"You're serious about this?" Arnold asked.
Rishe nodded, beaming. "Yes, of course."
They stood in a small training yard in a corner of the palace grounds. The knights who served as Rishe's guards eyed her with worry. They'd all traveled down to the practice area from Arnold's bedroom following a brief exchange…
"Would you do me the honor of dueling with me, Your Highness? " Rishe had inquired after the tour. It had been three weeks since she first brought up the idea, and she was worried he might have forgotten.
It seemed he hadn't. "Come to think of it, you asked the same thing at the party, didn't you?"
"I'm pleased you remembered. The recent difficulties have made me keenly aware of my lack of stamina and immediate need for further training."
Rishe's stamina, musculature, and cardiovascular conditioning were all far from where they had been during her life as a knight. Those attributes improved gradually over time, so she wanted to begin as soon as possible.
"I know you're quite busy, but I would very much appreciate some instruction, if only once. Naturally, I wouldn't ask you to keep me company for the entire training session." Rishe met Arnold's eyes.
"I'd also like to learn the secret method you and the imperial knights use to enhance your training, Your Highness."
"Huh."
Arnold's lips curled up in interest. "How did you know about that?"
"My garden is near the knights' training grounds. I've observed the drills of several different squads, and your imperial knights are a cut above the rest."
Outside of the training sessions, Rishe also observed the knights carefully as they guarded her, noting how they never left themselves open. Not all of Galkhein's knights were like that—only those serving Arnold. From that, Rishe surmised the obvious: He was directly responsible for their instruction.
Unsurprising, seeing as they were led by a man with even more impressive defenses than their own.
"If they have a particular training regimen, I'd love to learn it."
Rishe vividly recalled a moment of her previous life.
When we fought Galkhein's army, Arnold was by far the biggest threat, but his knights were no pushovers either.
They were all frighteningly strong. Not just the unit commanders—each individual knight on the front lines displayed phenomenal skill in battle.
Right now, I believe it's just Prince Arnold's personal knights who possess this unusual prowess. I don't think the rest of Galkhein's knights are at their level. Which means that in the next five years, he's going to put together that terrifying army.
There was no way he conscripted only superior talents. The scale of the force made that impossible.
He must have some specific way of training people up. And if that's the case, I need to learn it.
Rishe looked at him, a few silent seconds passing. She refused to give in, and their staring contest finally concluded with a short sigh from Arnold.
"All right."
Her eyes widened; she wasn't expecting him to agree so readily. His earlier acquiescence had just been for standard training. "Are you sure? Not to work against my own interests here, but isn't it a military secret?"
"It's not a breach of protocol for the crown prince's wife to know his secrets. I did promise I'd do anything you asked of me, after all."
Arnold's voice was softer than usual. It caught Rishe off guard. "Well…thank you. I'm very happy that you said yes."
"You're happy?"
Baffled, Arnold stared at Rishe. "Why?"
"Because from what I know, your sword technique is the strongest and most beautiful than anyone in the world."
"…"
As a former knight, she was naturally delighted to learn from someone like that.
Arnold looked stunned for a moment before he smiled.
"The whole world, huh?"
"I-I obviously didn't mean that literally!" Rishe rushed to clarify. "It's just an expression, got it?!"
"How could techniques for killing people possibly be beautiful?" Arnold asked with a self-deprecating tone.
"Your Highness…? "
"Go change into something you can move in. I'll meet you at the training grounds."
Thus, they'd met one another outside to square off.
"Bring the restraints," Arnold ordered one of his knights. "One for Rishe and three for me."
"Yes, sir."
The knight briskly followed Arnold's command, though he and his comrades spared Rishe a few fretful glances all the while. Returning with a wooden crate, the knight handed it to his master. Arnold reached in and fished something out.
A belt?
"Put this on."
Arnold proffered a harness resembling a pair of suspenders connected to a belt. He explained how to use it, putting his arms through another pair of belts, crossing them over each other, and fastening them to the one around his waist.
"When you're done, turn around."
Rishe did as she was told and turned away from him. One of Arnold's black-gloved hands grasped Rishe's left wrist. He wrapped a thin belt around it, brought her arm behind her back, and fastened the belt on her wrist to the one on her waist. With her arm bound this way, she couldn't use her left hand.
"This is…"
"Our special training consists of binding one part of the body to prevent free use of your limbs." Arnold said, binding himself in the same way. The only difference was that Rishe had her dominant arm—her right—free, and Arnold did not.
"You always train like this?"
"Not always. Too much and we'd pick up bad habits, rendering it pointless."
Affixing the belts with a practiced hand, Arnold reached into the crate and brought out something else, leaving the belt on his wrist unconnected. The new tool resembled a modified kneepad, which Arnold proceeded to wrap around his knee.
He's making it impossible to bend his left leg.
Next, he took out a black eyepatch, covering his right eye and tying the cords behind his head.
Finally, a knight reverently stepped forward and fastened Arnold's wrist to the belt at his waist. All in all, he was left unable to use his dominant right arm, his left leg, or his right eye. Rishe, on the other hand, only lost the use of her left arm.
"We'll spar like this. Swords."
At Arnold's signal, one of the knights handed Rishe a wooden practice weapon.
Rishe thanked the knight and took a stance, holding the sword in one hand. She immediately felt how much having one arm bound threw off her center of gravity, as well as the deep strain on her muscles from holding a two-handed sword in a one-handed grip. Yet the training was even more complex than that.
"Do you bind the limbs to simulate a true battlefield?"
"Oh? You can tell?"
"If it was just to improve core and muscle strength, there would be no need to cover one eye, Your Highness."
Watching Arnold accept his own wooden sword from one of his knights, Rishe went on, "This training is to ensure the loss of a body part on the battlefield doesn't prevent you from fighting… Am I right?"
"Ha ha!" Arnold laughed with his whole chest, pointing his sword at Rishe.
"Your powers of observation are as impressive as always."
Unlike Rishe, Arnold was using his nondominant arm, made even slower by the old wound on his shoulder. Still, he didn't leave himself open to attack.
"It's hard to see you as a noble girl who's never been to war."
The tension in the air made Rishe's skin tingle. The knights all took a seemingly unconscious step back, trusting their instincts.
"If you're injured, you won't be able to use your arm. If blood splashes on your face, your eye may be temporarily incapacitated. But the battle rages on, and your enemies will continue to press you."
Vivid memories of the battlefield swirled in Rishe's mind.
"If your arm is torn off, keep swinging your sword. If your leg is smashed, keep moving forward. If you lose both eyes, find a way to cut into your enemy for as long as you have left." Arnold fixed his eyes on Rishe, his gaze razor-sharp.
"That's what all this is for."
How can he convey such pressure with one eye covered up?
"Training in these circumstances helps us stay alive out there."
Rishe swallowed.
No wonder I couldn't beat him…