The Duke stood in a fool's stance, and it really made me want to scoff at him. Fool's stance may appear foolish and full of openings, but in reality, it was exactly the opposite.
To think that he was standing in a fool's stance meant only one thing; the Duke provoked me. When someone stood in that stance, never ever foolishly charged at them, you could die.
Allowed me to make an example. Here, I made a simple cut and--fuck. I quickly evaded as he thrust his sword directed at my throat. Damn. His speed was not a joke.
"Smart moves."
I didn't know if he was praising me or just mocking me. I gripped my sword tighter and stood in long point guard.
"Make sure to cover your sword with mana."
I hastily channeled my mana into the sword at the Duke's warning. He raised his sword and so did I. The moment our swords collided; our swords bound.
I could feel heavy pressure on the sword as he tried to control the bound. No matter how much I poured my mana into the sword, I couldn't win the bound. The longer bound took, I felt my hands become numb and more number. This explained just how big our power gap was.
I tilted my wrist to turn the sword's surface from edge to flat and parried his sword away. I immediately distanced myself. I glanced down and saw my hands trembling due to the impact.
"Where do you think you're looking!"
And with that, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and I kissed the ground. My sword was thrown away when I fell. It was just a split second, and now I was lying on the ground.
"If you're on the battlefield, you will surely die."
I sat and looked up only to find Gideon staring at me with his mad eyes. Well, I had to admit that I made a mistake there.
"Stand. Pick up your sword."
I did as he told and channeled my mana to my Earth Elemental. A magic circle was formed on the ground under my sword. The earth beneath my fallen sword soared up and sent the sword flying toward me. I caught the sword skillfully and Gideon could be heard muttering.
"Cheeky bastard."
"Pardon?"
He clucked his tongue and turned his back, walking away from me. So, why didn't I use my Elemental? The answer was obvious, I was currently practicing Weapon Art, so using Elemental was not allowed.
"En garde!"
I poured mana into my sword. Gideon was standing a few meters away facing me and we were both in long point guard stances.
He stepped forward to thrust and I responded by parrying. As his sword bounced, he instantly recovered and made a cut towards me. I hastened my movement and parried his attack.
--Bang!
Every time my sword deflected his attack, his sword would come back at me at rapid speed. Not only faster but more powerful.
--Bang! --Bang! --Bang!
His attack power increased every moment our swords clashed. I kept getting pushed while parrying his attack. Well, it was because I wanted his sword to stay away from my face.
--Bang! --Bang! --Bang!
Somehow it was really annoying. My hands become numb once more. Just how to distance myself from this madman? Come on! Think! Wait--
'I guess there is a way, it's quite risky, but I think it's worth trying.'
I saw his sword coming and as usual, I parried the sword but before his sword could strike me, instead of being ready to deflect his sword, this time I thrust my sword aimed at his wrist that was holding the sword, and the result...
I kissed the ground again. I heaved a deep sigh as I sat. I could vividly feel the sting of pain in my shoulders. That was why I called the move a little risky.
"Stand up. Pick up your sword."
.
.
.
--Bang!
I was thrown to the ground, again and again. I had lost count of it. My breath became rough because I ran out of stamina and mana. Now I wonder, did he really want to see my improvement, or did he just want to beat me black and blue? I forced myself to stand--
"Let's call it a day."
I straightened my back and met his cyan eyes. He looked at me like I was an interesting creature once again, which was disturbing.
"Also, I'm going back to my fief. There's something that needs to be done and I will be back, probably in a month."
"I understand. Thank you for today's lesson."
Ah, damn. I said it wrong. I should have said, 'Thank you for beating me black and blue.'
The Duke nodded.
"Your assignment for a month is Bow, try to increase your Bow's accuracy."
"I understand."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
With that, Gideon left the training ground. After making sure that he was no longer to be seen, I plopped my body to the ground. Damn. My body hurt a lot!
"Your Highness! Please stand up!"
"Your Highness, you should not be lying on the ground!"
"Your Highness, please be mindful of your actions!"
'Urg. Just why are they so noisy?'
.
.
.
The cup scattered the moment it landed on the floor. A black-haired woman stood angrily.
"Why is that little shit always making a fuss in the Imperial Palace?!"
Her chest jerked up and down, she was in her uncontrollable anger. Her golden eyes shone brightly with pure rage.
"So what if he is a genius or a prodigy?! My son is the eldest!"
"But still, the Emperor hasn't announced who will be the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing it, the woman became even more furious and threw the refreshment plates to the ground.
"Just when will he stop humiliating me like this?!"
The man in front of her remained silent. She closed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath before sitting down on the couch. After collecting herself, she looked at the man again.
"Just keep watch over him. I will throw the bait, and when there's a chance..."
The woman leaned her back on the couch.
"Completely dispose of him."
"I understand."
Unbeknownst to them, a boy who had a similar appearance to the woman stood in front of the closed door outside the room. He had listened to everything.
He stared at the door with his cold and indifferent eyes before moving his feet and walking away.
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