"I won't give in that easily. After all, I want to make a good impression on His Highness!" Qin said, stepping forward.
The sudden shift in her offensive nearly disrupted the rhythm of Eula's sword dance. The wooden sword in the girl's hand traced more than a dozen arcs, instantly overturning her disadvantage.
"You're very skilled!"
"Yes. I'm not a genius, so I trained hard to reach this level," Jean said calmly, shaking her head.
She possessed no extraordinary strength, no exceptional talent, and not even magical affinity. To be honest, even Noelle's talent surpassed Jean's.
What this Lionfang Knight did possess was an unmatched willpower.
If it doesn't work once, try ten times. If ten times fail, try a hundred. If a hundred fail, try a thousand.
Jean Gunnhild could spend twenty-three out of twenty-four hours training and working.
Sometimes, Leon genuinely worried whether this girl was doing fine.
Her swordsmanship is very ordinary, but she is exceptional, Eula thought to herself, feeling deeply conflicted.
The technique Jean used wasn't anything advanced, but the one wielding it was anything but ordinary. Her solid foundation came from long, relentless training.
And her fighting style was the complete opposite of Eula's.
Jean focused on speed and precision. Even without using magic, she could swing five times in a single second. Every strike targeted the enemy's weak point with unmatched accuracy.
Eula, on the other hand, was trained to take down ten enemies at once.
Her slender arms held several times the strength of a normal person. The sword in her hand felt like a hollow toy, and each strike carried frightening force.
"What a beautiful sight. Two flowers in full bloom. I didn't expect to witness something so lovely this early in the morning."
"What a fierce battle. Weren't they only supposed to train? Should I stop them?"
"No need—let them have their fun."
Leon patted Barbara's head as he spoke.
Barbara, who had already drawn her magic catalyst, froze for a moment, then sat beside Leon, quietly cheering for her sister in her heart. And then…
She felt Leon's hands roaming along her body.
"Your Majesty, isn't this a bad time to do that…?"
"What's wrong?"
"My sister is still here…"
"It doesn't matter. As long as you don't say anything, no one will notice, right?"
Barbara's cheeks turned bright red as she snuggled into Leon's arms.
One could only say that Eula and Jean were somewhat unlucky. The two girls were fighting fiercely, trying to catch someone's attention—only to be easily outdone by Barbara's silent advance.
"All right, pay attention. The winner is about to be decided."
"Eh?"
"The next strike will end it."
"O-okay!"
Barbara quickly straightened her skirt and adjusted her posture so that her body—which had nearly been pressed against someone else—was now a little farther away.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Truly, this might be one of the top three boldest things she had ever done.
The first was the night she and her sister gave themselves to Leon, and the second was when she secretly wore Jean's clothes.
But she thanked Leon for reminding her.
She didn't miss the final scene.
"Hyaa!"
Jean used the Anemo element to lighten and accelerate her body, making her movements freer.
She precisely identified the weakest point in Eula's defense, found the right angle, and unleashed five strikes in an instant.
"Don't even think about it!"
Eula's eyes narrowed. She relied on her combat intuition, sharpened by years of real battle experience. Even if she couldn't match Jean's agility, she could sense her intent.
She raised her leg and delivered a high kick toward Jean. Her posture was so elegant that one could only say—grace never leaves her.
Even with only a wooden sword in hand, Eula's legs—trained alongside her dance-like movements—and her incredible flexibility could become a deadly weapon when needed.
"Not yet…!"
Jean caught Eula's kick with one hand, feeling her arm go slightly numb—but it was nothing she couldn't endure.
But just as she was about to throw Eula off balance and seize the opening for the finishing blow, a sudden numbness spread through her lower body, slowing her movement.
Eula would never let such an opportunity slip.
Without hesitation, she swung her sword directly at Jean, and the strike knocked the blonde girl's rapier from her hand.
The outcome was decided.
Though it was only a morning spar, it seemed they had gotten carried away. After their nerves settled, both Eula and Jean caught their breath, trying to calm their racing hearts.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
"Clap clap clap clap!"
Leon and Barbara, who had been watching from not far away, applauded.
Especially the latter.
Barbara felt slightly embarrassed.
In truth, she hadn't cheered for Jean during the spar at all—instead, she had taken the opportunity to "steal" Leon's attention…
Now Barbara felt guilty.
As a priestess, she wanted to confess her sins to someone, but how could she speak such things aloud? So she could only clap harder to ease her guilt.
"Jean, what happened just now at the end? Don't tell me…"
Eula asked, confused and concerned. When she made that final swing, Jean had been in terrible shape, even clutching her stomach.
"It's not what you think, I just…"
"You have a stomachache?"
"…Yes—yes! That's it!"
Jean froze for a moment, then quickly nodded and said she was fine—but she couldn't say anything more… She had gone through a lot the previous night and was still a bit worn out.
But that was her choice; otherwise, Jean could simply ask Barbara to heal her with magic.
"If you're not feeling well, take plenty of rest. Don't force yourself to fight me. Go ask your sister to take care of you."
"N-no, that won't be necessary. I'm fine." Jean showed a sweet smile—a smile Eula couldn't understand.
She shook her head and refused.
"The combination of dance and swordsmanship is incredible. No wonder His Highness is interested in you."
"It's all right—the same goes for you. This is the first time I've seen someone practice swordsmanship at such a level."
Jean and Eula shook hands warmly.
A friendship born from mutual admiration had begun.
(End of chapter)