Chapter 72

After making sure to show no disrespect even before the prince, Noah finished getting ready, including changing clothes, and stood in the place for the sparring match.

The training ground, located in a corner of the Klingenheit castle, is a grassy space surrounded by hedges.

Noah took a deep breath and readjusted his gloves tightly. Beside him, Claudia, holding a stuffed dog, pretended to be excited and fidgety.

"Can Lord Lewis use a sword too?"

"I've trained to some extent, but I'm not sure. I might be more accustomed to magic."

"Oh! You have to cast a protective barrier on your body! On Lord Lewis and Noah too!"

Lewis smiled gently and nodded at Claudia.

"Yes, I understand. I'm still in training with the barrier magic, but... Noah."

"!"

Suddenly, light danced around Noah, forming a wall that quickly disappeared.

"This is a barrier magic that blocks physical attacks. I'm using the same magic, so there's no need to hold back, okay?"

"...I appreciate your consideration."

No matter what Lewis or Claudia said, injuring a prince from another country during a sparring match was out of the question.

If they both cast barriers themselves, any injuries could be attributed to the fact that the barrier magic, cast by the renowned magic prodigy Lewis, was not effective enough.

This way, if any unforeseen incidents occurred, they wouldn't become public issues.

(…Although I don't know what Lewis's intentions are in proposing this sparring match…)

Noah closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

As he slowly exhaled and opened his eyes, he fixed his gaze on Lewis.

(It's an order from the princess. …Let's go all out.)

With a short incantation, he summoned a sword. Lewis's eyes widened at the sight.

"Amazing. You can create objects from nothing with such a short incantation?"

(Actually, I don't need incantations at all, but…)

He deliberately used an incantation to avoid being seen as "overdoing it." Since the time of Adelheit five hundred years ago, it is believed that no one in this world can cast magic without an incantation.

Noah bowed to Lewis, following the etiquette taught by Karlheinz.

"Please, let's have a good sparring match."

"Likewise."

Lewis, taking the sword offered by his subordinate, bowed in the same manner as Noah.

Claudia, sitting in the shade created by a white parasol, said while holding her stuffed animal on her lap.

"Good luck, Noah!"

(…Of course, since you ordered me to.)

Lewis, holding a slender sword, smiled at Noah.

"Let's start… though I'd like to say 'from anywhere,' it's hard for me to start, right? Here I go."

Immediately, Lewis stepped in lightly.

"!"

Noah barely suppressed a gasp as the distance closed in an instant.

(Fast.)

With a whoosh, the sword tip suddenly appeared before his eyes. He arched his back to dodge and deflected Lewis's sword from below. A metallic clang sounded, and Lewis immediately retreated.

Noah quickly regained his stance and swung his sword. Since Lewis was in a high guard position, Noah struck down without hesitation.

"K…!"

The swords clashed with a loud clang.

"……"

Since they were both children, the impact wasn't too severe. Instead, their light weight made their movements agile.

Noah shifted his center of gravity and quickly pulled back his blade. He then reversed his sword and struck Lewis twice in quick succession.

Lewis, who blocked these strikes, had a slight frown on his smiling face.

"Such precise strikes…"

(The same goes for you.)

The sword he swung was for observation, but Lewis effortlessly blocked it. It seemed that his proficiency wasn't limited to magic, as he had confidently proposed the sparring match.

(His sword skills aren't just superficial. He has technique and reacts instantly.)

Noah regularly sparred with his teacher, Karlheinz.

Occasionally, he was caught by Claudia's older brother and forced to engage in sword fights until the older brother was satisfied, but he usually sparred with the same familiar faces.

Spar with Lewis, who wasn't cursed and wasn't a regular opponent, felt refreshing.

Seeing Lewis's center of gravity waver, Noah launched a thrust-like strike.

(If I move like this, how will he react?)

"…"

"!"

Lewis dodged at the last moment and grabbed Noah's wrist. As he was about to strike down with his sword, Noah twisted his wrist to break free.

Realizing he couldn't hold Noah down, Lewis quickly changed his strategy. He stepped back to create distance, and the speed of this transition was intriguing.

(…He's good.)

If it were Claudia's brother prince, he might have tried an experimental strategy, even at the cost of losing, just to test his own tactics once.

On the other hand, Karlheinz, being an adult, didn't have such attachments.

The judgment Lewis showed now seemed closer to Karlheinz's calmness than to the younger Noah or Claudia's brother.

(I want to spar a bit more, but…)

Noah exhaled and, for the first time, closed the distance himself.

"!!"

(Before the princess gets bored…)

He quickly entered Lewis's guard and positioned his sword. He struck the hilt of the sword into Lewis's sternum, and the white light of the barrier magic formed a wall, stopping the strike just in time.

"U…!"

Despite the barrier, the impact still traveled through his body. Taking advantage of Lewis's wincing, Noah took a half-step back.

"Shi…!"

He then struck Lewis's neck with the flat of his sword.

"That's enough."

"……"

At Karlheinz's call, Noah immediately stopped his sword.