Ajax was taken aback by the sudden anger and yelling from Dean. To him, it was just a simple request to learn using more weapons. He had no idea that it was going to get so complicated and Dean would consider it a moronic idea.
As a prince, he was given the opportunity to try various weapons. Not only weapons, he was even suggested to try various activities and professions, gain knowledge on different things, so he thought it was not a big thing to continue that here.
But now, he began to realize that his parents were just being supportive of him and allowed him to try because they can. They had the resources and just wanted to him to indulge in such things as he was a kid. Moreover, it could be considered fine for a royal to learn multiple things, but it wasn't the same for a normal person and even the border guard.
As he realized these things, Ajax began to understand how idiotic it was for him to tell Dean that he wanted to gain expertise in multiple weapons. He also understood why Dean considered it idiotic and started to yell at him.
Thinking more, he realized that Dean could be marked as an incompetent instructor for allowing a recruit to indulge in such fantasies. Thus, Dean's outburst started to make more sense to him. This also made him concerned about how to handle this case.
"Is it really that big an issue, to learn multiple weapons?" asked Ajax. He still wanted to confirm as he felt that his parents wouldn't have allowed him to learn experience multiple weapons if it was that big an issue.
"Little prince, you have been in a secure palace too long. Here, you won't be given the best of facilities and resources. You need to work for them. So, you will spend a lot of time working once you have passed the training phase. This won't allow you to put the required effort on developing your skill with a weapon. At most, there are people who chose two or three weapons. That too because they want weapons for different ranges. They will choose archery along with swordsmanship or such a combination. No one does all the weapons. I am sure your parents hand the same intent," explained Dean.
As he heard that, Ajax also analyzed his experiences at his home, the royal palace. Though his instructors allowed him to play around with other weapons and experience them, they mostly focused their training on swords and archery.
"I think you are right," said Ajax look Dean in the face. It was always best to make eye contact in order to sound more convincing. So, he did that.
"I think my education at the palace was also focused on only a few weapons," said Ajax.
"Yes, I know," said Dean. "I was already informed of your talents and experiences by Raban. I know that the Darkhan family was focused on swordsman ship and use of their special dark attributed techniques."
"We already saw that you are quite good with a sword in the past few days. So, I recommend you stick to it along with archery which I believe you just started before the incident that force you to come here," said Dean. "We plan to continue training you with the same weapons here."
"Can I change?" asked Ajax.
"Change what?" asked Dean.
"Change the weapons that I am currently using," answered Ajax flatly.
"Why do you think that it you would be better with a spear?" asked Dean. "I didn't see any such indication, you were even better with an axe and bare handed than with a spear."
"Yes, I am, but that is because I had a chance to learn all of them before. So, I am better at them," said Ajax.
"So, you think you would be better at a spear if you try?" asked Ajax in a mocking tone. "You think just because you grasped how to use a sword you can also learn how to use a spear?"
"It doesn't work like that. You can't be good at everything. Especially at higher levels of cultivation. It is not possible," said Dean.
"Ok. Then, I will stick to a spear. I won't bother with other weapons. From now on I will only carry a spear then," said Ajax.
"Are you crazy? Why would go so far to learn a weapon you know nothing about when you are already quite good with a sword. You were trained from a young age to wield a sword. Stick to the sword," said Dean his voice raising in pitch.
He started understand Ajax less and less. It was one thing to learn something, but now Ajax was telling that he would only carry a spear instead of a sword which he was really good at. He was currently in the border guard and if anything unexpected happened, he had to fight on his own and not carrying a sword is giving up a big advantage to defend himself or fight against anyone. So, it was downright stupid decision.
"Ok. I want to learn the spear. I will stick to that weapon instead of others," said Ajax.
"You are still hiding something boy," said Dean. "Just tell me why you want to learn the spear and even go as far as to put aside the sword if needed? You need to know that the dark blade sword style of the Darkhan family can be used till emperor level. I don't understand why you would be willing to put it aside for a spear."
The main reason for Ajax to learn spear was that he suspected that the pendant was also a spear or sceptre. But that was a secret which he couldn't tell to the others. So, he needed another reason.
"Firstly, Instructor Dean, I cant use the ancestral technique because it can only be used by those with dark attributed mana, mine is blood-attributed mana," said Ajax slowly. "So, the dark-blade style can be of much use to me."
Ajax actually didn't have a good reason, but when Dean mentioned the dark blade style, he immediately realized the issue he had with practicing it. He started with that sentence, so that he could get some time to think of some reason which he soon found.
"Secondly, I want to learn the spear, because it has a decent defensive use as well as long reach and flexibility. These things I believe will be of better use against beasts than men. If I am to continue in the guard, I believe it is necessary for me to have such qualities," continued Ajax.
"Stop spewing crap," said Dean. "Didn't I already say that I have technique to identify if you are hiding something. Even though you didn't lie outright, using words as firstly and secondly clearly indicates that you are trying to think of something and delaying."
"This shit is so irritating," thought Ajax. He had always been proficient in being able to lie and that talent was very useful. He was trained to fool lie detectors as an agent. But against the lie detection technique, he was failing. He was thinking on how to handle this, when he realized something specific which Dean had just told. Dean's words were always that Ajax was hiding something. It wasn't that he was lying.
"I have to change my approach. If he can realize that I am hiding something, I need to think of something which even I would find partly believable and tell that to him. That kind of stuff might work," thought Ajax. He began to think, but couldn't find anything proper to tell.
"Just spit out whatever stupid thoughts inspired you to do all this," continued Dean. "I have heard a large number of nonsensical things. You don't need to be concerned that I would tell anyone. I am good at keeping secrets."
"It is always the ones who are good at keeping secrets that I fear. They don't just keep secrets for fun. They always use them with blackmail or releasing them selectively," thought Ajax.
"Fine, I will tell you," said Ajax. He had already been thinking about similarities between him and Jean and he found one which was quite good and he was scolding himself internally for not having thought of it before.
"You know that I am blood natured, right?" asked Ajax.
"Yes."
"You have ever seen any of the blood arts being used?" asked Ajax.
"I saw you use once. During, Syam's test remember?" replied Dean.
"Ya, apart from the time, I used it to kill the golden giant rat, you haven't probably ever seen them, right?" asked Ajax as quickly pulled out a small vial of blood corked from his storage ring. It was a vial of his own blood. Blood refined or produced by him is the one which can be most easily manipulated by him for all his techniques.
Ajax uncorked the vial and poured on his hand. Under his control it formed into a round sphere.
"How do you control your attribute outside the body?" asked Dean. This was a question which stumped him since he first saw Ajax using it to pierce the beasts eye during the test. It was considered impossible by the majority to be able to do that before one reached knight stage and without having a core.
"It is my own blood. It is still in contact with my body. If I lose contact, I will lose control within seconds. Must use it before that," explained Ajax. "I was also a knight with a dark core before. So, the experience also helps."
"Hmm," said Dean nodding. It was a rare scenario and he had no idea if it were generally possible under such situations for all blood attributed cultivators, but he let it be.
"Anyways, let us come back to the matter at hand," said Ajax pointing to the crimson sphere of blood in his hand.
He quickly condensed the blood sphere into thin blade, then he changed it back into a small whip. He modified it into various shapes like thin strings, whips, multiple smaller blades, etc. Though it took great effort and a lot of concentration for Ajax to do it, he wanted to do it to make sure his point got across to Dean.
"Do you know if there is any of the common element similar to blood?" asked Ajax as he morphed the sphere of blood into various shapes under careful control.
"Ok, I understand that it is quite similar to water control, but that is not reason enough to do all this. There are a bunch of water control techniques in the border guard," said Dean.
"Really, how many of them are at emperor grade?" asked Ajax.
"So, what if we don't have one at emperor grade. You are at a knight stage. If you attain a high cultivation stage. Then, you can actually get hold of one. Why now?" asked Dean perplexed.
"You know why many nobles like the Creeks keep their cultivation manuals and techniques, secret right?" asked Ajax.
"Of course, it will allow them to reach higher levels of cultivation," said Dean flatly.
"If that were true, the Creeks should have had at least a few ancestors who reached that level. They have a heritage of more than 5 centuries. Why haven't they reached that?" asked Ajax.
"Because they lost the parts for higher cultivation. It is a common thing among many nobles," said Dean.
"In that case, why don't they let even the manuals and techniques for lower cultivation levels be allowed outside?" asked Ajax.
"Because of their special techniques which give them an advantage over others," said Dean. "You are not saying that you are doing all this just for some special techniques. They might not even work for you."
"Well you are right," said Ajax. "At least, partially."
"Ho?" said Dean sarcastically. "Do tell me what have I been wrong about?"
"It is not just unique mana techniques that give them value. A technique of emperor grade, even for knight stage ones involve exercises which adapt and make it easier to reach higher stages. It allows one to better understand how to use that element," explained Ajax.
"I have seen multiple techniques of dark element and that of the royal family. There are significant differences in practice and I need to know them. Their spear techniques are also of vital importance as they been efficiently able to use their element alongside those techniques. It is an opportunity that I wouldn't easily let go off."