Chapter 22: Fighting to the point of failure to win

“This.” Captain Martin looked somewhat surprised. “Could you explain in detail, Miss Lilian?”

“Captain Martin, you know I’ve already gone through Entry-level Training, and my progress has been quite good, right?”

Hearing Lilian’s words, Martin nodded.

“Then you must know that after training, we use restorative potions to repair the body.” Lilian paused.

“My rapid progress is because I used an additional potion specifically for muscle recovery—oh, and it’s not a magic potion.”

Martin’s eyes lit up.

It’s important to understand that the most crucial phase of training isn’t the exercise itself, but the recovery afterward.

Exercise breaks down the body, and it’s the subsequent recovery that strengthens constitution and power.

Therefore, the speed and efficiency of recovery have always been key challenges in the knights’ Entry-level Training.

Ordinary restorative potions can only aid general recovery, while muscle recovery typically requires magic potions—which are extremely expensive.

Even with Princess Ophelia funding it, providing magic potions to every junior knight in the order is unrealistic.

If Lilian can truly provide a potion specialized for muscle recovery, the training results of the knights’ order would undoubtedly improve significantly!

“Miss Lilian, is what you say true?” Martin immediately slapped his forehead.

“Look at my memory—there’s no need for jokes in this matter.”

“But this is an important issue, and I can’t make the decision alone. Could you wait a bit?”

Lilian understood—Martin was going to report this to Princess Ophelia.

Technically, Martin could have agreed first and then informed her, but since Lilian was backed by Count Koen, he dared not be careless.

“That’s fine, Captain Martin. I’ll head to the small training ground first.”

“Goodbye, Miss Lilian.”

Lilian stepped out of the room and stretched.

Unexpectedly, things had gone quite smoothly.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting for Princess Ophelia.

When she arrived at the small training ground, Saya was already waiting.

She was holding a Knight’s Longsword, practicing methodically.

Seeing Lilian arrive, she stopped her movements.

“Finally here, Lilian. You’re a bit slow today.”

“Yeah, I had a talk with Captain Martin.”

Saya didn’t ask what they discussed; she just nodded.

“A sparring match?”

“Sure.”

To be honest, Lilian felt a little excited.

Though it was sparring, it would be her first real combat.

Besides, she wanted to see what level her Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1 was at.

Saya handed her a wooden sword.

“Use this.”

The two stood face to face in the middle of the training ground.

Saya assumed a conventional stance, holding the hilt with both hands in front of her abdomen, the tip of the sword angled slightly upward.

Lilian imitated her, adopting the same posture.

“Ready?”

“Yeah!”

“Here we go!”

Saya stepped forward slowly, then took a step closer and quickly raised the sword hilt above her head.

A textbook vertical downward strike.

Before Saya stepped forward, Lilian had already shifted her feet slightly to the right and rotated her shoulders, performing a left upward diagonal block to parry Saya’s impending downward strike.

Seeing Saya’s unstable stance, Lilian quickly slashed diagonally down to the right!

“Smack!” The wooden swords collided on Saya’s shoulder.

“?”

Saya was a little stunned—she’d lost just like that?

[Sparring, Basic Swordsmanship Experience +2]

“Again?”

This time, Saya changed her stance, holding the hilt near her shoulder, sword tip pointing forward.

She lunged forward suddenly!

“Smack!”

[Experience +2]

“Again!”

“Smack!”

[Experience +2]

“Mistake! Again!”

“Smack!”

[Experience +1]

…

Saya threw the wooden sword aside and sat down with a sigh.

“Not fighting anymore, not fighting anymore. I’ve never seen anyone like you.”

After several rounds back and forth, Saya helplessly realized that Lilian always struck when her own force was most unstable.

Her sword was always parried, and before she could regain her posture, she was finished.

Without using the Sword Seal Technique’s power, purely relying on swordsmanship, she really couldn’t beat Lilian.

Had she been neglecting practice?

“Are you really just starting swordsmanship?” Saya asked doubtfully.

“Yeah, I’ve been practicing since the day you taught me how to hold the sword.”

Saya recalled how Lilian at first couldn’t even hold the sword steady, and her swings at wooden sticks were all wrong.

This was clearly a Swordsmanship Genius.

An encounter with a prodigy—despite giving her all, she couldn’t win.

Lilian still looked eager; she enthusiastically handed the wooden sword back to Saya.

“Want to go a few more rounds?”

Though the later sparring only gave 1 experience point each time, experience was experience.

“No more!”

Saya flopped onto the ground, refusing to get up.

If it were a back-and-forth fight, she’d continue, but the frustration of being repeatedly finished was too strong.

She wasn’t keen to spar with Lilian anymore.

“Looks like you two were playing something interesting?”

A graceful voice sounded.

Lilian turned to see Princess Ophelia, her purple hair and blue eyes shining.

She wore a gray-black dress—casual but elegant—with white tights and small heels.

A very refined black-and-white combination, pleasing to the eye.

Thinking back to the tearful voice in the carriage, Lilian felt a strange disconnect.

Princess Ophelia smiled warmly and approached Lilian, appraising her up and down.

Her gaze was so intense it made Lilian feel as if she were undressed, sending a chill down her spine.

“Are you two sparring?” Ophelia asked with a slight smile.

Seeing it was Princess Ophelia, Saya quickly stood up straight and answered energetically, “Yes, Your Highness. I was sparring with Miss Lilian!”

“Ah, I’m quite interested too.” Ophelia looked at Lilian.

“Miss Lilian, may I have the honor of inviting you to spar with me?”

Her tone was like inviting a favored dance partner.

Before Lilian could respond, Ophelia picked up the wooden sword Saya had tossed aside.

It seemed there was no choice but to fight.

However…

Lilian frowned.

“Are you really going to wear that?”

With small heels and a fitted dress, Ophelia’s outfit was hardly suitable for vigorous action.

Ophelia answered casually, “It’s enough.”

She casually raised the sword, the tip pointing straight at Lilian.

“Please.”

Lilian gritted her teeth, feeling a bit looked down upon.

Although Ophelia was famous for her Sword Seal Technique in the game, she was still young, and her outfit was not made for sparring.

She could win!

The two faced each other.

“Ready?”

“Please.” Ophelia smiled warmly.

Saya looked at Lilian with pity.

Was the empire’s most famous Swordsmanship Genius about to fight the youngest swordsmanship prodigy?

It felt like an old master who had wielded the sword all his life facing off against a three-year-old who had just learned to hold a sword.

Ophelia approached Lilian leisurely and casually made an upward strike.

Lilian prepared to strike back at Ophelia’s weakest moment, just like before.

Almost instantly, Ophelia’s sword feinted, then the wooden sword struck Lilian’s shoulder.

“Smack!”

“Miss Lilian, you really need more practice.”

[Received Instruction, Basic Swordsmanship Experience +5]

[Lv.1: 15/100]

Too much?

+5!?

Lilian immediately pretended to be defiant, shouting, “Again!”