The inside of the Twilight Manor was even more impressive than I had thought. Polished marble floors reflected the warm light of the crystal chandelier, while paintings depicting legendary battles adorned the walls. The scent of aged wood permeated the air.
Riveria led me through the corridors lined with portraits of past Loki Familia members. Their painted eyes seemed to follow my movements despite knowing that it was not possible.
My enhanced senses picked up the subtle magical wards woven throughout the building's structure.
"Stay close," Riveria warned me. "The manor has… defenses that react poorly when triggered. Loki finds it amusing when visitors accidentally trigger them."
I noticed how hesitant she was when telling me about the defenses. I am pretty sure they are just harmless pranks that Loki cooked up in her head.
And as if summoned by her words, a door at the end of the hallway burst open with dramatic flair. A figure came out with characteristic energy—red hair wild and unkempt, narrow eyes shining with mischief, and that infamous crooked grin plastered on her pretty face.
"Riveria! I heard we have a guest claiming to be—" Loki's words died and her playful expression shifted as her narrow eyes opened and locked straight on me and took in my appearance.
"Well, I will be damned. A High Human. In my manor. On a Tuesday."
The goddess of mischief circled around me like I was some rare animal, sizing me up and down, but I guess in a way I was a rare animal.
"Loki, you are being rude," Riveria chided Loki.
Thank you, Riveria. I know you were a gentle soul. To be honest, it really was starting to get uncomfortable for me. Rare or not, I was not that comfortable being stared at by people.
"C'mon Mama, it's not every day I see a High Human," Loki talked back sheepishly.
I guess she really let her curiosity get the better of her.
"Who are you calling Mama!" Riveria said in a slightly louder voice than the one she was using before.
"You know," Loki amused, stopping directly in front of me, ignoring Riveria's threatening tone.
"I have lived for countless numbers of years. And I have seen maybe three High Humans in all of that time. Two of them tried to conquer the world, and one started a religion that lasted three thousand years. Now what is your plan, Pretty Boy?"
Okay, that was not in the information that I received in my head. I guess that also explains the guard's reaction at the gate. Nonetheless, I have already decided on my answer. And that is:
"To join your Familia and grow stronger," I said. While that was not my complete plan, it was a part of it. After all, to save myself and them I have to get stronger.
"Ha!" Loki's laugh echoed throughout the hallway. "Nothing's ever that simple with your kind. But I like the direct approach." She spun around, addressing Riveria. "What do you think, Mama Elf? Should we trust the pretty High Human?"
Riveria's expression remained carefully neutral. I guess she decided to just ignore Loki calling her Mama. "His magical signature is genuine, and his stated intention seems… reasonable. However—"
"However, we should test him!" Loki interrupted, clapping her hands together.
"Can't have untested strength in our Familia. Riveria, take him to the training grounds. Let's see what our mysterious High Human can do."
"Loki," Riveria's voice carried a note of warning, "he has not even received your Falna yet. Testing an unblessed adventurer against our members would be—"
"Educational!" The goddess's grin widened. "Don't worry. We just have to make sure that nobody gets harmed. Much."
A test of strength, huh? While I do have some martial arts experience and a little bit of sword training, they were at a hobby level at best.
And while I have gotten into some fights when I was a student, I am pretty sure people here are more used to fighting than I am. But I guess it is also a good opportunity to test my new body and the skills that come with it.
"I accept," earning a surprised look from Riveria and an approving nod from Loki.
"Excellent! Riveria, gather some of the second-string members. Maybe Raul and Anakitty and…" Loki's eyes gleamed with mischief, "bring Ais too."
"Loki," Riveria's tone became sharp, "Ais is too strong for a newcomer, even for a High Human."
"Relax, Mama. I am not asking her to fight him.
But she should see what we are dealing with.
Besides." Loki's grin, which had not loosened, became wider like a predator. "Something tells me our Arin here might surprise us all."
_____________________________________
The training grounds behind the Twilight Manor were extensive, featuring multiple sparring circles, practice dummies enhanced with magical durability, and even a small obstacle course that seemed designed to test every aspect of an adventurer's skills.
It looks like the word of the impromptu test had spread quickly. I found myself at the center as Loki Familia members gathered around the main sparring circles. I recognized several faces from my knowledge of the series—Raul Nord, he looked nervous but determined; Anakitty Autumn, with black hair, black eyes, and cat ears that were a distinct feature of cat people. There was not much known about her skills other than that she is a swordswoman.
Since there are about six years of time left before the canon starts, then both of them must be around Lvl-2 or Lvl-3 since they became Lvl-4 about four years before the canon; there were several other people present whose names I couldn't recall.
But it was the figure that came to stand beside Loki that caught my attention the most for two different reasons.
Ais Wallenstein was even more striking in person than any description could convey. Golden hair that seemed to capture and hold sunlight, eyes the color of honey that held a depth of determination and hidden pain, and a presence that spoke of strength earned through countless battles. But the sword at her side—Desperate—marked her as the legendary Sword Princess.
And the second reason was her age. According to the story, since there are six years before the canon starts, she should have been about 10 or 11 years of age, but the Ais in front of me was definitely older than that. She looked about 16 or 17 years old. Is that the difference he was talking about? But if so, shouldn't there be a lot of changes in the world now? But he did say that the main events will play out pretty much the same way, at least until that tragedy strikes the Asteria Familia. But I will also need to be more observant now. I can't fully trust my knowledge after all.
"Ais-tan!" Loki called out cheerfully, "Meet our potentially new Familia member. Arin, meet one of our strongest Familia members. Ais Wallenstein."
Ais studied me with those golden eyes, her expression unreadable. When she spoke, her voice was soft but carried clearly across the training grounds. "You feel… different. Not like other people."
Okay, how the heck are people able to tell at a glance that I am of a different race?! Do I not look human?! Is it my face?! Does my face say it?! It's definitely my face, right?! Sigh. Oh well, I think since she is a half-spirit, she might be more sensitive to magical residue or something like that. Because other than Riveria and Ais, I don't think anyone else was able to tell since the guard did not know it either.
"I think it's because of my High Human race," I explained simply. "It's a rare race, or so I am told."
"Rare is putting it mildly," muttered Raul, gripping the hilt of his sword nervously. "Are we really going to spar with someone who might be as strong as a Lvl-2 or higher right off the street?"
"That's what we are here to find out," Loki said enthusiastically.
Riveria took her position as the referee. "The rules are simple—first to yield or be rendered unable to continue loses. No lethal attacks, and I will intervene if things go too far. Arin-san, you can take any weapon of your choice from the training stand."
The weapon I chose was a sword since I had some experience with it, even only on an amateur level. After that, I stepped into the circle, facing Raul across the arena. He looked a little nervous. But even with my amateur knowledge of combat, I could tell his stance spoke of solid training and real combat experience. It looks like my adaptability ability is kicking in, because I was able to analyze his stance more clearly the more I studied it. I was even able to make some guesses into the likely attack patterns.
"Begin!" Loki called out.
Raul moved first, his sword moving through the air in a probing thrust aimed at my center mass.
It was a good technique—fast, precise, and designed to test his opponent's reflexes without overcommitting.
My reflexes kicked in as I sidestepped the attack. My body learned from the movement even as I executed it, my reflexes sharpening,
My understanding of combat space deepened with each passing second. I was able to guess how much distance I needed to keep to remain out of range of his sword.
Raul's next strike came in as an overhead strike meant to catch me off guard. And instead of sidestepping to dodge the strike, I leaned inside the weapon's range, grabbing his wrists. For a very brief moment, we were locked in a contest of strength—him trying to free himself from my grasp and me keeping him from doing that.
"Interesting," Riveria murmured, her emerald eyes tracking every movement. "His form and attack patterns are amateurish, but his instincts are remarkable."
I twisted my whole body, using Raul's momentum against him, throwing him over my shoulder. As he hit the ground, the air in his lungs escaped as he gasped for more air. I brought my sword forward—stopping only inches away from his neck.
"Yield," Raul said immediately. I withdrew my sword and offered my hand, which he grabbed to get back up.
The crowd murmured.
"—That was awesome—"
"—He really defeated a Lvl-2—"
"—He has good potential—"
So Raul is still Lvl-2. That explains why he was so nervous and why I was able to win. To be honest, I am not confident that I can win against someone who is a Lvl-3, so I was really surprised when I was able to react to his attacks. It was a short fight, but it looks like my performance was satisfactory.
"Not bad!" Loki called out. "Anakitty, you're up."
The cat-person, Anakitty, stepped forward with her training sword. "Let's have a good match."
The fight with Anakitty was different; she was more agile than Raul, even if a little weaker in terms of raw strength. Her sword was coming at me constantly, forcing me to move and keep a distance and adapt to moves I had never seen before.
But little by little, I was able to adapt to her fighting style. Finally getting a chance to parry her incoming strike with my sword, and pointing the tip of it at her neck. She yielded with good grace.
"Incredible," she said with a little excitement. "It's like you were learning my technique as I used them."
"That's because I was," I admitted, earning a surprised look from the gathered people.
It was at this moment that Ais decided to move forward.
"I want to try," she said simply as her hand went over to Desperate hilt.
The training grounds fell silent. Even Loki's perpetual grin fell slightly, wearing a troubled expression.
"Ais-tan," the goddess said carefully, "he is not even blessed yet. You might be a little much—"
"I won't use Ariel," Ais interrupted, referring to her wind magic. "And I will hold back properly. But…" Her golden eyes locked on me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken, "I want to see what you can do when truly challenged."
My heart raced, not just at the aspect of getting her attention and facing the Sword Princess, but also at the possibility of finding what is the true limit of my abilities.