Chapter 24
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Sparring with Lancelot
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Thanks to hurrying diligently from the morning, Charlotte was able to arrive right on time for the start of the trainees' routine, even after receiving treatment from Ben and leaving the annex.
She noticed the strange expressions on the faces of people glancing at her furtively, but she didn't think much of it.
She had no idea how much her heart was pounding just from being able to practice martial arts again.
On top of that, she was seeing the martial arts of this unfamiliar world with her own eyes for the first time. She had no intention of basing her foundation on anything other than Mount Hua's sword techniques, but it would still broaden her horizons.
Finding the training grounds was no great difficulty for the excited girl.
Betty had dropped her off right in front of them, and in one of the wide open spaces, she spotted a group of men and women dressed in the exact same standard uniform she was wearing now.
A burly man who appeared to be the training instructor stood on the platform, peering at a sheet of paper, then clapped three times.
The trainees, who had been lounging about, immediately gathered in one spot. Charlotte quickly slipped in among them. She could feel the eyes of the man and woman standing right next to her locking onto her all at once.
'Isn't that Lady Charlotte?'
'What are you talking about? Have you ever seen Lady Charlotte show up at the training grounds? From what I've heard, before the Setia family falls... oh my god!'
'Right? You see it too? What's gotten into her today? I heard she nearly died—what, did she have some change of heart?'
'Hey, watch your mouth! Sure, the family might have disowned Lady Charlotte, but who knows what she'll do to us. Last time, she lay down in the middle of the square blocking the main road, throwing a tantrum and demanding what she wanted. She even screamed... ugh. Anyway, she's no ordinary temper.'
Practicing breath control to draw in external qi naturally sharpened one's sensitivity to qi flow, and hearing improved accordingly.
Charlotte realized the whispering voices were all directed at her. She didn't care what they gossiped about, but the scrutinizing stares were annoying.
When she turned her head this way and that to look around, the clustered gazes scattered like startled birds.
Charlotte let out a small sigh inwardly. What was with this body—its original owner was just a minor side character kid, yet everyone treated her with such disdain. Well, it seemed the old Charlotte had been rough on others too.
At that moment, the instructor's booming voice rang out.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. There's a test coming up soon to select reserve knight order members. I'm sure you're all looking forward to it! Starting today, we'll prepare with rotation sparring in pairs of two, and in the afternoon..."
The instructor's words cut off abruptly the moment his gaze swept over the trainees and landed on a head of pink hair that looked unfamiliar. More precisely, the moment he realized that pink-haired head belonged to Charlotte Setia, the disowned daughter of the Setia Ducal House.
Her outfit was so different from usual that he hadn't even imagined it could be the duke's youngest lady.
It was true that even nobles eagerly volunteered to become trainees for the Great Bear Knight Order, and Charlotte was formally registered as one, but that was it. She had never shown any interest in training before.
'What in the world is this? And it's not like she's here to mess around—she looks serious. What's with that proper uniform?'
By rank alone, the instructor outranked Charlotte Setia, but in this place, the instructor's authority was absolute. Once you joined the knight order, you had to adapt to its internal hierarchy.
In the end, the instructor decided to pretend not to see her.
It was probably because Jerome or her older brothers had forced her to come out.
Avoiding sparring with that lady would prevent complaints, so mutual ignorance was best.
'She'll probably play sick like the other noble kids who hate training, lie in the shade, and go home.'
He tore his eyes away from Charlotte and quickly continued.
"In the afternoon, supplement your weak points on your own. This schedule repeats until two weeks from now, when the reserve knight test is held. Got it?"
"Yes!"
The voices of about fifty people rang out in unison.
The instructor nodded and gestured with his chin.
"First rotation pairs by trainee number. Number 1 with 2, 3 with 4. If your partner's absent, find another pair."
The large sparring ground was spacious enough for all fifty to find spots. They scattered familiarly. A short servant darted among them, handing out wooden swords.
No matter how much she racked her brain, Charlotte couldn't recall her trainee number or such details. After all, in that book, she was just an extra labeled "side character 1."
She hadn't even known she was registered as a trainee with the Great Bear Knight Order until that morning. No way the original story detailed that.
As she pondered what to do, someone approached with a grin and stood before her.
"Hey, Charlotte. In that getup, I almost didn't recognize you."
Charlotte gave a wry smile.
'Talking like a thug. I run into this guy a lot somehow.'
She tilted her head and looked up at the boy who had zealously tormented Joseph.
"What was your name again?"
At Charlotte's nonchalant question, Lancelot stared at her in disbelief.
Her attitude, as if she didn't even know his name, nearly made some of the kids behind him burst out laughing, grating on his nerves.
"Did you just... look down on me?"
"No, I wasn't looking down on you... I just asked your name."
A hint of genuine apology crossed Charlotte's troubled face. To outsiders unaware of the context, it looked like brazen teasing.
This time, scattered laughter erupted from the kids.
A flush crossed Lancelot's face.
Since the imperial banquet, perhaps? He'd been waiting for a chance to teach Charlotte a lesson, but the slippery girl always escaped, and he couldn't correct her behavior.
'But not this time.'
The foolish Charlotte had crawled into the knight order on her own two feet.
"Number 47."
Lancelot gripped his wooden sword and sneered.
Charlotte, not fully grasping his words, tilted her head.
"Your name's a number?"
"It means I'm your partner. Number 48, Charlotte."
Charlotte belatedly recalled the name of the boy standing before her.
Lancelot.
A side branch Setia boy who had bloomed with decent talent.
But his effort fell short of his gift. Probably, when Isaac became house head and purged the family's deadweights, he'd be repeatedly sent to the front lines and meet his end.
Charlotte grinned at Lancelot's gleaming silver hair and fairly large build as he stood arrogantly.
Seeing another boy hovering timidly behind him, it seemed his regular sparring partner was that one, not her—but it didn't matter.
She wanted a chance to spar with Lancelot herself.
Charlotte lifted her chin, smirked, and took a wooden sword from the servant.
She wasn't sure if she could win in this body, but she wouldn't dodge a fight that came to her.
Besides, wasn’t that a bit underhanded? Picking on a nine-year-old out of the blue like that.
'He'd feel so smug winning. Petty jerk.'
Charlotte chuckled. Those ignorant of the murim code needed to be taught.
'And that thick skull bullying Joseph in a group? It'll only straighten out after a good thrashing.'
"You picked me on purpose? Fine. Let's do it."
Lancelot's eyes widened. He'd expected her to back down and apologize if he challenged her to spar.
She was definitely the Charlotte he knew, yet her grass-green eyes gleamed with a spirit that seemed like another person's.
Lancelot thought this could be fun in its own way and spun his sword.
Finally, the moment to show her what for.
The kids in Lancelot's gang forgot their own spars and crowded around the two.
The instructor, who had been overseeing the pairings, noticed the disturbance and hurried over to Lancelot.
Those two wouldn't do. Lancelot wasn't the type to hold back for status, gender, or anything. Though still a trainee, his skill was top-tier among them.
No matter that Charlotte was disowned by her family, the instructor didn't want a major injury on his watch at the training grounds.
He was just about to blow his whistle to stop them.
"What's wrong? Looks fun—let 'em go."
Byaki Setia placed a hand on the instructor's shoulder.