"Try this, Elder Sister, it's rather good"
"Thank you, Flynn."
I suggested a variety of dishes to Estonia because I expected her to be hungry after such strenuous physical activity. Although all of the dishes were tasteless to me, the residents of this world find this type of food to be delicious because it is all they have ever known. I cannot appreciate the food of this world because I have only eaten a higher level of cuisine my entire life. So, sharing food with Estonia is another way for me to get rid of some food.
'I'm relieved, they're not making any suggestions to me *whew*'
Due to her position as Vice-General, Lilliana must have exceptional physical and social skills, as well as sharp perception, which is why she must have seen through me.
'Though this makes me feel embarrassed....'
Because I was never picky, I always thought picky people were immature and troublesome, so being what I disliked as a child gives me mixed feelings.
'So this is what they mean when they say, "Becoming what you despised as a child..."...
Estonia suddenly opened her mouth while raising her hand as I was feeling bitter about the current situation.
"Try this!"
She gave me a bright smile along with a white, standard-sized bowl that was filled with what seemed to be rotten-looking fish and a grey liquid. It appeared revolting, to put it mildly...
'I thought she was reading the mood, which is why she didn't suggest anything...turns out she was just testing the different dishes to suggest something she liked....so I'm not disappointed with what she suggested...
I wish she wouldn't be so considerate...*sigh*'
"Thank you very much, Elder Sister."
I thanked Estonia and faked a bright smile while managing my expression as eloquently as possible.
Despite the fact that I wanted to puke after that, I had to eat the food she had given me with a happy smile. Lilliana's giggling indicated that she was amused. She seemed pleased to see us playing together, especially since we both act cute.
'I wish she'd help me get out of this situation, instead of enjoying it, darn it....'
Lilliana and Estonia seemed to enjoy their meal because they ate a lot, though they were careful not to overeat. After all, it would make training difficult. However, this was more of a punishment for me, so I wasn't in a good mood.
After the meal, we proceeded to the training grounds, and a maid could be seen at our eating location; she appeared to be in charge of cleaning up. It didn't bother me, so I took my gaze away from her.
Lilliana explained the sparring order to us on the way to the training grounds.
The first match will be between me and Lilliana because she has already sparred with Estonia and it isn't really necessary because Estonia trains every day and spars with her mom at the end of each training session. Lilliana wants to assess my potential as well as my current battle prowess, which is why she wants me to spar against Estonia after our sparring session, as watching me fight as a spectator will allow her to better see my movements.
After Lilliana's explanation, I went inside the storage room to retrieve my wooden sword and prepare for the spar....but Lilliana and Estonia had surprised written on their faces for some reason
Lilliana appeared to awaken from her trance and opened her mouth, though her eyes remained wide with confusion.
"Uhm...Flynn, will you be using that weapon? Isn't it uncomfortable to fight with such a large weapon?"
'Huh?'
Oh, I see. I suppose it's strange for me to use a weapon this large because it will limit my movements and slow them down. That's accurate for the time being, but in the future, things will be different.
"Yes, this is my preferred weapon, and its size does not bother me!"
Lilliana was still troubled, but my confident expression seemed to persuade her a little, as her experience eased up a little.
"I'll take your word for it because you seem so certain. We'll start practising in a few minutes, so go get some protective gear so you don't hurt yourself during the sparring. If I recall correctly, there's a leather armour inside the storage in the self on the left, so go put it on."
For some reason, like she had done before outside the mansion before departing, Lilliana spoke in a commanding tone.
'I suppose she speaks in that manner when she is serious? Welp doesn't matter, I suppose.'
I bowed as I returned to the storage room after hearing Lilliana's command. As I was walking, I remembered something important.
'System, what constitutes my completion of the task assigned to me?'
[The host must execute the following moves flawlessly:
Slash
Parry
Dodge
These are some of the fundamental swordsmanship skills; in order for the host to complete his task, he must perform all of these flawlessly during a fight/spar.]
'hmm....'
I dashed to the storage room after listening to the system because I couldn't wait any longer to try these moves in a fight. Who wouldn't be excited about that? It's my very first fight!
My excitement, however, was cut short when I had to search for the leather armour, which took some time. The leather armour wasn't particularly impressive. It fit me perfectly, was brown, and appeared to be quite old because it smelled bad. It was hard, like rock, contrary to my expectations. It appeared to be built to withstand impact. As one would expect from a noble family, the quality is quite high. ( Still dirt though )
After admiring the filthy leather armour, I exited the storage room and made my way slowly to the training grounds. To avoid wasting time, I wore the armour before arriving at the training grounds.
Lilliana was already standing in the middle of the training grounds, toiling with her wooden spear. When she saw me arrive at the training grounds, she moved her hands up and down, as if beckoning me to hurry up, so I accelerated my pace.
I moved in the opposite direction of Lilliana before raising my sword in preparation for the duel. Lilliana, for her part, raised her spear, a slight smile on her face. I didn't need to say anything, so I just kicked the ground and pounced on Lilliana while swinging my sword vertically, the so-called vertical slash.
3rd Person Pov:
*Bump* *Bump*
As the wooden spear and sword collided on the training ground, piercing sounds were heard. Flynn appeared to be in a bad mood right now. He threw everything he had at that first attack, but Lilliana simply moved her spear and blocked his sword with the shaft of her spear.
[Slash Complete]
[ Learn Basic Swordsmanship:
Difficulty: Beginner
Reward: 100 coins
Slash: Completed
Parry: Ongoing
Dodge: Ongoing]
Flynn suddenly put a smile on his lips, appearing to be in a better mood, but he did a double-take as Lilliana appeared to be on offence this time.
Thus began Flynn von Ernest and Lilliana von Alexander's sparring session.
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