for you for no reason at all."

Eren pouted at my words. "I don't want to give up. I don't want to lose either."

"You aren't," I said. "There's a difference between that and picking your battles. This one is something you can't handle just yet. So don't worry about it too much."

"I guess," she answered, though the indignance and hesitation persisted in her voice.

I sighed, seeing her long face. In contrast, Maun was happily chipping away on a wooden stick with a small carving knife. I admired the boy's cluelessness and ease. It was somewhat frustrating for me, too, seeing how he could afford to be so ignorant and be at peace. Especially when both Eren and I might as well have our asses set on fire for our unrest.

"You don't have to be the best every step of the way, you know," I told her. The girl had issues—particularly family issues and a ton of daddy issues to go with it too. I couldn't help but see how oddly paradoxical this girl could be, but I would suppose that was just how everybody was.

"I know," she said.

I sighed, not knowing how to make pep talk. If I tried, I would probably just sound rude and condescending—and that wasn't my intention at all. Thankfully, Eren wasn't the type to dwell on matters too much. After a while, she would be bouncing around being her old self.

"Okay," I said. "Do it for the strawberries, then."

She looked up this time and gave me a smile. "Right! Strawberries!"

I gave a smile in return. "We'll get there at some point, and this will all be memories," I continued.

"That's kind of sad. Actually...I kind of want to stay like this forever," she said. Realizing what she said might be somehow offensive, she raised both hands and waved them in the air hurriedly in panic. "I mean, I mean! I know not everything about right now is good...but compared to before, for me..."

The sincerity on her face was evident and was more than enough to help her convey the thought that she was unable to express through words.

"Okay, everyone! Let us celebrate our two little fighters...subtly, of course, because we don't want anyone else knowing!"

Mistress Kora went over with some food. Maun set aside his carving tools and salivated, staring intently at the salty aroma of the herbed pheasant. It's been skewered into a piece of stick to be roasted over the fire. "Sorry if we keep having roast meat, children. Once we get the chance to go out and get some decent pots and plates, we can have some stew. I can't keep borrowing the wares of our neighbors. It's wholly embarrassing."

"You're very close to them, though. It seems like you're actually already one of them," Eren said.

"No matter what relationship it is, you must never take advantage of it. No matter how strong the bond, everything wears," Mistress Kora advised. "Besides...we have our own hands and feet. Depend on others when you must. Accept their help if you need but do everything yourself. Alright, kids?"