"I see… we really need the elementalists, huh," Edward said. "Well, they should be getting tired of sleeping outdoors, so pretty soon they will accept my offer, but their loyalty…"
"I am still working on that," Billy said. "Still, I should get some results soon enough."
"That is good to hear," Edward said. "If you accomplish that, I have something even better than that glaive waiting for you. I am sure you will like it."
Those words made Billy more worried than anything, still, he forced a smile and then left the place. While he was walking toward the training grounds, Billy wondered what he should do. First of all, he had to make the elementalists more relaxed around him, but since they feared the possibility of revealing more secrets, they were keeping their distance. So, Billy had to show them that it was useless… by learning Wind and Fire Manipulation. He tried to perform those on the way, but he failed at that.
"As expected, the level of difficulty is really higher…" Billy thought. "Perhaps if I increase my magic…"
Billy had some free points, so that was possible, but he was thinking that he was getting too inclined to the use of magic. In any case, while his friends were meditating, he called the black-haired girl.
"Hey, let's duel," Billy said. "If I win, you don't have to teach me anything."
The training was a good way to become stronger, even when it is related to magic, but fighting was even better. Unfortunately, things didn't go the way he had planned. The girl didn't even respond to his invitation.
"For someone who almost caused a disaster with that fireball, you sure are cautious," Billy said. "Anyway, does anyone else want to duel me? I know that you guys want to see me dead… I can understand why, though. I killed many of you, and the ancestors of the tribes here chased you guys away to that hellish place. While that is understandable, I don't plan to die, because I don't plan on paying for someone else's crimes. All of us suffered enough, my tribe had to abandon their previous territory because of your attacks, my father almost got creeped by that guy. Thanks to all that, I understand that if things continue like this, we will end up killing each other. So, I am done with fighting against you."
Billy thought that his words would fall on deaf ears, but he could tell that some people were paying attention to him. It wasn't surprising that some of the elementalists also shared those same thoughts. Using those kinds of feelings in his favor didn't feel right, but Billy didn't know what else he could do.
"You guys came to attack us time and time again, you put several tribes against the wall, but failed in the end," Billy said. "If you want to keep this war until one of the sides is completely annihilated, then you should try something else aside from waiting for help in this place. If you want to move on with your life and forget the past like me, then maybe you should consider lord Edward's offer. It is pretty good if you ask me, my tribe had to work for years before they got the privileges that he is offering to you… What is going to be? Will you continue the fight of your ancestors or are you going to live your own life and see what lies beyond these small lands? We need your help… despite the bad blood that exists between us. With that in mind, you might think that we won't be able to achieve our goals without your cooperation and while it will take longer, we will definitely make our magic reach your level. Good luck catching up with the times after that."
Billy wondered if that was a good wake-up call for the elementalists. Their powers were useful, but he showed that they weren't special. Their powers could be obtained by others. Not to mention, they lost the war that they had been waging for decades. It was time for them to move on… Some people soon realized that, but Billy could tell that some didn't. The black-haired girl was one of them. It would be useful if one of the elementalists could join his group, but it didn't have to be her, after all.
The elementalists began to whisper something to each other. Pretty much half of them already were inclined to accept Edward's offer since they weren't that good at fighting and lost most of the ones who were. After that, half of the second group began to follow that trend… Much to Billy's surprise, only a few adults and around fifty kids didn't like the idea of accepting the offer… probably because it was something Billy made them think, and he was the one who killed the youngest hero of their tribe.
While Billy was thinking about that, he noticed something strange behind him. He felt a vibration on the ground, and when he turned around, he saw Natalie making a small earth spear rise from the ground. That was quite the progress… perhaps even more than Billy since he had the help of the system.
"This isn't so hard," Natalia said with her arms crossed and while puffing out her chest.
"Getting carried away again, huh," Billy said.
When the elementalists saw another kid learning their magic, they felt the urge to negotiate with Edward as fast as possible. They were thinking that their usefulness would decrease, and soon they would be treated as slaves instead of new allies. Billy had imagined that such a thing would speed up their decision, but he didn't think that Natalie would be the first… she had good senses, naturally, but she didn't have that much mana. Due to that, she lost control of the earth's spear soon enough and cooled down her head.
"Go meditate again and you will recover your mana," Billy said.
"Nah, I am fine, this much is enough to surprise enemies," Natalie said.
Billy sighed… in the end. He made an earth spear emerge from the ground and rotate at fearsome speeds before firing upward. After several seconds, the projectile fell on the same spot while making a loud thud.
"Yeah… maybe I can keep improving that," Natalie said.
