Three days had passed and aside for the usual spar sessions I had with Bartov and my usual escapades to watch the night sky, nothing eventful had happened.
"Shall we begin then, young Lord" Bartov offered, picking up a wooden sword as he rolled the blade swiftly.
He was a swordmaster and was even more skillful with the blade than Secrust.
"Most definitely" I responded, picking up a blade myself.
My physical form had improved recently as well as my stamina and I could now go for hours, training extensively without feeling much strain from it.
But I was still lacking in my proficiency with the blade as well as with spellcasting.
Accurately speaking, my raw physical talent was the only upper hand I had in a fight, and that left me very unsatisfied.
Bartov stretched his blade forward, barely leaning as his stance reflected brilliance.
As I gazed at him, I resolved to try an offensive approach unlike the rest of the days we had fought.
Arming my sword with a low tier enhancement spell, I charged at him, blade clenched by my side, readying for a swing.
He stepped forward noticing my intention, as he craftily closed the gap between us before I could release my attack.
Moving feet first into his ambush, I decided to launch a late counter by swinging my right foot instead, but his sharp witted intuition caught on to my pattern of attacks, as he shifted backwards immediately.
"Does this have to be so challenging everytime" i muttered, returning my foot to the ground.
Since Bartov was refraining from landing any critical hit on me, he decided a precise hit that would incapacitate me briefly, was the best approach.
"Bartov, I want you to fight seriously because I'll be pulling all my trump cards in this fight" I warned, angered by his misplaced concerns.
"But are you sure young Lord". He repeated, snickering quietly as he retracted his blade.
Unlike how the question was usually asked, his was constantly geared towards taunting me.
"Just do as you're told" I reprimanded, watching him flex his muscles as he pulled off the over garment he wore, revealing a simple black kirtle underneath.
Without even as much as an utterance, he sprinted towards me in an instant. His blade had almost made contact with my face before I reacted, barely slipping past the brunt of his attack.
I leaped backwards immediately, charging my blade with mana as I swung it at the impending strike directed at me.
The sharp sound of our blades clashing together, sent ripples throughout the entire room, pushing me with a gust of wind.
He was somehow managing to even best me in pure physical strength as I could slowly feel my grasp waning.
"Is that it?? I thought you wanted a serious battle, young Lord" he taunted, stressing the last part to show he was mocking me.
I pulled my blade back momentarily, watching as the force dragged him towards me.
Then flashing a kick at him, I hit him, sending him flying away from me. My feet stung as I brought it down, but I shook the pain away and proceeded to add spellcasting to my arsenal.
A force built up in my palms, before forcing its way towards the battered knight, pushing him further away from me.
It was strange how he wasn't defending against any of my attacks even though he could, but I decided to pay it no heed.
Charging my blade once more, I pounced on him, sending a barrage of strikes at him, watching him deflect them in the last minute.
He made to retaliate as he stretched out his hands so I leapt back instantly, lifting my blade above my head as I readied for a counter in mid air.
But that was a mistake on my part, as his outstretched hand was merely a feint for another attack he was preparing, causing me to fall prey to his adept swordsmanship once more.
"Got you!" He yelled, dropping his blade to his left hand as he activated a sixth grade thrust skill in the same instant, striking me in the guts as my back crashed against the wall.
I got up quickly, hoping to shake off the pain that overpowered my senses but it was already too late.
Bartov was standing in front me, his blade brimming with energy as it shone with a bright white light from all over, closing in on my face.
I pushed my blade forward as a last ditch effort for a block, but it broke upon coming in contact with his strike, causing his own blade to crash against my chest and send me to the ground unconscious.
By the time I awoke, a dwarven healer was casting a healing spell on me, while Rosemary scolded Bartov.
I shrugged of the healer, supporting my chest with my right hand as I stood up slowly.
The healer also supported me, advising that I rest for a bit to achieve complete rejuvenation.
I clasped my palms together, showing appreciation as she waved both hands, flustered by my approach.
I then remembered her name- Nadi- the daughter of the owner of the inn we stayed at and an awfully gullible and nice character. But also strangely naughty for a sixteen year old.
She tugged at her brown hair, pushing it behind her ears, revealing the freckles that spread accross the top of her nose.
She was the first person I had seen with a nose ring in this world and just staring at how much it complimented her looks, made my healing process speed up as well as my raging testosterone hormone.
It quieted after Natasha stepped in, handing me a letter from the twins.
"Thanks Natasha" I offered, tearing off the cover as I rolled out the entire page.
"I guess I'll head back now" Nadi pointed out, getting up as she dusted her dress.
I sat up and proceeded to read the letter but was stopped immediately by the sudden whisper of Nadi, crouched down towards my ear as her hot breath grazed my outer ear and face.
"But if you want to thank me properly, come by to the free room this evening" she murmured, without even hiding her intentions in her smile.
'I thought beastmen were the wild ones??!' I asked myself, almost thinking aloud.
Even as I read through the letter, learning about the twins progress into the last stage of intermediate rank, my mind remained fixated on the request of the dwarf.
'This is ok right, since it's a fantasy realm I won't get in trouble even if I'm caught right?'
I asked, trying to find justification for my next move.
That evening, in order to appease Milo's raging hormones, I visited the young dwarf, accomplishing yet another feat that Milo couldn't have.
'What a wild night!' I thought to myself, as I laid sprawled on the fur mounted bed, naked and panting while the naughty maiden, slept silently.
******
{Day before departure}
"You asked for me? You said it was urgent, I came as soon as I heard" I queried, sitting beside the old dwarf who was huddled down before a fire.
"Ah, you're here. I crafted a blade from the rock you gave to me and it was a success" He reported, smiling in contempt as he handed me a raisin black longsword, as light as a feather and the sharpest object I had ever held.
"You did this only front that small sample" I asked, feeling efficient balance as I swung the blade.
"Surprised huh?? I too was surprised by how it was possible. Never in my life as a craftsman have I come accross such metal" he praised, looking at the blade like it was a part of god.
"How much do I owe you" I enquired, picking up the scabbard. Since the blade was extremely sharp, the scabbard was made using the same constituent.
The sides were lined with the metal, with small pores at certain spots, allowing for the leather and wood to be interlocked neatly.
"It's on the house." Bomon complimented, smiling wryly in accomplishment.
I didn't indulge him thereafter, not wanting to pass off on a free service but I still left him some gold pieces out of appreciation for the neatness of his work.
"Are you done with your affairs, young Lord" Natasha inquired, staring at me as I stepped out.
I flashed a smile at her and we departed, heading back to the inn.
As we passed through the main hall, I met Nadi, coming down with her mother. She waved at me from a distance, winking as she signaled me of our meet up.
I returned the gesture, turning to meet Natasha's judgemental gaze in the process.
"That makes it the third time this week young Lord. I heard dwarven kind tend to get attached to their first mate" She advised, walking ahead of me.
"That's your concern really??" I muttered, walking towards a window.
We had stayed later than intended due to how long it took Bomon to forge my blade, but now that it was all done, we were set to depart for Ethos finally.
"I guess it's been a month huh" I sighed, staring at the damp clouds that formed outside the window of the balcony.