Chương 125: Chapter 109. Difficulty

After all 3 of us had warmed up, the sparring began. My first opponent was Sarah. This should be interesting. Grip! I grabbed a dulled training sword from an old, worn out barrel that was on one side of the training grounds here at the mansion and Sarah pulled out a dulled halberd from her Mana Storage to use as her weapon." My Love, when was the last time we seriously sparred exactly?"" I think before we left for the Hero Party? So around 10 months ago?" Sarah smiled at me." I'm glad you remembered! Now then!

Let's see how far we've come! Please, come at me seriously!"" Of course, I will!" We both took our stances and waited for Anna to officially start the match." Begin!" Raise! / Screech! / Slash! With those words, Sarah kicked off the ground and launched herself at me. I put up my blade to block. Sarah's halberd comes closing in on my blade. That was when I felt it.

My body moved by itself, I felt myself pull my sword closer to my body and position itself in a way where the blade of Sarah's halberd grinded on my blade as it cut towards the ground. I then felt myself slash at Sarah's chest." Woah!" / Woosh! / Sarah felt danger and used Wind Magic to blast herself away from me." What was that, John!?" She was so surprised she even used my real name. I was just as confused as she was." I'm not sure?" I thought about what just happened.

And then I remembered what the Angel Swordsmanship Skill said. I explained what just happened to Sarah and Anna." So, you have a Skill that... Fights for you?"" Kind of... It's more like it's readjusting my body and fighting instincts. That movement I just made against you, it felt like the most natural motion in the world to me. I wonder how long something like this is going to last?" Sarah and Anna were a bit shocked at my explanation, Sarah summarized what I said. It felt so strange."

Well, regardless, I think it's a good thing! Let's keep fighting until the Skill settles then! This is going to make you stronger, right? Sparring and hunting should help you even more now!"" Okay! Let's do it!" Anna was excited for me and seemed to have the same idea as Sarah as she was also excited." Fight me next!" Anna wanted her turn now. This situation has become familiar to me. Both of my Wives wanting my attention and eventually having to settle on taking turns.

I usually just go along with them unless I think someone is being overly selfish. The usual suspect, who I won't name, but she has purple eyes, proceeded to head to the side of the chosen sparring area as Anna and I readied ourselves. Me with the dulled sparring sword and Anna with a mace that had no spikes on it's head." I checked around us, there's no one in hearing distance! So, John! This time, attack me! Let's see if anything different happens!"

I nodded to Anna and waited for Sarah to signal the start of the match. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings." Begin!" Jump! At the sound of her voice, I launch myself by kicking off the ground. My body has grown stronger over these past 9 months, it's a side effect of Holy Mana flowing through me. Because of that, I've become able to do things I used to not be able to. That one kick on the ground launched me like a bullet towards Anna.

She could take this kind of fast speed because of her own personal growth from her new Job. So this was the perfect way for her to warm up and see what I can do now with this new Skill of mine.

"Earth Goddess!" With her words, Anna started to glow a dark-copper color as she prepared for my attack. This was one of the abilities she's gained as a Divine Channeler. Out of the 3 Gods she's signed a Contract with, the Earth Goddess, grants her increased defensive abilities. Along with the blanket increase to her abilities, she gains an increase in her fighting strength while she channels a God of her choice. She can easily take a slash from Scarlet without blocking and only escape with a small scratch.

It's scary to think that she's barely scratched the surface of her new abilities. That's not even including the possibility that she gains more Contracts with even more Gods. Truly, she's been blessed, but I still fly forward, looking to see what I can do now as a High Paladin." Come!" Raise! Anna calls to me with a serious look on her face. I intend to do just as she wishes. I begin to swing my sword and that feeling when Sarah attacked me begins to return to my body.

My body bends and begins to move my sword almost like a steel whip as it aims for Anna's vital points. /CLANG! / The blade struck Anna's mace. Again, that feeling, it's so strange, like someone is guiding me to swing my sword and I follow faithfully and unquestioningly. /SCREECH! /" Pay attent...." Pivot!" Wow!" Raise! Slash! Without even noticing, Anna attacked me, and my body moved to defend against the blow. Anna was surprised. I then felt the blade move on its own and counter Anna. I activated my Mana Blade!

NO! It's going for her neck!" NO!" STOP! I was able to stop the blade from continuing to swing, it looks like I can control it somewhat, but it took an insane amount of focus to do it. I cancel my Mana Blade before I turn to Anna, who's readying for another attack." Anna, let's stop here."" What? Why?" Anna was surprised by my words. Before I explained why, Sarah spoke instead." Because this new Skill is too dangerous for sparring. If I didn't use my Wind Magic to gain distance, I would've been really hurt.

Didn't you notice how smoothly his blade parried your mace and how awkwardly it came down? He stopped it from hurting you. That new Skill can hurt us and it takes a lot of control and concentration to stop it from doing that. Isn't that right, My Love?" I nodded to Sarah when she looked for my confirmation." This Skill is dangerous. First, it aimed for Sarah's heart, then it aimed for your neck, Anna. I don't think I should spar with a sword for a while.

I think I should just use it exclusively by myself and when I hunt. Just until this change finishes and I'm in complete control of myself, then we can spar again."" But I want to help you..."" She's not the only one, My Love." Anna spoke, saddened by my decision. Sarah was of the same opinion. I could only think of one thing to make what they want happen." Well, then... I think you both should train and get strong enough to where this Skill doesn't affect you. Actually, lets treat it like a race!

the winner gets to ask one thing of the loser! How about that?" They both heard my words and agreed with me. Sarah and Anna began to spar against each other with renewed vigor. I guess now I need to figure out what I can do while they spar? There isn't much, aside from practicing my Magic and Tempering my Mana. Maybe I should Meditate? I think that would be the best option after thinking about it. Those 3 figures are close. I should try to meet them as soon as possible. Who knows what kind of abilities they have?

Or how helpful they could be? Heck, maybe I'll be lucky, maybe I'll run into a being that prints money and I don't have to worry about creating products? As if it could be that easy." Hyah!"" Hah!" Sarah and Anna traded strikes as they began integrating Magic into their spar. Anna was glowing green, a sign she was channeling the Nature Goddess. Sarah was glowing her normal purple, but it had traces of blood red lightning with a dark black shadow following the lightning's trail.

Ever since gaining their new Jobs and Sarah's original Job Evolving, they've grown in strength, maybe if I fought them now, they'd be able to handle anything I throw at them. The problem would be that I wouldn't. Now that I have to divide my training and Governing, there was a part of me that wished Paradise would never grow busy so I could train freely and catch up to them.

It was a strange desire, since the entire job of a Town's Lord was to ensure that a town was constantly changing and improving the quality of life for its People." I win!" Sarah cheerfully said, as she was able to disarm Anna's mace from her hand." Good move! Let's go again!" Anna, not wanting to leave it as a loss, was fast to retake her stance and waited to start another sparring match. I decided to leave them be as I walked to the garden area of the mansion.

The garden is my favorite place in the entire property. It was like a garden from the Eastern parts of my old world. Flowers of different types bloomed as the wind blew and swayed the plants around me. The sound of flowing water from the small stream that flows through the garden creates a calming effect. With all of this calmness around me, I found a spot to sit, and I began to relax with closed eyes. I began to breathe deeply and in rhythm.

Before long, my entire body relaxes and I start to channel my mana and begin the familiar process of entering that special place and create a beacon to find those mysterious figures.