In the training yard stood three individuals. They were Sebastian, Flora and Luke.
There were multiple spectators who were mostly knights of the household and a few servants who were on break.
"The most important thing when swinging your sword is being able to keep your body's balance."
Flora was the one who spoke to Luke as he swung the wooden sword in his hands.
"W-Why is it so heavy…." Luke was ordered to repeatedly do swinging motions while Flora instructed him.
"It's heavy so that your body gets used to the weight. There's no other real meaning." Sebastian said from behind Flora.
The sword in his hand was indeed a practice wooden sword, however, there were iron plates put inside of it. It made the sword even heavier than a real sword.
"Don't stop swinging the sword and only listen to what I say."
"Y-Yes, miss Flora." Luke obediently swung the sword up and down. His forearms' muscles flexed whenever he lifted the sword.
"I do not understand why you wanted to watch your fiancé train, your highness."
"Oh, Elna, you have much to learn from discerning people with your eyes. I thought that if it was a warrior such as yourself that you would see it too."
Two other people were standing nearby, watching the two individuals train Luke.
"…What do you see exactly, your highness?" Elna seemed uncertain despite how much she tried to figure out what Olivia was referring to.
"This man who was chosen as my husband is special."
"Special? Pardon but I do not see such a thing…."
'It is not obvious to you so that is understandable. Anyone would see a timid and weak boy on the outside. But my intuition has never been wrong.'
"Think about it, a man as great as uncle Marcus chose this boy off the street. He and that man are also close from what I've seen. He seems to have also influenced the lives of every member of this household. It's like…" Olivia pondered for a while before finishing her sentence. "It is like he has this strange charisma that attracts others towards him."
"Charisma? I do admit that he is a kind boy with a pure soul from what I've heard." Elna was close with many of the guards of the castle so they spoke about Luke over a couple of beers last night.
"Not only that but he apparently possesses golden aura. Every member of the family told me the same story. When that man challenged young master Luke to a duel, the fight ended up with that man being attacked with a giant wall of golden aura. I came outside today especially so I can see if that was really the case."
"So you won't take the duchess upon her offer of being alone with the heir on a carriage ride?"
"Let me be frank: I think it's better to not be alone with this boy."
"Why is that?"
"I do not know what is it but Arnold seems to be keeping a close eye on me. As if I'll influence the boy badly."
'I will admit that I am thinking of taking some measures using my position.'
There were many ways that she could use this boy. She actually wanted to use those methods on Arnold but seeing as how he was far sharper and better in discerning things than her, that plan was never put into action. If he found out her plans then she could land in serious trouble for trying to manipulate the heir according to her own desires.
However, someone like Luke suddenly fell out of the sky. A convenient pawn that she could move however she wished. She would be careful, of course. Even Arnold's maid seemed suspicious of Olivia judging by the fact that she always ordered many servants to attend to her.
Those servants left her side immediately after she expressed her desire to watch Luke train. Perhaps they misunderstood Olivia's intentions.
One of the hobbies ladies of nobility had were watching their husbands train themselves. They most likely thought that Olivia had that in mind.
But that hobby was only meant for women who couldn't help but watch their husbands' heroic figures from afar and boast about it.
Olivia found no charm in this boy. His body was far skinnier than Arnold and he seemed weaker than the average apprentice knight or even a squire. The only thing going for him was his cute face that was different from Arnold's sharp and mature handsome features.
'Why am I comparing him to that man….'
"In any case, you'll just have to observe the boy and tell me if there's anything different about him. We will be here a while so I want to hear your full impressions."
"Understood."
Elna and Olivia continued watching Flora and Sebastian train Luke.
Flora was in the middle of explaining something to Luke.
"—It is important for a warrior to know what kind of weapon suits them. Personally, I prefer large swords, however, due to my small frame I cannot carry those around. That is why I mostly use a claymore which requires two hands to wield. Thereby using more force than ordinary swords. If we want you to succeed as a strong swordsman or even spearman then we need to know what weapon is suitable for you. What weapon do you usually fight with?"
"…I've…used a…sword ever since I began as a hunter in the…village." Luke answered while swinging the sword.
"Have you learned any martial arts?"
"N-No."
Flora looked back at Sebastian who was writing something in a small book.
"You heard him. What do you think?" She asked Sebastian.
"I should teach him basic hand to hand combat before moving onto anything else. Training him in martial arts before the basic things would impede his progress in some way. I should be done in about a week."
"Good. Then I'll teach him basic footwork. From your impressions of his battle with that guy, I can tell that this kid knows nothing about dodging."
Luke's face reddened. Flora's deduction seemed to be correct.
'How has he managed to survive encounters with monsters this far?'
A hunter's job was to supply and hunt food for their village. In order to hunt, one must expect strong monsters to also be out to get you. Olivia knew that much.
"You can stop swinging now, Luke." Flora spoke.
"Haaaah….!" Luke fell on his butt after dropping the sword. The sword fell onto the ground as hard as a boulder falling from a cliff.
"The next step will be a little more difficult than just swinging a sword." Flora went to the weapon table and chose a sword for herself. She chose one for Luke as well and threw it over to him.
"You'll try to get one hit on me."
"Oh?" Sebastian seemed intrigued at Flora's method of training Luke.
"O-One? Is this how people normally train with swords?"
Luke picked up the sword which was lighter than his practice sword. The sword was dull so there was no worry of injuring others.
"My methods of training differs from regular instructors. Well, you're my first student so I'm not sure if I'll do it right."
Flora swung her sword to get a feel of it. She seemed accustomed to using swords since her balance was perfect.
"Learning swordsmanship from an instructor is a good way of gaining experience. However, it is equally important to gain experience yourself by fighting others as a novice. I actually prefer that method more than the first one since you learn quicker if you're in a real fight. But there is a danger is dying before you can learn anything useful. That's why I'm letting you fight me instead of monsters."
"Ah, I see. D-Does that mean I have to come at you with all I have?"
"I doubt it'll make a difference but sure."
Luke nodded and got into a stance. Flora did the same as she held her sword in front of her and one hand behind her back.
"Huh? Aren't you going to use aura?"
Luke seemed confused so he asked.
"Aura? I do not possess aura."
"—Huh?"
That exclamation came from Elna who were watching the two.
"What's wrong?"
Olivia noticed the expression on Elna's face and asked.
"A swordsman without aura. I thought this was something only true in myths."
"Really? People like her do not exist in our empire?"
Elna shook her head.
"I haven't heard anyone manage to attain a level of strength worthy of a knight without aura. If lord Sebastian approved of this slave woman to train the heir then she must be strong. Even stronger than me in swordsmanship."
A warrior could only show their true potential once they used their aura. That was the saying at least. Normal people couldn't become warriors or knights unless they had aura. The human body had lots of limits and that was especially true for the majority of normal humans.
"Just by looking at that slave I can tell that she isn't weak."
"What was on that man's mind when he decided to bring this slave to train the future duke. If other people hear of this then they will laugh."
"Indeed."
"It's starting."
Flora charged at Luke without giving any signal lf the start of the match. Luke panicked and only swung his sword after closing his eyes.
Flora parried his sword to the side and slapped him against the cheek with her hand. Luke staggered backwards and held his cheek.
"…."
Flora silently readied her sword again. Luke gritted his teeth and took the initiative to charge.
"Uaaaah!!" He lifted his sword but before he could swing down, Flora kicked him on the torso.
"!!" Luke's sword fell to the ground and his eyes blanked.
"A kick to the liver. Smart," Elna muttered, "She wants him to be aware that protecting yourself is just as important as attacking ruthlessly. He was wide open as well which made a bigger impact."
"He fell down from just one kick?" Olivia was confused.
"A direct hit to one's liver causes more damage than a hit to the head. This is because the liver is unprotected while we have our skulls to protect our heads. The force alone could rupture your liver. The liver processes blood and breaks down, balances, and creates the nutrients and also metabolizes drugs into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body or that are nontoxic. If we lose our liver then death is instant."
"My…"
'Is he alright?'
Olivia could see Luke trying to breathe while clutching his stomach. He was kicking his legs and groaning in pain.
"See what happens when you're not vigilant? People only focus more on offense if they have no way to win a fight. What you just did showed me that you're an amateur. How the hell did you survive the forest's monsters? It's luck right?" Flora grabbed Luke by the hair.
The onlookers gasped at her rough handling of the next head.
She slapped him across the face multiple times.
"Are you listening? Do you realise that the guy who asked you for a rematch is far stronger than me at the moment? How do you plan on beating him like this?" She slapped him again. "Will you rely on getting angry again and force that golden aura out?"
"…Ugh!" Luke was struggling to open up his eyes and was gritting his teeth.
"I hope this isn't the best you can do. The old man told me that you have the potential to be a great warrior one day."
Another slap.
Seemingly bored, Flora stood back up.
"Stand." She took a few steps back and said so to Luke.
"….."
Luke coughed a few times before getting up on his feet, though with great difficulty. He gripped his sword tight and glared into Flora's eyes.
Olivia could hear Elna's breath stop for a moment.
"Am I mistaken or do his eyes hold a warrior's spirit…?" Elna muttered. "That unafraid stance and glaring eyes…"
'What is she talking about—'
Before Olivia could ask her, she felt the air change. The reason was the blonde haired boy facing off against the green haired woman.
He was breathing as deeply as a beast and his eyes were widened in order to take in his surroundings and not miss his enemy's movements.
Flora smirked.
"Oh? What's this sudden change?" She twirled her sword in amusement. "Are you mad that I slapped you? If it was a real opponent then you would've been dead."
"Aaaaaaaah!!!" Luke charged towards Flora. This time his sword wasn't raised up high but was rather held in a horizontal fashion.
Luke's speed seemed to have increased tenfold and a mystical aura surrounded his body that was glowing.
Flora harrumphed and took his strike head-on.
"Humph!" The two clashed but Luke was the one to be sent flying back and falling down. His sword had also flown somewhere.
Flora straddled the panting Luke and pointed her sword at his neck.
"You're dead again."
◇
"Are you okay, sir Luke?" Olivia came up to Luke and gave him a towel to wipe his sweat.
"Y-Yes….Somehow…" He gazed at Flora who was busy talking with Sebastian.
'She's really strong… She said that big brother is stronger than her…'
Luke just realized the weight of the promise he made to Arnold about them having a rematch. He had to literally take on a man who was dozens—no, perhaps hundreds of times stronger than himself and still growing.
How could Luke catch up to such a person? It was impossible.
Luke wiped his sweat and stood up with the help of Olivia's knight.
"Though you lost, I think that was a splendid spar, young master." Olivia gave a small smile to Luke.
"Thank you…Can that really be called a spar? I barely got one hit in…" Luke looked around the training grounds and realized he couldn't see Claudia. "Has your highness seen miss Claudia?"
"I think she went shopping with Grace. She said that she will buy things for the new house in the meantime while accompanying Grace."
"Ah, I see."
'I thought we'd have to wait for a few more months?'
Claudia told Luke and Norn a few years ago that she was looking to buy a house in the city. Not only would it be closer to where she worked, the city was far safer than the village where they were surrounded by breeding grounds for monsters.
Them moving to the city would be far better than staying in a village. Despite that, it was silly to expect Claudia to be able to afford the house alone which went for hundreds of gold. She was but a mere regular worker who earned minimum wage.
"I will go look for her."
"Eh? But we have a carriage ride scheduled for this afternoon." Olivia looked baffled at Luke's words.
"S-Sorry, I'll make up for it later!" Luke was already about to leave before Olivia could stop him.
"Fine. But we will definitely do the carriage ride tomorrow, alright? I would like to get to know my future husband."
"Yes, yes. Thank you!"
Luke waved Olivia goodbye. Although she looked bitter, she let him go regardless.
'Wait, didn't I have something to give her? Well, I can do that tomorrow once we're alone.'
After grabbing the sword Arnold bought him at the auction and wearing simple clothes for travelling, Luke left the castle.
"Hm?" He noticed that there were ten men dressed in full armour arguing with one of the younger guards at the gate.
'What's going on?' Luke ran towards the front gate to hear what their argument was about.
Each of the men in full knight amour were wearing blue mantles on their left shoulders.
"I'm telling you, sir. They already left hours ago. I thought the madam managed to contact you to say that you arrived?" The guard spoke, flustered.
"What!? We were stationed at the border and didn't have anything to do besides guard the prince's fortress. The second-in-command so graciously sent me and my unit after hearing of what happened at the castle. We'll look like fools if we return to the fortress without having done anything. Our only jobs aren't just serving justice to all citizens but also to protect the imperial family. And you are wasting that precious time!" The man with a full face beard and a rough expression looked towards one of the other men in his unit. "Have you heard of any other Imperial force knights besides us around the area?"
"No, captain. The only unit nearest to this city is stationed in one of the towns close to the capital."
"See!? What the hell is this about us having taken the prince and the young master already!?" The captain slapped the guard to the side of the head. The young guard was on the verge of crying.
"P-Please calm down." Luke appeared between them. "It is like this mister said. Big brother and his highness were already taken by people claiming to be of the imperial force."
The captain frowned deeply.
"That can't be true… My vice captain just confirmed that there were no other units in the area…" His eyes then widened. "Shit…I need to see the duchess! Now!"
"E-Err, the first madam is busy with a magic lecture at the moment…" The guard said timidly.
"What… We need to locate them immediately! The two are in grave danger—"
They suddenly heard the neighing of a horse as it galloped along the path leading to the castle. Luke looked towards the path of trees and saw a large man riding a familiar horse. There was a blue mantle draped over the horse's back which signified where it was from.
'Huh? Isn't that one of the horses that left this morning with the carriage?'
"What the!? A dark elf!?"
The large man's hood flew back and his long ears and brown skin showed itself. There was a person on his shoulder who was unconscious.
"Stop right there!" The captain drew his sword, his subordinates did the same.
The large elf man threw the person on his shoulder onto the ground and stopped the horse.
"Huh…?" The captain's face blanked when he saw the mantle the unconscious man was wearing.
He could recognize it right away because it was the very same mantle that every member of the imperial force wore.
Before the captain could question what was going on, the dark elf spoke.
"Bring the duchess here. I need to speak to her. Now."
Unlike how he shouted at the captain when he asked the same question, the guard trembled in fear.
Luke squeezed through the men and appeared before the dark elf man. He nodded and spoke:
"Please follow me… sir…"