As Kyran expected, Nahir knew about the five Eidums he trained in the wilderness. As such, he was not surprised when the older man took them as his representatives to prevent him from choosing them for his team.
Amit, Johar, Kanu, Yona, and Zoram, were confused about what was happening. They heard the Abbot's son wanted to witness what Kyran had been teaching them, but when they appeared in the training room, they were told to use the 'old' way they do things, and they were confused. It was not that they were reluctant to follow Lord Nahir's order. They were even excited to be part of his team. But after training in the wilderness, the five Eidums had seen the benefits of what Kyran had taught them and felt it was pointless to practice the old ways.
Azikh and Gidan stood at one side of the training room with Cyneah.
The training room they used was one of the smaller ones, which was why there were only them, Nahir, Kyran, and the ten Eidums participating in the mock battle inside.
Nahir stood at the northern side of the room with Amit, Johar, Kanu, Yona, and Zoram. He had a winning smile on his face, as if he had already won the bet.
Nahir's attitude was to be expected. After all, the five Eidums Kyran had chosen were among the rookies: Hilam, Inca, Noam, Rakim, and Soria.
Nahir considered them as babies compared to the five, who were considered veterans. To be honest, he believed Kyran had chosen to train the latter five because they were among the elite veterans of the fighters.
"I've always admired Lord Nahir because even though he is an Eidum, he possessed powerful offensive magic that could instill fear even among the most powerful Noble mages," Soria said with a slight frown. "However, seeing how obvious he is messing with you, Nar, I am disillusioned."
"I feel the same," Hilam agreed with furrowed brows. "I have heard a minority mentioning Lord Nahir's overbearing character, but I did not believe it. Now, I am starting to believe."
Kyran raised his brows as he looked at the two. He did not expect these two to take his side completely. When he chose them for his team, he only asked them to fight in a mock battle using what he had taught them against Amit, Johar, Kanu, Yona, and Zoram. He did not mention the bet or how Nahir disapproved of him teaching the Eidums.
To think that these two managed to glean the situation just by seeing their opponent and Nahir's smile.
"Are you two not afraid he will hear you and make your lives hell?"
"I'd like to see him try," Soria replied disdainfully. "He is the Abbot's son, yes. But technically, he is only riding in his father's title to get to where he is."
"What are you even saying, Soria? His official title is the Abbey's, Head Master. In terms of political status or even military influence, he has none. Yes, he is traveling all over the land, representing the Abbot. But that is all it is. If he is given a proper title, it can be surmised as the Abbot's errand boy," Noam also quipped.
Kyran suppressed his laughter. He had guessed Hilam and Soria's background was not simple the first time they met. That was why they were not afraid to speak their minds. But to think that Noam was the same was unexpected.
Could it be that all the rookies belonged to prominent Eidum families?
Alas, it was strange how someone they revered could become their most hated person in a heartbeat just because of one small incident.
Kyran suddenly felt sorry for Nahir.
"No, seriously. I don't mind giving him a piece of my mind if he tries to make a move on you guys, but I can't make him lose face in front of everyone. Not when the overall situation on your side is unstable."
The three fell silent.
What Kyran had said was true. Now that the Abbot's abduction was known to all, most would look for strength by holding on to someone capable of protecting their land.
Nahir had that capability because of his powerful magic. But if he lost to Kyran, the Eidums might succumb to despair.
"We still have the Saint," Inca, the other female fighter that traveled with them, voiced her opinion.
"That's right. Lady Saint is still here," Rakim agreed.
Hilam, Noam, and Soria also nodded in agreement.
Kyran looked at them in surprise. He knew the Eidums loved Cyneah. But he did not expect them to view her as a leader they could draw strength in.
"You have too little ambition, master."
"Be more ambitious."
Zephyr and Gael's voices flashed through Kyran's mind, making him frown inwardly.
Seeing how much faith and trust the Eidums had for Cyneah, Kyran knew it would not be easy to take her back to the Human plane.
Could his only option be conquering Somuli? Once he took Somuli under his wings, he would not have any reservations in creating a path connecting it to the Human plane. In that way, he could visit it anytime. Or, to be precise, Cyneah could visit Somuli anytime.
Kyran shook his head inwardly and pushed the thought at the back of his head.
He was not even a Sovereign. He did not have the qualifications to take a plane for himself.
"I will be the judge of the mock battle," Azikh went to the middle of the training room. After that, a semi-transparent circular barrier formed at the center of the room, marking where the mock battle would happen.
"Participants, please get ready."
"I chose the five of you because you are all elites among the veterans," Nahir started as he looked at the five Eidums behind him. "You have mastered our ways and that kid's teachings. That is your advantage in this mock battle. Using that knowledge, you can easily subdue the other side."
All five exchanged uneasy looks. Lord Nahir had a point. If they utilize that knowledge, they indeed have the advantage. But it was precisely because of that knowledge that they knew they would lose if they were not careful. Apart from that, their opponents were the five rookies that Kyran traveled with before coming to the HQ.
Obviously, they better understood Kyran's fighting style and even witnessed him in action. It would not be a surprise if he also taught them a thing or two along the way.
"Show them what true fighters are," Nahir said, gesturing for them to enter the ring.
Unable to say anything, the five could only nod and enter the ring.
Meanwhile, Kyran was also talking to Hilam and the others.
"Amit and the rest will definitely take you seriously," he told them. "If you fight them using what I taught you these past few days, you will not stand a chance against them."
"But the key word in that is 'if,' right?" Hilam asked, looking at Kyran meaningfully.
Kyran smiled, "That's right. Since they can only use the old ways, you only have to do what I've taught you thus far, and you'll be fine."
"Understood."
"Try not to win too soon. They're still your seniors. It is only fitting to show your respect to the elders."
"That's... sarcasm, right?" Soria could not help but ask while looking at Kyran's profile.
Kyran looked at her with raised brows and said innocently, "What do you take me for?"
Soria replied with a blank stare.
"Let's go," Hilam ushered them into the ring.
"The rules are simple," Azikh said, looking at the Eidums standing at the center of the ring. "Lord Nahir's team will use the Abbey's teachings while Nar's team will use the new ways. The first team to incapacitate or force the other team to surrender will win."
Azikh left the ring before he announced the start of the mock battle.
"Start!"
Amit and his teammates immediately scattered at Azikh's signal. They could not allow Hilam and his teammates to restrain their movements at the start of the battle. Once that happened, they would become lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
However, as soon as Amit and his teammates scattered, the floor on which they stepped glowed, and silver chains emerged from within, wrapping their legs.
"Be careful! This is Inca's Divine Armament!" Yona warned her teammates while she jumped and cast earth spikes to destroy the chains.
The other four managed to dodge the chains as well and prepared to cast offensive spells at Inca.
But the moment they landed on the ground, their bodies weakened, and they all dropped to their knees.
"Sh*t! A lethargy spell..."
The one who cast the spell was Rakim.
"Now!" Hilam shouted and cast speed and strengthening spells. He wielded the practice sword and swung it at the closest Eidum near him, Johar.
Hilam was not the only one who moved. After Amit and his teammates avoided her chains, Inca ran toward Kanu and waited for Rakim to cast lethargy.
Soria and Noam, who assisted Rakim so he had enough energy to aim lethargy at their five opponents, also moved and aimed their practice swords at Zoram and Yona, respectively.
Rakim then cast another large area of effect spell, slow, to decrease their opponent's movements. This time he did not require the assistance of Soria and Noam because the slow spell was a low-tier spell and did not consume much energy.
After casting slow, Rakim also unsheathed his practice sword and aimed at Amit.
"You haven't won yet!" Amit shouted and cast an earth spell.
Thick earth spikes emerged on the floor and zigzagged toward Rakim.
However, Rakim only cast a strengthening spell on his practice sword and cut through the incoming earth spikes.
The spikes were cut beautifully and cleanly in the middle, with Rakim not breaking a sweat. He continued to run toward Amit, whose complexion had already turned pale.
Because Amit was still under the lethargy spell, forcing an offensive spell had taken a huge toll on his body.
The other four knew this. Thus they did not attempt to cast a spell. They simply waited for Hilam and the others to arrive and willingly accept their fate.
Hilam and the others raised their practice swords and gently tapped their opponent's head.
"Lord Nahir's team are all incapacitated. Nar's team wins!" Azikh announced.
Meanwhile, Nahir, who was on his way to Cyneah, wanting to watch the battle beside her while pointing out the faults in Kyran's teachings, was forced to a stop.
The battle had barely started, and now it had already ended. Not only that, the one who lost was his team!
What had happened?
"Come on," Kyran suddenly complained in exasperation. "I told you guys to respect your elders. Why did you defeat them so soon?"
Nahir's brow did an involuntary twitch as he looked at Kyran. To his great annoyance, the younger man was looking at him with a slight smile.
'This kid...! He said that on purpose!'
Obviously, Kyran's comment about respecting the 'elders' was his answer to Nahir's remark that he was a kid.
It was childish. Yet, annoyed the hell out of Nahir nonetheless.
Amit and his teammates looked at Kyran with a wry smile. They more or less figured out the latter's character and did not take offence at his blatant remark about 'defeating them so soon.' They even found his childishness funny.
Hilam and his teammates also gave a wry smile. They knew Kyran was targeting Lord Nahir, and although they found their 'squabble' childish, they also found the former's malicious side entertaining.
Cyneah was no different. She knew Kyran was referring to Nahir when he said 'elders' and could not help but chuckle. Gidan, on the other hand, tried not to react. But the twitching of his mouth was proof he found the whole thing amusing.
Nahir looked at Cyneah and, upon seeing her reaction, was infuriated. He was not angered by what she was laughing at but more by the fact that Kyran could easily cause her to laugh. This had never happened to him before. No matter how much he tried, he never saw Cyneah laugh or smile like she did now.
"Now, Lord Nahir," Kyran continued, not one bit perturbed by Nahir's deadly glare. "Don't forget our wager."
Nahir sneered, "What wager? I don't remember agreeing to any wager."
Azikh and Gidan looked at Nahir and sighed inwardly. Alas, the thing they feared had happened.
They wanted to tell Kyran that to make their bet official; he had to make Nahir 'agree' by using a pact. Because they noticed that not once did Nahir say he agreed to Kyran's terms earlier. He agreed to the mock battle, yes. But not with the things at stake.
When they mentioned their wager, Nahir only warned Kyran to stay away from Cyneah. He never said anything about 'if his team won the battle,' Kyran should stay away from her.
The same went with Kyran's terms. Nahir never agreed but only replied with another remark.
Cyneah realized this fact too late and fell silent. She knew that if she tried to reason with Nahir, he would only make things worse.
Kyran's expression did not change. He continued to smile. However, there was no humor reflected in his eyes.
Amit, Hilam, and the rest of the Eidums finally noticed what was happening was not simple. They already guessed there was an agreement between Nahir and Kyran, but it looked like there was more to it than Nahir disapproving of Kyran teaching them.
"I overestimated my team's ability," Nahir continued, entering the ring. "Now that I think it over, I can only determine your teaching is effective if I test it myself."
He smiled at Kyran and added, "Shall we have a go, kid?"
Instead of answering Nahir, Kyran looked at Cyneah and said, "I tried Neah. But he has willingly delivered himself to my doorsteps."
Cyneah smiled helplessly. As much as she wanted to keep things simple between them, it was no longer possible. If that was the case, then it was pointless mulling over things.
"Make sure to teach him well," she replied.
Kyran smiled, "Will do."
Everyone inside looked at them in confusion, not understanding what had transpired between them because they had spoken a different language.
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