Fate: The Forged Arthur Pendragon

The first meeting around the one-legged round table concluded.

All three agreed to Suya's request.

Becoming a knight's squire would normally involve a ceremony where one kneels and pledges allegiance to an army leader or a reputable knight.

According to Merlin, even a Professional-level knight could have squires, and the position of knight's squire could even be sold for money.

However, since Suya was nominally already the leader of this cavalry unit, and the timid Dagonet wouldn't dare to let a King be his squire, the part about collecting money for the squire initiation ritual was ignored by everyone.

Suya thus managed to get his ticket onto the path of professionalism for free.

Traveling from Sir Ector's manor in Bourn's territory to the city of Saul would take approximately one week.

And the few people quickly took on their respective tasks.

Dagonet was to be responsible for spinning a yarn... for proclaiming the upcoming course of action to his cavalrymen:

Namely, the King's name must not be revealed.

The 'Ector' who led them here was actually a Heroic Spirit, a manifestation of Sir Ector's will, solely for them to meet the new King. During the night, Sir Ector's Heroic Spirit had ascended to reunite with King Uther under God's guidance.

The cavalry unit would then proceed as retainers of Sir Ector's second son, gathering scattered troops along the way, heading north towards Saul.

Lucan, having shed his disguise, rejoined the unit as a deserter and would serve as the King's personal guard.

For the next week, every morning, Suya would receive intensive training from Dagonet, Lucan, and Merlin, aiming to make him a qualified knight's squire and master the essentials of impersonating a powerful Master-level Swordsman.

However, this intensive training soon ran into an unexpected snag.

No words passed during the night.

The next morning, three hours before the cavalry unit's departure.

In the courtyard of the Norman-style castle.

Suya, dressed in a well-fitting white round-neck shirt, stood in the center of the courtyard, holding an unsharpened training iron sword, ready for Lucan's first lesson.

At this moment,

Lucan had taken off his 'Ector' blue and white armor, wearing only a tight-fitting outfit. He held a wooden stick he had picked up from the ground and slowly began to speak:

"An Apprentice is a conventionally trained individual."

"These individuals generally serve as miscellaneous soldiers in the army, responsible for logistics, basic reconnaissance, and horse care, not front-line combat."

"A Swordsman Apprentice is an aspiring swordsman who has initially mastered 1-3 Swordsman combat techniques."

"From the most basic Hook Punch, Heavy Slash, Roll, to the more advanced—"

"Side Kick, Flying Kick, Charge, Charging Slash, Rising Dragon Slash, Aerial Strike, and so on."

"After mastering these proficiently and becoming a formal Swordsman, one can then master higher-level advanced combat techniques, such as Moonlight Shard, Whirlwind Slash, Half-Moon Slash, Linear Impact, Infinite Blade..."

"But—"

"I will not teach you any of these."

Suya was listening with great interest. After all, who hadn't dreamed of being a swordsman when they were young? Even though the map had changed to Britannia, he could still indulge in some Greatsword action.

However, hearing Lucan suddenly say this, he couldn't help but blink.

"Huh?"

Lucan smiled, speaking unhurriedly,

"Those aren't very useful for the situation we're facing. You just need to know how to strike a pose."

"What you truly need to learn, what I will teach you, is an extremely difficult combat technique—"

"Quick Step!"

"Huh?"

Lucan glanced at Suya's bewildered expression, frowning slightly. He thought the kid was unwilling, but he could understand. How could such a noble person neglect learning stronger Swordsman techniques to learn a thief's trick?

He immediately advised,

"My King, don't be too ambitious. Even with a Master-level thief like me teaching you hand-in-hand, whether you can master this technique within 5 days is another matter entirely."

"No, what I mean is—"

"I know, I know. How about this, I'll show you what this combat technique can do."

"Watch closely—"

Lucan uttered a soft cry, lifting his toes and moving with peculiar, disjointed, and fragmented steps. His body swayed from side to side, and he became as elusive as a leaf in the wind.

Under the effect of the combat technique, he clearly adopted a posture to move left, yet his entire body suddenly and silently darted to the right, instantly appearing beside Suya. He was about to pat Suya's shoulder.

However,

The next instant,

A helpless expression appeared on Suya's face. His toes also shifted subtly, and he instantly dodged Lucan's hand, which was about to pat his shoulder.

Quick Step!

He had already learned this combat technique from the red-haired Professional-level assassin during their fight yesterday.

"Oh?"

Lucan looked at his empty hand with a hint of surprise, then raised his head to look at Suya, his eyes slightly astonished.

"The footwork is very nascent, and it seems to have some peculiar ideas, but it is indeed Quick Step."

Suya admitted, "I've already learned that move."

"I see." Lucan nodded, not overly surprised.

After all, he hadn't known Suya before, and he certainly didn't know what abilities Suya possessed. If Suya had been practicing this combat technique for some time, then mastering it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"Very good." Lucan acknowledged with a nod.

"That saves a lot of trouble."

"Quick Step is the most basic yet most difficult to master footwork among the Assassin's basic combat techniques."

"Among the seven major professions, it's the fundamental footwork that provides the greatest agility boost to the user. While it lacks the ferocity of the Swordsman's or Berserker's Charge, the ability to quickly disengage in combat like the Archer's or Lancer's Swift Dodge, or the unpredictability of the Mage's Flash, it is the footwork that can evade the most damage."

"Many advanced applications are derived from it. Since you've already mastered Quick Step, for the next three days, you'll practice the more difficult Quick Step Sidestep."

"Quick Step Sidestep?"

Upon hearing this, Suya remembered the Quick Step used by the red-haired Professional-level assassin he had defeated earlier, who dodged Merlin's magic petal bullets and Regalia impact.

It was an eerie ability that allowed the entire body to move parallel without moving the feet, almost as if instantly teleporting from one point to another.

"The key to advanced Quick Step lies in the power of your toes, distorting your bones and foot meridians to misalign them with your standing point, thereby enabling techniques like 'sidestepping,' 'quick turns,' and 'prepared leaps'."

"A beginner would probably need at least several months to master it."

Lucan then pointed to his own foot; he had deliberately worn open-toed boots to demonstrate the posture of foot exertion for Suya.

At this moment, he lifted his toes, but his toes were strangely twisted in the opposite direction of his sole. The veins in his entire foot bulged, and one could even see the normally invisible meridians under his arch protruding in a distorted manner.

"Watch closely, it's like this!"

Lucan pointed at his foot, about to demonstrate.

However, he had just opened his mouth, before he could 'teleport,'

He saw—

A figure swiftly flashed past him in parallel!

Lucan blinked as if he'd seen a ghost, frozen for a long moment before dumbly asking,

"You can do this too?"

[You have mastered Quick Step (Proficient).]

[Your Quick Step can now be combined with preparatory stances for maneuvering.]

At this moment, Suya looked at the distance he had instantly sidestepped with surprise, then secretly glanced at the subtitles that had appeared before him. He scratched his head and replied,

"Ah, I really couldn't do this."

"Lord Lucan, you taught it well!"

Lucan's expression instantly became a sight to behold.

"Is... is that so?"