Isaak stood in the middle of the courtyard, with the Vowless on one side, and Lundis on the other, sitting on a broken tree trunk, gazing at Isaak's terrifying aura. He muttered, placing one hand over the other:
"This training… it feels strange… but I can't describe how."
Isaak spoke in a loud, deep voice, his hands firmly behind his back:
"Training is the essential thing in order for you to grow and become someone who can be relied upon in battle."
And he continued with the same tone:
"So we have six months, a good amount of time to refine our strength and bring down the infrastructure of the kingdom… as for the Sovereigns, leave them to me…"
"But today, I want each one of you to teach Lundis your special technique."
marceline chuckled lightly and spoke with a slightly mocking tone:
"I apologize for my beautiful laugh, but is there anyone in the world capable of learning all the skills?"
"I suppose it's a rare type… judging by the look of Lundis, he doesn't seem to have those qualifications."
Lundis looked at her with cold eyes and said nothing. Eric was up in the tree and spoke in a mysterious tone:
"marceline is right, no one can learn all skills—especially if they come from different people."
Tawakizra, eyes closed, slowly opened them, stepped forward to the center of the courtyard, and spoke in a deep voice:
"Too many words are forbidden—this is one of the sayings of Saint Sin in his writings… so we don't know until we try it. Isn't that right, Lundis?"
Lundis' eyes widened, and he whispered softly to himself:
'That phrase… I heard it from Saint Sin himself?! It seems Tawakizra is a well-read and wise man, not reckless.'
Lundis stood up, walked toward the middle of the courtyard, and stood face-to-face with Tawakizra at a short distance. He smiled and spoke calmly:
"Wise words from you, unlike some others who think shallowly."
Tawakizra returned the courtesy with another smile, then spoke in a low tone:
"No need for empty talk… I'll show you the technique I learned. Simply put, you'll see a sword coming toward your stomach, but in truth, it's aimed at your head… two blades will appear before you, and you'll have to dodge the real one."
'What a complicated and terrifying move… I want to learn it badly.' Lundis whispered quietly.
"And now, I'll show you how it's done with this wooden sword."
Tawakizra swung his sword and muttered a faint, inaudible word… Two blades appeared before Lundis. He was stunned—it was hard to tell which was real and which was false.
'What?! How am I supposed to dodge this now?'
Lundis quickly retreated backward, but Tawakizra advanced… trying to mislead his movement. Yet Tawakizra's eyes remained closed.
Then he appeared behind Lundis and struck his back with the wooden sword. Tawakizra smiled and said:
"Do you have eyes on your back, Faithless?"
But the wooden sword never touched Lundis' back. Instead, Lundis had placed his own sword in a slightly straight and slanted angle, blocking the true blade.
Everyone was shocked—even some were muttering to themselves…
"I've been with Tawakizra for a long time, but I've only ever blocked his sword a few times." marceline spoke in a surprised tone.
"I knew he'd be amazing just from his muscles, nyaaa~" Julian said with a lovely tone, placing one hand over the other and smiling.
As for Lady Arlequin, she looked with half an eye, completely indifferent, her cold eyes showing no care.
Lundis smiled, fixed his messy hair, and said to him:
"It seems this is the art of the Inverted Cross Blade, which belongs to the forgotten hunter 'Pantry Stone'…"
Tawakizra set the sword aside and spoke in a steady voice with a cold smile:
"It seems you know something about the art of the Inverted Blade? Impressive…"
"For your information, there are people who can produce a hundred false blades. Until now, I've only managed to create one."
"I noticed your lips moved—what were you saying before you swung your sword?" Lundis asked curiously.
Tawakizra was slightly surprised and replied firmly:
"You're very observant… I uttered the incantation that releases the blade."
"And whoever learns this art must think of a word with a majestic aura and an ancient legacy… and not everyone can master it."
He paused for a short moment, then continued with the same tone:
"But you? I bet you can do it… Before you swing your sword, utter the word within two seconds, and a false blade will appear alongside the true one—but your opponent won't be able to tell which."
Lundis looked at the wooden sword, thinking of a deep word circling in his mind… until he remembered one—majestic, and frightening at the same time.
He swung his sword quickly, murmured faintly to himself, and a wavering false blade appeared alongside the true one… Everyone was astonished.
Isaak smiled silently as he watched… Tawakizra smiled the smile of someone who had expected this… trying to determine which blade was real. But soon, the incantation faded.
Lundis was surprised, staring at the wooden sword. Tawakizra spoke, astonished:
"I don't know how to put it, but you've surprised me… You'll need to train that move many more times. It seems the word you spoke carried great weight."
Faithless smiled and said calmly:
"Yes… it was great indeed…"
'Archimedes… the name of the king who died standing, and whose soldiers feared to approach him for a hundred years.' Lundis whispered softly.
Tawakizra turned away smiling… and before Isaak could speak, marceline stepped forward into the courtyard, standing before Lundis. She lowered her head toward his face since she was taller than him.
She spoke in a beautiful, mocking tone, placing a hand on her waist:
"You've surprised me with your potential, Prince Lundis…"
"How about I show you my skills? Let's see if you can learn them as you did the art of the Inverted Cross Blade."
Lundis spoke in a cold tone, smiling at her beautiful face:
"I love challenges—especially when they come from a lady as beautiful as you."
marceline's face blushed like a red rose in bloom. She turned away and smiled gracefully.
"At first, this move… I haven't mastered it yet, even until now… it's called Royal Guard.
"You must block the enemy's strike at the perfect time, flawlessly… and if you succeed, a red aura will appear and reflect the blow back at its wielder."
Lundis placed his index finger on his chin and spoke in an amazed tone:
"Royal Guard… from the name, it must carry an ancient legacy. And I see it as an utterly perfect technique."
marceline rubbed her nose and said to him confidently:
"That's right—it comes from the Kingdom of Van Bersen. My father learned it there, and he passed it on to me… And I want to see if you'll be able to learn it too."
Lundis smiled and said to her:
"Very well… let's give it a try."
Marceline smiled and placed her right hand in the shape of an L, then positioned her left hand horizontally near the right one. She bent her body slightly forward, her right foot placed ahead of her left.
"This is the blocking stance called the Royal Guard… now I want you to strike me with the sword."
Lundis raised the wooden sword and struck at Marceline… but she failed the first time.
"See? I need to execute it faster before the sword hits me by a fraction of a second. That's why I have so many scars on my body, though I hide them." Marceline said, looking down at her hands.
"Try striking me again."
Lundis swung the sword once more, but she didn't succeed… After four attempts, Lundis slashed with his sword and Marceline blocked the strike perfectly, releasing a red aura.
The blow was reflected back at him… Lundis was sent flying, shocked by what had just happened. Before he could crash into the tree, Marceline caught his body.
"See? You'll need plenty of time to master it… Do you want to try the move yourself?"
Lundis nodded his head… He walked to the middle of the yard and began practicing the Royal Guard stance. After several tries, he managed to execute the stance, though not quickly.
"That's good, you've learned the stance. But now let's see if you can block the strike perfectly." She said with a smile.
Marceline continued:
"Now, I will swing the sword, and I want you to block it flawlessly."
Marceline swung the sword the first time, but Lundis failed to block.
"That's fine, the first attempt is always unsuccessful, so try again."
Marceline struck at Lundis a second, third, and fourth time… until the fifth attempt when a red spark burst out, but quickly disappeared due to him shifting from his stance.
Marceline was astonished, speaking in a stunned tone:
"You're such a fast learner… I bet the next time you'll manage to—"
She didn't finish her sentence. Someone grabbed her shoulder. It was Lady Arlequin. She walked past Marceline, stepping toward Lundis.
She stood in front of him and spoke in a sharp tone:
"It seems you have talent, son of the Emperor… How about a light duel… between you and me?"
Everyone was shocked by her words, no one uttered a sound… but Marceline spoke with an angry tone:
"Arlequin, can't you see we're in the middle of a training session?"
Before Lady Arlequin could respond, Isaak placed a hand on Marceline's shoulder and spoke in a heavy tone:
"Please, my dear Marcy, can you go back to your seat."
The anger faded from Marceline's face and she went back to her place. Julian spoke in a faint voice:
"Will there really be a duel between them?"
Eric, lying down and barely letting the words out, replied:
"I don't care… but most likely, yes."
Isaak spoke while watching them:
"It seems Lady Arlequin wants you in a duel… What do you say, prince?"
Lundis smiled as he brushed a lock of hair back:
"No problem. If Lady Arlequin desires a duel… then so be it."
Lady Arlequin smiled mysteriously and told him:
"You have a beautiful smile, Lost From Faith."