Somehow, when I woke up, I was in a completely unfamiliar place.
Not my room, not the dojo—where I had been thoroughly thrashed by Isolde—and certainly not the school infirmary, where the big-breasted healing mage was supposed to be on duty.
This was an unfamiliar bedroom, with an unfamiliar layout, as if I had just been 'isekai'd' again to some other place.
Wait, what? Does that mean I just died again?
I immediately ran to the mirror. After checking, it was indeed the face of Atur Notos Greyrat. Handsome, not a scratch on it. Excellent. I'll still be a pretty boy in the future, and most importantly, I haven't been reincarnated.
Alright, okay, time to confirm one more time: where the hell is this place?
Based on what I could see and the keen senses of a Water God Style swordsman, I could tell this was a man's room. There was nothing belonging to a woman here. He's probably single, with a middle-class standard of living. He's a swordsman, given the sword hanging on the rack. And based on the single strand of blue hair on the floor, I gradually pictured the face of the assistant instructor named Tantris I had just met.
My mind began to conjure countless dangerous scenarios, to the point where I shuddered. Don't tell me it's my turn to be kidnapped now!?
"Oh, you're awake?"
"Hey! Hey! Stay back ten steps!"
As soon as I saw Tantris walk in, I immediately jumped into a defensive stance, ready to fight him to the death to protect my chastity.
But Tantris didn't seem to feel threatened by me in the slightest. He just walked over, placed a hand on my forehead, and brushed my silver hair back as if checking something.
What the hell, man!? That's too close!
"Temperature is stable, the wounds are also healed. An Advanced-rank healing mage really is something else."
Tantris smirked with satisfaction and patted my shoulder, as if he hadn't just invaded my personal safety zone. I swear, if this guy did that to girls, they'd fall for him left and right. Even I felt my heart skip a beat.
Wait, that sounds so wrong…
"Sorry about my sister hitting you like that." Tantris didn't seem to care that I was still in a fighting stance and just bowed his head in a sincere apology. "She's always fighting people stronger than her, so she doesn't know how to go easy. Your wounds are healed, as for your teeth..."
"Ah, it's fine. They're all baby teeth, so they'll grow back."
Seeing how bad he felt, I just waved my hand and laughed it off.
"Is that so? That's a relief."
This pair of siblings is interesting, aren't they? One hits, the other soothes. Although I haven't had a chance to talk normally with Isolde, I guess that genius girl must be the arrogant type who looks down on the world. Dealing with that type is a real pain.
"Anyway..." I cleared my throat. "Where is this place?"
"This is my room," Tantris replied, gesturing with one hand toward a family crest with three swords. "And this is the Cluel family residence. Compared to one of the Four Great Noble Houses, we're a far cry, so please don't laugh."
Laugh at what? Your room is nicer than mine.
"But wait a minute… Why am I at your house?" I glared at Tantris and took a step back, grabbing a candlestick as a weapon. "Don't tell me you're planning to kidnap me for ransom! My old man is a deadbeat! He won't bother to ransom me! And I eat a lot, too, so kidnapping me is a bad deal for you!"
"Calm down, calm down." Tantris held both hands up in surrender. "I'm not kidnapping you. It's just that someone wanted you to meet us, so I conveniently brought you home and got you treated at the same time."
"Who wanted me to meet you?"
Actually, I was starting to guess, but...
"That would be me."
When I heard that deep voice that always sounded completely uninterested, along with that bald head, I knew I was right.
...
Alright, let me summarize.
From what I was told, Ken's full name is Ken Cluel. He is the older brother of the Cluel siblings' mother. He was supposed to be the heir to a mid-level noble family with a tradition in the Water God Style, which even had a dojo and some thriving business in the Royal Capital, but for some reason, he gave up his role, passed it to his younger sister, and it was then passed down to Tantris.
When Ken saw that I had 'talent,' he sent a letter to Tantris asking him to train me when I arrived in the Royal Capital a year ago. But at that time, the Cluel siblings were away on business, so they didn't receive the letter. Now that they had, they were skeptical, as it was, after all, a letter from a relative they hadn't seen in over a decade.
Then yesterday, they 'coincidentally' met me at the academy, realized I was the person Ken had mentioned, and conveniently brought me home.
This family's level of 'acting on their own' is surprisingly high. Maybe it's genetic? Would it kill them to tell me beforehand!?
Luckily, today is the weekend, so I don't have classes. If not… oh wait, I missed a sermon at the church. Sorry, Holy Milis, I had no intention of skipping my duty to hear your teachings. It was all Ken's fault. Please let him grow exactly one, single hair on his head. Just one, no more. And please make it as strong and as long as possible too. Thank you!
After clasping my hands in prayer, I picked up my teacup and took a sip to calm down. Because besides what I just said, there was something else that gave me a slight shock.
"So you were a disciple of the Water God, Ken?" I shot a glance at the knight who once had to patrol villages, asking with total skepticism.
"She was only a Water King back then," Ken shrugged. "So don't give me that title. A piece of sincere advice: she doesn't like me very much. To be precise, she doesn't really like anyone."
"Is that so…?"
If he uses the same attitude on others that he normally uses on me, who wouldn't hate him? I'm quite surprised the Water God hasn't slit his throat yet.
"Anyway, I heard you managed to knock the sword out of Isolde's hand?" Ken raised an eyebrow. He just looked disbelieving, not a hint of pride or admiration. "Got lucky, huh?"
"That was pure skill, hoho." I brought a hand to my mouth and laughed 'in the style of a noble facing a commoner.' "If you don't believe me, just ask Tantris."
When his name was mentioned, Tantris nodded, quickly refilling my teacup.
"That's right. I was there and witnessed the whole thing." Tantris set the teapot down and interlaced his fingers, his gaze shifting to Ken, who was standing next to me. "Atur here truly used the Perfect Reverse."
"Perfect Reverse, eh?" Ken sighed as he glanced at me. "Showing off like that will only bring you trouble."
Wait, what the hell is Perfect Reverse?
"And why would I be in trouble?"
I looked at the two Cluels with utter confusion. And to make things even more confusing, the main door leading from the main hall to the drawing room opened.
Appearing after it was Isolde. She was still wearing that strangely bulky martial arts uniform from yesterday, thick with three or four layers. Her blue hair was now let down, flowing with her steps like a spring waterfall which only made her face even cuter.
But the person who made me nearly jump out of my chair and run was standing right in front of her. An old woman with short-cropped silver hair and a grumpy face. She immediately fixed her gaze on me, as if I was the very thing she was looking for and wanted to destroy.
But wait a minute, that's the old lady from the church yesterday!
The old lady who dared to bring a sword into a holy place. Don't tell me that's...
"Master Reida," Tantris stood up and bowed.
Ken did the same, executing an extremely serious bow that made me think he was possessed. "Master."
That's really the Water God!?
Seeing those two, I also scrambled to my feet, bowing along.
"Master... ah, no! Esteemed Water God Reida!"
The room fell into an awkward silence.
Reida stared at me. It must have been more than a minute before she spoke, in that same annoyed voice as last time.
"I thought I recognized you. It's the kid from yesterday." Reida stepped forward, her eyes still glued to me. "You're Atur, Paul's nephew, right? But you look nothing like Paul. Did you get that hair color from your mother, kid?"
"Master. His hair color used to be..."
Before Ken could finish, Reida glanced at him, her voice suddenly carrying a strange authority.
"I wasn't asking you."
"Tch."
Seeing Ken get shut down so hard he had to sigh like that suddenly made me a little scared. Even if he's mean to me, in my impression, he's still the strongest person I know. Now he can't even finish a sentence. It's a bit stressful.
But I have to speak.
"No, esteemed Water God Reida." I bowed my head slightly, my voice as calm as it was two seconds ago, not trembling at all. "I don't know why, but a few months ago, my hair and eye color suddenly changed."
"Suddenly, you say? Nothing in this world happens 'suddenly'." Reida took another step, her small frame leaning forward, her eyes staring into mine as if searching for something. "These eyes... they look strangely familiar..."
I suddenly got the feeling she was thinking I looked like someone. It must be someone incredible to make a Water God scrutinize me this closely.
It seems it's not just me; Ken, Tantris, and even Isolde also sensed something unusual about the Water God. They all looked at Reida, then back at me, as if wondering what was so special about a 6-year-old, Beginner-rank swordsman like me.
If it turns out I look like her childhood sweetheart or something, that would be really awkward, haha… My joke isn't funny at all. Good thing I didn't say it out loud.
"Anyway, I heard you were able to disarm Isolde?" The Water God straightened up, walked around, and sat down in the main chair.
"It was just luck, ma'am." I switched on my humility mode again.
"If you say that, are you saying my granddaughter was defeated by 'luck'?"
Ah... she's scary.
"Ah, no... I didn't mean that."
I quickly forced a smile. Even though the old woman in front of me looks like any other grumpy old lady on the street, in reality, she's one of the strongest people in the world, so I have to choose my words carefully.
"I mean, I tried to observe and felt that I couldn't win by blocking normally or using 'Flow'. So I came up with the idea of striking directly at Miss Isolde's attack, and I was lucky it succeeded."
Thinking back on my last move yesterday, it really did have a lot of lucky elements. In terms of strength, if Isolde had used just a little more force, or if I had missed by just a tiny bit, it all would have been for nothing. So calling it luck isn't wrong. But since the Water God wouldn't accept that, I had to reveal part of the truth about my calculations.
"The idea itself is sound. For a kid like you to think of it is rare. To actually pull it off is a miracle."
"That's why I just call it luck," I chuckled.
I think I handled that exchange well. This way, I can maintain the image of being just a slightly talented kid, not surpassing a real genius like Miss Isolde, who's standing there like a statue. I saved Ken's face and the Water God's face. Two birds with one stone.
But for some reason, I feel a growing sense of dread.
And with a *swoosh, I tilted my head to the right. A few strands of my hair were cut off.
Huh? What the hell just happened?
Everyone else in the room stared at me as if I had just done something outrageous. Meanwhile, the Water God had, at some point, drawn her sword from its scabbard. She looked at me for a few seconds, then placed the sword on her lap with a nod.
"Quick reflexes. You're definitely not just 'lucky' if you can dodge a sword strike from me, kid."
Wait, does that mean she really just tried to cut me!?
Although, if I hadn't dodged, based on that strike, the most damage it would have done was a cut on the cheek. That means she had calculated it not to kill me.
But she still attacked a 6-year-old kid!
"If what I've heard is true, combined with what Atur here has just demonstrated, it seems this child has grasped the Perfect Reverse." Reida continued to speak, her grumpy face seeming to soften a lot, though I don't know why. "According to the rules, I must bestow upon you the title of Water King."
"Huh?"
I was dumbfounded when I heard that, feeling like I had just misheard something.
Reida didn't seem to care; she just acted as if this was normal. Even the people around her didn't see a problem. Even Isolde was nodding as if she also found it reasonable for a 6-year-old kid who fell from the sky to receive a title higher than her own.
"Wait, esteemed Water God. I think there's a misunderstanding here." I immediately raised my hand like a student wanting to speak. "I haven't even reached the Intermediate rank of Water God Style. I'm still struggling with the 'Flow' technique, so this is too sudden. I just blocked one attack, that's all."
"Blocked one attack?" Reida repeated my words, smiling faintly as if I'd said something hilarious. "Kid, you don't know that you just did something that many Water Saints can't do in their entire lifetime."
I swallowed. It seems I really did accidentally do something huge.
"The technique you used to disarm Isolde is called Perfect Reverse—one of the five ultimate secret arts of the Water God Style. And according to the rules, anyone who grasps a secret art must be bestowed the rank of King."
Suddenly, my long journey of trying to achieve something great was being shortened in an absurd way.
...
Luckily, Reida didn't actually give me that title.
More accurately, I cried and begged her on my knees not to.
To be honest, I'm very grateful and lucky that I could achieve something so great at only 6 years old. King-rank means being third from the top on the ranking scale. In terms of real strength, people with this title are considered national treasures. The existence of a King-rank swordsman can completely replace a small army; sometimes, they can single-handedly decide the fate of a nation.
But I know my real strength. Carrying such a monstrous title also brings a ton of other problems, like attention. My problems with Pilemon and Darius are still there. I don't think the Prime Minister with the weird hobbies has forgotten what happened a few months ago. If I suddenly become famous, get noticed, I could fall into his crosshairs, and the next day I'll be swimming with the fishes.
That's not even mentioning the possibility of political factions taking notice of me. I don't even know which faction is right for me, so I've been lying low. If I get snapped up now and displease someone, I could just as easily be poisoned to death.
In short, I will never accept a title unless I truly deserve it. It would be humiliating to be sent to the hospital by some Intermediate-rank kid while wearing that title.
At first, I was afraid the Water God would be angry. After all, I had just refused a lofty grace that many people crave and can't get. But surprisingly, she laughed. A gentle laugh, like a normal grandmother proud of her grandchild, and said:
"Oh my, this kid is just like you, Tantris. Refusing a title like this is rare."
It turns out Tantris is just like me. He's actually only Advanced-rank, and Reida had also offered to bestow him the title of Water Saint, but he refused. The reason was exactly the same: 'I don't dare to accept something I'm not capable of achieving.'
So, I'm starting to get the impression that this Water God has a hobby of throwing titles around. But surprisingly, the number of Water God Style swordsmen with high titles is less than the North God Style. The reason, I hear, is that the North God has a hobby of randomly teaching his sword techniques to anyone he likes, so every now and then, a North King or North Emperor pops up somewhere, and no one knows where they came from.
Meanwhile, the number of Sword God Style practitioners with King-rank or higher is exactly four. Just looking at that, you know who the strictest of the three God-ranked swordsmen is.
Back to my problem. It seems the Water God didn't really want to force the title on me. She just said that whenever I want it, just find her, and she'll grant it. As for me, I said that when I'm strong enough to defeat Isolde in a real fight where she's going all out, I'll reconsider.
In the end, the Water God just pushed me to go spar with Isolde again.
This time, the genius girl went all out.
And I was beaten to a pulp, even worse than yesterday.
But for some reason, the Water God seemed quite happy about that. She immediately walked over to where I was sprawled on the training floor, with no intention of helping me up, and just made this blunt offer:
"Want to be my disciple?"
...
And so, I became an 'apprentice' disciple of Water God Reida.
The reason it's 'apprentice' is because I haven't actually been officially accepted as her disciple. In principle, Reida—as the Water God—has a rule that she will only accept and teach a swordsman who has reached at least the Intermediate rank. But since it would take me another few years to reach that level, she changed it to a 'challenge' format.
I will have three challenges. If I complete them, I officially become the Water God's disciple. Even though it's not as cool as Water King, that position also opens up great opportunities, as Ken whispered in my ear:
"For example, becoming the next Water God."
To be honest, I don't covet a position that high. Because, first of all, to even touch that position, I have to surpass Isolde. She's on a whole other level. I'm afraid I won't be able to beat her in this lifetime.
So I'll try to keep my goals as realistic as possible: complete the challenges, become the Water God's disciple, be trained by her, and, most importantly, 'be protected.' Sucking up to someone powerful is the simplest and most effective way to ensure my survival. If I really become the disciple of one of the strongest people in the world, Darius will have to think a few hundred times before daring to touch me, hehe.
But of course, the Water God's challenges won't be simple.
According to Reida's assessment, my 'Reading' ability isn't at the Intermediate rank, but has already reached the threshold of Saint-rank. That explains my "god-tier" dodging reflexes. According to her, I have been applying Battle Aura to that skill.
Now I finally know that Battle Aura can actually be used for more than just increasing physical stats like speed, strength, and endurance. It can also enhance observation, perception, reflexes, and sometimes even create an invisible pressure that makes enemies afraid.
Yeah… it's exactly like Haki.
It seems the type of Haki I'm strongest in is Observation Haki. Thinking back, the fact that I dodged those few times in the sewer and even that Perfect Reverse move were all thanks to my observation and quick reactions. According to Reida, this isn't necessarily an innate talent. After hearing about my weird training methods from Ken, like rock-paper-scissors and randomly talking to strangers, she confirmed that I had 'learned' it through training. But to reach this level in 3 years is still called 'genius.' As for me, I know full well that a large part of that 'genius' really comes from the fact that I'm actually almost forty years old.
Being considered a genius isn't so bad. It actually makes me pretty happy.
But I couldn't be happy for long, because that 'genius' title is exactly what's going to slap me in the face in the first challenge: "You must be able to fight at the Beginner-rank level even without your sight."
That's also why I'm now wearing a blindfold, struggling to walk around the Cluel house. My goal is to be able to walk to the living room—where I'll be temporarily staying.
I've already memorized the entire layout of this mansion, so I'm sure I won't get lost.
Click*
Opening the door that was supposed to be my room, I felt a waft of moist air.
I swear I didn't even have time to understand where I was before an unreasonably strong force pushed me out of my spot. Immediately after, there was a violent *SLAM*.
Taking off the blindfold, I realized I had just walked into the bathroom.
I'm not going to ask who was in there. I swear I will keep this secret for the rest of my life.
That's about the first challenge and how I'm training for it. Now for the second challenge: 'manipulate Isolde.'
I'm not kidding. The Water God herself demanded that I learn to manipulate the genius girl Isolde, to make her do 'the very thing the Water God wanted her to do without telling her about that.'
At first, I was a bit surprised, because manipulating people sounds very North God Style. But it turns out the Water God Style is also an expert at mind games.
Unlike the Psychological Warfare that Ken often used on me with the goal of making his opponent angry and lose their reason, the Water God Style's trick is to 'guide' the opponent to do what you want. A type of psychological manipulation, as I understand it.
When applied in actual combat, it has the effect of making the opponent attack so you can counter. At a higher level, it's manipulating where they will strike, with what force, at what speed. It's like playing chess but getting to hold your opponent's hand. Extremely terrifying.
And that's exactly what I have to learn.
I will learn how to 'hold' Isolde's hand and make her do what I want. Even if that thing is truly absurd: make her accept my challenge on something, defeat her and ultimately gain her respect.
It's as if Reida intentionally gave me a task that I'm guaranteed to fail. Especially when, after the first week of sparring, Isolde has had to try to hide her boredom to the point of yawning during our matches.
As for the third challenge, Reida said she'll tell me after I complete the first two. But I'm guessing it must be something damn terrifying.
It seems my goal of latching onto someone powerful is still a long and arduous road.