Zane and the others continued to discuss what was happening in the mountains.
"So, do you know who these people are, Mr. Joshua?" Sandra asked, looking down.
"I have some info about them. We haven’t found what they are looking for, but they have been trying to open dungeons in different places. I don’t have any more information since my rank isn’t high enough to access classified details. That’s why I was sent here," Joshua said, standing up.
"So where are the people who went to investigate first?" Zane asked.
"Well... about that," Sandra said, walking toward the window. "Those people died the day after they arrived, which led my father to gather some adventurers to fight them. But based on what Mr. Joshua said, it means those people likely died from curses."
"Well... if that’s all the information we have, why don’t we go and find out for ourselves?" Zane suggested, standing up and placing his hands behind his head.
"Hey kid," Joshua said, placing a heavy hand on Zane’s shoulder. "Although you’re strong, you aren’t at a level where you should get involved in something like this. Why don’t you stay here with Miss Sandra and play like other kids?"
"I don’t like it when people boss me around," Zane said, looking him straight in the eye. "Why don’t you remove your hand?"
The moment Joshua met Zane’s gaze, he felt a terrifying surge of Aura radiate from the boy.
"Well... if you say so," Joshua said, quickly withdrawing his hand.
What a terrifying aura... who is this kid? Joshua thought to himself.
"I don’t agree with this," Mariana interjected, drawing her sword and pointing it at Zane.
"Mmmmm... and what is the meaning of this?" Zane asked, turning his gaze toward Sandra.
"Aaa... Mariana, what are you doing?" Sandra asked, shocked by her guard’s sudden hostility.
"Young Miss, I know you trust him, but we can’t take deadweight with us," Mariana said, gritting her teeth.
Zane didn’t flinch or step back; he simply smiled.
"Well, if you aren’t willing to come with me, then go ahead and try to solve the problem yourselves. As for me, I’ll do whatever I want, whenever I want. How about that, Miss Mariana?" Zane said, stepping toward her.
"If you think you’re so special, how about a duel?"Mariana asked.
Nearby, Maria was casually sitting down, enjoying her tea.
"Aaah... what a waste. What’s the point of a duel when you’re just going to lose?" Maria asked, setting her teacup back on the table.
"What do you mean by that, sister? This kid is about ten or eleven years old! How could he defeat Miss Mariana, who was trained by the Royal Army?" Joshua asked, scowling. You are reading on novelping dot com, the official source.
"I was wondering why you two were calling each other ’Miss’ and ’Mr.’ It seems you have a history," Maria teased.
"Aaa... no! No! There is nothing between us!" Joshua and Mariana shouted in unison, quickly looking at each other before turning away in embarrassment.
"Anyway, even if all three of us fought Zane together, we couldn’t defeat him. Do you understand what that means?" Maria said, staring straight into Mariana’s eyes.
"If you think he’s so strong, let’s see it through this duel. Unless you’re scared, Zane?" Mariana taunted.
"Haaaa... scared of you?" Zane chuckled. "How about a bet? If you can force me to use the sword on my back, I’ll give it to you."
"Huh? What’s so special about that wrapped sword?" Mariana asked, glaring at it.
"This sword is one of a kind. If you can hold it or master even fifty percent of its power, you’d be considered one of the strongest swordmasters in the world. So, are you in or out?" Zane asked with a smirk.
"If what you’re saying is true, why do you have it? But I like the wager. I’m in," Mariana said, sheathing her sword and stepping toward the door.
They headed down to the training grounds, where several soldiers were practicing, and took their positions.
Zane and Mariana stepped onto the center field, Zane still keeping his wrapped sword slung casually across his back.
"ARE YOU BOTH READY?" Maria shouted from the sidelines.
Both nodded.
"THEN START!"
FWOOOOOOOSH!
Mariana surged forward, leaping high into the air to strike Zane from above. Zane didn’t run; he simply shifted his stance slightly. Mariana’s blade crashed harmlessly into the earth.
"You’re faster than I thought!" Zane called out.
Shocked, Mariana gritted her teeth, leapt backward to gain distance, and unleashed a ranged technique.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two sharp arcs of compressed wind sliced through the air toward Zane. But when the dust settled, Zane stood completely unharmed, not a single mark graced his skin or clothes.
The spectating soldiers began whispering among themselves.
"Who is that kid?"
"How is a knight like Mariana unable to even scratch him?"
That was the Royal Family’s secret technique Heavenly Dragon Guard, Maria thought to herself with a proud smile. The technique the princess taught him a few months ago. It seems Zane has really been practicing.
"Sister, why are you smiling? Did you know this was going to happen?" Joshua asked.
"Of course I did. And the moment Zane attacks, it’s over," she replied, watching Zane effortlessly dodge Mariana’s follow-up strikes.
"Well, well... you’ve entertained me enough," Zane said, coming to a sudden halt. "Why don’t we wrap this up?"
Zane stopped dodging, raised a single hand, and called out:
"WIND SPIKES!"
FWOOOOOOOSH! BOOOM!
A sudden force blasted Mariana straight across the arena, slamming her into the outer wall. When the dust cleared, she slouched against the stone, covered in bruises.
"What did I just witness?" Joshua gasped. "Mariana lost in a single attack... and he didn’t even break a sweat!"
"I warned you," Maria said, standing up.
Zane walked over to Mariana and raised his hand to cast a healing spell, but nothing happened.
"Aaa... it seems I really need to practice my healing magic," Zane muttered, scratching his head as he looked at his hands.
Wait, Zane can use healing magic too? Maria thought, surprised. That explains how he regenerated so quickly back in the mountains.
Because Mariana was injured, the group decided to delay their departure to let her rest. One week later, they packed their gear and set off toward the mountains leaving Sandra behind to manage the city’s affairs in place of her late mother.
As the started getting closer to the mountains the air started to become heavier and darker.