Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

“Our young master, why are you so tense?”

“…”

At the wavering voice, Riley, who had been quietly meditating, opened his eyes. After a brief glance at the person smiling at him, he spoke.

“Get lost.”

“Oh my, how scary.”

To Riley’s cold reaction, the woman with a cute impression, Lena Isban, exaggeratedly shrank back.

“Don’t be like that. I’m just as nervous as you, young master. We might as well team up since we’re in this together!”

“Shut up.”

“Aww, our young master is so cold.”

“…”

Irritated by Lena’s words that seemed to grate on him, Riley turned his body away, not wanting to converse any further.

However, Lena slyly approached Riley and spoke again.

“Are you really okay with this? You seem displeased.”

“It’s my father’s order.”

“Come on, sometimes it’s okay to become a rebellious son and stand up to your father.”

“You should be careful not to be kicked out for your rebellion. Sir Rakhal has been keeping an eye on you.”

“Hehe, I’m fine. I’m friendly with Sir Rakhal and even have some leverage on him, so he’d be the one getting kicked out before me.”

“…”

Lena’s expression didn’t change at all, despite saying something rather bold, which made Riley’s expression slightly stiffen.

“Didn’t you ask if I’m okay? I’ll return the question. Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?”

When Lena tilted her head in confusion, Riley glanced over at the siblings who were playfully squabbling not far away.

“Both you and I will be on stage as jesters. It’s not a flattering position for you either, so are you sure you’re okay with it?”

“I actually like being a jester! It’s such a joy to receive attention.”

“……”

As if she truly meant it, Lena’s excitement shone in her eyes, and her cheeks even flushed slightly.

“Then why didn’t you become an actor instead of a knight?”

“I was planning to move to the theater world after retirement anyway.”

“I’ll support you. I hope you retire soon.”

“Aww, I plan to retire in about 50 years. How cool would a senior actor be?”

“……”

“Besides, isn’t it exciting? We’re up against the heirs of the Worden family!”

“So what?”

“What do you mean, ‘so what’? If we show them up, our recognition will skyrocket! ‘Miles who defeated the Sword of Worden’! Soon, I could be kicking our captain’s butt and taking over his position!”

“I do find that appealing.”

“Right?”

Although he wasn’t interested in taking over the captain’s position or kicking him out, the idea of gaining recognition by defeating the Worden made it somewhat attractive.

However, the opponent being significantly younger than him bothered him a little…

‘But still, they’re a prodigy who mastered the wave.’

At just shy of twenty, Riley had barely mastered the wave himself. Yet, those siblings were said to have awakened the wave at fifteen.

He knew well that the Worden family was renowned for its swordsmanship, so much so that his grandfather had personally stepped forth to establish a blood relationship.

It was not a family to be taken lightly, and he was aware that Aira Worden was the outcome of that effort.

“Don’t let your guard down just because they’re young. Even though they sent us here as jesters, winning or losing is up to us, right?”

“I won’t lose.”

“Yes, yes. I won’t lose either.”

Lena, who was smiling heartily, didn’t show any signs of tension.

Despite orders that made them act as jesters in front of everyone, no hint of discomfort came through.

She merely seemed intent on doing what she could in the present and enjoying herself.

“You must win. That’s an order.”

“Of course. And you win too, young master! And put that small family head in their place! While I’m at it, I’ll casually drop one of Sir Rakhal’s secrets to put him in a bind.”

“… One secret?”

“I have to release the rest one at a time to get some money off him. For my future theater life after retirement!”

Looking at Lena, who pumped her fist while snorting confidently, Riley couldn’t help but feel disconcerted.

What on earth had Sir Rakhal done to be in such a situation with someone like her?

He didn’t know, but it seemed necessary to inform his father soon and have an investigation launched into Sir Rakhal.

*

“What, is it my turn already?”

Aira pouted her lips at the sight of Riley glaring her way from the training ground.

There wasn’t a set order, but having someone blatantly gesture ‘You, come out!’ naturally made her feel displeased.

Noticing Aira’s expression, Christian spoke up.

“Don’t be tense and don’t let your guard down. Remember, the unexpected is where the real battle lies.”

“I know that.”

Christian’s words, which could be considered encouragement, advice, or even a taunt, further annoyed Aira, prompting her eyes to flare with irritation.

Soon, she stepped lightly onto the training ground and stood before Riley.

“…”

Riley continued to stare at her wordlessly. What was it about her that made him so antagonistic?

It was something she couldn’t comprehend, but she had no intention of letting her emotions affect her.

‘A duel, huh…’

She had participated in countless duels. Her most frequent opponent, unsurprisingly, had been Christian.

Since allowing her to land a hit, Christian had duelled with her every single day without fail.

Although those duels had been grueling and painful, the results were rewarding, and Aira valued them deeply.

‘There is always so much to learn from a duel.’

In duels with Christian, her father, and more recently with Liber, she had learned and experienced many things.

Therefore, Aira anticipated that a new duel could be an enlightening and joyful learning experience.

‘But this kind of duel isn’t really to my taste.’

Unless it was a naturally desired duel from both parties, being pushed into it like this wasn’t welcome at all.

‘And there are so many people watching. Are they spectators?’

She felt like an actor forced onto a stage to perform against her will.

All eyes were on her and Riley. Determined to keep her composure, especially with such an unusual duel atmosphere, Aira took deep breaths to steady herself.

“Damn it, why is Christian doing that…?”

Seeing Christian waving a large piece of paper that read ‘Go Aira!’ just made her more tense, resulting in her temples twitching unconsciously.

“Where are you looking? Focus, it’s going to start soon.”

“Ugh…”

At Riley’s cold words, as he drew a practice sword, Aira, who had been glaring at Christian, was startled back into focus.

It hadn’t started yet, but not paying attention while on the training ground was a rude act, akin to entirely ignoring her opponent.

Aira slightly bowed her head in apology. Riley’s expression turned into one of slight surprise but it was only for a moment.

“Are the two of you ready?”

As the two stood facing each other on the training ground, another person approached, maintaining a step’s distance from them.

No matter how much it was just a spar, there could be a chance for things to get intense, so having an overseer prepared was essential.

“I am McDowell Pile, overseeing your duel.”

And McDowell spoke to them.

“The rules are the same as standard dueling rules. However, for this occasion, the basic restrictions on the wave will be lifted. Do you both agree?”

“I agree.”

“Yes.”

The duel was arranged to check the achievements of the Worden siblings, therefore, restricting the wave was out of the question.

Although it was merely a formal inquiry, with the two agreeing, McDowell nodded satisfactorily.

“If the duel becomes too aggressive, I’ll intervene at my discretion to pause it. Please remember it’s a spar and ensure no accidents happen due to unchecked emotions.”

With that, McDowell took a few steps back, increasing the distance from the two of them.

“Give it your best effort.”

“Of course, I’ll give it my all. I hope you don’t use the excuse that you lost because you weren’t trying your best.”

“…”

Smiling brightly while digging into people’s insides, ryley’s expression contorted even more as he was reminded of Lena swinging her sword and cheering from behind.

Without any further exchange of words, he gripped his practice sword tightly and enveloped his body with mana drawn from his mana reservoir.

And then…

Paaang—!

With a clear and melodious sound, blue mana enveloped the blade of his practice sword. The mana wave encasing the blade signified its remarkable capacity.

Saaaah—!

Aira’s sword also began glowing with mana economy, but unlike Riley’s, it lacked intensity and merely shimmered like a faint mirage.

“With just that…”

Seeing this, Riley ground his teeth. The idea that he had to do this jester’s act to confirm such a trivial thing irked him deeply.

Nevertheless, Aira calmly observed Riley, no emotions visible in her eyes, and this surprised Riley momentarily.

“Begin.”

At McDowell’s cue, both Aira and Riley swung their swords simultaneously without hesitation.

It was a duel between the Worden and Miles families, where pride and reputation were on the line.