[The Saintess, Anastasia Lacroix - 18]
[The Saintess, Anastasia Lacroix - 18]
Eris lunged toward Luke's shield.
Kka-ang!!
A loud sound rang out, and Luke, having blocked it with his shield, momentarily frowned and seemed slightly surprised.
Despite blocking with the shield, and despite the difference in their physiques, he seemed somewhat taken aback by the heavy muscular strength.
He must have assumed that because she was a quarter-Beastkin, she would be inferior to a half-Beastkin or a pure-blooded Beastkin, but Eris's raw physical ability was higher than that of a simple half-Beastkin or pure-blooded Beastkin.
Spinning her spear, Eris corrected her stance and looked at Luke.
Unlike before, Luke gripped the hand holding the shield even tighter and looked at Eris with a tense face.
'He's thinking that if he lets his guard down, he might get hit.'
"......."
Harold, who was watching, was also stroking his mustache as he observed the scene.
He didn't seem to intend to acknowledge her just because her raw physical ability was somewhat high, but it seemed he was still calmly evaluating her skill.
The Saintess-nim was watching while popping a cookie, from who knows where, into her mouth.
She puts at least three sugar cubes in her black tea and eats cookies as if she's breathing; I couldn't understand why she doesn't gain weight. I was a little curious if the Saintess's healing also affected things like obesity or diabetes.
"Hup!"
This time, Luke charged first.
He charged straight ahead, shield raised.
People might think shields are only used for defense, but surprisingly, they are also used for attacking.
If you get hit by that hunk of iron, what else would you call it but a weapon?
Since it's packed with magic power, if you get hit properly by an enhanced shield, you might go beyond feeling dizzy and even pass out.
Especially since people with low combat experience often don't even consider the idea that someone would attack with a shield, it was common to see them get hit in the face by a shield and pass out, even if they were superior in skill.
When a high-nosed noble came as a rookie on the battlefield, about 80% of them would get caught during training and get knocked out in one hit.
'But it won't be a problem.'
Eris dodged to the side, corrected her stance, and swung her spear at Luke, and Luke barely blocked it with his sword.
Since I had already talked about the possibility of him attacking with a shield during training, there was no way she wouldn't be able to handle it.
Shuru-ruk, Eris switched her grip on the spear and continued to drive Luke into a corner with erratic attacks, while Luke focused on defense, alternating between his shield and sword.
"She's going to win, isn't she?"
The Saintess-nim smiled as she watched Eris seemingly pushing him back unilaterally.
Well, it might look that way, but unfortunately, it was too early to rejoice.
"No, Luke still seems to have some leeway. He's just focusing on defense; he's not at a disadvantage."
He was looking for an opening.
After exchanging a few blows, he seemed convinced that Eris's physical ability was superior to his own.
In that case, he would naturally recall the month of training, and since it was only a month, he would assume her proficiency wasn't as high as one might think.
In reality, that guess was correct.
No matter how much time one pours in, there were limits to what could be done in just one month.
If she were someone who had at least received basic training, it might be different, but Eris was a blank slate who knew nothing, so time was even more scarce since I also needed time to explain technical knowledge.
Rather, it was amazing that Eris, who knew nothing, was fighting on par with Luke after just one month.
"If it were me, I would have won in one hit."
"Yes, I'm sure you would."
Since it's light magic with a penetration effect, it would have just pierced the shield and dealt true damage.
Honestly, I wondered if there was even a point in blocking it with a shield. It wasn't for nothing that I ran around like crazy when sparring with the Saintess-nim. I ran with all my might because I couldn't avoid a fatal wound if I got hit.
"Hup! Hup! Haa!"
As Eris continued to attack, Luke seemed to be losing his composure due to the increasingly heavy attacks, but his stance was still not bad.
'He's becoming emotional.'
As I said, Luke has a childish side that doesn't match his size, so the very fact that he was being pushed back even slightly by Eris seemed to hurt his pride.
Taking advantage of her changing her stance, Luke pushed forward with his shield.
With a gust of wind and a loud "Twa-ang!!", he sent Eris flying backward.
"Magic?"
"......Ahem."
Harold let out a groan, as if he were a bit displeased.
"Keo-heot!"
Eris rolled on the ground, gasping for air as she saw blood flowing from her nose. Somehow managing to get up, Eris ignored whether the blood was flowing or not and corrected her stance again.
Harold looked somewhat displeased. The target of that was probably not Eris, but Luke.
'Well, that makes sense. Using magic in earnest against a beginner like Eris... especially a novice who has just started learning, wouldn't look good.'
As I said, he was a bit of a rigid person, in both good and bad ways.
Luke also knew Harold's tendencies, so he glanced at him for a brief moment, but since it had already happened, he seemed to think there was no other choice and began to seriously increase his magic power to attack Eris.
'If they fight like this, Eris will lose, but if she times it just right.'
It was just as I thought.
Eris transformed, her ears and tail appeared, and her magic power skyrocketed in an instant.
Should I call it an absurd increase every time I see it? A strong physical ability higher than that of an average pure-blooded Beastkin had now manifested in Eris, and she dove inward to match the charging Luke.
"That's excellent."
"Really?"
"Yes."
The timing of Luke's charge.
The transformation done at the moment Luke thought he understood her movements and physical ability.
Furthermore, the unexpectedness that the transformation had much higher efficiency than the transformation a typical quarter-Beastkin does.
Everything combined, Luke seemed to have momentarily lost sight of Eris as she dove in.
"Oh no!"
He discovered her too late, and as he tried to block with his shield, "Chi-ji-jik!" Eris's spear was being enveloped in lightning.
And then, "Twa-ang!!" The spear, with its piercing power raised to the limit, pierced through the shield.
The shield, with its consciousness faded, had lowered defensive power, and Eris's attack, with her consciousness focused, had become the peak of attack power.
Depending on the situation, the highs and lows of attack and defense power occur, and at the moment Luke's defense power hit its low point, Eris made her attack power the high point and pierced through accurately.
"Keo-heot!"
"Hoo......!"
Losing his shield, Luke fell backward just like that.
"She won."
"She won."
"......."
Harold was silent for a moment, looking at the fallen Luke, then looked at Eris, who was gasping for air and still bleeding from her nose.
Anyone could easily tell that the meaning of his gaze had changed slightly from before.
Yes.
He was a rigid person, in both good and bad ways.
He could never break his word once he had spoken it.
He was a strict person, but he wasn't just strict with others; he was also quite strict with himself.
"Th-this bastard!"
Luke seemed a bit agitated.
He was about to lunge at Eris while imbuing his sword with magic power.
How childish.
Having lost, he seemed unwilling to admit defeat.
The feeling that he couldn't help but be hurt in his pride because he was defeated by such a young child was blatantly visible on his face. As I was about to step in, Harold moved before I could.
Kka-ang!!
Before it could reach Eris, Luke's sword broke, flew through the air, and fell to the ground.
"C-Captain."
"What a disgrace."
His face, with the gentleness gone and only coldness remaining, looked down at Luke.
"Luke, do you know what is disgraceful? Losing? That's not it. It is true that as a noble, being defeated by a pauper is something to be ashamed of, but it is not a disgraceful act."
"......."
"To lose in a sparring match and then rampage because you can't admit it, what a disgrace."
"I-I'm sorry."
"It is not me you should apologize to. It is your reputation that has become disgraceful. ......And I am not the one you should apologize to, but that pauper."
Harold hesitated for a moment before looking at Eris.
And then, "Ahem," he changed his words.
"Apologize to Eris."
"I-I'm sorry."
"I-It's okay."
The Saintess-nim said to me, as if slightly surprised.
"Harold is quite strong, isn't he?"
"No matter how much of a rear-guard unit it is, there's no way the person in charge of the Holy Knights Order would be weak."
"Is he stronger than you?"
"That would depend on the situation, wouldn't it?"
"You're stronger, aren't you?"
"......."
I didn't bother saying it because it felt a bit rude to voice that out loud.
"U-um. What happens now? I won, right?"
At those words, the Saintess-nim smiled and looked at Eris.
"Of course, Eris. You have proven it with results, and you will be by my side as my bodyguard. No one will be able to deny the result you proved yourself, and everyone here will be a witness to the fact that you defeated a Holy Knight and rightfully took that position."
You must seize an opportunity the moment it arrives.
Eris seized that opportunity.
Harold stroked his mustache and looked at Eris.
"Eris, protecting the Saintess-nim is a very honorable task even for us Holy Knights. Please, never do anything that would cause the Saintess-nim's dignity to be questioned. ......And congratulations, you seem to have excellent potential. I hope you will do well as the Saintess-nim's shield."
"Th-thank you. I thought you were a bad person, but you're actually a really good person, mister? I mean it, mustache mister."
"......."
"......Adrian."
"Yes, Captain."
Convinced that it would be meaningless to say anything to a child who was a pauper until recently, Harold moved a little away from Eris and called me.
"Make sure to teach her manners and etiquette first."
"Understood."