"Begin!"
Like a swift tiger, I lunge toward him, I conjure hovering fire on my palms as I head toward him.
He's standing still, looking at me with calm eyes and a confident grin.
Let's see what you got.
I direct a fire-coated palm strike toward his face, with great ease, he turns his head left slightly, dodging my strike and making the fire blast the air behind his head. If he hadn't dodged, his face would have been charred.
In that instant, he crouches low, his head slightly below my chest level, and with great momentum, delivers a nasty blow to my ribs.
Crunch!
Huh? That didn't hurt?
It didn't hurt it felt like I was hit by something... Soft, but not too soft.
His expression changes, he notices that something's wrong as I didn't shake or wince after that blow. With a leap on the air he steps back.
His confident demeanor is shattered and the anxiety he feels is visible on his face.
I smirk.
And in that moment, he summons a large amount of flames that coat his two hands, from fist to elbow. They form some sort of flame blade. And he starts dancing with it like a Martial artist.
What's that?
With a burst of speed, he lunges at me. I can see the direction of his gaze, I know where he wants to strike.
As I expected, he crouches low, delivering a strike at my left ankle with his flame-sworded right hand. But just before the sword hits me– I jump up. His flame sword sweeps the ground below and before he could react to my sudden leap...
Slam!
I slam my fists on his jaw.
Boom!
The force of my punch causes his head to crash on the ground– the sand ripples and dust soars in the air.
The entire crowd spectating in the training grounds is silent.
Richardson slowly lifts his head, the area his head impacted with the ground is burst open and bleeding.
He's trying to force himself to stand up, I can see his legs shaking.
I frown. I don't really like hurting kids.
It seems like his vision is a little bit hazy as he's staggering and his jaw might be dislocated due to the force of my blow.
I'm standing over him, looking at him directly in his eyes with pity.
"Do you accept def–"
I see a red circle with runes on it form on his right palm. He stands up immediately and he holds his right arm with his left hand.
Shit.
I skid back immediately, creating distance between us and brace myself for his incoming spell.
"V-vayabol!"
Vwoom!
Iforgot he's a first-circle mage.
From his palms, a fireball shoots like comet, flying toward my shoulder, but I easily side step it.
I raise my head to see more fireballs raining on me.
"Quite a lot."
I slip through them all swiftly and skillfully, slowly heading toward him as I dodge.
"Y-you! Argh!"
His childish voice reminds me again that he's only a kid.
I feel bad for what I'm about to do, but..
It doesn't matter if he's a kid or an old man, I'm winning this duel.
I slip through the barrage of fireballs and I grab the collar of his uniform with my left hand.
I raise him high in the air, his stomach my face level, his legs kicking the air and he's groaning in pain.
"A-ah! Put me down!"
The blood from his burst forehead drops on my hand.
I raise my fist and coat it with fire and I aim for his jaw.
"Clench your teeth kid."
"K–kid?"
"Stop!"
Just before my fist is about to hit the kid's jaw. The acting referee stops me, pulling my hand and shaking his head.
"Winner of this duel... Charles Liam Flameworth!"
His voice was resolute and loud and was the only thing that filled the entire training grounds as the people were silent, watching the best student of the year get humiliated by a kid no older than 7.
I look into Richardson's eyes and I see... terror.
I smile bitterly and shake my head.
Thud!
I drop him in the ground.
"You're lucky kid."
I tell him as I turn to walk off, adjusting the sleeve of my uniform.
"I'm– I'm older than you."
Is he still talking?
I turn my head over my shoulder to look at him.
"And you should be ashamed of that."
And I keep walking off.
____________
As I thought, that kid isn't just a normal kid. He completely overpowered a kid twice his age and a first circle at that. This is good. This is really good!
I grin as I watch Charles exit the stage.
Yes, that's how it's supposed to be, the one who holds great power is supposed to be unyielding, unrelenting, and– Brutal.
The boy is highly proficient In the Martial Arts of the Flameworths. I like that. The other kid he was fighting with got overwhelmed by his physical prowess that left no gap and switched to an anxious flurry of fireballs, pathetic.
I stand up from my seat.
I glance at my smiling first wife who's also watching Charles leave and I turn my gaze to my left to look at my second wife– Jina, the mother of James, she's glaring at Charles and biting her lips. She'll probably try to cook up some nasty scheme against him.
"Jina."
She snaps back to reality with a jolt, it's as if she was in a deep trance.
"Do not harm my son. I know you like schemes and malice and I know very much what you're capable of."
She frowns at me but I continue my warning.
"Touching him is akin to going against me. And if you go against me..." I summon blue flames from my index finger and raise it to my lips, forming a 'shush' gesture.
"Then your death will be guaranteed."
With that, she nods her head anxiously and I walk out.
I can't wait to hear about his endeavors and achievements in the Imperial Academy.
The boy has become my only source of amusement, the bitterness in my heart seems to dissipate any time I remember him.
His existence is like a drug that makes me high and forget about my sorrow.
And I'm finding much pleasure in hearing news of great achievement from the son born of my blood.
The bitterness that I feel always gets drowned into nothingness anytime I remember it.
There are only two things that ease my heart these days:
News of good achievements from Charles and
Anytime I'm drinking with my only friend, Kairo.
Ah, speaking of Kairo, it's been a while since I had a drink with him. I need to go to Ludia.
I just had a crazy thought.
Why is it during the later years of my life that fate decided to show me signs of goodwill? Why didn't it do that during all my times of turmoil?
I shake my head. Now isn't the time for depressing thoughts. I need to plan a way to make Kairo addicted to cakes like I am, and a way to convince Faleso, my secretary, that I'm going on a mission that the emperor requested of me.
And I need to start making arrangements for Charles's admission to the Academy in two months time.
Ah– so many things to do.
With a satisfied smile on my face, I head back to my quarters.