The duel took place between the two and continued for an hour.
CRACK!
Sword on sword collided.
“Omg… Omg… !”
“Hey, what the heck!”
Both Jeremy and Tundra were exhausted. Tundra had minor nicks here and there but Jeremy was uninjured. Technically, Jeremy had the upper hand. It was normal; no matter how much Tundra was a born genius, the time spent learning the sword itself was too different.
Viola watched the duel carefully, and she asked while Hickson chuckled.
“He’s fighting pretty well though, isn’t he?”
“Huh. Well, it will be difficult for him to win.”
“No, Tundra must win. Because he is fighting on my behalf.”
Jeremy and Tundra rammed into each other again. Jeremy’s sword moved swiftly toward Tundra’s neck but Tundra quickly dodged the sword, thrusting his own sword at Jeremy.
“Tundra, is that all my hound can do?”
Tundra was obviously doing well. With the swordsmanship he learned in 5 years, he was on par with a swordsman that had learned for over 10 years.
Viola’s interjection put a pause to the duel.
“Omg… Omg…!”
Tundra was very tired, but his eyes were menacing. Rather, the fighting spirit in his eyes was more alive than at the beginning.
“Prince Jeremy has a habit of pushing with his index finger before launching his sword.”
Viola did not discover it on her own. It was mentioned in the novel, and later this would become a big weakness for Jeremy.
“Distinguishing grass from weeds will help.”
Editor’s Note: idiom meaning to differentiate “real” from “fake” – in this instance, what attacks are real versus feints.
When performing a real attack, pressure was applied to the index finger. As the force goes into the index finger, the little finger extends slightly. It was Jeremy’s bad habit.
“And feel the rhythm. Don’t just sense it, read the pattern of the fight.”
Jeremy was fighting with a specific pattern. The first attack always started with a light thrust.
“All attacks of the storm sword start with a thrust.”
The movement itself was simple. It’s just that it’s so fast and natural that it’s hard to respond.
“Prince Jeremy’s next move is determined by his opponent’s reaction to that thrust. If you step back, nine times out of ten, he pursues you aggressively. If you try to strike back, he uses a step to shift to the right side.”
Hearing that, Jeremy laughed involuntarily.
‘Come to think of it… Do I really?’
Viola was right. It was as if his unconscious movements were clearly visible to Viola’s eyes.
‘Is it because she’s a Bellato?’
Recently, his master hadn’t been able to see any loopholes in his sword art. However, Viola read his flaws very well.
‘It must mean that she has better skills than me, right?’
Since she was still young, her physical abilities must be a bit low, but it must be said that she was gifted with the ability to read patterns. If things continue on like this, in a few more years, Viola might become a stronger person who far surpassed himself.
CRACK!
Sword collided against sword and finally one broke. It was Jeremy’s sword that broke. Since it was a cheap sword, not the one he was originally using, it didn’t seem like it could withstand the shock for long.
THUMP.
Tundra, who broke Jeremy’s sword, passed out.
“It’s a draw.”
One had a broken sword and the other fainted. Jeremy shrugged his shoulders in regret. He wanted to be able to speak informally to Viola, but he could not. Since he had a draw with the dog, Tundra, he was defeated by its owner, Viola.
“Yes, it’s a draw. I know it’s only been a few years since he began to learn the sword, but my broken sword is a broken sword. I think he is deserving to be Lord Hickson’s apprentice.”
His gaze moved to Viola.
Jeremy grinned.
“And Princess Viola. Thank you. Thanks to you, I discovered a bad habit.”
“I didn’t mean to help.”
It was expressed this way in the novel.
“Thank you for the good teaching, Princess Medea. One day, I will definitely surpass you and capture Bellato. Thank you for saving me today.”
At that point, while Medea was an enemy, she was also a benefactor. The weaknesses Viola pointed out to Jeremy were actually pointed out by Medea later.
“Prince Jeremy must be learning The Storm Sword, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Storm Sword, like Tundra’s swordsmanship, is a powerful sword art that consumes mana very quickly, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I think you would benefit greatly from practicing Yoga meditation.”
“Yoga meditation?”
As soon as he heard that, Hickson burst out laughing, “puh ha ha!” The Yoga Meditation Technique was the breathing and basic exercise method learned by the aristocratic ladies of this world. However, it was also a meditation technique that would later be reevaluated by Jeremy.
“If I had learned Yoga Meditation five years earlier, I would have achieved so much more.”
Anyway, at this point, the Yoga Meditation Technique was not the kind of meditation that warriors learned.
“Are you mocking me because I was barely able to achieve a draw with your dog?”
“That can’t be. I respect a duel performed to the best of the participants’ abilities. Thank you for giving my dog the best.”
Jeremy stared at Viola for a long time with amused eyes. Viola seemed sincere.
‘You want me to learn the Yoga Meditation Technique?’
It didn’t sound like a joke. He didn’t know why Viola said that, but Jeremy was convinced.
“All right. I’ll listen carefully to Princess Viola’s words. Anyway, thanks to Princess Viola, I noticed my bad habits today and I think I can improve.”
“That is fortunate.”
“And since you tied with the princess’s dog, you were defeated by the princess.”
“Yes.”
“I sincerely apologize for all my actions. I just wanted to get closer to the princess, and my desire took precedence.”
“Are you just verbally apologizing?”
“Is there something you want?”
Viola laughed lightly. Jeremy felt that her smile was somehow frightening. It felt like closing his eyes and cutting off his nose.
Editor’s Note: Literally meaning, “DANGER!! If you close your eyes, someone will cut off your nose!”
“I already knew about Prince Jeremy’s plan.”
“Really?”
“The process and method were just wrong.”
“…Yes.”
“So I will accept a favor.”
There was a place called the ‘Laboratory of the Mad Wizard’. There, Jeremy would make a contract with a spirit with the surname of ‘Kel’, and that spirit would later grow into the king of the wind spirits.
‘If only I could make a contract with a spirit there…’
If she could meet a spirit there, life would be much easier. The space called ‘Laboratory of the Mad Wizard’ was a very special place. It was a mysterious historical site where you could make a contract with a spirit even if you didn’t have an affinity with spirits, and that is where Jeremy would make his contract. In other words, it was an opportunity to meet a bodyguard, no, a guardian spirit.
“So, I will visit the ruins with Prince Jeremy.”
“I thought you would decline.”
“I tried to say no. But then I saw you seriously fighting my dog.”
No, she never had any intention of refusing. She just wanted to get all the benefits she could while keeping a reasonable distance from Jeremy.
Jeremy’s feeling of ‘closing his eyes and cutting off his nose’ was not an absurd thing to feel.
“I decided to acknowledge Prince Jeremy as a warrior, so I will accompany him. The Storm Sword looked good. What an outstanding achievement.”
“Ha!”
Jeremy rubbed his nose. He felt better because Viola, who had the excellent skills of a Bellato, seemed to recognize him.
“However.”
Viola got to the point.
“You must agree to give me priority on anything we might find there.”
Jeremy thought for a moment. You never knew what would come out of the ruins. They may not even find anything.
‘But Princess Viola deliberately taught me by pointing out my weaknesses and bad habits.’
If he had been an enemy, she would not have taught him.
‘Besides, she even protected my pride.’
She didn’t teach him herself. She pretended to give advice to Tundra, but she gave away information. Jeremy judged that it was Viola’s meticulous and warm consideration.
“I think my father will be angry if I blindly accept those terms. In fact, the information about the ruins was given to me by my father.”
“Then I will not accompany you.”
“Oh dear. Why does your personality lack patience?”
Jeremy laughed hysterically.
“Then I will also make a condition. Listen, it won’t hurt you.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve become even more interested in the princess. I want to get to know you. It’s amazing to have eyes like that at your age.”
“So what?”
“I think we need to let go of our formal speech in order to become close. I tried to get closer before, but I ended up losing.”
“…”
Jeremy bit his lip lightly to show his determination. He showed a strong will to be able to speak comfortably with her, unconditionally.
Even though he might be out of his mind, he quickly spoke.
“If you refuse to go, I will officially ask the Bellato family for an engagement.”
“An engagement?”
Viola was well aware that Jeremy had no interest in women or marriage. The curiosity in Jeremy’s eyes, even at this moment, was by no means curiosity in her as a woman. He was just curious about Viola Bellato.
“I’m not interested in women or marriage or anything like that. But if I have to get married anyway, it wouldn’t hurt for me to have a relationship with the Bellatos. Bellato would really have no reason to say no to me, right? In my own way, I am the heir to Storm Fortress; Bellato would then have access to our southern fortress. Geographically, it’s in a very, very good position to keep the Monarch Empire in check. From Bellato’s point of view, it would kill two birds with one stone. Perhaps Princess Viola, the White Bellato, thinks so as well?”
Viola immediately laughed. She never thought he would mention a marriage proposal as a means of blackmailing her into a negotiation.
“As a condition of granting me the priority of items discovered, I accept informal speech.
“Do you really hate the idea of getting engaged to me?”
“Yes.”
She hated it. Jeremy was one of the main supporting characters and a person who grows up overcoming all kinds of dangers and adversity. There were always great villains and traps lurking around him. It would be best to stay away unless you could eat off Jeremy’s face.
Editor’s Note: I’m not positive on this one, but if my memory serves me correctly, to “eat off someone’s face” means to live for their good looks. In other words, unless Viola can derive a meaningful life just by seeing Jeremy’s handsome face, it would be best to stay away, because he’s got nothing else going for him.
“People say I look good.”
“You’re handsome.”
“Then why wouldn’t you accept an engagement?”
Why was he like this? She had no interest in getting engaged anyway.
Viola sighed and said.
“Because you’re not my taste.”
His face was to her liking but his future was too dangerous. She couldn’t because he was a person who could completely ruin her plan to live a long, stress free and happy life.
“I’m sorry about that. I think Princess Viola is cute.”
“Thank you, even if they are empty words.”
Hickson’s eyes widened.
‘That bastard!’
He never thought there would be another human being who noticed Viola’s cuteness. To find a ray of cuteness in Viola’s expression, where the cold winds of life were always blowing?
‘He must be a pretty decent guy, right?’
No one thought that Viola Bellato was cute. There weren’t many humans who could figure out the cuteness hidden in Viola Bellato. Even Viola herself didn’t know she was cute.
She didn’t think she liked it. She felt as if someone else had noticed the cuteness of her secret self inside Viola. She felt good about sharing her cuteness, but also strangely offended.
‘Anyway, I can’t compromise. That’s not going to happen. If you ask me why not, I really have nothing to say, I just won’t.’
Hickson was glad that Viola had shot him down with a single shot.
“Anyway. Did you decide to forgive me for my rude words?”
“Okay.”
“Then, are we friends now?”
Viola responded with a deadpan expression and Jeremy laughed because it was so funny.
Just at that moment, Tundra regained his senses and heard Jeremy’s words, “Then, are we friends now?”
Tundra opened his eyes and jumped up.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Sorry for any problem during the migration.
Let me remember you, green letters are notes of our editor Swamp Rat <3
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on August, 22.
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