Rafaela's right sword threatens to slash across my neck. Even if I don't defend against it, I won't receive so much as a scratch, and if I reinforce myself with mana or Imra, the wooden blade would probably splinter or break.
I block her attack with a single finger. I realized it's much easier to lightly reinforce a part of my body than a wooden sword. The impact of her blade comes immediately, and the next instant her left sword darts toward my right ribs, but that attempt fails just as well.
I'm crouching to give Rafaela an advantage. So far, I haven't moved even a single inch from my position. The little girl is drenched in sweat as she darts from side to side like a fly, desperately trying to break through my defenses.
Her feet move with remarkable agility, her mind is working at full speed, and her eyes never stop searching for the smallest opening she can exploit.
I'm surprised by how long she can keep moving despite only being Amethyst Rank. She's breathing correctly and wastes as little movement as possible. Apparently, she awakened only a few days ago, and Rafaela is still under ten years old. That's what I heard from the children who have gathered around us to watch us train.
Another attack filled with feints threatens my chest. The little girl started using feints after I suggested it. At first, they were clumsy, meaningless motions, but little by little they've improved as she's followed my advice.
A wide smile spreads across my lips. She's truly a monster... an extraordinary talent. It doesn't matter if her talent with the sword surpasses mine. I'm still extremely talented myself, and I have decades more experience than she does. There's no way she'll be able to exploit any weakness I might have.
If I concentrate, she seems as slow as a turtle. Every one of her movements becomes painfully predictable. The fact that I can perceive them so slowly also lets me appreciate her talent. Every tiny adjustment in her stance, every subtle twitch of her muscles, shows that her body reacts differently from the other children.
"A really pretty big sister has arrived!" one of the girls shouts.
"Do you think she's here to adopt one of us? Her clothes are so expensive... maybe she'll adopt all of us." I hear a boy say beside her.
"She's really beautiful. Look at her hair—it's so long and perfect. Do you think I'll ever be that pretty?" another little girl comments.
"Her face looks familiar... I think I've seen her somewhere before," another girl says to the friend beside her.
"You're right. I think I've seen her somewhere too." The children begin making a fuss, trying to remember where they've seen such a beautiful face before.
That was something that had seemed strange to me as well. None of them had recognized me. Don't they know who I am? That should be impossible. They must have been so focused on everything else that they never stopped to wonder who I was. The ordinary cap is doing a decent job of hiding part of my face as well.
Although the children are visibly excited, none of them approach the beautiful woman. They're afraid of offending someone wealthy or making a bad impression. Instead, they quietly whisper among themselves while a path naturally opens through the crowd.
"What could possibly be so important that you leave early without saying anything? What are you doi—"
The woman is Brendu. She came as soon as she received my call.
The princess falls silent halfway through her question. I can see the surprise in her eyes as I turn toward her. She raises her thumb to her lips, looking thoughtful. It's Brendu's usual pose whenever her mind starts working furiously.
"Cat got your tongue?" I ask as I turn my attention back to my little opponent.
"This is even more impressive than you made it sound over the phone. I should've come even sooner." She answers without taking her eyes off the duel.
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Brendu isn't as talented with twin swords as Shawu or I am, but that doesn't mean she can't recognize talent at a glance. She's been training alongside me for several months and has always been surrounded by gifted people. The princess can identify exceptional talent with a single look.
"There was no need to rush over. The little one isn't going anywhere," I reply.
"Poor thing. She's completely exhausted. Give her a break already." Brendu is already worrying about Rafaela. She's always had a soft spot for talented people and precious gems, and Rafaela is an exceptionally brilliant one.
"Just a little longer. Some of my greatest inspirations came when both my mind and body were on the verge of collapse. Exhaustion brings out the very best in you," I answer calmly.
All the children have fallen completely silent as they watch us talk. They're trying to make as little noise as possible. They've all realized that we're important somehow, and none of them wants to interrupt us.
Only a few seconds later, as though my last comment had been an omen, Rafaela makes a wide slash with her left sword in her final attack. Just as I think she's lost her balance, I see her spin around her own axis.
Her back is now facing me as she swings her right sword upward without even looking. It's a perfectly executed strike that would catch anyone by surprise after making the same assumption I did—that she'd lost her balance and was about to fall.
I allow the attack to complete its path. I could've blocked it, but this is her reward for all her effort. Her sword strikes my cap, knocking it slightly upward.
The force of the attack ultimately does what I expected. She can't control the momentum, and her body is about to crash to the ground. I use my gravity magic to catch her in midair before she can fall like a sack of potatoes.
"You did well, Rafaela." I wasn't sure what to say, so I settled on something simple. The little girl smiles softly. She's far too exhausted to respond.
As I walk over to Brendu, I bring little Rafaela along with me. My gravity mana gently surrounds her, shaping itself into a chair where she can sit comfortably. I use Life Mana to heal her, and I watch the color quickly return to her cheeks.
I take out several bottles of apple and orange juice, along with some cookies, from my storage bracelet. I offer one to Rafaela, and she immediately accepts it, now feeling much more energetic thanks to my gentle healing.
I look around for the leader of the children. "Marcus, make sure every child gets a juice and a cookie." It feels a little strange giving the poor boy an order.
"Y-Yes... of course." Marcus looks confused for a moment before quickly recovering. "Right, I'll take care of it, big brother. Leave it to me." He nods firmly as he heads toward the drinks and cookies, and I simply give him a warm smile.
"Did you see the same thing I did?" I ask Brendu while creating a layer of mana so no one else can hear us. At the same time, I release Rafaela, gently setting her back on her feet beside her friends, who immediately gather around to talk to her.
"Do you think I'm blind? Do I look stupid?" Brendu nearly punches me. "She's a one-of-a-kind talent. How did you find her?" The princess keeps glancing toward the little girl.
"I went out for a morning walk. My Personal World picked up something interesting as I passed by, and before I knew it, I was playing with all of them. Her talent drew me in on its own. It simply happened to present itself," I answer honestly.
"Interesting... We can't leave her here. She needs proper training and specialized guidance as soon as possible." She voices her opinion.
"I know. I want to adopt her." The moment those words leave my mouth, Brendu stares at me the same way my grandmother does... as if I were the strangest creature she'd ever seen.
"You don't have to go that far. There are plenty of ways to help her without adopting her," Brendu comments.
"I know, but I want to adopt her. I thought everything through while I was training with her. I want to give her the best life possible." I pause for a moment before continuing. "I'm also going to assign a guard to come here two days a week to teach the children basic self-defense. Many of them are orphans themselves, so I'm sure they'd be happy to help these kids while getting paid for it." That was the idea I came up with while watching all these little ones.
"You know a lot of adopted children are bullied by young nobles once they find out they're adopted, right? It could be even worse if the adopted child's talent is this overwhelming." Brendu knows me well. Once I've made up my mind, changing it is practically impossible.
"That only happens when you don't have the strength to protect yourself, or when your family can't protect you." I reply. I'd already considered that possibility as well. "Who would dare bully the adopted daughter of a future Obsidian Rank? Just think about who her 'adoptive mothers' would be. No one would dare target her directly." I give the princess a mischievous smile.
"You're such an idiot. You always come up with ridiculous solutions." She shakes her head with a smile. "Even so, trying to adopt her this quickly is far too impulsive. Your family is going to smack you over the head, and I'll gladly hit you even harder afterward." The princess looks completely serious.
"I know. I found a way to adopt her without putting her in danger or creating problems for myself in the future. I'll pave the road for her, but she'll have to walk it herself." We both nod in agreement.