The Girls' Training (2)
The training ground basked in the brilliant midday sun, pouring down its radiant light, but none of those standing there had the leisure to savor it.
“Whoa, the atmosphere’s murderous, huh? Arnold…”
Inside the arena where their clash would unfold, Eily, Elisha, and Melina fixed each other with razor-sharp glares. Varis and I had stepped back to the sidelines to watch their duel.
“I’ll be the one claiming your time, Master. I won’t lose—no way!”
“I’m not yielding an inch either, so get ready.”
“Heh, looks like everyone’s dead serious. I can’t afford to lose either.”
Even before the fight began, their vicious verbal sparring filled the air. They each assumed ready stances, awaiting the signal to start.
“Everyone ready?”
I casually scanned their faces. In response to my question, they clenched their jaws with solemn expressions blending tension and confidence—a silent affirmation.
“Good, then…”
I raised my hand lightly. Sensing the battle was imminent, all three dipped into low stances.
“Go!”
I chopped the air sharply with the edge of my hand. In that instant, the atmosphere grew taut as a bowstring, then erupted with an overwhelming wave of killing intent, like a silent vortex swirling through the arena.
“Here I come!”
Melina moved first. She drew a deep breath, gripping her bow in her left hand and nocking an arrow with her right.
“Hup!”
A verdant wind enveloped her, and the air itself seemed to shift. It felt as if every particle around her obeyed her command.
“Ride the wind—strike swiftly!”
As she released her fingers, the wind traced a perfect arc along the bowstring, launching the arrow. Its speed was beyond the eye’s ability to track, streaking like lightning and splitting into two radiant bolts that cleaved the sky toward Eily and Elisha.
“Haat!”
Eily lunged forward without a moment’s hesitation. Power surged from her tightly gripped sword. Speed was her weapon. As the arrows hurtled in, she charged straight at them, swinging her blade with full force.
Slash!—Her sword sliced through the wind, piercing one arrow clean through. Outmatched in power, it spun harmlessly into the air.
“Pure crystal of frigid ice, eternal permafrost that never melts—shield me!”
Elisha chanted against Melina’s assault. Frigid energy surged from her fingertips, instantly forming a massive ice wall.
Thud!—The arrow slammed into it, but the barrier, tougher than steel, easily blocked Melina’s opening strike.
“Not bad, both of you!”
They’d handled Melina’s attack with surprising ease.
“That’s nothing!”
Eily pressed the momentum. The deflected arrow scattered in midair, whipping up a fierce gust, but she sliced through it undeterred, her sword hurtling toward Elisha.
“Hya!”
Shattering the green arrow and navigating the disrupted winds, she aimed her keen edge at Elisha.
“Once more—!”
But Elisha didn’t miss the split-second opening, whispering another incantation. Ding!—She reinforced the cracked ice wall, a clear, resonant shield enveloping her.
Crack!—Yet the wall couldn’t hold. Eily’s strike shattered it into fragments, ice shards flying everywhere.
“Ngh?!”
The impact jolted Elisha back, her sharp gaze locking onto Eily as she created distance.
“O flames, heed my will! Devour my foes in a furious dance that burns all!”
As her chant ended, blazing fire erupted from Elisha’s fingertips. The air boiled in an instant, every sound swallowed by the roar of the inferno. The flames started small, palm-sized, then exploded outward, proclaiming their might.
“Tch…!”
The air tore with a shrill screech as scorching heat whipped around them. Eily grimaced, shielding her face with her forearm against Elisha’s magic.
“I won’t lose!”
But Eily steeled herself with renewed resolve, gripping her sword tightly. She unleashed a spherical barrage of slashes, her flurry of strikes scattering the flames.
Whoosh!—
“Putting out fire with sword strikes alone?!”
Elisha gaped in shock at Eily’s powerful, precise swings that devoured the blaze with sheer wind pressure.
“I’ll end this in one go!”
Declaring victory with brimming confidence, Eily leaped at Elisha. For a mage, allowing close range was fatal.
Shing!—
But Eily’s blade didn’t deliver a finishing blow. In that desperate moment, Elisha instinctively armored herself in ice, minimizing the damage.
“Ugh…!”
Still, it was a solid hit—just not quite enough to end it. Elisha tumbled back across the ground from the impact.
“Tch! You’ve got some moves!”
Elisha wiped her jaw with the back of her hand, glaring at Eily with fury.
“Try this on for size!”
Her hand touched the ground, and the temperature plummeted. A blue wave spread from her fingertips, rippling across the floor.
“Age of ice, reveal your frozen heart. Blanket this land and halt all motion!”
The training ground’s floor transformed into solid ice. Wherever the magic touched, the earth glazed over in transparent sheets, sharp frost riming the air itself.
“Th-this is…”
The ice expanded relentlessly, snaring Eily’s feet like an inescapable mire. She thrashed wildly but couldn’t break free.
“You forgot about me!”
Then Melina’s voice rang out. She summoned wind again, soaring into the air.
“O spirits of the wind, answer my prayer. Unleash a merciless storm to sweep away my foes and trials!”
She swiftly nocked an arrow, riding the gusts. Infused with wind, it hurtled forward with amplified power.
“Air Tornado!”
The arrow from her bow birthed a storm, a merciless gale splitting into two forks that no one could evade.
“Pure crystal of frigid ice, eternal permafrost that never melts—shield me!”
Elisha reacted swiftly. Chill energy gathered at her fingertips, erecting another massive ice wall to block the storm.
Scraaash!—!!
The collision unleashed a massive shockwave. The wall shattered again, but it had neutralized Melina’s spell.
“At this rate…!”
Eily was the problem. She tilted her body, swinging her sword at the incoming arrow. Desperately shifting to a defensive stance, she held her blade horizontally to brace against the wind magic—but the conditions were too unfavorable.
“Ngh… kyaa?!”
She couldn’t block it perfectly. Speed was Eily’s style, not raw power, and with her feet frozen by Elisha’s ice, she took the full brunt, body flying backward.
“Ugh…”
She managed a roll to mitigate the fall, using her sword to brace herself, keeping damage to a minimum.
“Ngh…”
Still, it looked serious. Eily’s breathing came in shaky gasps.
“Arnold… are they really okay?”
Varis’s voice trembled. Worry and fear mingled in his eyes, his forced composure only underscoring the gravity. His hand clutched my sleeve, quivering faintly like a child seeking protection from a nightmare, refusing to leave my side.
“It’s brutal, alright.”
My gaze returned to their fight. The fierce tangle of motions, feints and counters—it was impossible to look away. Yet unease crept in. Their battle was fiercer than expected, far beyond mere emotional rivalry.
Eily’s skill had always been top-notch, but Elisha and Melina… they’d surpassed what I knew. Especially at this point in the story—their abilities eclipsed the original work. No coincidence there.
Why are they so much stronger? The question gnawed deeper. No such growth in the original. What changed in this world? Could my involvement have something to do with it?
“I thought I had this, but no room for complacency.”
Eily caught her breath, sweat beading on her forehead, but her eyes burned sharp with determination.
“It’s a chance to monopolize Arnold, after all.”
Elisha grinned provocatively, her light tone belying deep passion.
“I’m no fan of conflict… but this time, my blood’s boiling.”
Melina couldn’t hide her excitement, her usual poise slipping slightly.
All this over a promise for alone time with me?
“Too bad—alone time with Master is mine!”
Eily declared firmly.
“Nonsense! You think I’ll hand him over easily?!”
Elisha pressed hard.
“You’re both wobbling—think you can take it?”
Melina threw in confidently.
Their clash hurtled toward no-holds-barred intensity. This wouldn’t end well.
“Should I stop them now?”
I murmured to Varis. But no reply. Turning, an eerie feeling hit—Varis, who’d been right beside me, was gone. Like conversing with a ghost…
……
“Haa… haa…”
In a quiet alley, Varis gasped raggedly. Sweat drenched his face; he clutched his chest, fighting for breath.
“What’s wrong? Harder to maintain today…”
His hand drifted to the ring on his right ring finger. Slowly, carefully, he slipped it off.
Shh—
His body began to change. Hair cascaded longer; his sturdy frame softened into gentle curves. Time seemed to slow as he transformed into a woman’s form.
“Haa… finally, a breather.”
Even his voice shifted—from boyish to a girl’s soft, delicate tone.
Above all, as he gazed at his altered body and sighed, he covered his flushing face with both hands.
“He won’t suspect much, right?”
He reassured himself in a quiet mutter. But memories of moments with Arnold flooded his mind, plunging him deeper into embarrassment. He tried hiding the blush, but his heart raced unchecked, refusing to calm.