Grinding my teeth, I grabbed Carl’s arm tightly and said,

“Let’s go for special training from now on. We have to bring down those two’s arrogant pride.”

Carl, who was blinking blankly, spoke in a bewildered voice.

“…You’re more spirited than I thought, aren’t you?”

“If I get discouraged, it’s only my loss.”

How many people in my life have offered unwanted favors while showing off?

“But Carl, be honest. Did my practice look that pitiful?”

“…I can’t say it didn’t.”

Carl brushed his hair back and added a detailed explanation.

“Think about it. Throwing up while running, tripping over your legs, and wobbling like a newborn giraffe—how do you think it looks to others?”

“Sigh.”

When you put it that way, I can’t deny it.

Not to mention, Shailyn is tall but has a slender and frail frame, making her look more awkward.

“But I don’t feel good about judging my master carelessly.”

His obsidian-like eyes cooled down.

It wasn’t just to comfort me; he genuinely seemed displeased.

Carl solemnly declared.

“So, as you said, we’ll train to death from now on.”

…This is probably a good thing, right?

* * *

“I can’t do this anymore!”

Unable to endure the hellish special training that continued into the late evening, Shailyn threw down her wooden sword and lay sprawled on the ground.

“Let’s rest for a bit.”

“…Alright.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shailyn closed her eyes.

She intended to meditate and catch her breath for a moment, but her exhausted body pulled her into the world of sleep.

Carl, looking down at Shailyn, who fell asleep within seconds, couldn’t help but smile.

‘Well, it’s understandable.’

Having trained to death these past few days with a body that had no exercise to speak of.

As a bondservant, Carl sat down next to her to protect his master.

Today, the unusually round and bright moon illuminated them.

‘Isn’t it uncomfortable? A noble lady on such a bare ground…’

Her peacefully sleeping white face looked so gentle and soft.

Carl impulsively brushed back her fallen hair.

“Mmm…”

Shailyn, slightly stirring, leaned her cheek against his palm, following the warmth.

Seeing her trust him so unguardedly, Carl felt strange.

It seemed like she trusted him that much…

‘Soft like a cotton ball.’

Carl, who unknowingly thought that, soon came to his senses and lightly tapped Shailyn’s forehead.

“Ouch.”

“Get up now.”

Shailyn, opening her eyes drowsily, stretched her body.

In doing so, she didn’t notice that Carl’s ears were slightly red again.

* * *

The long-awaited day of the sparring.

With Carl in tow, I headed confidently to the training ground.

The Crown Prince greeted us with his beautiful red hair and an unbelievably handsome face, standing with a crooked posture.

Without any greeting, he asked abruptly.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Let’s start right away.”

Fine, that’s what I wanted.

Standing face to face with the Crown Prince in the center of the training ground, Dain stood between us to explain the sparring rules.

“The time given is 30 minutes. If Shailyn makes Linus drop his sword within that time, she wins; otherwise, she loses. Then, let’s start the sparring.”

Dain glanced at me and stepped back.

I scrutinized the Crown Prince with a careful gaze.

‘His stance with the sword is different from mine.’

Though I had learned a crash course from Carl, making my stance relatively stable, his stance carried a different weight.

Even the way he’s holding the wooden sword with only one hand and the other hand behind his back, it was evident.

Taking a deep breath, I gripped the wooden sword tightly.

I charged at the leisurely Crown Prince, raising my wooden sword.

Thwack—!

The Crown Prince blocked my attack effortlessly. He swung his arm wide, deflecting my sword.

‘Ugh, damn…’

My body was easily pushed back with it.

“Stop wasting your energy and give up.”

“Are you afraid of losing to me?”

“Hah, who? Me?”

The Crown Prince twisted his lips into a smile, as if finding it absurd.

I seriously adjusted my stance and attacked again.

Thwack, thwack!

The Crown Prince had no openings. He deflected every one of my strikes.

After countless repetitions of attack and defense, an opportunity arose.

Focusing solely on his sword-wielding right hand, his side was left exposed due to his carelessness.

I didn’t miss the chance and thrust at his side.

“……!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the Crown Prince bent and staggered.

Like a Pokémon following the command ‘Body Slam!’, I charged at him.

Thud!

“…Ugh.”

The Crown Prince, unable to maintain his balance from the impact, knelt on one knee, using his sword to support himself.

Even when falling, he looked cool.

Anyway, seeing him caught off guard for the first time, I grinned.

‘I finally succeeded!’

In truth, I had secretly looked into his personal information last night to prepare for today.

【Name: Linus

Gender: Male

Age: 22

Height: 187cm

Occupation: Crown Prince

·

·

Weaknesses: ??, ??, Side

※Current information access is restricted.】

So, I aimed for the side from the beginning, but his agility allowed him to deflect everything like a ghost.

Finally, seeing the Crown Prince’s stance crumble after taking a hit to the side, I smiled with satisfaction.

‘Take this!’

I attacked his shoulder, arm, abdomen, thigh—everywhere with the wooden sword.

Carl had told me yesterday.

‘Aiming only for his wrist to drop the sword is too simplistic. If you incapacitate the person, the sword will fall naturally.’

So, he advised focusing on areas like the back of the neck, side, or solar plexus.

He said that when you hit such spots, people tend to lose strength.

He suggested picking a spot I wanted to hit, charging in to deliver a shock, then wildly attacking like a mad person.

I followed that advice diligently.

Thud! Thud! Thwack!

I beat the Crown Prince senseless.

The relentless wooden sword beating left the Crown Prince helpless.

“Ugh. Miss, are you crazy?”

“Yes, I’m crazy.”

“What…!”

When I hit his back soundly, the Crown Prince bit his lip hard.

The impact felt so good.

I might get addicted to this.

But the Crown Prince was indeed a formidable opponent. No matter how much I beat him, he never let go of his sword.

Is this the tenacity of a Crown Prince?

Feeling anxious, I concentrated my attacks on his right shoulder and arm.

‘There’s not much time left…!’

Please, just let go!

Contrary to my desperate wish, the Crown Prince stubbornly held on, and eventually, the initiative shifted back to him.

* * *

Dain watched the sparring between his friend and cousin with an uncomfortable expression.

Shailyn, who struggled initially, suddenly seemed to rally but began to falter again as her stamina waned.

Unable to watch any longer, Dain stepped forward to intervene.

“Let’s stop now—.”

Someone grabbed his arm.

Turning his head, he saw a tall man with black hair.

Dain narrowed his brows slightly.

“You…”

“Please don’t interfere with my master.”

Carl calmly warned. Dain glanced at his large hand and the muscular arm attached to it.

Hmm, he must have held a sword for quite a while.

Barely restraining his interest from shifting in that direction, Dain replied incredulously.

“What are you talking about? She could get hurt if we don’t stop.”

“My master is prepared.”

“Isn’t she being stubborn for no reason?”

“You’ll see.”

Carl, gesturing with his head rather arrogantly, fixed his gaze on Shailyn.

Dain was taken aback.

‘Where did she find such a knight…’

It seemed Shailyn’s circumstances weren’t good, so she hired just anyone at a low price.

Though it was absurd, with only five minutes left, he decided to watch for now, looking ahead with disapproval.

It was obvious Shailyn would lose anyway…

At that moment.

“Ugh!”

Shailyn’s wooden sword found an opening and struck Linus’s wrist.

Dain widened his eyes in surprise, while Carl faintly smiled.

The effect of relentlessly practicing downward strikes and thrusts paid off.

“What on earth is this…”

Linus, nearly dropping his wooden sword, murmured in confusion.

Not missing the chance, Shailyn attempted a second body slam.

Dain watched his cousin blankly. Despite being in a disadvantageous position, she didn’t give up and kept creating opportunities.

Suddenly, he remembered what he had said.

‘In fact, she probably wants to give up on the sparring. Show her some mercy, Linus.’

The reason for his judgment was simple.

If Shailyn approached for social climbing, she wouldn’t want to ruin her body.

He thought she would want to gain their favor instead of suffering unnecessarily.

But watching Shailyn, panting and sweating yet persistently fighting, he couldn’t find any sign of that.

She wasn’t pitiful at all. Rather, she was impressive.

‘Thinking about it, what did I even see to make such a judgment…’

At that moment, Shailyn mustered her last strength as the sparring neared its end.

She forcefully pushed Linus’s chest with her shoulder and raised her wooden sword to strike his hand precisely.

It was the final blow.