Rafaela watches me expectantly as she sees both wooden swords in my hands. Her little eyes are completely fixed on the pieces of wood, which are by no means elegant, but they serve their purpose well enough as swords.
I was just about to complain to the manager of this orphanage for letting children use bladed weapons as toys, even if they were made of wood. After taking a closer look myself, however, I realize their edges are practically nonexistent.
They can still be used to hit someone... but then again, almost anything can be used to hit someone. Or rather... they have magic, which can be even more dangerous. It would be foolish of me to complain about something like this.
"The most important thing about using dual weapons, little Rafaela, is coordination. If your body never learns to coordinate itself, you'll never become good. Learning to synchronize your vision with your movements is the most important part." I try to find simple words and an explanation that children can easily understand.
I continue explaining, as simply as possible, how she can master the most basic concepts of dual swords. I even teach her the signature movements I learned when I was young. These are the foundation of coordination and the beginning of everything.
I can practically see her little brain slowly overheating. She's doing everything she can to understand and follow along with my explanation. Apparently, her young mind still isn't capable of keeping up with this kind of instruction.
"I know it's a little complicated, but maybe if I show you, you'll understand it better." Rafaela nods several times in quick succession.
I take my stance, and my body begins moving smoothly, as if following the flow of water. I've performed these movements thousands of times. My body remembers them as naturally as walking or running. I move entirely on instinct.
I see the little girl standing there with her mouth hanging open and her eyes as wide as saucers in amazement. "Try performing one of those three movements. Don't forget the coordination, the position of my feet, hips, and hands. I'll go help the others." I place the wooden swords on the ground and gently pat her on the head.
The little girl nods softly. She looks down at the twin swords in her hands and tries to copy my stance. She has an excellent memory. After seeing it only once, she's already managed to reproduce a solid posture. I leave her to practice on her own.
"Big brother, look at my spell!" Mauricio comes running toward me, looking completely excited.
The boy named Mauricio creates a construct that resembles the bucket of an excavator, although it looks more like a drawing made by a ten-year-old than the real thing. Considering his age, that's only natural. What's truly surprising is how stable his construct appears to be.
I told all of them to use pure mana. Even though they've already discovered their affinities, it's better to practice the fundamentals for as long as possible.
"That's impressive, Mauricio. Let me test it." I tell the boy before using my Imra to try and destroy it.
The amount of Imra I need to use is minuscule. The difficult part is using such a tiny amount. If I don't control my strength perfectly, I'll destroy his construct in the blink of an eye. Limiting myself to the willpower of an Amethyst Rank is much harder than I expected.
I'm pleasantly surprised when I try to break it and fail. His construct is above average compared to children I remember at his rank. It's nowhere near as sturdy as mine used to be, but it should be close to the level of noble children his age.
This untrained boy managed to understand my explanation well enough to create something respectable. I don't know if it's natural talent or if he's simply someone who learns very quickly.
I apply a little more pressure, and the excavator-shaped construct shatters into tiny fragments. Mauricio looks a little disappointed when all his hard work falls apart. "Don't make that face, Mauricio. Your construct was very good. Well done." I take a lollipop out of my storage bracelet and hand it to him.
The other children look at the smiling Mauricio with obvious envy. "If any of you manage to impress me, even just a little, you'll get a lollipop too." They all nod enthusiastically at my words. By the end of the day I plan to give every one of them one anyway; I simply want to motivate them to give it their best.
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For the first time in a long while, I decide to deactivate my Personal World. I'm in a safe place, so there's no need to dull my senses. I want to take things easy and let my mind rest as much as possible.
The children are truly giving it everything they have. Even the youngest ones, who aren't able to train yet, are trying to impress me in one way or another. Some perform little dances they've seen around town, others practice songs, and one of them even asked me to give him an addition test.
Even without my sensory ability active, I keep an eye on most of them. I'm so used to observing everything around me at all times that doing something like this is effortless. My Pseudo Law of Perception helps quite a bit as well.
By the end of the day, Marcus seems to be the most promising when it comes to combat. He's trying to reinforce his hand with pure mana, attempting to create a gauntlet for fighting. I already knew that from the beginning, but seeing him help the others proves that he's the leader of this place.
"Do you want to become an adventurer someday, Marcus?" I ask after handing him a lollipop. He did his very best to strengthen his fist and landed a solid punch against my hand. It was good enough to pass my little test.
"No." He looks straight at me before answering. "I want to become a guard for this city... that's my dream." The boy's eyes shine brightly, his determination seemingly forged from steel.
"Why a guard? And only for this city?" I ask curiously. Very few children dream of becoming guards.
"Well... for this territory. I want to protect the place that took me and my younger siblings in. I know what it's like to live in other orphanages... they're garbage compared to the ones here. They give us food, a roof over our heads, and a very comfortable life. I want to protect the place that cares about people like us, and I want to support this orphanage myself once I grow up. I've heard that really strong guards earn a lot of money." The little boy has everything figured out.
I never expected such a well-thought-out answer from someone barely older than ten. He must have prepared it carefully. He's probably been practicing those words for a long time, waiting for the day someone would ask him that question.
I already knew the circumstances of these children. I knew many of them had come from distant territories. It had been one of the tasks I gave Dand after he decided to become my disciple—to travel to those places and bring back orphans, especially from regions that had been devastated by monsters or natural disasters.
Little Marcus was one of those children. He must have lived in several different orphanages, allowing him to experience each one firsthand. The differences in living conditions are enormous, and he knows that better than anyone.
A small smile forms on my face. My plan is already bearing fruit sooner than I expected. At least one of them already looks upon our territory with pride, proving that the treatment they're receiving here is far better than anywhere else.
I truly want to help them from the bottom of my heart, but at the same time, it'll be good if our territory gains something in return in the future. If even one of them grows into a powerful guard capable of protecting this town, that'll already be a worthwhile investment. At the very least, it'll help keep his younger brothers and sisters from straying down the wrong path.
Something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. I immediately turn my head and witness something incredible. "Amazing..." I don't have enough words to describe what I'm seeing.
Little Rafaela is performing the movements I taught her perfectly, and she's even adding small combinations of her own. Before I realize it, I'm already walking toward her. I stand there in amazement as I watch her move. She dances across the ground as gracefully as a ballerina performing on a stage.
She's so absorbed in herself that she hasn't even noticed my presence. She even scolds herself whenever her body fails to follow what she had in mind. She tries again, and this time a huge smile spreads across her face.
"What talent..." The longer I watch her practice, the more astonished I become. Her movements, the speed at which she learns, and that incredible concentration all tell me the same thing.
She possesses far more talent than I originally imagined. She's a genius with dual swords. Someone with even greater natural talent than Shawu or me.
"Rafaela, spar with me." She looks a little hesitant when I interrupt her practice. "Don't hold back. Don't worry about hurting me—it's impossible for you to injure me. I'll only defend myself, so come at me with everything you've got." She gives a timid nod once I finish speaking.
The little girl takes her stance and charges toward me. Her movements flow naturally, linking one combination after another without stopping. Every now and then she makes a small mistake, or her posture isn't quite right. I point it out, and the very next time she immediately corrects it.
I'm completely captivated by her movements. This little girl might truly be more talented than I am when it comes to swordsmanship alone. I have to make the most of that talent. I have to help it bloom.
Who would've thought I'd find such an incredible talent in a place like this? Whose daughter could she have been? Without parents, it's impossible to know. One of her ancestors must have been an exceptionally skilled swordsman, and this little girl inherited that talent in its purest form.
Not knowing what to do in a situation like this, I resort to what I do best. I pull out my phone and make a call. I'm immediately scolded like a little child, but once she understands my situation, the solution is already on its way. Now all I have to do is wait.