I woke up in a cold sweat.
The nightmare from the first trial came to me again. Because of that, I didn't get much rest.
The morning passed as usual. After training, I went to have breakfast like always.
And again, Eleris and Cecilia sat at my table. Surprisingly, Leon was with them today.
"Hey, how did your first mission go?"
Eleris asked right away. She looked interested. Leon too.
I briefly talked about the mission, not mentioning magic.
Eleris and Leon didn't look convinced. They probably suspected something was off. But I didn't care.
"How did your mission go, Eleris?"
I changed the topic, though I was actually curious.
"It was easy," she said. "A second-rank aura user, just some killer hunting for resources. I finished him quickly with lightning. Only took time to find him."
She looked very довольной собой.
"And yours, Cecilia?"
Eleris asked.
"No problems."
Cecilia answered calmly.
"And yours, Leon?"
I asked.
"Haha! That crook stood no chance against this young master!"
Leon said proudly.
Damn, he's acting weird again.
Can't he take missions more calmly? He's from a grand ducal family—of course his techniques are better.
While I was thinking that, we finished eating.
Classes went as usual. Nothing new.
After classes, as usual, Lucian Veilmore once again asked Eleris to train with him. Obviously, she refused.
Seriously, wake up. You're an archer—why would you even train with her?
While I was thinking about my classmate's stupidity, Leon approached me.
"Let's fight. You don't look weak."
"Sure."
I agreed. He was a good opponent.
We stood facing each other.
Leon held his curved blades.
I held my one-and-a-half-handed sword.
The fight began.
Leon moved forward in his usual style, using his favorite light arrows. As expected.
I dodged everything.
We closed the distance. He attacked with his blades, I blocked everything.
Of course, Leon didn't forget about his spells, so I was gradually being pushed back.
I didn't have the opportunity to use Twelve Steps of the Storm—he would just stop me with magic. Against a normal mage, I could just keep attacking non-stop, but Leon was a battle mage.
I really wanted to cast magic.
But I held back.
After about two more minutes, the fight ended.
Because of the nature of his weapons, he was even more annoying than Eleris.
He stepped close to me and said quietly so only I could hear:
"You were holding back. It's obvious. Let's fight again when you stop playing hidden."
He noticed.
Well, whatever. That kind of battle instinct only increases his value.
After that, I fought Cecilia and Eleris five times each.
Then I finished the day with training and meditation.
My sea of consciousness was close to a breakthrough.