Chapter 16 - News From Home

“Hey Az! You got a letter!”

“Who’s it from, Winst?”

“Dunno, man. Here you go.”

“Thanks, man.”

Winston handed an envelope to Azrael just as he was coming back in after class. Curious about its contents, Azrael went over to his desk and opened it. Seeing the familiar handwriting, a large smile spread across his face.

---

My beautiful son,

I pray that this letter reaches you safely. It has almost been two months since you left when I began writing this letter. You cannot know how relieved I was to hear that you had found such wonderful friends. Truthfully, I had been worried whether you would be able to make any friends when you left. There had been no children your age in the village, and you had only spent time with Aurora and Azer.

I’m also very glad to hear that you are doing well in your studies, but don’t get complacent. Always remember to study hard and learn as much as you can. I know that I don’t have to, but a mother’s duty is to worry, isn’t it?

Aurora and Azer really miss you, darling. On the day you left, they cried so much that I thought they might flood the house! They have gotten over it, though, and have been practicing hard every day. When I asked them why they were training so hard, they both simply looked at me and said they wanted to go to school with their older brother. Your father and I worry for them, though, training so hard at a young age. Thankfully, they don’t do any muscle training that might hamper their growth. It would be such a pity. Every day, they ask whether you’ll be back soon.

Your father also worries about you in private. Even though he wanted to act tough in front of you by insisting you train hard and be a good role model, he dearly misses training with you and seeing you every day. Some of the soldiers have been complaining that your dad has become much stricter and more demanding in practice. Something about him yelling at them for being worse than a young child?

Even though we were all a bit disappointed that you decided not to come back at the end of the semester, we understand. It’s only because we miss you, son. Make sure to eat your meals, vegetables included (I know you hate vegetables, but you have to eat them). Also, remember to brush your teeth and wash every morning.

But above all, please stay safe, my lovely son. Your father and I wouldn’t be able to handle it if something went wrong with you. Know that, no matter whether you’re a genius or the worst student at the school, you will always be our pride and joy. We thank the Lord for blessing us with such an amazing son. Until the next letter,

- Azela Celeste

P.S. Remember that any girl you wish to marry must receive your mother’s approval!

---

Reading his mother’s letter, Azrael couldn’t help but smile. He could almost feel the love she poured into it. He also felt relieved that his family was doing well. Hearing about his siblings thinking so much of him gave him a warm feeling in his chest.

“So is the letter from a lover?”

Seeing Azrael’s focused expression and the grin on his face, Winston couldn’t resist throwing out a joking retort. Azrael could only look at him with a helpless smile.

“From my family.”

Hearing that, Winston nodded. Having lived with Azrael for the past two months, he knew his roommate held his family in high regard. Just mentioning them would put a large grin on his face.

“Az, we need to head down to the lobby. You know how Zer will be if we’re late.”

Azrael laughed, recalling what had happened the last time. About a month ago, Winston had been late and kept him and Zer waiting for ten minutes in front of the cafeteria. When Winston arrived, Zer had immediately launched into a tirade about how it was rude and dishonorable to arrive late. It took almost fifteen minutes before Zer finally calmed down.

“I swear, sometimes I have nightmares about that lecture he gave me last time. Anyway, let’s head out.”

Azrael nodded, and they went down to the lobby on the first floor. When they entered, they saw Zer leaning against a wall, waiting silently for them. Azrael waved his hand to get his attention.

“Hey Zer, you ready?”

“Hey Az, Winst. Let’s go, I’m starving.”

Seeing the two, Zer stood up and walked over to them before the three headed to the cafeteria. The sidewalks were crowded with students heading toward the cafeteria or returning to their rooms from class. All around them, students whispered as they noticed the trio.

“Hey, isn’t that Zer Aiur? The genius with two elementals and the Rhostaz Kingdom Prime Minister’s son?”

“Kyaaah, he’s so handsome. That guy with the toned skin is from the Wozeal family in the Sunder Kingdom. He’s also hot.”

“Who’s that guy walking with the two of them, though? Even though he is good-looking, I’ve never seen him before.”

“I heard he’s from some commoner family in the Nifl Kingdom…”

“A mere commoner dares to stand beside our dear Zer and Winston when we don’t? How dare he!”

“He should know his place!”

“Th…those damn punks! Why I ought to…”

“Come on, Winst, just leave them be. It’s not like it’s the first time.”

“You know, Az, I’m also quite infuriated by these lowlifes. If it wasn’t for you asking us not to, I would shut them up and let them learn their place. If they saw how strong you were…”

Azrael felt truly grateful for his two best friends who stood up for him. For the past two months, he had been brushing off everyone’s sneers and scorn while being with them. Even though he tried not to pay attention to it, it didn’t feel good to hear. Seeing Winston and Zer defending him helped make it more bearable. With a feeble smile, he urged the other two onward to the cafeteria.

While enjoying the delicious dinner prepared by Winston, the three had a good time sharing stories about their classes and jokes. After dinner, the trio, as they did every day, headed toward their training spot in the forest. After traveling for ten minutes, they arrived.

“So, what are you going to practice tonight, Winst?”

“I’m going to go over each form for a while. What about you and Az? You two going to spar again?”

“Yup, we are. After you’re done practicing, we’ll spar with you too.”

“Haa… please go easy on me…”

Over the past two months, Winston’s swordsmanship had improved rapidly. After a month, he had perfected the stance that Zer had taught him and learned the proper way to swing. Lately, Winston had been constantly practicing the numerous forms Zer and Azrael had shown him, repeating them thousands of times to help his body memorize them. Impressed by his drive and drastic improvement, the two had started sparring with him, providing him with real battle experience.

Zer and Azrael hadn’t been idle either. They had been sparring regularly, learning about the strengths and weaknesses of their swordsmanship. They had also become better at avoiding overreaching or swinging too hard, gaining a better feel for their techniques. After each spar, the two would analyze their performance and work to improve.

After sparring for thirty minutes, Azrael and Zer lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. After catching his breath and looking up at the starry night, Azrael turned his head towards Zer.

“Hey, Zer.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking… I’m actually going to switch weapons…”

“WHAT?!?!”

Zer, who had been gazing up at the stars, turned to Azrael with a shocked expression. Azrael couldn’t help but inwardly laugh at Zer’s reaction. He had expected Zer to be surprised, but seeing it in person was too funny.

‘Well, it’s not surprising he’d be so shocked. If someone told you they were switching from a weapon they had trained with for years to a new one, you’d be surprised too…’

“Haha, no. Truthfully, Zer, I’m actually more familiar with a different weapon. I was just training with the sword because I thought it might help me become better with the other weapon.”

“…. If you’re so good with a sword, I’m really curious to see how good you are with your weapon. So what kind of weapon do you primarily use?”

“Well… it’s a pretty unique weapon. It’s a hybrid of a sword and spear. It’s a spear with two long blades on either end.”

“…. That really is unique. I’ve never heard of a weapon like that…”

Hearing the description, Zer pondered its pros and cons. He could see how it could be an effective weapon, especially in the right hands.

“It does seem interesting. Why don’t you bring it tomorrow?”

“…. I have to get it made…”

“Ah, I can arrange that for you, Az.”

Azrael turned to his other side and looked at Winston, who had just laid down as well.

“You sure about that, Winst? I could take care of it myself during the weekend…”

“No worries, bro. I’ll have someone place an order for it tomorrow. Should be ready by Friday. So how do you want it made?”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate it. So the spear should be…”

Azrael went into the specifics of the weapon with Winston. To ensure he understood everything correctly, he went

over the details with Azrael, who nodded in acknowledgment. Nodding his head, Winston assured Azrael that it would be made to his specifications. Azrael was inwardly thrilled at the prospect of using his weapon again soon.

Afterward, the trio stayed for another hour to practice before calling it a night. They said goodbye to each other in the lobby and went to their rooms to rest.

While lying on his bed, Azrael began to think about how he would incorporate what he had learned from years of swordsmanship training into his own style.

‘Now that I better understand swordsmanship, it should be easier for me to read my opponents in future fights. Also, many things I’ve learned from swordsmanship can be transferred to improve my technique. Ah, hopefully, it won’t take too long to shake off the rust from not using the spear for so long...’

With these thoughts, Azrael excitedly considered new training methods. Despite his attempts to stay awake and ponder these ideas, fatigue eventually overcame him. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

The next day, the teacher for History of Xiosu began the lecture with surprising news.

“Alright, it looks like everyone is here. Before we start the lecture, I wanted to bring something to everyone’s attention. Have you all heard about the competition next month?”