I woke up to the singing of birds. My internal clock is fully programmed to wake up before 6 a.m. Through the window, I could see the rays of light illuminating the day. Today, my new life begins.

  I can’t lie—I’m quite excited. I try to hide it behind a poker face, but it’s impossible. Ever since I woke up in this world and was able to move, to take my first steps, I’ve been longing for this. Training every day was my daily routine in my previous life, and in this life, the situation of many people is very similar—everything boils down to being strong.

  Children start very early with work that requires physical strength, and nobles with muscular training, usually between the ages of five and six. I’m currently a little over seven years old, and although my body is nowhere near my previous physical condition, it’s still better than that of any seven-year-old in my former world.

  My father uses an axe in his fighting style and has been instilling that in me. His style is the opposite of my ideal style. He uses a massive axe with heavy, crushing attacks. In my previous world, I always practiced with a dual short-sword style, each about sixty centimeters long, the perfect hilt length for my grip, and a style based on fast, precise cuts.

  I’ve been practicing with a longsword like my father, but today I’ve decided to give him a surprise—I’ll use two short swords.

  Due to the difference in ranks and abilities, it’s impossible to land a hit on my father. I want to be able to continue my training, so I’m obligated to use at least half of my swordsmanship skill. Showing all of my knowledge could be harmful and would only invite relentless questions.

  I went straight to the place where we had agreed to hold the training bout. It wasn’t difficult to find two twin swords that suited my taste. After about fifteen minutes, my parents arrived, along with my grandmother and a servant.

  “Good morning, Maki. You must be quite excited—you arrived before us.” My grandmother was the first to speak, her smile as transparent as ever, and those eyes filled with wisdom.

  “Good morning, everyone. Yes, I was quite excited and decided to come a bit earlier.” I can only respond as calmly as possible. I was very nervous and needed to try to calm myself. I’m just as nervous as I was during my fight for the world title in my previous life.

  My parents and the servant returned the greeting just as warmly.

  “Dual swords? You’ve been practicing with a longsword. What made you change styles?” My father looks at me with suspicious eyes, full of curiosity.

  “A new style? Why so suddenly?” My mother joins the conversation.

  I had thought about my answers before going to sleep and again today, so as not to raise too much suspicion. “I’ve been reading some books about different weapon styles, and dual swords really caught my attention. I researched them and have a good feeling about it.” I smile shyly to make it more believable. Their expressions didn’t change—they were still doubtful—but they accepted my answer.

  “Son, before we begin, I want to explain the mechanics a bit. I’ll stand at this point, and you’ll try to attack me in every way possible.” My father’s eyes grow more serious with every word. “You don’t have to defeat me, because that’s impossible.” He says those last words with a confident smile.

  “You only need to demonstrate your abilities. If you’re suitable, you’ll be able to continue not only with your exercises.” My father finishes speaking as his large wooden axe rests on his shoulder.

  “We were talking before coming here. Although it’s a bit early, it’s already time to teach you how this world works—ranks, abilities, magic, willpower, and all the necessary knowledge.” My mother says something interesting. Now I’m even more eager to test my strength.

  The news leaves me in shock. Finally. Surely they had their reasons for hiding all this information from me. Now I’m at the right age, and this duel will decide how much I can learn.

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  “Thank you, Mother and Father. I’ll surprise you and earn that opportunity.” Everyone’s eyes soften. They still see me as a child trying to discover everything. I’ll change their opinions little by little—today is the beginning.

  Point of view: Rita.

  That child, Maki, is very different from his two siblings—much more energetic, eager to prove his worth to the world. Children like this often go very far or die young. We must protect him and make him strong enough to overcome all the adversities on his path.

  I have no memory of him facing someone directly. He’s never had a training partner. He always used to swing his sword at dummies or practice cutting the air. I don’t have high expectations, but those words keep floating in my mind: “You’ll be surprised, and I’ll earn this opportunity.” We’ll see what happens.

  Jarrid stood in the middle of the arena, waiting, while Maki looked at his swords and breathed calmly. I can’t deny that, for his age, he has outstanding concentration. He took one last breath and then shot toward his father.

  The first cut came from his right hand and was easily blocked. His sword was immediately withdrawn as the other twin blade came from below toward Jarrid’s face, which was also stopped in an instant. Maki continued testing him with cuts to the body, mixed with feints, strikes to the limbs, and even tried to take advantage of the large axe to attack one of Jarrid’s blind spots.

  What is this combat sense? Since when can Maki move like this and use such well-calculated feints? Although his attacks are clearly visible to everyone here due to the difference in rank, he has demonstrated two things: he has exceptional talent with dual swords and an incredible combat sense. In all my years of life, I have never seen a child under twelve with such a sharp combat instinct.

  Jarrid still treats it like a joke, although his eyes show astonishment and a father’s pride. Celes, his wife, is stunned. She’s not a weapons expert, but she’s been in thousands of fights—she can easily notice her son’s skill.

  Maki attacked for almost five straight minutes until he ran out of stamina. During all that time, he couldn’t land a hit on Jarrid for one simple reason: the difference in rank is abysmal.

  “You did perfectly, son. You surprised me from the third strike onward. You weren’t boasting—apparently, you really do have talent with dual swords.” My son’s words to my grandson sounded very sincere, and I’m sure they are. We all agree on that. This child has managed to surprise me. If his grandfather were here, he would have already made thousands of plans to exploit all his talents.

  I didn’t want to miss the chance to offer some praise. “Maki, where have you been hiding that talent? You made me mistake you for an experienced fighter.” It may sound like an exaggeration, but it isn’t. I’m truly very surprised by everything he’s shown.

  “Son, if you let your talents bloom, you’ll be able to surpass your father and your uncle in the near future.” Although my daughter-in-law was laughing at her words, for me, this is very serious. If he truly has this level of talent, he could surpass them both with weapons in a not-so-distant future.

  “Thank you all. I don’t think I’m that strong or that talented—I just tried to give my best.” I see him smile shyly, trying to change the subject. Thinking about it, this child has been behaving a bit differently lately. He chooses his words carefully, his manners are refined, and at times he sounds like an adult. It’s time to pay much closer attention to my grandson.

  “Don’t belittle yourself, son. We’re being completely sincere—you have exceptional talent with dual swords.” My son pats my grandson on the head. Those proud eyes make me happy.

  Point of view: Maki.

  My father began to laugh after his last comment. My mother and grandmother also let out a small laugh to lighten the mood.

  Based on everything that was said, I must have passed the test and exceeded their expectations. At the beginning of the training, I held back quite a lot. In the middle, I shifted my mindset to holding back just a little, and after failing to land a single hit, I tried to go all out.

  As they mentioned, abilities and ranks must have influenced the outcome greatly.

  “Father, I don’t want to sound impatient, but I’m curious—did I pass the test?” I can’t stand waiting any longer and ask.

  “Isn’t the answer obvious?” My father looks at me, confused by the question. “Of course you passed, son. All those compliments are genuine. It’s time to show you a bit more about this world.”

  “Your father is right, son. Your grandmother doesn’t give compliments very often. Even though she loves all her grandchildren, her philosophy is simple: only those who deserve it are rewarded.” I see my grandmother roll her eyes at my mother. From that look, I can tell this isn’t the first time the topic has come up.

  “Son, let’s have breakfast together. It’s time to make a schedule for your new lifestyle.” He sets aside his large axe and takes my mother by the hand. My grandmother had already walked ahead by the time I reacted, and the servant had disappeared at some point after the training.

  It feels wonderful to share a meal with people I care about. It reminds me of my past meals with my uncle and my trainer.

  In the middle of the meal, my father finally spoke about my future. “Son, it’s time to teach you the basic concepts of how to become strong. Physical training is important, but not as important as magic, willpower, and the Laws.”

  Laws? This is the first time I’ve heard that term. It’s something completely new.