“That’s perfectly normal!”
Helos was drenched in sweat from exhaustion, but in the end, she shamefully let go of the sword. “Maybe I should start practicing with the Wooden Sword first…”
“Looking at you, I think you should start with a branch.”
“You brat!”
Helos glared fiercely, her pale purple eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “Just you wait! One day, I’ll use this sword to smack your backside!”
“Try to be a little more reserved…”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing.”
Julius cleared his throat lightly and bent down to grip the longsword in his hand. “Want to go to the training grounds with me?”
“Now?”
Helos looked up at the sky and hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Sure, I don’t have anything to do for a while anyway.”
Julius couldn’t help but chuckle at Helos’ stubborn expression.
He flicked his wrist, and the longsword traced a graceful arc in the air before sliding precisely back into its scabbard.
“Then let’s go.”
He tilted his head toward the girl; the black uniform shimmered faintly under the sunlight. “It’s not too hot yet.”
Helos casually tied her silver hair into a ponytail and trotted to catch up with him.
They passed through a courtyard full of blooming roses, their shadows stretching one after another on the stone path.
Before long, they arrived at the training grounds on the other side.
The training grounds were empty at the moment, with only wooden posts and targets standing quietly in the gentle breeze.
Julius took a lightweight Short Wooden Sword from the weapon rack and weighed it in his hand.
“Let’s start with holding the sword properly.”
He handed the wooden sword to Helos. “Grip the hilt with your right hand, gently support the blade with your left.”
“This thing’s actually kind of heavy…”
“Can’t even hold the Wooden Sword properly?”
“Uh, not that bad.”
Helos took the wooden sword and awkwardly fumbled for the right grip.
Julius frowned without realizing it and stepped forward, gently supporting her wrist.
“No, the thumb goes like this.”
His palm was warm, fingertips roughened from years of gripping a sword.
Helos instinctively glanced at the boy beside her.
But Julius’ eyes were focused solely on her sword-holding posture.
“Focus.”
Julius’ voice sounded in her ear, tinged with a bit of helplessness. “The tip of the sword needs to point forward.”
“Oh, oh!”
Helos hurried to concentrate but nearly dropped the wooden sword from her nervousness.
Julius caught it with lightning-fast reflexes, a smile flickering in his eyes.
“Now, who’s the real fool?”
“Shut up!”
Helos blushed and snatched the wooden sword back, finally getting her stance right this time.
She imitated Julius’ usual posture, straightening her back. Her silver hair gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
“Good.”
Julius took two steps back, arms crossed. “Now try to thrust forward.”
Helos took a deep breath and thrust hard forward.
The wooden sword wobbled as it sliced through the air; she staggered slightly from overexertion.
“Keep your balance.”
Julius was suddenly behind her, gently holding her shoulders. “Spread your legs a bit wider, or you’ll stumble like you just did.”
Helos felt her ears burning.
She adjusted her stance according to his instructions; this time, her thrust was much smoother.
“Not bad.”
Julius nodded, a glimmer of praise in his eyes. “Again.”
The boy’s youthful voice echoed in Helos’ ears. She bit her lip and thrust the sword forward once more.
Sunlight bathed the training grounds, the sound of the wooden sword cutting through the air mingled with Helos’ faint breaths.
Julius stood at the edge of the training grounds, his gaze unconsciously following Helos’ sword movements.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, dancing on her silver ponytail. Beads of sweat slid down her flushed cheeks and formed a sparkling drop at her chin.
The corners of the boy’s mouth curved slightly upward; a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Helos was progressing far faster than he had expected—each movement she usually mastered after just two or three demonstrations.
It reminded him of when he first started learning swordsmanship, taking a whole week just to learn the most basic moves.
Her talent… might be even better than I imagined?
Julius absentmindedly stroked the patterns on his sword hilt, feeling the familiar rough texture under his fingertips.
Helos was now focused on practicing straight thrusts; her slender arms steadily controlled the wooden sword’s trajectory.
Her brows furrowed slightly, and her pale purple eyes gleamed stubbornly—just like himself back then, refusing to admit defeat on the training grounds.
No, maybe even better than me.
This thought made Julius pause slightly.
He recalled those incomprehensible inventions in Helos’ Workshop.
Perhaps it was this innate sharpness that allowed her to progress so quickly in swordsmanship?
The boy shook his head, a deeper smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Of course, this was only Julius’ own thought.
If Helos knew what he was thinking, she’d probably roll her eyes immediately.
I’ve been through two lifetimes, and though I’m not even thirty combined, how could I possibly lose to a twelve-year-old brat in comprehension?
Sunlight gently enveloped the training grounds, stretching their shadows long.
The boy watched the girl practicing intently and suddenly looked forward to her future growth.
But the admiration and expectation in his eyes could never be fully concealed.
“Ha—”
Helos suddenly retracted the sword, the wooden blade slicing sharply through the air.
She raised her hand to wipe sweat from her temple; silver strands clung to her flushed cheeks.
The girl glanced sideways at Julius standing by the edge of the field.
She squinted and noticed the smile still lingering on Julius’ lips, not quite gone.
What’s that idiot grinning about?
Could it be because it’s too hot?
Julius seemed to notice her gaze, suddenly clearing his throat and wiping the smile off his face, adopting a serious instructive posture again.
“You did very well just now.”
“Julius? Are you practicing swordsmanship?”
Before Julius could finish speaking, a light, brisk footstep came from behind.
He turned and saw Eleanor standing at the corridor’s corner, her golden hair glowing softly in the sunlight, and her bright blue eyes filled with curiosity.
Her voice was clear and pleasant, like a breeze sweeping through the training grounds.
“Yes, Miss Eleanor.”
Julius nodded instinctively. “I’m teaching—”
Before he could finish, the sound of something dropping to the ground came from behind.
He turned his head and found that Helos had already vanished.
Where did she go?!
He hadn’t even seen where she ran off to!
Julius’ gaze quickly scanned the training grounds, finding only a lone wooden sword lying on the ground.
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