Real Sword

That night, when Leus went to sleep, Blaze wasn't home ...

'Hmm ... maybe Dad won't be awake at our usual time tomorrow'

Yet, when Leus got up at dawn and went to the garden, he found Blaze already waiting for him

"Oh? Dad? You didn't sleep?"

Blaze replied nonchalantly

"No, I was waiting for you"

"It's okay, you can sleep. I can train alone today"

Blaze shook his head

"No, at my level, sleeping is not that important.

I personally like to sleep, but I can stay without sleeping for a long time if I push myself to.

However, I don't like doing that, it's tiring, and also, why would I? Sleeping is beautiful"

Then Blaze added in an enthusiastic tone

"Anyway, I'm excited today"

Leus, however, was still stuck in the first part

'Don't need to sleep? How so?'

"But dad, the last time you didn't sleep you were looking very tired ..."

"Huh? Are you talking about when I made your room?"

His face twisted

"Don't remind me of that day ...

I wasn't tired because I didn't sleep, but because your mother decided to create the room for you overnight!

From where do you think that stuff came? I spent the entire night running around the city

There were no shops open after midnight, so I had to get the wood myself; I had to cut trees and then build both the desk and the bed ..."

Leus smiled wryly

' ... Mom'

"Thank you so much for everything"

'On the bright side, if he ever decides to retire from the military, he can work as a carpenter'

Blaze interrupted Leus' train of thought with a sigh

"Ahh don't spoil my good mood with such memories. See what I got for you"

He extended his hand forward, revealing a sword ...

Leus' eyes gleamed for a moment

'A Real Sword!'

The sword was sheathed in a sleek black scabbard crafted from sturdy steel, and it perfectly matched the blade's length, so Leus could only see the handle at first.

Reaching out, Leus slowly unsheathed it ...

The sword had a straight handle with a cupped guard. And its blade was single-edged and razor-sharp.

The blade itself was slightly broad and short, remaining straight throughout ⅔ of the sword before curving.

It weighed about 1.2kg and measured 75cm in total.

Leus gripped the sword and gave it a slow swing.

'That's a nice grip!'

The 13cm handle, wrapped in spiraled brass wire, provided an excellent grip.

'Overall, it is pretty good'

'It is also easy to carry'

After Leus was done inspecting his new sword, Blaze spoke

"This is a short sword, it's a one-handed weapon and only slightly heavy.

It's excellent for slicing, and with its sharp tip, it's ideal for thrusts and stabs too.

Overall, it's perfect for close-quarters combat, which is exactly what you need."

Blaze then handed Leus a belt

"What's this?" Leus asked

"It's your sword belt. It's magical; you can use mana to adjust its length, making it longer or shorter ...

Keep your sheath on your left hip, so you can draw the sword quickly with your right hand, no matter the situation.

It might feel a bit heavy for you at first, but you'll quickly get used to it."

Leus nodded, and Blaze declared

"From now on, you'll train with me using this sword"

Leus strapped on the belt, sheathed his sword, and took a few steps back before unsheathing it again.

'This is pretty cool'

Blaze spoke in a serious tone

"Normally, I'd say things like:

Never keep your sword far away from your reach. Only remove your belt while sleeping or showering, and even then, keep your sword close by.

But since you're mainly a Magician, I'll just tell you that the sword is a strong and dependable weapon, so treat it with respect. Don’t underestimate it. It’s razor-sharp, so don’t test it on anything you don’t want to cut.

And definitely don’t do anything stupid like cutting yourself to see how sharp it is."

'Better safe than sorry' Thought Blaze to himself ...

Then he snapped his fingers as if he remembered something ...

He quickly added

"Oh, also, if it gets scratched or damaged it'll heal over time."

After Blaze was done, Leus strongly nodded

"I understand. Thank you, Father."

Blaze smiled and nodded as well, then he took out his own real sword ...

"Now although the main reason for starting sword training was to help you defend yourself, your mastery over elements gives you great potential in attacking as well"

He continued solemnly

"I want you to keep attacking me in every possible way. You can use magic too.

I'll focus on parrying and blocking, and I'll counter-attack only rarely"

"Let's do it!" Leus replied excitedly ...

In a flash, Leus prepared himself and charged forward with everything he had.

Eight daggers materialized around him, followed by two fireballs, all aimed directly at Blaze.

Without hesitation, he unleashed them all at once ...

Simultaneously, he cast Boost on himself, his speed surging, while Wind Mana enveloped his sword in a sharp, swirling aura.

'Eleven different attacks at the same time'

' ... Something must hit'

At this point, Leus wasn't even a bit concerned about the damage he might deal; he just wanted one hit, a single strike ...

Sadly, the result was ...

' ... An utter failure'

Leus couldn't really comprehend what he was seeing, everything just happened too fast ...

Blaze’s sword blurred through the air, impossibly fast, deflecting everything ...

The daggers shattered mid-flight, the fireballs split clean in half and evaporated...

The only thing remaining was Leus' sword, streaking toward Blaze ...

He closed the distance and slashed toward Blaze, his sword cutting through the air with determination.

For the first time, he could see Blaze's movements clearly—no longer just a blur ...

Blaze's sword moved with precise control, intercepting Leus' attack. The parry was effortless, redirecting Leus' blade downward in a fluid motion.

And before Leus could react, his sword was aimed at the floor, and in that split second, Blaze’s sword was already poised, aimed directly at his neck ...

Leus quickly took a couple of steps back, and Blaze looked into his eyes and coldly said

"Your attacks are too slow"

" ... "

'It's more like you're too fast'

Leus didn't voice out his thoughts ... but he realized something important

'All my magic attacks are fast, but that's according to my standards ...'

'I didn't design them to attack enemies this fast, actually, I didn't even know that such speeds existed'

He finally understood the problem

'My standards for what's (Fast) are ... pitifully slow'

He felt disappointed, but only for a moment ...

'I now have something to focus on'

After Leus concluded that, he replied enthusiastically

"Right, it's all slow."

A smirk appeared on his face

"Let's make everything faster!"

Blaze smiled and took a stance again, and Leus dashed forward.

And like that, their training continued ...

Leus would attack using Wind or Fire, then Blaze would ask him to block/parry using Water or Earth, and sometimes Ice instead of Earth

"It might not be useful now but it'll be in the future" is what Blaze said about Ice

Blaze also made Leus use Light occasionally to take harder stances for longer times without getting tired, but most of the time, he'd stop him from using it.

And every time Leus suggested using Light to train for longer times, Blaze rejected it for the same reason

"If you don't get tired, your muscles won't become stronger and you won't evolve"

As the training continued, Leus aimed to increase the speed of all his magical attacks so that it is reasonably fast (according to his new standards) and at the same time, he wanted to improve his skills with the sword ...

'I actually like the sword'

As time passed, Leus realized that he genuinely enjoyed using the sword ...

'It's interesting and has many uses'

Also, whenever Amethyst would see him wearing his sword belt with his sword sheathed in it, she'd say that he was

"Very cool!"

Which made him like it even more ...

As for Blaze, he never expected that he'd gain anything out of this training for himself, but surprisingly, there were some benefits for him too

'Attacking a Water Sword gives a very subtle and interesting feeling ...'

'It's hard to put into words, but I'm gaining more control over my sword while it's inside the liquid substance covering Water Swords'

'At the same time, defending against so many Magic attacks at once is very refreshing.'

Despite the huge difference between the two, Blaze really enjoyed his time ...

Viorica, Merlin, and Amethyst would often spectate their training in awe, but they had to keep their distance; a lot of firey and rocky substances flew around all the time.

One day, Merlin expressed his interest in joining, but Blaze asked him to focus on his studies for now and told him that after he was done with Leus, he'd train with him too, so he reluctantly agreed.

With every passing day, Leus was able to continue training for a longer time than the previous.

His body was becoming stronger, thus, his Life Force reserve was steadily increasing, and the speed of his attacks was noticeably improving.

His mastery over the sword was also getting better, and his control over the amounts of Mana he had to put into his sword to get the effects he desired was almost perfected.

Very quickly, days turned into weeks ...

And after many of these weeks had passed, Blaze finally decided that it was time to learn something new ...