So, I have half a year to complete the challenges. If I fail, the chance to become the youngest Water King and a disciple of the Water God will vanish into thin air.
That's why I began my insane training regimen.
And after just three months, I became a superhuman.
Although, that's not entirely accurate. I just gradually learned to move around the Cluel house without opening my eyes. Sometimes at school, I also move around without using my sight. People, of course, look at me with concern, so whenever I practice, I always choose off-peak hours with fewer people to do my weird things. And during that entire process, my 'Perception' ability has been raised to a new level.
There was even a time I could keep my eyes closed for three whole days without bumping into anyone. It was during a holiday with few people around, but it was still a great achievement.
Scientifically speaking, my rate of progress is a bit absurd. Yet, when I blindfold myself and begin to perceive my surroundings through sound and feeling, I sometimes, for no clear reason, can 'know' things that my ears cannot hear. Like a pillar, for example. The first few days, I kept bumping into it, but from the fifth week on, I could avoid it without even knowing it was there.
Perhaps this is how Battle Aura works, as Master Reida said.
"In truth, any swordsman who reaches the Beginner rank has battle aura. Mostly, it's just too weak to manifest. And battle aura doesn't just work with strength and defense; it also enhances a swordsman's senses and perception."
So, the reason I can use 'Reading' and have such high reflexes is thanks to battle aura. Even though I can't feel it directly, the results it brings are truly astonishing.
To explain everything that battle aura can enhance, it would include the following:
Strength: Enhances strength, this is the most common type battle aura can enhance, it will help the user attack further and slash though something as hard as rock
Speed: Enhances speed, like the Speed Force. I heard that people can even go faster than light(?)
Reflexes: Enhances reaction ability, maybe something like Spiderman kind of Reflexes
Perception: Enhances the ability to sense and observe. Kinda like Observation Haki.
Defense: Enhances resilience when taking damage, it can make your skin as hard as steel.
Will: like Conqueror's Haki, can pressure others with just presence or defend against the opponent's pressure, sometimes it will improve your other stats
Each sword style will train and enhance certain aspects. For example, the Sword God Style enhances mostly strength and speed. The Water God Style enhances mostly reflexes and defense. As for the North God Style... I have no idea, maybe all of them?
To enhance these stats, there are three other categories used to assess their level. These include 'Limit,' 'Control,' and 'Sustain.' When all three categories surpass a certain level, that stat can be considered to have reached that rank.
'Limit' is quite easy to understand. It shows how much the Battle Aura can enhance the user. A person with a high battle aura limit, when enhancing their strength, can slash harder or block blows better than another person.
Master explained that to increase the 'Limit' of battle aura, the user must train their body to become stronger, and the battle aura will naturally grow stronger with it. If you train attacks a lot, your offensive battle aura strength will increase. If you train taking hits a lot, your defensive battle aura strength will increase, and so on... Although I'm not sure, I hypothesize that this is because when the body is trained, the battle aura is also trained, and over time it gets stronger. Just like how Muay Thai fighters harden their shins by continuously injuring them.
Next is 'Control,' which is extremely subtle and difficult to understand. If 'Limit' determines how strong the battle aura can be, 'Control' helps them do it in a much more magical way. Take defense as a simple example: normal battle aura will envelop the body to increase resilience. A person with good control can enhance the battle aura at critical points, reduce the covering on unnecessary places, and even alternate the defensive layer depending on the battle situation.
The correlation between 'Strength' and 'Control' is like the AM–GM inequality; when both reach their corresponding levels, that's when the power becomes strongest within its rank.
Finally, there's 'Sustain.' This is extremely abstract. It's like stamina, but for battle aura. The higher this stat, the longer one can maintain their battle aura in a fight. The reason most swordsmen can't surpass the Advanced rank is because their 'Sustain' for battle aura is insufficient. The special thing about 'Sustain' is that it's usually unrelated to one's physical stamina. According to Master Reida, this is a stat that is purely based on each person's innate talent. There is no way to enhance it; one can only use 'Control' to make the most of the available limit.
It sounds like mana in magic. So I have a theory that battle aura is somehow related to a person's mana. But one thing I don't understand is, with my extremely low mana pool, it seems a bit absurd for me to achieve high-level Perception.
Maybe this body has something special that I don't know about? Perhaps I'll check this later.
In short, I've understood the principles of Battle Aura, even if most of it is just speculation.
After absorbing all that information, I turned to Ken and asked him why he lied to me that only high-ranking practitioners had Battle Aura. He just shrugged and said this:
"If I had told you, I bet you would have spent all your time trying to research battle aura and doing all sorts of weird things instead of training normally. I know you too well."
He's so right about that, I can't even argue.
And in truth, the reason Ken didn't say it is because it's also something that most normal people don't realize. It's not until battle aura reaches the 'Advanced' level of strength that it's capable of doing magical things like long-range slashes, cutting hard rock, etc. Before that, at most, it just makes you hit a little harder. If you compare someone with beginner or intermediate battle aura to someone without it, the difference is almost unnoticeable. You could say that the strength of battle aura enhancement increases exponentially; weak at first, then terrifyingly strong later. That's why a King-rank is considered a national treasure, even though two ranks below, an Advanced-rank, is just considered a normal captain. Because of that, defeating a higher-ranked opponent is almost impossible unless you bring in a counter-element.
Now, back to me.
Based on my own assessment, my current ranks would look like this:
Strength: Beginner(?)
Speed: Beginner(?)
Reflexes: Advanced
Perception: Nearing Saint
Defense: Beginner(?)
Will: Beginner(?)
In short, my stats are extremely skewed. Is it all because I played too much rock-paper-scissors? I also don't understand why Master Reida is encouraging me to enhance my Perception stat even further, to reach Saint rank. At this level, I'll be like Daredevil. Amazing!
Master even said that if I can grasp this skill at a higher level, like Emperor or even God rank, I'd be able to sense danger even before it appears. How cool is that?
And because it's so cool and amazing, after three months, my training difficulty has now gone from just being blindfolded at night to having to walk blindfolded through the school hallways during peak hours. Needless to say, I've bumped into dozens of people and had to apologize profusely. Veronica and the fan club saw this and were worried, so I had to spend a whole session explaining that this was a Water God training program before they finally sighed in relief.
"Someone as talented as Lord Atur, it's only natural that the Water God would notice him and take him as a disciple," a blonde-haired young lady in the fan club said.
"It's so admirable!" a slightly chubby young lady exclaimed.
"But if Lord Atur becomes the Water God, we won't be able to marry him!" Veronica was the one who said this, and the whole group fell silent in thought.
"That's right! I don't want to become a commoner!"
The tongues of the masses are truly terrifying. I haven't even become an official disciple, and now there's a rumor that I'll be the next Water God. Fortunately, I had to use my glib tongue again to convince the girls that I was just a little bit good, so Master Reida gave me some advice, and there was no way I'd be the future Water God, which made them sigh in relief.
I, too, was relieved, because if someone spread a rumor that I was being favored and could climb to the rank of God, it would be even scarier than carrying the title of Water King. Being noticed is the last thing I want.
Especially when my actual strength is still stuck at Beginner rank.
Speaking of which, the important goal in sparring—being able to fight at the Beginner level without sight—has also improved quite a bit. After three months of getting hit on the head with a sword, I can finally block basic attacks proficiently. My specific goal is to be able to use 'Flow' while blindfolded. That will complete the first challenge.
That's the progress for the first challenge. Everything is on the right track. Sooner or later, I'll complete it if I just persevere.
And now for the second challenge. For the past few months, I still haven't stopped sparring with Isolde for a single day. As soon as I'm done with classes, I high-tail it to find her at the Water God Style headquarters.
I had the impression that Isolde would be an arrogant, unpleasant genius, but it turns out that's not the case.
I mean... she still has her 'latent' arrogance. Even if she doesn't show it, I can always feel that 'of course I'm better' attitude from her through her eyes every time I'm knocked out. At least she doesn't show it outright, just keeps it to herself. I guess you could call her tactful.
Other than that, the blue-haired girl is also very thoughtful. She always prepares a towel for me to wipe my sweat before the practice session even begins. Tea and snacks to recover my strength are also there. Sometimes, she even helps me tend to my wounds very gently. In short, the type of person everyone wants to take home as a wife (except me).
Today was no exception. I lay sprawled on the wooden floor, dripping with sweat, staring at the ceiling and panting through a set of teeth that hadn't even fully grown back yet.
Ah… I'm dead tired…
Contrary to her gentle kindness, sparring with Isolde is truly hell. She doesn't hold back at all. She always uses everything she has. Is that a way of respecting her opponent? I don't know, but Master herself specifically ordered Isolde to go all out. She must have high expectations for me.
But since that day, I've never been able to perform that Perfect Reverse again. No matter how hard I tried, it was a complete failure. I thought Reida and Isolde would be disappointed and kick me out, but Master said that if a secret art was that easy to use, Water Kings would be a dime a dozen. That made me feel a bit more at ease with myself.
"Your 'Flow' is smoother today, Atur." Isolde, as usual, walked over to me, placed a towel in my hand, and helped me sit up. "If you just stop using those North God Style tricks and have more confidence in your Water God skills, you'll pass Master Reida's challenge soon. Then we'll officially be fellow disciples."
After many days of fighting, Isolde has also started talking to me a lot more. A few days ago, it was just small talk; now, it's a commentary of acknowledgment. That's progress.
"It's all thanks to sparring with someone as good as you, Isolde." I immediately seized the opportunity to use my glib tongue. "As expected of a Water Saint, you're much stronger than that Ken guy, hehe."
"Thank you." Isolde smiled faintly. "However, you don't need to talk about Ken like that."
"Ah, sorry."
"It's okay. You didn't do anything to me, so you don't have to apologize."
Isolde really didn't seem angry or anything. She just wanted to remind me, like a real older sister who cares about her younger brother. What a good person. My surroundings are usually full of mean-spirited people (except the fan club); having someone this nice around is hard to get used to. Maybe I should be less cynical. Maybe you have to be kind to be a strong Water God swordsman.
But wait… isn't that Water God lady mean as hell?
"Ah, Isolde." I wiped my face with the towel and turned to the girl standing a head taller than me. "At my current level, how much longer until I can pass the first challenge?"
"Probably about two more months."
So I'll finish a month before the deadline. Good! It's true, as long as you try hard, you can solve any problem. So everyone, try not to give up!
"But you're improving really fast. I've seen a few people train your way, but I hear it's rare for anyone to master 'Perception' so quickly. Maybe you really do have an innate talent."
If you say that, then she must have six times my innate talent, since she's good at everything.
"So, if I master it, should we have a blindfolded sword fight?" I immediately seized the opportunity.
"My 'Perception' is already at the Saint rank, but if you want, we can still try."
She means, 'If you want to get beaten unconscious again, please go right ahead, weakling.' So, another failure in finding Isolde's weakness to defeat her.
After three months of knowing her, I've realized that the genius girl has one terrifying problem.
Her swordsmanship philosophy is truly perfect! I've seen Isolde practice the same technique over and over for days on end until it's perfect. Every time she makes a mistake in a spar, she'll definitely perform the '100 Perfect Reps' punishment—meaning she has to do it perfectly 100 times in a row before she can rest, just like writing lines! A terrifying perfectionist!
Even her rank assessment... everything about her has already reached the Saint rank. Her defensive skill is said to be approaching King rank, thanks to her training in a secret art. I hear that in a few more years, maybe before she turns twenty, Isolde could absolutely reach King rank, or even Emperor rank, a *proper* one, not a fluke like me.
Seeing this, I finally understood the real difference between someone aiming for the number one spot and a kid who just wants to cling to a strong person's leg. While she trains diligently and with all her strength, I'm just looking for shortcuts, haha…
I'm starting to worry that the Water God's second challenge will be the one that holds me back.
"If it's too hard, you can still compete with me in dancing."
"What's fair about competing in a subject where the opponent isn't skilled?"
With my sky-high self-esteem, I won't accept cheating. The Water God might be testing both my ability and my integrity, so I mustn't displease her.
Besides, I have a feeling she wants me to befriend Isolde. From what I've seen, the youngest people around her are at least Tantris's age. So it's possible this is just a test to see if I can befriend my fellow disciple.
If so, I'll start by making friends. And to make friends, you have to understand each other's interests, right?
"So, Isolde, do you have any hobbies? Like, besides practicing the sword, what do you usually do?"
"I usually go to sleep to regain strength to continue training."
Is that even considered a hobby?
"I mean, besides resting. Like, taking a walk, looking at flowers..."
"Let's see… Probably reading books. Master said reading helps to calm the mind."
Hearing that, I snapped my fingers unconsciously.
"Then let's compete to see who can read faster!"
"Um… I think when reading, the important thing is to comprehend it, not the speed."
"Yeah, yeah, right." I nod. "Then let's compete to see who comprehends it better."
"That depends on the person. Doesn't everyone have their own perspective?"
This is hopeless!
Okay, let's switch to small talk mode. We'll leave the competition for later.
"So what kind of books do you read, Isolde?"
"Just normal kinds. Like poetry, biographies of heroes..."
"Oh. I write poetry, too."
"Really!?" Isolde looked very surprised, her blue eyes widening so much that I almost didn't recognize her as the usual calm genius.
Seeing this, I offered to let her see my work and got an agreement.
Ten minutes later, after reading through my poetry collection, which I'd been writing for nearly two years, I could see Isolde's expression change like a roller coaster. Sometimes frowning, sometimes raising an eyebrow, sometimes expressionless, and at one point, she even burst out laughing. Finally, she gave this comment:
"Your poetry is really bad."
That hurts.
"At least you laughed, right?" I tried to salvage the situation in vain.
"Laughing while reading a love poem isn't a good thing."
I think differently. The purpose of 'love' is to make the other person happy with what you create. In love, isn't the ultimate goal to make the other person laugh? But then, the poem Isolde laughed at also had tragic elements, so her laughing really is bad. Unless she has a weird hobby.
Even so, this is probably the first time I've seen this girl truly laugh. Hehe, I really can break this ice block named Water Saint.
"How about we have a poetry competition?" I offered.
"Yeah, okay."
And she actually agreed.
Three days later, we had the results. According to the poll at the Royal Capital Academy, Isolde's poem won with a 99% approval rating.
"I didn't expect this result," Isolde mused, looking at the results. Even so, I could still sense her satisfaction through that calm face.
"What can you do? The better one wins," I sighed.
"Mm, that's true."
She doesn't even deny it.
So, after practice, we returned to our original conversation, trying to find something we could compete in. Just like last time, it was a dead end, so I went back to making small talk.
Thanks to these conversations, I also learned more about Isolde and the Cluel family. Basically, it seems Reida is her paternal grandmother, but Cluel is her mother's family name. Because according to Water God Style tradition, whoever holds the title of Water God gives up their family name and changes their name to Reida if female, or Reidar if male. So the siblings took their mother's name, which is also Ken's family name.
Ken and Isolde's mother are siblings, both disciples of Reida when they were young. Ken was apparently more talented but had a playful streak and ran away from home to be an adventurer until he became a knight for House Notos. Meanwhile, his younger sister became close with Reida's son. They got married and had the two Cluel siblings before passing away from an epidemic.
The Cluel family's finances aren't great, so since Isolde's mother's time, they have depended on the Water God Style headquarters and the Water God's protection. Even so, neither Tantris nor Isolde has any intention of mooching. They live a rather frugal and humble lifestyle. Tantris even tried to branch out and work at the Knights' Guild instead of the Water God headquarters, never telling anyone his identity as the Water God's grandson.
What a highly moral family. A complete contrast to the nobility I've known. Very admirable. Not at all like...
"Your father really wanted to sell you into slavery?" Isolde frowned. She didn't seem to believe what she'd just heard. I could feel the contempt seeping through the face that was trying to remain calm. "That sounds terrible..."
"It is. He's terrible. The worst person in the world."
I'm gradually forming a habit of bad-mouthing Pilemon to anyone I trust. But their indignation really makes me feel better, so I'll keep doing this for a long time. There will come a time when I'll tell the whole world that Pilemon Notos Greyrat is the worst person on earth, and it will be recorded in history, hahaha!
After that, I also introduced my experiments and the magic tools I had made. Unlike the adventurers who had scoffed at the 'Exorcism Lantern,' Isolde seemed very interested in it. It seems she also has a hobby of reading at night, so she understood the convenience of a strong, stable light source. I almost cried when someone finally acknowledged my invention, and in the end, I decided to give it to Isolde as a 10th birthday present, which had passed half a year ago.
"Really? Magic tools are usually very expensive."
"It's fine. This thing is only worth a few silver coins."
"Then thank you, Atur!"
In truth, the material cost alone for that lantern was 12 gold coins, but seeing Isolde so happy, I'd already made a huge profit.
After all, building a good relationship with a future Water God is a good investment, hehe.
Other than that, the Cluel family also has a tradition of being devout Milis followers. Every week, Isolde goes to church to hear the sermon, sometimes even on weekdays to pray. That also explains why Reida appeared in the church the other day; she was looking for Isolde to give her the mission to come and knock me on the head on that fateful day.
As for why I've never seen Isolde at church before, even though I now know she goes often:
"Because I always sit in the front row," Isolde explained calmly. "And you're always hiding in a corner, so of course we never met. The church in the Royal Capital is huge, after all."
"Makes sense..."
So, Isolde knew I was going but never wanted to invite me to go with her… Maybe because she was shy?
"If you don't mind, we can go together."
"I don't mind!"
I agreed, then suddenly realized that *I* should be the one who minds. After all, my purpose in going to church is to curse people, not to sincerely pray. If Isolde hears me...
Oh well, from now on I'll just curse them in my head.
…
So the next weekend, we went to church together. Isolde was different than usual. She was wearing a casual blue dress that went down to her feet, along with a small white cloth hat that suited the summer weather. I walked right beside her, also just wearing my usual school clothes. Right now, we looked like a pair of siblings out for a stroll.
"I like going to church also because it's the only chance to not have to wear so many layers of clothes in this weather," Isolde admitted.
"Come to think of it, why *do* you always wear a pile of clothes?" I asked curiously.
"Because it's a form of training," Isolde explained calmly. "And you could also say it's tradition. Water God swordsmen trained at headquarters will later wear heavy armor all day, so wearing many layers of clothes is a way to get used to it."
"So that means I'll have to wear five layers of clothes soon, even though it's summer?"
"That's right."
That sounds like torture, not training.
But come to think of it, if you can move comfortably in clothes like that, then in a normal situation, you'd be faster and have better reflexes, right? Like how Rock Lee attached weights to his legs, and when he took them off, he could even punch Gaara. The thought of me peeling off layer after layer of clothing before a life-or-death battle... I don't know why, but it's both ridiculous and strangely cool.
Maybe I'll try wearing multiple layers starting tomorrow.
"We're here." Isolde stopped in front of the church door and turned to me, smiling faintly. "It's still early, so there should be seats in the front row."
I nodded and followed her to sit in the front row.
Today, the priest told the story of Holy Milis's most difficult battle. The story goes that before heading off to fight, Holy Milis gave a necklace to the woman he loved most. The woman kissed him on the forehead and prayed for his safe return. Later, when he was in critical condition, his lover offered the necklace to the gods. The gods, moved by the exquisite necklace and their love, saved Holy Milis.
From then on, this became a part of the wedding ceremony for Milis believers. The groom will give a necklace to the bride, and the bride will kiss his forehead. They will vow to love and be with each other for life, just like the story in the legend.
That's a very moving story and a very clear explanation for their tradition. My heart was moved, at least a little.
Meanwhile, Isolde's eyes were glistening with tears, as if she was about to cry.
In the afternoon, after the sermon, everyone began the blessing ceremony and then left. On the way out, I could see Isolde looking at the couples, especially the elderly ones, with eyes full of admiration.
Well... no matter how you look at it, she's still a young woman, isn't she?
What girl *wouldn't* like hearing such inspiring stories about eternal love? I bet she's imagining her own wedding. Seeing this, I just realized that even a genius is still just a cute little girl.
I wonder what kind of wife Isolde will become when she grows up. She looks gentle and virtuous now, but no one knows what the future holds. Maybe she'll be grumpy and always annoyed, like Master Reida? After all, I can see some similarities between the two. If that's the case, then I'm out. I wouldn't dare touch her, even if she becomes a great beauty later.
"You know, Atur... Master has also given me a challenge."
Isolde suddenly changed the subject as we passed the crowded square. Her eyes weren't looking at me but were still fixed forward, her feet still walking at a slow pace. Her voice was as casual as if she were commenting on the weather, even though its content was earth-shattering.
"If I accept defeat to you in anything, I will also be stripped of my right to inherit the Water God Style. Master said she would use all her power to pressure the Water Emperors to block me to the very end. And I promised to accept that."
"Huh!? Why?"
"I don't know." Isolde admitted. "Maybe Master's intention is that if she accepts you as a disciple, she'll consider you a more worthy heir."
Me!? You've got to be kidding!
"Hey, hey, don't jump to conclusions so quickly, Isolde. How could you think I'm capable of reaching that position?" I immediately put my hands up in surrender, even though she hadn't threatened to attack. "Maybe this is just a provocation? Or Master is just joking."
Come to think of it, that's very possible. Like, giving opposing challenges to two students to make them improve through competition. Usually, one kid will be a stepping stone for the more favored one. In this case, I'm clearly that stone.
Isolde didn't react much to that; she just glanced at me and continued walking.
"I don't think so. I've been Master's disciple for over five years. She never jokes about things like this."
"If that's the case, then my goal of becoming the Water God's disciple is down the drain, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Because I have no intention of losing."
Isolde has absolutely no intention of holding back. Understood. To her, swordsmanship and the Water God's recognition are the most important things. Maybe I should thank her for telling me this upfront so I can give up early.
"But I'm not saying these things to tell you to give up."
"Huh?"
I turned to Isolde again. Her usual gentle but distant face was still there. However, I could see a small crack in that demeanor, revealing something like… recognition?
"To be honest, I've fought many stronger opponents. Usually, after I beat them, they all accept it and acknowledge that I'm stronger. But you don't."
"Hey, I definitely acknowledge that you're stronger than me."
I've repeated that hundreds of times, both out loud and in my head. I have no idea why Isolde would think that.
"Um… to be precise, you acknowledge that I'm stronger, but you're not content with letting me surpass you. You truly believe that you'll surpass me someday, don't you?"
"Never. What are you thinking?"
"Then what about the first time we fought? The time you used that secret art."
"..."
At this, I fell silent.
It's true that for the past three months, I've gradually felt that I can't compare to Isolde. She's too strong, too perfect. The more I look, the more I feel her pulling further and further ahead. But that first time… it's true, back then I didn't know how high the sky was. I was ready to go all out, to the point of getting my teeth knocked out.
It really was insane.
But it seems that insanity has etched itself into Isolde's impression of me. She truly thinks of me as a rival, despite the huge difference in our levels. It sounds like a misunderstanding.
"Let's put that aside for now. If Master isn't joking, do you really not want to become the Water God?" I ask.
Come to think of it, Isolde did offer to have a dancing competition with me to help me win easily, didn't she? She was also willing to have a poetry competition, even though she'd never written a poem before. It's clear she intended to help me.
"I never said that," Isolde replied immediately. "You dared to go all out against me in swordsmanship, my strong suit. So I will also fight you in the field you're confident in. That's fair for both sides."
"Meaning you have absolutely no intention of losing to me in any field, even at my best. Got it. You really are arrogant."
"You're no different."
Maybe so. I don't just have a big ego; I'm actually very arrogant. This must be why I get along with Isolde. Not only that, this arrogance creates a great motivation for both of us. My arrogance makes me not want to lose, so I'll try like crazy. And Isolde's arrogance makes her refuse to be surpassed, so she'll constantly train to perfect herself.
Did she find a kindred spirit and thus respect me? And because she's seen that I've become less arrogant over time, she decided to tell me the truth to motivate me. It's true, the first time we met, I saw Isolde as a tough opponent and used all my strength, every trick I had, with the goal of defeating her. Then, for the past three months, I've seen her as a fellow disciple, switching my attitude to one of respect and learning.
That must be why Isolde decided to tell me the truth. She wants me to practice the sword to 'win,' not just to 'meet' the criteria.
Maybe I've also understood the purpose of Master Reida's challenge.
She doesn't want me to be Isolde's friend, as I mistakenly thought. It's the complete opposite. She wants me to become a rival for her genius granddaughter, who has never had one. She truly wants me to defeat Isolde in a real match and make the Water Saint acknowledge me once more.
It's exactly as the prompt stated, not a riddle. A decision based purely on real strength.
To do that, I need to master the Perfect Reverse. And to do that, I need to master my 'Perception' skill to a new level. It's all in the correct order. To defeat Isolde in a real match, I need to pass the first challenge.
"Even so, beating you really does seem impossible," I confessed, a self-deprecating smile on my face.
"But you'll try to do it," Isolde affirmed, her voice firm.
"Yeah. I'll try my best to knock your sword away one more time."
"If you can do it, I will do whatever you want."
"Oh I will make you regret saying that."
"I'm looking forward to it."
And just like that, my to-do list got a little longer. Now there's another line: 'Defeat Water Saint Isolde Cluel.'