Chapter -014.
Chapter -14.
Effie handed the sword to Miss Daphne, saying, "Here is your sword, Miss Daphne." However, just as Daphne was about to take it, Herald intervened, "For this duel, there's no need for real swords; wooden ones will suffice. Adam, get us two wooden swords."
Although Herald couldn't interfere in the duel at this point, he could still manage the aftermath if needed. Daphne, however, was not pleased with this decision. Approaching Herald, she asked, "Uncle Herald, are you worried that I might get hurt?"
Upon hearing the question, Herald couldn't help but smile and replied, "Why would I be worried? I'm simply concerned about that overly confident individual. I fear that if you had real swords, you might end up injuring him. And you know what the family head would do if that happened, don't you?"
Daphne was surprised by the unexpected response and instinctively asked, "Are you teasing me, Uncle?" Harald promptly responded without hesitation, "No, you could say it's my trust in you after teaching you swordsmanship for so many years."
Seeing the uncle and nephew engrossed in conversation, Effie saw an opportunity. Her husband had gone to get the wooden sword from a soldier, so she knew Lucian was nearby. Initially worried that Lucian wouldn't understand why she had mentioned telling him about the training location the next day due to his innocence, she was now relieved to see him standing in front of her.
Now she just needed to inform him about her plans for the night, when they would be alone and could train wholeheartedly while being close to each other; as she thought about it, her face suddenly turned red and she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. However, she managed to control her wild fantasies and took out the note she had written that morning.
While holding the swords, she sneezed while grabbing the note with the same hand.
Achoo~
The delicate sneeze went largely unnoticed, but Lucian, whose attention was solely on Effie, observed as the swords slipped from her grasp, along with some white paper-like substance.
Bang~
The noise of the sword hitting the ground did catch attention, but Lucian's focus had shifted to the paper, remembering what Effie had told him the previous afternoon. He swiftly picked up the note and allowed an unknown soldier to retrieve the swords. Lucian then slipped back into the shadows without being detected, tucking the paper into his warrior robe. He nodded at Effie, who was now thanking the soldier for picking up the swords.
In the meantime, Daphne observed Effie retrieving the sword from a soldier and expressing gratitude to him. She walked over to Effie and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
Effie smiled upon seeing the worry on Daphne's face and reassured her, "Yes, I'm fine. Maybe I've developed an allergy to dust from staying indoors all the time?" She chuckled at her own joke.
Daphne let out a sigh as she saw Effie smile. There were times when Effie was fiercer than any other warrior Daphne had seen, but now, looking at her current condition, Daphne felt nothing but pity for her. Since Effie was going to stay for the month, Daphne was determined not to let her live a boring life. "Don't scare me like that. What would I do if you really developed an allergy? Who would come with me on the hunt two days later?" she said.
"Haha, I was just joking. And anyway, how could I let such an opportunity of letting my itchy self beat up orcs pass by," Effie said, smiling as she placed her hand on Daphne's cheek. More importantly, how could she let such an opportunity of getting close to Lucien pass by? There was no way she would not do it.
Meanwhile, the soldier standing down the podium observed the two beauties laughing with each other, exposing their well-built bodies with each movement. They couldn't help but sigh. They were willing to throw away their lives to protect such beauties, but at the same time, they knew that even if they were to do that, none of the beauties would even look at their pitiful selves.
"Let's get to the business now that the wooden swords are here," announced Herald loudly, surprising everyone. Amidst the surprise, one person looked more amused than startled - Abraham, who had been pushed into the background for a few minutes, finally smiled when he saw the swords brought onto the stage. It was his time to shine, after all.
Adam approached Herald and tossed the wooden sword at Abraham with a dismissive air, as though he was insignificant. Then, with a smile, he handed the wooden sword to Daphne.
Abraham, observing Adam's obsequious behavior, spat in disgust and silently vowed to humiliate him by making him wear green hat. But before he could dwell on his anger, a composed voice interrupted him, "Alright, old mister, if you're done daydreaming, step forward." It was the young wench. He had intended to take it easy on her, but it seemed she was just as arrogant as those around her.
With a vow to teach the young wench too a lesson in his heart, Abraham maintained a pleasant smile on the outside and responded, "As you wish, young miss," while casually testing the weight of the sword.
As Daphne and Abraham strolled to the center of the stage, Effie and Adam moved to the sidelines. Meanwhile, Herald stepped forward and declared, "This is just a normal duel, so there's no need to take it too seriously. You both understand that, right?" After seeing both nod in agreement, he sighed and joined Effie and her husband, ready to intervene if anything went awry.
Abraham, who had already pictured how it was going to go in his mind, extended his free hand forward and then said, "young miss, you can attack first."; the young wench was too cocky for her own good, so with this opportunity he was going to teach her a lesson while showing the big between their strength.
Upon hearing that, Daphne, who had her own plan, smiled and said, "Alright, here I go." She then assumed a relaxed position, leaving the soldiers at the podium puzzled about her intentions. Suddenly, she vanished from her original spot and reappeared in front of the surprised Abraham, who had managed to block the impending attack with his sword.
Kttak~
In the next moment, a sound of a sword breaking echoed through the ground, followed by a forceful kick to the chest of the overconfident man, sending him flying off the podium.
'Sigh... this girl, I specifically told her to duel in moderation,' sighed Herald, as he watched the foolish warrior of his battalion being defeated by a girl ten years his junior, that too in one move after acting all cocky.