Malin was reluctant to confront the young man because a soul on the brink of old age resided within the boy’s body. His intentions were not wrong, but sadly, Malin wasn’t a true mentor. Therefore, realizing the mistake, Malin didn’t mind letting the young man go.
’To err is to forgive.’
Although Malin could forgive the young man, the boy’s elders and kin were not willing to let Malin off so easily, or perhaps... Malin had injured the child, preventing him from participating in the competition, and for that, they were rightfully angry.
So, when someone from the Goddess of the Night Church’s mentor section stood up, Malin still felt it was to be expected—the person was a lean young man wearing a loose-fitting robe with the sleeves rolled up high.
As he stood up, the child holding a sword beside him also rose.
"He looks like a Thanan, but not quite a Thanan," a mentor’s voice resonated from behind Malin.
"Don’t know, our relationship with the Goddess of the Night Church is not very close," another mentor spoke.
Malin smiled and stood up as well.
Fio had already nudged Blood Roar out of its bag, while Lorrin rolled up Malin’s Shotgun.
Malin turned to look at Lorrin, who, after thinking it over, set down the gun and instead coiled around Malin’s right hand, eventually transforming into a dagger in his hand.
Malin turned to look at Fio, who, after a moment of thought, tossed Blood Roar aside, ignoring its roar of protest, and returned to Malin’s left hand, finally becoming another dagger.
The straight blade was thick and broad-backed, looking similar to the one held by the boy with the sword.
Someone on the other side stood up, attempting to advise the young man, but their words were of no use; he pushed them aside, drew the sword from the embracing child, and approached Malin.
The people of the Mage Tower seemed somewhat helpless but nonetheless wanted to stop the impending farce immediately.
Malin thought for a moment, released his grip on Lorrin allowing it to drop to the ground, and then Lorrin quickly moved aside, picked up a white glove, and handed it to its master, watching him throw it at the young man. The World Tree Sapling swiftly transformed back into a weapon in Malin’s hand.
"Sorry, I generally don’t wear gloves," said the young man after deflecting the glove with his sword, then the next second, he appeared before Malin, his thrust piercing through Malin’s afterimage.
Turning, the swing of the Longsword stopped just short of its target, with Malin blocking the sword aimed for his neck with the dagger in his right hand, while the dagger in his left hand thrust towards his opponent.
Dodging the thrust by moving to the side, the young man retreated, skillfully sliding past Malin’s pursuit. After a moment’s thought, Malin, who did not pursue further, began recombining the two World Tree Saplings.
With the sword in his left hand, supporting the blade with his right, Malin narrowed his eyes.
The young man seemed to be running out of patience; his charge was swift, forcing Malin to defend his head using the sword’s hilt, while the raised blade nicked the opponent’s sleeve. At the last moment, the young man once again skillfully slid past Malin’s slice.
With space between them, holding a dagger in each hand, blade to blade, Malin started to contemplate his adversary’s identity.
By looks, he seemed a Thanan, his black hair also seemed to affirm his Thainan heritage.
But a Thanan with gold eyes and an elfin face were unheard of.
With this doubt in mind, Malin parried the incoming sword with his dagger, slamming into the young man with a push. The young man, unable to match Malin’s strength, gracefully avoided the blow—at the very instant Malin’s force was about to connect, the young man vanished from before him once again.
Behind, to the left or right, a moment’s hesitation didn’t lead Malin to a decision. Ultimately, using his sword as a prop, Malin pointed its tip to the ground, flipping upside down to see the young man’s thrust already in position. The young man hadn’t expected Malin’s maneuver, he instinctively kicked towards the Longsword, attempting to throw Malin off balance.
The two World Tree Saplings unraveled as Malin forcefully turned in mid-air. The young man, failing to strike anything solid, nearly fell, but he regained control and positioned himself for another thrust, ready to end everything the moment Malin landed.
In mid-air, the two World Tree Saplings transformed again following Malin’s thoughts, with Fio taking the form of a sword, while Lorrin wrapped around it like a sheath.
In the midst of flipping, Malin managed his posture, holding the sheath in his left hand and grasping it with his right, and the moment he landed, the young man’s thrust had arrived.
With the sheath held upside down in his left hand, Malin knocked aside the thrust, and the upright tail of the sheath struck the young man’s right eye socket hard. He ducked the attempted salvage cut, stepped back, sheathed his sword at his waist, and in a blink, the Longsword transformed from the World Tree Sapling shattered the young man’s sword used for blocking and then slammed into his face.
The young man was sent flying into the air, eventually landing in front of their mentor section.
Sheathing his sword, Malin turned and sat down on a bench, casually placing Blood Roar back into his bag, watching the young man stand up clutching his face. Malin smiled slightly.
The World Tree Sapling wouldn’t kill the innocent; its blows against targets of good alignment were more of a healing. Despite his reckless behavior, the young man was of a good nature, which is why he didn’t die.