After listening to Astrid's words, not only Lyra but even Elise, the head maid, who had always been expressionless, was a little surprised.
She had been taking care of Astrid for seven years, and Elise had never seen her with a sword, let alone take the initiative to find someone to fight.
"Her Highness Astrid wants to play on her own?" Lyra raised her face, her voice trembling slightly.
Although Astrid had shown many things in the past two days that were not quite the same as the rumors, Lyra still didn't think she was likely to be good at fighting.
Before, in the Alchemy Room, Lyra noticed that when Astrid was holding the cauldron for alchemy, the hand holding the metal edge was slightly exposed.
It was obvious that she rarely worked, and it took a lot of effort to lift something slightly heavier. How could such delicate hands often touch a sword?
"Well, I'm just missing a sparring partner," Astrid's pink lips lifted slightly.
In this fantasy world dominated by sword and magic, if you want to ensure that you can live a healthy and long life, in addition to a certain network and background, strong combat power is also an indispensable part.
Astrid didn't want to make a good layout, only to have Elise gone one day, and be casually sent away by an unknown little assassin who infiltrated her, resulting in a death ending even more embarrassing than in the original novel.
In order to survive, she must have a certain ability to protect herself.
Unlike Lyra, who often exercises and has excellent physical fitness, Astrid, who is a noble princess, does not carry a basket in her hands or a burden on her shoulders.
And with Astrid's current mental power situation, she is not ready to take the path of knighthood.
She has the innate advantage of reading Elders Speech and can mobilize elemental power well. Specializing in magic is the best choice.
When Lyra recovered, Astrid walked up to her, her palm gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, her voice cold.
"It's inevitable that there will be risks in fighting, so I asked Elise to find two wooden swords that are not easy to hurt with, so that I won't blame you even if we get hurt somewhere."
""Don't hold back, Lyra. Show me the full extent of your strength."
Princess Astrid stood alone, exuding an air of elegance as she faced Lyra.
Meeting her gaze, Lyra straightened her posture, her sky-blue eyes calm and unwavering.
"If that's what you wish… then forgive me."
Through the elemental vision, Lyra was observed driving her mental power to increase her endurance and strength, and Astrid chanted the incantation at the same time.
A small wind flowed from the spine of the oak sword.
In the next second, Lyra rushed towards Astrid with sharp strength, and the training wooden sword in her hand swung straight at the opponent's arm.
I couldn't feel it just now, but now that I'm in battle, Astrid really realized how fast Lyra moves.
She was like an arrow off the string, so fast that it was almost difficult to react.
Trying to move the blade to block Lyra's fierce blow, Astrid's pupils slightly contracted.
The wind from the blade of the sword caused Lyra's slash angle to shift slightly, and the blade slid through the silver hair, slashing straight to the floor.
Without waiting for Lyra to draw her sword, Astrid seized the opportunity to quickly chant a spell.
As soon as her crisp and pleasant voice fell, a slowness spell landed on Lyra's body.
In an instant, Lyra felt a slight inhibition in the movement of her muscles and joints.
This unfamiliar stagnation caused her delicate body to pause momentarily. Astrid didn't hesitate and swung her elbow into Lyra.
The apprentice was almost halfway lost to the knight, as the former lost the best time to chant spells, and the strength of her limbs was far less than that of the latter.
Astrid didn't expect Lyra to be unable to dodge the blow, and indeed, she did.
Lyra instantly assessed the situation, her legs suddenly exerting force as her body slammed into Astrid, using the momentum to partially deflect the impact. She then drew her knife and slashed at Astrid's wrist.
No matter how fast Astrid chanted, it couldn't compare to direct body movements. Astrid felt a numb wrist, and the oak sword slipped from her grasp.
But Astrid hadn't expected to win against Lyra through combat skills alone.
The sword was merely a tool to assist in parrying the opponent's attacks. If it was gone, it was gone.
What truly determined the outcome of this match was magic.
"The spirit of the fiery fire, bestow upon me the power to scorch my enemies."
Sensing the danger in the air, Lyra knew she didn't have time to interrupt Astrid's spell.
Her little leather shoes kicked the ground hard, dodging the burst of flames while maneuvering behind her opponent.
The tip of her sword pierced through the silver hair, aiming for Astrid's back.
Just as Lyra thought victory was within her grasp, the tip of her sword, which should have met soft fabric, seemed to strike a solid piece of armor, unable to move an inch further.
"...Frost Shield?"
Realizing something was wrong, Lyra attempted to strike again, only to find her arm slightly unresponsive.
Slowness... No, slowness alone couldn't have this effect...
It's lightning paralysis... When did Princess Astrid cast that spell?
In truth, Astrid had been gathering thunder elements in the air as early as the moment she released the Slowness Spell.
The flamethrower was merely a diversion to force Lyra into the trap she had set.
"Looks like Miss Lyra is still a little behind..."
Before Astrid could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt her spiritual power cut off momentarily. A cold wooden sword slowly rested on her neck.
"Have I won, Your Highness Astrid?"
Hearing Lyra's voice, Astrid's expression remained unchanged as the girl placed the wooden sword against her fragile neck.
"You won."
It's no wonder that Lyra didn't use a single basic spell, it turns out that all her mental power was reserved for this move.
Arcane Counter, an apprentice-level spell that forcibly interrupts an opponent's spell when cast in close proximity to the target.
Hearing this, Lyra let go of the wooden sword and silently stepped back from Astrid.
"Well done," Astrid said, touching her slender neck and whispering praise.
"Miss Lyra is truly strong..."
Although Astrid hadn't intended to win from the start, her mental power was only sufficient to cast six spells.
She couldn't easily chant Elders Speech in front of others, making it impossible for her to defeat Lyra in close combat.
But losing in this manner was something Astrid had never anticipated.
"It's just a coincidence," Lyra replied softly.
Princess Astrid had only cast four spells throughout the entire duel, yet they had caused her significant trouble.
If it weren't for the decisive use of Arcane Counter, she would have lost.
In Lyra's heart, Astrid possessed extraordinary magical prowess.
Her chanting speed and spell strength far surpassed that of ordinary apprentices, and the electric paralysis spell she hadn't even noticed earlier was the best evidence of this.
Princess Astrid hadn't used her full strength. Otherwise, she could have easily defeated her with a high-output spell at any moment.