Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Endless Sparring
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Sir Evan, robbed of his chance to spar, felt unjustly aggrieved and was about to complain when Nihil, with Lianus cradled in his arms, pointed out a few of the knights gathered around.
Adolf, the one who had picked a fight with our adorable little kitten, wasn't among them.
Evan scanned the selected knights and frowned. They were sturdy compared to commoners but on the slimmer side among knights.
'Hasn't sparred lately, so maybe he deliberately picked ones who look weaker?'
But that didn't quite fit, since the vice captain, who had been standing there blankly, was included too. Evan didn't know much about the current vice captain, appointed after he himself became the prince's guard, but the lynx had told him to watch the man closely, so Evan doubted his skills were lacking.
As Evan pondered what to do, the lynx toddled over to each knight he'd picked, tugging their collars and pointing at Evan.
The knights tilted their heads in confusion at Nihil's actions, but Adolf suddenly bellowed at Evan.
"Draw your sword, rookie. Today I'll smash that green face of yours."
Evan sneered, curling his lip at the lame provocation.
"Heh, aren't you the one bragging about being over the hill?"
Even as he said it, Evan inwardly thanked him for the opening and reached to draw his sword.
But the lynx scurried back over and shook his head vigorously.
"Ah, why not!"
Evan grumbled in frustration, but instead of answering, Nihil pulled a pocket watch from his pocket and tapped it.
"No time?"
Nod.
"It's still the crack of dawn!"
Shake, shake.
Nihil shook his head again and demonstratively went to one of the knights he'd pointed out earlier, tugging firmly on his collar.
"...Spar with him?"
Nod, nod.
"What about that guy?"
Evan jerked his chin at Adolf, but Nihil predictably shook his head. Sparring was fine, but only with the ones he chose.
Evan narrowed his eyes at Nihil, then smirked at Adolf.
"Ha... Looks like the old ones are off-limits."
"Wh-what...!"
"Sir, if it's alright with you, would you care for a spar?"
Ignoring Adolf's sputtering, Evan approached the knight whose collar Nihil had grabbed and politely asked for a match.
The selected knight nodded in a daze and prepared for sparring.
Walter, watching the scene, decided to let it play out since no fight seemed imminent. It was personal training time anyway, so there was no reason to stop knights sparring among themselves.
Word of a spar drew knights training in the distance, gathering one by one. After all, nothing beats spectating a brawl for entertainment.
The chosen knight couldn't fathom why he'd been picked but saw it as a golden opportunity. He'd been curious about the rumored guard of the 2nd Prince.
Everyone called him a commoner rookie, so he'd assumed it was just trash talk, but the guy was huge yet looked surprisingly young. Probably just past twenty, he'd have been a kid five years ago.
Still, the fact that he kept getting mentioned even after five years away from the knights' order suggested decent skill.
Then came snickers from some knights—Evan's old training buddies from back in the day.
"Hey, Evan. Don't go biting like a dog again."
"......"
The young knight's ears flushed pink at that. He glanced nervously at the prince, clearly not wanting his lord to hear his dirty laundry.
But the prince himself rolled his eyes at the snickering knight and spoke casually.
"Sir Evan, why not bite him harder next time? Want me to do it for you?"
Lianus said it with a demonstrative snap of his teeth. Seeming half-serious, it drew a chuckle from Evan.
"No can do, Your Highness. He's filthy—didn't wash. You'd catch something."
"Oh, right. Nil says not to put anything in my mouth."
Lianus nodded solemnly at Evan's snarky advice, and Nihil nodded along, stroking his clever seaweed head.
The knights exchanged awkward glances between Lianus and Nihil, but the oblivious baby kitten perked up and asked,
"So, when does the spar start?"
At the innocent question, the knight dazedly began selecting a training sword.
The training grounds had separate racks for assemblable blades and hilts—not just to let aura users maximize their potential in this rarity, but also for young squires without custom weapons to practice with gear fitted to their build.
'Dual swords user, huh.'
Evan's eyes narrowed as he watched the knight assemble swords of different lengths.
'The lynx recommended dual swords to the prince...'
Seems he hadn't picked for Evan's sake, but to let the prince learn by watching.
Of course, as a sword user, Evan wouldn't recommend dual swords. They're defensively vulnerable and demand precise control, eating up training time.
He'd suggested shield work instead, but against aura, an uninfused shield gets sliced anyway—so better learn evasion, strike once, and run.
Shaking off the memory, Evan glared at Nihil, then assembled a true two-hander. Too bulky for guard duty, but his go-to for monster hunts.
A bit worried for one-on-one, but no better chance to test it, so he gladly accepted the handicap.
Loosening up with swings, the air whistled sharply. Used to one-handing longswords, the familiar heft of the two-hander felt welcome.
But despite his excitement for the long-awaited spar, Evan soon found himself getting pummeled.
Pok-pok-!
By the lynx, no less.
"...I said I was sorry..."
Pok-pok-pok-pok-!
Evan humbly took the lynx's jelly punches, looking a bit downcast.
Of course, he won the spar. For accepting a handicap, it ended anticlimactically in a few exchanges when the opponent dropped his sword.
The problem? That sword flew straight at the prince.
The lynx nearby hugged Lianus protectively—no injuries, but the squished kitten let out a "kwehk." The lynx's robe tore a bit too.
An unexpected twist, too fast for nearby knights to react. Without the lynx, our baby kitten might've been seriously hurt.
The near-victim himself stared blankly, dirt on his lapel, then subtly asked if there'd be more sparring. Seemed disappointed it ended so quick.
The opponent wanted a rematch, but already in the lynx's bad books, another knight got dragged over by his sleeve.
The new pick prepared, starting to assemble a longsword before the lynx stopped him, grumbling,
"...I've only used longswords in front of the other knights, so how'd you know..."
The opponent's first strike led to fiercer exchanges. Partly Evan holding back for the kitten's lesson, but this foe was clearly better than the first.
Still, Evan won. Overwhelming strength and size helped, plus his martial prowess let him dominate even at close, unfavorable range.
When the foe lunged for a hit, Evan dropped his guard instead of overreaching, closing in for a fist. He'd use a grounded sword as shield for counters or springboard leaps.
Some spectators derided it as "street brawling" or "dirty tricks," but none left. Straight swordplay was the order's norm—this was rare spectacle.
"Sir Evan, you're amazing!"
Lianus bounced happily as his knight won. Aura-less or not, it thrilled him. With training, maybe he could pull off something that cool.
Walter nodded slightly, approaching Evan.
"Sir, it'd be great if you sparred like this in the order sometimes. Your style's unique—good for the others' experience."
"Ah..., well......"
Evan flushed at the sincere praise, fumbling for words, when something tugged his collar from below.
The lynx, robed to hide ears and tail, pretending not to be a lynx.
Wondering what he'd messed up now, Evan asked timidly,
"...What now."
"......"
Nihil tapped the pocket watch, dragging Evan back to the center. Then picked and hauled another knight.
"...Again?"
Nod, nod.
No rest, straight to next round—Evan raised a brow but had stamina for one more, so he gripped his sword without complaint.
But one became two, two three, four— even monstrous Evan panted hard.
"Hey! Huff, huff... you bastard! Heave... give me a break, huff... at least!"
Evan yelled at the lynx, already fetching the next—the vice captain, no less.
Nihil raised a brow at the whining pup, akimbo with crossed arms. Then tapped the watch irritably. No time.
"Argh, you're annoying!"
Evan jammed the true two-hander into the ground in frustration, strapped on a targe, and grabbed a longsword. Sticking to the heavy blade now was foolish.
Plus, the lynx had escalated, picking stronger foes. Fatigue from back-to-backs played in, but they felt more experienced.
Not just power—the leisure of veterans, adaptive strikes, unflinching blade tips post-clash.
Evan shot Nihil another glare. Nihil tilted his chin, daring him to quit.
Evan gritted his teeth. No one would bat an eye if he cried fatigue.
But...
"Sir Evan, you got this!"
With our baby kitten watching so eagerly, how could he back down?