Led by Beatrix, the students made their way down the long Wisdom Hall, down to a large double door. Within it was an immense room filled with arenas and targets along with other sporting facilities.
Once everyone had entered the room, Beatrix gestured to her right, where a man stood. "Everyone, this is Logan Keswick; he'll be your swordsmanship instructor."
The man gently bowed his head. "It is a pleasure to meet you all; I look forward to teaching you."
Kedra was surprised. Logan Keswick was a short and plump man with balding brown hair and a small handlebar mustache.
'He doesn't exactly look like a duelist... Well, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover; if he's teaching in this academy, it must be for a reason.'
Beatrix quietly excused herself to the entrance of the room while Logan began gathering the students' attention.
"We will now begin the testing for this year's practical subjects. The tests will be held one after another with a ten-minute break in between each one. You may choose to sit out any of these tests if you feel disinterested in the subject at hand."
"Note that if you sit out a test, you will not be able to attend its associated subject this year. Obviously, it is the same if you fail the test."
Logan then showed a warm smile. "Despite this, I do encourage each of you to try your hand at each test, even if you think that you will not succeed. It is far more commendable to fail after giving it your best shot than it is to not even try in the first place."
He quickly gestured at Beatrix, asking her to fetch something from the storehouse. Then, seeing that the students were getting distracted, he snapped his fingers twice and cleared his throat.
"We will now begin the swordsmanship evaluation; students that wish to partake should step forward and form an orderly line; those who wish to sit this one out should find a seat near the arenas."
Following Logan's instructions, the class quickly split into two distinct groups, with some more enthusiastic to show their prowess in swordsmanship than others. The group that chose to partake in the test was primarily comprised of boys, with the occasional girl here and there.
Kedra, on the other hand, stepped forward without a second thought, much to the surprise of her classmates.
With the class divided, Beatrix finally appeared from the storeroom, wheeling out a rack of various wooden swords of differing shapes and sizes.
Logan beckoned the participating students one by one, asking them which sword they preferred and giving them a wooden equivalent.
Once Kedra made it to the front of the line, she took a long look at the weapon rack and became lost in thought.
'I could just go with a sabre, but my arms are feeling a lot stronger lately; maybe I could get away with an arming sword...'
Logan waved his hands at Kedra, trying to grab her attention. "Excuse me? Young miss?"
Kedra jumped before collecting herself. "Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought; I'll take an arming sword."
The instructor handed her a wooden replica of an arming sword before calling the next student forward.
Once each of the participating students had been properly armed, Logan led them to the arena.
He then turned around and clasped his hands together. "Now, for this test, you will all have friendly bouts with each other with the ultimate goal of delivering exactly one blow to any part of your opponent's body or simply disarming them."
"I will watch each match closely and grade you based on your movements, your coordination, and the overall quality of your swordsmanship. Each student may attempt up to three bouts, as it is difficult to gauge someone's skill level with just one duel."
"Without further ado, let us begin, first up, um..." He looked around the room and randomly pointed into the crowd. "You! Announce your name and choose an opponent."
Logan had pointed to a taller, blond-haired boy with sharp features and a cocky grin.
"Yes sir! I am Callow Murleigh of the Murleigh barony! I choose this girl as my opponent."
The crowd turned to look at the girl he had chosen and saw Kedra Deslandes at the end of Callow's finger.
She chuckled to herself before stepping forward. "I am Kedra Deslandes! I accept the duel."
Whispers began to emerge from the crowd. "Isn't that a bit cowardly? Asking to duel a girl?" "He must not be confident in himself." "I feel bad for her."
Logan clicked his tongue. "Silence! Both of them have agreed to the duel. Callow Murleigh, Kedra Deslandes, would the two of you please enter the arena?"
The young nobles followed his instruction and stepped into the arena, each claiming their corner.
Callow arrogantly spun his sword before looking to Kedra. "No hard feelings; you'll still have two tries left after I beat you."
Kedra simply scoffed at the child's words. "You might lose points if you talk too much; just shut that mouth of yours and prepare yourself."
"Huh? Now I'll definitely crush you, you arrogant fool!"
Once Logan gave the signal for them to start, Callow immediately rushed toward Kedra with his sword held high.
As he swung down, Kedra took one step back, making his wide swing miss. She spotted an obvious opening but decided to offer him a second chance.
'Is he serious? Where the hell is he getting his confidence from with form like his? His movements are a mess; his sword isn't even in a proper guard.'
Annoyed by his previous failure, Callow wildly swung his sword sideways. Kedra quickly blocked the clumsy blow and batted his sword away.
With her opponent left wide open, she flourished her blade and delivered a swift slash to the side of Callow's neck.
The blade connected with a loud thwack, and the boy fell to his side with a small red mark on his neck.
Logan clapped his hands loudly. "Stop! The winner is Kedra Deslandes. Callow Murleigh, please exit the arena. The winner will now designate another student to face off against."