Chapter 121
“The whip doesn’t require brute strength. It relies on wrist movement and technique. It might be a bit tricky at first, but once you get used to it, it’ll become much easier,” Brina explained.
“Yeah! I think I can do it,” Hestia replied with determination.
She started learning how to use the whip from Brina. At first, it didn’t move as smoothly as she expected, but after a few tries…
CRACK!
She was starting to get the hang of it.
“Is this how you do it?”
“Yes, that’s right. Eventually, you’ll be able to do things like this too.”
Brina performed a few advanced whip tricks, and Hestia’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Seeing them so focused, Yovan walked over to Luciard.
“Looks like she finally found a weapon that suits her.”
“…Yeah. I never thought she could enjoy learning something like this,” Luciard admitted.
When he tried training her, she constantly complained—her legs hurt, it was exhausting, and she wasn’t sure if she was doing it right. But now, her eyes shone like she had discovered something amazing.
“Brina will teach her well. Since more female members joined recently, she and Yeluna have been in charge of their training,” Yovan added.
“I’m not worried. I know better than anyone how skilled you guys are.”
“Hah, you don’t really know. We’re much stronger than before!”
Seeing Yovan’s confidence, Luciard narrowed his eyes.
“Oh? Really? How strong are you now?”
“Strong enough to beat you!”
Luciard’s eyebrow twitched. He and Yovan locked eyes for a long moment. Then, without any warning, they both moved at the same time.
“Heh. You’re making me competitive. Let’s see just how strong you’ve gotten.”
“Ha! You’ll regret challenging me!”
“Scared?”
“Who’s scared?! Bring it on! This time, I’ll definitely crush you!”
As the two stepped into the center of the training ground, the knights around them grew excited.
“The young master and Blaze Mercenary Group are fighting!”
“This is going to be fun to watch.”
“Don’t lose, young master!”
The sudden commotion made Brina and Hestia look over in confusion.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, looks like the former captain and Yovan are having a duel.”
Brina’s eyes lit up with interest, and they decided to take a break to watch.
Luciard and Yovan drew their weapons, signaling the start of the duel.
BOOM!
The sheer force of their first clash created a powerful gust of wind. Neither of them backed down.
Brina sighed and muttered, “He’s been waiting for this.”
“Waiting for what?” Hestia asked.
“When Luciard was still with us, none of us could defeat him. Even our captain, Lavio, only ever fought him to a draw. Yovan and his twin brother, Ivan, even joined our group after challenging him and losing.”
They challenged him repeatedly, but never once won.
“But then, the former captain left, and we kept gaining experience on the battlefield.”
Since Luciard had been managing things from behind a desk, and Yovan had been fighting life-or-death battles, it made sense that Yovan would surpass him.
“Before, Yovan was known for fighting in sync with Ivan. But now, he’s strong even on his own. Honestly, I think he might win this time.”
Brina secretly hoped Yovan would defeat Luciard.
“Hmm…” Hestia watched the duel closely and suddenly smirked.
“I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”
“Huh?”
“That guy… he hasn’t been slacking off either. Just watch.”
Luciard’s and Yovan’s swords clashed again, sparks flying.
Yovan gulped.
‘Something’s off…’
Where were the openings?
Yovan had been so confident at the start. After all, Luciard hadn’t fought in a long time, and he had been battling on the frontlines daily. He had fully expected to win and brag to his comrades later.
But now…
‘Why does it feel like I’m the one being pushed back?’
Feeling uneasy, Yovan tried to create an opening. He knocked Luciard’s sword aside with his left-hand sword and swung his right-hand sword toward Luciard’s stomach.
“Yovan, I told you before—don’t get impatient,” Luciard murmured.
Realizing his mistake too late, Yovan tried to retreat, but Luciard was faster.
He dodged back, avoiding Yovan’s attack, then immediately closed the distance again, striking Yovan’s stomach with the flat of his blade.
“Ugh!”
Yovan gasped as he was sent tumbling backward.
Brina jumped up in shock, while Hestia smirked knowingly.
“If I had used the sharp edge, you’d be seriously injured. You know that, right?”
“Ugh… What the hell?! Why are you still this strong?! Shouldn’t you have gotten weaker by now?!”
“Winning isn’t about taking it easy on your opponent. Go train more.”
Luciard ruffled Yovan’s hair before dragging him back toward the group.
Brina, still in disbelief, mumbled, “Unbelievable… Are we still not at his level? Or did he actually get stronger?”
“He got stronger,” Hestia answered.
“But… doesn’t he have tons of work to do?”
“Oh, he’s always drowning in work. But he still trains at least an hour a day. Otherwise, he says his body gets restless. I bet no knight here has fought him and won.”
The only one who ever fought him evenly was Lloyd, but even he never surpassed Luciard.
“He’s just more suited for fighting than thinking.”
Brina groaned. “Ugh, geniuses are so annoying. We nearly die training, but he just stays ridiculously strong no matter what…”
Hestia chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
Luciard, still dragging Yovan, raised an eyebrow.
“Brina says you’re annoying,” Hestia teased with a smirk.
“What?”
Luciard turned to Brina with a confused expression, and she shouted in frustration.
“If the former captain is still this strong, what does that make us who are still fighting on the frontlines?”
“Well, you should have gotten stronger.”
“Wow, that’s such an annoying thing to say. I’m telling everyone.”
“Aaah! Don’t tell them! If Ivan finds out I lost, he’ll definitely make fun of me!”
As the three of them bickered loudly, it became clear how Luciard must have spent his time back when he was part of the mercenary group.
Even Luciard, who had seemed a bit more mature, was now laughing mischievously and joking around with them.
Seeing them like that made Hestia smile as she watched them playfully argue.
“Yovan! Brina!”
Leonhard spotted Yovan and Brina and ran toward them.
Yovan lifted the boy up with ease. He was already ten years old, so he was getting quite heavy.
“Oh wow! Our little prince has grown so much!”
“It’s been about eight months since we last met, right?”
“Yeah! Last time, different people came instead of you two. I missed you both.”
Hearing that made Yovan and Brina emotional.
“How long will you stay this time?”
“We’re planning to stay for about two weeks.”
“We’ll be here for two days, then head to Larkrin.”
“Larkrin? That’s where the refugees are, right?”
Leonhard turned to Hestia at the familiar name.
“Yes, but it’s now called Novelli Town.”
Larkrin was originally a barren land in the south, considered useless. But now, it had been turned into the Novelli Refugee Settlement.
Refugees from all over, not just the south, had gathered there, turning it into an entire village.
Since even Larkrin wasn’t enough to house all the refugees, a new settlement had been opened in the north six months ago.
“Wow, honestly, if it weren’t for Hestia and the former captain, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“We’ve visited other refugee settlements in different countries, but this one treats people the best.”
“That’s thanks to the citizens of Novelli. It wasn’t easy at first.”
Many refugees had lost their homes, belongings, and everything they had. Naturally, they were exhausted and on edge.
At the beginning, some of them caused trouble.
“We welcome those who follow the law. But if they don’t, they have to face the consequences.”
Hestia had been strict from the start. She didn’t let any bad behavior slide, knowing that problems would grow if she did.
However, she didn’t want to rule through fear either. Those who followed the rules were given proper treatment.
“They all had their own jobs and skills back in their homeland. And they still need to work to survive.”
At first, strong men were assigned to land development, while women cooked and did other tasks to help them sustain themselves.
Once the village was properly formed, their skills were assessed, and they were given new jobs or training to adapt to Novelli’s systems.
“More than anything, Lavio and Neville’s families were a huge help.”
Before the mercenary group left, they had promised to protect their families by bringing them to a safe place.
Two months later, the Blaze Mercenary Group brought their families to the kingdom.
Since they understood the situation well, they volunteered to act as mediators between the refugees and the locals.
Thanks to them, even when small conflicts arose, they were resolved before turning into serious issues.
Leonhard, who had been listening quietly, suddenly raised his hand.
“I know about this! I learned about it from Teacher Louis today!”
“You did, Your Highness?”
“Yes! My teacher said the war might end soon! But is that really true?”
“That’s a great thing to learn! And yes, it’s true. The war will likely end within a year.”
“Wow!”
Luciard’s face lit up at the news.
“If it ends… does that mean the Second Prince will win?”
“Yes, that’s right. The First Prince’s army is nearly gone, and the people are all on the Second Prince’s side now. It won’t last much longer. The First Prince has locked himself in the palace and is just holding out.”
“That’s great news! The people of Novelli will be so happy to hear it.”
As they talked as if the war was already over, Hestia fell into deep thought.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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