Chapter 4 The Outcome

Suzal continued his relentless barrage of attacks on his father. The moment Grafiel decided to retaliate, Suzal had already initiated a swing of his sword, staying one step ahead of his dad in this match.

Two minutes had swiftly passed, and to the astonishment of all the villagers present, Suzal, who initially struggled against the renowned Grafiel, now dominated the sparring.

With a flurry of movements, Suzal launched a diagonal slash, followed by a horizontal one. Grafiel managed to block each blow, but he remained at a disadvantage. Grafiel needed only one decisive strike to win, but Suzal was determined not to let that happen.

As Suzal contemplated, he thought, "Fighting in real life is surprisingly exhilarating." With newfound resolve, he aimed another stab at Grafiel's solar plexus. He had noticed the vulnerability there during past moments.

Grafiel caught onto Suzal's plan; he was no stranger to swordplay. Suzal, undeterred, continued with his diagonal and horizontal attacks, building up a rhythm.

With his right leg forward, Suzal swiftly rotated his left leg from the back and shifted it to the front, launching a vertical combo. This time, targeting his dad's solar plexus wouldn't be as simple; Grafiel could disrupt the rhythm if the attack failed. Suzal, however, had a solution in mind.

He smoothly transferred the sword from his right hand to his left and let out a battle cry, "Yaaaargh!" With determination, he once again struck his father's solar plexus, causing Grafiel to groan in pain.

Grafiel, with a pained expression, thought, 'So Suzal planned to attack from his left hand, not his right. I can't predict his moves at all.'

Suzal resumed a barrage of slashes, left, right, and left again. Grafiel managed to block them all but found no openings.

Frustrated, Grafiel decided it was time to stop holding back. He had a match to win and a reputation to safeguard.

As they exchanged blows, Suzal suddenly remarked, "It seems you had hatched a little scheme, but let me remind you, my heart isn't so easily ensnared by petty traps."

Suzal's cold determination shocked Grafiel, who had rarely seen anyone exhibit such resolve, even among his peers.

Grafiel acknowledged, "A good effort, kid. But now, I'll show you why I'm your father." He blocked Suzal's diagonal attack from below, introducing a new technique.

While blocking Suzal's sword, Grafiel stabbed it into the ground, completely blocking the attack. Suzal tried to push the sword away, but Grafiel applied more force, forcing him to retreat.

Realizing he couldn't advance, Suzal rolled away, just as he was about to execute a new strategy. He saw the tip of his father's sword near his neck, signaling his defeat.

Oliver announced, "That's it. The winner is Grafiel."

The crowd fell into a hushed silence, bewildered by how a three-year-old child could challenge someone like Grafiel. Murmurs rippled through the onlookers.

With his sword at Suzal's neck, Grafiel said, "Now, my son, it's time you kept your promise."

Suzal responded, "Why should I keep mine when you lied to me?"

Perplexed, Grafiel asked, "What do you mean?"

Suzal retrieved a paper from his pocket and handed it to Grafiel. "Take a look at this. You're not an E-ranked adventurer, are you? You're closer to B-ranked."

Grafiel was stunned. "So you found out. Fine, you can become an adventurer. But with your current skill, you won't reach the top," he added before leaving.

Suzal was overjoyed by this decision, but his father's words lingered in his mind.

"But," his father continued.

Suzal wondered, 'What now?'

"I can assure you this. With your current abilities, reaching the top won't be easy."

Grafiel left with his hands on his solar plexus, where his son had landed two strikes. Grafiel was left with unanswered questions about his son's skills, his secretive techniques, and when he had learned swordsmanship.

Grafiel walked away to tend to some village matters as the mayor before his morning meal.

Grafiel couldn't help but wonder, 'How the heck does he know about this spot? And where did he learn all those techniques? Most importantly, when the hell did he even practice sword arts?' Many doubts remained unanswered as he walked away to attend some minor official village work as the mayor before his morning meal.

At the venue:

Suzal had now become a celebrity in the village. While some people had gone off to attend to their duties, others swarmed Suzal, bombarding him with various questions.

Oliver, noticing Suzal's discomfort, politely asked them to give Suzal some space. "Thanks, Uncle Oliver," Suzal said as they headed home.

"You're welcome. By the way, Suzal, you were exactly what I was expecting. But don't mind it; you can become strong as the-," Oliver began to say but got cut off.

Suzal interjected, "No, it's actually quite the opposite."

"What do you mean?" Oliver inquired.

"I was allowed to become an Adventurer because my father lied about something. Basically, I won the battle. Also..." Suzal hesitated with his last sentence.

"Also?" Oliver asked.

"Nothing. It's just that I wonder why my father decided to leave the path of an Adventurer," Suzal replied with a sense of doubt.

"Kid," Oliver said as he stopped in his tracks.

"Huh? Why did you stop, Oliver-san?" Suzal asked.

To which Oliver replied, "You better not know about it."

Then Suzal could somewhat guess what had happened. Something terrible beyond imagination had occurred in his father's past, compelling him to abandon the adventurer's path.

After he reached home, he was greeted by his mother, Lily, who had already received the news about Suzal's allowance to pursue the path of an adventurer.

"Hi Suzal. So you couldn't bring yourself to reject that path, huh?" Lily asked him.

"Yes, Mom. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but it's my dream," he said with determination as he sat down for his morning meal.

Soon, his father arrived. "First of all, let me give you praise for managing to corner me like that. But let me ask, how did you learn to do that?" Grafiel asked him.

"I practiced every single day, Dad. I swung a stick thousands of times a day for the past few days," he answered.

"I see. Well, since you're so stubborn, I will personally start training you from tomorrow," Grafiel said.

"Alright thanks. By the way, how do I unlock my magic, Dad?" Suzal asked with excitement after finishing his meal.

"Oh, that? I or your mother can take care of it. Although I used a sword in today's fight, I also know a few magic techniques," Grafiel explained.

"Alright, thanks for the food," Suzal said as he thought. 'I still couldn't bring myself to ask him about his past.'

Meanwhile, in a hidden and ominous location:

"I see. It's good to hear that the gathering of the monsters is progressing well. Quite promising indeed. You may leave now," a certain individual instructed after receiving the report from his subordinates.

"Sir, there is still one piece of news that might pique your interest," the subordinate added.

'Now, what could possibly interest me in those small villages unless...,' he thought before saying, "Well, state it quickly."

"Actually, a three-year-old managed to overpower his father for a brief moment in a sword spar. I don't know the reason behind the spar, but it seems the father was a former 'B-ranked' Adventurer in village no. 7," the subordinate reported.

"I see. That's certainly intriguing," he said, placing his hand on his chin as he contemplated. "How certain are you of this information?"

"Almost 100%," the subordinate confidently answered.

"Very well, you may leave," the individual said with a sly smile. "Let's start with your village, young swordsman," he muttered, hinting at his ominous plans.

And just like that, unbeknownst to them, danger loomed over Suzal's village and its neighboring communities. While this ominous threat lingered nearby, the following morning witnessed two individuals engaged in a sparring session.

As one tries to attack a diagonal from left another blocks it. Then sends a stab which the other party dodges. Then again both goes for a straight and clashes with each other.

Those individuals were none other than Suzal and Grafiel. "Hey, that's enough, you two have been practicing for a good half hour. Please, take a break," Lily urged.

"You didn't hold back at all, did you, Dad?" Suzal remarked.

"Well, the same could be said about you," Grafiel retorted before they both started enjoying their morning meal.

After finishing their meal, Suzal inquired of his parents, "By the way, when can I start learning magic? You both were supposed to teach me."

"Well, young man, you have a small task to complete first," Lily responded.

"What is it, Mom?" Suzal asked.

"Take all these books. You'll need to read them first. Don't worry, you don't have to memorize every word; just understand the concepts," she explained, handing him a total of eight books.

And so began Suzal's journey of learning magic and swordsmanship under someone experienced.