Eighteen more paces. That’s it. Just eighteen more paces.

Romy’s lessons are brutal. Mephis let me play with wild beasts, while Mark tried to teach me katas and drills. However, while Romy eventually moves on to explain certain techniques and movements, her favorite way to start the day off, is with a brutal battle to reach the apple tree. Today, I made it two steps out the door. On the first step, I jumped over her kick. However, by the second step, she ghosted in front of me with inhuman speed and clotheslined my head.

Oww…

I take care not to make any noise of pain out loud anymore. This is part of Romy’s training.

“An Acolyte should never show his fear or his pain! Good!” She barks in approval. Whenever the raccoon mask is on, Romy is no longer my kind auntie. Instead, she is my teacher and will beat me if I do something she disapproves. Mark gets angry when he sees how gingerly I sit while eating dinner at the end of the day, but if anyone is in need of a healer it’s probably him. I’m not entirely sure what Romy did to him after she found out he was the one who told me how to convince her to train me. I don’t want to know either. She always complains that he hasn’t given her a child, but based on the way he’s sitting…he might actually no longer be able to…Please, Romy. For the sake of your future children, be gentle with Mark!

“Now, like I showed you, block with your sword. Then counter with magic! Use everything you have to fight back!” Romy intuitively formed a battle plan for me which she’s been drilling into my body. Though she does train me to fight with a “sword” (really, it’s Mephis’s dagger, but at my size it’s practically a sword) Romy doesn’t seem to actually be a swordswoman. She keeps calling me an Acolyte, and in reality, it seems that she’s really just teaching me to fight in general. Most specifically…she specializes in surprise attacks. The craziest thing is that she wants me to use a real dagger in combat. But I’ve seen how strong her Qi is…even if I stabbed her with all my might, I don’t think I’d be able to break through her skin. Seriously, what kind of skincare routine does she use?

*Clang*

My dagger comes up and blocks her boot. She lightly lands atop the blade with inhuman grace, looking like a heron sitting on a tree trunk. As my hand drops underneath her weight, she vaults off, sending me sprawling backwards. I purposely let go of the blade which flies down into the ground, to avoid falling to the ground.

[Frozen Wind of My Soul, Come Forth-Chill]

[Stormy Breeze of My Loneliness, Gather Forth-Gust]

Glacia disapproves of me using Disguised Casting when dueling Romy, however, the master of the house insists that nothing I can do will hurt her. And when the raccoon mask is on, she’ll beat me if I don’t give it my all, so I cast Chill and Gust together without reservation.

*Toc Toc Toc*

Romy raises a hand to intercept the three freezing ice crystals I send at her. Though they can penetrate deep into wood and freeze it, the crystals shatter on her Qi-hardened skin and when she opens her fist, the fragments tumble harmlessly to the ground.

“Good. But you know if I wanted to stop you from casting Gust, it would have been too easy. You’re still too slow. And the power is too weak. I fear the day you’ll get your revenge will never come if your skills remain at this level.” Romy’s taunts no longer dig into my heart like before. I know she is only baiting me, trying to get under my skin. However, my blood pressure does rise a bit. I can’t help it. The incident with Mephis still gives me terrible dreams at night which only Glacia’s soothing embrace can save me from. If Glacia wasn’t here, I’d be afraid to sleep. However, it’s easier when I know that she will always be there when I wake up. Well…unless Romy decides to do another night ambush.

Fortunately, Romy doesn’t wake me up for battle every day. She says that when she was being trained, they never got a full night’s rest, but that it’s not good for children to have their sleep interrupted too often. So, she only ambushes me once a week. On those days, Glacia mysteriously disappears to the couch in the living room sometime after I've fallen asleep. After a while, I begin to wake up before Romy drags me out of bed. Still, I can’t sense her entering my room, but I will one day though! One day, I’ll catch you coming!

[Muddy Stone of My Endurance, Move Forth-Meld]

I cry out the cast for Meld, a basic spell that lets me mold the rocks and clay. Unfortunately, I can’t cast it silently, so it’s too slow against Romy, even when she’s not serious. However, if I chant it while running backwards, Romy slows down to give me a chance to practice the tactic. As I finish the incantation, the earth shifts and the grass parts, turning all loamy and soft. Mud wells up in the cracks and with a devious chuckle, I mentally cast Chill at the end. Still can’t do it simultaneously, but my Chill cast speed is fast enough that it doesn’t matter.

“What are you doing, Acolyte?” Romy cocks her head, and then fearlessly steps on the muddy section I’ve created. “Going backwards is only bringing you farther from your mission! Have you decided to give up?”

Secretly, I drastically increase the output of mana from Chill which I’m spreading through my feet under the ground, right as Romy lands on the Melded patch. Frozen ice crystals form and expand with devastating speed underneath her boots!

*KACHA*

The ground explodes as if I’ve planted a bomb in the lawn. The growing ice crystals need more room and come under immense pressure inside a small sphere of rock I’ve shaped underneath the mud with Meld. When the accumulation of mana becomes critical, the whole thing blows up! It’s my new secret technique. I call it Earthen Icebomb!

“Oh?” Romy lets out a little noise as the dirt flies up at her along with many deadly shards of ice. “Interesting…”

*Flicker*

I make a run for the apple tree while she jumps up and evades the crystals. Regaining the lost ground from running backwards, I start counting-

Twenty…

Nineteen…

Eighteen…

SEVENTEEN…!

*Wham*

Heh…only one more step. That’s all my new technique can get me, huh? How did she catch up? Wasn’t she in midair?

I find myself in the dirt as usual. Romy removes her foot from behind my neck and waits for me to stand. When I get up, her raccoon mask is off in her hand. There’s just the slightest speck of mud on its nose.

“Not bad, Myrr. We’re done for today. First, blocking with your weapon. Then using Disguised Casting to attack and distract. Finally, hiding a trap when your opponent tries to reengage, that was a good plan!” She compliments me. Though Raccoon Romy never says anything but insults and advice, Real Romy, without her mask is the nicest person. Unless your name is Mark…in which case I think Raccoon Romy may be preferable. He still doesn’t sit right at dinner…

“Thank you, Auntie Romy!” I say and she beams.

“Yes, such a smart child. If only my husband’s genes could be so good. Instead…all he’s good for is playing with innocent women’s hearts.” Romy bemoans her fate and I mentally wince. Innocent? What part of your revenge was innocent? He might not have any genes left to pass on!

“Hehe, yes, Auntie Romy is the best!” I do my best to stay on her good side anyways. Now I understand that the men of this household are constantly playing with fire. Even if Romy can’t cast magic, we are always one misstep away from getting burned. Yup…I’m a good child. Mhm…your favorite…lovable…nephew…

“Still, do you think I’m being too harsh on him?” Romy abruptly turns to me and even though the mask isn’t on, I feel like she might be setting a trap of her own for me. “It’s been a while, maybe I should forgive him? After all, I need to work on creating a nice cousin for you to play with. I worry about you, Myrr, such a young child, but you’ve never had any friends…”

“Well…I suppose since I don’t have time to go to the village and play…then if I had a cousin…they’d basically be like a brother or sister to me. So…” I don’t want to say anymore than that in case this really is a trap, but luckily, Romy appears to have been being genuine.

“Mmm, you’re right! For the sake of your upbringing, I will have to forgive him!” She quickly hugs me and then runs back into the house. “MARK! Get your useless butt over here! I want kids! Myrr needs a sister! Err…cousin…whatever!”

Shivering, I watch her go and pray that she is gentle with her husband.

Ahh…Mark. I tried to repay the favor I owed you, but I’m not sure if this is what you wanted.

I’m very sorry.