"Give it your all and let me see the most magnificent dual-wielding swordsmanship in Westeros you speak of!" In a small manor next to the east gate of New Barrel City, Fortimo Klenne drew the longsword from his waist and said to Linde, who stood opposite him.
Although he spoke without expression and his tone was calm, those familiar with him could still detect his dissatisfaction with the Bear Hunter before him.
This was mainly due to Fortimo's personality; he preferred steady and serious individuals, like Lord Randyll Tarly, while Linde was too flamboyant. Whether it was the spread of the hunter of bears song or his earlier claim of having the most magnificent dual-wielding swordsmanship in Westeros, Fortimo disliked it.
However, he was a man who separated public and private matters, rarely letting his personal preferences dictate decisions. The moment his friend recommended Linde to be his knightly squire, he had already decided to grant the request. Now, it was merely his personal desire acting up, wanting to teach this overly arrogant Bear Hunter a lesson and let him know that in front of a true knight, his dual-wielding swordsmanship, learned from who knows where, was nothing.
Linde knew he had misspoken in front of Fortimo, but he felt no regret. If there was a next time, he would say the same thing, because those words were not meant for Fortimo, but for Garlan Tyrell, who stood nearby.
Although Garlan Tyrell appeared calm and mature in the tavern, unlike a child who had just entered adolescence, his calmness and maturity seemed more like an imitation and disguise. Beneath that imitation and disguise, he still retained the temperament and thoughts a youth should have, such as believing that certain legendary figures should be flamboyant. Linde's pride in his swordsmanship happened to perfectly suit Garlan's preferences, which could be glimpsed on their way back to House Tyrell's encampment.
On the way, Garlan Tyrell abandoned his calm demeanor from the tavern and transformed into a curious child, asking Linde many questions, especially about the battlefield elements in the hunter of bears song. Linde's answers were not the narratives from the hunter of bears song, but honest accounts, such as the actual number of people killed, or the process of using hunter's traps to defeat enemies.
His honest recounting not only did not disappoint Garlan Tyrell but made him appreciate Linde's honesty even more. This also, to some extent, influenced Fortimo's view of him, making Fortimo believe that even if Linde was too arrogant, he was still an honest person.
However, Garlan, having been raised as a noble since childhood and influenced by the Thorn Queen, naturally learned some ways of managing subordinates. Slightly suppressing the confidence of subordinates could help him control arrogant ones more easily, just like a knight taming a wild horse. So, after returning to the encampment, he eagerly requested to witness Linde's so-called most magnificent dual-wielding swordsmanship in Westeros.
However, Garlan was, after all, just a child who had just entered adolescence. No matter how good his education was, it was difficult for him to act without revealing his thoughts. When he made his request, his thoughts and intentions were written all over his face, easily seen through by Linde and the others.
Linde did not care about Garlan's little scheme. Even if Garlan had not brought it up, Linde would have found other ways to have a duel with Fortimo Klenne. Unlike Fortimo, who wanted to teach Linde a lesson and curb his arrogance, Linde hoped to understand his true strength through a duel with Fortimo.
Although he had killed many enemies before, those enemies were not very strong, and he mostly used other auxiliary conditions to deal with them, which could not serve as a basis for estimating his true strength.
He had also thought about having a formal sword fight with Joel, but Joel refused, citing that there was no benefit in winning and it would be embarrassing to lose. Now, another master swordsman on par with Joel was actively seeking a duel with him, which suited his intentions perfectly. Even if Fortimo Klenne didn't bring it up, Linde would still go all out.
Linde walked up to Fortimo, simultaneously drawing two broad-bladed hand-and-a-half swords from his waist, and assumed the basic stance of Peace Envoy. His legs were slightly bent, his body slightly lowered, and his eyes fixed on Fortimo, giving the impression of a fierce beast ready to attack at any moment.
At this moment, Linde completely immersed himself, body and mind, into the combat memories of Peace Envoy, almost transforming into Peace Envoy. This caused a change in his entire demeanor; the bloodlust and killing intent unique to the battlefield emanated from him.
The intensity of this aura was clearly felt even by Garlan Tyrell, who stood at the edge of the courtyard, and he was startled by it, involuntarily taking a step back. Joel, standing beside Garlan, was also affected by this aura, his expression becoming serious, and he instinctively took a step forward, shielding Garlan, his hand unconsciously resting on his sword hilt.
Compared to Garlan and Joel, Fortimo, standing opposite Linde, bore the full brunt of this warrior's aura. His sensations were more than ten times stronger than those around him. At this moment, he completely abandoned his initial intention of disciplining Linde. Instead, like facing a powerful opponent, he tightened his grip on his sword hilt, and his own warrior's aura also emanated, colliding with Linde's aura, and he entered a true combat state.
At this moment, Fortimo was still unsure how profound Linde's swordsmanship was, but just from his aura, Linde had already surpassed most of the warriors and knights he had seen. Among the people he knew, only seasoned veterans and knights, such as Barristan the Bold, possessed such an aura. Among the younger generation of knights, only Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, could surpass Linde by a notch. This made him wonder why Linde, who was merely a hunter by birth and had not experienced much warfare, possessed such a strong warrior's aura.
Linde and Fortimo both tried to suppress each other with their auras, attempting to make the other reveal some weakness under the influence of the aura. However, both auras were equally matched and had no effect, leading to a standoff.
Although it was already night, there were still many House Tyrell guards patrolling and standing guard at the encampment. Their attention was now drawn to the duel in the courtyard, and those who had already gone to sleep also heard the commotion and came out to investigate, causing more and more people to gather around the courtyard. Even the windows of the attic were opened, and several people leaned out, peering down.
However, to their disappointment, they did not see a magnificent duel. They only saw their instructor, Fortimo Klenne, and a young man wielding two swords standing motionless in poses. They looked not only without any tension but rather a bit comical.
Only a few guards close to the dueling parties truly felt the two powerful auras that had already enveloped the courtyard clearing. However, they were unaware of the source of this aura, nor did they know what an aura was. They only felt their thoughts becoming sluggish and their bodies somewhat out of control.
Just as many people felt bored and were about to return to their rooms to rest, Linde and Fortimo, who had been in a standoff for a long time, attacked almost simultaneously.
Fortimo lunged forward, his longsword slashing straight down towards Linde. The power of his sword strike made it feel as though it could easily cut through anything in its path.
However, Linde had no intention of directly parrying this attack. He knew his strength was a weakness, and moreover, the blocking power of a single-handed sword could not withstand the force of a two-handed knight's sword. A forceful block would only result in a broken sword and his own death.
Therefore, the moment Fortimo attacked, Linde had already devised a countermeasure. His footwork moved swiftly, his entire body shifting sideways as if gliding on ice, perfectly dodging the longsword attack. At the same time, his broad-bladed hand-and-a-half swords, one in front and one behind, coordinated with his body movements and footwork, attacking Fortimo's chest and waist.
Fortimo seemed to have anticipated that his attack would miss. As Linde dodged, his own feet began to shift sideways, his body twisting, and the momentum of his longsword did not diminish. Under his precise wrist control, it drew an arc in the air, re-attacking Linde's lower back, looking like a trade of blows.
However, Linde, as the one involved, was well aware that with Fortimo's movement distance combined with the longsword's length and attack speed, it would ultimately be his own lower back being struck by Fortimo's longsword before he could attack Fortimo.
Facing this situation, he showed no panic. His footwork quickened like a galloping horse, charging towards Fortimo, further closing the distance. Fortimo, with extremely quick reactions, also widened the distance.
Thus, Linde and Fortimo moved and dodged rapidly across the courtyard with superhuman footwork. While moving, their weapons constantly changed attack methods, targeting each other's vital points. Yet, each time, they would be dodged by the opponent's shifting footwork. Although the back-and-forth attacks were incredibly fierce, not a single strike managed to hit the opponent.
The onlookers were all silent, watching the duel in the center of the courtyard. Even the most obtuse person could see how intense the exchange between the two in the courtyard was. A slight lapse in attention could result in a fatal blow and instant death. Not to mention those who were unaware of the situation, even Garlan and Joel, who knew why the two were fighting, had the illusion that the two before them were mortal enemies.
Although Linde and Fortimo's footwork was equally fast and agile, anyone with a slight understanding of swordsmanship could discern the difference in their footwork. Every step Fortimo took followed standard knightly footwork, simple and direct, yet very practical. Linde's footwork, however, resembled a refined and magnificent dance, accompanied by his body swaying and dual-wielding longsword attacks, making him appear like a masterful dancer, pleasing to the eye.
But only discerning individuals with extremely high swordsmanship, like Joel, could see how cunning Linde's dual-wielding swordsmanship was, because Linde's longswords always attacked the opponent's vital points from incredible angles, leaving the opponent with no option but to dodge, unable to make any defensive moves.
The current rhythm of moving and attacking was actually led by Linde, while Fortimo merely reacted passively. From this perspective, Linde had the upper hand from the beginning. If no unexpected events occurred, Fortimo was very likely to lose this match.
However, just as Joel thought Fortimo would lose, Linde's movement speed suddenly slowed down a bit. Fortimo keenly seized this opportunity, his longsword slashing upwards from below, forcing Linde to move and dodge. At the same time, Linde crossed his swords downwards, attempting to slow down the upward slash of the longsword.
However, the power contained within Fortimo's longsword was extremely strong, directly forcing Linde's dual swords apart, but the momentum of the attack also slowed, giving Linde enough time to dodge, causing the sword tip to graze past him.
At this point, Fortimo's movements seemed somewhat exaggerated, revealing a significant opening. If Linde were to attack now, he would very likely defeat Fortimo. But Linde made a move that seemed completely incomprehensible to those around him: he quickly retreated, creating distance from Fortimo, and adopted a defensive stance with his dual swords.
"No need to continue, it's a draw." Fortimo breathed slightly, sheathed his longsword, then looked at Linde with satisfaction and said, "From tomorrow, you will be my knightly squire. I will teach you well how to be a true knight."
After speaking, he turned, bowed to Garlan, then signaled the onlookers that they could disperse, and walked alone to his room.
Fortimo commanded great respect here. Hearing his command, the onlookers scattered, but their emotions had not yet recovered from the brief yet spectacular duel. They discussed in hushed tones in small groups, and what they discussed most was Linde's identity. After all, a youth who appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old possessed swordsmanship comparable to a master swordsman like Fortimo Klenne, which was enough to make anyone curious.
Most of them speculated that Linde was the bastard son of some great noble, because only great nobles could afford to hire true master swordsmen to teach their bastard sons swordsmanship, as true great noble offspring did not need extremely profound swordsmanship; they needed to learn more about noble knowledge.
However, some also speculated that Linde might be from Starfall, because Arthur Dayne of Dawn, Sword of the Morning was skilled in dual-wielding swordsmanship, so people from House Dayne also understood profound dual-wielding swordsmanship.
However, this conjecture was quickly refuted, because the Sword of the Morning's mastery of dual-wielding swordsmanship was entirely a rumor. From beginning to end, the Sword of the Morning only used Dawn, the ancestral artifact of House Dayne, which was a greatsword that required two hands to wield. It was precisely because of this that the rumor became that the Sword of the Morning was skilled in dual-wielding swordsmanship.
Among the many incorrect guesses, some people correctly guessed that Linde was the Bear Hunter mentioned by the bards. If one were to name the most renowned dual-wielding swordsman in The Reach now, it would naturally be the Bear Hunter. In the hunter of bears song, Linde had already been described as a fierce general who killed people like mowing grass.
It was precisely because of this that those who guessed the correct answer could not be entirely sure of their conjecture, because Linde, in their eyes, was too young, and his physique did not at all match the mighty image they had in their minds.