Chapter 25: Wooden Sword
The private training grounds of House Sterling were located in a sprawling open courtyard situated behind the eastern tower.
Leon walked out into the warm afternoon sun and immediately noticed the sheer difference in quality between this area and the muddy fields used by the common guards.
The ground here was paved with reinforced white marble designed specifically to withstand the destructive impacts of high level magical combat. Weapon racks lined the perimeter holding masterfully crafted steel blades and enchanted spears that hummed with dormant power.
A handful of elite estate knights and noble squires were gathered near the edge of the arena.
These men wore heavy silver armor and carried themselves with the arrogant swagger of individuals who knew they sat near the top of the food chain.
They were currently whispering among themselves and casting confused glares in Leon’s direction as he stepped onto the pristine marble in his tailored black attendant uniform. Servants were never allowed to set foot inside the sparring ring unless they were cleaning up blood.
Standing dead in the center of the arena was Lady Seraphina Sterling.
She had changed out of her velvet corset dress and was now wearing a skin tight dark leather combat suit that hugged every single curve of her athletic physique.
The material was intentionally designed to grant her maximum mobility but it also practically painted the generous swell of her chest and the wide flare of her hips for the entire world to see.
Her silver hair was tied back in a strict high ponytail and a thin sheen of sweat glistened on her pale collarbone indicating she had already been warming up before he arrived.
She turned her breathtaking violet eyes toward him and a predatory smirk slowly spread across her beautiful face.
"You took your time getting here Leon," Seraphina called out while effortlessly twirling a solid wooden practice sword in her right hand. "I was beginning to think the Head Maid decided to freeze you solid."
The surrounding elite guards chuckled darkly at the noble daughter’s mocking tone.
They clearly assumed Leon was nothing more than a disposable plaything brought out here to be brutally beaten for her amusement.
Leon casually ignored the heavily armored spectators and stepped directly into the center of the arena. He drew upon his massive forty five Charisma points to project an aura of calm confidence while meeting her intense gaze.
"Lady Beatrice simply had a few extra tasks for me to finish," Leon replied in a smooth resonant voice that carried across the open courtyard. "I did not want to leave her unsatisfied."
Seraphina raised a perfectly sculpted silver eyebrow at his bold choice of words.
Her passive Lie Detector aura flared with a sudden burst of competitive heat and genuine amusement. She casually tossed a second wooden practice sword through the air right at his chest.
Leon relied on his fifty five Agility points to effortlessly snatch the weapon out of the air before it could strike him.
The wooden blade was surprisingly heavy and carved from dense ironwood designed to mimic the exact weight of a real broadsword.
He held it awkwardly in his right hand because despite his Basic Close Quarters Combat skill he possessed absolutely no formal training with a sword.
"We are going to keep things incredibly simple today," Seraphina announced while dropping into a flawless offensive stance.
"No offensive aura and no destructive magic. We are relying purely on physical and martial technique. Your only goal is to survive for three minutes without begging for mercy."
Leon barely had time to process the rules before the Silver Goddess exploded into motion.
She crossed the twenty feet of marble separating them in a fraction of a second.
The sheer kinetic speed of her charge created a sharp gust of wind that whipped Leon’s dark hair across his face. He relied entirely on his enhanced reflexes to raise his wooden blade just in time to intercept her devastating overhead strike.
The loud crack of ironwood colliding against ironwood echoed like a cannon shot across the courtyard.
Leon felt a massive shockwave travel down his arms and rattle his teeth.
His fifty points of Strength allowed him to hold his ground and keep the blade from crushing his skull but he was immediately forced onto the defensive.
Seraphina did not give him a single moment to breathe as she unleashed a relentless flurry of masterful strikes aimed at his ribs and shoulders.
He was desperately backpedaling across the marble arena while frantically parrying her attacks.
Every single time their wooden swords clashed Leon felt his invisible Mana Skin straining to absorb the residual kinetic force. He was strong and fast but she possessed decades of elite aristocratic martial training that made her movements flowing and dangerously unpredictable.
"You are relying too heavily on your raw reflexes Leon," Seraphina taunted smoothly while elegantly spinning away from his clumsy counterattack. "Speed is useless if you do not understand footwork."
She suddenly pivoted on her heel and thrust her wooden sword directly toward his midsection.
Leon instinctively used his Aura Step skill to fold the physical space around him and violently teleported three feet to the left to avoid the crippling blow.
The elite guards watching from the sidelines let out loud gasps of pure shock.
They could not sense any mana from the servant but they had just watched him utilize a high level movement technique to effortlessly evade a master swordswoman.
Seraphina paused her assault and her violet eyes practically glowed with thrilling excitement. She was fully captivated by the mysterious attendant who stubbornly refused to fall down.
[DING!]
The crystal bell chimed in Leon’s skull right in the middle of the deadly sparring match and bathed his vision in a bright pink glow.
[Quest Issued: The Unruly Student]
[Context: The Silver Goddess is attempting to teach you a lesson about martial superiority. Turn her own lesson against her.]
[Objective: Use Aura Step to bypass her guard, slap her firmly on her exposed leather-clad midriff, and tell her that her footwork is actually quite sloppy.]
[Reward: Skill ’Sword Mastery (Basic)’, +15 Agility, 150 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: The Host will suffer a spontaneous and highly painful dislocation of both shoulders instantly ending the sparring match in pathetic humiliation.]
Leon stared at the digital text while dodging another lethal swing from the noble daughter.
Dislocating both shoulders would leave him entirely helpless in a courtyard surrounded by aggressive guards who were already looking for an excuse to kill him. He had to execute this suicidal maneuver perfectly.
He tightened his grip on his ironwood sword and actively stopped retreating. He anchored his boots into the marble floor and waited for her next aggressive lunge.
Seraphina saw him plant his feet and her predatory smile widened.
She believed he was finally exhausted and preparing to make a desperate final stand.
She lowered her center of gravity and launched herself forward with a devastating horizontal sweeping strike meant to knock his wooden sword completely out of his hands.
Leon did not try to block it.
He channeled a massive burst of magical energy from his novice core directly into his legs and activated Aura Step at the exact moment her blade swung toward him.
He vanished from her line of sight like a ghost.
Seraphina’s powerful strike hit empty air and her momentum carried her slightly forward exposing her left flank for just a fraction of a second.
Leon reappeared directly inside her personal guard standing merely inches away from her side.
Before her mind could command her body to pivot away he reached out his left hand and delivered a firm resounding slap directly against the tight leather covering her toned midriff.
The sharp smack echoed loudly across the silent courtyard.
"Your footwork is actually quite sloppy Lady Seraphina," Leon whispered smoothly right into her ear.
Time ground to an absolute halt as the Silver Goddess froze in place with her violet eyes blown wide in pure unadulterated shock.
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