The Moonlight Swordsman

"Awesomeee…"

"Kill them…"

"Lightning is cool…"

Seeing Aizel's lightning magic in action, the children's faces lit up with delight and awe. With each bolt of lightning that struck down a wolf, they cheered, their eyes shining with enthusiasm.

They were taken aback by the sheer power and beauty of the magic, and they couldn't help but applaud and clap as Aizel dispatched the wolves with ease.

"You are so strong, Aizel."

"Yeah, you killed them so easily…"

Aizel sighed.

"Who will tell these kids that they were only Grade I monsters?" he thought, letting out a small chuckle.

"Now come and let's see the egg," he said.

"Yeah, let's go…"

"Maybe we can make it a pet."

The group approached the small, steep hill where the pure black egg lay.

Aizel carefully guided the children up the hill to get a better look at the mystery egg. He maintained a close check on his surroundings, making sure there was no lurking danger.

Their attention was drawn to the black egg, which shone in the sunlight.

The kids' stood back in astonishment and watched Aizel delicately pick up the egg and study it carefully, turning it over in his hands.

He attempted to store the egg inside his ring, but to his disappointment, it didn't work.

"So, I can't store a lifeform inside the storage ring, fair enough," He thought.

"Now let's head back; we should take this egg back and show it to Aunt Vespara first,"

"Okay!" the kids replied in unison.

The group turned around and returned to the carriage stationed at the forest's edge.

Aizel led the route, keeping a constant eye on their surroundings, while the kids followed close behind.

"Aizel, what weapon do you use?" Oliver asked as they were on their way.

"Sword and daggers,"

"Do you know any other weapon you can use like a bow, an axe…"

"Spears! They are so cool," Justing interrupted quickly.

"Well, I don't know how to use them, and besides I don't have any spears or bows that I could even learn with."

"Okay,"

The kids couldn't take their eyes off the black egg while they rode back to town in the carriage, debating what kind of monster might hatch from it and what they should call it.

However, Aizel's mind was elsewhere. The kids' questions about his weapons sparked an idea in his mind.

He pondered whether he could use his imagination power to swiftly study and master different kinds of weapons.

His head was overwhelmed with the idea of wielding more than 10 weapons in battle at the same time and becoming even stronger.

The potential piqued his interest, but the practicality of carrying and wielding so many weapons simultaneously was a major obstacle.

He was well aware that summoning weapons in the heat of combat was a dangerous maneuver that could cost him his life.

His thoughts began to wander to his spirit weapon.

He knew that the potential of a spirit weapon grew with its master, and he realized that his unique powers gave him an advantage over others.

Aizel's lips curled into a small smile, and the kids beside him noticed the change in his expression.

"You are not thinking of eating it, right?" Oliver quickly said.

"I am not an idiot!"

*****

They arrived in the city after an hour's journey.

Aizel said his goodbyes to the kids before dropping them off in their rooms, placing the egg on his bed, and heading straight to his training grounds in the barren land.

The idea he got from the kids about mastering different types of weapons with his unique power was intriguing, and he couldn't wait to put it to the test.

Aizel rode his rented horse towards the barren land, thinking about his new weapon mastery idea on the way.

When he finally arrived, he dismounted and eagerly summoned his spirit weapon, Sekki, by rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Now Sekki, let's try and make you even more powerful."

The sword hummed a little after hearing that.

Aizel closed his eyes and imagined the ideal weapon to help him in combat. He felt his mental energy draining as he concentrated harder and harder.

Meanwhile, Sekki began to hum, the sound becoming louder and more powerful, and started transforming.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a bow, but it was not properly shaped as it appeared.

"Let's try again,"

He spent the next few hours attempting to make it look like a perfect bow, concentrating on how a bow should look, simple and lighter so he could use it quickly and surprise the opponent.

Finally, something clicked, and he was able to concentrate more on the image.

Sekki began to hum once more, but this time it successfully turned into a long black bow, ready to hunt some enemies.

Aizel opened his eyes to see a big black bow in his hand, humming with power.

"Hehe... I can't wait to try more, but it drained at least 10% of my mental energy. I need to use this carefully."

Lost in his own world, Aizel spent the rest of the day experimenting and attempting to transform Sekki into a variety of different weapons.

He was so preoccupied with it that he didn't notice the sun setting and the moon rising in the sky.

A sensation in his pocket abruptly shocked him out of his trance. He pulled out the Vespara skull card and focused his mana on it, feeling a white strand of energy enter his consciousness.

"Idiot, where are you? Tomorrow is the royal gala, and I need to speak with you about something important. Come to your inn right now - I'm waiting."

"Fuck! It's already night. We will continue this afterward, Sekki."

With a sense of urgency, he quickly stored the spirit weapon in his storage ring and made his way back to the city as fast as possible.

The journey back to the city felt like an eternity to Aizel, but after what seemed like hours, he finally arrived at his inn.

When he entered his room, he was greeted by Vespara and Daisy, who were waiting for him.

"Do you know how to dance?" Vespara got straight to the point.

"I have never danced in my whole life."

"If you don't know, then what are you going to do at the Gala? Don't you know the institute mages have to dance with their partners?"

"What! No one mentioned this before."

"This is common sense, idiot."

"Come, hurry; I will at least teach you some basics."

Aizel acknowledged Vespara with a nod and took a step towards her.

Without warning, she pulled him closer, placing his hand on her waist and her hand on his shoulder. She then began to move in rhythm, leading him into a dance.