Erik's POV
"This dumbass, who does he think he is?" I cursed.
His mother returns in a few days. Does he expect me to explain everything to her then? While muttering to myself, I noticed Moon and Crystal looking at me and pointing at some candied haws.
I smiled and bought some for them. I'll deal with that situation later. Right now, I have more pressing matters to worry about.
Igneel's POV
I shot three arrows and hit all the tomatoes on the target.
Everyone's jaws dropped.
"Did you have formal training?" Shang asked.
I nodded.
"My father required me to be well-versed in combat. Though I might have gotten it from my mother—she's a pretty good archer," I added.
He nodded and led us to the next training. We arrived at a cliff where he put a bucket on his head and balanced it perfectly.
Woah, he's actually not bad. I checked his stats and my eyes widened. This guy was also purple-ranked. I need this guy as well.
I started giggling thinking about it. Shang noticed and called me up.
"It's your turn," he said, passing the bucket to me.
I put the water-filled bucket on my head and tried to balance it, but it was harder than I thought. I wobbled frantically, trying not to spill the water.
The others started throwing rocks at me. As I tried to deflect them, the bucket toppled off my head.
"Sigh, I guess there's a first time for everything."
I then walked back to the group and stood next to Mulan. She looked quite stiff, probably nervous.
I put my hand on her shoulder.
"You're too tense, calm down."
She looked at me and nodded. Soon her name was called and she walked forward and did the same as the others. But as soon as the drill started, the bucket fell on her head and blocked her vision.
She slowly took off the bucket and looked quite dejected. She walked back toward me with slumped shoulders.
I sighed and comforted her. We went through more drills: carrying buckets up a hill, running on logs for balance, and hand-to-hand combat.
At the end of the day, she returned to her tent more dejected than before. I sat next to her tent.
"What's with all the bad energy? Cheer up, won't you?"
She didn't answer and stayed quiet.
"Sigh, why are you even doing this?"
"I have honor to uphold for my family," she replied.
I shook my head.
"What's with you and honor? Is it really that important?"
"It is," she yelled.
"Ok, ok, my apologies."
The place fell into silence.
"Well, if you need help, I have something that might be useful."
She popped her head out of the tent and looked over.
"What is it?" she asked.
I took out a bottle of honey. I had specifically asked Moon to make this for me after she lost a challenge with me.
"This will enhance your performance—I mean, it will give you energy and slightly increase your healing speed."
I've actually started brewing my own honey to match my father's level, but I added another requirement. I wanted to improve its healing effects. However, the flowers and honey can only do so much.
I was limited to the garden and my father's collection. The project remains unfinished, but I plan to complete it within a year.
"Can this really work?"
I nodded.
"Of course, but you have to give something in return."
She paused, then entered her tent and came back out with money.
I smiled and revealed a bag to her. It was filled with chunks of gold.
"H-how?"
I didn't answer.
"That's not what I want," I said, looking at her.
She paused, this time longer than before. Her eyes widened, and she hugged herself.
She bit her lip.
"I-I can give you a lot of things. But I can't give you my body. M-maybe if the product works, b-but..."
I put my hand up to stop her.
"What are you thinking? Do I look like that type of person?" I pointed to myself.
She stared at me.
I sighed and just handed her the honey.
"In the future, I'll need something from you," I said.
She held the honey in her hands and nodded quickly.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
I sighed again, and she took that as a signal to leave. She entered her tent.
"Thank you," she said before hiding the honey jar.
I lay down on my spot and stared into the sky. I wonder how Dad is doing. Hopefully he can make an excuse for me. If Mom found out what happened, even Dad would have to help discipline me. My mom doesn't really have the strength to be strict.
Her punishments don't really affect me. I only learned this the hard way when I disappeared for a day after falling into a deep sleep in some random place. It just so happened that my father wasn't there that day. When he returned, he quickly found me and punished me for making Mom worried.
It wasn't my intention. Mom already had trauma from that one time. I quickly stood up.
"Maybe I should go back and explain," I muttered.
I then lay back down. Dad will explain, and besides, I'm an adult.
The next day
We were back in training. Everyone stood holding poles for another round of combat practice. This time, Mulan faced a different opponent. Though clearly weaker than her challenger, she showed remarkable determination.
She swung her stick with unrefined but effective movements, gradually forcing her opponent backward. As I watched her progress, Shang called out to me.
I turned to him.
"What's up?"
"Let's spar," he said.
After a brief pause, I nodded.
We assumed our fighting stances. He moved first, launching forward with a thrust. I dodged it easily and countered with a wide swing.
He blocked my attack with both hands and jumped back to create distance.
"You're good. Have you ever been in real combat?" he asked.
"Only as much as fighting my father," I replied with a smile.
He nodded appreciatively.
We continued our match, unaware that everyone else had stopped their training to watch us.
After we finished, Shang resumed the regular training schedule. I positioned myself next to Mulan and observed her carefully. I noticed she would take a spoonful of honey whenever she tired—roughly every half hour.
The distinctive aroma began to draw attention. Despite Mulan's attempts to be discreet, Shang eventually spotted her taking another spoonful.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"I-I'm just eating something."
He frowned.
"Show me."
Reluctantly, Mulan revealed the honey jar. Shang took it and opened the lid, releasing the fragrance into the air.
"What a divine smell," someone remarked.
Several others swallowed hungrily while Shang examined it with suspicion.
"What is this?" he questioned.
I stepped forward to ease the tension.
"It is mine," I stated.
He turned to me, silently waiting for an explanation.
"This is a family secret recipe. It recovers energy and increases healing speed."
His eyes widened with interest.
"Can it really do such things?" he asked.
I nodded. After a moment's consideration, he sampled it himself.
"Give me one. I shall pay for it," he offered.
I shook my head.
"I only have three more with me. And I don't need material payment."
"Well then, what do you want?" he asked.
"A favor."
"What kind of favor?" he pressed.
"Not now—you'll know later. And don't worry, I won't ask anything that compromises your honor," I assured him.
He nodded in agreement.
I reached into my shirt, retrieved a jar of honey, and handed it to him. He returned Mulan's jar and carefully stored his own.
He nodded again.
After that, he ended the training early after receiving a message about the state of the war against the Huns.
Mulan and I headed back to our part of the camp. While she continued training, I decided to make a tent of my own—I was tired of sleeping on the ground.
When she wasn't looking, I took out a large blanket from my storage ring. I then started building the base of the tent with the wood I had gathered earlier.
After finishing the base, I placed the large blanket over it. Looking at my work, I couldn't help but frown. The tent looked extremely crooked.
I scratched my head and decided to redo it. This went on for a whole hour until I was finally satisfied.
Looking at the final result, I smiled. I wanted to go inside and start adding decorations, but I noticed that Mulan was still training, and her form was terrible.
I frowned and walked toward her.
"That's not how you're supposed to hold the sword," I commented.
She turned to me with a frustrated look.
I put my hands up.
"Calm down, I'll help since I have some experience."
She paused.
"Really?" she asked.
I nodded.
"I have nothing else to do anyway," I smiled.
I grabbed my own sword and showed her the proper stance. She tried to copy me.
"Your back needs to be straighter, and keep your hands a little higher," I corrected.
This went on for another hour before she got tired and ate another spoonful of honey. My mouth twitched.
"You know, you shouldn't eat too much of it."
She paused.
"Is it bad if I eat too much?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
I shook my head.
"It doesn't have any bad side effects, but you might run out by tomorrow."
She looked confused before taking a proper glance at the jar and noticing that less than half remained.
She bit her lip, then smiled at me.
"C-can I have another one?"
I smiled and decided to play a prank.
"Well, it's really expensive," I paused, letting the tension rise. "This time, it might require your body," I added.
She gulped and bit her lip. In her moment of contemplation, I flicked her forehead.
"It was a joke. Here," I said, giving her another jar.
She sighed in relief.
"Thanks."
I nodded and continued teaching her. As we worked, though, I noticed she wasn't in the right mindset.
"Stop," I ordered.
She did as told.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You—your mind is not in the right place. What's on your mind?" I asked.
She froze.
"I-I don't know how my father's doing. Maybe he's disappointed by my actions," she muttered.
Well, she might be right. But I think he's more worried about her safety. I mean, his one and only child snuck out and entered the military in his place.
And not only that, she didn't have much physical capability since she was sheltered her whole life.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'll keep you alive until you return," I said.
She frowned.
"Do you think I'm weak?"
"Are you not?" I joked.
She slumped and restarted her training, this time ignoring me completely.
"Come on, it was just a joke."
She still didn't listen and kept training. I sighed, headed back to my camp, and decided to finish setting up.
I took out multiple blankets and placed them around. I even added a desk and chair for aesthetics. But I wasn't done—I added flowers, animal pelts, and even paintings.
I looked around after I was done and smiled.
"Like a wise man once said, 'If you're not planning things to the best of your ability, you might as well not do it at all.'