Maxi gave Ursuline a withering look.
“Are you finished?”
“Not exactly,” the knight replied dryly, bending down to offer her his hand.
Maxi accepted his help with an irritated expression.
As he helped her to her feet, Ursuline added firmly, "How many times have I told you not to look away from the enemy?
Definitely more than a hundred times.
You must keep your eyes on your opponent's shoulders and head, ready to retreat at any moment.
Their reckless lunges make you lose your posture at the first counterattack.
At least, try not to trip over yourself“"
“You've already made that clear, Sir Ursuline,” Maxi said irritably, rubbing her sore buttocks.
Ursuline, however, seemed determined to continue her criticism.
Raising an eyebrow, his voice took on an authoritative tone.
"That's what you told me before you repeated the same mistake.
If you had truly understood my instructions, you wouldn't have tripped again."
“Understanding something and putting it into practice are different things!”
“Most would classify that as not understanding.”
Grabbing her practice sword from the snow, Maxi glared at the knight in exasperation.
Although she couldn't deny her terrible reflexes, Ursuline's incessant memories were beginning to irritate her.
Pointing her wooden sword at his irritatingly impassive face, she said firmly, "I just lost my balance.
I won't… do that again."
The knight opened his mouth as if to say something, but stopped, shaking his head.
He raised his training sword to begin combat.
Maxi carefully assessed the distance between them, looking for an opening.
In his mind, beating the knight seemed easy enough, but his body refused to cooperate.
Her strikes were weak, and she faltered whenever she attacked.
Furthermore, he always ended up on the ground when he tried to retreat from a blow.
Shortly afterwards, Maxi found herself stretched out on the ground again, like a scarecrow covered in snow.
Ursuline looked at her seriously.
"I'll be honest, my lady.
You have absolutely no talent for fencing."
"I know that!" shouted Maxi.
The knight maintained a serious expression, as if to emphasize that he was making an objective assessment.
"In fact, you have difficulty with any basic movement of your limbs.
Simply put, you are not cut out for physical activity.
Instead of wasting your time on such a futile effort, perhaps you would be better off learning offensive spells from the sorcerer."
“Are you giving up on me already?”
Although she was completely exhausted by Ursuline Ricaydo's tenacity, his resignation aroused anxiety in her.
She quickly stood up and positioned her training sword as if to prove her worth.
"I know I'm a terrible student, but...
I'll get better with time, I promise.
You taught me how to use a dagger, and I used that training to kill a goblin on Pamela's Plateau."
"No need to lie, my lady.
I will continue to teach you as long as you want to learn."
"It's not a lie!
I actually killed a goblin like that!" exclaimed Maxi, plunging an imaginary dagger into the air.
Ursuline looked at her suspiciously, then shook her head.
“It must have been a clumsy monster,” he muttered to himself.
The knight promptly closed his lips at her murderous gaze.
Deeply angered, Maxi hissed through clenched teeth, "No need to force yourself to teach me!
I would rather...
learn from Riftan anyway."
“The commander will not have time until preparations for the campaign are complete,” Ursuline replied with a slight tone of uneasiness.
"Things appear to be more serious than we expected.
He is actively working to prevent the Northern Alliance from taking control of the coalition army."
Maxi's face darkened at the unexpected news.
“Does this mean…Richard Breston can become supreme commander this time?”“In the worst case, yes,” admitted the knight, his gaze fixed on the main chapel where the Council of the Seven Kingdoms met.
"As the church cannot deny responsibility for the current situation, the Northern Alliance is using this as a pretext to strip the Knights of the Temple of command and appoint Richard Breston as commander of the coalition army.
If they succeed...
this will be a danger to the armies of any kingdom in favor of the armistice.
He will likely attempt to eliminate a large portion of their forces.
The commander has been trying to prevent this from happening."
“What… does he intend to do?”
“What else?” Ursuline replied, shrugging.
"He will have to claim the position for himself.
King Reuben has already named him commander of Wedon's army.
With the crown's support, it won't be too difficult for him to surpass Breston."
Worry crossed Maxi's face as she remembered the northerners' blatant mockery of her husband for his humble origins.
Although Riftan was arguably the greatest knight in the kingdom, Maxi had no doubt that the conservative nobles of the north would vilify him for his low birth.
Furthermore, Riftan had not yet received an official noble title.
Even Maxi knew that it was unprecedented for a simple vassal knight to take command of an army of tens of thousands.
Would Wedon's royal support be enough to guarantee Riftan the position of supreme commander of the coalition army?
Noticing that Maxi was wallowing in worry, Ursuline intervened, "I suggest you focus on yourself for now, my lady.
If Sir Riftan manages to take command of the army today, the White Dragons will be on the front lines.
Although it is unlikely that you will engage the enemy directly..."
The knight hesitated, as if unsure.
He watched her uneasily for a moment before continuing gravely, “It would certainly help to know a technique or two.”
Although his resolute attitude irritated her, Maxi promptly prepared his wooden sword.
They continued their basic fencing training for another two hours.
Despite the physical strength and endurance she gained after months of campaigning, she struggled to keep up with the strenuous exercises.
His skill remained at the level of a child swinging a stick.
Exhausted and discouraged, Maxi left the training camp.
She didn't expect to become a skilled swordswoman overnight, but she also didn't expect it to be so disastrous.
Rubbing her sore buttocks and aching wrists, she crossed the vast grounds.
Everywhere, soldiers carried luggage, dodging the rows of carts that filled the space between the main chapel and the entrance to the basilica.
She ran through the confusion, determined to ask Ruth to cast a restorative spell on her.
As he approached the White Dragons' barracks, he saw Riftan returning with some of his men.
She happily ran towards him.
“Riftan!”
A faint smile appeared on his impassive face at the sight of her, and Maxi felt her fatigue disappear instantly.
Apparently returning from the Council, he was dressed in the ceremonial uniform of the White Dragons.
Despite not having any of the silk or feather ornaments favored by other nobles, he exuded a dignified aura with a simple blue cloak and shoulder pads with his knightly crest.
Maxi looked at him proudly before stretching up on her toes to place a light kiss on his smooth chin.
"How was the Council?
I hope they weren't too harsh."
“Maxi… I’m not a child who fears being excluded,” Riftan responded with an incredulous grunt.
Although he actually seemed to find her concern ridiculous, the warmth in his black eyes suggested he appreciated the attention.
After lightly kissing her cheek, he removed his glove to caress her cold neck.
“I see you’ve been training.”
“Yes, I’ve been practicing,” Maxi replied like a child seeking praise.
A peculiar expression, neither smile nor frown, passed briefly across Riftan's face.
Tilting his head to indicate that his smiling subordinates should leave, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and entered the barracks.
They crossed the crowded dining room and went up the stairs.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t train you myself,” he said.
“I can’t seem to find the time.”
"It's okay!
I know you're busy," Maxi hurriedly reassured him.Although she felt a touch of disappointment, she was also relieved that he would be spared from seeing her pathetic performance.
Forcing a laugh, she added, "Sir Ursuline has been an excellent mentor… so you don't need to worry about my training.
More importantly… how was the Council today?
I heard you're competing with Richard Breston for the title of supreme commander."
Entering his private room, Riftan replied bluntly as he lit the fireplace, "The King of Livadon chose to support me, so I think the odds are in my favor.
Your first dance partner has proven useful."
Maxi rolled her eyes at his sarcastic comment.
He clearly intended to use this against her for quite some time.
Suppressing a sigh, she replied with deliberate indifference, "How kind of him.
It seems we are both in Sir Sejuleu's debt."
Riftan stared at her, then let out a growl.
He straightened up.
“I’d rather not discuss that bastard,” he said, clearly displeased.
“Here, see if you can hold this.”
He untied the sword from his belt and held it out to her.
“Is it mine?” she asked, her eyes shining with expectation.
"Yeah.
This one should be a lot lighter than the last one."
As she gripped the hilt with both hands, Riftan removed the sheath, revealing a slender, gleaming blade.
Maxi could only look at her in wonder.
The blade was so sharp that she feared that just looking at it would pierce her eyes.
“Isn’t it heavy?”
Maxi shook his head.
“It’s surprisingly light.”
“Now, try it.”