"Ouch!"
Regis hit my head with a staff.
"Come on, is this all you got? Disappointing."
Regis has a grin on his face. This man really made me annoyed.
I swing my wooden staff to Regis's ribcage. He take a step back with almost inhuman speed and manage to dodge. With the same speed he sweep my feet with his staff. Damn it, is he holding back when we spar before.
Even though I said I would beat this man, I was the one who got beaten. This is frustrating.
And with that I keep been defeat by Regis until our training session finish.
"Regis I told you to hold back when you train with Yuuya."
Currently the three of us having a breakfast. Dia-neesan was mad because I got too many bruises.
"What you expected Dia-san, it was normal for him to be slightly injured."
"Yeah Dia-neesan, I can handle it."
Just as usual, Regis is afraid of Dia-neesan.
"Let's finish our food first, it will get cold."
I don't want to see them bickering right now.
"Yeah Dia-san, it's better to eat the foods while it still hot."
We manage to finish our breakfast without any blood spill.
After that, we will finish all the house chores before noon.
And when it was afternoon, I will follow Regis to go hunting in the forest and Dia-neesan will lazing around at home.
"So, what are we going to hunt today?"
"Hmm, I want eat meat today. So, let's hunt crystal deer."
I sigh. Well, I also craving for some meat too, so I don't mind about it.
Crystal deer is a monster that looked like a deer with two huge antlers that seemed to be made of crystal. I was struggling a lot when I hunt it for the first time but it much easier compared to a bloody ogre.
"So Yuuya, your task for today is to hunt crystal deer."
"What!!!."
"Relax, its not like you never hunt it with me before. Didn't you say you want to become stronger."
Regis has a smirk on his face. This old man really messing with me.
We wander inside the forest for a while and manage to find a crystal deer.
"Yuuya, don't use any magic, just use your raw strength." Regis whispering.
I sigh. I approached the deer slowly.
When I close enough, I jumped toward the crystal deer and swing my sword at the neck. The crystal deer block my sword using it antlers that hard as crystal. I take a step back to make a distance.
But the crystal deer immediately rushed toward me with a strange squeal. The crystal horn are sharp, and if I get hit by that, it will become instant death for me.
I dodged to the side.
"That was dangerous."
The crystal deer keep charge at me and I barely dodged it and sometimes I just block it using my sword. I never thought that it going to be this hard. Even my sword start to crack, I need to finish this as fast as possible before my sword break.
The crystal deer charge again toward me, I avoid it and take the chance to swing my sword at it leg to make it unable to stand up. The crystal deer screamed in agony. With wasting any minute, I swing my sword at the crystal deer's throat.
"Good job Yuuya, I never though you manage to take it down."
"Huh, who do you think am I."
I puffed up my chest.
"Says someone who keep getting rushed by the crystal deer."
"Shut up you!"
Regis chuckled, I turned my face away and pout.
"Anyways, lets dismantle the crystal deer and go back home."
"Urm, Regis."
I fidgeting. Regis titled his head.
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry I break your sword."
"Its small matters, after all it was an old sword. Went we got home I will make you a new sword using this crystal deer's antlers."
I was shocked with what I'm hearing. My jaw dropped.
"It's not like I want to give you a present, I just thought that it will gain us more benefits went hunting."
Regis face start to become red. This tsundere old man, but somehow it feel warm.
"Let's finish it faster and go back home I want to rest."
"Tch, even though I the one who do most of the work."
I muttering slowly.
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"We're back."
"Welcome home you two. What for today's lunch?"
Dia-neesan greet us with a smile. As usual, she only food in her brain.
"We got crystal deer meat."
Regis show the meat that I manage to hunt. Dia-neesan's eyes sparkled.
"Dia-neesan you start to drooling."
Dia-neesan immediately wipe her drool.
"My bad."
She winked.
We ate our lunch very enthusiastic.
And when it was evening, Dia-neesan will teach me about magic. Since I been learning magic with Dia-neesan, I have master most of the basic magic.
I also learn the difference between spirit arts and magic.
Which is spirit arts you use your aura so that the spirit will grant their blessing meanwhile magic use mana to create magic by a person imagination.
That's mean spirit arts have more firepower than magic and magic has more variety compared to spirit arts.
That's why when I train, instead of mana I use my aura to utilized magic. Its make the magic become more powerful and it reduce the amount of my aura that I use when I use spirit arts.
Next in my schedule is to prepared dinner for everyone.
After dinner, I study a bit in the night and resting.
This is how I spend my time while I staying here. Without realizing, it has been a week
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The sun was setting, casting a warm golden glow over the cabin. A soft breeze rustled the trees, and birds chirped lazily in the distance.
I stood outside, watching as Dia adjusted the hem of her dress, preparing to leave.
"Ara~ Yuuya, are you going to miss me?" she teased, but her golden eyes were softer than usual.
"…Maybe," I admitted.
I wasn't good at saying things like this.
I had spent an entire week with Dia—training, eating, and even arguing with her. She had become part of my life, just like Regis.
And now, she was leaving.
Dia giggled. "Fufu~ So shy, even now."
Dia-neesan hugging me tightly, I can feel something soft on my face. Meanwhile Regis has a big smile on his face
"Come on Dia-san, its not like you will never see him again. So, you can go home now."
"Yeah Dia-neesan, you can always come here, I will be waiting."
I look up at Dia-neesan face, she is on the verge of crying. She release me and wipe her tears
"Is that so, then I will come to visit you every month."
"Yeah when you came I will make your favourite food."
"Wait!! This is my house you know, why you the one deciding."
Now, Regis the one who is on the verge of crying.
"Ara, so you don't want me to came here, Regis-kun?"
"it's not like that Dia-san, it just… Okay you can come here."
"Good answer."
I giggle watching their interaction. Regis face become pale and Dia-neesan has become calmer.
"I will be going now Yuuya, Take care okay. Regis, you better be good with Yuuya, if something happen to him, I'm sure you doesn't want to know what going to happen to you."
Dia-neesan hug me again but gentler than before. Then she walk into the forest and slowly she gone from my sight. When I turn toward Regis his face already white as sheet and stand still without moving an inch.
I sigh.
"Come Regis, we have more things to do."
Regis still doesn't move; he stay like that for an hour.
After that I keep training everyday while waiting for information about my home. But, every time Dia-neesan come to Regis's house there no any new information that I get. Even though it break my heart since I can't see my parent, but the presence of Regis and Dia-neesan give me a comfortable feeling.
Thus, three years passed by…
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Today is the day I turned eight years old, for the past three years I have master most of the martial art combat but I still can't beat Regis. And with my knowledge about spirit arts and my past life, I also improve my magic.
Time passed faster than I had expected.
At first, training was excruciating.
Regis's methods were brutal—pushing me to my limits every day. Endless sparring, weapon drills, survival training in the wild…
But little by little, I improved.
At six years old, I fully mastered the "Sense" spell. By seven, I had mastered a unique fighting style, combining swordsmanship with magic. I also learned to wield different weapons, not just swords—spears, daggers, even bare-handed combat. Regis called it 'battle adaptability.'
But even as I improved…
I never won against Regis.
No matter how much I trained, how fast I got, or how strong my spells became—he was always ahead.
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"Yuuya, what for breakfast today."
Regis coming to the kitchen while yawning.
"We having the usual."
"Tch, I thought we can eat something special today since its your birthday."
I sigh. Why he is the one that demanding when its my birthday.
"Then what do you want to eat? I will cook it for lunch today."
"Eh, really then I want to eat that soup you made before when we first meet."
Regis's eyes sparkling.
The soup I made when the first time we meet huh. That's mean I need to hunt some rabbit today.
"Did you got any message from Dia-neesan that she coming today?"
"She say that she has many works to do, so she can't come today."
"Is that so."
I feel dejected a bit hearing that Dia-neesan won't be coming here. Meanwhile, Regis has a happy face. This old man really hate when Dia-neesan come because he will always get scold by Dia-neesan when she is here.
Anyways, my task for today is hunt one horned rabbit to cook it for Regis.
Regis keep saying that he want to rest in the house. So, I just go hunting alone.
I have been hunting in this forest for a whole three years now. I already remember where all the hunting grounds.
And I manage to hunt a few numbers of rabbits in one hour time.
"Fufu, I'm improve much than I expected."
I muttering by myself while on my way back home. When I arrive, I see Regis standing still in the courtyard.
"…You're finally here," Regis muttered.
I swallowed. "Regis?"
Regis exhaled. "You've improved. Your swordsmanship, your magic, your instincts… You've come a long way, brat."
Regis took a step forward, and instantly—the air changed.
A sharp, suffocating pressure weighed down on me, unlike anything I had ever felt before.
(What… is this…?)
My grip on my sword tightened instinctively.
Regis's usual lazy stance was gone. Instead, he stood completely still, his weight perfectly balanced, his fingers lightly resting on his blade.
It was a stance I had never seen before.
A stance with no openings.
A shiver crawled up my spine.
(He's serious.)
He unsheathed his sword in one smooth motion, the blade gleaming under the fading sunlight.
(…Is this a test?)
Regis lowered his stance, his golden eyes narrowing.
"Come at me with everything you've got."
The wind whistled through the trees.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself.
(Alright… If this is what you want, old man.)
I drew my sword.
And then—I charged.