“Your swordsmanship…?”
“Hehe. What do you think? Not bad, right?”
Lena had gotten stronger. And the swordsmanship she had just used wasn't her father's. It was… Katrina's swordsmanship.
Lena said, twirling her sword.
“I tried copying that female knight, and it seems to suit me well. I think I know why you changed your style now. Uncle’s swordsmanship is a bit… sneaky.”
Noel Dexter's swordsmanship was stable. He, who had perfected his swordsmanship in a brutal civil war, always had a move up his sleeve.
In a war where no one could be trusted, where those you thought were comrades would stab you in the back, his swordsmanship developed in a way that was stable and focused on assessing the situation.
That was how Lena was able to throw herself at Katrina without regaining her composure after having her arm cut off.
She used the spare move she had been saving to launch herself at Katrina.
“Sneaky is a bit harsh, don’t you think? This swordsmanship also has a lot of tricks. It takes a toll on the body.”
Katrina's swordsmanship, on the other hand, was aggressive. She was adept at disguising powerful strikes as feints, and she skillfully mixed real and fake attacks, overwhelming her opponents.
Lena, fascinated by Katrina's swordsmanship, had combined it with the swordsmanship she had learned from Noel, creating a new form of swordsmanship.
Leo was genuinely impressed and asked for a rematch.
“Wow… that’s amazing. Let’s spar one more time. I was so caught off guard that I couldn’t see it properly.”
“Sure.”
He pulled himself together and faced Lena again... but lost.
Lena's skills had already surpassed his. It was to be expected since Leo couldn't use {Combined Attack} in a one-on-one duel.
“What do you think? Not bad, huh?”
“...You’ve just gotten better.”
Leo plopped down on the grass, replaying their previous spar in his head.
It wasn't just that Katrina's swordsmanship was good. Lena had become stronger by learning a new style. Her swordsmanship now possessed both a hidden reserve and deceptive techniques.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Lena sat down next to him.
She smelled of sweat.
“Leo.”
“Yeah?”
“...Never mind.”
“Why’d you stop talking? How strange.”
The wind blew past them, cool and refreshing. Lena called out to Leo several times, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.
***
Two flags were raised at the Kingdom of Astin’s army camp.
One was the prince’s, and the other was the Swordmaster’s.
The army camp was bustling with activity from early in the morning, and the soldiers’ steps were filled with anticipation. The presence of the noble royal family alone instilled confidence in victory among the soldiers, influencing the battlefield.
The Swordmaster went without saying.
Among the excited soldiers, a legend circulated that long ago, a single Swordmaster had chased away an army of fifty thousand.
Lena and Leo murmured as they walked through the excited camp.
“This is my first time attending a war council.”
“It’s my first time at a knight’s meeting too. Though I’ve been to meetings held by generals with the Centurion.”
Squires were allowed to attend knights' meetings.
But they had no right to speak.
This was because squires weren't assigned missions like knights were.
They were given tasks like ordinary soldiers, which in this case was to escort the general or chiliarch.
Knights and a few generals gathered in a tent.
Lena and Leo also identified themselves as squires and entered.
Inside the tent, the knights stood in a circle around a large round table.
As there were only a few chairs, most of them stood at attention, and the commander-in-chief, whom they had seen at the parade, took a seat.
Opposite him sat a man with thick hair, bushy eyebrows that bristled upwards, and almost non-existent eyelids that made his eyeballs bulge out menacingly.
At least he wasn't wearing armor that matched his appearance.
He was dressed in fine clothes that nobles wore, but unfortunately, the clothes were stretched taut over his bulging muscles.
“Let’s begin quickly.”
He crossed his legs in front of the commander-in-chief (it was a wonder his pants didn't rip) and hurried his adjutant.
But no one thought he was being rude.
Dressed sloppily and carrying a massive greatsword without a scabbard, his name was Arpen Albacette, the leader of the Kingdom of Aston’s 1st Knight Order and a Swordmaster.
[ Achievement: Swordmaster, 1/3 ]
Leo, stiff with tension, stole glances at the Swordmaster, trying to compose himself. He had finally met one of the strongest individuals in this world.
The civil war between the Kingdoms of Aston and Aster had produced two Swordmasters.
Baron Arpen Albacette rose to prominence near the end of the fierce civil war, revealing himself to be a Swordmaster. At the same time, the Kingdom of Aster also unveiled their newly emerged Swordmaster, proclaiming that they would not be outmatched in military power.
Their influence must have played a part in the quick end to the civil war.
If Swordmasters were hiding and swinging their swords around, no one would survive.
“The current situation…”
The meeting began.
As an adjutant spread out a map on the large table and began explaining the war situation, the tent, already crowded with dozens of people in the summer heat, gradually turned into a furnace.
No one showed any sign of the suffocating heat, but the Swordmaster, unable to bear it any longer, tugged at his collar and spoke gruffly.
“I understand. Then I will guard the rear.”
“Pardon?”
“I can't leave my post with the prince here, can I? I will stay by the prince’s side. You need not worry about his safety.”
“No, wait a minute. Baron Albacette. The Swordmaster of the Kingdom of Bellita hasn’t arrived yet. If you were to tear through the enemy camp now…”
The commander-in-chief tried to stop the Swordmaster, who was about to leave. But he only gave a nonchalant look in response.
“I refuse. And just because the enemy camp hasn’t raised their flag doesn’t mean their Swordmaster isn’t there. I’m staying in the rear.”
“B-But, Baron. This is…”
“Do not interfere with my independent command. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
With that, he left.
The commander-in-chief, generals, adjutants, knights, and squires were all left staring at his empty seat with bewildered expressions.
“Damn it!”
The commander-in-chief jumped to his feet in anger.
The chair clattered backward.
“He didn’t even show his face at the parade! That damn… ahem! I apologize. I’ve misspoken. Adjutant, please continue.”
The adjutant continued the explanation, sweating profusely, but the meeting ended soon after.
It had been a meeting purely to decide on the Swordmaster’s movements, and there was nothing more to discuss since the person in question had left.
The knights, their morale plummeting, left the tent, whispering anxiously among themselves. Leo and Lena also found it hard to hide their confusion.
“Why is he acting like that?”
“I know, right? Leo, didn’t your father say that he’s extremely belligerent? That’s strange.”
“My father talked about him?”
“Weren’t you there at the time? He said he was once his junior. He was subtly bragging about it.”
Flustered by the mention of a past he knew nothing about, Leo quickly searched through his {Noble Society} information and played along.
“Ah, right. I heard about it. I remember now. You said he came from a tribe, right?”
Having been granted the title of baron after the civil war, he was the only case of a barbarian becoming a noble.
So, he was somewhat underestimated compared to the other two Swordmasters who were nobles by birth.
Of course, it was just the arrogant conjecture of the nobles.
As if satisfied with his fabricated response, Lena nodded.
“Right, you said that because he comes from a warrior background, he likes to fight on the front lines himself, but this is strange. Is there something in the rear?”
“Well… the prince is there.”
Leo shrugged.
He thought he knew why the Kingdom of Aston was losing.
Although he didn’t know why…