Chapter 10: Surviving in the Family (5)
Arie Lune left the arena, supported by the flustered "guest" who had come with him.
The guest's face was red, and he couldn't even look the floating fortress's administrator in the eye—
no doubt he'd been utterly humiliated in their verbal sparring.
As for Lune, though he'd lost, he seemed quite satisfied that I had drawn my sword at the end.
His farewell was surprisingly polite, completely different from the arrogant tone he'd had at the start.
I smiled and returned the courtesy.
Yes—that's how a proper Arie should behave.
If only everyone could show respect before getting beaten, instead of after.
The administrator, beaming with pride, told me to rest for the day if I was tired.
But since it had been a while since I'd been home,
I wanted to spend time with Vicente and the others instead, so I said I'd attend the next class anyway.
The administrator was delighted, thinking I was some "humble, hard-working model student."
Well, he wasn't completely wrong—if you leave out the "model" part.
I'd planned to head straight there, but my clothes were dusty and torn, so I changed into a fresh set before going to the lecture hall.
....
"...And that's my goal."
When I entered the circular hall, Vicente was standing and speaking, and as soon as he finished, the room erupted with chatter.
The instructor looked a little flustered, but when he noticed me entering, he quickly shifted the mood and continued the lesson.
"By now, I trust none of you still believe Arie swordsmanship is merely swinging a blade. Arie-style swordsmanship is…"
....
When class ended, it was time for a short break—technically for lunch, but most Arie students preferred to spend it training, sparring, or meditating.
Warriors through and through, even in their downtime.
"Anyway—so at the end, I cut him down cleanly with my sword. Pretty cool, right?"
"Wow!"
"…"
As usual, I was bragging to Anna and Vicente about what had just happened.
Anna listened wide-eyed and full of admiration, while Vicente pretended to read his book, though I knew he was paying attention.
"Oppa… can you teach me swordsmanship too?"
"Huh? Anna, didn't you say you don't like using a sword?"
I'd wondered the same thing in the original story—
why Anna never fought directly, always letting that creepy rabbit doll do it for her. Turns out she simply disliked the act of fighting with a sword. She was also small for her age, and long swords—the standard Arie weapon—were awkward for her to wield.
"I used to… but when I saw you fighting, you looked really cool. I want to try it too."
Wait—did she just say cool?
She did say cool, right?
"Hey, Vicente! You heard that, didn't you? Anna says I'm cool!"
"Ugh—stop shaking me, I'm reading."
"Ha! You're just jealous."
"Hoaquin-oppa… can't you?"
Anna's eyes sparkled like a kitten's, and—damn it—that's dangerous for my heart.
I picked her up and spun her around, saying, "Of course! There's no reason you can't!"
Her face lit up brighter than I'd seen in ages—probably not since the day I bought her that seal plushie.
A child should smile like that more often.
I wasn't sure if I'd be any good at teaching, but I'd give it my best shot.
Sure, part of my motivation was because Anna's adorable—but there was also a real reason behind it:
if things kept going like this, Anna would be too weak.
Even with the elite Arie bloodline, there are limits to how far an Arie can go without mastering the sword.
The Arie are famed for their physical prowess,
but Anna didn't seem built for close-quarters combat either.
And unless she became a Wave Controller, Light Bearer, or Spear Bearer, an Arie without a sword is like a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate.
Even Sachi Faker once fought Anna and called her "just a skilled Regular"—and he nearly beat her.
I couldn't stand the idea of Anna becoming a Regular later, only to get bullied or overpowered by others.
I'd thought about bringing it up before, but since she hated the sword, I kept quiet.
Now that she was the one asking—well, that was perfect.
"Then let's start this evening. I never know when I'll be summoned to another fortress, so we should use whatever time we've got."
"Okay!"
Her smile was dazzling.
Alright—time to focus on my own training, too.
By the time I got to the arena, Vicente had already set his book aside and was waiting with his sword drawn.
"That Arie Lune fellow—you said he used Arie-style swordsmanship?"
"Yeah, it surprised me too. I didn't expect someone that young to know it already. ReMakes you realize how vast the Tower really is—so many strong Aries out there."
As soon as I said that, I lunged at Vicente.
The clash of steel rang out, and, as always, he easily blocked my opening strike.
"You're not the only one who thinks that way," he said calmly.
"That Lune you fought probably thought exactly the same."
The reason I could beat Vicente in two exchanges during our last duel—and still call Lune, who lasted dozens of exchanges, weaker than him—was simple.
Vicente was just stronger.
He could also manipulate the trajectories of his sword strikes like any other Arie.
And beyond that, there was the difference in mindset—a casual classroom sparring match versus a duel fought for the pride and benefit of one's entire fortress.
"Hmm. Your style's different today. Weren't you a defensive fighter?"
"I changed it. My defensive style was only to survive within the family. But I don't need to worry about survival anymore."
He was right.
Four years of relentless training don't go to waste.
He'd grown, honed his skills, and in this fortress, among our generation, there was no one stronger than Vicente—except, of course, me.
He must've switched to an offensive style starting from our last duel, when he was the one who attacked first.
"How could I ever win by fighting defensively…!"
His sword's trajectory kept changing mid-swing, unpredictable and sharp.
With strikes like those, even I had to put real strength into my blocks—or brace my body to take the blow directly.
Then—
Boom.
The low sound of drums echoed through the training grounds, signaling the end of free time.
One of the attendants stepped forward to inform us:
"Time is up, Young Master Hoaquin. Young Master Vicente."
At that cue, Vicente's blade stopped mid-swing, his final strike fading away as he calmly sheathed his sword.
"Phew… Hoaquin, Albelda said we should all have dinner together after class. What do you think?"
"Ah, that—yeah, tell her I'll be there."
"Got it."
Arie Albelda.
One of the fragments that would later make up White.
The name alone brought a wave of nostalgia—but this Albelda wasn't that Albelda.
One day, Vicente had mentioned he was hanging out with a girl, and when I went to see who it was—
the moment I saw her face, identical to the Albelda I remembered, I nearly screamed on the spot.
If I hadn't covered my mouth, I probably would have.
It was only later that I remembered—
in the original setting, Albelda, like Ana, David, and Vicente, was originally a member of the Arie family.
The "Albelda" who became part of White was born from the soul of this Arie Albelda as a base—
a recreated being.
Honestly, I can't remember every single bit of lore;
I'm not exactly a walking Wiki, after all.
Anyway, even though she was "her," the subtle feeling that she wasn't the same person lingered, and for the first year or so, I couldn't help but keep my distance.
When she eventually started tearing up over it,
I apologized and reflected pretty hard.
Now, though, she's one of my closest friends—
right up there with Vicente.
Beep—
A soft chime rang from my Pocket—a message alert.
The sender: the administrator of the floating fortress.
"—In one week, you'll visit the 77th Floor branch for a friendly duel and a one-month external training program. Be prepared."
It seemed I wouldn't have much time to teach Anna after all.
I wanted to do everything—but wanting too much was just greed.
Maybe defeating Arie Lune wasn't enough.
Well, to be fair, this was partly my own doing.
I'd built up a crazy record—never a single loss.
Which meant the stakes on me were enormous.
Whoever beat me would not only inherit all the fame I'd accumulated but also bask in the glory of surpassing this floating fortress's "prodigy."
No wonder everyone wanted a piece of me.
I'd sometimes thought about pretending to lose once in a while, but my pride just wouldn't allow it.
I made this bed, so I'll lie in it. Sigh.
When the day's lessons were finally over, I kept my promise and went with Anna and Vicente
to the restaurant where Albelda was waiting.
"Oh, you came!"
She greeted us with a bright, warm smile.
Aside from her eye color, she looked exactly like that Albelda.
Honestly, she still made me feel a bit complicated inside.
"Hi, unnie."
"Kyaa—Anna! You've gotten even cuter since last time! Vicente, you too, come here!"
Albelda wrapped Anna in a tight hug.
Hey, that's my job! Only I get to hug her!
I gently pried Anna out of her arms and said teasingly,
"Hey, what about me? It's been months—no hug for me?"
"Why do you always act like a few months is such a long time?"
Well, because I'm still half a human from Earth.
A few months is a long time for me.
"So, didn't you miss your friend?"
"Of course I did. Actually, lying in the infirmary for months felt long to me too. Maybe your sense of time rubbed off on me."
"That's a good thing. Time's precious, after all."
"You sure talk smooth."
Despite being from the Arie family, she was frail to the point of disbelief.
While I was constantly sent to other floors for "study exchanges," she was constantly confined to medical wards for treatment.
And yet, her dreams were vast—so vast that sometimes, looking at her, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Even so, I never pitied Albelda.
Because I knew her heart—steady, unyielding, and purer than anyone else's.
So strong that it couldn't be denied.
Maybe that's why, in another life, she was chosen to become the soul that would form part of White.
"Hey, what's with that face?"
Crap—her perception's still sharp as ever.
If I tried to dodge it, she'd only get more suspicious,
so I quickly changed the subject.
"It's just… I'll have to go to the 77th Floor next week.
I won't have much time to teach Anna anything before then."
Anna said she was fine, but her expression clearly fell.
Ahh… sorry, kid…
Albelda jabbed me in the ribs, mouthing, "Why would you say that now?"
Well, because you startled me with your sudden question!
Thankfully, Vicente agreed to train Anna while I was gone, and that brightened her mood again.
The four of us enjoyed a peaceful dinner together.
As I looked around the table—at my first family in this world—a smile naturally spread across my face.
Vicente, of course, immediately grumbled,
"What are you smiling about now?"
But still—
I was happy.
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