"Haaah!"
Elara shouted as she rushed towards Vaan and attacked him with her wooden sword. Vaan sidestepped, dodging her attack, and as if she already expected that, Elara quickly turned around and this time, she aimed at Vaan's legs, playing dirty.
Yes, Elara was playing dirty.
And that was just the result of training with Vaan for 3 days.
Of course, Vaan didn't really 'corrupt' her or anything like that, Elara was too pure for that, Vaan's plan, however, did work. What he said about betting with his mother and how much he would lose if Elara lost the tournament, that lie of his work.
Not wanting Vaan to lose such a big amount because of her, Elara decided to work as hard as she could in order to win the competition. This was why she was taking Vaan's training so seriously. Elara knew her problem as well.
Elara knew she was an above-average mage, and just like her teacher said, she had the capability to defeat others, however, her timid personality always held her back. She did try to work on her personality in the past, however, everything she did failed. Therefore, this time, she decided to put her trust in Vaan.
She did everything Vaan told her to do, whether it was attacking fairly or under the belt, she continued to swing her sword, improving each day.
Of course, the fact that back in her mind, she knew that Vaan would block her attack was a type of assurance as well. This was what gave Elara the freedom to give her best and since the same would not happen in the tournament, the problem has not really been solved yet.
However, the two of them were still working on it.
Vaan jumped back, dodging Elara's attack.
A small smile appeared on his face, "That was a good one, you almost got me."
"You are lying."
Elara pouted.
"Hahaha~ I am."
Vaan laughed out loud. He then placed his hands behind his back and,
"Focus on your stance and your breathing. Don't overthink your strikes. Just let them flow naturally, your body is too stiff, relax it."
Elara nodded, trying to steady her breath.
She took a deep breath, lowered her center of gravity, and lunged at Vaan with a swift strike. Vaan dodged her attack again.
Elara however, lunged at him again, this time with a series of quick slashes. However, no matter how fast she moved, the difference between the two of them couldn't be more apparent. How could Elara possibly stand against a man with 10 years of experience with a completely untrained body?
Elara however, still pressed on, attacking from different angles and trying to anticipate Vaan's movements.
Vaan continued to dodge effortlessly, occasionally offering gentle guidance. "Elara, don't telegraph your moves. Keep your attacks fluid and unpredictable."
Elara listened intently, trying to apply his advice. She took a step back and then lunged forward with a spinning strike, hoping to catch Vaan off guard. The results, however, were still the same.
It wasn't something that could be done in a day or two, Martial Arts required time and effort, and honestly, Vaan's goal here was not to teach Elara Martial Arts,
He just wants her to be comfortable enough to punch her opponents.
As they say, if she can punch em, she can kick em, and if she can kick em, then she can kill em.
Those were the words Vaan followed, where did he hear them from?
Nowhere, he came up with them on his own.
However, since they rhymed well, Vaan knew those words were true.
The rhyme logic couldn't be flawed.
Anyways, Vaan continued to spar with Elara, seeing that her determination and confidence were growing with each passing moment, he nodded his head with a satisfied look on his face. Then, he decided to challenge her a bit more.
He shifted his stance slightly, and this time, when Elara attacked, he blocked her strike with his sword and disarmed her, sending her sword flying.
Elara stood there, momentarily stunned. Her wooden sword lay at a distance, and she looked at Vaan with a mix of surprise and admiration.
"What? Does your fiancé look especially handsome today?" Vaan questioned with a bright smile on his face.
"That's not it."
"What? Are you saying I look ugly?" Vaan spoke as his brows arched up and he pouted.
"N-No! That was not what I meant!" Thinking that she was misunderstood, Elara quickly tried to explain herself.
"Don't try to think of an excuse. I will just accept the reality as it is…" Vaan sighed as his shoulders shrunk down.
"I-It is not an excuse! I really didn't mean to say that!"
"So are you saying I do look especially handsome today?" Vaan questioned.
"Y-Yes." To avoid any more misunderstanding, Elara simply nodded. Vaan, however, wasn't planning on letting her go so easily.
"Then prove it."
"H-Huh?" Elara's expression changed.
"Prove it.
You know what to do, don't you?"
Vaan spoke as he moved his face in front of Elara and closed his eyes. Elara's face turned red, she obviously understood that Vaan wanted a kiss.
Elara found it strange, Vaan openly asking for kisses, thinking that he was the same Vaan who avoided her like a plague…
Her heart was filled with uncertainty, but at the same time, seeing Vaan's face so close to her, Elara felt a compulsion. Her body moved on its own, then closing her eyes, Elara quickly kissed Vaan's forehead and as she did, her heart fluttered. With how quickly it started beating, Elara felt like it would burst apart.
Vaan, on the other hand, smiled playfully after getting what he wanted, he glanced at Elara's flustered face and just wanted to hug this woman as tightly as he could.
Of course, he held back, he needed to take this slow.
The previous Vaan had already intimidated Elara, he needed to carefully break her defenses and not recklessly charge in.
"Alright, we should end this training right here," Vaan spoke up.
Elara nodded. Vaan then extended his hand, wanting Elara to hold it, she did what Vaan wanted as the two of them then left the room.
"Young Master Vaan."
Outside the room, Gabel bowed his head as he extended a towel toward Vaan to wipe his sweat. Vaan, on the other hand, glanced at Elara with a 'you know what to do,' look on his face.
Elara continued to stare at Vaan, clearly, she didn't wish to do what Vaan wanted, however, Vaan didn't back down. In the end, Elara slowly turned towards Gabel and,
"W-Where is my towe-"
"Ahem Ahem."
Vaan coughed.
It was his way of saying he wasn't satisfied. Elara's tone wasn't firm enough.
Elara momentarily closed her eyes and then,
"Where is my towel?" She questioned, this time, her tone sounded heavy. Vaan smiled, showing his satisfaction.
"I apologize if I may sound rude, Lady Elara, but I only serve Young Master Vaan," Gabel replied. His tone sounded respectful, his words, however, were far from one.
Elara didn't mind, she knew Gabel was not wrong either, she understood where he was coming from and what he was trying to say, and normally, she would have nodded in understanding and walked away, right now, however, with how Vaan was continuously staring at her, Elara knew she couldn't do what she would normally do.
She needed to act like a Magic Prodigy, a respected 4th Circle Mage, and… Vaan's fiancé.
Thinking about it, Elara gathered her confidence and,
"You are correct, you are not required to serve me, I understand."
Elara nodded, then, she stared into Gabel's eyes and,
"However, there are certain things, certain actions, that decide how you are treated wherever you work, you are allowed to walk away right now, but only do so if you believe these actions won't come to harm you in the future."
This time, even Vaan was taken aback. He wanted Elara to stand up for herself, that was why he asked Gabel to give her some hard time, however, he never expected her to act like that. At best, he only thought Elara would order him to bring her a towel but to think she would threaten him like that.
'Elara…?'
Was his training that effective…?
Vaan couldn't help but think.
Elara, however, wasn't done yet as she turned towards Vaan and,
"Vaan, let us leave. There are still things I want to ask you."
Vaan couldn't even come up with an answer and Elara was already pulling him away.
'Who is she…?' Vaan wondered as he continued to stare at his fiancé from behind.
"Lady Elara."
Suddenly, Gabel called out.
"Your towel."
He quickly took out the towel he brought for Elara, he was going against Vaan's order by doing this, however, he believed it was the right time to do so since Vaan had already gotten what he wanted.
Elara paused.
"You should have taken it out before."
She spoke as she took the towel, then, she walked away, holding Vaan's hand as tightly as she could, trying to hold back her nervousness and keep her strong front.
Time passed, soon, Vaan returned to the Magic Training Room to train with his father, Elara diligently continued her Magic Practice, just like the last few days, it was a busy day today as well,
Then, Vaan heard a report,
"Lady Seraphina wishes to see you."
"Oh? She is back so soon?"
