The mansion’s backyard—a place where training had become a daily routine ever since returning to the past. Standing face-to-face with the old soldier for the first time in about five months, I couldn’t help but feel the absence of the usual audience. The backyard was wrapped in silence, peaceful and serene. Yet, the instigator of this sudden duel, exuding an unnatural energy, shattered that tranquility in an instant.

"Alright, come at me from wherever you like!"

His unusually excited voice was a stark contrast to the atmosphere. I struggled to keep up.

"...Are you sure you want me to go all out?"

When I asked the old soldier, testing his readiness, he nodded vigorously.

"Mercy is unnecessary! If you don’t give it your all, I’ll strike you down!"

"I see..."

Despite being handicapped by the inability to use his right arm and magic—a situation most would consider unfair—the old man eagerly allowed me to use magic, as if to say it wouldn’t matter otherwise. Wielding a wooden sword in his left hand, he faced me with a determined stance.

—It seems this old man is serious.

After confirming his resolve for the umpteenth time, I finally steeled myself. If he’s going to insist, then I’ll show him just how much stronger I’ve become.

"Alright, here I come..."

"Yeah, bring it on!"

We took our stances. This would be my chance to get revenge for that day. The number of humiliations I had endured from him until now was countless.

—From the start, I’ll go all out without holding back and defeat this old man once and for all.

No one could call it cowardly. After all, he was the one who initiated this fight under these conditions. No one would have grounds for complaint.

Without any signal, we simultaneously kicked off the ground. In the next moment, our wooden swords clashed violently. Each strike carried the force of a gust of wind, kicking up dust from the ground. The clash resulted in a deadlock, our swords locked together. Strength was evenly matched.

"You’ve improved, Clay!"

"What the hell!? You monster—!"

Yes, we were evenly matched. Or rather, the old man still seemed to have strength to spare. It wasn’t that I was holding back. Though my Blood Flow Manipulation had only just been activated, enhancing my body significantly beyond the capabilities of an ordinary adult, the old man, unassisted by any magic, was matching me purely on physical strength. In fact, I was being pushed back.

"Aren’t you still holding back? I told you not to show mercy!"

"I never planned to—!"

Despite being the one reinforced by magic, it was the old man who was overwhelmingly on the offensive.

—This is ridiculous!

I could hardly suppress my complaints. The old soldier in front of me was absurdly powerful, his movements impossibly precise as he read mine like an open book. Even without magic, the steel-like body he had honed over decades wasn’t betraying him. His sheer physical strength was enough to overwhelm me.

—I knew it, but the gap in experience is far too great...!

Still, losing without putting up a fight wasn’t an option. It wasn’t just annoying; it was unacceptable. I couldn’t allow myself to fall short like this, especially not after being granted the biggest handicap of my life.

"I’ll knock you down!"

I accelerated the flow of blood further, letting magic saturate my entire body. In theory, the longer the fight went on, the more advantageous my side would become with the use of magic. Playing it safe until the moment was ripe would be the smart move. However, this strategy didn’t apply to this old man. On top of everything, he was clearly trying to crush me completely, fully aware of my tactics.

The old man’s sword speed surged again. The training wooden sword groaned under the strain of his power, emitting creaking sounds that echoed loudly.

—Is this guy even human!?

Even cursing internally, I couldn’t afford the luxury of speaking aloud. The old man allowed me no such leeway, yet he still had the audacity to speak casually, attempting to distract me.

"At this rate, dreaming of killing a dragon is a joke. You won’t even be able to protect Alice as her guardian!"

"—!"

The familiar word struck a nerve. "Guardian"—it was the term the Shadow Dragon had used to describe this old man.

"What the hell is this ‘guardian’ business? Ever since then, nothing has made sense! Why is Alice being targeted by a Shadow Dragon? What’s this ‘Blood Princess’ all about!?"

I had never heard such terms in my first life. I could guess it had something to do with bloodlines, but guesses wouldn’t get me anywhere. The lack of information was frustrating. The old man, clearly in the know, only deepened my curiosity by withholding answers.

While our swords clashed furiously, he spoke with an unusually grave expression.

"I can’t say anything now, but you’ll understand eventually. What I can tell you is this: what lies ahead for you is a destiny of blood—a responsibility you must bear."

"This is all nonsense! Don’t you start getting all cryptic on me now, old man!"

Anger welled up as the old man evaded my questions. The pressure of accelerating my blood flow brought out the worst in me, fueling my temper. But I didn’t stop.

"Ever since I returned to the past, everything I do to change the future just brings more confusion! None of this happened the first time!"

"Clay, you—"

"And when I finally tried to do things right, this is what happens! I can’t protect anything I care about! I’m just standing by, powerless—just like before! And I can’t let it end that way again!"

"So it’s true... what the dragon said..."

Before I knew it, I had collapsed onto the ground, breathless and unable to rise. The clear blue sky above me felt mocking.

—This is as far as I go...

It was clear now. My battles against the Shadow Dragon’s kin had only been possible because of extraordinary circumstances. My current limits were painfully evident.

"I still... need to become stronger...!"

"Then become stronger."

The old man’s voice came from above, heavy and resolute.

"You have both the potential and the right to grow stronger. To protect what you hold dear, to ensure nothing is lost, you must."

And so, the duel ended as expected: with the old man’s overwhelming victory.