A TEST OF SKILL

Rukito and Tamako leave the shop to explore more places. Now that they are done shopping, Tamako takes Rukito to a place he's not familiar with. It turns out to be a natural hot spring. The hot springs here are much better for calming one's mind as well as easing the muscles after a fight. The hot spring is also great for healing and strengthening the body.

The area here is very beautiful. The view is magical; this truly feels like a place from another world. I wonder how many people know of this place.

"Wow, Tamako, this place looks so mesmerizing! I wish I could live here. How many people have you shown this place to?" 

                               "Only you. I come here all the time. I also planted a few plants here that I use for cooking. Aren't you going to try the hot spring?"

"Oh yeah, of course, I was just about to jump in." 

Rukito takes his clothes off before jumping in, forgetting all his worries and focusing on the moment at present, as Tamako blushes since she has never seen a man without clothes before, but she doesn't turn away surprisingly.

"The water feels so refreshing and nice; why don't you join me? Just leave all your clothes next to mine and hop in."

Tamako began taking her clothes off slowly, revealing her birthday suit. As she doesn't realize that she's still looking at Rukito, she ends up sitting right next to him. As she settles down, she realizes she's too close and swiftly moves away a little. Rukito is surprised by her boldness, as he never expected her to accept his invite; he had just said it to tease her.

Tamako and I sit in silence. As I try to look at her face, I can't seem to stop looking at the two things floating in front of me. Tamako plays it cool, but she is blushing and avoids direct eye contact with me. I don't think she noticed me looking directly at her breasts. I should break the silence and find something to say. 

"So they look very nic....uh I mean—the water temperature is perfect; it's not too hot, so we can stay for a good amount of time." 
(Did I screw up. How can u slip up this bad like telling her that only to say we can be here for long, I should try something else.)

"Hey, Tamako, can I call you Tama for short as a nickname?"

                             "Sure, I'd love that. In addition to that, could I call you Roo for short?"

"Sounds good, Tama."

Rukito is at his limit as something other than the Shield Hero is rising, so he quickly turns around before hopping out of the hot spring, telling Tama it's getting late. Tama offers to make some food before they go as they both chat, laugh, and enjoy their time together. Time passes as the sun starts to set. Rukito tells Tama to get ready to leave.

It's getting late, and I don't want to take too long to get back. I'll teleport outside the mansion so we can go in like normal. I tell Tama to hold on to me as we both get outside the mansion in an instant. For some reason, teleporting feels a hundred times easier than before.

While Rukito guides Tama back, she suddenly halts him, leans in to kiss his cheek, and expresses that she has never enjoyed herself this much. She quickly dashes back inside while Rukito contemplates what just occurred. Shortly after, Rukito arrives at the mansion and observes Tama dashing straight to the kitchen. Rukito takes a different path, heading up the stairs to his room, where he runs into an unexpected person..

As I walk up the stairs, I see King Silvaren coming toward me. He stops and asks me to have a moment and follow him, but I don't know what he wants, so I follow along.

Rukito trails the King as they proceed further into the mansion into a secluded chamber. The chamber opens to a hidden corridor that descends to a doorway. Rukito remains cautious of the King’s intentions and keeps alert as they traverse a loyalty that appears never-ending. How can a space of this size be inside the mansion? Even though it was large, the mansion wasn't spacious enough to contain an area like this.  

                  "Rukito, since I never meant to keep this from you, there are details I omitted about your connection to the tree and why the World Tree transformed you into an elf." "However, I need to inquire about what occurred to you?"

"It's fine, as you didn't know me yet still sheltered and helped me recover. Giving away information that may be classified is reasonable, so it's fine. But I don't get what you mean by your last question."     I new he never told me everything but I can figure out what he may say.

        "The day my daughter found you, you were weakened and about to die, but I could still tell you were not weak. In fact, when you woke up back then, I’m sure you could have defeated an army of trained knights in a short time. This morning, I felt more confident in your strength. But it’s only been a day, and I feel you’re a different person entirely."

This guy catches on too fast. I may still be lacking and have a hard time remembering what happened after I touched the spirit sword, but wielding a sword feels like muscle memory. My physical strength feels hundreds of times better; my mind may have forgotten what transpired, but my body feels like it has been through years of painstaking training to get this strong. As of now, my memory after touching the sword is me ending up in a strange place before getting sliced by that narcissistic madman before waking up back at the moment I pulled out the sword.

                                    "I want you to battle me to assess your abilities." I’m not requesting this as a ruler but as a man. Should you prevail, I will reveal all that I've concealed from you and grant you your due; however, if I prevail, I expect you to share everything that has occurred, detailing the situation in the human realm, the status of the elves there, and the reasons and individuals responsible for your condition. You are still invited to remain here no matter the outcome."

"I came into contact with a spirit sword, and that's why I'm stronger. As for a battle, I'd love to test my new skills on a real opponent, but I have one condition to add if I win: I want to take Elia out of the house to show her outside, as she said she's never stepped out of the mansion before."

Silvaren consented as they both assumed their positions for combat. The launch signal relied on flipping a coin, and as soon as it touched the ground, they collided, causing tremors throughout the mansion. I ponder who will emerge victorious in this match between Rukito and Silvaren?